GAMSAT 2018

e1994 · 15-03-2018 6:13pm

Anyone have any last minute tips for section 1 or section 2, section 2 in particular?

Limk88 · 16-03-2018 5:45pm

ilovesmecounty from previous posts it sounds like you have a natural aptitude for S1 and S2 which will definitely stand to you! I know what you mean about org chemistry - I feel like having some science background would def help on those questions! Also, what do you think of practice test 3? Is it in line with the types of questions that they asked on the real thing in September?
e1994 I haven't done a GAMSAT before but from what I hear, if you use the ACER material and maybe get some Des O'Neill questions then that should be good practice for section 1.

ilovesmecounty · 16-03-2018 6:10pm

Limk88 wrote: »

ilovesmecounty from previous posts it sounds like you have a natural aptitude for S1 and S2 which will definitely stand to you! I know what you mean about org chemistry - I feel like having some science background would def help on those questions! Also, what do you think of practice test 3? Is it in line with the types of questions that they asked on the real thing in September?
e1994 I haven't done a GAMSAT before but from what I hear, if you use the ACER material and maybe get some Des O'Neill questions then that should be good practice for section 1.

Yeah I probably do have a natural aptitude, and also years of working with words. However, I did a practice section 1 last night and I only scored 42

I've decided to put it down to tiredness after a long day but it's a reminder to do a bit on that everyday. As for test 3 reflecting the real thing? The real thing was so traumatic that I don't really remember! It was so beyond me last September, that I wasn't even answering with educated guesses. I'm still getting loads wrong, but I'm at the 'able to narrow it down to two options' stage now.

ilovesmecounty · 16-03-2018 6:12pm

e1994 wrote: »

Anyone have any last minute tips for section 1 or section 2, section 2 in particular?

Buy a decent paper everyday between now and then and find the time to read it. That should help your essay writing. As for section 1, just practice. I find Section 3 as hard as some people find section 1, and the only way to get over that fence is keep trying and re-reading your work. Painful. This is my second go on the Gamsat ride, so there's always September to improve your score.

e1994 · 16-03-2018 6:33pm

ilovesmecounty wrote: »

Buy a decent paper everyday between now and then and find the time to read it. That should help your essay writing. As for section 1, just practice. I find Section 3 as hard as some people find section 1, and the only way to get over that fence is keep trying and re-reading your work. Painful. This is my second go on the Gamsat ride, so there's always September to improve your score.

Thanks for the tips and best of luck with the exam!

my organic chemistry is very dodgy too so just trying to do as much practice questions as possible between now and next week!

Celestial12 · 17-03-2018 5:31pm

Best of luck to everyone next weekend! Can't believe it's over six months since the September sitting. Looking forward to the CAO offers in August.

ilovesmecounty · 17-03-2018 7:30pm

Celestial12 wrote: »

Best of luck to everyone next weekend! Can't believe it's over six months since the September sitting. Looking forward to the CAO offers in August.

You have no idea how jealous I am of you. Took a study break today to watch the rugby and feeling super sorry for myself!

Celestial12 · 17-03-2018 9:24pm

ilovesmecounty wrote: »

You have no idea how jealous I am of you. Took a study break today to watch the rugby and feeling super sorry for myself!

Don't feel guilty for taking breaks! You're on the home stretch now. Hope it goes well for you and that you can get a place in Dublin (what's your first choice - UCD or RCSI?).

chooey · 17-03-2018 9:29pm

I did the gamsat years ago. One thing that someone suggested to me in the science paper was to go through quickly and do the ones that I could answer straight away and could answer well. I sat it twice-the first year I started at the beginning and went through them numerically. I did so much better the next year results-wise when I did all the ones I could answer quickly and then went back on the others. Best of luck!

Celestial12 · 17-03-2018 9:55pm

chooey wrote: »

I did the gamsat years ago. One thing that someone suggested to me in the science paper was to go through quickly and do the ones that I could answer straight away and could answer well. I sat it twice-the first year I started at the beginning and went through them numerically. I did so much better the next year results-wise when I did all the ones I could answer quickly and then went back on the others. Best of luck!

Good advice! I answered numerically, but I felt pretty good for section III going into the exam. Did you end up doing GEM? If so, any insights?

ilovesmecounty · 17-03-2018 10:48pm

Celestial12 wrote: »

Don't feel guilty for taking breaks! You're on the home stretch now. Hope it goes well for you and that you can get a place in Dublin (what's your first choice - UCD or RCSI?).

