Gamsat 2013

legallyblondex

eire_245 wrote: »

the scholarship isnt about getting the best candidates, gamsat scores dont come into it....its supposed to be about providing access to med for people who wouldnt be able to afford it otherwise

i agree, the notion of "better" students being those with higher gamsat scores is bizarre and your score, be that 54 or 64 means nothing once you've actually gotten in

House_QC

chips365 wrote: »

My first attempt this year, got 51, 50 and i'm ashamed to say 39 for the science. I knew my science was terrible i ran out of time. No prep for section 2 really and completely flunked the question on boredom (think i wrote maybe 2.5 paragraphs. I knew the science information but just didn't practice the questions. Anyone care to give me a confidence boost or am i wasting my time pursuing this for GAMSAT UK. And a massive congrats to everyone!

It is a little strange to me that there is no minimum cut-off score for the science section, in particular. In the UK and Australia, a score of 50 is required in the science section at the very least, and for some, it can be 55 for every section as well. Anyway, it does not matter for Irish GEM courses so if that's where you're applying to, then perhaps someone else's advice to concentrate on the other two sections wasn't such a bad one after all.

As a nurse though, you have a science background. So science ought to be your strongest subject, right? If that's the case, and you did indeed know the fundamental concepts and were thus able to extrapolate conclusions from the information provided, then it looks like all you need to do is plenty of practice questions for the next GAMSAT. If I were you, I would be very confident of increasing your Section 3 score quite radically the next time round. You just need to go through the ACER practice questions under timed conditions and make sure you take time to go through all the answers and understand where you went wrong. In addition, I recommend this book for any non-science student: Calculations in AS/A-level Chemistry by Jim Clarke. If possible, try and do all questions without a calculator to mimic the GAMSAT conditions as much as possible. You might find the science too easy though.

Traditionally, those with science backgrounds are weaker at sections 1 and 2. If that's similar in your case, then you need to start writing practice essays under timed conditions. If you're not sure how to go about this, I recommend procuring Griffiths' GAMSAT Review. It offers a simple but apparently very effective essay plan and structure. I found it very simplistic and imbalanced but my friend who used it got a very high score in her essay: 77. I actually wrote to him to criticise his essay structure but he was adamant that he's only had positive feedback. So for the purposes of the GAMSAT marking scheme, it's perfect. At the beginning, you could write one essay per week without time pressure. After a month, you could then start writing two essays of 30 minutes each. That's it really.

For Section 1, I think it's essential to start reading classic literature novels. Maybe pull it out during any breaks you have during your shifts, or try and read a chapter a day. Nothing too excessive. You could also keep a small notepad handy to write down any words you don't know. Then either at the same time or perhaps on a weekly basis, look up the definitions and write them in. In addition, I recommend doing Abstract Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning tests. You can buy books recommended in Griffiths GAMSAT Review. Actually, you could probably do Numerical Reasoning and Logic as well. In fact, you could probably use the UKCAT 600 practice questions book as useful practice for this kind of thing. I've got the book but it looks like I might not have to sit the UKCAT after all. Finally, for those with non-literary backgrounds, Poetry for Dummies is by all accounts useful as well. Reading broadsheet newspapers or the occasional magazine like The Economist or National Geographic can only help you as well.

In essence, with your science background, you should feel very confident of increasing your section 3 score. All you need to do is enhance your methodology and technique in the exam. As you conceded, it's not necessarily a knowledge test, it's how you manipulate the information to answer the relevant question. In other words, it's all about reasoning. You cannot increase your innate intellectual capacity or potential. But you certainly can improve on your performance and speed through practice which in turn will increase your results.

For sections 1 and 2, you did okay actually but through more reading and practice questions and essays, you can also improve. Write a good yet realistic plan, making sure you don't neglect any area and you will definitely notice marked improvements in your results. Don't expect to get 100% right away, but if you consistently practise and put in the time, then you will make steady progress.

