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GAMSAT 2021
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27-07-2017 10:59am#1
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Hey guys, I'm interested in doing the GAMSAT. I just completed secondary school, and hopefully I'll be doing microbiology in Athlone. How is the GAMSAT? I want to prepare early haha. Could anyone give me advice on how to study etc? Thanks for the help
Hey, if you are truly serious about doing medicine, you'd be absolutely mad not to go back and repeat the leaving, as horrible as this might seem right now. GEM is a massive slog and incredibly expensive. The fees alone are 60k+, i'm sure in 4 years time it'll be worse too. The pre-clinical years are very intensive too. You might think it sounds like the easier option this far way but it's not! Plus, there's no guarantee that you will get in via GAMSAT either... Undergrad medicine is by far the fastest and cheapest way of becoming a doctor and (at the preclinical stage) easier too...
If you're not completely sold on the idea, do you degree, enjoy college life and focus on getting a 2.1 degree (otherwise you are not eligible for applying for GEM).
Good luck with the results
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Personally, I'm delighted that I was pushed to take this route into medicine. In hindsight, I don't think I would have been able for it at such a young age. I have also worked with doctors from both backgrounds and I really do think the maturity that GEM graduates have really gives them the edge.
At the time I did my Leaving Cert - 7 years ago now
- I was 5 points short of getting a place. After having killed myself for the previous two years, repeating just wasn't an option for me. I had put everything into it, and my HPAT couldn't really be improved on. It devastated me but I did another undergrad, worked for a little while and then decided to give GAMSAT a try. It wasn't always my plan, though it was always at the back of my mind as I have never wanted to do anything but be a doctor. I'm so glad that I took this route. Yes, I will be in debt forever :P but I'm far more able for the course. While it's intense, it's not that bad. Most of my class made it through first year with no problem and the others probably will with repeat exams.
The loans are massive, no doubt. Pay is pretty poor for the first few years but I think most people still manage to maintain a very desirable standard of living. And of course, a couple of years after qualification, your wages should increase significantly if you follow one of the training schemes. If you want to do this, you'll just make it work.
So my advice would be to repeat to get the points if at all possible, because yes, it is more straightforward if you're certain that this is what you want to do. If it's not going to work for you, go and enjoy your undergrad and work hard for your 2.1. Don't focus too much on plans to do GEM, there's so much time for that in the future. Keeping it at the back of your mind is more than sufficient.0 -
Personally, I'm delighted that I was pushed to take this route into medicine. In hindsight, I don't think I would have been able for it at such a young age. I have also worked with doctors from both backgrounds and I really do think the maturity that GEM graduates have really gives them the edge.
At the time I did my Leaving Cert - 7 years ago now - I was 5 points short of getting a place. After having killed myself for the previous two years, repeating just wasn't an option for me. I had put everything into it, and my HPAT couldn't really be improved on. It devastated me but I did another undergrad, worked for a little while and then decided to give GAMSAT a try. It wasn't always my plan, though it was always at the back of my mind as I have never wanted to do anything but be a doctor. I'm so glad that I took this route. Yes, I will be in debt forever :P but I'm far more able for the course. While it's intense, it's not that bad. Most of my class made it through first year with no problem and the others probably will with repeat exams.
The loans are massive, no doubt. Pay is pretty poor for the first few years but I think most people still manage to maintain a very desirable standard of living. And of course, a couple of years after qualification, your wages should increase significantly if you follow one of the training schemes. If you want to do this, you'll just make it work.
So my advice would be to repeat to get the points if at all possible, because yes, it is more straightforward if you're certain that this is what you want to do. If it's not going to work for you, go and enjoy your undergrad and work hard for your 2.1. Don't focus too much on plans to do GEM, there's so much time for that in the future. Keeping it at the back of your mind is more than sufficient.
Thanks for the reply!
I got a question, you know the way the HPAT is added with your Leaving points? Do you have to get minimum 480 points and then the HPAT is added on to that, or is it just added with what ever points you got? I never quite got this part 😂0 -
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