Gamsat 2013

nomoreexams

I've RCSI first aswell but I already know I can't afford it. I kind of know its the course I want (wish I could explain why) , I just don't have the heart to change it. I was hoping to win the euromillions last night, then I'd have bought the college & let all the boards gems in for free

pc11

nomoreexams wrote: »

I've RCSI first aswell but I already know I can't afford it. I kind of know its the course I want (wish I could explain why) , I just don't have the heart to change it. I was hoping to win the euromillions last night, then I'd have bought the college & let all the boards gems in for free

I feel the same way. For me it's something like UCD feels like going back to undergrad, whereas RCSI feels more grown up, like going into post-grad. As I've done the undergrad and post-grad thing already, RCSI appeals on that front.

UCD feels huge and busy and lecture-oriented whereas RCSI feels smaller, more intimate, more adult, and a little more practical in the first 2 years. (Don't get me wrong, I'm a UCD grad, I lve the place, I just mean the GEM setup)

My doubts about RCSI include: cost, lack of pool, frustration with info. on fees, likely fee rises in the future, slightly harder to get to Sandyford and Blanchardstown. Apart from costs, these shouldn't be deal-breakers, I think?

I normally don't do the lotto but I've been playing it lately too. Have you factored in everything in the costs: travel, catering, laptop and all that? Don't under-estimate the value of free tea, coffee and kitchen facilities in RCSI. Add that up over 2 years!

I spoke to RCSI admissions today and to be fair to the lady I spoke to she agreed it's very late for them to be deciding the fees. She seemed frustrated too.

Do NOT rely on this but she said she doesn't see fees going up by more than 100-200 this year.

I have been trying to get a hold of the Head of Admissions to discuss further, I'll be calling again tomorrow morning,

diverboy83

I'm sticking with UCD as No. 1 and RCSI as No. 2. I had it the other way around until I got my GAMSAT results (I ought to have a sufficiently high enough score for either) and met a stone wall trying to contact RCSI but found that UCD couldn't do enough for me. Instinct is telling me that is a tell tale sign (of course, that's just me). That's in addition to the list of reasons I posted some time ago, which hasn't changed.

The fees are an issue, but if I thought it was worth it I wouldn't let it sway my decision. There is only one shot at this, after all.

nomoreexams

pc11 wrote: »

I feel the same way. For me it's something like UCD feels like going back to undergrad, whereas RCSI feels more grown up, like going into post-grad. As I've done the undergrad and post-grad thing already, RCSI appeals on that front.

UCD feels huge and busy and lecture-oriented whereas RCSI feels smaller, more intimate, more adult, and a little more practical in the first 2 years.

I normally don't do the lotto but I've been playing it lately too. Have you factored in everything in the costs: travel, catering, laptop and all that?

I spoke to RCSI admissions today and to be fair to the lady I spoke to she agreed it's very late for them to be deciding the fees. She seemed frustrated too.

Do NOT rely on this but she said she doesn't see fees going up by more than 100-200 this year.

I have been trying to get a hold of the Head of Admissions to discuss further, I'll be calling again tomorrow morning,

Ill give them a call as well to put some pressure on them. I'm fairly ok for living expenses because I've a handy part time job that pays quite well with short shifts. I don't think I can save the extra €2,000(plus however much it increases per year) a year though on top of rent, food, the inevitable vet bills that hit on the week I have the least money, car insurance.... The endless list of bills. I hate basing my choice on money but unfortunately I can't pay for college with good intentions & high hopes.

nomoreexams

and so it is...

pc11

nomoreexams wrote: »

and so it is...

Nooooo!

nomoreexams

Yep I did it. Unless RCSI announce a definite figure between now & closing date for change of mind I'm going to leave it. Realistically there's very little between the two choices. Money is my biggest concern at the moment & no doubt will continue to be so for the foreseeable future so to put myself under extra financial pressure makes very little sense. I want to be able to give the course my all & enjoy it, I feel that to have the worry of saving for fees above that of the loan would take from the whole thing & make me resent the course.

I feel the same as you pc. I've done an undergrad and a postgrad. My postgrad was a professional degree and so it was a more "mature" set up in the college and I liked that approach. That being said I don't feel that a more mature course (I'm paraphrasing your thoughts, I know, but I hope you understand what I mean. also UCD'ers I'm not trying to insult ucd) as in the fact that we would be separated from the larger student body (as in RCSI) will really affect what you make of the course. You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders, you're not afraid to ask questions & I don't doubt that you're pushy so you'll get the most out of whatever course you do.

pc11

diverboy83 wrote: »

I'm sticking with UCD as No. 1 and RCSI as No. 2. I had it the other way around until I got my GAMSAT results (I ought to have a sufficiently high enough score for either) and met a stone wall trying to contact RCSI but found that UCD couldn't do enough for me. Instinct is telling me that is a tell tale sign (of course, that's just me). That's in addition to the list of reasons I posted some time ago, which hasn't changed.