Finally, if you're only applying to Irish med schools, then it might be beneficial to skip the GAMSAT UK in September and instead focus on being absolutely ready for the GAMSAT Ireland next March in time for a September 2014 start date. In that sense, it depends on how hectic your schedule is and how much time you can allocated to preparing for the GAMSAT in the next four months. I don't see any benefit in sitting the GAMSAT more than once if you're not ready. I think one practice "real exam" is sufficient to know what it's about. Now just focus on making sure you're fully prepared for the next one (either in September or March).

Anyway, hope this helps. If you're truly passionate about becoming a doctor, then don't give up. I've seen it time and time again with many people in all professions. Those who persevere invariably make it in the end. You can do it! Take a break and then get back to the books!

Noddy89

Hi guys,

Does anybody know where to find the verification code that you send into the CAO with the gamsat result?

Mail from CAO says "If you find that we have no GAMSAT score recorded for you or if your previous
GAMSAT score is higher, you must send your results to CAO by post within 7 days
of the sending of this e-mail.

If they are incorrect or you have a better result, a copy of such results should
be forwarded to CAO immediately by post and before June 15th 2013 showing your
CAO Application Number, GAMSAT Candidate Number, Section results and
Verification Code."

Cheers

snizzledan

Hypnos wrote: »

RCSI was:

2012 59 2011 59*

in 2012 everyone with 59 got a place

I find this to be incorrect Hypnos. there was a * last year also. Not everyone was offered a place. Source = http://www2.cao.ie/points/Graduate%20Medicine%202012%20Round%200.pdf

Further marks for previous years can be found by following the links to the appropriate years here :
http://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=points

snizzledan

Hey guys.
So there is until the 1st of July to decide which university to offer the highest preference on your CAO application and to be honest I am at a bit of a loss for discerning a difference between them and the course itself.
For example RCSI trumpets about their more didactic approach to the teaching of medicine. Being much more hands on and first hand experience based as opposed to book learning. It is a prestigious college in the manner than it does have very good international links to hospitals and the such. Saying this it is not so much a "university" as a tailored medical school in itself. I does not have the student population that the rest of the colleges do and therefore is at a loss when it comes to offering a large campus, extensive libraries, massive student centres (UCDs sport complex).

What of the rest. Where would ye like to go given the opportunity and why. Decision time beckons.. What makes or breaks a university for ye?

PS. Anyone know of course breakdowns for the respective colleges. I found this for UCD
(https://sisweb.ucd.ie/usis/w_sm_web_inf_viewer_banner.show_major?p_term_code=201200&p_cao_code=DN401&p_major_code=MDS9)

And these for RCSI (http://www.rcsi.ie/medical-curriculum)
and a handbook https://www.rcsi.ie/files/admissions/docs/20130410031519_GEP%20booklet.pdf

pc11

eire_245 wrote: »

the scholarship isnt about getting the best candidates, gamsat scores dont come into it....its supposed to be about providing access to med for people who wouldnt be able to afford it otherwise

I didn't mention GAMSAT scores at all, a 'good' candidate could be many things.

Speaking personally, I will have great difficulty affording to do medicine without such help. I am certainly not in the position like many here that I can saunter from graduating this year to go straight on into med, frankly I'm baffled that people can do this. How can they afford it??

Now, there are 2 separate questions here: should scholarships be partly about 'good' candidates and are they in practice.

We can debate how you would award scholarships, there's no one way to decide, and how do you compare people's needs? I don't know how to be honest. And in general scholarships are often awarded based on academic performance and /or some other criteria, it's not like that's unusual.

But, if GAMSAT score is completely ignored in practice, why do they ask you for your score on the scholarship application form?

Now, given that there are only a few scholarships, and presumably many applicants, how are they going to decide? They have to apply SOME criteria. To say that all things being equal, that some candidates are not better than others in SOME way, doesn't make any sense. Otherwise you would just select at random.