Much of a muchness really, I don't mind. Both appeal to me for various reasons. RCSI has a great research culture and went to both open evenings and I felt it had a better 'vibe' than UCD (It'd want to, since it costs more than the rest of them!). UCD is a little cheaper, and seems to have access to places that are easier to get to. It's also just over the road. I really haven't given that a second's thought, as the focus was improving on my score. In fact, I can't even remember what order I put down on my CAO! Where are you leaning toward?

Celestial12 · 17-03-2018 11:30pm

ilovesmecounty wrote: »

Much of a muchness really, I don't mind. Both appeal to me for various reasons. RCSI has a great research culture and went to both open evenings and I felt it had a better 'vibe' than UCD (It'd want to, since it costs more than the rest of them!). UCD is a little cheaper, and seems to have access to places that are easier to get to. It's also just over the road. I really haven't given that a second's thought, as the focus was improving on my score. In fact, I can't even remember what order I put down on my CAO! Where are you leaning toward?

UCD for me. I really like their course structure, I think it would suit me best overall. I'm halfway through the UCD vs RCSI thread here and it's a good read (haven't read it in a weeks though, must finish it one of the days

). My undergrad was a Science degree, so some of the modules in first year UCD I should have a solid background in. I was impressed with the campus at the open evening, and I think their clinical network is better than RCSI. All of the courses have pros and cons, we'll all end up with the same degree at the end one way or another.

I've also Applied to ScotGEM in St. Andrews, won't know if I'm called for interview until end of April/May though.

e1994 · 19-03-2018 9:39pm

Bit of a side note but does anyone know what the parking situation is like around O'Reilly hall?

I really don't want to be stressed looking for a place Saturday morning!

chooey · 19-03-2018 9:54pm

Celestial12 wrote: »

Good advice! I answered numerically, but I felt pretty good for section III going into the exam. Did you end up doing GEM? If so, any insights?

No I did graduate entry veterinary. Best of luck with it!

GrabTheCREAM · 20-03-2018 12:09am

e1994 wrote: »

Bit of a side note but does anyone know what the parking situation is like around O'Reilly hall? I really don't want to be stressed looking for a place Saturday morning!

Go straight into UCD main entrance follow the road straight (not left as it splits into left and straight) then go right at the stop sign and up ahead theres a car park and you walk up and around that car park into ucd and get urself to oreilly easy enough!

Thats the best i could explain anyway hahah you can check on maps for a better idea

e1994 · 20-03-2018 9:24am

GrabTheCREAM wrote: »

Go straight into UCD main entrance follow the road straight (not left as it splits into left and straight) then go right at the stop sign and up ahead theres a car park and you walk up and around that car park into ucd and get urself to oreilly easy enough!

Thats the best i could explain anyway hahah you can check on maps for a better idea

That's great thanks a million

Sgro · 20-03-2018 11:38pm

Hi all,

First of all best of luck to everyone sitting the GAMSAT this weekend!

I intend to sit in September and am only really beginning any plan of action now.

I know registration for the GAMSAT does not open til about mid-May for the September sitting but want to do all I can to prepare now.

I come from a social science/business background and so would have very little science knowledge (although performed well in science in the LC in biology years ago, if that's worth anything).

I am traditionally quite strong in essay writing, reading comprehension etc. so my initial focus for now is Section 3.

I have been told the organic chemistry section can catch you off guard and so to start there, a previous thread here recommended the Organic Chemistry for Dummies book as a good resource.

I did not sit physics or chemistry for the LC so have minimal knowledge in these areas.

Can anyone recommend any other good resources?

& regarding Section 1 & 2 - is there any other knack to it rather than just practicing questions?

Thanks in advance, cheers

GrabTheCREAM · 21-03-2018 11:03pm

Has anyone done the practise test 3? (pink booklet)

Section 1 i did horrendous got 38/75 but S3 did the best i ever did and got 70/110 so not sure how to score myself here as the general rule seems to be +10 for S1 and +5 for S3, so for me would be 48 S1 points and 75 S3 points... strange

mesallat · 22-03-2018 6:55pm

On other groups, people seem to be saying pink paper SIII is quite easy for Acer standards. Not sure if I agree with that, but purple paper SIII did seem to be much harder. There are questions on the pink paper that came up on the actual exam in sept though.

