2011 CAO/Leaving Cert discussion thread

Konata

Jumpy, don't stress I know it's hard to focus on anything else right now but you'll have no certainty until your results come out in August - and even then, no certainty until there's an offer sitting on your table. It's really, really hard not to think about what ifs right now, I know that, but you're only torturing yourself.

When August comes and you get your results and your offers, you can take it from there. You may be slightly disappointed with your HPAT results but you don't know what the LC results are gonna be like. You might get higher than you expect, other people might get lower etc. etc. And come August whatever, and no offer for medicine comes, it's not the end of the world. There are 2nd rounds, and 3rd rounds and something may appear there.

Things don't always work out the way we expect them to, but there's always a way round. A friend of mine always wanted to do medicine but didn't get near enough points in the LC. She repeated, got much better points but still didn't get in. She started a course, did her HPAT again and got offered medicine that year. She got there eventually and so can you. If you want it enough, you can get it. The straight way may seem the easiest but it's not always possible - and heck, you learn an awful lot about life along the way.

So Jumpy, just take some deep breaths now. Accept what you have, keep your fingers crossed and otherwise just try and distract yourself until results/offers. Best of luck obviously, we'll all be rooting for you

jumpguy

Ahh, thanks Konata. I dunno, I'm not stressed really, more of a feeling of resignation at this stage. I know I won't know anything for sure in August, but I'm very disobedient about not thinking about things. :P

Thanks for all the support everyone, much appreciated!

Aoibheann

Firstly, jumpguy, congrats on the HPAT score, and like Konata said there's really no point in stressing until the LC results are out - you could still be pleasantly surprised. I don't think I can say anything that she hasn't said, but one thing you said caused some confusion:

jumpguy wrote: »

I could go to college next year, repeat the HPAT, and count my first year in whatever course I'm in as premed and enter medicine without paying fees.

I don't think you can do this. Having completed a year of a different undergrad course means you're liable for fees, I don't think you can offset premed against it. I could be wrong, but I'm almost certain that you'd be liable for fees in the first year of medicine were you to have done a year of another course first. I'd check that out with the CAO to be sure.

TBH repeating the HPAT (possibly + LC) - if it comes to that, you could end getting what you want - while maybe working for the year (if not doing the LC again) could be your best bet. Medicine is horrendously expensive if you have to pay fees (you're talking 9,000+, I believe I recall being told they were over 10,000 in RCSI) so starting an undergrad course you're not particularly interested in only to leave it for medicine after a year might not be the wisest idea.

Craguls

Aoibheann wrote: »

I don't think you can do this. Having completed a year of a different undergrad course means you're liable for fees, I don't think you can offset premed against it.

You can. I know of two people (1 from my own course who went to NUIG Med as well)who have done it. It does need to be a relevant course though as seen with Science and Dentistry (TCD to UCD transfer) in the two cases I've personally seen. Both were exempt from fees and had their old degrees counted as pre med.

randylonghorn

Aoibheann wrote: »

I don't think you can do this. Having completed a year of a different undergrad course means you're liable for fees, I don't think you can offset premed against it. I could be wrong, but I'm almost certain that you'd be liable for fees in the first year of medicine were you to have done a year of another course first. I'd check that out with the CAO to be sure.

Normally, this is exactly right ... if you repeat First Year again, you'll pay full fees.

However, I *think* there are a couple of courses where if you have completed First Year to a high enough standard, you can apply for a transfer directly to First Med (as opposed to, and skipping Pre-med), and if you get in, because you're essentially still going into second year of a programme, you get away with it re: the fees.

Note I said I *think* ... I'm far from sure!

Edit: Ah, two of us now have the same idea.

When QoL pops by, she'll set us all straight, she knows the HPAT / Med stuff inside out by now! :pac:

Aoibheann

Ah, that's good to hear, glad to be set straight. It does make sense, I suppose! I've never done pre-med, so I hadn't really considered it before. >.< What does "high enough standard" mean though? Just passing, a 2.1, a first..? Seeing as med pass rates are 50%, it wouldn't seem to make sense/be fair if it was the first of those!

