Ryan Mangan was shattered when he initially did not secure enough points in his Leaving Cert to study medicine – but now, over a decade on, thanks to medical school in Tbilisi, Georgia, his dream is finally within reach
Ryan Mangan has enjoyed learning about Georgian culture during his time studying in capital city Tbilisi
“Becoming a doctor was an ambition I developed as a teenager growing up in Belclare, Co Galway. I was fascinated by human anatomy. My family, on my mum’s side, were very involved with the Order of Malta, so they’re first aid responders. So I guess I got some inspiration from that side, although there are no doctors in my family.
I studied very hard and got over 500 points in the Leaving Cert, but I didn’t get enough to be able to study medicine. It was shattering for me. I did a repeat Leaving Cert the following year, in 2014, when I was 19, and still didn’t get enough points to study medicine.