The fees are an issue, but if I thought it was worth it I wouldn't let it sway my decision. There is only one shot at this, after all.

I've been trying to keep separate the process of getting information from the reality of studying there and not let myself be easily put off, but it is a fair point alright.

Fair play for having a firm plan, good luck and keep posting.

Hypnos

I went to UL today (day trip) with a friend today to have a look around the place, and I was shocked at how much I underestimated the place. I was really impressed with the campus and the way GradMeds were accommodated. GradMeds have their own building and little campus and graduate accommodation. The main campus is separated from the mini one where the GradMed building is and the Health Science building. Having been to UCD, RCSI and UL now, in terms of campus, UL takes it by a long shot. It's the nicest looking and it looks like a real effort was made to provide the GradMeds with Graduate accommodation and their own building and their own little community and facilities regardless of the fact that neighbouring it is the Health Science building. Now I am talking about the superficial here. It comes down to the education. We managed to get a hold of one of the professors teaching there by just luck and we saw international students who came to sort their accommodation for gradmed out (North Americans). My mate was asking questions with regards to the main concerns most people have with UL (their teaching method).

The professor said that there is a major emphasis on self learning with anatomy labs, clinical and social skills etc. You have to have the dedication and put in the work. He said that the PBL is a new method of teaching that was implemented in Limerick because the previous university he thought at (University of London), they had a dual system where a certain group was thought in the PBL fashion and the other the traditional way. They said PBL had advantages that couldn't be ignored (he went into examples in clinical settings, teaching and learning etc but it's too much to type out honestly). He was also very honest and forthcoming about the disadvantages of attending Limerick and that was a refreshing surprise because people usually go out of their way to sell you the idea that theirs is the best. So I took his word on the positives since he was also willing to discuss the downsides even though it wasn't asked of him yet. They lack facilities for certain fields in medicine (faculty, labs or whatever he meant) like Microbiology with regards to infectious disease, molecular bio and he mentioned one more but I forgot. He did say they were working on resolving those problems.

Another issue is their lack of cadaver labs and they use models to teach the same thing. They use those dummies made for med students amongst other things to substitute for their lack of cadaver labs. He said it did not affect the outcome at all. He was confident that the students were equipped with the knowledge they needed and that it's on par with the traditional method (he's the anatomy professor I think)*

It's out of the question for me because of financial reasons and the fact I live in Dublin but my friend wanted to see it before he made a decision about GradMed and UL and I went along to see it. I was quite surprised. It's a really gorgeous place and has everything you need there and quite big too (main campus). Anyways, I know there was not much point to this other than if anyone intended on going to UL and could use some info on the uni

Anyhow, eh my choices still stand the same:

1) UCD (my home uni)
2) RCSI
3) UL (+1)
4) UCC (-1)

I might pop down to RCSI and talk to someone about certain things I want to know. E.g. RCSI provides you with a laptop and charges you for that as an IT fee of €475 I think was the figure was. Since I don't really need a new laptop, I got one in Dec 2012, could I possible not take it and get a reduction in the fee. Since the difference in fees isn't covered by the bank loans, I'd have to do it myself and it would be nice to knock of a few hundred quid if it ever came to that.

I'm 90% sure that my list is staying as is... It's been a pain deciding what to put first (RCSI/UCD).

pc11

nomoreexams wrote: »

Yep I did it. Unless RCSI announce a definite figure between now & closing date for change of mind I'm going to leave it. Realistically there's very little between the two choices. Money is my biggest concern at the moment & no doubt will continue to be so for the foreseeable future so to put myself under extra financial pressure makes very little sense. I want to be able to give the course my all & enjoy it, I feel that to have the worry of saving for fees above that of the loan would take from the whole thing & make me resent the course.

I feel the same as you pc. I've done an undergrad and a postgrad. My postgrad was a professional degree and so it was a more "mature" set up in the college and I liked that approach. That being said I don't feel that a more mature course (I'm paraphrasing your thoughts, I know, but I hope you understand what I mean. also UCD'ers I'm not trying to insult ucd) as in the fact that we would be separated from the larger student body (as in RCSI) will really affect what you make of the course. You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders, you're not afraid to ask questions & I don't doubt that you're pushy so you'll get the most out of whatever course you do.

Pushy? Err, thanks, I think!

You know, the fact this is so difficult shows there isn't much in this and both colleges will be good choices. Best of luck, don't stop posting here.

demure

nomoreexams wrote: »

and so it is...

Can I ask, why Cork before Limerick...?