Ariana Grande · 23-03-2018 9:48am

mesallat wrote: »

On other groups, people seem to be saying pink paper SIII is quite easy for Acer standards. Not sure if I agree with that, but purple paper SIII did seem to be much harder. There are questions on the pink paper that came up on the actual exam in sept though.

I got the worst score I ever received on the Purple booklet for Section III. That would be fine if I had received that score like 2 weeks ago and not just yesterday so now my nerves are shot lol.

Does anyone have any last minute tricks on speeding up essay writing? I have a time plan (5min essay plan, 5 min intro, 5 min per point, 3 min conclusion and 2 min read over) but It's hard to stick to lol.

Celestial12 · 23-03-2018 10:04am

I did the Green and Purple papers the weekend before the September exam (Wednesday 13th). I got 58 for SIII in both papers, 67 for the actual GAMSAT. The pink paper wasn't available back then. I did quite badly in some of the Des O'Neill. Don't stress about practice results too much.

ilovesmecounty · 23-03-2018 10:12am

Lads at this point, there's no gain whatsoever in panicking or trying to learn anything last minute. Take it easy today, I'm just going to read over my notes gently. You'll work yourself up otherwise. And of all people, I should be panicking. I did the Pink Section 3 this week and scored a 46

That said, when I went through it, I could see where I made the mistakes so hopefully revising today will stand to me. Hopefully!! Today's the day to remind yourself you've done your best and whatever happens now is out of your hands. All you can do is show up on time tomorrow and give that monster your all. Go team!

Limk88 · 24-03-2018 6:21pm

Well done everyone for getting through today!!!

Ariana Grande · 24-03-2018 10:12pm

That was.. something else lol
Section 3 was so weird..

caroline94 · 24-03-2018 10:14pm

Celestial12 wrote: »

The exam is creeping up so fast now! Hope the preparation is going well for everyone.

I have PDF's of the Acer papers and Des O'Neill notes if anyone wants them.

Hey

Just wondering do you still have these, or know where I could possibly get them? I am thinking of sitting GAMSAT in Sep 2018, and trying to gather some resources

e1994 · 24-03-2018 10:26pm

I'm disappointed with section 3 my timing was all over the place and ended up guessing about 40 questions

it seemed to be a lot more reasoning based though which I suppose is fairer for those from a non-science background! We probably need to all put it out if our head though

Celestial12 · 25-03-2018 12:09am

caroline94 wrote: »

Hey Just wondering do you still have these, or know where I could possibly get them? I am thinking of sitting GAMSAT in Sep 2018, and trying to gather some resources

Yes. Check your inbox. Buy the new Acer paper, I don’t have that but have the other ones.

The exam has changed - and is now much more reasoning based than it used to be. I sat the exam last September but spent ages going over chemistry, total waste of time. I should have spent more time on practise questions. Did well enough anyway to not have to sit it again. The exam is very doable.

ilovesmecounty · 25-03-2018 9:31am

Well. Well. WELL!!!
Wasn't that exam a horror story yesterday? I sat in September so I can do a little bit of a comparison. Section 1 was very long yesterday. Last time round, and when I did practise questions at home I always had at least 10 minutes to spare. Yesterday the reading stimulus was much longer and I answered the last question in the last minute. Bear in mind, that this is one of my strong points and I spoke to several people who ran out of time yesterday, when they normally finish
it. Section 2 was ok, can't complain. You could've written anything about themes from democracy, technology, affluence and happiness so it was nicely broad.
But section 3!!!! I'm actually angry about it. I have spent months preparing based upon Acer past papers and study groups and everything in between. I bought the Pink Paper. I did it. None of the above prepared me for section 3. No questions on genetics, DNA, pH, electrochemistry, the cell, negative feedback. Nothing. A load of graphs and concepts that would be difficult to grasp for the first time, never mind in an exam under huge time pressure. I found September hard, as I just wasn't prepared. However, in hindsight, a prepared person would've found September much more straightforward than yesterday. I was on track for a 59-60 with my prep. I really don't know if I'll improve my 55 based on yesterday. Our only hope is that people found it difficult across the board and overall the marks will reflect that. Meh.

Specsy · 25-03-2018 10:43am

What a waste of money buying the new section 3 paper was, nothing could prepare me for that ****e. A section 3 unlike any sample or past paper

GrabTheCREAM · 25-03-2018 6:59pm

I studied everything about acids and bases inside and out... not even 1 question...

