HPAT Results and Dashed Dreams.
Today, June 22nd, is a day almost every Medicine hopeful had marked off in their calendars as The Most Important Day Ever.
I say almost every Med-Head, because I rang a friend of mine this morning, about 3 hours after I’d looked at my own results, to see how he’d fared, and he didn’t even realise they were being sent out…
I explained to him that I cried when I first saw my results. Nobody understands emotional wrecks these days.
I feel better since the immediate shock, but maybe only a little.
Anyway, it’s a day that I’d very much been dreading for the last few months. Thousands of us sat our HPATs last February, with little idea of how we actually got on. It was a vague, wishy-washy, stressful exam which makes me physically ill when I so much as think of it, and I had absolutely no idea how exactly I got on.
I remember very few details about it (Mental Blockage, you see) but the blog I wrote about the exam at the time reminded me how depressing the whole day was.
That day was nowhere near as depressing as today, however.
The night after the HPAT exams I went out to my favourite club and got rather drunk with a few good friends.
Today is a Monday. The option just isn’t there.
One of my very best friends is moving to France for a year. Tomorrow. And she more than likely won’t be able to come home for visits, even at Christmas.
Another of my best friends (Who I’m heavily dependent on) has been in Germany all Summer.
I recently got a bad haircut.
I was already fragile. Already an emotional wreck. Now this has been very much so heightened.
I couldn’t sleep at all last night, I was tossing and turning until about 4am. I was tempted to pull an all nighter, refreshing my inbox every 5 seconds approximately, waiting for ACER to send me out that all important email which would reveal my results.
I eventually decided it’d be a tad ridiculous, a tad excessive, and succumbed to sleep, but I was up at 8.30am, bounding towards my computer, adamant to see the dreaded Results email. They’d been sent out at 5.52am (A somewhat odd time, yes.)
I wish I’d stayed in bed.
Without further ado, my results are as follows:
Points (Out of a total of 300): 173
Percentile Ranking: 84
Now, I know these results aren’t as drastic as I’m making out, but for me, this has come as quite an awful blow.
I’d been hoping to get within the top, maybe, 10 percentile of candidates to try and secure myself a place in Medicine in Trinity.
I only landed into the top 16.
Hope is not lost, no no no, but it’s definitely diluted somewhat.
On one hand, I know that I’m more suited to Medicine, apparently, than 84% of medicine applicants- but it’s that pesky 16% who would, apparently, be better than me who are the problem.
I say “apparently” because I don’t think a, frankly tenuous, multiple choice exam can truly determine someone’s capability as a Doctor, Surgeon, Psychiatrist or what have you.
Heck, there’s no easy way of doing it- but because of SHEER determination alone I feel as though I’d proved myself somewhat able to study the damn course next year.
I cannot describe how much I want to study Medicine, and I feel as though I’ve given it my all. I know I’d be good at it. I know it’s the only career I’d truly enjoy, and work well at.
But my HPAT results haven’t reflected this all too well.
On the CAO website, it’s possible to get a breakdown of your results Section by Section- I excelled in Section 1- So it seems I’m pretty logical and can solve problems pretty nicely, then.
Section 2- Interpersonal Relationships- wasn’t great. I’d honestly assumed this was my forte- I’d always done best here in the sample tests- but it was only mediocre on the day.
Section 3, however, is where I really got dragged down. I didn’t even score 50 points here. I’ve come up with an excuse though, of course,- I’m a girl.
It’s not much of an excuse, but I’m blaming the sexist nature of the paper- Girls suck at that kind of thing, generally speaking, compared to boys. Seriously, FACT. We were raised playing with our Barbies- they had their lego and K’nex and what have you. We learned nothing, only how to be subservient and fashionable, they developed spacial awareness.
Yeah. So I’m blaming bad parenting, then.
I thought I’d be able to tell if I got into Medicine or not today, but it’s impossible to do so, really.
Combining my Leaving Cert points from last year as an indication with my HPAT results, I get as follows:
550 + 173 = 723.
723 out of 860, seems a bit awful, right? Does anyone understand why I cried, just a little?
However, I’ve since discovered that nobody seems to have got more than around and about 207-210. That, of course, means the very maximum could be, what, 560+ 210= 770?
I’m a good 60 or 50 points off the top candidates, but I’m still a hell of a lot higher than some of the average or weaker students.
Most people seem to have gotten 150 or thereabouts in the HPATs, and I wouldn’t go as far as saying hope is lost for any of them, or for me, merely diluted.
Because all the HPAT results seem to be over such a narrow range, the Leaving Cert results are still of fundamental importance.
Anyone who thinks they’ll get into Medicine with 480 points is horribly deluded- but there’s hope for people who break well into the 500s, especially if their HPAT results were even alright.
Sigh. I don’t know.
I can’t wait for August 12th. But, more importantly, I can’t wait for August 17th- the day of CAO offers.
