Mature Medicine Applicants Thread 2013

angel_fish

Have you been on the list before? This is my first time applying.

I think we have all done very well so far!

Keeping my fingers crossed.

spacecat wrote: »

Hi Angel Fish,

Welcome to the gang . I guess it all depends on where you are on the list and if any of the 4 that have offers turn down their offer in favour of another Uni.

Its just a waiting game now, :rolleyes: I think the second round offers are the start of July. So, fingers crossed.



QUOTE=angel_fish;84843104]Hi all, I spoke with UCC yesterday and I'm in the waiting list gang too. Does anyone know the likely hood of being offered a placed?

[/quote]

spacecat

Yes, I was placed on a wait list last year.:rolleyes:

angel_fish wrote: »

Have you been on the list before? This is my first time applying.

I think we have all done very well so far!

Keeping my fingers crossed.

[/QUOTE]

angel_fish

Ahh well maybe this year we will both be lucky.

Were they able to tell you roughly where you were on the list? 😊

spacecat

Well, they won't tell us where we are but they hint a bit...I think. lol

angel_fish wrote: »

Ahh well maybe this year we will both be lucky.

Were they able to tell you roughly where you were on the list? 😊

Fiddles44

Hope everyone that is sitting the leaving is getting on well. I was in your position last year, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Best of luck !

Also I've declined a place in RCSI so good luck to everyone waiting on an offer

angel_fish

Fiddles44 wrote: »

Hope everyone that is sitting the leaving is getting on well. I was in your position last year, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Best of luck !

Also I've declined a place in RCSI so good luck to everyone waiting on an offer

Hey Congrats on your place, where have you accepted?


J

Fiddles44

I've accepted Trinity. Anyone else on here starting in September?

angel_fish

That's great!! Good luck. We're you offered a place from UCC? If you don't mind me asking

Fiddles44

angel_fish wrote: »

That's great!! Good luck. We're you offered a place from UCC? If you don't mind me asking

No, I was told I was on the waiting list.

Fiddles44

I presume you want to go to UCC?

angel_fish

Yes I would very much like to go to UCC.

Fiddles44 wrote: »

I presume you want to go to UCC?

Fiddles44

angel_fish wrote: »

Yes I would very much like to go to UCC.

Best of luck with it

angel_fish

Cheers!

SolitaireX

I assume no one's heard from UCD yet?

ruthiecahill

I've a feeling next week is the week!

studentforever

Hi everyone.

I go for a couple of weeks and loads happens! A massive congrats to everyone who has been either offered a place or wait listed. And commiserations to those who got zip just like me :rolleyes:

For those disheartened, I would like to offer some advice. A rejection is not the end of the world. Yes, everyone has worked hard, and yes, it is disappointing...

BUT...

The lack of luck this time around can be used positively. Use the upcoming year to volunteer, get different experiences and beef up your application for next year. A year may seem like a long time but think how much good you could do for organisations screaming out for volunteers. You might even gain a different perspective on things or discover a different avenue you hadn't considered before. Before this year (in my attempts to gain experience for med, very altruistic I know...) I would never have considered working around children. But from volunteering I've discovered I absolutely adore them, messy, noisy and stress inducing as they are. So much so that I now teach first aid to children so you will not know unless you try different things.

Apply for courses if you have the time/money/desire. There is never anything wasted about learning a new skill, language, or whatever. This upcoming year is your year, remember that. Getting a place in medicine is not going to be the highlight of your life, just the start of a new chapter in it. So regardless of how long it takes to get there, do not for a second wallow in pity. Life (and apparently getting into med school) is about experiences, so go get some.

And to end my oh so fabulous pep talk, it is incredibly difficult to get in as a mature student. Look how many people even in this thread have tried multiple times to get in, and their perseverance paid off.
GO TEAM MATURES FOR 2014!

ruthiecahill

Rang UCD admissions today & was told that medicine interviews have now been called.

So that's that then

SolitaireX

Has anyone heard anything from UCD?

julie2tubz

Nope... I was expecting some sort of correspondence.

ruthiecahill

I would have definately thought we'd have heard something....yes or no!

SolitaireX

I sent a mail asking what the story was, just saw the reply, apparently they have already conducted the interviews, I find it difficult to believe that none of us got an interview, anyone think they're not taking on matures this year?

ruthiecahill

I find it hard to believe too!
I'm in UCD currently & did a few research projects in the last yr within the school of medicine and got to know many of the lecturers there. I really felt I had a good chance this yr!

ultimatehero

I have my suspicions about ucd.

Has anyone else on boards been offered a place in ucc..?

QueenBee1

Hi all! I am really interested in studying medicine but I have a terrible leaving cert, barely passed (but I did) I am now a mature student so can anyone advise me is it worth my whole applying or how can I do any additional exams to apply or what is the best route? Any advice very welcome thank you

PingO_O

QueenBee1 wrote: »

Hi all! I am really interested in studying medicine but I have a terrible leaving cert, barely passed (but I did) I am now a mature student so can anyone advise me is it worth my whole applying or how can I do any additional exams to apply or what is the best route? Any advice very welcome thank you

Hey queenbee, the best route is really the one you feel will give you the best chance of getting in.

If you go the mature route you'll need to have a HC3 or better in biology and either chemistry or physics, plus you'll need sufficient voluntary experience/work experience, something that gives you a real idea of what working in a healthcare setting is like and why it motivates you to become a doctor.

You could also repeat the leaving cert altogether and apply the same way you would as a school leaver.

Either way you'll also have to sit the HPAT exam.

I've also heard of people applying through both routes which is also an option I guess!

Is it worth applying for? Yeh I'd say if its something you want to do then don't hold yourself back!

borrch

Could anyone tell me what the NUIG interview was like yesterday?

spacecat

Hrum, just got an email from NUIG informing me that they are 'gearing up for my arrival in September'. Gee, that would be nice but I didn't even get called for an interview, lol

I wonder if the email would be seen legally as some form of contract or acknowledgment of my place on the course

I may just rock up there in September waving this email shouting 'I have arrived'!!!:rolleyes:

dtfo

So I got a place in RCSI , didnt want to know until I finished my leaving cert.:)

Was just wondering how people are dealing with loans, are you just approaching your local branch or is there a particular branch that deals with it , like the gradmed situation?

SolitaireX

Loans are really tough to get for mature entry and they won't give you the grad entry loan. I was talking to Orlaith Kane in the BOI Stephens Green branch, you should give her a shout she's trying to sort out mature loans.

ruthiecahill

dtfo wrote: »

So I got a place in RCSI , didnt want to know until I finished my leaving cert.:)

Was just wondering how people are dealing with loans, are you just approaching your local branch or is there a particular branch that deals with it , like the gradmed situation?

Congratulations! Were u on waiting list or were u with the 1st offers?

I'm on waiting list, so did some enquiring just in case! I approached BOI & was told they do a preferential rate for students which isn't too bad....u can pay interest only until degree is finished. I think the max tho they do is for 30K. AIB were offering more but, no preferential rate, so interest repayments very high.
I went to UCD Belfield branches to enquire.