And for section 1, I think it went OKAY but Im so mad rn because when they came to collect the papers i noticed I had left 1 answer blank.... ffs
Section 2 i couldnt think of any GREAT points but i followed a good structure so hope that suffices lol
Section 3 went better than last year though, but i think it were more like the one we got in september i wouldve done much MUCH better this time. Best way to describe it without giving too much away it was like a sciencey section 1

ilovesmecounty wrote: »

Well. Well. WELL!!!
Wasn't that exam a horror story yesterday? I sat in September so I can do a little bit of a comparison. Section 1 was very long yesterday. Last time round, and when I did practise questions at home I always had at least 10 minutes to spare. Yesterday the reading stimulus was much longer and I answered the last question in the last minute. Bear in mind, that this is one of my strong points and I spoke to several people who ran out of time yesterday, when they normally finish
it. Section 2 was ok, can't complain. You could've written anything about themes from democracy, technology, affluence and happiness so it was nicely broad.
But section 3!!!! I'm actually angry about it. I have spent months preparing based upon Acer past papers and study groups and everything in between. I bought the Pink Paper. I did it. None of the above prepared me for section 3. No questions on genetics, DNA, pH, electrochemistry, the cell, negative feedback. Nothing. A load of graphs and concepts that would be difficult to grasp for the first time, never mind in an exam under huge time pressure. I found September hard, as I just wasn't prepared. However, in hindsight, a prepared person would've found September much more straightforward than yesterday. I was on track for a 59-60 with my prep. I really don't know if I'll improve my 55 based on yesterday. Our only hope is that people found it difficult across the board and overall the marks will reflect that. Meh.

i bought the pink one too lol oops.

Also a pro for the people worried bout results now: the required points tend to go down when a lot of people find the exam super hard, since its point based as far as i know, for example if 500 ppl gave the exam and 400 got 65 then it would be more skewed toward 65 than below it if that makes sense. which was the case this time i believe like i even see on reddit there were aussies complaining about how hard it was when australia is the place most people ace the gamsat

santino · 26-03-2018 5:16pm

ilovesmecounty wrote: »

Well. Well. WELL!!!
Wasn't that exam a horror story yesterday? I sat in September so I can do a little bit of a comparison. Section 1 was very long yesterday. Last time round, and when I did practise questions at home I always had at least 10 minutes to spare. Yesterday the reading stimulus was much longer and I answered the last question in the last minute. Bear in mind, that this is one of my strong points and I spoke to several people who ran out of time yesterday, when they normally finish it. Section 2 was ok, can't complain. You could've written anything about themes from democracy, technology, affluence and happiness so it was nicely broad.
But section 3!!!! I'm actually angry about it. I have spent months preparing based upon Acer past papers and study groups and everything in between. I bought the Pink Paper. I did it. None of the above prepared me for section 3. No questions on genetics, DNA, pH, electrochemistry, the cell, negative feedback. Nothing. A load of graphs and concepts that would be difficult to grasp for the first time, never mind in an exam under huge time pressure. I found September hard, as I just wasn't prepared. However, in hindsight, a prepared person would've found September much more straightforward than yesterday. I was on track for a 59-60 with my prep. I really don't know if I'll improve my 55 based on yesterday. Our only hope is that people found it difficult across the board and overall the marks will reflect that. Meh.

Specsy wrote: »

What a waste of money buying the new section 3 paper was, nothing could prepare me for that ****e. A section 3 unlike any sample or past paper

GrabTheCREAM wrote: »

I studied everything about acids and bases inside and out... not even 1 question...

And for section 1, I think it went OKAY but Im so mad rn because when they came to collect the papers i noticed I had left 1 answer blank.... ffs
Section 2 i couldnt think of any GREAT points but i followed a good structure so hope that suffices lol
Section 3 went better than last year though, but i think it were more like the one we got in september i wouldve done much MUCH better this time. Best way to describe it without giving too much away it was like a sciencey section 1

i bought the pink one too lol oops.

Also a pro for the people worried bout results now: the required points tend to go down when a lot of people find the exam super hard, since its point based as far as i know, for example if 500 ppl gave the exam and 400 got 65 then it would be more skewed toward 65 than below it if that makes sense. which was the case this time i believe like i even see on reddit there were aussies complaining about how hard it was when australia is the place most people ace the gamsat

Hi. I'd echo people's thoughts above.

Section 1 was very long. I always had an issue with time in this so worked very hard on it and actually completed some practice exams on time without the 10 mins reading time. No joy on saturday though, had to guess the last 15 approx.

