if anyone wants to reminisce about getting your offer for medicine...

tallaght01

...go to the last couple of pages on this thread in the leaving cert forum

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055604717&page=12

The CAO places are just out. Good few people on there have got med. Reminds me how euphoric I was when I got my place. Literally danced around the garden.

Great days.

Med school is an amazing time, in my opinion.

Stompbox

Hey there,after an anxious wait, results finally posted. Got my first choice, med in RCSI. The feeling is unbelievable!:)

tallaght01

Great work. Fantastic med school by all accounts. Do you mind me asking how you got on with LC points? Did the HPAT make any difference? Or did people still need 540+ to get in?

bythewoods

I just accepted Medicine in UCD!

I'm deliriously happy!

Can't even describe how happy I am that I've actually gotten it this time. I repeated y'see. Although, thanks to the good old HPAT, I had enough to get in with last year's points anyway...
I'd been convincing myself all Summer I'd be doing Human Health & Disease Science or Pharmacy. Didn't think I'd made it. Turns out I had plenty of points!

Still a little bit in disbelief. I could never see myself doing anything else with my life and am reallllllly glad I didn't just settle into something else last year.
So emotional..

Wish me luck all
The standard of the Irish Health Service is about to drop dramatically :pac:

Piste

I'll be going into 1st year RCSI myself!

Stompbox

tallaght01 wrote: »

Great work. Fantastic med school by all accounts. Do you mind me asking how you got on with LC points? Did the HPAT make any difference? Or did people still need 540+ to get in?

Sure, I got 535 but my HPAT score of 187 really proved to be the instrument of success. Delighted it's in place. I truly believe that it caters for students like me, relatively bright but lack the application and motivation to succeed in the long-winded Leaving Cert.

deepimpact

Sweet wrote: »

Sure, I got 535 but my HPAT score of 187 really proved to be the instrument of success. Delighted it's in place. I truly believe that it caters for students like me, relatively bright but lack the application and motivation to succeed in the long-winded Leaving Cert.

Relatively bright? Sweet, you did an excellent LC, and congratulations on the result and best of luck in your course.

And well done to all those who get into Med this year, the hard work produced the results you deserved.

Svalbard

So today a few (ahem!) years ago I was NOT thrilled to get my med school offer.

I had pretty much convinced my self I wouldn't get in and was looking forward to doing Science. So I was stunned and bewildered with the offer and it took me a few days to warm up to the idea.

Was much more excited and borderline delirious to get my training scheme place though!

mardybumbum

I can remember it clearly.
I stayed up until six in the morning checking the CAO page every five minutes.
For some reason I thought it was a great idea to play this song over and over again.

Anywhooo, I listened to that song a few hundred times before the confirmation came through.
I was actually fairly shocked tbh. I only applied to one medical school and I wasnt even sure If I applied before the final date.
So, I clicked the confirmation button and ran into my parents bedroom.
Did a lil dance before I was promptly told to GTFO.
I spent the next few weeks wondering If the fact that I was arrested on my grad night would effect my place on the course.

Thats it I guess.

tech77

Everyone always says they were shocked.
For once i'd love to hear one of those 600 pointers on the news say "piece of pi$$".
Anyway, I was definitely surprised.
All "hard" subjects as well- none of your higher level geography for me

Also, agree with Tallaght about the myth of nerdiness associated with some high-acheivers.
Some of these people are just scarily talented.
Don't you just hate them.

bleg

I knew I had gotten pharmacy but didn't know if I'd get my 1st choice. Got it on random selection, deadly. Got up at 6 in the morning to check it.

One of my friends got the same no. of points and didn't get in. She got a re check though and then got the course so it was all good.

PhysiologyRocks

Oh tis well I remember. Mainly because it was very recently.

I had done my leaving cert before, so I knew I had my points all year, but I was still terrified that something would go wrong! I woke up far too early, woke my dad up and went downstairs, got the internet up and running and lo and behold, there lay my beautiful offer.

