Advice

[Quester]

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Is it too late to apply to Irish schools? Are they based on rolling admission?

I'll be graduating this Spring, but have yet taken the MCAT. My cGPA is a low 3 and I'm debating if it'll be better to apply now for a 5 year program that looks at high school mark, rather than get perhaps a mediocre MCAT score in summer and get rejected in all schools (DO and 4 yr GEP).

Thanks.

 

[JohnSnow]

Is it too late to apply to Irish schools? Are they based on rolling admission?

I'll be graduating this Spring, but have yet taken the MCAT. My cGPA is a low 3 and I'm debating if it'll be better to apply now for a 5 year program that looks at high school mark, rather than get perhaps a mediocre MCAT score in summer and get rejected in all schools (DO and 4 yr GEP).

Thanks.

The latest MCAT score that the Irish schools will accept is an April exam. So unless you take it by the end of April you won't be eligible for GEPs in Ireland.

From what I have read on this board the 5-year programs (TCD & NUIG) put a strong emphasis on having a high GPA for admission, I don't know that they would accept somebody with a GPA in the low 3s. But that doesn't mean that they won't, or that you shouldn't apply, after all you only stand to lose $150 in application costs.

I will say that Irish schools probably have higher academic requirements than DO schools, or at least that's the trend I've noticed based on what people have reported on this forum.

For a DO school you need a 3.2-3.3+ GPA and 24+ MCAT (I'm sure people even get in with a lower MCAT) but they place a lot of emphasis on experience in the medical field, and extracurricular activities when it comes to admissions. DO schools are probably the most admission friendly medical schools in the world that deliver a first-rate education.

Irish schools don't really care about GPA. As long as your GPA isn't abysmal (sub-2.50) it won't really hurt your application for the GEPs as long as you have a strong MCAT (28+ with a strong preference for 30+ applicants). It's very possible the average MCAT for students accepted to GEPs is over 30, that is not the case at all with DO schools.

Irish medical schools start evaluating applications in mid-January (so about now) and typically start sending out offers and interview invites (for RCSI & UL) by early-March and that continues through the summer. But logically the earlier you apply, the more slots you get considered for, and thus you increase your chances of getting accepted. Only RCSI & UL conduct interviews, but UL isn't eligible for US federal loans so if you go there it's all got to be all private loans or parents with deep pockets, or if you have deep pockets that works too!

Good luck with your applications! I hope this helped feel free to post further questions.

There are also medical schools in Australia that you can consider! The ones in the UK are bit harder for US citizens to get into.

 

[Quester]

Thanks JohnSnow. I probably should've mentioned that I'm Canadian-- unfortunately.

So no school will look at my high school mark, whether it's 4 yr GEP or 5 yr?

 

[macstjo]

You missed the first round of application cycle, which ended in mid-November. Anyone who applies after gets their application reviewed on first come first served basis.