Happy with Section 2.

Section 3, not sure where to start. This was my 3rd attempt at the exam. Coming from a non-science background, I gave up work in December to focus on study full-time. I think my standard in Biology was fairly ok by the end, along with Org. Chemistry. Hadn't touched physics. I was doing ok in practice questions, not great, but passable. I hadn't a clue of 75% on Saturday, especially the graphs. Structure had all changed. Here's hoping for a lot of c's to come up

I said I wasn't going to post-mortem this but just very disappointed overall. Got 53% and 52% previously so not expecting to improve at all. I don't mind hard exams, just some fairness.

Best of luck.

ilovesmecounty · 27-03-2018 11:11am

santino wrote: »

ilovesmecounty wrote: »

Well. Well. WELL!!!
Wasn't that exam a horror story yesterday? I sat in September so I can do a little bit of a comparison. Section 1 was very long yesterday. Last time round, and when I did practise questions at home I always had at least 10 minutes to spare. Yesterday the reading stimulus was much longer and I answered the last question in the last minute. Bear in mind, that this is one of my strong points and I spoke to several people who ran out of time yesterday, when they normally finish it. Section 2 was ok, can't complain. You could've written anything about themes from democracy, technology, affluence and happiness so it was nicely broad.
But section 3!!!! I'm actually angry about it. I have spent months preparing based upon Acer past papers and study groups and everything in between. I bought the Pink Paper. I did it. None of the above prepared me for section 3. No questions on genetics, DNA, pH, electrochemistry, the cell, negative feedback. Nothing. A load of graphs and concepts that would be difficult to grasp for the first time, never mind in an exam under huge time pressure. I found September hard, as I just wasn't prepared. However, in hindsight, a prepared person would've found September much more straightforward than yesterday. I was on track for a 59-60 with my prep. I really don't know if I'll improve my 55 based on yesterday. Our only hope is that people found it difficult across the board and overall the marks will reflect that. Meh.

Specsy wrote: »

What a waste of money buying the new section 3 paper was, nothing could prepare me for that ****e. A section 3 unlike any sample or past paper

GrabTheCREAM wrote: »

I studied everything about acids and bases inside and out... not even 1 question...

And for section 1, I think it went OKAY but Im so mad rn because when they came to collect the papers i noticed I had left 1 answer blank.... ffs
Section 2 i couldnt think of any GREAT points but i followed a good structure so hope that suffices lol
Section 3 went better than last year though, but i think it were more like the one we got in september i wouldve done much MUCH better this time. Best way to describe it without giving too much away it was like a sciencey section 1

i bought the pink one too lol oops.

Also a pro for the people worried bout results now: the required points tend to go down when a lot of people find the exam super hard, since its point based as far as i know, for example if 500 ppl gave the exam and 400 got 65 then it would be more skewed toward 65 than below it if that makes sense. which was the case this time i believe like i even see on reddit there were aussies complaining about how hard it was when australia is the place most people ace the gamsat

Hi. I'd echo people's thoughts above.

Section 1 was very long. I always had an issue with time in this so worked very hard on it and actually completed some practice exams on time without the 10 mins reading time. No joy on saturday though, had to guess the last 15 approx.

Happy with Section 2.

Section 3, not sure where to start. This was my 3rd attempt at the exam. Coming from a non-science background, I gave up work in December to focus on study full-time. I think my standard in Biology was fairly ok by the end, along with Org. Chemistry. Hadn't touched physics. I was doing ok in practice questions, not great, but passable. I hadn't a clue of 75% on Saturday, especially the graphs. Structure had all changed. Here's hoping for a lot of c's to come up

I said I wasn't going to post-mortem this but just very disappointed overall. Got 53% and 52% previously so not expecting to improve at all. I don't mind hard exams, just some fairness.

Best of luck.

Your last line says it all. Just some fairness. I know that there are some people out there who are whizzes at reasoning. I know I am not. So I gave myself the best chance by studying as much as I can to know enough about certain topics so that when it came to the reasoning, I wouldn't be doing it blind. It was all blind to me last Saturday. Anyway. I know I did my best. I know now it might not be good enough but at the very least, I tried and gave it as much as I possibly could. You did the same. There is a consolation in that. I'm not sitting it a third time though. That's it. What will be will be.

