Applicants for UK Schools C/O 2015/2016

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Originally Posted by Taigadog

I am also going out the week of the 17th to Glasgow and Dublin (thank you, frequent flier miles) and any advice/places to go/people to talk to/ways to travel from one to the other would be appreciated! Right now I'm leaning towards Glasgow but could be swayed. Bigkittenf, if we cross paths we can compare notes on Glasgow. I will also be happy to post my experiences at each on SDN for anyone interested.

I assume you are coming out the week following March 17th? If that is the case, you will be good to go for Dublin - we have our 2 week break prior to that, so the school would be out of session for the first 2 weeks of March and it would be hard for you to see anything then. If you come the week after you will be fine. March 19th is a holiday here due to St. Patrick's Day. But if you let me know when you are planning on coming to Dublin, I can give you ideas on where to stay (depending on what you want to do while you are here) and also would be more than happy to show you around campus between my classes. The faculty here are really great and I am sure if you called them they could probably show you around as well - give you a more in depth tour and perhaps you could meet with the student advisor too!

Originally Posted by bigkittinteef

I've got my fingers crossed for you! See? ==>

haha thanks bigkittinteef! yeahhh so they said by the end of this week...((sigh....))

Aww lame! Keep us posted! We're rooting for you!

I'm in at Dublin!!!!

Yes, I've made an appointment at Dublin for the 22nd and will probably be visiting Glasgow from the 18th to the morning of the 22nd. I'm thrilled, and it's been three application cycles for me--so hang in there everyone that's still trying! Thanks for all the advice and I'm happy to take any more suggestions you may have about travel plans!

Originally Posted by mooshagen

I'm in at Dublin!!!!

Huge congrats!!!!! I got your PM - just want to make sure I have all the right answers before I reply!

Originally Posted by bigkittinteef

Aww lame! Keep us posted! We're rooting for you!

just got the rejection email an hour ago...

oh well.

GLuck everyone with your future studies :]

I'm so sorry thaowey. Are you waiting for anymore schools? If not, I really hope you'll apply again next cycle. Don't give up! :hugs:

Originally Posted by thaowey

just got the rejection email an hour ago...

oh well.

GLuck everyone with your future studies :]

Booo. I'm so sorry to hear this Thaowey. =(

I don't know if any of you remember my RVC drama, but they e-mailed me yesterday to said they still hadn't received an e-mail from the vet that met the requirements they requested (Grr). Anywho they said they would give me til the end of the week to get it to them. I withdrew my app, but for those of you still waiting this makes me think they may be sending out a new round of acceptances/ interviews soon. Good luck!

That's crazy! I wonder why your letter never got figured out. At least you're in at CSU right? No skin off your back.

Hey everyone! I made a thread specifically for pros and cons of the UK schools. If you are attending or have attended a UK school, please post your thoughts and opinions. It's very hard for us to figure out where to go when many of us cannot go or have never been to these schools! Any input is very much appreciated. Thanks!
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=891368

Originally Posted by bigkittinteef

That's crazy! I wonder why your letter never got figured out. At least you're in at CSU right? No skin off your back.

I know. I didn't have the best experience with RVC's employees, but I suppose it's nice that they were still considering me. I did get into CSU, but if it weren't financially beneficial for me to stay here I would have accepted Edinburgh in a heartbeat.

Congrats mooshagen!! UCD is awesome

And Taigadog hope u have an awesome time visiting the schools over here!! I'll be around the week of the 22nd too (I'm kind of hard to miss what with the newfie following me around etc.) Anyways if you have any questions etc. let me know! (John Buckley might have given u my email address so feel free to use it!!)

M.A.

Originally Posted by mas185

Congrats mooshagen!! UCD is awesome

And Taigadog hope u have an awesome time visiting the schools over here!! I'll be around the week of the 22nd too (I'm kind of hard to miss what with the newfie following me around etc.) Anyways if you have any questions etc. let me know! (John Buckley might have given u my email address so feel free to use it!!)

M.A.

Thank you!!! I am so excited!!!

