Gamsat 2013

Hypnos

nerrad01 wrote: »

sorry when i said 100 hour weeks i was exaggerating! i was more getting at the long hours and socially awkward shifts that follow on after intern.

In regards, free time i find yea in not insane in terms of work, but think a lot depends on the individual and where you go, my brother is in UL and the hours seem insane due to the set up down there, im in ucd and i feel i dont put in as much as they do simply due to the set up of the course.....but who knows!

and as you said the staying in was/is a big problem for me.....i found i was so focused on getting in that i kinda forgot about the realities of going back to college for 4 years

Yeh I'd understand. I'm still in the zone so it wouldn't be a drastic change for me. When I was at the open day in UCD in 2010 the two girls we were talking to said that it wasn't more difficult than their undergrad (content wise). One had a degree in physiology and the other in physics. But they did say that there is more pressure especially since it's quite an investment in terms of time any money. They said the pressure of the circumstance is what made it more tough than their undergrads not the material you have to learn.

nerrad01

WoolahUrma wrote: »

What year are you in?
If you were leaving something that you enjoyed and were well paid for I would imagine that that would be tough.

Im in third year, my benefit was that i left an office based job that truly bored the life out of me....but was well paid! when your here and skint with a mountain of debt and not much of a social life, its very easy to think how easy life would be if you just had stuck it out and tried to make it work, and also how much money your missing out on!

but i got to the point at 27 where i was like enough is enough, i just cant see myself trudging along through life for the sake of money, and medicine is hands down the most interesting and enjoyable thing ive ever done!

i think if i had enjoyed my previous job i woudnt be here, I still think grad med is the way to go, as picking your profession at 17 is madness in my eyes!

Hypnos

WoolahUrma wrote: »

I'm all for hard work and I assume that I'll be studying quite a bit more than I did for my undergrad. I also expect that the intern year would be tough going.

That said I don't fancy 4 years of drudgery and a small mountain of debt.

Incidentally, do the colleges set you up with the internship?

I was talking to the Dean of Med over the Easter break to try and get some last info. I incidentally did ask him about the internship. He said the only year where it was competitive for intern placement was the last bunch of grads. He said it was the recession and they weren't taking as many interns on. Usually you're automatically placed somewhere in Ireland but you do give a preference list I think.

However, I'm not to worried about that because if you think about it, we'll be graduating in 4 yrs (if we get in fingers crossed) and the financial situation shouldn't be as bad then.

Hypnos

nerrad01 wrote: »

Im in third year, my benefit was that i left an office based job that truly bored the life out of me....but was well paid! when your here and skint with a mountain of debt and not much of a social life, its very easy to think how easy life would be if you just had stuck it out and tried to make it work, and also how much money your missing out on!

but i got to the point at 27 where i was like enough is enough, i just cant see myself trudging along through life for the sake of money, and medicine is hands down the most interesting and enjoyable thing ive ever done!

i think if i had enjoyed my previous job i woudnt be here, I still think grad med is the way to go, as picking your profession at 17 is madness in my eyes!

You don't have much of a choice do you? It's the way the system is built. Sure the LC is supposed to be the time that you know. I've wanted to be a doctor since I was 13. There are anecdotes and past experiences as to why but I never once wanted anything since. To know what you want to do is a luxury and I know a couple of people in their final years of PhD's in chemistry who still don't know. They took them on to stall for time till they figured it out.

nerrad01

Hypnos wrote: »

You don't have much of a choice do you? It's the way the system is built. Sure the LC is supposed to be the time that you know. I've wanted to be a doctor since I was 13. There are anecdotes and past experiences as to why but I never once wanted anything since. To know what you want to do is a luxury and I know a couple of people in their final years of PhD's in chemistry who still don't know. They took them on to stall for time till they figured it out.

yep this is the system, i personally didnt have a clue and ended up getting caught up in the celtic tiger and going for what my dad expected me to do...also grad med didnt exist in ireland at the time so i wasnt really clued in tbh. Ended up volunteering fell in love with it and here i am.

I think grad med is a great option in providing a more accessible route into med, but feel the whole money/ loan issue is pushing it towards the whole if you can afford it/ elitist ideals that grad med was set up to get rid of in a way

anyway i think im pulling the thread waaaay off topic! so i bow out best of luck everyone!

WoolahUrma

Your situation is very similar to mine. Life is good etc but I can't imagine doing what I'm doing now for 40+ years. And like Hypnos is saying I had this line of work in mind for a long time. That's a bit of a dose regarding the internship but we have a long way to go before then.

Does every exam of every year count toward the final conferred result?

nerrad01

WoolahUrma wrote: »

Your situation is very similar to mine. Life is good etc but I can't imagine doing what I'm doing now for 40+ years. And like Hypnos is saying I had this line of work in mind for a long time. That's a bit of a dose regarding the internship but we have a long way to go before then.