We all opened up champagne and I went for a nap. It was the best day of my life, and I've appreciated it every day since. *Tear*

QueenOfLeon

I'll be going into first year medicine in NUIG! Was the best feeling ever to see that offer, still on a high!

cGirl

Are all you RCSIer's (and everyone else, I suppose) doing the 5 or 6 year course?

Carsinian Thau

cGirl wrote: »

Are all you RCSIer's (and everyone else, I suppose) doing the 5 or 6 year course?

I'm doing a six year course.

(But I started two years ago, so your question may not have been directed at me).

I'm not RCSI either.

cGirl

I'm doing a six year course.

(But I started two years ago, so your question may not have been directed at me).

I'm not RCSI either.

Do you think 6 years put you at an advantage? I was offered the 5 year course and I accepted because I met the requirements. I did pretty well in chemistry and biology at school, but I never did physics. Still, I assume that they wouldn't offer it to you if they didn't think you'd be able?...How much physics is on the medicine course?

Carsinian Thau

cGirl wrote: »

Do you think 6 years put you at an advantage? I was offered the 5 year course and I accepted because I met the requirements. I did pretty well in chemistry and biology at school, but I never did physics. Still, I assume that they wouldn't offer it to you if they didn't think you'd be able?...How much physics is on the medicine course?

You'll do fine without it. Most don't take pre-med anymore.

I don't know how much physics is really in the course but I don't see how it would fit with most of the clinical stuff and anything preclinical I've encountered doesn't need it either.

In fact, a lot of students I've med say it's a waste of time. And I certainly don't see how it would come in handy for most things.

The best thing about the 6 year course is the very easy year at the start. The five year course is just work work work all the way. Whereas the 6 year is easy and then work work work.

You'll be fine on the 5 year though.

cGirl

That makes me feel a bit better, because it seems most people I've spoken to (all 2 of them ) have done pre-med and have told me that first year is really tough, but sure if most people aren't doing it anymore I highly doubt I'll be the only one thrown into the deep end.

Carsinian Thau

cGirl wrote: »

That makes me feel a bit better, because it seems most people I've spoken to (all 2 of them ) have done pre-med and have told me that first year is really tough, but sure if most people aren't doing it anymore I highly doubt I'll be the only one thrown into the deep end.

No, over half of my year was thrown into the deep end and most of them survived (a few of them did transfer down to pre med though).

It's fine though. You'll be grand with the 5 year unless you decide to leave everything to the week before the exam or go out every single night and get drunk enough to forget your own name.

You'll have to face the pressure of 1st med eventually anyway.

UCCmed09

anyone heading into ucc med?

flerb22

i got my A level results and went right to the nearest bar so i dont really remember much about getting my offer

ergo

so yeah, back on topic

I think getting the results of the LC was the day I knew I would get into med, I was a few points clear of the previous year

and getting the A1 in Honours Maths basically got me into UCD med, a nice 140 points for that back in the day

back then there was no internet, it was either get the Irish Times first thing in the morning 5am-ish or wait for the postman - and if it was random selection it was just the postman obviously with the news

well done to everyone, it really is a great time(getting offers/getting ready for college) so enjoy it

and IMHO 600 points in the LC does not necessarily equate with being a good doctor, hence the HPAT I suppose (conspiracy theories of evening up the M:F ratios aside...)

Piste

cGirl wrote: »

Are all you RCSIer's (and everyone else, I suppose) doing the 5 or 6 year course?

I'll be going to RCSI doing the 5 year course. I was a little worried about the physics but apparently it doesn't come up much in subsequent years so I'm happy enough!

knuck wrote: »

All Uk Universities admit students to medicine based on a combination of A-level results, UKCAT Tests (which is the UK version of the HPAT), Personal Statement and Interviews.

I think it is a fair fairer system all round. HPAT and UKCAT exams test one's natural intelligence and aptitude.

As far as I know, UKCAT has a science side, which tests actual knowledge, which is unlike the HPAT, as that tests "latent ability".

