nepotism in the Irish schools?

[chicagoml]

Spoke to my sister over the weekend (she's an American grad and finishing radiology fellowship in Salt Lake City). A couple of her fellow American residents were graduates of Irish schools and they spoke of the favoritism showed there because of who knows who......i.e. someone who supposedly got a residency there b/c his father practiced in that county.

Has anyone heard these sentiments from the Irish schools? I know that this certainly exists in undergrad institutions in this country....no idea about professional schools.

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[leorl]

I don't really know of nepotism in my country, or seen it. a guy in my class didn't get into RCSI even though both his parents were graduates of it. To be honest, I think nepotism is everywhere...and the US has far more flagrant examples of it than in this country.

 

[dr strangelove]

Spoke to my sister over the weekend (she's an American grad and finishing radiology fellowship in Salt Lake City). A couple of her fellow American residents were graduates of Irish schools and they spoke of the favoritism showed there because of who knows who......i.e. someone who supposedly got a residency there b/c his father practiced in that county.

Has anyone heard these sentiments from the Irish schools? I know that this certainly exists in undergrad institutions in this country....no idea about professional schools.

Nepotism in Irish schools? You're kidding, right? Considering 2 generations of my family (4 individuals in all) have attended RCSI I would have been accepted in an instant if this were the case. No, Irish schools are only corrupt when it comes to money.

 

[roo]

This is the primary reason why I think acceptance into medical school for Irish students has to be marks-only based in order to be fair. For Irish students, whoever gets the best score on the leaving cert gets to choose to go to medicine.

As soon as open up the acceptance into "looking at the whole applicant, with extracirriculars, etc.", it would be an absolute mess in Ireland, where would be very prone to an "accept my son, and I'll accept your daughter" in the small island's hospital workplaces. Yes, there is an automatic bias of missing some applicants because richer kids would be more likely to have some extra money for study aids, etc and thus get higher marks. But it far better than the alternative.

There were a few 2nd generation-doctor Irish medical students in the UCD class of 2003, but it was nice to know that every single one was there on their merits alone.

Best wishes,
roo

 

[aks47]

I can't necessarily speak about the situation in Ireland, but I can sure talk about it in North America.

Many medical schools here are putting more emphasis on grades, rather than extra currics. There are a couple reasons for doing this: it's more objective, and it's quicker to cut the "weak" applicants. I'm sure nepotism exists everywhere, and it cannot be avoided.

I am NOT for the marks only option. I mean, what exactly can that tell about an applicant...that they can study and achieve high grades. They need to look at the entire picture, because afterall, becoming a doctor is more than just an A+.

Best of luck.
-- Aks47

This is the primary reason why I think acceptance into medical school for Irish students has to be marks-only based in order to be fair. For Irish students, whoever gets the best score on the leaving cert gets to choose to go to medicine.

As soon as open up the acceptance into "looking at the whole applicant, with extracirriculars, etc.", it would be an absolute mess in Ireland, where would be very prone to an "accept my son, and I'll accept your daughter" in the small island's hospital workplaces. Yes, there is an automatic bias of missing some applicants because richer kids would be more likely to have some extra money for study aids, etc and thus get higher marks. But it far better than the alternative.

There were a few 2nd generation-doctor Irish medical students in the UCD class of 2003, but it was nice to know that every single one was there on their merits alone.

Best wishes,
roo

 

[dr strangelove]

This is the primary reason why I think acceptance into medical school for Irish students has to be marks-only based in order to be fair. For Irish students, whoever gets the best score on the leaving cert gets to choose to go to medicine.

No, because the LC is like every other exam; fallible. They do make mistakes. Think about the ridiculous situation it entails - your entire education comes down to 7+ exams, which end up deciding a large portion of your life. Think about the pressure that puts on Irish students. Now take into account that unless you get almost straight A1's you're not going to obtain the points to get in (575+ to be sure of a place). That's right, A1's, 90%+. A2's just won't cut it. You can't afford a single screw-up. As there's no analysis of candidates beyond their results you can't even determine if their personality is suitable for medicine.

I don't think it would do any harm for international applicants to have to sit the LC to get into Irish schools, just so they could appreciate how difficult it all is.

I was lucky enough to get a 2nd chance in a country with a proper university entry system, rather than the kangaroo court of Irish admissions. UK admissions looked at my qualifications overall, and I was accepted. I did very well in my 1st year results, especially considering a third of the class failed. I felt I had justified them offering me a place. In Ireland I wouldn't even have been given a second glance; I would have been written off because my LC results were not good enough when in fact I'd probably outperform a good portion of those accepted.