UL GEM 2014

RainBow_xo

I just wanted to set up a dedicated thread for potential UL GEMs. Feel free to discuss things about GAMSAT cut offs, fees and loans, accom and other general things!

Lub

Hey Rainbow

I should be heading to UL in September if all goes to plan! I'm going to pop down to Limerick and have a look around the campus myself because I wasn't able to make the GEM open day.

Have you looked at any accommodation yet?

RainBow_xo

Hi Lub!

I haven't looked at accomm yet. I was thinking of staying at home if I do get accepted to Limerick (My family live in Ennis). Just thinking of ways to save a bit of money!

I wasn't able to make it to the open day but I emailed the secretary and she set up a meeting with one of the Professors there (Prof Deirdre McGrath). It was nice to get a run through of how the course is organised.

Have you looked at accomm? Do you know anybody in UL?

Lub

If I lived close enough to travel daily like you, I totally would! I just had another look at the on-campus accommodation and it's so expensive at about €4300 a year. I really need to visit the city and scope it out, it's so impossible to decide when I have no idea what my options are. Blargh.

Having a meeting with the professor was a great idea. Is there any inside info you'd like to share? :P

RainBow_xo

I was looking at the accomm for the medical school and it is literally a stone's throw away from the GEM building. But it is quite expensive! Gosh GEM in general is expensive.

I was talking to a student there and he said Ulster Bank no longer offer the full loan (fees and maintenance) to GEMs only a loan for fess - I went to UB later on that day and the cashier said the full loans were available to Irish students as far as she was aware (I've also read online that a current student was saying the full loans were not available) - I don't know what to believe


Sadly enough, I didn't get any more information than what was available online. The cohort of students is going to be the same as last years (approx. 130-140) - hopefully that means the GAMSAT cut off will not be moving this year! How are you getting on with your prep?

watzup

Hi Guys! I'm in the same boat too, hoping for UL come August. I have seen all the other medical schools except UL but from what I hear its pretty good. Do most GEM students live on campus or off campus, do you know? Like if a few of us do get in we could potentially look for a house? Early days yet obviously but I guess it would be better than living with 18/19 year old fresh out of secondary school. No disrespect to them.

Lub

RainBow_xo wrote: »

I was talking to a student there and he said Ulster Bank no longer offer the full loan (fees and maintenance) to GEMs only a loan for fess - I went to UB later on that day and the cashier said the full loans were available to Irish students as far as she was aware (I've also read online that a current student was saying the full loans were not available) - I don't know what to believe


Sadly enough, I didn't get any more information than what was available online. The cohort of students is going to be the same as last years (approx. 130-140) - hopefully that means the GAMSAT cut off will not be moving this year! How are you getting on with your prep?

Oh that's odd about the loan! Everyone on boards seems to be saying that UB don't offer the full loan, and I know (from reading threads) that some people weren't able to go ahead with GEM because of this. Maybe they're going to reintroduce it, or maybe that cashier is living in lala land lol. :P

I sat the GAMSAT in September in Bristol actually, and crawled out of it with a 55 so I'm crossing every part of my body and hoping that the points don't go up! I don't see why they would though. Are you all set for March?

RainBow_xo

Lub wrote: »

Oh that's odd about the loan! Everyone on boards seems to be saying that UB don't offer the full loan, and I know (from reading threads) that some people weren't able to go ahead with GEM because of this. Maybe they're going to reintroduce it, or maybe that cashier is living in lala land lol. :P

I sat the GAMSAT in September in Bristol actually, and crawled out of it with a 55 so I'm crossing every part of my body and hoping that the points don't go up! I don't see why they would though. Are you all set for March?

It's so hard to know what to believe lol id be more inclined to believe the students though :P

Congrats on your score! I'd love to have it over and done with now! I'm very nervous for March! I just hope i have enough prep done by then! Section I is killing me lol VR certainly isn't my strong point!

RainBow_xo

watzup wrote: »

Hi Guys! I'm in the same boat too, hoping for UL come August. I have seen all the other medical schools except UL but from what I hear its pretty good. Do most GEM students live on campus or off campus, do you know? Like if a few of us do get in we could potentially look for a house? Early days yet obviously but I guess it would be better than living with 18/19 year old fresh out of secondary school. No disrespect to them.

Hii! Welcome aboard
The student I was talking to lives off campus simply because it was cheaper. I'm not too sure whether he is living with fellow GEMS or not. The uni residence is literally a five minute walk from the building so I assumed it was mainly for GEMS (this could also be completely wrong :P - forgive me )

If I am lucky enough to get in, I hope to commute from home. But I'm sure there are goin to be plenty of GEMS who would rather live with our fellow GEMS!