Celestial12 · 28-03-2018 11:41am

I had the same feeling after the September exam, turned out OK in the end. I think you will all do better than you're expecting! The exam is designed to be stressful, highly doubt many people leave thinking they did well - even if it later transpires that they did.

Best of luck with the results.

e1994 · 28-03-2018 11:47am

I ended up blind guessing 40 questions in section 3 so I think it's safe enough to say I can write this one off.. it was my first try though so I'll hope to give it another shot in September and possibly apply to England also!

Limk88 · 28-03-2018 12:19pm

Celestial did you sit the March exam as well?

Ilovesmecounty I can understand what you mean regarding not sitting it for a 3rd time, it is an exam that is mentally very tough! You did amazing in September and would more than likely get Limerick with a score like that - have you considered making the move down?

A fair exam would be nice but looking at the comments on online student boards in the UK and Oz it looks like we are all in the same boat so my hope is that the marking will be fair and our scores won’t be as bad as we think

Ariana Grande · 28-03-2018 1:26pm

For people applying for Limerick:

Has anyone received an application for their scholarship programme for disadvantaged backgrounds? I haven't yet and it's kinda making me nervous. I put UL as my number 1 on the CAO too.

ilovesmecounty · 29-03-2018 8:24am

Limk88 wrote: »

Celestial did you sit the March exam as well?

Ilovesmecounty I can understand what you mean regarding not sitting it for a 3rd time, it is an exam that is mentally very tough! You did amazing in September and would more than likely get Limerick with a score like that - have you considered making the move down?

A fair exam would be nice but looking at the comments on online student boards in the UK and Oz it looks like we are all in the same boat so my hope is that the marking will be fair and our scores won’t be as bad as we think

If I have to I will. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Limerick, it just comes at extra cost for me (financially, professionally and personally). I re-sat the exam last week for fear the cut offs would go up. I think UL ended up being a 54 last year, which is far too close to 55 to be comfy, and also to aim for the Dublin colleges. To echo Sarah Palin here... I can see UCD from my house! I'm at an age now where hard decisions need to be made re children/houses/career etc which is why I've decided not to do it again in September. Judging by last Saturday anyway, I don't think doing it again would make a jot of difference! I hate wishing that others found it hard too, but it's the only way my mark will increase!

ChromosomeT · 29-03-2018 8:54am

Ariana Grande wrote: »

For people applying for Limerick:

Has anyone received an application for their scholarship programme for disadvantaged backgrounds? I haven't yet and it's kinda making me nervous. I put UL as my number 1 on the CAO too.

No, I haven't yet either. I imagine that it will be out possibly today or tomorrow (seeing as they said we would be invited to apply for it in March), however, it could be sometime next week even given how people might be off work over the Easter break.

I have just started my personal statement too, but we have until late May to complete it so don't fret too much just yet.

Bartman26 · 29-03-2018 11:04am

ChromosomeT wrote: »

No, I haven't yet either. I imagine that it will be out possibly today or tomorrow (seeing as they said we would be invited to apply for it in March), however, it could be sometime next week even given how people might be off work over the Easter break.

I have just started my personal statement too, but we have until late May to complete it so don't fret too much just yet.

Ilovesmecounty - I am in a very similar boat to you. Was fortunate enough to get Limerick last year and missed ucd by 2points..or one if it came down to 59 not sure if it did. In any case I was rejected the grad med loan because I bought a house in 07 when I was working full time which subsequently crashed into neg equity with the recession. So had to take a year out and go back to work. I sat the exam again on Sat didn't feel it went aswell so I'm really hoping 58 will get ucd this year as UL for me throws up financial issues too..not sure it would be viable I'd have to see. It's a shame the whole thing is so costly, it's not as if the career isn't hard enough as it is...well for those who make a vocation of it at least. I wish you the best for what may comeðŸ‘Œ

Bartman26 · 29-03-2018 11:04am

ChromosomeT wrote: »

No, I haven't yet either. I imagine that it will be out possibly today or tomorrow (seeing as they said we would be invited to apply for it in March), however, it could be sometime next week even given how people might be off work over the Easter break.

I have just started my personal statement too, but we have until late May to complete it so don't fret too much just yet.

