`Glad I'm doing it

For Joy O'Neill at King's Hospital, Palmerstown, Dublin, Transition Year is compulsory. All 120 fourth-year students at the school are taking part in a year full of activity. Highlights for Joy included a five-day trip to Delphi in Greece last September, where she tried hill-climbing, surfing and lots of other water sports. "It was brilliant - but freezing," she says.

Back at school, the Transition Year students participate in a range of activities including pottery, photography and wood-turning. They also help out in nearby Stewart's Hospital, a real hospital unlike King's Hospital.

The students continue with their core subjects but they tend to get projects rather than homework. Joy spent a week on work experience in Beaumont Hospital, in the MRI department - "watching people get brain scans. It was pretty interesting." Another week she shadowed journalists at work.

Joy's verdict: "Transition Year is much more relaxed than other years. It's meant to be hard to get back into the routine again . . . but, I'm glad I'm doing it."

`Chance to mature'

Like 119 other students at her school, Eadaoin O'Sullivan, of St Leo's Convent of Mercy, Carlow, opted for Transition Year. The school offers students the option to progress directly to Leaving Cert or participation in Transition Year.

"We have activities every Wednesday. Until Christmas we had bridge, photography or video production," says Eadaoin. She ended up in the bridge group and is less than enthusiastic about the game. The people who did video and photography were very happy, she notes.

Wednesdays are now devoted to outdoor pursuits such as horse-riding and swimming and the class has visited Dunmore Cave. This is decidedly more to her taste.

The students continue with their core subjects but those who don't do German have a radio class instead. "Of course, I did German," she says wryly.

Each Thursday afternoon three class periods are dedicated to mini-companies. Eadoain's group embarked on the production of customised stationery and labels which they sold within the school and locally on a door-to-door basis. They came fourth in the county final of the mini-company competition, almost making it to the regionals. One group from her year did get through.

Eadaoin was able to turn her work experience in a graphic designer's office to good account - designing a label for the mini-company. The insight into the work has left her a little unsure if graphic design would suit her as a career so she came to The Irish Times to investigate journalism.

Eadaoin's verdict: "Transition Year gives us a chance to mature."