What is your background, if you don't kind me asking? I'm from a science background

watzup

Thanks for your reply! Yeah I suppose there's pros and cons of living on or off campus. I guess in campus it might be easier to meet people for first year anyway. But then it is much more expensive....jumping the guns a bit. I think I'll wait for another few months to look into further into it.

I'm from a science background too.

RainBow_xo

watzup wrote: »

Thanks for your reply! Yeah I suppose there's pros and cons of living on or off campus. I guess in campus it might be easier to meet people for first year anyway. But then it is much more expensive....jumping the guns a bit. I think I'll wait for another few months to look into further into it.

I'm from a science background too.

Yeah, I would say closer to the time it will be easier to decide!
How is your prep coming along for GAMSAT?

watzup

I actually did the GAMSAT last year. I was contemplating on doing it again in March up until before Xmas but have decided to hold tight and see if I did well enough for UL again. How are you getting on yourself? I think the main thing behind it is staying calm, when I did it last year the person sitting to right of me got into such a state they had to leave even before the exam started! If you do enough prep to give yourself a bit of confidence and have a good nights sleep before it I think you will do just grand! I know considering some of the detailed accounts of the exam on here it may seem like a mammoth task but thats the way I looked at it.

RainBow_xo

watzup wrote: »

I actually did the GAMSAT last year. I was contemplating on doing it again in March up until before Xmas but have decided to hold tight and see if I did well enough for UL again. How are you getting on yourself? I think the main thing behind it is staying calm, when I did it last year the person sitting to right of me got into such a state they had to leave even before the exam started! If you do enough prep to give yourself a bit of confidence and have a good nights sleep before it I think you will do just grand! I know considering some of the detailed accounts of the exam on here it may seem like a mammoth task but thats the way I looked at it.

Well done on your score! I wish you the very best of luck for August! Thank you for your advice! You are absolutely right about the threads on here about GAMSAT; they make the test seem even more daunting than it needs to be! :eek:

watzup

Thank you! Best of luck with all the prep! Message me if you need any help

RainBow_xo

watzup wrote: »

Thank you! Best of luck with all the prep! Message me if you need any help

Thank you! I certainly will )

dublindoctor

I'm a current UL med student so any questions anyone may have ask away on here or private mail, happy to answer anything!

RainBow_xo

dublindoctor wrote: »

I'm a current UL med student so any questions anyone may have ask away on here or private mail, happy to answer anything!

Hi dublindoctor!

That's great to hear! I will surely be coming to you with many questions!

watzup

Thanks dublindoctor!

I'll definitely be in touch in the coming months too, appreciate the offer!

Lub

dublindoctor wrote: »

I'm a current UL med student so any questions anyone may have ask away on here or private mail, happy to answer anything!

We have an insider! :cool:

My biggest concern at the moment is accommodation because I am so unfamiliar with Limerick and have never been near the university. I'm going to explore it next week, but do you know of any off-campus places that are quiet (maybe just for post grads) and are close to a bus route or close enough to the college? I feel as though I'm limited to the on-campus rip-off fest.

Cheers!

supraspinaswim

Hopefully heading to UL- so long as the points dont change, in September. Did the gamsat twice, March last yr over here and then in Bristol in Sept. Doing it in Bristol was nuts, left my passport at home and only copped on half way to the airport.

Accommodation wise 4300 doesnt sound that bad, its around 5k-5500 in Trinity, Im finishing my biomed degree so fingers crossed all goes to plan.

RainBow_xo

supraspinaswim wrote: »

Hopefully heading to UL- so long as the points dont change, in September. Did the gamsat twice, March last yr over here and then in Bristol in Sept. Doing it in Bristol was nuts, left my passport at home and only copped on half way to the airport.

Accommodation wise 4300 doesnt sound that bad, its around 5k-5500 in Trinity, Im finishing my biomed degree so fingers crossed all goes to plan.

Welcome aboard

Where are you studying biomed?

supraspinaswim

Trinity - Human Health and Disease. Cheers by the way.

AlwaysRight

The on campus postgrad accommodation is closer than a stones throw, and definitely closer than 5mins away as some have suggested. It's called the quigley residence, and it's literally outside the door of the GEMS building. Plus, when you consider the convenience and what's included, it's actually not a bad price. It's like staying in a hotel it's so new, and with bins, Internet, TV and maintenance all included the price seems decent, compared to other cities at least!

RainBow_xo

AlwaysRight wrote: »

The on campus postgrad accommodation is closer than a stones throw, and definitely closer than 5mins away as some have suggested. It's called the quigley residence, and it's literally outside the door of the GEMS building. Plus, when you consider the convenience and what's included, it's actually not a bad price. It's like staying in a hotel it's so new, and with bins, Internet, TV and maintenance all included the price seems decent, compared to other cities at least!