Seeing as that is the case, jumpguy, I'd be checking out the most relevant courses to see which courses are accepted for this, what the required standard is, then put your favourite of those below med perhaps? Just make sure you don't enter a course that doesn't allow it if you've no intention of staying on!

randylonghorn

I think we're talking "pretty exceptional" ... what exactly that means in practice in terms of grades I have no real idea.

Aoibheann

Ah.. Well, I'd be quite wary about that then. Would definitely need to know all those things before committing to a year, doing all the exams etc only to have to go and pay several thousand the next for not getting a specific grade! >.<

Craguls

I should stress, it wasn't simply a case these people had just done well and applied for a transfer. They passed their respective years and everything but they'd reapplied to the CAO, having resat the HPAT much like jumpguy intends on doing. I also know of a Science to Human Health and Disease move who did the same thing. (Although I suspect that was mainly just to keep course numbers up since half the class resat the HPAT and reapplied to the CAO and got in Medicine the following year)

Like you said randy, as long as they're moving forward; as in not repeating a year, they're exempt from fees. So you can skip pre-med by doing an applicable course but not another med year.

Edit: The exceptional grades may refer to the rumored Biomedical Health and Life Sciences transfer but from what I heard that actually doesn't happen. But yeah the individual from my year only got a low II.II (below average for the year anyway) before she transferred. Some who moved from HHD even had repeats and still moved on.

randylonghorn

Craguls wrote: »

Edit: The exceptional grades may refer to the rumored Biomedical Health and Life Sciences transfer but from what I heard that actually doesn't happen. But yeah the individual from my year only got a low II.II (below average for the year anyway) before she transferred. Some who moved from HHD even had repeats and still moved on.

Ah, sorry, I'm confusing myself (and probably others! )

The people you're talking about are applying using their LC results and a (higher) HPAT result, and obviously, now that would make sense, and make their First Year grades a lot less relevant.

The case in the back of my head is a couple of years back, probably before HPAT I think, and she was making her case on the basis of what was an excellent First Year result in a closely related course. When I think about, I'm not so sure that would work now, with HPAT in the mix.

QueenOfLeon

*pokes nose in*

Oh hai o/ Yes, its from me that Jumpy heard about the transfer over without paying fees. It is done at the discretion of the university, so it isn't something that is really advertised. I know that NUIG allow it, but I have no idea about any other university.

What I know is that if you do first year of a science related degree, then repeat the HPAT, reapply to the CAO, and reach the points for that year, you get offered a place. Originally I think the people I know were asked for the fees as it would just be seen as a normal reapplication. Just before the semester started, they were contacted personally and told that because they were going into first med, their 1st year of science can be seen as premed, and first med can technically be seen as 2nd year, therefore you're not "repeating" first year and there are no fees.

This is NOT, however, a transfer from one course to another. It still goes on your LC/HPAT results, the only difference is that you are NOT seen as "repeating" another year of first year (liable for fees) even though you've been in college a year. However, you do need to have passed that year in college, just like you would have to have passed premed. And no repeats in August either, I don't think, as results for repeats aren't out til early September!

The courses I know who definitely were allowed were pharmacy, undenominated science and biomedical science. It doesn't matter if the original course is not in the same university as medicine (for NUIG anyway). There are other people from nutrition and nursing who I *think* were allowed the same thing but I cannot say for sure that this was the case, I haven't asked them personally.

Craguls, I'm intrigued as to who the person you know in my class is! :P

jumpguy

I dunno how this thread suddenly went under my radar!

Since I wrote my (rather self-pitying) post, I've found a mighty spanner in the works of my plan. Since they're bring in the 25 extra marks for HL maths next year, it means that it's gonna push up the points for high-point courses to ridiculous levels. And I don't think they're gonna add on them 25 extra points to my old HL maths grade for CAO 2012, I think it's Project Maths only.

Can anyone confirm this? I asked in the LC forum but the response was...well...underwhelming so far.

Repeating the LC + HPAT will be the option I'll most likely take next year if I don't get medicine this year, with the aim of getting 600 (or rather, 625) in the LC and getting into at least the 80th percentile in the HPAT.

Thanks again to everyone, and especially QueenOfLeon, for her great help and support not just through the HPAT fiasco, but the entire year!

randylonghorn

jumpguy wrote: »

Can anyone confirm this? I asked in the LC forum but the response was...well...underwhelming so far.

