GAMSAT 2014?

jibber5000

beardedmaster wrote: »

They want results from each individual year, not just final year results and/or your degree grade.

My results from each year were included, just on the same transcript as my detailed final year results

RainBow_xo

jibber5000 wrote: »

My results from each year were included, just on the same transcript as my detailed final year results

Perhaps if you can, get them all on separate pages using university headed paper (also including a stamp). Was your degree parchment in English? I'm not sure if this is a requirement but you never know.

Also are you an EU resident? Were you previously non-EU and are now EU? If the latter is the case you may have to send proof of residency (copy of passport?)

All that's left is to call the CAO first thing in the morning (as soon as they open because they get very busy) and ask them what you need to include.

RainBow_xo

Robgreen87 wrote: »

Hi guys, I hope you are all well. Quick qs - I am applying from the UK and just had a glance at my CAO application via the website. If the worst case scenario occurs and we receive no offers on the 31st July due to poor Gamsat scores, does the Offers/Acceptance Section on your CAO application tell you that you have no offers available at this time or does another message show?


Thanks

This is what I found on the CAO website:

"18th August (expected date) Round 1 offers issued - Applicants who have not received an offer will receive another Statement of Application Record. "

I would assume the original message stays until you receive an offer?

SwiftEagle

Does anyone have any idea of how many GEM places there actually are in Ireland? And what the ratio of applicants to placements is? Thanks!

jimijames

Hi Guys,

Im 32 work full time and redid my biology and chemistry for the leaving cert just in June. I had not done them previously. Im gonna take the plunge with gamsat for the UK in September and I was wondering what is the best way of revising or studying for this as I am a bit lost and dunno where to start. From what I see the prep courses are a waste of time. Notes I think are the way to go. I like chemistry and have a bit of a flare for it. Its not that bad, bio is ok, more learning !! Any advice / tips / tricks , etc would be massively appreciated!!!!

j.mcdrmd

jimijames wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Im 32 work full time.

Any advice / tips / tricks , etc would be massively appreciated!!!!

Stay away from medicine.

letsdothis

j.mcdrmd wrote: »

Stay away from medicine.

Can you elaborate on this advice? Are you a doctor or medical student?

letsdothis

jimijames wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Im 32 work full time and redid my biology and chemistry for the leaving cert just in June. I had not done them previously. Im gonna take the plunge with gamsat for the UK in September and I was wondering what is the best way of revising or studying for this as I am a bit lost and dunno where to start. From what I see the prep courses are a waste of time. Notes I think are the way to go. I like chemistry and have a bit of a flare for it. Its not that bad, bio is ok, more learning !! Any advice / tips / tricks , etc would be massively appreciated!!!!

A great place to start is reading through the treads here for the last few years on GAMSAT advice and recommendations on study aids, etc.. Your focus will need to be organic chemistry and physics, obviously and plenty of practice of GAMSAT style questions. Once again, I'll recommend Organic Chem as a Second Language. Good luck with it!

j.mcdrmd

letsdothis wrote: »

Can you elaborate on this advice? Are you a doctor or medical student?

A wide variety of reasons. But in the case of a 32 year old I would imagine that they would have some basic expectations, based on former work experience, such as:-

Contracts that are honoured.
Payroll departments that pay what is owed when it is due to be paid.
Rosters that allow for some kind of a life.
Unions that are effective.
Reasonable levels of health and safety for employees.
Human resource departments that view employees as assets rather than liabilities.

These basic concepts are too often absent for Doctors at the moment and have been for quite a while. By the time GEM's figure that out they are a lot poorer or owe, for students in Ireland, unprecedented amounts. They are also older and sometimes are trapped unless they are mobile.

There is information on this in the main Health Science forum. There is more very up to date information over on Facebook "EnoughIsEnough".

It is so bad in Irish hospitals that you would imagine that something must change. Perhaps it will, in New Zealand Doctors were being treated very poorly about 10 or so years ago. This ended with a strike. New Zealand now has a decent health care system. If hospitals are in breach of a Doctors contract the hospital are fined with the fine payed to the Doctor. So, in one example, a Doctor was rostered in error to work in excess of a set number of hours, the Doctor got a phone call, in advance of the shift with an apology, they were asked if they could do the shift because otherwise the team would be short handed and assured that they would get paid the fine, which they did. I can't remember the number off hand, but nothing like 36, 48, 56 or 80+ that I have heard of in Ireland.