Ilovesmecounty - I am in a very similar boat to you. Was fortunate enough to get Limerick last year and missed ucd by 2points..or one if it came down to 59 not sure if it did. In any case I was rejected the grad med loan because I bought a house in 07 when I was working full time which subsequently crashed into neg equity with the recession. So had to take a year out and go back to work. I sat the exam again on Sat didn't feel it went aswell so I'm really hoping 58 will get ucd this year as UL for me throws up financial issues too..not sure it would be viable I'd have to see. It's a shame the whole thing is so costly, it's not as if the career isn't hard enough as it is...well for those who make a vocation of it at least. I wish you the best for what may come!

santino · 29-03-2018 8:33pm

Bartman26 wrote: »

Ilovesmecounty - I am in a very similar boat to you. Was fortunate enough to get Limerick last year and missed ucd by 2points..or one if it came down to 59 not sure if it did. In any case I was rejected the grad med loan because I bought a house in 07 when I was working full time which subsequently crashed into neg equity with the recession. So had to take a year out and go back to work. I sat the exam again on Sat didn't feel it went aswell so I'm really hoping 58 will get ucd this year as UL for me throws up financial issues too..not sure it would be viable I'd have to see. It's a shame the whole thing is so costly, it's not as if the career isn't hard enough as it is...well for those who make a vocation of it at least. I wish you the best for what may come!

Hi guys, can I hijack for a moment and ask a question.

I had ASSUMED that the grad med loan was more or less guaranteed if you got into GEMS but from Bartman's experience above, it is not, which is worrying. My wife and I bought our house in Limerick last year, mortgage isn't huge but it's still there. My wife also did GEMS and is into her 2nd year of servicing her loan. Do people think this might be a problem if I applied for the loan on my side (on the slim chance I got into UL)? If so, I may have a bigger problem than GAMSAT...

29-03-2018 9:44pm

santino wrote: »

Hi guys, can I hijack for a moment and ask a question.

I had ASSUMED that the grad med loan was more or less guaranteed if you got into GEMS but from Bartman's experience above, it is not, which is worrying. My wife and I bought our house in Limerick last year, mortgage isn't huge but it's still there. My wife also did GEMS and is into her 2nd year of servicing her loan. Do people think this might be a problem if I applied for the loan on my side (on the slim chance I got into UL)? If so, I may have a bigger problem than GAMSAT...

I had thought about GAMSAT also (still do on and off) and I would have a similar background. It could be an issue definitely so talk to the bank before you go any further to gauge the situation. It’s like a second mortgage in essence which is what I found so off putting.

Bartman26 · 30-03-2018 12:13pm

santino wrote: »

Hi guys, can I hijack for a moment and ask a question.

I had ASSUMED that the grad med loan was more or less guaranteed if you got into GEMS but from Bartman's experience above, it is not, which is worrying. My wife and I bought our house in Limerick last year, mortgage isn't huge but it's still there. My wife also did GEMS and is into her 2nd year of servicing her loan. Do people think this might be a problem if I applied for the loan on my side (on the slim chance I got into UL)? If so, I may have a bigger problem than GAMSAT...

Hi Santino - Oh no from my experience it's definitely not guaranteed! The main problem that went against me was the fact that a number of times over the years my mortgage fell into arrears and of course this shows up on the credit bureau. I have the house rented now and the mortgage is being serviced but I've been told by BOI that my chances of getting the grad med loan are 'improved' now. I also have a good guarantor which they will probably look for from you too. If you and your partner have always met your repayments you should be ok. All the best.

Celestial12 · 31-03-2018 9:29am

Has anyone applied to mature entry medicine to the undergraduate courses?

Limk88 wrote: »

Celestial did you sit the March exam as well?

Ilovesmecounty I can understand what you mean regarding not sitting it for a 3rd time, it is an exam that is mentally very tough! You did amazing in September and would more than likely get Limerick with a score like that - have you considered making the move down?

A fair exam would be nice but looking at the comments on online student boards in the UK and Oz it looks like we are all in the same boat so my hope is that the marking will be fair and our scores won’t be as bad as we think

No, I sat it last September. I'm applying for entry for September 2018.

Bartman26 wrote: »

Ilovesmecounty - I am in a very similar boat to you. Was fortunate enough to get Limerick last year and missed ucd by 2points..or one if it came down to 59 not sure if it did. In any case I was rejected the grad med loan because I bought a house in 07 when I was working full time which subsequently crashed into neg equity with the recession. So had to take a year out and go back to work. I sat the exam again on Sat didn't feel it went aswell so I'm really hoping 58 will get ucd this year as UL for me throws up financial issues too..not sure it would be viable I'd have to see. It's a shame the whole thing is so costly, it's not as if the career isn't hard enough as it is...well for those who make a vocation of it at least. I wish you the best for what may come&#55357;&#56396;

What about RCSI? I think that came down to 58 last year. UCD was 59/60 I believe. UCD is my first choice. I've also applied to Scotland, not sure if I'll get anywhere there!

