Anxiety regarding Leaving Cert

LegacyUser

Hi all, I don't usually do this so it feels abit silly but I don't know what else to do.

I'm 18, going into leaving cert and I'm starting to feel some anxiety.

My dream as a child was to become a doctor, I've always been relatively smart but I never applied myself.
I've said it numerous times that 'I'll put my head down and work' but it never lasts!

It's my own fault but I don't think I will get the course, I don't even know if I'll be able for it if by some miracle I do get it!
I mean I'm not great at maths (doing OL) and I'm not doing chemistry (I am doing Biology though)
But I still can't see myself doing anything else..
I can't think of another career I would be as genuinely happy. I know the hours are long and there's a high percent of physicians with depression/alcoholism. I also know that I can never go for the easier option. I never go for what is more readily obtainable, i feel like I've a purpose and this is it.

But the chances of me getting in a slim to nothing!
What should I do?

Rekop dog

I don't know of many doctors who wouldn't have the aptitude to do higher level leaving cert maths. There are a few indirect routes you can take in college to eventually end up in medicine but perhaps worth reevaluating your expectations to avoid future hurt.

Sunflower 27

What is it about being a doctor that makes you want to do it so much?


You have to be realistic. The points needed to do medicine are so high that only those that get the top marks have a hope in hell of getting in. You should know yourself by your results so far if the marks are within your reach. Even if you do apply yourself, the chance of getting the marks you need is still a big ask.

There may be other routes as stated above, but I imagine that the competition for them is fierce also.

I studied journalism at 18. It was all I ever wanted to do and I did in fact go down that route. 20 years later, I realised my real passion is in counselling and I went back to college. What you want at 18 may not be what you want later in life.

Do you know any doctors well enough to ask them about their work?

athtrasna

Being honest, and as a former research scientist, you will really struggle in university without chemistry. Biochem isn't the easiest to pick up and I struggled with it in college despite having done Higher Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics at school. If you really want to do medicine I'd be aiming for now for a more general life science type degree that includes chemistry and biochemistry from the start. Then there's graduate entry medicine. That's a very expensive path to go down but it's one I think to be more suited to where you are.

Maths is an important part of medicine, try to focus on doing well in that, even at OL.

A med student has to study and memorise tens of pages of text every day, the best preparation you can do now is to knuckle down and make a success of your study time this year. You have a goal, a dream, aim for it. Good luck!

Rubberchikken

To me it sounds like you're setting yourself up for failure. Do you really want to be a doctor or is it just something you decided you want to be as nothing else will do?

If you really want it, you would be willing to put in the work and i'm assuming there's a lot of work.
If it's just something you decided would be your job and nothing else would do, maybe it's time for a rethink.
Go into the new school year determined to do your very best but keep an open mind. There are plenty of other jobs out there that are just as good.
Good luck

LegacyUser

athtrasna wrote: »

Being honest, and as a former research scientist, you will really struggle in university without chemistry. Biochem isn't the easiest to pick up and I struggled with it in college despite having done Higher Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics at school. If you really want to do medicine I'd be aiming for now for a more general life science type degree that includes chemistry and biochemistry from the start. Then there's graduate entry medicine. That's a very expensive path to go down but it's one I think to be more suited to where you are.

Maths is an important part of medicine, try to focus on doing well in that, even at OL.

A med student has to study and memorise tens of pages of text every day, the best preparation you can do now is to knuckle down and make a success of your study time this year. You have a goal, a dream, aim for it. Good luck!

Before I read this post, I was going to say to be smart about your LC subjects in order to get the max points. I know too many people who did all the subjects where the only option was intensive study (history, biology etc). If you just want to get the points, and your mind works that way, then the 'logical' subjects need far less work - ones that you figure out the rules, and then just apply them. Stuff like accounting, bus org, maths, latin.

However, it sounds from the above post that someone in the know can tell that's not just the points to get in, it's the foundation in the subjects you study too.

