Veterinary Medicine Post Grad

GAAFan123

Hey, I no of someone who has just done a science degree and now he want to do a post grad in Veterinary as he had planned to do (he didn't get enough points in LC and always planned to do post grad. He's worried cos he just discovered that even with the GAMSAT that the fees are 19, 500 per year to do Veterinary. Is he correct? Why didn't his career guidance teacher tell him this?

Sid_Justice

I don't know why didn't his career guidance counsellor tell him how much it was to do Veterinary as a post-grad?

WeeBushy

Yes he's correct it is €19,500 a year and his guidance councillor should have told him.

I know a guy going into 2nd year of the graduate degree and he was able to organise a loan with the bank for the fees. If its what your friend really wants to do and he can secure a loan then the money shouldn't be what stops him imo.

Raphael

GAAFan123 wrote: »

Hey, I no of someone who has just done a science degree and now he want to do a post grad in Veterinary as he had planned to do (he didn't get enough points in LC and always planned to do post grad. He's worried cos he just discovered that even with the GAMSAT that the fees are 19, 500 per year to do Veterinary. Is he correct? Why didn't his career guidance teacher tell him this?

His guidance counsellor probably just assumed he would know that all graduate courses have large fees. Which was a silly mistake on the guidance counsellors part.

Sid_Justice wrote: »

I don't know why didn't his career guidance counsellor tell him how much it was to do Veterinary as a post-grad?

It was a question, not a knock, knock joke. Read the Charter, you're violating article 6.

Sid_Justice

Obviously a rhetorical question.

GAAFan123

Thanks for your help!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's shocking that he wasn't told.

Raphael

I'm more shocked that he went through 4 years of undergrad, planning on doing this postgrad, and never once thought to check what the fees were. Bit of a flub, that.

Sid_Justice

GAAFan123 wrote: »

Thanks for your help!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's shocking that he wasn't told.

It's not shocking really, it's nothing new or unusual here. You get 'free fees' for your first level 8 degree, not your second. if he went back and did arts he's be paying 5k a year. was grad entry vet even around 4 years ago when he left school?

also it's really competitive to get in, with just a degree he probably won't.

Grindsteacher

He's correct that graduate entry vet med now is €19500 annually, but it's not shocking that he wasnt told this by his guidance councillor because the course was only introduced in 2009.

There was always a graduate entry option, but only offered 5places annually in the undergrad class, and fees for this were generally around the 8-10k mark (I'm paying €9908 for this coming academic year). There are 3 real options if he really wants in:

a)go for the 4 year grad entry course, it's 80k of fees, but if it's his dream....
b)Repeat the leaving cert to ge tinto the 5 year course and pay 10k a year for 5 years.....
c)go abroad and pay 10k a year anyway.

There's no cheap or easy option, I bit the bullet and have NO regrets, and can say that in full honesty.

As regards the perosn saying he wont get in wioth just a degree, that's rubbish, most people in there have "just a degree". The aplpication process is divided up 50/50 on GAMSAT scores and application form (downloadable on the vet med website of UCD). So a reasonable GAMSAT score and reasonable application put you in a very competitive position. Also, the breakdown of marks on the application form is divided into a number of areas, degree title, degree grade, leaving cert subjects studied (NOT grades), extra-curricular involvementy, relevant veterinary work experience, and a personal statement. This means that in effect, having heavy involvement in a club/society during your undergrad degree is effectively worth as many application marks as having a PhD!! (Obviously having both would be a good help too!)

It's competitive but not impossible, not by a long shot!

If there's any other quesitons I might be ablt to help with then fire away and hopefully I can help.

Sid_Justice

Grindsteacher wrote: »

As regards the perosn saying he wont get in wioth just a degree, that's rubbish, most people in there have "just a degree". The aplpication process is divided up 50/50 on GAMSAT scores and application form (downloadable on the vet med website of UCD). So a reasonable GAMSAT score and reasonable application put you in a very competitive position. Also, the breakdown of marks on the application form is divided into a number of areas, degree title, degree grade, leaving cert subjects studied (NOT grades), extra-curricular involvementy, relevant veterinary work experience, and a personal statement. This means that in effect, having heavy involvement in a club/society during your undergrad degree is effectively worth as many application marks as having a PhD!! (Obviously having both would be a good help too!)

It's competitive but not impossible, not by a long shot!

If there's any other quesitons I might be ablt to help with then fire away and hopefully I can help.

hardly rubbish saying you won't get in with just a degree in ag science. when you need at least 3/4 other things

Grindsteacher

Apologies if that post offended you in some way? I think myabe we took different meanings from the OP, I understood them to mean that you'd need more educational qualifications than just a degree (i.e. masters/PhD/diploma), which isn't true. And as regards the other items you highlighted, you cant even apply without those, so there's no aspect of competitiveness associated, they're pre-requisites. My point was that the entire application doesn't boil down to academia, which is what I felt was implied in the original post above mine.

EDIT: I never mentioned anything about ag science? And for the record, there are plenty of people in the graduate vet course with "just" an ag science degree....

Sid_Justice

i'm just trying to get the last word in and look right even if i'm not, no offence taken.

mgriffen

Hi, I have got into the graduate five year veterinary course. Does anyone know if there is an agreement between UCD and any financial institution to provide student loans for the high €15,600 fees? In graduate medicine in the RCSI and University of Limerick there are such facilities provided.

user1989

mgriffen wrote: »

Hi, I have got into the graduate five year veterinary course. Does anyone know if there is an agreement between UCD and any financial institution to provide student loans for the high €15,600 fees? In graduate medicine in the RCSI and University of Limerick there are such facilities provided.