Bartman26 · 31-03-2018 12:02pm

Celestial12 wrote: »

Has anyone applied to mature entry medicine to the undergraduate courses?

No, I sat it last September. I'm applying for entry for September 2018.

What about RCSI? I think that came down to 58 last year. UCD was 59/60 I believe. UCD is my first choice. I've also applied to Scotland, not sure if I'll get anywhere there!

Celestial - Yeah RCSI came down to 58* last year which meant a handful of 58s were offered places, unfortunately I wasn't one :-) Without the loan it would have been a major struggle anyway. I looked at Scotland briefly but seemed like you need a 2.1 in science primary degree. That might have just been for that particular uni though.

santino · 31-03-2018 9:57pm

Bartman26 wrote: »

Hi Santino - Oh no from my experience it's definitely not guaranteed! The main problem that went against me was the fact that a number of times over the years my mortgage fell into arrears and of course this shows up on the credit bureau. I have the house rented now and the mortgage is being serviced but I've been told by BOI that my chances of getting the grad med loan are 'improved' now. I also have a good guarantor which they will probably look for from you too. If you and your partner have always met your repayments you should be ok. All the best.

Thanks Bartman. It's good to be aware of. Will wait for the results and take it from there I guess.

ilovesmecounty · 02-04-2018 6:22pm

I'm certainly at the phase of I'm not going to worry about a loan until I get in. IF I get in. I'm lucky enough to have saved enough to cover 2.5-3 years fees (especially if I get into a Dublin college). That will be eaten into though, if I have to pay rent elsewhere. I'm still having flashbacks of that horrid, horrid exam! :eek:

Celestial12 · 04-04-2018 12:13pm

Bartman26 wrote: »

Celestial - Yeah RCSI came down to 58* last year which meant a handful of 58s were offered places, unfortunately I wasn't one :-) Without the loan it would have been a major struggle anyway. I looked at Scotland briefly but seemed like you need a 2.1 in science primary degree. That might have just been for that particular uni though.

i think you can have any degree, you just have to meet certain requirements with chemistry and maybe a couple of other things (can't remember!). I've applied to it only because of the free fees. I'd rather stay in Ireland to be honest, but I'll see what happens. Not expecting an offer anyway.

ilovesmecounty wrote: »

I'm certainly at the phase of I'm not going to worry about a loan until I get in. IF I get in. I'm lucky enough to have saved enough to cover 2.5-3 years fees (especially if I get into a Dublin college). That will be eaten into though, if I have to pay rent elsewhere. I'm still having flashbacks of that horrid, horrid exam! :eek:

Well done! That will certainly take the pressure off you, being in a more secure financial position than most. How are your friends/family reacting to your decision to go back to study medicine?

For me, it's mostly been positive! I honestly thought I'd be questioned more, but only one person has been negative about it.

ilovesmecounty · 04-04-2018 8:08pm

Celestial12 wrote: »

Well done! That will certainly take the pressure off you, being in a more secure financial position than most. How are your friends/family reacting to your decision to go back to study medicine?

For me, it's mostly been positive! I honestly thought I'd be questioned more, but only one person has been negative about it.

I haven't told anyone aside from my other half and my sister that I'm doing this. People would think I was nuts. Plus, since there's no guarantee that I'd get in, I really didn't want to be handing people that stick to beat me with! I learnt a long time ago that when I took a notion I was better off just doing it than talking to people because I ended up being talked out of things.

Limk88 · 05-04-2018 11:48am

I echo ilovesmecountys post - I first started thinking about applying to GEM in 2011 (1 year into my engineering career) and (mostly) due to my own insecurities which were reinforced by other people saying at the time that it would take a long time and the job is hard, long hours, years of studying etc. that I didn't apply until this year! What I have learned from it is that if you want to do something then go and do it, you know yourself if it is right for you and also, because we are going into adult education we all have other degrees and careers open to us then we should only enter into med if we enjoy the work that has to be done both in college and think that we will love the job. That's my 2 cents on my long, tedious and ponderous road to the GAMSAT.
This 6-8 week wait for results is torture though!!!

GAMSAT 2018

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