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Graduate medicine?

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  • 06-11-2013 6:58pm
    #1
    JDOC1996
    Registered Users Posts: 445 ✭✭


    Hey guys,
    I'm a 6th year student, aspiring to study medicine.
    The thing is however, I'm beginning to doubt if I can get the points.
    Medicine is the only thing I want to do, but I really have to decide on my 2nd choice.
    What in you guys opinion would be a good back up course, for graduate medicine? I've been thinking about psychology, or else law in UCC seeing as they're 3 year courses and I could enter medicine at quite a young age still.

    Also, how difficult is it to obtain financing for graduate medicine in this present day?

    Thanks in advance


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    #2
    Drained_Empty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 141 ✭✭Drained_Empty


    Option 1 - Repeat the LC.
    Option 2 - Repeat the LC
    Option 3 - Do Grad med.

    Best degree, from reading numerous anecdotal reports physiotherapists seem to routinely come out as the best amongst grad med. There is a 3 year physio degree in the north. a three year science degree specialising in physiology may also be handy. doing pharmacy again, is very prudent.

    the other side of the coin is to do something you might find rewarding , interesting, stimulating you'll never get an opportunity to do after medicine e.g. history, classics, french etc.


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    #3
    eyescreamcone
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,562 ✭✭✭eyescreamcone


    Biomedical Engineering
    Pharmacy
    Biomedical Science
    Chemical Engineering
    Science - Biochemistry, Genetics, Microbiology, Biology
    Physiotherapy

    These are all appropriate and relevant.


    But lots choose Law or other 3 year degrees in order to get started earlier.

    The University of Buckingham in the UK offer some degrees over 2 years (Law etc.).
    They have shorter summer breaks and use an accelerated system similar to the Grad Med Course itself.
    2+4=6 years - the same as some UCD or NUIG medical degrees.
    This might be an option for some.


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    #4
    Abby19
    Registered Users Posts: 299 ✭✭Abby19


    JDOC1996 wrote: »
    Hey guys,
    I'm a 6th year student, aspiring to study medicine.
    The thing is however, I'm beginning to doubt if I can get the points.
    Medicine is the only thing I want to do, but I really have to decide on my 2nd choice.
    What in you guys opinion would be a good back up course, for graduate medicine? I've been thinking about psychology, or else law in UCC seeing as they're 3 year courses and I could enter medicine at quite a young age still.

    I would strongly suggest you repeat your leaving cert if medicine is the only thing you want to do.
    You get one shot at 'free fees', so use it wisely.
    To be eligible for Grad Med you have to have 2.1 in another degree. And if you are only doing something to tick a box it can be a lot harder to be motivated.
    If you do want to study medicine, then a science based course may be useful, a health science, a biomedical science or a healthcare related course. This would then make medicine a little easier if you have a relevant background.
    JDOC1996 wrote: »
    Also, how difficult is it to obtain financing for graduate medicine in this present day?

    If you are planning to go straight from another degree without a track record of working and substantial savings you will need a guarantor. Check with your parents/guardians are they in a position to act as guarantor, and indeed whether they would be eligible. The bank loans barely cover fees, let alone living expenses. Check out funding posts in the GAMSAT and GEM threads. It is expensive. Fees are available on the various college websites.


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    #5
    BBHenry
    Registered Users Posts: 24 ✭BBHenry


    JDOC1996 wrote: »
    Hey guys,
    I'm a 6th year student, aspiring to study medicine.
    The thing is however, I'm beginning to doubt if I can get the points.
    Medicine is the only thing I want to do, but I really have to decide on my 2nd choice.
    What in you guys opinion would be a good back up course, for graduate medicine? I've been thinking about psychology, or else law in UCC seeing as they're 3 year courses and I could enter medicine at quite a young age still.

    Also, how difficult is it to obtain financing for graduate medicine in this present day?

    Thanks in advance

    I'm in the exact same position as you! I'm planning on putting Biomedical Science down as second choice, course sounds great & really interesting! Option of repeating is totally out of the question though as I did TY and do not want to spend 7 years in secondary, also I would have to go to a private school to repeat & that would probably end up being more expensive than the fees for Graduate Medicine :eek:


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    #6
    beardedmaster
    Registered Users Posts: 614 ✭✭✭beardedmaster


    BBHenry wrote: »
    I'm in the exact same position as you! I'm planning on putting Biomedical Science down as second choice, course sounds great & really interesting! Option of repeating is totally out of the question though as I did TY and do not want to spend 7 years in secondary, also I would have to go to a private school to repeat & that would probably end up being more expensive than the fees for Graduate Medicine :eek:

    Repeat. 7 years in secondary school is much better than 4 years primary degree and 4 years GEM. I'm speaking from experience. The fees for Graduate medicine (in most places) are €14,500 - €15,000, so I doubt a year of school would cost ~€60,000.


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    #7
    Abby19
    Registered Users Posts: 299 ✭✭Abby19


    BBHenry wrote: »
    I'm in the exact same position as you! I'm planning on putting Biomedical Science down as second choice, course sounds great & really interesting! Option of repeating is totally out of the question though as I did TY and do not want to spend 7 years in secondary, also I would have to go to a private school to repeat & that would probably end up being more expensive than the fees for Graduate Medicine :eek:
    beardedmaster wrote: »
    Repeat. 7 years in secondary school is much better than 4 years primary degree and 4 years GEM. I'm speaking from experience. The fees for Graduate medicine (in most places) are €14,500 - €15,000, so I doubt a year of school would cost ~€60,000.

    Fingers crossed you will get enough points, but if not ...

    The student registration charge for an undergraduate degree is ~€3,000/annum.
    You will have living costs (additional rent, food and bills if away from home) for 3/4 years. You need to get a minimum of a 2.1 to be eligible for grad med.

    Costs for 2013/14 grad meds are as follows:
    UCD - €14,915
    UCC - €14,580
    UL - €14,843
    RCSI - €16,940
    These fees are per year, and have been increasing year on year since grad med was introduced. Loans are capped at €60k total (reduced from €100k as the first graduates were struggling to make their payments, and there are anecdotal reports of people bunking off to UK/Australia/NZ/Canada and welching on their loans), really only enough to cover fees (and not even all of RCSI's). And it is getting more and more difficult to get this loan. If you are going straight from school to undergraduate to grad med, you will basically need a guarantor (so you can no longer bunk off - they'll get your guarantor) - do you know of someone in a position to do so? There is a lot of info in the GAMSAT and GEM threads, including details of what people had to go through to secure the loans.

    As Beardedmaster said - it would be a lot cheaper to repeat the leaving and do undergraduate medicine, than do an undergrad, grad med and graduating with at least €60k of fees debt. If you are independently wealthy, or your family are in a position to support you then you are extremely fortunate, but this may be something you should discuss with your parents/guardians or whoever will be supporting you through your education. You get shorter summer/Christmas holidays so not as easy to earn much during breaks, and in higher clinical years you have to do electives.


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