Survival Guides:
General Tips:
Blackboard
Take a half hour to get familiar with Blackboard, don't be surprised if it replaces Facebook as your most visited webpage over the next 5/6 years.
Blackboard is where you'll find everything you need for the year; from timetables to lecture slides and exam results.
You and Blackboard will be the very best of friends. If you have trouble making friends with it (you shouldn't, it's a website), an extra diligent class rep will be the middle man and tell you of all the goings on.
Your student number (CAO number) will be your username, and the password is usually preset to galway and the dd/mm of your date of birth. e.g. galway1106 if you were born on the 11th of June.
*NOW AVAILABLE IN APP FORM!*
Blackboard is where you'll find everything you need for the year; from timetables to lecture slides and exam results.
You and Blackboard will be the very best of friends. If you have trouble making friends with it (you shouldn't, it's a website), an extra diligent class rep will be the middle man and tell you of all the goings on.
Your student number (CAO number) will be your username, and the password is usually preset to galway and the dd/mm of your date of birth. e.g. galway1106 if you were born on the 11th of June.
*NOW AVAILABLE IN APP FORM!*
Student Cards
Try to hang on to your student card! You'll need them to access the library, reading room and Anatomy labs in first med. Granted library access won't be of much concern to Pre Meds, but you won't be able to sit your exams without them. I'm sure you can think of a few better ways to spend €20 than on a replacement one!
Get out there!
Your first year of college is an exciting time. There is a lot more to student life in Galway than Grey's Anatomy and the Reading Room.
Join something; make sure your time in NUI Galway isn't all about studying! There are plenty of opportunities to become involved with different clubs and societies (check out Socs' Day and Clubs Day, which take place on campus annually; there are loads to choose from!). If you're planning your move to Galway and are worried that you won't be able to carry on your favourite pastime, do a quick bit of online research. Chances are if it's not offered on campus, it'll be offered somewhere in the city!
Join something; make sure your time in NUI Galway isn't all about studying! There are plenty of opportunities to become involved with different clubs and societies (check out Socs' Day and Clubs Day, which take place on campus annually; there are loads to choose from!). If you're planning your move to Galway and are worried that you won't be able to carry on your favourite pastime, do a quick bit of online research. Chances are if it's not offered on campus, it'll be offered somewhere in the city!
NUIG Studentmail
Your NUI Galway Studentmail account is a very handy way of keeping up to date with your various modules, not to mention messages from lecturers, and the School of Medicine. Very likely to become filled with spam emails from all the societies and clubs you enthusiastically join at the start of every year, so make sure not to miss out on anything important while wading through them. Most easily accessed by googling "nuig studentmail" (you'd be surprised by how many future doctors need to be told this).
Injections
These injections are a pain and an expense, but they're a necessary evil to make sure you have the all clear for having contact with patients in a hospital environment.
To start any kind of clinical placement you need to have been vaccinated for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Pulmonary TB, Chickenpox, Measles, Mumps and Rubella.
Most of these you will have received in primary or secondary school, except for Hep B.
You'll need to make an appointment with The Student Health Unit (upstairs in Áras na Mac Léinn, above the Bailey Allen) to get your jabs.
As well as this you'll need to get vaccination records from your GP to prove you've had all those other lovely needles.
You can book your appointment in the SHU by calling 091 750451.
To start any kind of clinical placement you need to have been vaccinated for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Pulmonary TB, Chickenpox, Measles, Mumps and Rubella.
Most of these you will have received in primary or secondary school, except for Hep B.
You'll need to make an appointment with The Student Health Unit (upstairs in Áras na Mac Léinn, above the Bailey Allen) to get your jabs.
As well as this you'll need to get vaccination records from your GP to prove you've had all those other lovely needles.
You can book your appointment in the SHU by calling 091 750451.
Garda vetting
You can be a doctor or you can be a criminal, but not both (my mom says that her consultant's clinic fees are criminal, but I guess that's kind of a loophole). Try not to get arrested.
There is a dedicated Garda Vetting signing that takes place in the Bailey Allen Hall on the first week of college. Keep an eye on your NUIG Studentmail for dates and times of this as you will NOT want to miss this. Be sure to bring photo ID.