GAMSAT score is far from the be-all and end-all, and I didn't suggest awarding scholarships just on that score, but if it had no ability to predict med school ability, then all the UK/Aussie/Irish universities are being pretty negligent in using it then!

EDIT: serious question, how would you award the scholarships? Furthermore, my main point was actually about the timing, no matter what criteria you use, making you wait until weeks after entering is not helpful. If you truly cannot afford to do the course, it makes no sense to get you to quit your job, change your life, start college, take on the UK loan, maybe move to Limerick etc and all on the *hope* of a scholarship. If you then don't get it, you're screwed.

Finally, I think we all have a vested position on this topic; if you have a high GAMSAT you will tend to favour scholarship based on that, if you don't you'll feel differently. Getting in is competitive, college is competitive, being a doctor is competitive, there's nothing necessarily wrong about applying that to scholarships, at least to maybe a limited number of the scholarships.

And how do you define economic need? The questions on the initial UL application form relate to your family position when you first went to college, which is not very relevant to now. What if you went to college 10/15 years ago, studied law, earned 6 figures for a decade for instance? Might you still get a scholarship over someone who has worked in a low paid job for years but shows great aptitude to be a doctor? I'm interested in people think on this.

pc11

legallyblondex wrote: »

i agree, the notion of "better" students being those with higher gamsat scores is bizarre and your score, be that 54 or 64 means nothing once you've actually gotten in

Who mentioned GAMSAT score as deciding who is 'better'? I didn't in my post.

But again, if GAMSAT score 'means nothing' , why do they use it?

We all know that commitment, aptitude and organisation are the top criteria to determine success in med school, but couldn't those be reflected in the GAMSAT score which in turn helps you in college?

Given the system in place, that's all there is to go on. We don't look at anything else. Maybe we should, but we don't.

legallyblondex

pc11 wrote: »

Who mentioned GAMSAT score as deciding who is 'better'? I didn't in my post.

But again, if GAMSAT score 'means nothing' , why do they use it?

We all know that commitment, aptitude and organisation are the top criteria to determine success in med school, but couldn't those be reflected in the GAMSAT score which in turn helps you in college?

Given the system in place, that's all there is to go on. We don't look at anything else. Maybe we should, but we don't.

apologies then im not quite sure what qualities these good candidates have over others that would be filling the places but anyway....

The scholarship is means tested so irrespective of any score it is judged on family income etc so aims to prevent anyone who literally cannot do the course without it from giving up a place...

Also i said the Gamsat score means nothing when you've gotten this far. There is no apparent divide amongst students based on their scores is all i meant

chips365

pc11 wrote: »

I didn't mention GAMSAT scores at all, a 'good' candidate could be many things.

Speaking personally, I will have great difficulty affording to do medicine without such help. I am certainly not in the position like many here that I can saunter from graduating this year to go straight on into med, frankly I'm baffled that people can do this. How can they afford it??

Now, there are 2 separate questions here: should scholarships be partly about 'good' candidates and are they in practice.

We can debate how you would award scholarships, there's no one way to decide, and how do you compare people's needs? I don't know how to be honest. And in general scholarships are often awarded based on academic performance and /or some other criteria, it's not like that's unusual.

But, if GAMSAT score is completely ignored in practice, why do they ask you for your score on the scholarship application form?

Now, given that there are only a few scholarships, and presumably many applicants, how are they going to decide? They have to apply SOME criteria. To say that all things being equal, that some candidates are not better than others in SOME way, doesn't make any sense. Otherwise you would just select at random.

GAMSAT score is far from the be-all and end-all, and I didn't suggest awarding scholarships just on that score, but if it had no ability to predict med school ability, then all the UK/Aussie/Irish universities are being pretty negligent in using it then!

EDIT: serious question, how would you award the scholarships? Furthermore, my main point was actually about the timing, no matter what criteria you use, making you wait until weeks after entering is not helpful. If you truly cannot afford to do the course, it makes no sense to get you to quit your job, change your life, start college, take on the UK loan, maybe move to Limerick etc and all on the *hope* of a scholarship. If you then don't get it, you're screwed.

