College Choice/Brian Mooney: In the area of medicine, the pressure on students and parents, caused by the small number of places available to Irish and other EU students, is immense. No offers were made to any student with less than 570 points in 2005.
The demand from students in Britain and Northern Ireland could even make things worse this year. It is also easier for them to gain entry as it is much easier to get a handful of A levels than 570 Leaving Cert points.
Some 63 of the 308 places in 2005 went to students presenting GCSE awards.
The five medical colleges offer places to those interested in studying medicine from outside the EU at the full market price of €24,000 to €30,000. This enables them to subsidise the Irish students whose fees of about €7,000 are paid by the Government. The colleges claim that this covers only a fraction of the actual cost of training, so in effect the training of Irish doctors is being paid for by the fees of wealthy non-EU students or their governments.
Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has begun to address this issue by buying back 70 non-EU places from the colleges for entry in September 2006, and making them available through the CAO.
This small number of additional places will not reduce the points requirements in any meaningful way. Given that a larger than normal number of students seeking medical places received offers following Leaving Certificate appeals in October 2005 (15 in the case of UCD alone), which they will take up in September 2006, the number of offers to first-time Leaving Certificate candidates will not greatly exceed the 2005 total of 143 places.
Thus, the overall situation for those in the class of 2006 who are interested in medicine is bleak. ...
In 2005, NUI Galway had the lowest entry points requirement, at 570, followed by those scoring 575* (random selection) points in UCD and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
At UCC, the minimum points required was 580. Trinity, given its allocation of places to Northern Ireland schools, offered places to those on 590*.
Those lucky to secure a scholarship from the RCSI based on their Leaving Cert results secured the maximum possible score of 600 points.
Finally, apart from points, students considering medicine require a minimum of a higher-level C in two science subjects. They must also take a medical test.
UCD has stressed that it does not exclude applicants based on this medical test, but rather can then administer vaccines to protect both students and patients.
Many students interested in veterinary medicine also apply for medicine. There is a natural overlap, but the basic veterinary degree takes five years whereas medicine, in most cases, takes six plus an intern year.
UCD is the only college offering veterinary training in Ireland. Last year it accepted over 80 students. A representative of the veterinary medicine faculty said he expected similar numbers in 2006. He said the students who do well are those with an "empathy" with animals, but the selection of students is based solely on academic achievement.
Last year you needed 560 points to secure a place, and this year a similar level or higher points may be needed.
An extensive new veterinary hospital has been built on the Belfield campus. Alongside the academic school, it gives Irish students a world-class environment in which to learn. The recent merger of agriculture, food science and veterinary medicine reinforces the important role of this sector in the Irish economy.
There is little unemployment among veterinary graduates, but the money in the first few years can be low. The kind of six-figure earnings available to some consultant doctors is rarely possible for vets today, but there is usually a plentiful supply of work.
UCD also offers five places on a graduate programme. These are for those with relevant experience who hold a degree in a discipline other than veterinary medicine. An admissions test must be taken, and assessment for entry combines the results of this test with the academic record and life experience of the applicant. People with scientific or agricultural backgrounds tend to get places.
Last year 40 people applied for the five places. Applications close on February 1st. They must be made via the CAO and directly to UCD by that date.
Tomorrow: other medical professions
Brian Mooney's column on CAO options will appear each weekday in the run-up to the deadline at the end of this month.
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