Mature Medicine Applicants Thread 2013

Abby19

PingO_O wrote: »

Hi Abby19 I hope you don't mind me asking but how are you getting on with living expenses and paying for the course etc.?

Do you think it's possible to have a part time job and study medicine?

It's just that you're where I hope to be in the next year or so i.e. studying medicine and as I already have a degree the financial side of things is an issue.

PM sent

julie2tubz

Thanks Abby for you're help. I feel like I'm going a little mad waiting for the HPAT results

Can i annoy you again if you dont mind?Was trinity your first choice when you applied? Also you were asked by all your choices it seems? Does this mean if let's say ucd was your 1st choice but you happened to have your interview first with trinity and were offered a place in trinity. Could you have accepted this this even if it wasn't your first choice?

I'm so confused by the whole thing.

Abby19

julie2tubz wrote: »

Thanks Abby for you're help. I feel like I'm going a little mad waiting for the HPAT results

Can i annoy you again if you dont mind?Was trinity your first choice when you applied? Also you were asked by all your choices it seems? Does this mean if let's say ucd was your 1st choice but you happened to have your interview first with trinity and were offered a place in trinity. Could you have accepted this this even if it wasn't your first choice?

I'm so confused by the whole thing.

My order was Trinity, UCD, RCSI, UCG and UCC. I wasn't eligible for UCG and I never heard from UCC.

I was very fortunate to get Trinity (5 years - cheapest fees - training hospitals closest to where I live). And they were first to interview then so I had a bit of time to make plans, but tbh part of me didn't really believe it till I got the offer from the CAO in July.

You get offered the highest course you are eligible for. In my case I had accepted Trinity so I rang UCD and declined the interview so the spot could be offered on. I didn't pursue RCSI.

If you get accepted by more than one course I think you are asked by all colleges will you be accepting their offer, and if you say no they offer it on to the people on the waiting list. They don't want the mature spots lying empty and let's face it, I'd say nearly all matures in medicine will have a previous degree and will have to make plans/arrangements to pay fees. I do know that in the past spots have been accepted, and then the person gets an offer of GEM place and it's too late to fill the mature spot and it goes to waste.

Had UCD been my first choice, then I would have pursued that, and if successful accepted their offer (no guarantee that that would have happened of course), and then contact Trinity and let them know I'd changed my mind, but give them as much notice as possible so the spot could be offered on.

Basically it is difficult to get a mature spot in medicine, it is competitive, but possible. Accept any offer (if you can afford the fees and location, etc.) and if you are fortunate enough to get a second offer, figure out which course you want then

I think there is also the option to reorder your CAO courses as well. I know Medicine is a restricted course, but once it is on your form I think you can switch the order, but maybe someone else can confirm that.

Hope that answers your questions?

julie2tubz

Yes thanks a mill Abby. That's brilliant. You've helped put my mind at ease. Now to play the waiting game.

paperclip2

Yes, you can switch the order of the existing courses on your application. There may be an issue with introducing new ones.

Medme

Did anyone else get an email from RCSI today? Whoop!
Does that mean hpat results are out or do they ask everyone to send in the paperwork?..

studentforever

Bad news for me so that's me out. I must have done an absolutely sh1te hpat. Bummer :-(
Atleast this year was only a trial run for me and still going to do my masters. Every cloud and all that jazz. Best of luck to everyone!

Medme

student forever I wouldn't be thinking that yet. Fairly convinced my hpat was terrible, haven't got any kind of email from hpat so that's why I was wondering bout it all...

Fiddles44

I got an email too . Our hpat results would have been sent to the colleges by now. I looked at my cao application and there is no sign of a hpat result so i think we may still have to wait until June to get the results. I was told that RCSI have a cut off point of around 160 tho

ruthiecahill

I've heard the same, that once you get over 160 in HPAT RCSI will contact you to submit further docs.
HPAT results for mature students sent out end of April apparently!

Fiddles44

At least we have most of the work done for the application already. So glad I don't have to start writing from the beginning again for the RCSI application. Any day now for the hpat results then so (and so starts the constant emailing checking ha).

ruthiecahill

Isn't it strange that they ask you to send in everything in again, that would've been sent to CAO and I assume they should have already?

Fiddles44

Maybe CAO doesn't actually send them to RCSI since they have this cut off with the hpat results and thats why you're asked to send them in yourself. I didn't send a CV to cao either. Not exactly sure what to put in that tbh. Are you just sending in exactly what you sent to the CAO before?

julie2tubz

ruthiecahill wrote: »

Isn't it strange that they ask you to send in everything in again, that would've been sent to CAO and I assume they should have already?