Cymini Sectores

jimijames wrote: »

Hi Guys,

Im 32 work full time and redid my biology and chemistry for the leaving cert just in June. I had not done them previously. Im gonna take the plunge with gamsat for the UK in September and I was wondering what is the best way of revising or studying for this as I am a bit lost and dunno where to start. From what I see the prep courses are a waste of time. Notes I think are the way to go. I like chemistry and have a bit of a flare for it. Its not that bad, bio is ok, more learning !! Any advice / tips / tricks , etc would be massively appreciated!!!!

Just to add to what letsdothis said, practise your essays **timed**, I cannot stress this enough and read the treads to know what others did.

Lub

Are we looking at the 31st of July as the offer release date?

Clicli91

Hey I've been following this thread for quiet a while and there is some excellent advice on it!I Sat the GAMSAT in March and was hoping to start in UL in September , however I'm thinking of deferring my place or rejecting the cao offer and working for the next year, has anyone any advice or been in this situation and if so what would you recommend doing?!

Rc11

Clicli91 wrote: »

Hey I've been following this thread for quiet a while and there is some excellent advice on it!I Sat the GAMSAT in March and was hoping to start in UL in September , however I'm thinking of deferring my place or rejecting the cao offer and working for the next year, has anyone any advice or been in this situation and of so what would you recommend doing?!

Hey,
I wasn't in this situation but a friend of mine was last year. She decided to withdraw from the cao as your gamsat score is valid for 2 years (I'm not sure if you can defer - maybe you can but she didn't) she felt the year would be stressful enough without getting too bogged down in the finances. She worked for the year and said it was the best thing she ever did because she just feels more stable financially and more ready to tackle the next 4 years. To be honest I reckon it's a personal thing, so you probably know what is best for you.

Durf

Clicli91 wrote: »

Hey I've been following this thread for quiet a while and there is some excellent advice on it!I Sat the GAMSAT in March and was hoping to start in UL in September , however I'm thinking of deferring my place or rejecting the cao offer and working for the next year, has anyone any advice or been in this situation and of so what would you recommend doing?!

I am concerned about finances etc. too and contacted UL regarding deferring an accepted offer. They emailed back and said it's not allowed. One would simply have to reapply next year if not taking up a 2014 offer

Good thing the gamsat result is valid for two years... But it is a tough choice to be considering at this point

j.mcdrmd

Durf wrote: »

I am concerned about finances etc. too and contacted UL regarding deferring an accepted offer. They emailed back and said it's not allowed. One would simply have to reapply next year if not taking up a 2014 offer

Good thing the gamsat result is valid for two years... But it is a tough choice to be considering at this point

Did they give you any reason for that?

Durf

j.mcdrmd wrote: »

Did they give you any reason for that?

No, nor did I query further. Their response was simply it is not possible to defer an accepted place on the programme.

j.mcdrmd

Durf wrote: »

No, nor did I query further. Their response was simply it is not possible to defer an accepted place on the programme.

Why not phone them up and ask for their reasoning on that?

The answer might help you to make a decision.

Durf

j.mcdrmd wrote: »

Why not phone them up and ask for their reasoning on that?

The answer might help you to make a decision.

No need. I have an answer from them. Understanding their reasoning seems irrelevant to me. Not unless u know something I dont!?

I_Shot_JR_1986

I spoke to BOI in my town and they have a 60k loan for GEM back up and running this year. Parents or someone as guarantor. Does anyone know if its possible to get another loan for about 10k on top of this to help with living costs?

lawlesp4

Hey just wondering if anyone is selling any practice papers such as Ozimed, GRADMED etc could you drop me a message. Thanks.

j.mcdrmd

Firstly, this is a general comment, not aimed at anyone in particular.

Secondly, I know that potential GEMS have either a 1st or a 2.1 level 8 degree.

I am making the following comments ahead of the GEM offer season frenzy. Even if it helps 1 person it is worth it.

Banks want to lend money. That is how they make a profit, not a bad idea imo provided it is managed correctly.

Universities want to make money, they seem to have become big business too.

The fact that a particular bank has a special program in place for GEMS does not mean that they are supportive of the program. It is simply a business proposition for them.

When guarantors were not required it meant that the banks thought GEMS were good for the money. They see what people earn as salary is paid into the banks.

So if the banks want guarantors they think this is a risky lending situation. Think subprime, but, to them, that is okay because the guarantor will pay if the GEM cannot.

If I understand the situation correctly:-

1 bank used to lend for fees and living expenses without a guarantor, but got out of this market altogether.

1 bank used to lend for fees and living expenses without a guarantor, but now will lend for fees only and want a guarantor.

1 bank will lend, exclusively, to UL students, I am not sure about the guarantor position of this one.