It's gone quiet-ish over there at the moment, lad, late at night anyway ... and I'd say very few people are too clear on it themselves; certainly, I'm not.

Lawliet

jumpguy wrote: »

Can anyone confirm this? I asked in the LC forum but the response was...well...underwhelming so far.

Might be better to just email the CAO, they'll most likely be the only ones who can answer you for definite

wayhey

jumpguy, I feel your HPAT/Medicine- related anxiety. Konata's advice, +1 straight away!

I repeated this year for Medicine and re-sat my HPAT. I don't regret doing it and I'll be surprised if I get it- but in truth this time last year I'd sorted my CAO and had been confident I would have been going to college in some way shape or form.

Anyway, I didn't. I'm saying this to freak you out, but don't get all worked up about ifs and maybes- you can plan now, sure, but you'll make a decision either way in a few months and you can't really know what you'll do until you get those results. Good luck waiting for them, and chin up, it might go better than you think

Also, I just wanted to say LOADS of Medicine hopefuls in my year didn't do Honours Maths- I know that's probably rare, and you should maybe take it into account, but don't let other people's performances/subjects decide what you can or can't do in September! Year out is also always an option if you're unsure when college offers come around..

Loads of time anyway- next few weeks, party hardcore :cool:

VeronicaMoon

Does anyone know if FETAC applicants to ITs are offered a place round 0 or round 1? I know with DIT it's different but I don't know about all the other ITs?

Robby91

VeronicaMoon wrote: »

Does anyone know if FETAC applicants to ITs are offered a place round 0 or round 1? I know with DIT it's different but I don't know about all the other ITs?

While it doesn't say anything specifically for IT's, the handbook (page 21) says that those who've applied to courses with a quota for FETAC applicants are offered in Round Zero.

jumpguy

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom.

(Wish I hadn't bothered going to find this thread to bump it, reading my earlier pessimism is depressing).

LilMissCiara

jumpguy wrote: »

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom.

(Wish I hadn't bothered going to find this thread to bump it, reading my earlier pessimism is depressing).

Do you not get enough of the LC talk over in your forum?! :P

But like 31.5 hours.. Scared shítless.. On the verge of tears!

teenagedream

I slept 14 hours straight after a crazy night out with friends and now I wish I'd saved it for tonight so I could forget about everything tomorrow.

Salty

I'm just avoiding people, tbh. Especially my extended family...they can't find anything else to talk to me about besides these results.

Bonkers_xOx

My plan to get up super early this morning so I would sleep tonight failed. Uh, gimme now!

Salty

Bonkers_xOx wrote: »

My plan to get up super early this morning so I would sleep tonight failed. Uh, gimme now!

When are yours available tomorrow?

Bonkers_xOx

_meehan_ wrote: »

When are yours available tomorrow?

10 I think!

Salty

Bonkers_xOx wrote: »

10 I think!

Not too bad! Mine are available from 8.45..torn as to whether I should go in that early or not:P

Atavan-Halen

Results tomorrow but it seems like I'm the only one who's not too bothered about them. Actually forgot they were out tomorrow TBH the way I see it is it's not the end of the world if you don't get what you want. There's plenty more options into courses or career areas apart from LC results.

IHeartChemistry

Heres to hoping UCC Arts will drop by 5 points Reapplied for Arts. I hate the Science...Physics killllllllled me.

Also...Good Luck to all you LC heads out there...:) Hope ye're all happy this time tomorrow!

LilMissCiara

atavan-halen wrote: »

Results tomorrow but it seems like I'm the only one who's not too bothered about them. Actually forgot they were out tomorrow TBH the way I see it is it's not the end of the world if you don't get what you want. There's plenty more options into courses or career areas apart from LC results.

Swap?! :eek:

Atavan-Halen

LilMissCiara wrote: »

Swap?! :eek:

Haha, sure

Just think of it this way. All the work is done and you can't change anything now so there's no point in worrying or fussing Just get your results and college offers and take it from there

soccymonster

I ate one chicken nugget.
And now this chicken nugget clearly added along with some good aul nerves has me feeling sick.
Stupid chicken nuggets.