Need help!Have to finalise my CAO but don't know if I should keep engineering on it!?

1ZRed

I'm stressed out of my mind and I've sent emails to NUIG but between broken links and just not getting replies I'm getting nowhere!

I wanted to do biomedical engineering but I don't have honours Maths (have the points though). I could sit the entrance exam but I didn't pass last year and because it overlapped with the first roll out of offers I had to decline those offers and wait it out to see if I got accepted into BE.

What should I do? Sit the exam again am hope to go in? I'm not bad at Maths and would do very well with all the other subjects but I don't want to refuse more offers like last year! I took a year out and I do not want to take another one.
But I don't want to put it down if I'm not going to get it and end up losing my other offers!
The CAO is being finalised tomorrow and I seriously have no clue at all what to do!!!:(

ZRelation

Have you been brushing up on your maths over the last year? If you have then it may be worth giving the entrance exam another shot, the standard isn't that awfully high. If not...well you have to question whether you are ready for the course at all (maths is a big part of it).

Have you looked into Mech engineering in GMIT as an alternative? They cover alot of the same material as the Biomed course.

1ZRed

ZRelation wrote: »

Have you been brushing up on your maths over the last year? If you have then it may be worth giving the entrance exam another shot, the standard isn't that awfully high. If not...well you have to question whether you are ready for the course at all (maths is a big part of it).

Have you looked into Mech engineering in GMIT as an alternative? They cover alot of the same material as the Biomed course.

Thanks for the reply.
I can't say I have particularly. I was getting grinds for a few months this year and it was going fine but on the Maths side of things but I forget it easily.
I got a B1 in pass and I did honours up until Easter and I was averaging low Cs/Ds in that.

You see the thing is, its a great course and Maths aside, the biology and that kind of thing is nothing to me. In fact, it's a great interest.
Biotechnology is the thing I'd link it to the most and that's on my CAO too but that's a science degree. Useless in flexibility and demand compared to an engineering degree. Not to mention money wise, engineering is generally above science.

I got offered a place in GMIT last year but I declined it. That course has nothing to do with biomed and it's not the same degree or of the same value at the end of the day. One of my friends dropped out from it because he thought the course was a "gimped out" version of NUIG's. His words not mine. He passed the entrance exam but hadn't the points for a course. Which was kind of annoying.

I suppose I'm thinking overall the facilities are better for engineering at NUIG vs that of biotech (Feck all information on their website about it ffs!) and that's keeping a hold on me even though I know the Maths will be difficult.

Tbh with you I don't know my deal atm, I seem to know what I don't like and don't know what I like when it comes to these things so it's got me stressed out.

wallpaper12

You have to think, if you cant handle honours maths at leaving cert will you be able to do engineering?
Im sure biomed is the least mathsy of all the engineerings but its still going to have a good bit. Did you do physics for your leaving cert?
If your bad at maths and havent done physics then honestly I could see you really struggling in engineering.

ZRelation

I wouldn't say Biomed is least 'mathsy' at all. It has the same maths content as Mechanical.

OP if you really want to do engineering then go for the entrance exam and put in a few more weeks of study/grinds.

However don't be under any illusions that because both biotechnology and biomedical engineering have the word 'bio' in them that they are in any way alike. Biomedical engineering is very similar to mechanical, it has a biology element for sure, but the course is maths heavy.

Best of luck with your decision...

1ZRed

ZRelation wrote: »

I wouldn't say Biomed is least 'mathsy' at all. It has the same maths content as Mechanical.

OP if you really want to do engineering then go for the entrance exam and put in a few more weeks of study/grinds.

However don't be under any illusions that because both biotechnology and biomedical engineering have the word 'bio' in them that they are in any way alike. Biomedical engineering is very similar to mechanical, it has a biology element for sure, but the course is maths heavy.

Best of luck with your decision...

It is the least maths intensive (about 30% maths based from what people from the college have told me before)

Biotech and biomed eng share a lot of similar subjects although the course is quite different. What gets me down is that I was brilliant at engineering in secondary school in both practical and theory along with that, Biology was my favourite subject too.
I'd agree with you on how maths heavy it is, but considering I have all the rest nailed and only lagging with maths keeps me thinking about it and wondering should or shouldn't I?