Think carefully about asking anyone to put their savings / future income / home / business at risk. This is what a guarantor is being asked to do. Make sure that both parties understand the level of risk involved, get legal and/or financial advice if either you or the guarantor is unclear about any aspect of this.

Also be aware that a level 8 degree in medicine is a starting point. If you want to progress further, time consuming and expensive study will be required. Exams, research, higher degrees, publications, conferences, fellowships, etc.

Factor in moving costs and travel expenses too because Doctors are on short term contracts, sometimes for only 3 months at a time.

Above all, think about your own health, think about the stress of having to call for the help of the guarantor, if it comes to it, on top of an already stressful job.

MathsMedMixed

j.mcdrmd wrote: »

Also be aware that a level 8 degree in medicine is a starting point. If you want to progress further, time consuming and expensive study will be required. Exams, research, higher degrees, publications, conferences, fellowships, etc.

This much is true.

Like everyone else, I am anxious about getting the 60k loan.
Say, a GEM applicant has savings of 20k with a bank he intends to get a loan from and another 10k in a credit union but no guarantor, what is his chances of getting it?
I understand that any answers will be mere speculations but will greatly appreciate any thoughts on this.

Blue_Zebra

MathsMedMixed wrote: »

This much is true.

Like everyone else, I am anxious about getting the 60k loan.
Say, a GEM applicant has savings of 20k with a bank he intends to get a loan from and another 10k in a credit union but no guarantor, what is his chances of getting it?
I understand that any answers will be mere speculations but will greatly appreciate any thoughts on this.

For bank of Ireland any way it doesn't matter where the cash is so long as you have it. For this year's loan package a guarantor is stated explicitly as being necessary. I talked to BOI and they said you could apply without a guarantor and would know within a day or two if you are successful. If denied you can apply again with a guarantor. The best people to talk to are the advisers in branch.

I_Shot_JR_1986

anyone have a link to info on the special UL loan on offer? i assume it's Ulster bank on the ul campus that does it?

Mecci

Anyone here going to the UCD medicine open day on 6th Aug? Or has anyone been to the last one at the start of July? There doesn't seem to be one specifically for GEM students it I expect it's still applicable

letsdothis

Mecci wrote: »

Anyone here going to the UCD medicine open day on 6th Aug? Or has anyone been to the last one at the start of July? There doesn't seem to be one specifically for GEM students it I expect it's still applicable

I went to the march one - it isn't GEM specific. It was mainly kids in uniforms at it and geared towards direct entry but it's still worthwhile, particularly if you aren't familiar with the health sciences building and set up at UCD. I think they do a grad med evening in November.

DroghedaTutor

J.mcdrmd makes an excellent and vital point.

I'm applying for the UB tuition loan 60k for UL this week. I will post details of the loan offer (my understanding is that it's 8% interest!!!) and the application process once I have them in a few days.

It works out at approximately e750 monthly repayment for 14 years. Again, I will confirm these figures once I have them from.

Back of an envelope maths, this is a huge portion of a junior doctor's 2k net salary. I don't know how people repay it while also paying for essential living expenses (rent, food, utilities, car etc). I asked UL in a phone call recently how past students were managing with repayments. Their answer was that they didn't hear anything bad, so it must be going okay! A reminder that the loan is your baby and the university provides tuition but no support the day after graduation when tuition needs to be repaid.

So why am I applying for the loan? Merely as a backup option. I have saved for 7 years to do this course and plan to pay cash for my tuition. I could buy a house with my savings and stay in my job that does nothing for me, give up on this dream but I don't want to do that. If my loan is approved, at most I will only draw down the last year's tuition fees, for example, if I find I am a bit tight to pay for a decent standard of living in the last year of the degree.

Would I do the course if I wasn't paying cash and needed to borrow the full 60k from day one and pay for living expenses for four years? I don't know. Probably not.

Would I sign and draw down the loan in full if it required a guarantor? No.

These are my thoughts on my situation only but I want to share them. Medicine is a long, mentally challenging but also stressful road. I know the type of person I am now too (I'm 38) and I don't function well when I'm worrying about money.

Life is for living but also enjoying.

I wish everyone the best with this decision.

Confused1987

Spoke to the CAO office there and the offer letters are being posted at some point this afternoon and then everything will go online at 6am tomorrow morning!

This wait is killing me!

tk09aag

They told me the same thing! You think they are all out at 6 sharp though? I'm considering waiting up till such time, I'm that anxious lol

Confused1987

Yeah from what I gathered it will be like the GAMSAT results were they will all go online at the same time!

Bit frustrating knowing they have the letters to send out now yet we don't know, but sure what can you do!!