Life after the Leaving: ‘I thought a year was forever, but it flew’

“I was always interested in the sciences and had work experience in a lab in transition year. I didn’t think it was for me, and I went on work placement in the Galway Clinic the next year. Then I realised medicine was for me.

“I had done well in my Junior Cert, and I knew what I was aiming for, so I worked really hard. That said, when I got my results I couldn’t believe the six A1s. I was in the car with my mum and I kept adding them up to check. I was on top of the world.

“All the same, I knew that even with 600 points, I’d be cutting it close because I wasn’t thrilled with my HPat [medical school entry exam] result. It came as a shock when I didn’t get an offer in medicine. I hadn’t anticipated how important the HPat was. I had thought about repeating the Leaving if I needed to. I had no idea what to do.

“I spent the first while in shock. I wondered whether to take pharmacy, my second choice. It took me a while to figure I could repeat the HPat, and to get my head around that. My mum was the one who said, ‘Look, you know you did all you could with the Leaving Cert but you know you could have done more for the HPat. It’s just one exam.’

“She was right, of course. The first time I wasn’t aware of the practice material online. I had practised but my focus was the Leaving Cert. This time, I practised every week. I had a job in a local shop so that was a good focus.

“It was so strange. I had been in the paper with my results so I had to explain to people over and over again why I wasn’t going to college. In the end it wasn’t terrible. I had a couple of friends repeating the Leaving in Claremorris and I visited other friends in college. We did laugh that they were in college and here I was stuck at home with my 600 points.

“At the time I thought a year was forever, but it flew. It seemed one moment I was devastated and the next it was February and time to sit the HPat again. There was a lot of pressure second time around but I felt more prepared.

“When the offers came around, I knew it would still be tight, but this time I knew I had done absolutely everything I possibly could. When I got the offer, I couldn’t believe it. It was like results day all over again. I kept refreshing the screen to make sure it said I had my place. I had to double-check when the post arrived. I was delighted.

"I didn't do pre-med year so going into medicine in NUI Galway was intense. Making friends and coping with the workload took some getting used to, but I just love it. I'm about to go into third year now and I have absolutely no regrets. I'm delighted I didn't settle for second best. Medicine was always the right choice for me. I'm so glad I tried again."

– In conversation with Gráinne Faller