Does anyone know the FAFSA code for UCD? =/ "Ireland" is not on the list of locations.

Originally Posted by mooshagen

Does anyone know the FAFSA code for UCD? =/ "Ireland" is not on the list of locations.

Yes it is G10188

Originally Posted by devyn

Yes it is G10188

GREAT. Thank you so much!

I got into the four year program at RVC this morning!!!!! I am so excited!

I got the call from Dublin 3 weeks ago and was absolutely thrilled! I'll be visiting the second week of April and was wondering if the school has accomodations for visiting future students! Is this something I would ask Grace about? I've never been to Europe, much less Ireland but since I've been waitlisted at Glasgow, it looks like the decision will come down to UCD vs. Western in CA about 30 mins from home for me. Students that currently attend UCD, what are some of your favorite aspects of the veterinary program and Dublin as a city?

Howister has created a facebook group for the Edinburgh students (with Victoria's blessing of course). Victoria will provide information through the group (Yay!). Also for those who want to get a head start on meeting future classmates or possible future flatmates, this is perfect!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1798.../?notif_t=like

Anyone care to speak on the average amount of rent per month for someone who goes to UCD? How far do you live from school? With anyone else? Did it come furnished? Thanks!

Originally Posted by sofie

I got into the four year program at RVC this morning!!!!! I am so excited!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! You're going to be a VET!

bigkittinteef and Taigadog!

I am seriously considering (and very excited/thrilled/etc) to go to Univ of Glasgow. I've been trying to do a lot of research to get a better idea about... EVERYTHING and it's pretty overwhelming.

I'd love it if you two (who are visiting Glasgow in March) could share your pictures and notations with me? I'm new to this forum so I'm hoping that I'm replying correctly as well... Everyone's been so supportive and helpful, I LOVE IT!

Everything I've come across about Glasgow seems SO GREAT, but my main concern is FINANCES. I'm trying to get a better idea on housing options (preferably not in the dorms with 19 to 20 year olds... I think I've had enough of that as a freshman during my undergrad...) Everything I see regarding estimates for anything that's beyond tuition is a huge sum of "10,000" sterlings for extra expenses other than tuition to account for housing/books/travel/etc. I was hoping for a better estimate in which I can expect because federal loans loans loansss is my biggest obstacle I need to figure out.

I would appreciate everyone's help and please feel free to "PM" if you have any input! And I JUST did the calculation it's C/O 2017. I kind of wish it was 4 years only because of tuition costs, but I'm sure I will work miracles to pull through.

THANK YOU! I feel like I'm intruding on a community in this thread, but I hope you guys don't mind!

Congrats Mooshagen and Taigadog!! There are a bunch of us Dublin students on this forum so you should get lots of different perspectives about the program and life here. Some of us might still be around over Spring break, so hit us up if you need anything.

Originally Posted by mooshagen

Anyone care to speak on the average amount of rent per month for someone who goes to UCD? How far do you live from school? With anyone else? Did it come furnished? Thanks!

It depends on how many roommates you have? whether you want to live on campus your first year? With the campus being so close to the city center UCD is very accessible from all angles so you can choose how close you want to be to campus, but rents don't taper off THAT much with distance because of it's central location. There is tons of accommodation within walking distance, (even by the beach!) biking distance and on the tens of bus routes that pass through campus on the way into the city, but beware it gets scooped up early!
Most accommodation in Dublin comes furnished!! so that's a bonus when coming into 1st year. On campus accommodation is about 10mins walk door to door, but that can be said for almost any accommodation that close to campus.
2-roomates close to campus could be 500-600euro per month, a one bed around 800-900 euro per month, campus accommodation is around 800 per month (6 to an apartment each with own bathroom but sharing a kitchen and living room with other vets, med students)
Take a look at www.daft.ie to get some ideas. You can narrow your search to locations around UCD (among other schools) on this website!

Originally Posted by kristin2012

bigkittinteef and Taigadog!

I am seriously considering (and very excited/thrilled/etc) to go to Univ of Glasgow. I've been trying to do a lot of research to get a better idea about... EVERYTHING and it's pretty overwhelming.