Finally, I think we all have a vested position on this topic; if you have a high GAMSAT you will tend to favour scholarship based on that, if you don't you'll feel differently. Getting in is competitive, college is competitive, being a doctor is competitive, there's nothing necessarily wrong about applying that to scholarships, at least to maybe a limited number of the scholarships.

And how do you define economic need? The questions on the initial UL application form relate to your family position when you first went to college, which is not very relevant to now. What if you went to college 10/15 years ago, studied law, earned 6 figures for a decade for instance? Might you still get a scholarship over someone who has worked in a low paid job for years but shows great aptitude to be a doctor? I'm interested in people think on this.

My mate was awarded the UL scholarship 2 years ago and I asked him how it got it.

He came from a socially disadvantaged background and was in receipt of a grant from the local authority during his undergrad degree.

He also obtained a 1.1 in his science degree and had one of the highest GAMSAT scores in that cohort.

He also had to sit an interview where he has stated you have to "sell" yourself. The little bit of space you get for the personal statement is not the only opportunity you get to tell the committee how great you are.

I don't know why the scholarship is awarded weeks after you have to pay the initial installment of fee's but if you really feel you need it and can not get a loan then you really need to stress this in the interview. No point going in and telling them the bank has given you 100K because the bank will have done the home work on you and what you can afford. When he went in for the interview he told them that his family had all contributed to his first year fee's but there was no way he would be able to afford the rest of it without taking on a job which would hinder his studies, and what he told them was true.

Hypnos

snizzledan wrote: »

I find this to be incorrect Hypnos. there was a * last year also. Not everyone was offered a place. Source = http://www2.cao.ie/points/Graduate%20Medicine%202012%20Round%200.pdf

Further marks for previous years can be found by following the links to the appropriate years here :
http://www.cao.ie/index.php?page=points

Round 0 friend

By the second round everyone with 59 got a place.

http://www.qualifax.ie/qf/QFPublic/?Mainsec=courses&Subsec=course_details&ID=29510

CAO only takes into account the round 0 score required. In 2011, 59* was in Round 0 and in the second round

In 2012 it was Round 0 = 59*... Second round = 59 (so everyone got a place). I get the info from qualifax who takes into account the second round score and the first... Qualifax updates it. CAO doesn't after Round 0

WoolahUrma

Hypnos wrote: »

Round 0 friend

By the second round everyone with 59 got a place.

http://www.qualifax.ie/qf/QFPublic/?Mainsec=courses&Subsec=course_details&ID=29510

CAO only takes into account the round 0 score required. In 2011, 59* was in Round 0 and in the second round

In 2012 it was Round 0 = 59*... Second round = 59 (so everyone got a place). I get the info from qualifax who takes into account the second round score and the first... Qualifax updates it. CAO doesn't after Round 0

are you going ucd or rcsi?

Hypnos

WoolahUrma wrote: »

are you going ucd or rcsi?

I'm having quite a tough time choosing. At the moment UCD is my first choice and I have an undergrad from UCD so I know my way around but I'll know in a week after having a good long think about it. Most likely UCD because of the financial aspect too along with familiarity and having completed a couple med modules as part of my undergrad that I can skip in Grad med.

I'm almost fairly certain that it will be UCD even though I continuously think about it. You?

mabs12

Hypnos wrote: »

Round 0 friend

By the second round everyone with 59 got a place.

http://www.qualifax.ie/qf/QFPublic/?Mainsec=courses&Subsec=course_details&ID=29510

CAO only takes into account the round 0 score required. In 2011, 59* was in Round 0 and in the second round

In 2012 it was Round 0 = 59*... Second round = 59 (so everyone got a place). I get the info from qualifax who takes into account the second round score and the first... Qualifax updates it. CAO doesn't after Round 0

Good thinking ! Thanks

WoolahUrma

Hypnos wrote: »

I'm having quite a tough time choosing. At the moment UCD is my first choice and I have an undergrad from UCD so I know my way around but I'll know in a week after having a good long think about it. Most likely UCD because of the financial aspect too along with familiarity and having completed a couple med modules as part of my undergrad that I can skip in Grad med.

