My advice would be to start your application quite soon. As I've said, you have 12 months in the post-AIB pool. If you start now you'll be at AIB in March-April time next year, and you can flex that to fit in with your exams anyway. Assuming, that is, that you get to AIB, as you'll need to pass FATs. If you fail FATs by a smallish margin you have the opportunity to re-take after 12 months.
So plan A would see you pass AIB in April, and then know that you were likely to be offered a start at BRNC in late 2009/Jan 2010. BRNC has entries every term and half term except in June of each year, and if you have good FATs scores (140 and above) then I guess that you can pretty much negotiate your preferred start date. Bear in mind that as a graduate you'll start on £28,000 - another good incentive to get you in there sooner rather than later
Plan B (failing FATs, and re-taking) would obviously defer all that for at least 12 months.
Last edited by airborne_artist; 11th Nov 2008 at 10:44.
Reason: typo