I'd love it if you two (who are visiting Glasgow in March) could share your pictures and notations with me? I'm new to this forum so I'm hoping that I'm replying correctly as well... Everyone's been so supportive and helpful, I LOVE IT!

Everything I've come across about Glasgow seems SO GREAT, but my main concern is FINANCES. I'm trying to get a better idea on housing options (preferably not in the dorms with 19 to 20 year olds... I think I've had enough of that as a freshman during my undergrad...) Everything I see regarding estimates for anything that's beyond tuition is a huge sum of "10,000" sterlings for extra expenses other than tuition to account for housing/books/travel/etc. I was hoping for a better estimate in which I can expect because federal loans loans loansss is my biggest obstacle I need to figure out.

I would appreciate everyone's help and please feel free to "PM" if you have any input! And I JUST did the calculation it's C/O 2017. I kind of wish it was 4 years only because of tuition costs, but I'm sure I will work miracles to pull through.

THANK YOU! I feel like I'm intruding on a community in this thread, but I hope you guys don't mind!

I'm not sure if it's the same in Glasgow (but I'm going to guess it is) but a flat's (apartment) rent is usually expressed in pounds per person per week. I know when my flatmates from when I was studying abroad were looking for housing all were trying to stay around the 65-75 pounds per week range. Many tried to go under that, but then I'm sure the quality of the place and location affects that. They also lived with several flatmates. I almost went back there to do a Master's and the most expensive place I saw for one person was like 110 a week. And honestly, the 10,000 sounds about right. When I was abroad I spent around that, maybe a bit more on traveling, food, activities, etc. Since my housing was covered, obviously none went to that, but since I definitely won't be traveling as much, I'd say it's fairly accurate, esp with the exchange rate.

PS. I might potentially being going to Glasgow as well. I've had a recent financial setback so I'm trying to figure things out, but if I accept and you're looking for a potential flatmate, we should talk.

Originally Posted by mooshagen

Anyone care to speak on the average amount of rent per month for someone who goes to UCD? How far do you live from school? With anyone else? Did it come furnished? Thanks!

I hate to say it, but the cost of living is pretty high in Dublin (at least compared to what I'm used to). I'm paying 950 euro (~$1250) per month for a 1-bed/1-bath basement apartment about a mile or so north of campus. I've seen places for less - but I wanted one that would let me keep a dog and I was in a rush to get out of the hotel. On the plus side, it came furnished (I don't think I've ever seen an apartment that wasn't furnished here). We really only needed to buy kitchen stuff and bedding.

Utilities aren't too bad...but they add up.
Internet - 45 euro
Electricity - ~50 euro
Gas - ~20 euro

I don't know too much about the dorms; I've heard they are around 800 euro per month and include utilities....but you'll be sharing space with others.

My only problem with living off-campus has been the noise. I have neighbours who keep very different hours than I do and the building standards here aren't what I'm used to. I'm guessing the dorms have rules about noise or over-night guests or whatever; but my neighbours regularly have 8-12 people in their apartment until 5-6am on week nights. I'm not against people having parties, but I'd rather live some place where people go *out* to party

Originally Posted by orca2011

I'm not sure if it's the same in Glasgow (but I'm going to guess it is) but a flat's (apartment) rent is usually expressed in pounds per person per week. I know when my flatmates from when I was studying abroad were looking for housing all were trying to stay around the 65-75 pounds per week range. Many tried to go under that, but then I'm sure the quality of the place and location affects that. They also lived with several flatmates. I almost went back there to do a Master's and the most expensive place I saw for one person was like 110 a week. And honestly, the 10,000 sounds about right. When I was abroad I spent around that, maybe a bit more on traveling, food, activities, etc. Since my housing was covered, obviously none went to that, but since I definitely won't be traveling as much, I'd say it's fairly accurate, esp with the exchange rate.

PS. I might potentially being going to Glasgow as well. I've had a recent financial setback so I'm trying to figure things out, but if I accept and you're looking for a potential flatmate, we should talk.