Thanks for clarifying! I've only been there once so I wasn't too sure how close it was. Are you a GEM?

Lub

I visited UL last week and was really, really impressed with the campus. I made the long trek across the bridge to where the GEM building is situated and it is truly a beautiful, modern building. The Quigley Residence accommodation looks fantastic too, and it is only a stone's throw away from the GEM building. The only problem is the price, and I was unfortunately mistaken in thinking it was just over €4k, but it's well over €5k, about €5500 I think. I wouldn't mind so much if you could pay per month, but paying it in three chunky installments wouldn't suit my budget, unfortunately!

Has anyone else looked at alternative, close-ish accommodation?

watzup

Lub wrote: »

I visited UL last week and was really, really impressed with the campus. I made the long trek across the bridge to where the GEM building is situated and it is truly a beautiful, modern building. The Quigley Residence accommodation looks fantastic too, and it is only a stone's throw away from the GEM building. The only problem is the price, and I was unfortunately mistaken in thinking it was just over €4k, but it's well over €5k, about €5500 I think. I wouldn't mind so much if you could pay per month, but paying it in three chunky installments wouldn't suit my budget, unfortunately!

Has anyone else looked at alternative, close-ish accommodation?

Hi Lub,

Thanks for that post! I haven't actually had a chance to get to see UL yet but by all accounts its really good. The accommodation would be so handy but as you say its very expensive, for that you'd get a really good flat off campus looking at daft and other websites.

Did you speak with any current GEMs or Staff?

goldencrisp62

the course down there is a show house lads, all smoke and mirrors but nothing on the inside.

No teaching, curriculum is devoid of plenty in first and second year and curriculum is non existent in third and fourth year.

Admin staff are possibly the worst in any programme I have ever come across.

It's well known in national circles now that UL medical school is a bit of a joke.

Steer clear if you have any sense.

Lub

watzup wrote: »

Did you speak with any current GEMs or Staff?

Hey Watz!

I went on a Saturday so the GEM building seemed to be closed and there wasn't many people around the campus at all, so I didn't speak to anyone I'm afraid. Rainbow (the OP) said she spoke with a staff member a few weeks ago, so she might be of more use than I am!

I've found a few decently priced student villages in the Castletroy area which offer free shuttle bus services to the university quite constantly throughout the day, which is nice. If anyone is interested in having a look: Brookfield Hall or Courtyard Student Village.

R.Hunter

Hi!

I'm hoping to start in UL this coming September too. (It's a rather large 'hope') I sat the Gamsat in Bristol last year (as a trial run with very little prep) and scored a 53, so I'm right on the threshold! It was my intention to sit it again in March but I'm doing a Masters so decided I would wait and see if my current score would suffice. (I'm from a non-science background so plenty scope for improvement if I don't get it!)

The grad med open night didn't give too much extra information. The most interesting part for me was the students talking about their own personal experience! The building itself is lovely and it's maybe 10 meters from The Quigley Residence which is the main GEM/postgrad accommodation. UL opened it's online applications for accommodation the other day and I applied for The Quigley and I was put on a waiting list, maybe if you all are unsure it would be worth getting on a waiting list just in case? I live about an hour and fifteen minutes away from UL so I'm still weighing up the pros and cons of living up vs commuting.

Best of luck to those of you sitting the Gamsat!

RainBow_xo

goldencrisp62 wrote: »

the course down there is a show house lads, all smoke and mirrors but nothing on the inside.

No teaching, curriculum is devoid of plenty in first and second year and curriculum is non existent in third and fourth year.

Admin staff are possibly the worst in any programme I have ever come across.

It's well known in national circles now that UL medical school is a bit of a joke.

Steer clear if you have any sense.

Can I ask if you are a student there or have been?

RainBow_xo

watzup wrote: »

Did you speak with any current GEMs or Staff?

Hi Watz

I went to UL in Jan because I missed the open night and was able to squeeze in a quick talk with the professor. She just explained about the PBL aspect of the course and she said there will always be tutors guiding you to make sure you are on the right track. From the very beginning we will be exposed to patients in two clinical settings, one with a chronic illness and a pregnancy, if I remember correctly.

She also mentioned the number of places has most likely reached its maximum and would not be increasing (approximately 120, I think), so hopefully GAMSAT scores do not move anytime soon. UL was originally meant to be GP focussed but she assured me we would have rotations similar to the other medical schools. You probably already know there is no dissection element to the course. Anddddddddd.....that's about all I can remember. HTH