I'm almost fairly certain that it will be UCD even though I continuously think about it. You?

Not a clue, the international thing might be a factor for me. I know that getting placments in the us through the rcsi is easier but I have a little more research to do on that.

Ill be living in goatstown either way which is great for sandyford/ucd campus and vincents but not so good for connolly.

Nothing from the first two years in ucd counts for the final degree which could be good for me coming from psychology but then again I like the early clinical exposure in RCSI.

I was onto them today so I think I'll do the tour out in sandyford.

Why do you think RSCI is higher points in the gamsat for grads and lower for undergrads in the cao than UCD?

pc11

chips365 wrote: »

My mate was awarded the UL scholarship 2 years ago and I asked him how it got it.

He came from a socially disadvantaged background and was in receipt of a grant from the local authority during his undergrad degree.

He also obtained a 1.1 in his science degree and had one of the highest GAMSAT scores in that cohort.

He also had to sit an interview where he has stated you have to "sell" yourself. The little bit of space you get for the personal statement is not the only opportunity you get to tell the committee how great you are.

I don't know why the scholarship is awarded weeks after you have to pay the initial installment of fee's but if you really feel you need it and can not get a loan then you really need to stress this in the interview. No point going in and telling them the bank has given you 100K because the bank will have done the home work on you and what you can afford. When he went in for the interview he told them that his family had all contributed to his first year fee's but there was no way he would be able to afford the rest of it without taking on a job which would hinder his studies, and what he told them was true.

Thanks, I didn't know there was an interview.

What does 'socially disadvantaged background' actually mean? I had a full grant myself going to college which was the only way I could have done it.

As far as I know, you would have to have the loan before you got the scholarship. Ulster Bank approve everyone unless you have major issues, they are looking at your future not past I was told, so that's a not a problem. (It's 60K not 100K). I think you can just cancel the loan then. So, I thought the loan wasn't really a factor.

Hypnos

WoolahUrma wrote: »

Not a clue, the international thing might be a factor for me. I know that getting placments in the us through the rcsi is easier but I have a little more research to do on that.

Ill be living in goatstown either way which is great for sandyford/ucd campus and vincents but not so good for connolly.

Nothing from the first two years in ucd counts for the final degree which could be good for me coming from psychology but then again I like the early clinical exposure in RCSI.

I was onto them today so I think I'll do the tour out in sandyford.

Why do you think RSCI is higher points in the gamsat for grads and lower for undergrads in the cao than UCD?

International experience is highly competitive regardless of what university you're in. Yeh Goatstown is cycling distance from UCD/Vincents. It does take a bit to walk it. Connolly is cycling distance from me but sandyford a light year away. True but I do honestly think the clinical exposure is a tad bit too fast in RCSI. It's in out first year GEM semester 2 right? It seems really quick. In ucd you will have clinical exposure for the first two years but not as much as in RCSI. Having said that I think* I read that RCSI has 4 semesters and is a tad bit more intense than UCD's 3 semesters so that could explain the quicker exposure.

For the GAMSAT I think RCSI is just higher points because it offers only around 25 places per year. UCD 77 so its only natural to have higher points for RCSI. Also to do with the college itself. It's a distinct medical school where healthcare is it's specialty. UCD has countless amounts of courses so it's not a 'Medical University'.
I think it's kind of analogous to the way John Hopkins is the most famous med school in the world even though Harvard is higher ranked. UCD is much higher ranked than RCSI so it's more known internationally but it's not solely a med school.
We as leaving cert students have been always though "University ranking is important" in subtle ways and I think as a LC student me and my friends always picked our choices based on university rankings in the world so Trinity is the most demanded undergrad med school, followed by RCSI/UCD. I think the emphasis on University rankings explains the trend of Undergrad med applicants and respective points for the uni's.

