There are rumours abound that medicine, and particularly graduate entry, are courses that will mean an end to your social life. Luckily enough this is not the case! UCD Medical Society are an amazing society run by medical students so they understand the need to let off a little bit of steam every now and then! Every year kicks off with Wine & Cheese in September (and Wine & Cheese II in January for good measure!). This is a great event to get to know/catch up with classmates after the break. There’s lots of free wine and supposedly cheese too, though I can’t say I’ve ever noticed any!
One of the next big events held every year is MedDay. The sole aim of MedDay is to raise as much money as possible for charity. The list of charities changes from year to year and this year the charities chosen were Helium Children’s Arts, The Laura Lynn Foundation, the Bone Marrow Trust, Cardiac Risk in the Young, the Irish Hospice Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, St Vincent’s Foundation and the Mater Foundation. Starting early in the morning there is a bucket run with a couple of hundred medical students donning white coats and taking to the streets across Dublin city to collect money. There is usually some very entertaining (read: bad!) busking on Grafton St and free breakfast for those who got up at the crack of dawn. Throughout the day there are various activities including Battle of the Bands and it all culminates in a great night out! In 2014 MedSoc raised €21,198 for these amazing charities.
Arguably the best night of the UCD Medical year is MedBall. Held in or around the last day of first trimester every year, this is definitely the event not to missed. It is an opulent black tie and ballgown affair that never disappoints. It happens right before study week and is a great excuse to have one last night of relaxation before all the cramming starts! Every year there is a theme, with a decorated ballroom to match. Last years theme was “A Night At The Movies” and there were various film characters scattered about the room for photo ops. Okay so they were cardboard but how else are you going to get a minion, Harry Potter and Marilyn Monroe together in the same room? The night begins with a champagne reception followed by a three course meal and then dancing until the early hours.
Semester two gets off to a great start with the Tag Rugby League. Teams from every year battle it out in the freezing cold, wind, rain and snow (we’ve been having bad weather lately!) in pursuit of the winning title! This league is all for fun but that’s not to say things don’t get serious when you’re on the pitch! Sticking with the exercise theme in semester two, MedSoc also host their very own Strictly Come Dancing competition and the much coveted MedCup! Strictly Come Dancing is exactly what you think it is! Couples from each year take to the dance floor to show off their moves and earn some money for charity while they’re at it! This year fellow GEM2 and UCD Ambassador Chloe Hitchcock will be taking part and I have it on good authority that she doesn’t have two left feet! Last year the event raised over €10,000 for the National Maternity Hospital Holles St and are hoping to raise even more for the hospital this year. The event takes place on at 7pm on March 5th in the Button Factory so make sure to come along and support a great cause. MedCup is one of the last events of the year and is much hyped about! One male and one female team from each year compete in this soccer tournament for the title of MedCup champions and their very own trophy! MedCup takes place towards the end of the second semester so the weather has usually picked up and players tend to be more worried about sunburn than the frostbite they suffer in Tag Rugby! MedCup is a great day out on the pitches with an almost festival feel.x
Last year Jack Gleeson (of Game of Thrones infamy) even came out to help the GEM1 girls team come absolutely nowhere near first place! (The real deal this time, not a cardboard cut out!) The day ends with Med Gala, a more laid back affair than Med Ball and a great way to end what can be an exhausting day! MedSoc don’t just hold events and great nights out though. They also host various talks and seminars through out the year, from careers talks given by doctors in various fields, to information sessions on how to manage stress and maintain a healthy work/life balance. So if you’re considering applying for medicine on your CAO or thinking about GEM but worried about the effect to your social life, don’t fear, MedSoc has you covered! You can check out their facebook page and you can also follow the society on twitter and instagram! https://www.facebook.com/UCDMedSoc?ref=ts&fref=ts https://twitter.com/ucdmedsoc http://instagram.com/ucdmedsoc Photos courtesy of UCD Medical Society