Does every exam of every year count toward the final conferred result?

just last 2 years, first 2 is about getting everyone onto a level playing field thankfully (ie. science and non-science)

WoolahUrma

On the ball!!

And how did you find the amalgamation with the whipper snappers?

What's the result of getting less then a 2.1? Less internship offers I suppose

nerrad01

WoolahUrma wrote: »

On the ball!!

And how did you find the amalgamation with the whipper snappers?

What's the result of getting less then a 2.1? Less internship offers I suppose

meh didnt bother me, took a while for mixing etc and your always going to have snobbyness(not even sure if that a word) etc

are you talking about your overall med result?? if so basically your ranked according to how well you do in your degree nationally (ie. all the schools are thrown in together) and the number 1 grad from each school are ranked equal and will get their preferred intern choice and it keeps going down the ranking,
until essentially you could be left with no intern spot at all if your bottom nationally as there was a deficit of 80 places last year between grads and intern jobs.

Or if your on the low end of the scale you could get whatever is left in some of the more remote hospitals.

WoolahUrma

nerrad01 wrote: »

meh didnt bother me, took a while for mixing etc and your always going to have snobbyness(not even sure if that a word) etc

are you talking about your overall med result?? if so basically your ranked according to how well you do in your degree nationally (ie. all the schools are thrown in together) and the number 1 grad from each school are ranked equal and will get their preferred intern choice and it keeps going down the ranking,
until essentially you could be left with no intern spot at all if your bottom nationally as there was a deficit of 80 places last year between grads and intern jobs.

Or if your on the low end of the scale you could get whatever is left in some of the more remote hospitals.

Funny towards the grads?

Can't imagine that there would be much of that, or is there?

So if someone asked me after my degree is complete, how did you do? The most pertinent number is where you ranked?

IEMedAp

WoolahUrma wrote: »

Funny towards the grads?

Can't imagine that there would be much of that, or is there?

So if someone asked me after my degree is complete, how did you do? The most pertinent number is where you ranked?

Not sure about Ie but in the UK all that the assessors have access to is which quartile your performance fell in. I think only the very top student is told of their ranking ordinarily.

I know people who ranked in the bottom quartile and had no problem getting a job as other things can compensate for this. However all things being equal, a better ranking gives you more flexibility in where you take up work.

WoolahUrma

Is the student told their exact ranking?

Is the degree conferred like a regular degree? 2.1 2.2 etc

Is there any differentiation made between grad and undergrad degrees?

Hypnos

Is the student told their exact ranking? [That would breed an unhealthy amount of competition. Maybe a vague idea but I don't know]

Is the degree conferred like a regular degree? 2.1 2.2 etc [Yes 1.1, 2.1..]

Is there any differentiation made between grad and undergrad degrees? Nope [but you can write it on a CV differently. Grad looks better]

WoolahUrma

In our undergrad degrees we had to be conferred with 2.1 minimum to apply for any kind of masters.

Anything lower then 2.1 was a no go.

Is it the case that 2.2 in grad would be bad further down the line when applying for whatever?

Hypnos

WoolahUrma wrote: »

In our undergrad degrees we had to be conferred with 2.1 minimum to apply for any kind of masters.

Anything lower then 2.1 was a no go.

Is it the case that 2.2 in grad would be bad further down the line when applying for whatever?

I think it would cause problems. Especially if you want to do something like master of surgery M.Ch or M.D and especially when it comes to research at an international level. Since you're bound to come across some type of research.

It's where the undergrad degree comes in handy Especially with research experience...

IEMedAp

It is not strictly analogous to an ordinary undergraduate seeking to undertake a Masters. Oftenplace, the selecting University will have many, many well qualified candidates (all with good grades) to choose from, and this makes the 2:1 essential to go anywhere good.

For Medicine, there exist student number controls, so in theory, the State only educates sufficient numbers to fill the demand for labour. As always, the higher your grades, the more flexibility you will have when selecting jobs and applying for professional training. But it is not 'open' competition in the same way that an ordinary Masters/Graduate Job is.

pc11

I need help, I think I've made a huge f*ck up.

I thought I had until July 15th to get all the documentation in to the CAO (degree transcripts and GAMSAT score), but I just re-read the CAO documents and it says if you have already graduated you need to send it in by March 15th!

Someone please tell me differently, I'm in a panic here.

nerrad01

pc11 wrote: »

I need help, I think I've made a huge f*ck up.

I thought I had until July 15th to get all the documentation in to the CAO (degree transcripts and GAMSAT score), but I just re-read the CAO documents and it says if you have already graduated you need to send it in by March 15th!

Someone please tell me differently, I'm in a panic here.

i sent it in late before as i wasnt even going to apply, they let me send it in up until the same time as the people graduating this year...think its july or something!

WoolahUrma

pc11 wrote: »

I need help, I think I've made a huge f*ck up.

