Graduate Entry Medicine- Limerick thread

eagle_&_bear

Hi everyone,

Been a fair while since I've been active on the boards. I'm currently in 1st year studying graduate medicine in UL/Limerick.

I was wondering if anyone has any questions or queries about studying graduate medicine in general (work load, stress levels,supports, bank loan process etc) or if anyone has any specific questions about studying at Limerick.

I'm absolutely preaching to the choir here, but undertaking medicine is a huge process, less alone getting your 2.1H and then braving the gamsat exam itself and the cao, but if anyone would like to discuss it, or ask any questions- I would be only too happy to help.

My background is semi non-science (started a science degree, hated it) and moved to law where I've been practising as a barrister for 8years before moving to medicine. I tried the gamsat 3 times (once as a dry run with no study or prep in 2010 and got 49, then I took the dr Ferdinand prep weekend and the Gradmed prep weekend in 2014 and got 53 but got into the final offer round of Limerick but didn't get offered a place and then re-sat again in 2016 after taking the full GradMed prep course and got 57 which resulted in a college offer which I took.

So I've seen the highs and the lows with gamsat so if I can help anyone with any questions etc, please do ask.

Did anyone attend the UL Open Day a few weekends ago? If you did, at least half the group there would have been with me in a mock pbl session.

Look forward to chatting!!!


John

Twitter:emeraldguy15

sneakysnake007

Hi John,

Thanks for your post. I have a question about the bank loan process. I understand that BOI is the main bank in UL for GEM, but have also heard that AIB may offer the loan as well. Have you heard of anyone getting approved from either without a guarantor? Or having gotten approved with a guarantor who is not a parent or a relation? As I bank with BOI I emailed them about this weeks ago but they have not replied. I've heard from others here on boards that they don't humour you until you have your CAO offer, so it means I'm stuck here in limbo until August. This is my last hurdle for starting in 2017 and really don't want to get my hopes up and end up being rejected by the banks after being accepted to UL.

Cymini Sectores

sneakysnake007 wrote: »

Hi John,

Thanks for your post. I have a question about the bank loan process. I understand that BOI is the main bank in UL for GEM, but have also heard that AIB may offer the loan as well. Have you heard of anyone getting approved from either without a guarantor? Or having gotten approved with a guarantor who is not a parent or a relation? As I bank with BOI I emailed them about this weeks ago but they have not replied. I've heard from others here on boards that they don't humour you until you have your CAO offer, so it means I'm stuck here in limbo until August. This is my last hurdle for starting in 2017 and really don't want to get my hopes up and end up being rejected by the banks after being accepted to UL.

Hello there, 3rd year GEM RCSI. I have never heard of anyone getting loan without a guarantor and one who is not a relation. Having refused my loan application twice (1st and now 3rd year), BOI can be quite a pain to put it mildly, even though I had guarantors.
Maybe loan requirement for UL students might be different, I don't know. I read somewhere that Ulster bank give UL student loans without guarantor. Anyhow, good luck.

Anita Blow

They almost certainly don't give it without a loan. They had huge problems in the years of the 100k loans with people moving abroad and stopping repaying

ChromosomeT

Hi, I'm just wondering what your first year timetable looks like. I know PBL is a big part and there's a small number of tutorials and lectures provided but how much in class time is offered vs how much independent study is needed. Also is PBL structured in a way that one week has a cardio focus, the next endocrine (diabetes etc.)? How are the Christmas exams structure, essay/MCQ and are they 100% or spilt with CA?
Thanks:D

ChromosomeT

also, just wondering about the iPad mini, if you have one can you download the required apps or is it essential/easier to get a new one, and how heavily are they typically used in the corse?

sneakysnake007

Adding to ChromosomeT's iPad question....

Would you say having an iPad mini and a laptop is better than investing in an iPad pro for studying etc?

Bitches Be Trypsin

Adding to the ipad mini question, I have a Samsung tab (brand new- got at Christmas), could I use it instead?

_xiano_

ChromosomeT wrote: »

Hi, I'm just wondering what your first year timetable looks like. I know PBL is a big part and there's a small number of tutorials and lectures provided but how much in class time is offered vs how much independent study is needed. Also is PBL structured in a way that one week has a cardio focus, the next endocrine (diabetes etc.)? How are the Christmas exams structure, essay/MCQ and are they 100% or spilt with CA?
Thanks:D

you get 5 hours of PBL every week, 5/6 hours of clinical and 1.5 hours of anatomy. Wednesday are usually lectures but you don't get them every week as it's a PBL course, UL GEMs is only allowed to allocate a certain number of hours into lectures so unfortunately it's mostly self-directed learning.

Having said that, you do get unofficial lectures from the years above which pretty much covers that week's case and they give you the high yield information. You also get peer anatomy from second years which is normally an hour/week. The big problem with PBL is that you don't know how much detail you're meant to study until you go and do it since the tutors will tell you (most of them anyway) if you've done enough or too much. You do get the hang of it around Christmas when everything has settled. Personally, PBL works for me better than didactic learning cos it's more stimulating and engaging.

And yes, they do group the systems together apart from the odd 1 or 2 cases. Like you could be doing embryology for 4 weeks, or neuro, MSK, etc. With regards to exams, Christmas is 30% and thats EMQ/MCQ, SAQ and spotters. In second semester you have to do essays and a report about your patient then pretty much the same exams but you also have to do an OCASE which tests your clinical skills. They get an actor in to play the patient and you have to do what your cue card tells you so say take a history or do an abdominal exam, etc.

Beariski01

Hello, I was just wondering if anyone knows of the average intake per year?
Getting edgy as it gets closer to round zero offers!

seoulone

Hi all,

Very curious to hear if there is anyone studying at UL who doesn't live in Limerick? I live just over an hour away and wonder if it's realistic to consider a daily commute! Could the self-directed learning be done from elsewhere or do people find they study in groups? I have a Biochem Honours degree and a Masters so have some grounding.

An indication of the weekly timetable would be good and very helpful.
Thanks
S