How hard is Medicine?

Hooly22

It probably seems like a really stupid question, but I genuinely want to know.
I've probably posted about Medicine before, but it is really something I'm considering.

I am smart enough, but I'm not 6 A1s smart. It's just not going to happen for me. I'm hoping to get around 500 ish, but is this enough?

I've done the work experience in Temple Street, and I'm pretty set on this being what I want to do.

But if there are any med students out there, could someone who isnt a straight A student survive med school? I'd usually be a B student, except for biology, and home ec which I'd usually get As in. Since the start of 5th year (im 6th year now) I've never gotten lower than 80 in biology.

Just for the record , I stupidly gave up chemistry, because I wanted to be able to get as many points as possible and I knew i'd do better in home ec(although i did like chemistry). If i need to, I will do chemistry for a year after my LC.

Might be good to ask in the respective college forums and/or in the Biology/Medicine forum too.

And people who get 6 A1s in the LC do drop out of Medicine for various reasons. I figure Medicine (like Nursing) is a 'calling' so you'd have to be incredibly committed to it.

Hooly22

Thanks, I didn't know what place I should post it.

I know for a fact I want something in the Medical field. It's just what I want to do. But I honestly need to figure out wether I'm smart enough for it. Theres one or two girls in my year going for me, and they're ARE smarter than me.

Piste

Do you want to specifically be a doctor? There are lots of medical careers out there that are lower points e.g. speech therapy, nursing, physiotherapy, nutritionist, I'm sure you can find more on qualifax.ie


If it's being a doctor you have youe heart set on, then you're going to have to do really well, obviously it's impossible to tell for sure what the points will be like in 2009 but I really don't think 500 points would do it. You never know though!

Jay P

Getting a million points in your leaving cert isn' the only way to go about it. You can do a postgrad by doing science. I'm sure some kind of biology would be perfect. And there's a biomedical science degree in UCD. I'm sure they'd be very good starting points if you don't get into the actual medcine degree course. Also, if you do a course other than medecine, you can leave your options open if you realise you don't like the idea of being a doctor.

timmywex

I was told once by one of the professers in medicine in trinity that the course could be completed by someone who gets mid to high 400's! Dont know how true it is though, depends whether the person really likes it or what aswell i guess!

spurious

timmywex wrote: »

I was told once by one of the professers in medicine in trinity that the course could be completed by someone who gets mid to high 400's! Dont know how true it is though, depends whether the person really likes it or what aswell i guess!

Friends of mine who did medicine said the same. The workload is heavy, but it's not 'difficult' as such. It's a different sort of pressure.

The points are only high because of demand for the courses, not because of any difficulty in the actual coursework.

rainbowtrout

You don't have to be a 6A1 student to complete a medical course. Demand pushes the points that high so it seems like the course is difficult as a result. I was talking to my dentist about this recently and he reckoned it was the same for dentistry which is in a similar bracket points wise. He said that a student did not have to be brilliant to complete dentistry and while the 600 point candidates did find the first year easier because it was a lot of theory so they were used to learning things off, in subsequent years when they were doing practicals like working on dentures etc, they found it difficult because they didn't have the practical skills necessary and a students who had studied the likes of woodwork and engineering would have fared much better in this area because they would have learned skills using tools which pretty much amounts to the same thing.

Also when you see the new entry requirements for Medicine next year have been set at 480 it would suggest that a person achieving this sort of result in the LC would be more than capable of finishing the course. Otherwise the benchmark might have been set that bit higher.

tomcollins97

Hooly22 wrote: »

It probably seems like a really stupid question, but I genuinely want to know.
I've probably posted about Medicine before, but it is really something I'm considering.

Just for the record , I stupidly gave up chemistry, because I wanted to be able to get as many points as possible and I knew i'd do better in home ec(although i did like chemistry). If i need to, I will do chemistry for a year after my LC.

It is a stupid question! When you are up against the best of the best in college, you quickly go from being the top of you class in scholl to near the bottom in college. Take it from someone who knows.

sd123

tomcollins97 wrote: »

It is a stupid question! When you are up against the best of the best in college, you quickly go from being the top of you class in scholl to near the bottom in college. Take it from someone who knows.

+1, you're going to feel like a stupid fcuker, even if you get 600. Best of luck nontheless!

Carsinian Thau

tomcollins97 wrote: »

It is a stupid question! When you are up against the best of the best in college, you quickly go from being the top of you class in scholl to near the bottom in college. Take it from someone who knows.