I hate to be negative about your dream, but I'm thinking now that without having a foundation in the necessary subjects, and also a huge ability to knuckle down and do hard study for years, do you actually genuinely have the qualities to make it as a doc? I'm not saying that to drag you down - more that if you really truly want this, maybe you should consider repeating 5th year and giving the 2 years of LC prep your all. And that's only the beginning for med students!

I think you need to do a genuinely honest evaluation of dream job v amount (and years) work it will take, and whether you are prepared to do that, and can realistically see yourself knuckling down and putting in the horrendous amount of intensive work involved.

I wish you all the best.

tiischy

You've still got a (school) year to study hard and also decide if medicine is something you want to do; the fact that you say it's a goal to become a doctor but you can't seem to apply yourself maybe means you're not ready yet. Perhaps graduate entry would be an option for you. I didn't do medicine so I don't know how OL maths and not studying chemistry would affect how you would do in that course, but if this is something you really want then best of luck; my sister always did fairly okay in school, nothing brilliant, but she had a course she really wanted to do and focused on getting that all year and did an absolutely brilliant leaving cert. It's not too late to really start working hard and maybe also think about why you can't seem to focus if this is something you really want.

Sunflower 27

It sounds like the reason you won't knuckle down and study is because the end result is not guaranteed.

Would it not be possible to go back to medicine as a mature student? I don't want to dash your dream, but the points needed for medicine won't come easy and you do need a back-up plan.

If you can't study now, why do you think that will just happen for the leaving cert?

diograis

As far as I know, you need chemistry to even apply for medicine in all the major Irish universities. OP please look up the points and requirements for medicine and judge it against your own expectations, because this is common knowledge.

laserlad2010

Hi OP,

Speaking as a doctor, contrary to the above opinions... You don't NEED Maths, Chemistry or Physics to get by in Medicine, whether in college or the working world. Biology is the most important because it gives you a grounding in the human body, bacteria etc. I'm not talking about degree requirements or anything, although why chemistry is required for Medicine is bizarre, we literally never needed it.

However, and most people don't understand this... the real reason for these subjects is to challenge you.

Medicine is a highly demanding career requiring an extremely high level of problem-solving, logic, communication, work ethic, lateral thinking etc.

Those student who excel in the Leaving Certificate have, insofar as the flawed LC system has shown, proven to be the best in the above fields.

The Leaving Cert is a proving ground. Its not the subjects - its the hard work and intelligence you need. The LC is merely a way of proving it.

Best of luck OP, consider studying abroad or mature entry. At the end of the day, some people need to be realistic once they've appraised themselves fairly. Hopefully you'll find the determination to succeed!

dellas1979

You have options:
- Do a general science course (or more specific if something appeals to you) and 4 years later, if you meet qualifications (i.e., x class honours) and get enough on the MCAT (an exam you have to do-google it) you could do a grad course (its very expensive. You are talking at least e12000 per year for 4 years on tuition fees alone).
- Do your leaving this year, study hard, pick up hons maths and chemistry, pass as best you can, and repeat.
- You will need to eat books for 1-5 years alone to gain this.

No matter what route you take, you will have many, many, many years of study ahead of you. At this stage, at least 8-9. And then a demanding profession. Can it be done? Of course it can. But the question is, if you cannot apply yourself right now, drive yourself right now, and drive yourself through determination, how will you do it for many years?

This is not to put you off. If you 100% believe you can do it-do it. But there are other professions in medicine, if its really about the "I want to help people" trait.

diograis

laserlad2010 wrote: »

Hi OP,

Speaking as a doctor, contrary to the above opinions... You don't NEED Maths, Chemistry or Physics to get by in Medicine, whether in college or the working world. Biology is the most important because it gives you a grounding in the human body, bacteria etc. I'm not talking about degree requirements or anything, although why chemistry is required for Medicine is bizarre, we literally never needed it.

However, and most people don't understand this... the real reason for these subjects is to challenge you.

Medicine is a highly demanding career requiring an extremely high level of problem-solving, logic, communication, work ethic, lateral thinking etc.

Those student who excel in the Leaving Certificate have, insofar as the flawed LC system has shown, proven to be the best in the above fields.

The Leaving Cert is a proving ground. Its not the subjects - its the hard work and intelligence you need. The LC is merely a way of proving it.