This is my CAO atm (biomed science is out of my points range though)
Level 8 Course Choices:
1. GY303 Biomedical Science
2. GY408 Biomedical Engineering
3. GY401 Engineering (Undenominated)
4. GY304 Biotechnology
5. GY251 Civil Law

If I don't get the first choice and don't get 2+3 because I don't qualify, will I still get Biotechnology? That's my worry because I don't want to lose that if I have nothing left!

I'd really appreciate a quick reply because I'm under time constraints:)

1ZRed

1ZRed wrote: »

It is the least maths intensive (about 30% maths based from what people from the college have told me before)

Biotech and biomed eng share a lot of similar subjects although the course is quite different. What gets me down is that I was brilliant at engineering in secondary school in both practical and theory along with that, Biology was my favourite subject too.
I'd agree with you on how maths heavy it is, but considering I have all the rest nailed and only lagging with maths keeps me thinking about it and wondering should or shouldn't I?

This is my CAO atm (biomed science is out of my points range though)
Level 8 Course Choices:
1. GY303 Biomedical Science
2. GY408 Biomedical Engineering
3. GY401 Engineering (Undenominated)
4. GY304 Biotechnology
5. GY251 Civil Law

If I don't get the first choice and don't get 2+3 because I don't qualify, will I still get Biotechnology? That's my worry because I don't want to lose that if I have nothing left!

I'd really appreciate a quick reply because I'm under time constraints:)

Bumping this because I need an answer quickly:)

wallpaper12

I dont see why you wouldnt get it? If you dont get your first 3 choices then you will get your 4th.

Why are only applying for nuig? Why not apply for biomed science in a few different colleges, points differ dramatically depending on where you apply

1ZRed

wallpaper12 wrote: »

I dont see why you wouldnt get it? If you dont get your first 3 choices then you will get your 4th.

Why are only applying for nuig? Why not apply for biomed science in a few different colleges, points differ dramatically depending on where you apply

Well when I was stressing like crazy I was second guessing myself and considering this is quite serious to me, I think you can understand that.

I think I made the right decisions though which is good.

Galway was the only viable option to me that's why it's all NUIG.

John1202

1ZRed wrote: »

It is the least maths intensive (about 30% maths based from what people from the college have told me before)

Biotech and biomed eng share a lot of similar subjects although the course is quite different. What gets me down is that I was brilliant at engineering in secondary school in both practical and theory along with that, Biology was my favourite subject too.
I'd agree with you on how maths heavy it is, but considering I have all the rest nailed and only lagging with maths keeps me thinking about it and wondering should or shouldn't I?

This is my CAO atm (biomed science is out of my points range though)
Level 8 Course Choices:
1. GY303 Biomedical Science
2. GY408 Biomedical Engineering
3. GY401 Engineering (Undenominated)
4. GY304 Biotechnology
5. GY251 Civil Law

If I don't get the first choice and don't get 2+3 because I don't qualify, will I still get Biotechnology? That's my worry because I don't want to lose that if I have nothing left!

I'd really appreciate a quick reply because I'm under time constraints:)

What Zrelation says is right. Biomedical Engineering is basically the same degree as Mechanical Engineering with some extra biology. It is very maths intensive and has very very little in common with Biomedical Science or Biotechnology (which themselves are very different courses).

yer man!

There is the option of doing the 3 years in GMIT and then doing final year in NUIG in an engineering program. I have no idea if you'd be able to do 3 years of mechanical in GMIT and then final year biomed in NUIG, I doubt you would but there is always the option of doing it as a postgrad. I'm going into final year of my science degree and I do somewhat regret not going into engineering, I was like you, I had no honours maths or any physics for the leaving cert but when we started doing it in college I became quite good at it. The college maths is somewhat different to LC maths, there's so much help available (if you look for it) and it is much more applied, IMO. If you're confident you'll pass the entrance exam then by all means go for the NUIG course in engineering. Be prepared to work hard though.