I don't know much about either. Hopefully it won't come to that, but in case it does, I'd like to know the pros and cons for both. Cheers

nomoreexams

Purely because I've a few friends & family from cork so I've been there a lot & I like the city whereas I've only had flying visit through limerick & I've not seen the college. Ridiculous reasoning I know. I have a friend in limerick doing gem & she loves it though so it's a toss up.

demure

nomoreexams wrote: »

Purely because I've a few friends & family from cork so I've been there a lot & I like the city whereas I've only had flying visit through limerick & I've not seen the college. Ridiculous reasoning I know. I have a friend in limerick doing gem & she loves it though so it's a toss up.

I hear ya!

To me it's the possibility of getting one of their fancy grants...

nomoreexams

That sounds as good a reason as any to me!

pc11

demure wrote: »

I hear ya!

To me it's the possibility of getting one of their fancy grants...

You mean the UL scholarships? I gave up on that process, it was so complex and intrusive and I didn't have any idea what chance I had of getting one.

demure

pc11 wrote: »

You mean the UL scholarships? I gave up on that process, it was so complex and intrusive and I didn't have any idea what chance I had of getting one.

Indeed. I submitted all the forms a month ago and have heard nothing since. What sort of intrusion did you experience?

A girl I know who's a UL GEP1 told me that the third of the group qualified for some support. It sounds very promising, and it's what made me put UL down before UCC. Though putting it as my no 1 choice would be too much of a gamble for my liking!

pc11

demure wrote: »

Indeed. I submitted all the forms a month ago and have heard nothing since. What sort of intrusion did you experience?

A girl I know who's a UL GEP1 told me that the third of the group qualified for some support. It sounds very promising, and it's what made me put UL down before UCC. Though putting it as my no 1 choice would be too much of a gamble for my liking!

1 third? I admit I'm a little doubtful of the figure of 1 third getting support, as that doesn't chime with the figure of 8-10 scholarships max. that I was given by UL. I can't imagine how they could fund that many of the class. And I didn't hear anything like that from the UL students I know. I thought it was really for quite disadvantaged students like from certain designated schools or unemployed parents. I certainly come from a humble enough family, but I really didn't know if I would satisfy their criteria.

The form asked for details of education and income of every member of my family. Not only do I have no idea what my parents earn, I certainly was not going to ask them. Besides I am completely independent of my parents (I'm a bit older than the typical GEM student). And, as I have a job and so does my aprtner I was under the impression I wouldn't get the scholarship. I could be wrong though. It seemed without being unemployed or having a medical card, there was little chance.

Can I ask what GAMSAT you got? If you got a good score and don't have UL down first then you can't get offered it this won't arise.

demure

pc11 wrote: »

1 third? I admit I'm a little doubtful of the figure of 1 third getting support, as that doesn't chime with the figure of 8-10 scholarships max. that I was given by UL. I can't imagine how they could fund that many of the class. And I didn't hear anything like that from the UL students I know. I thought it was really for quite disadvantaged students like from certain designated schools or unemployed parents. I certainly come from a humble enough family, but I really didn't know if I would satisfy their criteria.

The form asked for details of education and income of every member of my family. Not only do I have no idea what my parents earn, I certainly was not going to ask them. Besides I am completely independent of my parents (I'm a bit older than the typical GEM student). And, as I have a job and so does my aprtner I was under the impression I wouldn't get the scholarship. I could be wrong though. It seemed without being unemployed or having a medical card, there was little chance.

Can I ask what GAMSAT you got? If you got a good score and don't have UL down first then you can't get offered it this won't arise.

Thanks for your transparency. The girl I know told me that many of her pals in the group got some (but not full) support. I am not sure as to how much it translates to financially, but some is better than none I suppose. I know equally as little about the two colleges, UL and UCC, and though I do prefer Cork as a city, the possibility of financial support is rather tempting.

I also had to fill out the form you're referring to, I lost my dad recently and had to look up my mum's income online. Not as it is of any relevance, as I too support myself. I also don't have the medical card but thought that during the recession, we are all struggling to a greater or lesser degree..

My gamsat is 58, so I am borderline I suppose, I really hope for Dublin, but only time will tell :-O

pc11

demure wrote: »

Thanks for your transparency. The girl I know told me that many of her pals in the group got some (but not full) support. I am not sure as to how much it translates to financially, but some is better than none I suppose. I know equally as little about the two colleges, UL and UCC, and though I do prefer Cork as a city, the possibility of financial support is rather tempting.

I also had to fill out the form you're referring to, I lost my dad recently and had to look up my mum's income online. Not as it is of any relevance, as I too support myself. I also don't have the medical card but thought that during the recession, we are all struggling to a greater or lesser degree..

My gamsat is 58, so I am borderline I suppose, I really hope for Dublin, but only time will tell :-O

How did you look up someone's income online? Public sector worker I take it? Did you not have to submit documentation?