My LC undergrad med school preferences were;

1) RCSI
2) Trinity
3) UCD

Whereas now, even if trinity did offer gradmed, I'm confident that UCD would still be my first choice and if not, RCSI would.

chips365

pc11 wrote: »

Thanks, I didn't know there was an interview.

What does 'socially disadvantaged background' actually mean? I had a full grant myself going to college which was the only way I could have done it.

As far as I know, you would have to have the loan before you got the scholarship. Ulster Bank approve everyone unless you have major issues, they are looking at your future not past I was told, so that's a not a problem. (It's 60K not 100K). I think you can just cancel the loan then. So, I thought the loan wasn't really a factor.

Not everyone gets an interview, just those who make it past phase 2. It means that if your earning were too low then there is no possible way you could afford to do the course even with family support.

Essentially they are looking for a unique candidate who who has shown extraordinary resilience in the face of adversity. And i believe they ask you to explain how you have overcome barriers in the personal statement.

For example, a person worked 2 part time jobs while studying and also had to look after an ill parent, write a thesis proposal, do exams and maintain a 1.1 qca. It's all about making yourself sound like you deserve it.

legallyblondex

pc11 wrote: »

Thanks, I didn't know there was an interview.

What does 'socially disadvantaged background' actually mean? I had a full grant myself going to college which was the only way I could have done it.

As far as I know, you would have to have the loan before you got the scholarship. Ulster Bank approve everyone unless you have major issues, they are looking at your future not past I was told, so that's a not a problem. (It's 60K not 100K). I think you can just cancel the loan then. So, I thought the loan wasn't really a factor.

it stands to reason that if the school see that you are granted the loan that they won't then hand you a scholarship as once you have those fees paid by a loan we are technically all in the same boat as far as paying the loan back as graduates.
you would need to plead a case that you were unable to get the loan and so would need to turn down a place in UL as a result as that kind of cash was unavailable to you.
In the meantime there is no major panic on paying fees timewise. Problem is if refused scholarship you are forced to apply for loan and without the ability To fund your own living fees you are stuck having move here! For that reason it a pretty poor set up yes

WoolahUrma

Hypnos wrote: »

International experience is highly competitive regardless of what university you're in. Yeh Goatstown is cycling distance from UCD/Vincents. It does take a bit to walk it. Connolly is cycling distance from me but sandyford a light year away. True but I do honestly think the clinical exposure is a tad bit too fast in RCSI. It's in out first year GEM semester 2 right? It seems really quick. In ucd you will have clinical exposure for the first two years but not as much as in RCSI. Having said that I think* I read that RCSI has 4 semesters and is a tad bit more intense than UCD's 3 semesters so that could explain the quicker exposure.

For the GAMSAT I think RCSI is just higher points because it offers only around 25 places per year. UCD 77 so its only natural to have higher points for RCSI. Also to do with the college itself. It's a distinct medical school where healthcare is it's specialty. UCD has countless amounts of courses so it's not a 'Medical University'.
I think it's kind of analogous to the way John Hopkins is the most famous med school in the world even though Harvard is higher ranked. UCD is much higher ranked than RCSI so it's more known internationally but it's not solely a med school.
We as leaving cert students have been always though "University ranking is important" in subtle ways and I think as a LC student me and my friends always picked our choices based on university rankings in the world so Trinity is the most demanded undergrad med school, followed by RCSI/UCD. I think the emphasis on University rankings explains the trend of Undergrad med applicants and respective points for the uni's.

My LC undergrad med school preferences were;

1) RCSI
2) Trinity
3) UCD

Whereas now, even if trinity did offer gradmed, I'm confident that UCD would still be my first choice and if not, RCSI would.

Im headin up next week to have a look around the health sciences building which I have heard and read so much about.

