Royal College of Surgeons Ireland... is it worth it?

[Study247]

Hey everyone,

I'm a Canadian citizen, currently in grade 12 and i was interested in applying to some international universities in order to pursue a career in medicine. Here in canada we have to do 4 yrs undergrad and then we can apply for medicine and from what i have heard ... it is very difficult (near to impossible) to get in. My parents were thinking of sending me to Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland or the one in Bahrain... and some other universities in Europe ... but i really don't know if this is the right decision to make especially since im just completing high school... also i don't plan on practicing in Canada i want to practice in the U.S
can anyone share their advice and experiences plz...cuz the application deadlines are coming up...

Thanks

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[TristanB]

I thought that was a 4 year degree there and you needed to have a previous bachelors degree atleast before going there? I could be wrong they could have a 6 year one for people straight outta High School...

 

[Study247]

yep its a 6 yr degree...

 

[LavenderLoraine]

Hey there,

I am in the 5 year program at Surgeons and just finished the half-way point of my education with the end of exams last week.

Up to this point I feel I have received a fantastic education at Surgeons. Having just finished courses in micro, path, and clin med, my feeling is that all that right things have been emphasized and added to the curriculum. Naturally, there are strengths and weaknesses to every curriculum. However, we have been receiving evaluations at the end of every other semester to provide feedback. Fortunately, we have a dean that cares and is an implementer of change.

There are some nice perks that Surgeons offers as well. You get a new laptop when you begin your course there, and then you get another once you begin senior cycle (which is 4th med in the 5/6 year program or 3rd year of the 4 year program). Surgeons has also begun to pay for 3 months of QBank free for the students taking Step 1 of the USMLE. You mentioned wanting to practice in America, Step 1 is one of the big exams you must write in order to achieve that end. QBank is a question bank of practice questions for Step 1 and it is quite pricey.

Anyway, if you have any burning questions to ask feel free to PM me. I am going back to enjoying my break!

 

[Study247]

Hi,

thanks for explaining the system to me...but i still hav a few questions i hope u don't mind:

1) Does the Royal College of Surgeons assist u with the residencies to the U.S?

2) What about the living costs... is it really expensive to stay there?

3) How do u personally compare RCSI with UCD?

4) Can u give me some feedback on how others are coping up with the medicine program right from high school?

5) Do you know how the interview process works and what grades ppl should have in order to apply

Thanks...hope im not taking too much of ur time

 

[LavenderLoraine]

To answer your questions:

1) I haven't been through the residency application process but my understanding is they help you in the sense that when you apply to residency, you will be provided with a dean's letter and transcripts, etc. I think any medical school would do that for their students. The best way to get-in for the residency program you want is to do electives in the US at the institution(s) of interest. You will have this opportunity during summer breaks of your clinical years (except you may need most of one of those summers for Step 1). Surgeons has affiliations or contacts at a number of institutions in the US and elsewhere. You can view a list of them here:
http://www.rcsi.ie/index.jsp?1nID=93&2nID=94&3nID=108&pID=108&nID=212
I think you have to get approval from the administration for the school to arrange those for you, otherwise you can arrange your own electives wherever you like. I get the impression you do most of the leg-work arranging your electives, and although the school contributes some elements of documentation and support you need to apply for residency that is mostly all you.
As an aside, if you meet someone who is well known in his or her field while you are doing rotations or electives (either in the US or Ireland) and you get on with him or her, sometimes they will pick up the phone and make a call to the residency program you are interested in and put in a good word for you. So do your best!

2) Yes, Dublin has a high cost of living. It's even worse since the Euro is kicking the crap out of the dollar (US and Canadian).

3) I can't compare since I have never attended UCD.

4) The students in my class straight from high school seem to be doing very well and they are very bright people. The Irish kids straight out of high school are very sharp and they don't miss a beat.

5) I applied for the 5 year program which required the MCAT plus I had a bachelor's degree so my situation was different. You should try searching past threads for some of the stats of applicants out of high school. The interview is usually you plus 2 interviewers and it lasted about 30-45 minutes or so when I did it.

 

[MDPWR]

Hey there,

I am in the 5 year program at Surgeons and just finished the half-way point of my education with the end of exams last week.

Up to this point I feel I have received a fantastic education at Surgeons. Having just finished courses in micro, path, and clin med, my feeling is that all that right things have been emphasized and added to the curriculum. Naturally, there are strengths and weaknesses to every curriculum. However, we have been receiving evaluations at the end of every other semester to provide feedback. Fortunately, we have a dean that cares and is an implementer of change.

There are some nice perks that Surgeons offers as well. You get a new laptop when you begin your course there, and then you get another once you begin senior cycle (which is 4th med in the 5/6 year program or 3rd year of the 4 year program). Surgeons has also begun to pay for 3 months of QBank free for the students taking Step 1 of the USMLE. You mentioned wanting to practice in America, Step 1 is one of the big exams you must write in order to achieve that end. QBank is a question bank of practice questions for Step 1 and it is quite pricey.

Anyway, if you have any burning questions to ask feel free to PM me. I am going back to enjoying my break!

How much is the fee and living expenditures combined for a four year med school program? Isn't it $45k a year just the fee alone?

I heard that by the time you get done with the RCSI the program will end up tickering the $250000 mark. Now that's some serious debt to pay back.

 

[Study247]

omg thank u soo much... i am even more enthusiastic now to apply to RCSI... i am impressed with how much ur enjoying your third level of education and i have decided to apply to RCSI...however they want us to write an essay on
"Why would I be an asset to Medical School" so im just starting it..maybe u guys can give some hints on what to write.... i am on the lines of writing about my personal qualities, experience, and future intension but i dunno if that's what they want

 

[LavenderLoraine]

Make no mistake about it, attending medical school in Ireland is an expensive endeavour when you consider the exchange rate with the Euro and the high cost of living in a city such as Dublin. I understand that living in a city like Cork is not as expensive. In addition, RCSI will cost more because it is the private medical school in Ireland and the tuition is about $10,000 more than the others but don't quote me on that. So attending is not for those with a weak stomach for large debt. Most of us are on loans and even though we accept that education is an investment, it is still troubling to have to take out more loan money each year because the Dollar stretches less than it did the year before. That is something to keep in mind.