Here's a general estimate for Glasgow in GBP:

Rent for a 2-3 person flat in Anniesland or the West End (Anniesland by the vet school is cheaper): 200-350 quid per person per month
Utilities: 30-60 per person per month
Internet: Probably between 10-15 per person per month
TV license for a year:150 total
Food: Typically under 30 per week per person
Depending on where you are from in the states, flights can be between 600-900 GBP round trip.
The amount of times and where you travel are up to you. Public transport isn't terrible around the city, and quite cheap. Cheap airlines like Ryan Air and Easy Jet, as well as student fares on trains make weekend getaways relatively inexpensive as well.

Originally Posted by mooshagen

Anyone care to speak on the average amount of rent per month for someone who goes to UCD? How far do you live from school? With anyone else? Did it come furnished? Thanks!

Actually I think living on campus is 650-700 euro/mth in the dorms. And yes if you plan to live in a one bedroom place by yourself then you will pay out the nose for it - that's just how it is. I believe Rob lives with his wife or fiance? (so he didn't get a roommate) But if you find roommates to live with (which is very doable seeing as there is always a FB group setup the summer prior to the semester start) - then you could pay between 500-650 euro/mth. I live in Donnybrook which is only a 15 min walk to campus (great area!) and I have one roommate - we pay 650 euro/mth each. I did negotiate the rent with the landlord and I could have found a cheaper place had I not had dogs, but they of course were top priority along with location as I wanted to be close to campus. Cost of living actually didn't surprise me here and I actually pay less then I did in the states for rent (I lived in Los Angeles), so I guess it all depends where you are from what your perspective is. Oh and pretty much everywhere here is furnished - it is rare to find places that are not.

Originally Posted by devyn

Actually I think living on campus is 650-700 euro/mth in the dorms. And yes if you plan to live in a one bedroom place by yourself then you will pay out the nose for it - that's just how it is. I believe Rob lives with his wife or fiance? (so he didn't get a roommate) But if you find roommates to live with (which is very doable seeing as there is always a FB group setup the summer prior to the semester start) - then you could pay between 500-650 euro/mth. I live in Donnybrook which is only a 15 min walk to campus (great area!) and I have one roommate - we pay 650 euro/mth each. I did negotiate the rent with the landlord and I could have found a cheaper place had I not had dogs, but they of course were top priority along with location as I wanted to be close to campus. Cost of living actually didn't surprise me here and I actually pay less then I did in the states for rent (I lived in Los Angeles), so I guess it all depends where you are from what your perspective is. Oh and pretty much everywhere here is furnished - it is rare to find places that are not.

Yeah - between having a dog and there being two of us; it made it hard to find a place. All of the room-shares we found on Daft.ie at the time either didn't allow dogs or didn't allow couples.

Before Dublin, I was in Fort Collins Colorado - so relative to that I think everything is overpriced here

We ended up signing a 12-month lease, but as soon as we can, we're hoping to find a cheaper place somewhere. This is also really embarrassing to admit but - when I signed the lease it said '220 euro per week'. I thought that meant 880 euro per month....but the math works out to 957 euro.

Math was never my subject.

If you don't mind me asking - how did you find your roommate? Is it another vet student or did you use Daft.ie or something else?

As an additional person's input for expenses, I contacted a 5th year at Glasgow who I met when I shadowed at a clinic in my town. Here's her monthly breakdown (in GBP):

~25-30 per week on groceries
~10 per month for phone and internet (which includes free calling to the USA on the landline)
~40 per month for utilities (includes both heat and electric) on average
~290 per month for rent (she live's in a townhouse with another person and shares rent/utilities)
~10 pounds per month for cell phone (she uses pay as you go, which is what I used when I was in Newcastle. Paid 10 quid a month and I got unlimited texting and internet the following month with TMobile. Not sure if I'll keep that SIM card or go with a different company since I'll be living there longer and I had problems getting service in my bedroom but no where else which was really annoying)
~Flights for her were about $3500 cause she went home during each break because her bf/now husband remained in the states and she wanted to see him.