There is a bit of talk about how the rcsi admin help each individual to get the placments both for summer research and placement after college.

When it comes to the international placements it seems as though they do more with each individual than ucd.

usmle prep which is apparantly a mine field if its something you're interested in.

I know that they promote themselves abroad etc but maybe there is some truth to their expertise when placeing students?

pc11

legallyblondex wrote: »

it stands to reason that if the school see that you are granted the loan that they won't then hand you a scholarship as once you have those fees paid by a loan we are technically all in the same boat as far as paying the loan back as graduates.
you would need to plead a case that you were unable to get the loan and so would need to turn down a place in UL as a result as that kind of cash was unavailable to you.
In the meantime there is no major panic on paying fees timewise. Problem is if refused scholarship you are forced to apply for loan and without the ability To fund your own living fees you are stuck having move here! For that reason it a pretty poor set up yes

I'm obviously open to correction, but I thought the fees thing doesn't really matter as UB will lend to almost anyone. It's really about the living expenses and presumably family commitments.

Can I ask do you know it explicitly from UL that you need to be turned down for the loan or are you surmising? Sorry, no offence intended, just trying to understand.

I spoke to Ulster Bank today and asked about this. They are waiting to get confirmation next week of the loans scheme for next year. They don't know much about the scholarship as it is completely separate from them. But they said it's no problem to apply for the loan and either never draw it down, or repay it on the spot if you got a scholarship.

legallyblondex

pc11 wrote: »

I'm obviously open to correction, but I thought the fees thing doesn't really matter as UB will lend to almost anyone. It's really about the living expenses and presumably family commitments.

Can I ask do you know it explicitly from UL that you need to be turned down for the loan or are you surmising? Sorry, no offence intended, just trying to understand.

I spoke to Ulster Bank today and asked about this. They are waiting to get confirmation next week of the loans scheme for next year. They don't know much about the scholarship as it is completely separate from them. But they said it's no problem to apply for the loan and either never draw it down, or repay it on the spot if you got a scholarship.

if it was just about the living expenses they wouldn't be offering up on 20,000 per year as is full scholarship. Yes the loan is pretty easy to get but UL do not take that for granted considering normally for a loan you need guarantor etc and technically those terms are up to bank themselves and obv subject to change. i didn't say you need to be turned down I'm advising people who have any slight chance of getting it to hold off on getting loan and paying fees rather than to approach an interview having previously been approved. Like i said if UL can see that youve paid fees whether that be via a loan or not, another individual who hasn't paid because they simply can't is obv going to be favoured. The scheme was set up to allow those a chance who without the scholarship simply could not do the course. i hnderstand that spunds contradictory seeing loan is so easily gotten but like i said UL do not presume that and that wasnt always the case...I was just clarifying that there is no immediate panic for fees when you start

WoolahUrma

legallyblondex wrote: »

if it was just about the living expenses they wouldn't be offering up on 20,000 per year as is full scholarship. Yes the loan is pretty easy to get but UL do not take that for granted considering normally for a loan you need guarantor etc and technically those terms are up to bank themselves and obv subject to change. i didn't say you need to be turned down I'm advising people who have any slight chance of getting it to hold off on getting loan and paying fees rather than to approach an interview having previously been approved. Like i said if UL can see that youve paid fees whether that be via a loan or not, another individual who hasn't paid because they simply can't is obv going to be favoured. The scheme was set up to allow those a chance who without the scholarship simply could not do the course. i hnderstand that spunds contradictory seeing loan is so easily gotten but like i said UL do not presume that and that wasnt always the case...I was just clarifying that there is no immediate panic for fees when you start

Do they accept fees in instalments during the year?

legallyblondex

WoolahUrma wrote: »

Do they accept fees in instalments during the year?

don't think so. basing that the entire fees for year one showed up on my account straight away but it might have been an option if you weren't getting loan.
Sorry I'm not sure

Hypnos

WoolahUrma wrote: »

Im headin up next week to have a look around the health sciences building which I have heard and read so much about.