I’ll take Medicine anywhere in Ireland. If Trinity’s out than I’ll gladly head to Galway. I’d even take the plunge and accept CORK if I had to- even though I hate the city (nothing personal, guys) and would really hate to end up there.
For now though, I’m going to just try and forget about it and enjoy my Summer.
I’ll return in August to let you all know how I get on! Keep your fingers crossed for me, please.
EDIT: This article from the Irish Times is wonderfully informative.
Comments are closed.
great hair…yea dats what i look for in a doctor!!
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That was the sound of me not bovvvverin’ to reply to people calling me a pretentious cunt anymore. Or whateverthefuck.
It’s been great guys.
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What the fudge? Jennie using a swearword? Well I’ll be. And wow, it seems I’m not the only nocturnal one here then.
Oh, and about that whole “people being d**k holes when they are anonymous” is true to a certain degree. But not for me.
To be honest I’m a lot more critical and blunt in real life then on some internet blog, and I will say that if I DO end up in the same course as Jennie – as I know what she looks like (with the great hair and all)- I will reveal myself as WhatTheHell. No jokes.
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Looking forward to it.
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Just don’t slap me, ok?
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what the hell, you’re going to get stomach ulcers next year if you think there’s some kind of bizarre mold all doctors should be cast from. You’ll be in a class of up to 200 people, maybe about 60% Irish, of all qualities…preps, jocks, Asian nerds, cool Asians, unfriendly black hotties, girls who eat their feelings, girls who don’t eat anything, desperate wannabes, sexually active band geeks….people who get adrenaline rushes at exams and/or aptitude tests (are you saying those who think back over exams, curse themselves for slip ups and pretty much strive for perfection are going to make bad doctors?)…people who are honest when things don’t go as they wished…and of course, the WORST KIND OF PERSON….those who use hyperbole to make their blogs an interesting read…what daring sons of bitches. Anyway, I doubt you’ll be reminding any of them to their faces that they only have till mid October to switch to a course more suited to them – because the one thing they all have in common is strong resolve and determination. Just watch yourself if you do decide to tell a med that you have adjudged them to be of poor ‘doctor material’, they carry scalpels. So anyway, chances are you’ll be biting back a lot of words when you see how many people don’t fit your doctor stencil, and stress exacerbates ulcers.
Mind yourself, transition to college life can be tough enough without ending up in hospital wondering if the doctor treating you ever wrote a soppy melodramatic blog post…
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OMG I got the popular culture reference.
I fail at life.
I said I’d stop replying to comments, but I lied. Nice one kneeve.
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I get an email sent to my inbox everytime someone comments, you see.
It’s hard to stay away…
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Check out that lack of willpower. And you got the popular culture reference? So you’ve been going to the pictures as well as drinking alcomahol down at the discotheque?
You know you’ve got 24 hours to change your CAO before you like, soil the medical community with your unstoppable social ventures.
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Well kneeve, if that is your real name, I am not a welling mass of low self-esteem. I am not afraid of people. I speak my mind and fight for what I believe. And this is what makes me, my friends and family believe that I will make a great Doctor.
I’m guessing that you’re not going for medicine yourself, am I right? Because any Doctor worth their salt would not share views like yours filled with timid mortification and self-doubt.
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…so do you just like, pick fights with everyone then WhatTheHell?
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What the hell, god almighty no one would accuse you of lacking self esteem. I gave you the benefit of the doubt and assumed you knew where to draw the line between having the stones to say what you think, and having the grace to acknowledge which of those thoughts are appropriate to voice.
Like going up to someone and telling them unprovoked that you think they’re ugly. Since you misinterpreted my last comment I’ll state explicitly that I’m not saying you would do that. But it’s comparable. It’s not your judgement to make, whether or not someone will make a good doctor. Nothing gives you that superiority. And nothing good will come of it if you share those opinions. They’re not going to drop out. You’ll either shake their confidence, or turn them against you, and for no justified reason.
I’m already in medicine. A student though, so I still make mistakes, we haven’t done the module where they teach you to veil your timid mortification yet.
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Only if someone deserves it. I never take insults and I always confront people who are rude or insensitive, even if I do taint a perfectly bliss atmosphere, much like on this blog.
I’m not actually an aggressive person, contrary to popular belief, quite the opposite really.
Tell me, Jennie, if you had something to say to someone, would you bite your tongue to maintain stability or confront the issue?
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You confronted the writer for being insensitive in the blog. She wrote honestly about her results and said what she felt.
If not honesty, what exactly are you advocating?
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Well Kneeve, honesty IS the best policy and I most certainly have no qualms with Jennie’s use of honesty in her blog. No no.
I do however disagree with her expressive nature. If that is honestly the way Jennie feels, that’s fine. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to agree with her. Not at all.
I am advocating simply the right to stand for what you believe. Obviously not to do something so blatant as to say “you’re ugly” to someone. As you said, there is a fine line between expressing ones beliefs boldly and voicing what is impertinent or inappropriate.