And one thing that is nice, which I loved when I was there, is that you don't have to buy text books. The library has more than enough copies for everyone to use. Not sure if there are certain ones (like anatomy) that might be recommended to buy.


ETA: Just received more input from a girl in my town who is in her 2nd year at Glasgow now too.
~ 350 for rent (per month, her bf went over with her, so I'm sure he's contributing to rent as well)
~ 120 for food (per month)
~ 40 for phone/internet

Not sure what her cost is for utilities, but it does seem that they all seem to be falling within that range provided by Shortnsweet, which is reassuring. Overall though, she says she's loves the school and is glad she decided to not sit around and wait for a school in the states.

Originally Posted by Robdude

Yeah - between having a dog and there being two of us; it made it hard to find a place. All of the room-shares we found on Daft.ie at the time either didn't allow dogs or didn't allow couples.

Before Dublin, I was in Fort Collins Colorado - so relative to that I think everything is overpriced here

We ended up signing a 12-month lease, but as soon as we can, we're hoping to find a cheaper place somewhere. This is also really embarrassing to admit but - when I signed the lease it said '220 euro per week'. I thought that meant 880 euro per month....but the math works out to 957 euro.

Math was never my subject.

If you don't mind me asking - how did you find your roommate? Is it another vet student or did you use Daft.ie or something else?

I live with another vet student thankfully. Originally, I had planned on living with another 1st year girl I met on the FB group page and we met up when we got here, started looking for places, and realized our priorites for places were different (my dogs & living as close to campus as possible were mine and she wanted to pay as little as possible). So I got introduced to a 3rd year vet student through a friend who was looking for a roommate & it worked out really well. I don't think I would want to live with non-vet students just because of our schedule.

Just want to add, in case anyone is looking to compare - I am looking for a single bedroom flat for next year, and it is about 525 GBP to live in an okay place in the city of Edinburgh. Sharing a flat costs more around 350 GBP. Since the school is actually outside of the city, it is much cheaper to live closer to the school.

Hey everyone, thank you so much for the congratulations, it's been a long haul. Please keep the advice coming, it's really great to get first-hand perspectives.

Kristen2012, I am happy to give you as much feedback as you would like, and if you want to send me questions/things to look into I'd be more than happy to try my best.

Still looking for Glasgow students who will be around during break that I might be able to talk to--if you know anyone please send them my way!

Krsiten 2012, I will happily share pictures and info from my trip with anyone that is interested.

Originally Posted by Taigadog

Hey everyone, thank you so much for the congratulations, it's been a long haul. Please keep the advice coming, it's really great to get first-hand perspectives.

Kristen2012, I am happy to give you as much feedback as you would like, and if you want to send me questions/things to look into I'd be more than happy to try my best.

Still looking for Glasgow students who will be around during break that I might be able to talk to--if you know anyone please send them my way!

Honestly send just an e-mail to Joyce. She will send out a school wide e-mail and get you in contact with students who will be around.

Wow! Thank you so much for all the help on Dublin living, you guys! Also being from LA, this input has made me a little more optimistic, haha. Robdude, my head is still spinning around the rent not being 880... but I'm also pretty sucky at math, haha.

Originally Posted by mooshagen

Wow! Thank you so much for all the help on Dublin living, you guys! Also being from LA, this input has made me a little more optimistic, haha. Robdude, my head is still spinning around the rent not being 880... but I'm also pretty sucky at math, haha.

Sorry - I should have explained better.

There are 52 weeks in a year and 12 months in a year. That means a month is more like 4.348 weeks. But in my head - I thought '4 weeks in a month'. My 220 per week actually costs 957 and not 880.

Oh well

This is to current Dublin and RVC students. I will be visiting the schools next week to look at the facilities, campuses, area. Do you have any suggestions on places/things I should not miss? I want to make sure that I get an idea of what day to day life is like at the school. I would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks!

Will anyone else be in DC today for Dublin?