There is a bit of talk about how the rcsi admin help each individual to get the placments both for summer research and placement after college.

When it comes to the international placements it seems as though they do more with each individual than ucd.

usmle prep which is apparantly a mine field if its something you're interested in.

I know that they promote themselves abroad etc but maybe there is some truth to their expertise when placeing students?

It's pretty cool yeh. It's like a maze though. The anatomy labs are cool which are on the second floor on the right side of the building but it has a cool library and stuff. Lots of things to see if you have access.

I can't comment on the international placement since I really haven't looked into it. I'll see when the time comes.

House_QC

I'm trying to find more information on the options for newly qualified doctors in Ireland and also opportunities to transfer abroad to the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Is there a thread that covers this stuff? Can anyone recommend a book giving more information on becoming a doctor in Ireland and the various career options available, please? There seems to be plenty about the UK but I haven't found anything yet on Ireland. I've read some horror threads about working conditions in Ireland... so want to make sure I can move afterwards if such conditions haven't improved.

E.g. http://www.amazon.co.uk/So-you-want-Doctor-ultimate/dp/0199573328/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369158270&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=get+into+medical+school+ireland

House_QC

Actually that book doesn't cover career pathways afterwards... but you get the picture.

thomasdavis

House_QC wrote: »

I've read some horror threads about working conditions in Ireland... so want to make sure I can move afterwards if such conditions haven't improved.

how about sticking around to help change the system from within? ask not what your country can do for you - ask what can you do for your country. MLK could have taken a handy post in a northern US state to escape segregation, instead he stayed south to help defeat it. Im not trying to offend you just giving you a different perspective on things

Hypnos

I'd understand if people were leaving because of unemployment issues, but it's because of the bad working hours and the overtimes. More people leaving just makes the situation worse. I'm hoping that in 4 years the situation will be a lot better. The HSE is overstaffed with administrative positions etc but can't afford to pay specialists. So it only exacerbates the problem. The recession caused a lot of problems and the HSE can't fill consultant positions because no consultant wants an 80K/yr pay. Seems to be too little for them compared to what they can earn abroad it's not a great situation at all...

House_QC

thomasdavis wrote: »

how about sticking around to help change the system from within? ask not what your country can do for you - ask what can you do for your country. MLK could have taken a handy post in a northern US state to escape segregation, instead he stayed south to help defeat it. Im not trying to offend you just giving you a different perspective on things

On a long enough timeline, yeah sure, why not?

But, we have a finite existence and as graduate applicants, perhaps less time than others to achieve our personal and professional goals. I want to focus on learning and practising medicine. I'll leave the rest to the administrators, civil servants, politicians and revolutionaries

I have found a few answers about internships, etc. on the Medical Council website. http://www.medicalcouncil.ie/Registration/Internship-Registration/Information-on-Training-Experience/

I'll have to look at the requirements for each country on top of this, however. I've been looking at a computer screen three days flat. I'd much rather have a single, readable book with all the relevant information in a layman's words. Surely there's one out there? Don't tell me I'll have to write one myself in 10 years' time?

House_QC

Hypnos wrote: »

I'd understand if people were leaving because of unemployment issues, but it's because of the bad working hours and the overtimes. More people leaving just makes the situation worse. I'm hoping that in 4 years the situation will be a lot better. The HSE is overstaffed with administrative positions etc but can't afford to pay specialists. So it only exacerbates the problem. The recession caused a lot of problems and the HSE can't fill consultant positions because no consultant wants an 80K/yr pay. Seems to be too little for them compared to what they can earn abroad it's not a great situation at all...

I don't think it's up to individual practitioners to carry the burden for an unsustainable system. It's a political issue and should be taken up by politicians at the behest of those who suffer, i.e. patients and clinicians alike. So by all means agitate for reform but don't suffer needlessly and accept relatively inhumane working conditions and low salaries if you don't have to. That would be unreasonable.