Hi, I am thinking about applying for the graduate five year veterinary course for sept 2012. I have read the entry requirements... but i was wondering if maybe you could let me know how competitive it is to get in? like is there still only five places, how hard was the gamsat? If you got in what qualifications/degree/work experience did you have?

mgriffen

Hi, As far as I know the 5 year course is only for people who do not have a biological degree. I am not sure how competitive it is but I think there is still only 5 places for graduates. I have done a degree and PhD in Chemistry but I also done biology for the leaving cert and in first year in college. I also done Biochemistry and Pharmacology in second year in college.

Because I done a lot of biology and a PhD in Chemistry I found the GAMSAT easy enough. However the GAMSAT test in three parts: (a) reasoning in humanities, (b) reasoning in the physical sciences and (c) written communication so it isn't all just based on Science knowledge.

As for experience I have been working with horses my whole life and have had a small amount of work experience with vets.

Grindsteacher

mgriffen wrote: »

Hi, I have got into the graduate five year veterinary course. Does anyone know if there is an agreement between UCD and any financial institution to provide student loans for the high €15,600 fees? In graduate medicine in the RCSI and University of Limerick there are such facilities provided.

Unfortunately there is no agreement in place. I heard that the fees for 5 year undergrads were going up this year, but didnt realise it was going to be by over 50%, thats unlucky.

There have been lots of debates in the vet college about the topic of fees of late, however there is no oweness on the faculty to facilitate any agreements or incentives, so the general consensus from administration seems to be that they're making the fees publically known, and people apply in the knowledge of the expense of it, so should have made their own financial arrangements. The graduate veterinary programme is offered by UCD to meet demand by students,rather than by the HEA/Government as is the case with grad medicine (to meet demand for doctors in the HSE), so there's no supplementation/loan agreements unfortunately. It boils down to shopping around, trying everything you can think of, and working your arse off to make ends meet!

As regards 5 year grad entry, the college decides whether you go into the 4 or 5 year programme based on your application. If you fit the criteria for the 4 year course but would rather the 5 year for cost reasons, they can still choose to admit you to the 4 year course at their discretion as far as I'm aware.

Some of it is ****, but where there's a will there's a way... For all the Irish/European students wanting to study grad vet, there's 10 times more north americans with pre-approved loans from government and banks that can snap up the places left over, so it's no skin off the colleges nose whether or not there's loan agreements in place. It's all part of the money machine that is UCD..........

Wisco

Mgriffen-
Where did you get the figure for fees? I too am doing the 5 year grad vet route and am doing a minor panic right now! I was told €10k (as it says on the website for undergrads DN300- thought I saw a different figure back when I was applying but can't find it now, and it was closer to the 15k that you've mentioned) and had that more or less confirmed by the fees office, although I'm not sure how clued in they are on the grad 5 year thing.
User1989-
As for how hard it is to get in as a graduate, I think it primarily comes down to experience and a decent GAMSAT score. I have very little science background, but I am a registered vet nurse (qualified from UCD a couple years ago) and so have lots of experience working at a vets. I put a bit of study time into GAMSAT and did decently enough, although my strong suit (verbal reasoning and essay) helped bring up my less than brilliant science section score. I also have an unrelated undergrad degree in arts.

Wisco

Nevermind, just found the info myself. Time to add that extra €6k/year onto an already huge pile of debt....fantastic. I'm a bit annoyed that this info wasn't more clear before (I checked that website regularly, and must have somehow missed it if it was there).

glockenspiel

Hi, just wondering if anybody has more information on loan options / funding for veterinary. I repeated my leaving cert this yr and got offered a place on the undergrad course. However, since I already have a degree I'm liable for full fees. I've been talking to banks and have been having no luck in securing funding. Any help or advice would be really appreciated.

crazy_cat

glockenspiel wrote: »

Hi, just wondering if anybody has more information on loan options / funding for veterinary. I repeated my leaving cert this yr and got offered a place on the undergrad course. However, since I already have a degree I'm liable for full fees. I've been talking to banks and have been having no luck in securing funding. Any help or advice would be really appreciated.

I'm in the exact same boat as you. I'm starting the 4 year grad entry programme in Sept and unfortunately I've had doors slammed in my face from every financial institution in the country it seems like! I was told by the veterinary office in UCD that apparently they tried to get the banks to set up a loan package for the vet students but the banks refused to offer any such package this year. The €19,500 that I will owe each year for the next 4 years is very daunting and I have to rely on my savings and family to get me through the first year, I'm just hoping the banks will be in a better position to lend next year

kellyr

hi, sorry to hear about your trouble getting funding. I know how difficult it was to get in and then to be faced with this. A man from BOI in the montrose branch came in last year to give a talk to vet students about financial issues. He did mention the possibility of loans specifically for grad entry vet students. Maybe you could try there. good luck

Wisco

I'm a current student and I know one of my fellow grad students approached the dean of vet college about organising loan program like grad med has but as far as I'm aware, he didn't have much luck. I know vets don't make nearly the money doctors do, but we're pretty much guaranteed a job somewhere in the world- good loan risk if you ask me (have to admit to being biased there though:D)
If you have a good relationship with your local bank and your parents have the means to be co-signers on a loan, perhaps you can look into that?