I don't see how the HPAT qualifies anyone to do medicine more than the LC. I just can't see how a high score in the HPAT translates to succeeding in Med School.

tallaght01

Physics doesn't come up a huge amount. It's handy for stuff like orthopaedics and biomechanics stuff. It also has some relevance to biochemistry and physiology.

But if you just understand the concepts you can work stuff out. It doesn't involve learning a lot.

I wouldn't stress about not having much physics under your belt. Chemistry and biology are way more important.

A guy in my class had a first class honours degree in physics, and a physics PhD, and he struggled with the first few years like everyone else (I had a biomedical sciences degree and I struggled too!).

You'll see when you start that someone who's bright enough to get 500+ points in the leaving is capable of doing well at med school, one way or the other. It's a bloody hard course, but you guys are bloody smart.

nesf

tallaght01 wrote: »

A guy in my class had a first class honours degree in physics, and a physics PhD, and he struggled with the first few years like everyone else (I had a biomedical sciences degree and I struggled too!).

Physics wouldn't be any use to you outside of the statistics modules (you should find them trivial if you're capable of PhD level Physics). I suppose having physics is good from an "all round science" perspective but I really struggle to see its relevance to medicine outside of real specialist stuff like biomechanics (where it's trivial really) and advanced radiology like MRI machines (where it's non-trivial but you don't really need to understand the technology and be able to work out the Fourier Transforms to know when an MRI is needed etc).

tallaght01

It's all basic physics. Mechanism of injury. Learning about imagine. Learning about enzyme kinetics and energy production and metabolism. There's lots of applications for basic physics in medicine. But I'm dire at physics and maths and I managed fine.

Any of these 500+ points kids will manage if they try. I can think of only one medical student who had the massive grades in school who was literally unable to do medicine. It takes a lot of work, and you need to e bright. But, in my opinion, the med students who fail do so because they realise they're not interested, or because they don't try hard enough. Some of them have nervous breakdowns etc, but I would say it's rarely that they can't actually cope with the work.

These guys are in the top couple of % in the country in terms of academic ability, so they can all do a medical degree if they work hard enough.

tallaght01

I've tidied up this thread a bit. Moved the HPAT debate posts to a new thread, so that this thread is just about welcoming our new colleagues to the professions

JSK 252

tallaght01 wrote: »

I've tidied up this thread a bit. Moved the HPAT debate posts to a new thread, so that this thread is just about welcoming our new colleagues to the professions

Ah yah and new pharmers will always play second fiddle...:pac:

UCCmed09

JSK 252 wrote: »

Ah yah and new pharmers will always play second fiddle...:pac:

nah...i've spent a year with 60 pharmers-to-be and none of them will ever play second fiddle lol!

JSK 252

UCCmed09 wrote: »

nah...i've spent a year with 60 pharmers-to-be and none of them will ever play second fiddle lol!

As in they are competitive?

UCCmed09

JSK 252 wrote: »

As in they are competitive?

no didnt mean it like that...just that the class match the equivalent meds every step of the way with their brains!!but obviously every class has its competitive few...we all are competitive to some degree and some more than others then maybe!

JSK 252

UCCmed09 wrote: »

nah...i've spent a year with 60 pharmers-to-be and none of them will ever play second fiddle lol!

:pac:

JSK 252

Looking back at this, how much my opinion has changed of pharmacy.

I feel it is apt to bring this forum back for people like myself who did the LC last year and will know there fate quite well by Monday.

tallaght01

really? is it that soon? Good luck to all the LC'ers out there!

mardybumbum

Best of luck to everyone.
All I can say is I'm glad I did my LC before the introduction of the HPAT. :pac:

Vorsprung

Good luck gang!

Delancey

My mother qualified as a nurse in the 1950's and has always thought it an ideal career for girls. A few years ago my niece called around to excitedly tell my mother she had got her first choice of Medicine in Trinity , my mum offered congratulations and then said '' would you not prefer to do nursing instead ? '' :rolleyes:

sillymoo

Oh my goodness what memories!