I thought I had until July 15th to get all the documentation in to the CAO (degree transcripts and GAMSAT score), but I just re-read the CAO documents and it says if you have already graduated you need to send it in by March 15th!

Someone please tell me differently, I'm in a panic here.

hey, i would get onto the cao and whoever else you can asap and see what can be done but Im pretty sure that march 15 was the cut off.

I rang cao to make sure that feb 1 wasnt the cut off for the doc's and they clarified, march 15. I wasnt sure about a part of my application so i had to re submit a sheet.

Call them to see but im almost sure.

Hypnos

pc11 wrote: »

I need help, I think I've made a huge f*ck up.

I thought I had until July 15th to get all the documentation in to the CAO (degree transcripts and GAMSAT score), but I just re-read the CAO documents and it says if you have already graduated you need to send it in by March 15th!

Someone please tell me differently, I'm in a panic here.

Sorry mate, but yeh it's March the 15th for people who already graduated Have the sheet here in front of me.

"Applicants who have completed and been confirmed with their first honours bachelor degree (NFQ Level 8) must submit proof of their qualification by 15 March 2013."

WoolahUrma

nerrad01 wrote: »

i sent it in late before as i wasnt even going to apply, they let me send it in up until the same time as the people graduating this year...think its july or something!

if this is the case then you could be ok but the offical line is march 15

nerrad01

Hypnos wrote: »

Sorry mate, but yeh it's March the 15th for people who already graduated Have the sheet here in front of me.

"Applicants who have completed and been confirmed with their first honours bachelor degree (NFQ Level 8) must submit proof of their qualification by 15 March 2013."

yea this is the official line, but i think they will let you send it in (they let me) as the colleges dont meet up at the cao headquarters to access all supporting documentation until the end of july.

pc11

nerrad01 wrote: »

i sent it in late before as i wasnt even going to apply, they let me send it in up until the same time as the people graduating this year...think its july or something!

Seriously? You were able to do that? It does seem a little unfair that people graduating this year have until July, but older grads have to get it in in March. I will contact CAO first thing Monday.

Has anyone else sent in the transcripts late and been ok?

Hypnos

nerrad01 wrote: »

i sent it in late before as i wasnt even going to apply, they let me send it in up until the same time as the people graduating this year...think its july or something!

What about....

"The institutions will meet in April to jointly assess your qualifications and CAO will e-mail such applicants with the Graduate Medicine
institutions joint decision concerning your academic eligibility and/or EU status."

WoolahUrma

nerrad01 wrote: »

yea this is the official line, but i think they will let you send it in (they let me) as the colleges dont meet up at the cao headquarters to access all supporting documentation until the end of july.

im pretty sure its april when they check out the documentation, again, worth checking but i think april

Hypnos

pc11 wrote: »

Seriously? You were able to do that? It does seem a little unfair that people graduating this year have until July, but older grads have to get it in in March. I will contact CAO first thing Monday.

It's to do with them given time to asses your qualifications. It's on the sheet explained just after they state the deadline.

"The institutions will meet in April to jointly assess your qualifications and CAO will e-mail such applicants with the Graduate Medicine
institutions joint decision concerning your academic eligibility and/or EU status."

Not sure how important that is :S or exactly what happens

nerrad01

WoolahUrma wrote: »

im pretty sure its april when they check out the documentation, again, worth checking but i think april

yea they do 2 rounds, one in april for past grads, and one in july for new grads( but the one in july they verified everything again as a final check...thats why i could submit mine late) well thats what i was told at the time

WoolahUrma

Hypnos wrote: »

It's to do with them given time to asses your qualifications. It's on the sheet explained just after they state the deadline.

"The institutions will meet in April to jointly assess your qualifications and CAO will e-mail such applicants with the Graduate Medicine
institutions joint decision concerning your academic eligibility and/or EU status."

Not sure how important that is or what that means though

well they are very clear in the information given and on the face of it its bad news but going by what nerrad is saying, there could be some leniency in which case your grand but i wouldnt be hanging around on monday either

pc11

nerrad01 wrote: »

yea they do 2 rounds, one in april for past grads, and one in july for new grads( but the one in july they verified everything again as a final check...thats why i could submit mine late) well thats what i was told at the time

Did you have to beg them or was it no big deal? The fact they have to meet in July for the new grads does show that it's only then the final decision on eligibility happens.

I was tied up with a crazy workload in March, maybe I could get them to take pity. Or I could contact the admissions office in the college and beg them to consider it.

nerrad01

WoolahUrma wrote: »

well they are very clear in the information given and on the face of it its bad news but going by what nerrad is saying, there could be some leniency in which case your grand but i wouldnt be hanging around on monday either

yea as i said thats the official line, but yea i wasnt going to apply as i had very little time to prepare for the gamsat, thought what the hell rang the cao around june i think it was, they said thats fine submit your docs as long as your already registered with the cao! they seemed relaxed about it like it wasnt a big deal, but obviously dont hold me to it as the official line is different