RCSI Interviews

[citta]

I just know one other person who applied this year, but she cancelled her application because she made other plans...

[J2thaLE]

Hey guys, I'm waiting on Ireland too. It's nice to see the activity on this board, to know there are others in the same boat. I don't know anyone else who has applied to ABP. I have an acceptance from Saba for september, but waiting to hear from UCD, UCC, and Trinity. I promise to post when I hear something! Anyone else torn between attending a caribbean vs. an irish school?

[Mdee]

Man I'm really torn between caribbean or Ireland! I don't know what to do, although I still haven't sent in my application (st George probably) but I'm on the fence about doing it. I have a friend that got into Saba for May he said, so he's going. He was trying to defer it till Sept but they said no.

[citta]

just curious if anyone knows how the ABP/Irish schools calculate our GPA?

[meaningofliff]

^ Truthfully, I have no idea how they go about calculating GPA's! Each school probably has their own criteria that may change from year to year, but they don't seem to share much about their selection process and how they assess each component!

[bwbl]

hey everyone...

 

well, i'm currently in one of the irish med schools right now (cork)....just started my first year. of course, i don't know how the admissions committee decides so this is just my personal opinion, but i think (at least for cork) your essay is CRITICAL!!! here in cork, for example, the med school stresses BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL medicine from day 1!!! EVERYTHING is biopsychosocial here....knowing the science will really only get you about 40-50% here....they stress the sociological and psychological aspects here A LOT!!! so, if you can show (in your essay or in your university transcript through the courses that you've taken) that you are the type of person who takes a holistic and human approach in thinking about and practicing medicine, then i think you have a pretty good shot (providing your MCAT scores and GPA aren't that bad). since there are no interviews given for any of the irish med schools (except for rcsi), i think your essay is crucial.

 

i know that the irish government has very recently revamped the medical education curriculum here to make biopsychosocial aspects of medicine just as big a component as the clinical and basic science components.

 

hope this helps a bit!

good luck!!

[Cobey]

Hey bwbl,

 

Thanks for the input! If you have some time to answer more questions about ireland, that would be great! If not, I totally understand. Here goes:

1) Have you had any clinical exposure yet? I hear that the clinical teaching in Ireland is often very harsh, and that instructors do not seem supportive. Have you head anything about this?

 

2) Was it difficult to settle into Ireland, ie. was it a huge culture shock? Also, how difficult and expensive is it to call home to North America?

 

3) Did you apply to med schools in North America? How many times did you try here before you went to Ireland, or was Ireland your first choice?

 

Thanks so much!!!

[bwbl]

Hi Cobey,

 

Here are brief answers to your questions.....if you have more specific questions, PM me and I'll try my best to answer them for you.

 

1.) In first year, we do a "Clinical Skills" Module (for the entire year), which includes lectures on clinical presentations and clinical skills of the various systems that we have been covering in our basic sciences lectures, tutorials (PBL), Clinical Lab Skills where we learn how to do things like performing basic neuromuscular examinations, listening for different heart sounds, taking blood pressure, doing an abdominal exam, listening for different chest sounds, etc. But no real clinical exposure yet. From what I hear from students in the upper years, each student is assigned a patient suffering from a chronic disease in 2nd year....and we follow the patient for a year (home visits, etc.). This is where we REALLY start to learn to integrate our basic sciences, clinical skills with the biopsychosocial stuff. Clinical exposure go from the mid-year 3rd year onwards. Most North American students schedule their electives during their 4th year and in the summer between their 4th and 5th year. But there are Clinical Pre-clerkship electives that you can apply for (e.g. Memorial University of Newfoundland and University of Manitoba offer them). From what I hear, the clinical staff at UCC are generally very helpful and there is generally no harsh treatment/teaching at all!! I'm sure you will get the occasional bad apple, but my impression so far is that instructors have a lot of respect for students. We are often told by our instructors that the only difference between us (students) and them is time.....they all believe that they are not any "smarter" or "brighter" than we are....they are just older and have had more experience. All of the instructors and lecturers that I've had so far are extremely approachable, caring and friendly. They truly want us to succeed. I remember a friend of mine got the stomach flu and skipped a few days of lectures.....one of the lecturers actually wrote him an e-mail to wish him well. A few of the Canadians I know (in their last year of med school) are even planning on staying an extra year after they graduate (to do their internship year here)....the clinics can't be that bad if they are sticking around an extra year!!