If you do happen to miss it, you will be bombarded with emails until you get it sorted. You'll need to get your forms and get them signed and stamped by a commissioner for oaths/peace commissioner and drop them into Anne Marie Duggan in the Admissions Office.
There is a dedicated Garda Vetting signing that takes place in the Bailey Allen Hall on the first week of college. Keep an eye on your NUIG Studentmail for dates and times of this as you will NOT want to miss this. Be sure to bring photo ID.
If you do happen to miss it, you will be bombarded with emails until you get it sorted. You'll need to get your forms and get them signed and stamped by a commissioner for oaths/peace commissioner and drop them into Anne Marie Duggan in the Admissions Office.
Get out there!
Campus Map: Location of the Clinical Science Institute (CSI)
Important Locations: Pre Med
- Lectures:
Most of your lectures will be on the concourse. The easiest way to find the lecture halls is just to walk up and down a few times and keep your eyes peeled for the names. You'll become familiar with the common ones pretty quickly. Most will generally be towards the Bank of Ireland end.
- Labs:
Physics labs are surprisingly held in the Physics Department, which happens to be on the concourse as well. It's around midway up the concourse almost opposite the stairs down to the bialann. Again keep an eye out for the Department of Physics sign and the lab is down that corridor to the left. Biology labs are held in, yep, you guessed it, the biology laboratory! It can be found at the end of the concourse, near Smokey's Cafe. Chemistry labs can be found on concourse too, see how lovely and close together everything is for you?
Early Patient Contact lectures are often held in the Large Lecture Theatre in the CSI.
The CSI is located as a branch of the University Hospital Galway.
To find it, go in the main door of the hospital, and go through the foyer. Take the first left and walk past the lift/stair areas. Follow the long corridor along to the CSI.
Most of your lectures will be on the concourse. The easiest way to find the lecture halls is just to walk up and down a few times and keep your eyes peeled for the names. You'll become familiar with the common ones pretty quickly. Most will generally be towards the Bank of Ireland end.
- Labs:
Physics labs are surprisingly held in the Physics Department, which happens to be on the concourse as well. It's around midway up the concourse almost opposite the stairs down to the bialann. Again keep an eye out for the Department of Physics sign and the lab is down that corridor to the left. Biology labs are held in, yep, you guessed it, the biology laboratory! It can be found at the end of the concourse, near Smokey's Cafe. Chemistry labs can be found on concourse too, see how lovely and close together everything is for you?
Early Patient Contact lectures are often held in the Large Lecture Theatre in the CSI.
The CSI is located as a branch of the University Hospital Galway.
To find it, go in the main door of the hospital, and go through the foyer. Take the first left and walk past the lift/stair areas. Follow the long corridor along to the CSI.
Important Locations: 1st Med
-Lectures:
As the 1st Med class is considerably larger than the Pre Med class, you get to move to your very own building, the Human Biology Building (HBB). The majority of your lectures will take place in the large lecture hall.
Human Biology Building is on the southside of the campus, towards town. It's directly opposite Sult, which I'm sure you're all very familiar with. It's a pretty hard building to miss.
Some lectures may take place on the concourse, in the Arts Millennium building (near the library) or Aras Moyola (north side of campus, opposite the Engineering building).
-Labs:
The Anatomy labs are located near the Newcastle Road entrance to the college and is almost behind the quadrangle.
This campus map may help
http://www.nuigalway.ie/campus-map/
Physiology labs are held in the HBB.
As the 1st Med class is considerably larger than the Pre Med class, you get to move to your very own building, the Human Biology Building (HBB). The majority of your lectures will take place in the large lecture hall.
Human Biology Building is on the southside of the campus, towards town. It's directly opposite Sult, which I'm sure you're all very familiar with. It's a pretty hard building to miss.
Some lectures may take place on the concourse, in the Arts Millennium building (near the library) or Aras Moyola (north side of campus, opposite the Engineering building).
-Labs:
The Anatomy labs are located near the Newcastle Road entrance to the college and is almost behind the quadrangle.
This campus map may help
http://www.nuigalway.ie/campus-map/
Physiology labs are held in the HBB.