It's not a stupid question. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about medicine and asking for advice with respect to the academic demands is far from stupid.
You're right about the bottom of the class bit though. Which isn't necessairily a bad thing, it can be quite nice not to have to deal with being put up on that pedestal.

Piste

rainbowtrout wrote: »

Also when you see the new entry requirements for Medicine next year have been set at 480 it would suggest that a person achieving this sort of result in the LC would be more than capable of finishing the course. Otherwise the benchmark might have been set that bit higher.

Was about to say this, it's an important point to note. Clearly the colleges think a 480 point student could pass medicine.

Aoibheann

It's a totally different ballgame to the Leaving Cert. Medicine (thus far) is not difficult, there's just a lot of information to take in.. it's sheer bulk of information rather than needing to be supersmart to understand it. Remember, the reason the points for medicine are so high is not because it's the toughest course, it's because the demand for it is so high..


You have to really want to do it to stick with it.. and if you really want it, you'll do the work required and it won't seem so bad.

Hooly22

It is what I want to do. tomcollins97, the only reason I was asking was to see if someone like myself(not a 600pointer) would totally crumble, even if it was something they want to do.

When I look at the college requirements, I can't understand how they're so low for a course like that. I do know the points are high because of the amount of people that want it....I just don't want to apply to something, and not even be able to get passed day 1

Aoibheann

You won't crumble. If you're willing to put in the time required to learn the amount of material, you'll be fine. If you find it interesting it really helps, it makes the learning less boring!

To me, the course is so much more about your mindset.

Really hoping you do get into medicine!

Hooly22

Mischievous M.D. wrote: »

You won't crumble. If you're willing to put in the time required to learn the amount of material, you'll be fine. If you find it interesting it really helps, it makes the learning less boring!

To me, the course is so much more about your mindset.

Really hoping you do get into medicine!

Thanks, I really do appreciate you saying that. If I actually do miraculously manage to get on the course, I'll do everything in my power to stay on it!

Carsinian Thau

Hooly22 wrote: »

Thanks, I really do appreciate you saying that. If I actually do miraculously manage to get on the course, I'll do everything in my power to stay on it!

I wouldn't say that it would take a miracle to get you in.

If you put in the work the new points requirements will hopefully make things easier.

tomcollins97

Hooly22 wrote: »

It is what I want to do. tomcollins97, the only reason I was asking was to see if someone like myself(not a 600pointer) would totally crumble, even if it was something they want to do.

When I look at the college requirements, I can't understand how they're so low for a course like that. I do know the points are high because of the amount of people that want it....I just don't want to apply to something, and not even be able to get passed day 1

I did engineering in TCD - it was four years of a full 40 hr week with a large maths & science element. I had a good leaving, and was pretty much top of the class. The points for engineering do not reflect the difficulty of the course. I have no regrest, and got through OK, but it is a shock to the stsyem to go from the comfort zone of being very good in school to struggling in college.

gaybitch

Having seen my older sister do Medicine, I would say that it is very tough. There's just no doubt about it. It's a full-on course, with lots of hours, and plenty of reading and learning and understanding. If you want to be a doctor, the seven-plus years of hard work are totally worth it. If it's something you're just lightly considering, then your desire and drive won't get you through.

Personally, I know I could never dedicate myself to such a slog, and so I didn't put down Medicine on my CAO, though I got the points. And now, with the new entry requirements, it's not about points - it's about the ambition and drive, the thing that will really get you through!

Good luck with whatever you choose!

familygirl

Hey there, if medicines is what you thing you want to do then definitley go for it.

You do not need to have 600 points to get through the course, at your level of results who will get through the courses academically, for sure. There are a lot of practical aspects of the course that are not purely academic - taking the history of a patient and examaning patients are not something you need 600 points to do.

I have just finished a degree in pharmacy and I am so happy with my choice. I know that I would like to have done medicine as it is something I have a great interest in - yet it is tough and it does not end when you finish the course. My boyfriend is a doctor and he is still doing exams and has to decide what speciality he wants to do (which will take another 4 years of rotations and exams). The hours are horrible and being a junior doctor is not cool. In saying that - he loves helping people and at the end of the day he loves what he does.

Basically, it is a big commitment so if you think its what you wanna do, and you think you will regret not doing it, DO IT.

(if not think about pharmacy, its great!!!)