28th August 2025
10 Tips for Surviving Your First Year of Medicine
Medicine is tough, really tough, but you've made it this far so you're tougher. First year is a whirlwind and at times can seem overwhelming, but having made it through to the other side of those first few full-on months, I can hand on heart say that everyone is telling the truth when they say college will be the best time of your life. You'll have ups and downs, I can guarantee ...
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7th August 2025
Attention Parents: 5 Ways to Help Your Son or Daughter Get Into Medicine
Great things never come easy. Medicine is an incredibly rewarding, secure, well paid and respected profession in Ireland. It's also the hardest course to get into. Furthermore, the final years of secondary school are a stressful and demanding time for your son or daughter, and the need to sit HPAT places additional pressure on them during this time. Thankfully there are ways ...
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25th July 2025
Changes to Medical Entry from 2027
Medical school entry in Ireland is changing from 2027. Irish universities have announced modifications to how the HPAT will be used alongside Leaving Cert points to determine entry into undergraduate medicine. What is HPAT? The Health Professions Admission Test (HPAT) is a crucial component of medical school admission alongside Leaving Certificate results. The test assesses three sec ...
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9th July 2025
How to Apply for Medicine in the UK as an Irish Student
UK medical schools have an excellent reputation internationally and many Irish students travel to the UK to study each year. Applications to UK universities are made through UCAS (like the UK version of the CAO). Irish students applying to study medicine in the UK in 2026 can start their UCAS application over the summer before 6th year (applications open on 13 May 2025). They must subm ...
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3rd July 2025
Options for Studying Medicine: In Ireland and Abroad
The easiest, cheapest and most direct route into medicine in Ireland is the undergraduate route, which requires you to sit HPAT. However, if you have not been able to gain entry into medicine via this route, there are other options for pursuing medicine. Studying medicine in Ireland Studying medicine in Ireland has many advantages, including: Being able to remain in ...
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25th June 2025
I Didn’t Get a Good Enough HPAT Score. What Should I Do?
After spending months working through HPAT guides, completing practise exams and labouring over difficult drills it can be devastating when HPAT results day arrives, and you realise that you have not achieved a good enough HPAT score to get into medicine. It is completely understandable that to feel extremely disappointed, but it is very important that you have a clear idea of the other option ...
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25th June 2025
HPAT Results: What to Do With Your CAO
HPAT results are usually released in late June. After months of waiting to find out your HPAT results, it can feel quite overwhelming to finally receive them! After all of the hard work and preparation for HPAT, everyone wants to get a great HPAT score. However, it is important to know what to do if things don’t go as well as you had hoped. It’s not the end of the world and if you ...
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24th June 2025
Medicine, the HPAT, the CAO and One BIG Mistake to Avoid
For any Leaving Certificate students hoping to go on to study medicine, the HPAT (Health Professions Admission Test) and the CAO (Central Applications Office) are two well-known abbreviations which are of great importance to you as you prepare for life after the Leaving Certificate. For me, I wasn’t certain until the very end of 6th year as to what exactly I wanted to do after school. ...
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2nd June 2025
5 Tips for Leaving Cert Exams From a Current Medical Student
So the dreaded time of the leaving cert exams has rolled around once again and I’m sure many of you are trembling in your seats at the mere mention of it. But trust me when I say that I can completely relate with you. This time last year I was in your position, getting ready to sit the leaving cert, my head flooded with feelings of excitement and anxiety for what lay ahead. I know t ...
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22nd April 2025
So You Want to Be a Doctor? How to Get Into Medicine
Congratulations on your decision to pursue medicine as a career! Medicine is an interesting, valued and rewarding profession. The process of getting into medicine can be confusing, so here’s an introduction. Criteria for getting into medicine The minimum points required to get into medicine varies from year to year and between universities, but a total of at least 730 p ...
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