 

2.) You just have to get used to it. Life in Ireland (in Western Europe in general) is expensive....compared to Canada and the US. Everything here is the same money value as Canada.....you're just paying in a different currency! If you live in Dublin....be prepared to spend even MORE money on accomodation, food, transport, etc. Long-distance calls back to Canada is expensive!! But we all Skype around here....if you get your family and friends to join Skype as well (join for free), then you can chat as much and as long as you want for free. Calling an actual phone/cell phone anywhere around the world with Skype is only about Cdn$0.025 cents/minute. And here's something for you to look forward to (if you decide to come to Ireland), travelling within Europe is ridiculously cheap! Flights to many destinations from Ireland or England only cost 0.01Euro!!

 

In terms of culture shock.....I really didn't feel it at all. And none of the other 13 North Americans in first-year med seem to have it either. The Irish are such a warm, tolerant, accomodating and welcoming people.....I often jokingly tell my friends and family back in Canada....that we Canadians should stop telling ourselves and others the we are "nice"! The Irish niceness put the Canadian niceness to shame!! Honestly, people here look the same as people in Canada, they speak English here (although with a different accent....but hey you get that if you move from Ontario to Quebec or Newfoundland anyway!), and the cultural difference between Canada and Ireland is really quite small. Ireland is getting more and more multicultural. 10% of the people living in Ireland are foreign-born. It's not Canada....but I think it is a lot more diverse than what some in Canada might think. Even here in Cork (population 100,000), I sometimes here more Polish spoken than English. There are restaurants of every kind here: Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, Thai, Indian, Ethiopian....you name it!

 

3.) And no, Ireland was not my first choice. In fact, it was my only choice. I applied to the Canadian schools twice. I messed up in my first year of undergrad and because I've lived in so many other countries and provinces throughout my childhood, no single med school in Canada considered me an "in province" student. I was an out-of-province applicant in every province and territory. UBC even gave me a label....an "orphaned" Canadian! I did a Master's at McGill between my first and second time applying....I ended getting published, a 4.0/4.0 GPA from McGill, doing more volunteer/extracurricular work, etc.....but still no luck! Life sucks sometimes, but I'm just so glad I'm in Medicine now. In terms of coming back to Canada.....I'll see! It's early in the game for me and there are plenty of opportunities around the world. Going to Europe for med school isn't necessarily a bad thing....it opened up my mind and my eyes. I'm meeting people that I probably won't meet back in Canada. There are lots of expat Canadians and Americans living in Ireland and the Irish are just so nice and tolerant....the transition has been so easy. Plus, I am getting an excellent medical education in this country. Personally, if Canada doesn't want be back as a Medical Resident, I have no problems working in the States or staying in Europe (I have a British passport as well)! But that's just my opinion.

 

Anyhow, good luck with the application process. Hopefully you'll get accepted into a med school in Canada so you won't have to worry about any of this.

 

All the best!!

[Cobey]

Hey bwbl,

 

I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to write such informative answers!!! You made me feel a lot better about Ireland! I have two Canadian interviews, and I am interviewing for RCSI. I hope to stay in Canada, but RCSI would be my first choice in Ireland because it is 4 years instead of 5. I hope that all the things you said about Cork also apply to Dublin! For some reason people who wrote reviews of RCSI on the Student Doctor Network Forum were pretty negative about the clinical training...but I guess everybody has a bit of a different experience.

 

I'm glad to hear that you didn't have culture shock...but then again I have to take into consideration that you have moved around a lot. I, on the other hand, have always lived in Canada, so maybe I would respond differently. I would definitely go in with a positive attitude, though. I think it is hilarious that you were termed "orphan." Man, Canadian med schools can be harsh! I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you here in Canada, but I'm glad that you are happy living overseas!

 

Once again, thank you for your time and help. Maybe this conversation should have been over a PM, but I guess it doesn't matter. Other people will probably benefit from reading your responses as well.

Thanks for the encouragement!

[meaningofliff]

Thanks for the info bwbl I think it is very useful to hear from those with first-hand experience!

[rlh]

The info is great! Thanks alot!!!!

 

The wait is killing me! I just want to find out!!!!! If anyone hears from any of the Irish schools please let us know!

[meaningofliff]

I'm pretty sure (and feel free to correct me if I'm imagining things ) the only universities that do interviews are the RCSI's. With the others it's pretty much you're in or you're not- the whole decision is based on the application package you sent.