I got an email too

I was thinking the same Ruthie. I have to get my references to resend me them again now to ensure I send originals on headed paper. Surely the CAO can forward everything to them?

Oh well at least it's a step in the right direction. I hope that it means I've done ok in HPAT?!

ruthiecahill

You may be right.
Pretty much the same as I sent to CAO. I did send in my cv and the few references I had to them already, so just copies of everything basically.
Don't know what to advise on CV front....I feel that's my weakest part of my application, but it's the best I can make it for now, I think

ruthiecahill

julie2tubz wrote: »

I got an email too

I was thinking the same Ruthie. I have to get my references to resend me them again now to ensure I send originals on headed paper. Surely the CAO can forward everything to them?

Oh well at least it's a step in the right direction. I hope that it means I've done ok in HPAT?!

I wasn't sure if the references were to be originals. I only sent copies to CAO!

Fiddles44

ruthiecahill wrote: »

I wasn't sure if the references were to be originals. I only sent copies to CAO!

I don't think you need to send originals. I'm going to be sending copies anyway. They'll see its on headed paper when its photocopied

julie2tubz

ruthiecahill wrote: »

I wasn't sure if the references were to be originals. I only sent copies to CAO!

I assumed you sent the originals to the CAO and they certified them and sent them on to your choices. I guess I was wrong. I've just added a slight bit of work for myself. I'll get there in the end I hope.

FairytaleGirl

I didnt repeat my hpat this year, could'nt make the exam. I got asked to submit docs from rcsi last year - but not this year so standard must have been higher!


boo

Fiddles44

Really sorry to hear that ! Do you mind me asking what your hpat score was from last year? Might give an idea of the cut off score. I wouldn't give up hope yet either. You could still get an email

Alt.End

I got an email from rcsi
I got one last year but I think my hpat result was only about 150.... hope I did better this year..
I was wondering whether they ask people to submit who put them on first place? Do the colleges know which one you put first?

Medme

I put RCSI 4th and got the email so thinking they don't know (or care?) what order choices are in at this stage...

EternalGeek

Just saw this thread. I got an email from RCSI. Is it true that they don't send the emails out to everyone? This is so nerve wracking?

Also the phrase 'relevant supporting documents' always makes me paranoid that I should add some more stuff but what?!

Fiddles44

EternalGeek wrote: »

Just saw this thread. I got an email from RCSI. Is it true that they don't send the emails out to everyone? This is so nerve wracking?

Also the phrase 'relevant supporting documents' always makes me paranoid that I should add some more stuff but what?!

They only send emails to people who have got over their hpat cut off score supposedly. What the cut off score is for this year, who knows!

When they say 'relevant supporting documents' I thought they meant things like Leaving cert and degree results

EternalGeek

Thank you so much Fiddles44, Please God, this is a positive!!

Ah, glad I got a few copies of my transcript off TCD, it took ages to get them last time!!

Actually, anyone have any idea if I should send a copy of my registration with An Bord Altranais?

Fiddles44

EternalGeek wrote: »

Thank you so much Fiddles44, Please God, this is a positive!!

Ah, glad I got a few copies of my transcript off TCD, it took ages to get them last time!!

Actually, anyone have any idea if I should send a copy of my registration with An Bord Altranais?

No probably! I'm sure sending in your registration would do no harm.

I hope you don't think this is a little weird but I think I saw you mentioning in another thread that you're doing you're repeating your leaving. How you getting on? I was in the same position as you last year

EternalGeek

I think its going well, times like now when I have the orals coming up, I question my own sanity but for the most part I think it was the right decision.

How did you get on with repeating?

A lot of people have told me they really like to see that you are repeating as it shows dedication.

Fiddles44

PM sent

RAnnaC

I also got an email from rcsi so am going to have to start working on my personal statement right away. I am in a small bit of a predicament though; rcsi is currently top on my cao, followed by TCD and UCD. I really want to get into rcsi, but the mature student fees scare me a bit. If possible, I'm going to get in on leaving cert points if I did a good enough hpat, but does anyone know when we will know our hpat results? If i didn't do well enough I think I'll take rcsi off no. 1 in case I get offered a mature place and have to pay those huge fees, even though it is the place i really want to go to.

ruthiecahill

Hpat results out the end of this month as far as I know