2004 (year I did my leaving) - utter diapointemt when I did not get in on random selection. My dad was up before me that morning at 6, sitting in the kitchen in a cloud of smoke and an empty packet of major sitting beside him. We all know 570 points was cutting it fine but I have never experienced the disapointment of that moment since.

2005 - remember heading into NUIG to check that morning at 6.45 (was a student there and did not have internet in the place I was staying). Was starting at 7.30 in the hospital for a 13hr shift as a HCA. Did not get in that year - 570* again. That shift was the longest 13hrs ever! Was relatively happy to get Radiation Therapy in Trinity as knew it would suit me better than Biomedical Science which was what I was doing then.

2006 - applied on the off chance I would get in and so there would be no "what if" moments in the future. Went and checked at about 10am and I remember seeing RC001 and thinking what the hell is that! RCSI was last on my CAO and I did not even realise I got in until I looked up the CAO handbook! Rang my parents to tell them and my mother started crying - they had been up since 6 waiting for me to call and when it got so late, they just thought I had not gotten in and had not bothered to call them Went straight into my tutor in Trinity that day and withdrew from RT. Was delieriously happy!

revz

sillymoo wrote: »

Oh my goodness what memories!

2004 (year I did my leaving) - utter diapointemt when I did not get in on random selection. My dad was up before me that morning at 6, sitting in the kitchen in a cloud of smoke and an empty packet of major sitting beside him. We all know 570 points was cutting it fine but I have never experienced the disapointment of that moment since.

2005 - remember heading into NUIG to check that morning at 6.45 (was a student there and did not have internet in the place I was staying). Was starting at 7.30 in the hospital for a 13hr shift as a HCA. Did not get in that year - 570* again. That shift was the longest 13hrs ever! Was relatively happy to get Radiation Therapy in Trinity as knew it would suit me better than Biomedical Science which was what I was doing then.

2006 - applied on the off chance I would get in and so there would be no "what if" moments in the future. Went and checked at about 10am and I remember seeing RC001 and thinking what the hell is that! RCSI was last on my CAO and I did not even realise I got in until I looked up the CAO handbook! Rang my parents to tell them and my mother started crying - they had been up since 6 waiting for me to call and when it got so late, they just thought I had not gotten in and had not bothered to call them Went straight into my tutor in Trinity that day and withdrew from RT. Was delieriously happy!

Wait your points last that long from the leaving cert? I thought if you did it in 2004 it only worked for applications for 2004 and 2005?
This is an interesting development since i did my leaving last year, after applying again this year I was kinda scared it might be my last chance...
(Although this is for random selection in Pharmacy last year)

Jessibelle

sillymoo wrote: »

Oh my goodness what memories!

2004 (year I did my leaving) - utter diapointemt when I did not get in on random selection. My dad was up before me that morning at 6, sitting in the kitchen in a cloud of smoke and an empty packet of major sitting beside him. We all know 570 points was cutting it fine but I have never experienced the disapointment of that moment since.

2005 - remember heading into NUIG to check that morning at 6.45 (was a student there and did not have internet in the place I was staying). Was starting at 7.30 in the hospital for a 13hr shift as a HCA. Did not get in that year - 570* again. That shift was the longest 13hrs ever! Was relatively happy to get Radiation Therapy in Trinity as knew it would suit me better than Biomedical Science which was what I was doing then.

2006 - applied on the off chance I would get in and so there would be no "what if" moments in the future. Went and checked at about 10am and I remember seeing RC001 and thinking what the hell is that! RCSI was last on my CAO and I did not even realise I got in until I looked up the CAO handbook! Rang my parents to tell them and my mother started crying - they had been up since 6 waiting for me to call and when it got so late, they just thought I had not gotten in and had not bothered to call them Went straight into my tutor in Trinity that day and withdrew from RT. Was delieriously happy!

This makes me happy I applied as a mature student this year and it seems have very narrowly missed out on a place (1-2 % in the HPAT), but knowing I'm not mad for already planning next years plan of attack, and persistence being a wonderful thing, and seeing that it pays off, well, fair fecks to ya Sillymoo, you brought a smile to my rather long face today