Sofie: For RVC, definitely check out both campuses if possible (HH and Camden). Camden is awesome because it's in the city, but HH is beautiful and spread out, and where you'll be spending the majority of your degree. Also, see if they'll let you sit in on a lecture, so you can get an idea of what it's like from that perspective. If you do make it to Hawkshead, let me know! I'm there during the week.

Originally Posted by sofie

This is to current Dublin and RVC students. I will be visiting the schools next week to look at the facilities, campuses, area. Do you have any suggestions on places/things I should not miss? I want to make sure that I get an idea of what day to day life is like at the school. I would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks!

For RVC, you should see both campuses. The London campus is small, so it won't really give you a good idea of the clinical facilities available. The main building at the Camden (London) campus is Hobday. I'm sure on a tour they'll show you the classrooms, library, computer room, cafe, anatomy museum and possibly the dissecting room. In terms of London, there are so many things to do. If you walk from the school to Camden Markets you can get a good idea of the food stores & everything else you'll need while living in the area. Reagent's Park is really pretty and close to the school, so if its not raining that's definitely worth going to (plus the London Zoo is there!)

I've never taken a tour of Hawkshead, and I've only been there a handful of times, but the big lecture hall that overlooks the dissecting room there is nice (and its the one where Inside Nature's Giants is filmed!) The library there is a lot bigger and the clinical skills labs are really cool. If you are there between 2-4pm (maybe only Tues and Thurs) the store is open where you can buy sweatshirts, etc.

Also, more people will be around on the Hawkshead campus. We just got off for a 6-7 week break here in London, and most people are leaving in the next day or 2, or left yesterday, for AHEMS placements. Have a great trip!

Dublin acceptance letter says no deferments. Anyone know someone who has tried?

I do not know anyone who has deferred once receiving acceptance, but from my understanding they do not allow it. Once you are here if something does come up and you have a legit reason to leave then they will grant deferments - a classmate just had to leave for a medical reason as was granted a deferment. I guess the best thing to do would be to call or email to find out for sure.

So, are all of the UK schools MVB programs? I'm waiting to hear back from Dublin, but I'm really not sure if I want to go there, just because I won't be graduating with a DVM. Is that the lamest reason ever? Is anyone else feeling the same way? I mean, I already have a Bachelors and almost a Masters. Do I REALLY want to go into hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt for ANOTHER Bachelors degree??? Ugh, IDK. Help.

They are BVMS, BVM&S, and BVSc degrees. But they are equivalent to a DVM. Everyone in the US recognizes those letters from accredited schools...so if that is your only reason not to attend, then I am confused??

I don't understand either. You will be a vet. Does it matter in the end what letters you have behind your name? I guess I don't care as long as I become a vet. I am not worried about people judging me for having another "bachelors degree". Obviously, the UKs bachelor degrees hold more weight than our own in this case.

You're still called doctor, so yeah, I guess it is a pretty weird reason, haha.

Originally Posted by jemappellejane

So, are all of the UK schools MVB programs? I'm waiting to hear back from Dublin, but I'm really not sure if I want to go there, just because I won't be graduating with a DVM. Is that the lamest reason ever? Is anyone else feeling the same way? I mean, I already have a Bachelors and almost a Masters. Do I REALLY want to go into hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt for ANOTHER Bachelors degree??? Ugh, IDK. Help.

Outside of N. America, education is not necessarily the same. While technically the degree is called a "bachelors" you will still be a veterinarian when you graduate and you will still be able to practice veterinary medicine in North America, UK and I assume Europe. It is equivalent to a doctorate degree in the US, so you will be called Doctor. While they call it a bachelor's over here, it is definitely not on the same level as undergrad. Heck, even the human physicians on this side of the pond only have "bachelors".

As for post-graduation, can I promise that no one will ever question your degree - no. But those people should be few and far between. Half my friends (with pets) don't even know what letters are in a vet's title.

I don't think what letters come after your name should dictate whether or not you go to a school. If you have bigger concerns though, and the BVM&S (or whatever Dublin is - I can't remember) puts it over the top, that is a different story.