Take a few minutes to plan your meander around the stands at Higher Options. If you optimise your route, you will have time to ask all of those burning questions and, of course, collect the most interesting brochures. All of the Irish universities, regional technical colleges, institutes of technology, and colleges of education have stands in the main hall. Most students will be interested in talking to the staff on these stands, if last year's CAO applications are any guide. Almost all of last year's Leaving Certificate cohort put in a CAO application. For technical queries about the CAO head to stand 76.

Those with a yen to wear a uniform in the interests of law and order may like to call to the gardai and the Defence Forces. Last year, the Defence Forces stand was mobbed by interested students, so it may take a little time to get the undivided attention of the young men and women in uniform. Head for stands 166 and 167 in the Serpentine Hall.

Post Leaving Certificate courses provide an attractive alternative to conventional third-level courses. These courses are usually of one year's duration and prepare students for work. The variety of courses on offer ranges from outdoor education to engineering to office skills to journalism. For an in-depth discussion of what these courses entail and where they may lead head to the balconies. As well as the City of Dublin VEC, Counties Carlow, Cavan, Cork, Donegal, Meath, Monaghan and Westmeath are represented as is Dun Laoghaire Institute of Further Education.

Each year, more than 3,000 students opt to study in British and Northern Ireland colleges. The colleges are grouped into British, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland. These are all to be found downstairs in the main hall and the Serpentine hall.

There is a number of general information stands which may be able to help the undecided. The National Centre for Guidance in Education, the National Resource Centres for Guidance in Ireland and the Youth Information Resource Unit have all taken stands at this year's higher options conference. UCAS, the British Central Applications body, can be found close to the entrance at stand number one.

Life outdoors is represented by Teagasc (stand 154) which provides training and education in the horticultural and agricultural fields.