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But, ‘you don’t seem like good doctor material to me’? ‘God I hope you fail’? Way to take a stand against rudeness and insensitivity. I don’t think you see the line I mentioned.
You don’t disagree with the material in the blog – the honest report of the writer’s experience of the HPAT (I don’t see how one could disagree with someone else’s experience, anyway). You mentioned before you find the blog well-written and witty – so therefore the expression of the material was acceptable. So I don’t see where you’re coming from with this ‘expressive nature’.
Anyway. I originally commented to challenge your view that there exists an ideal doctor material. We’ve dealt with that, and right now I’m feeling uncomfortable playing warrior for someone who’s demonstrated she’s clearly capable of standing up for herself if she feels the need to justify herself. Don’t think this is my place anymore so I’m going to duck out now. Good luck. Okay, thank you. Goodbye.
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Well you’ve got it all wrong, so duck out as you please.
What I meant bey expression was about how she continually jeered her score and mocked others by this.
And the insensitivity on my part? Yes, I can be insensitive but, as explained above, only when I feel obliged and insulted myself.
And oh how I see the line. It’s a big luminous, psychedelic glowing strip to me. Clearly we’re not really getting anywhere. So goodbye.
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well jennie i think you’re a really talented writer and i hope you get medicine in trinity because you deserve it for having to listen to this crap off people for the year.everybody has their own expectations and if you honestly thought you could have done better than 84% then hard luck but i’m sure you’ll get medicine with your leaving cert results anyway.:D
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Oh he’s gone is he? How sad.
Jennie so long as you have you have amazing hair, nothing else matters really
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I didn’t really think I was rehabilitated, but I guess they needed the beds…?
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does anyone know are business courses meant to drop this year???
is this a ridiculous cao…coz i really havn a clue:
1. DC111 Business Studies
2. DN015 Commerce
3. DT365 Business and Management
4. DC115 Accounting and Finance
5. DT366 Accounting and Finance
6. DT341 Marketing
7. GY201 Commerce
8. DN012 Arts
9. MD500 Arts – Irish Studies and Religious Studies
10. GY101 Arts
:S thanks
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No need for arts at the end. Your bound to get one of your preferences before arts.
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hey guys!! been reading this for a while now having a good laugh at all the arguments…. anyway jennie i got 178 in the aptitude test and thats in the 88th percentile, so just say if you get 550 points and i get 540 you will be above me as i will have 718 and you would have 724?? (i think you got 174, can’t remember)! the leaving cert is still really important so i wouldn’t give up hope yet! the h pat results are obviously really close so it will come down to the points.
i just wish i knew now whether i had it or not!!
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None of this petty shit matters any more, no h pat, no leaving cert, no arguments, no points requirements, no college courses the only thing that matters now is that Oxegen is in less than a weeks time!!!
See you fuckers up front at bloc party. Holy crap I can’t wait!!
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Hey,
have to agree with aoife, this is hilarious! its just a big circle of people talking shit about people talking shit. just to let ye know most people are saying now you need about 720 to get in (don’t know where they came up with that but…). so yeah, most people aren’t going to be secure and i think everyone was disappointed for the most part. i don’t see anything wrong with jennie being upset with her mark – its not a bad grade but everyone wants security. saying its wrong to be upset with a high mark is idiotic because thats like saying a med-hopeful before now shouldn’t have been upset with 550 because some people only got 300.
On the Trinity thing, i have it second on my list and i agree that its a lovely place. I have a family of doctors and from what i’ve heard UCC has a great med course so thats where i’m going.
I know it was asked before but what the highest result you’ve heard of? the times said 230 and i heard a rumour of 250? anyone?
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OMG, imagine getting 250, how epic would you feel?
The highest I’ve heard is the 230 listed in the Times though (Whoever that is, legend).
Thanks for the above nice comments all, haven’t been around replying all so much.
Saul though… YEOWWWWWWWWWWW, roll on Oxegen!
I actually cannot WAIT for Digitalism.
Untz untz untzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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HAHA! Some serious raving time will be put in! Apparently Red camp is where the party’s at this time, I’ll be buzzin there anyway!
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Red was more fun last year anyway!
See you all there….
>>
)
(Hopefully not
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Hahahaha, Red was a ghost town compared to Blue this year, whoever told you Red was better must of been on crack!
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Hey jennie, well done on your results, i doubt you’ll have much trouble being accepted into medicine this year, and good on you for going back and repeating when you already had amazing points.
don’t mind all the abuse you’re getting, you don’t deserve it, you wrote such interesting witty blogs all year and kudos to your braveness in sharing your results. Its comforting to read someone elses experiences in dealing with the same thing as i am.
i’m also hoping to get trinity for basically the same reasons as you, i really don’t care about the bragging rights either, i just love the college, and its atmosphere and i have a few friends there. I really hope you get what you want, because you have such genuine reasons to become a doctor
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