Best of luck OP, consider studying abroad or mature entry. At the end of the day, some people need to be realistic once they've appraised themselves fairly. Hopefully you'll find the determination to succeed!

This info will be of little use to him if he doesn't get in. He isn't doing chemistry which is a prerequisite to most of the med courses in this country (and all in the UK), and he isn't do higher maths so he's at a major disadvantage pointswise. That's all I'm saying, OP look up your options.

laserlad2010

diograis wrote: »

This info will be of little use to him if he doesn't get in. He isn't doing chemistry which is a prerequisite to most of the med courses in this country (and all in the UK), and he isn't do higher maths so he's at a major disadvantage pointswise. That's all I'm saying, OP look up your options.

Hi Diograis,

Thanks for your insight. I was responding to a few claims made in other posts, and also qualified it by pointing out that I wasn't talking about specific degree requirements.

I was trying to gently point out that if you can't handle the sciences, higher level maths etc. in Leaving Cert you can't handle Medicine.

The actual makeup of subjects doesn't matter a damn once you're in the door - it's how you handle the workload that counts.

athtrasna

laserlad2010 wrote: »

Hi Diograis,

Thanks for your insight. I was responding to a few claims made in other posts, and also qualified it by pointing out that I wasn't talking about specific degree requirements.

I was trying to gently point out that if you can't handle the sciences, higher level maths etc. in Leaving Cert you can't handle Medicine.

The actual makeup of subjects doesn't matter a damn once you're in the door - it's how you handle the workload that counts.

Pretty sure it's my post you were referring to. For starters I never said you needed physics. As for chemistry, it has been pointed out that it's a pre requisite for medical courses and I specifically referenced biochemistry, which I found difficult to study and that was with LC chemistry. I would have stood no chance without it.

And maths - you state that the OP doesn't "NEED" maths but, calculations, concentrations etc are the difference between life and death. The OP has stated that they're "not great at maths". That's not ideal for someone who dreams of being a doctor.

Those were the points I was making..and the logic behind it.

laserlad2010

athtrasna wrote: »

Pretty sure it's my post you were referring to. For starters I never said you needed physics. As for chemistry, it has been pointed out that it's a pre requisite for medical courses and I specifically referenced biochemistry, which I found difficult to study and that was with LC chemistry. I would have stood no chance without it.

And maths - you state that the OP doesn't "NEED" maths but, calculations, concentrations etc are the difference between life and death. The OP has stated that they're "not great at maths". That's not ideal for someone who dreams of being a doctor.

Those were the points I was making..and the logic behind it.

Look I hate to drag this off topic but I've twice now said I'm not referring to specific degree requirements.

Biochemistry (when studied in Medicine), well, it wasn't so much Chemistry you needed as a decent work ethic and the "book smart" intelligence needed to learn a new topic.

My point, in both my posts, has been that the OP does not need to worry about these subjects plaguing him throughout his potential career as a doctor. You won't need the sin rule to use a calculator to work out drug dosages...

However, the challenge that these subjects pose when taken at Higher Level test an individual in aspects that correlate fairly closely to some of the aspects demanded of a doctor.

If you can't manage higher level maths, you won't get found out as a doctor, but you're not as well suited to it as someone who got an A in it, having mastered a difficult subject.

OP, look, consider repeating to get the combination of subject right, even repeat the HPAT, anything is possible with enough determination. Best of luck

LegacyUser

Firstly I'd like to point out I made 100% sure I can get into medicine with my subject choices. Chemistry is not necessary neither is HL maths (6 year course 1 year pre med)

I've thought about it for the past number of days and I wrote down a list of careers of interest.
Every one of them has Dr. In the title, not due to prestige but because I can't see myself working as anything else.
Doctors diagnose, that's their primary function to treat and heal patients, after that they are care givers.
That level of analytics necessary and the ability to affect someone's life so profoundly are the reasons I wanto be a doctor.

Now I need to see if paying out 300 euro for a Hpat prep course is worth it considering the possibility of me not getting the points necessary.

I'm still is no better of a situation..