Arts graduate - medicine entry question

msgq

Hello, I am a 3rd year arts student with little background in science, and I did not do any science subjects for the leaving cert. However, I have become interested in the thought of studying medicine as a postgraduate. I have been looking at TCD’s website, and it says that their medical degrees can take anywhere from 1 – 5 years.

http://www.tcd.ie/Graduate_Studies/prospectivestudents/courses/index.php


However, I was just wondering about a few things such as

(a) Does it matter what percentages/ grades you get in your degree, providing that it is a 2:1 degree? Would 60% for instance be enough? Or would an arts graduate be expected to attain a higher finishing grade?

(b) Would I be capable of doing the GAMSAT exam, given that I have little background in science?

(c) What areas of science and medicine should I be looking up and learning before sitting such an exam?

(d) How many years out of the 1 – 5 years would I be sitting through? Would it be the full 5 years as I would be an Arts/ non-Science degree holder?

Thank you for your help.

MicraBoy

To start with most of your questions are answered already in the forum so get using the search function and reading the threads. There is tonnes of info & opinions already available.

TCD does not offer a Graduate Medicine program. The link you offered is not what you are looking for. To attend TCD you would need to apply as a mature undergraduate and compete for one of the very limited places available.

The uni's that offer Graduate Entry Medicine are RCSI, UCD, UL and UCC. You need a 2.1 from a Level 8 degree, so make sure your degree is to that level (if it's only three years it may well not be).

People from non-science backgrounds do get into Grad Med with a bit of work on the science sections. I wouldn't let that put you off by any means.

Oafley Jones

MicraBoy wrote: »

To start with most of your questions are answered already in the forum so get using the search function and reading the threads. There is tonnes of info & opinions already available.

TCD does not offer a Graduate Medicine program. The link you offered is not what you are looking for. To attend TCD you would need to apply as a mature undergraduate and compete for one of the very limited places available.

The uni's that offer Graduate Entry Medicine are RCSI, UCD, UL and UCC. You need a 2.1 from a Level 8 degree, so make sure your degree is to that level (if it's only three years it may well not be).

People from non-science backgrounds do get into Grad Med with a bit of work on the science sections. I wouldn't let that put you off by any means.

It's a degree, it's a level 8 (assuming of course the OP receives an Honours).

dissed doc

msgq wrote: »

Hello, I am a 3rd year arts student with little background in science, and I did not do any science subjects for the leaving cert. However, I have become interested in the thought of studying medicine as a postgraduate. I have been looking at TCD’s website, and it says that their medical degrees can take anywhere from 1 – 5 years.

I think you are mixing up an MD (Doctor of Medicine) degree with a Medical degree (MB BCh BAO). The terminology is confusing.

MD: this is a clinical research degree in the UK and Ireland, and the 1-5 years is for people who already have completed undergraduate normal medical degrees of 5-6 years, have completed internship and have usually completed a period of basic clinical work (2-3 years) - eough to establish a working knowledge and interest in a particular area of clinical practice that they then look at researching. You need to be registered for it for at least 1 year and have to complete within 5. MD in medicine is higher than PhD which is usually specific sciences. The earliest time you could reasonably start an MD is around 10 years after starting your basic medical degree, to give you a rough time frame. It's difficult to describe but basically it's like a clinical PhD exclusive to people with medical degrees. http://www.tcd.ie/Graduate_Studies/prospectivestudents/courses/taught/coursepg.php?course_id=62

You are possibly looking at doing a regular medical degree which is a basically a bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery degrees. MD in America is just a basic medical degree like MB BCh here or UK.

Yillan

This forum really needs a GEM FAQ