With a 58 I'd give you at least a 50% chance you'll get something in Dublin.

demure

pc11 wrote: »

How did you look up someone's income online? Public sector worker I take it? Did you not have to submit documentation?

With a 58 I'd give you at least a 50% chance you'll get something in Dublin.

She is a Uni lecturer... They didn't ask me for any documentation, or maybe I just missed that!

Well, I really hope it won't matter, I am not mad on leaving Dublin, but sure we won't know till August :-O

pc11

demure wrote: »

She is a Uni lecturer... They didn't ask me for any documentation, or maybe I just missed that!

Well, I really hope it won't matter, I am not mad on leaving Dublin, but sure we won't know till August :-O

Please don't take this wrong, but if you have a job, a lecturer for a parent and living in Killiney, then I don't think it would fit the criteria of a marginalised or disadvantaged group. I thought the UL scholarships were aimed at people where there was long-term unemployment and little history of education in the family, or coming from a recognised deprived area or a certain designated school. These are certainly the criteria for the undergrad Access route in UL and other colleges.

I would be surprised and rather disappointed if the UL scheme did apply to these circumstances. I have a parent who left school at 14, I went to college on a full grant, and I didn't think I would be likely to get the scholarship so I didn't complete Phase 2. I'd hate to think I might have gotten it.

I mean no offence to you personally, please know that. I'm just discussing it generally, and I only have what UL have said to me to go on. Of course I know nothing about your circumstances really, I'm sure it's complex.

letsdothis

pc11 wrote: »

Please don't take this wrong, but if you have a job, a lecturer for a parent and living in Killiney, then I don't think it would fit the criteria of a marginalised or disadvantaged group. I thought the UL scholarships were aimed at people where there was long-term unemployment and little history of education in the family, or coming from a recognised deprived area or a certain designated school. These are certainly the criteria for the undergrad Access route in UL and other colleges.

Do you honestly believe that 8-10 students fit this criteria? That is, apply and get accept to UL GEM and take the risk of doing so with €60k fees plus living costs and only a chance of getting scholarship support? My guess is that, unfortunately, GEM is almost entirely out of reach of the average 3rd level access student and that the UL funding goes to students of more average means rather than those from truly disadvantaged backgrounds.

pc11

letsdothis wrote: »

Do you honestly believe that 8-10 students fit this criteria? That is, apply and get accept to UL GEM and take the risk of doing so with €60k fees plus living costs and only a chance of getting scholarship support? My guess is that, unfortunately, GEM is almost entirely out of reach of the average 3rd level access student and that the UL funding goes to students of more average means rather than those from truly disadvantaged backgrounds.

I honestly have no idea. I've heard so many things I don't know what to think. We have very little concrete to go on though. The 8-10 figure was consistently said to me though, and that's a max number. It's not that they have 10 scholarships to give out, they award them to those who they judge to need it. This could be 1 student or 10.

letsdothis

pc11 wrote: »

I honestly have no idea. I've heard so many things I don't know what to think. We have very little concrete to go on though. The 8-10 figure was consistently said to me though, and that's a max number. It's not that they have 10 scholarships to give out, they award them to those who they judge to need it. This could be 1 student or 10.

Does anybody know how much the fund is in total?

pc11

letsdothis wrote: »

Does anybody know how much the fund is in total?

It's funded by Atlantic Philanthropies so my understanding is that the committee recommend people they approve and the fund effectively pays them, there isn't a set total. They might only award a few if they don't have candidates they recommend.

I could be wrong, however. I am familiar with charity grants, that's what I'm going by.

ojomhgoek

And to add to the topic of conversation I think your right, I know someone who was interviewed for the scholarship but didn't get it and he said that its whoever they deem applicable so they might not give it to anyone, or just 1 person or 6 ..so on.

gh1

Completely changing topic of conversation - once we have our results and they are viewable on the CAO website, do we just sit back and wait for the offers? I have already been told I am eligible, don't want to change my order of preferences, is that everything done?

pc11

gh1 wrote: »

Completely changing topic of conversation - once we have our results and they are viewable on the CAO website, do we just sit back and wait for the offers? I have already been told I am eligible, don't want to change my order of preferences, is that everything done?

Yup, job done AFAIK, relax and wait for August 1 or so. Plan for your finances and all that.

kaya770

1. RCSI
2. UCD
3. what? UCC or UL?

Anyone?

Hypnos

kaya770 wrote: »

1. RCSI
2. UCD
3. what? UCC or UL?

Anyone?

I put down UL as 3rd having visited the place. It has the nicest campus by a long shot. Very accommodating to gradmeds. They also have on campus accommodation for GradMeds exclusively, though I think it's booked out now.

It's cheaper than Cork which is why it's 3rd on my list along with the whole campus thing.