Who's going to call Atlantic Bridge, "Irland" today?

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Valmont

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OK. Here goes. So that we all can keep up with what is happening at AB, I thought it would be nice to have a room just for that. If you call or e-mail them, you can leave the A to the Q here. This way we don't swamp Mr. K. with requests.

I called Monday, and he said that it would be any day now. They actualy expected an answer by now. Has anyone, past this monday, called them. I would love to know what the word is.

I will call again this monday and post what I know.;)
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hey there...can someone clarify something for me...are offers coming in any day now for everyone, or only those people who applied before christmas? i applied in jan/feb. and i e-mailed mr. k earlier this week who told me not to expect anything until april or may...i know april is only a few days away so maybe they are on the way...i dunno!
 
:clap:
OK--- here it is. Some schools have just released to the AB. office this week answers for some applications. It is not at all clear what schools nor is it clear as to which applicants they have reached final conclusions. It would appear that they are not looking at applicants in the order of submission but more on the basis of overall best fit. If this is true, I suspect that they are holding off on rejections untill they have a full class and alternate list. I'll wager that they are sending acceptance letters now to the most competative applicants! There is hope yet for us all! :D
 
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Well here it is----

Cork--no offers yet
Dublin---on hold
Trinity---on hold
RCS----June interviews

So, the word is not bad for me---YET!:rolleyes:
 
Also:

Dublin--sent invitations and rejections
Trinity---same

if you don't get some answer by mail in the next few days then you are not of of the game.
 
Hey Valmont,
DO you know whenTrinity sent out their offers and when we should be hearing?
 
Valmont - did you find this out by calling Atlantic Bridge? Or did you find out via mail?
 
I don't know when the offers were mailed---but AB just got the answer at the end of last week.

And I got the Info. by calling.
 
Just got the word via e-mail from AB. Looks like Trinity e-mailed my rejection to him after he and I spoke today. He said I should expect the letter within a week.
 
Ok everyone...just got an e-mail from Mr. K at AB...I've found out that I am not among the students that have been regretted by UCD or TCD yet...so that's good news, for now. He said that offers are coming in, and these are not dependent on when you applied. There really isn't a timeline for the process as it depends entirely on the Admissions committees meeting in Dublin. So for those of you who haven't heard anything yet, stay positive because no news is good news.
 
badkarma25
did you get the e-mail b/c you e-mailed him or did he e-mail you without your making contact with him first?
you say no news is good news, but i'm not sure i believe that if they sent you an e-mail saying you weren't in the first round of rejections!
 
hi lola,
he didn't send me an unsolicited e-mail...i e-mailed him asking if there were any updates...and i don't see how it is bad news. he didn't tell me that i wasn't in the first round of rejections...he said i was not part of the group of students regretted from ucd and tcd thus far. how is that bad?
 
i mean, since i didn't hear that i wasn't rejected it might be bad news (since you heard and it was not bad news).
anyway, doesn't matter since you say the e-mail wasn't unsolicited.
how is not being part of the group that was regretted different from not being in the first round of rejections? maybe i don't understand what regretted means!
why is this so confusing ? :p
 
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Sorry to add to the confusion... but if Valmont was told by AB that they just got an email stating that he was rejected from Trinity (sorry to hear about that Valmont :( ) are these schools sending out rejections and acceptances on an ongoing basis or is it being done in batches? Does anyone know the chances of getting in if you are in the 2nd batch?
 
isabella,
i think the only reason valmont and badkarma25 are hearing by e-mail is b/c they've recently made contact with AB asking about the status of their apps. i think we need to sit tight and wait for the mail or else call the AB office.
 
ok, first off, to lola...i wasn't confused but i'm getting there now! as i said, mr. k told me that i am not one of the people who have been regretted (rejected) so far. that's it. i'm taking it as good news, and as long as i continue to hear nothing, my frame of mind is still positive. of course i would like to hear something positive from them, but as long as the mailbox is empty, it can't contain a rejection. that is as far as i'm taking it right now.
i still could very well be rejected in the coming weeks, but for now i'm still in the game.

secondly, to isabella, mr. k told me that the application process is an ongoing one and that notifications (either positive or negative) are being sent out as they are determined. he didn't say whether this was being done on an individual or batch basis.

i know i've said things like "first round" but i don't know that there is a first round, second round, or what...i'm not sure how they are doing it.

finally, lola is right. AB is not sending out unsolicited e-mails to applicants regarding the status of their applications. I e-mailed with a question and received a response. Now, like you, I will sit as tight as I can and wait until I get some mail from them. I hate waiting. Good luck ot everyone who is still waiting, congrats to those who have gotten in, and my regrets to those who have received bad news.
 
Hey guys, congratulations to those who were accepted and very sorry to hear about those who received bad news:( I called AB last Monday and Mr. K. told me that I wasn't in UCDs first round offers. I emailed him today to find out about Trinity and asked about the selection process of UCD. Here's what he said:"Trinity College has also now advised that you are not amongst its first round of offers. However, you have not been regretted by either school. In the event that a student who has received an offer in the first round does not accept that offer you are amongst a pool of applicants who will be reconsidered for any available place(s).
Each year both schools issue a second round of offers so there is still a possibility that you may be offered a place this year. " Maybe this will help clear some things up?
 
hey DLach,
thanks for the info about AB. it helps to at least sort of understand what's going on! does anyone know how long people have to make a decision if accepted? i'm thinkin i'd rather not hear yet cause i wouldn't be able to make a decision at this point!
best of luck to everyone waiting to hear. :)
-lola
 
Lola,
You only get about 2 weeks to make a decision. I think this is a pretty standard amount of time with U.S. schools as well, but the difference is that Irish schools ask for a $3400 deposit as opposed to say $100. Like you said, I kind of wish I did not find out yet because I am still waiting on Pitt (tomorrow's the big day, I guess). I wish I had more time to get over there to check out the schools...I was going to go this week, but I figured I will wait until I hear from Trinity.
This is such a HUGE decision to make...maybe I will just post an SDN poll and let everyone decide for me ;). Alright, I won't keep rambling, but its getting down to crunch time. I almost want to get some rejections just so my choices are narrowed down for me... actually, disregard that, I can't believe I just said "I want rejections!"
Good luck everyone.
 
hey JMD,
congrats on getting into UCD...if it helps your decision at all, Trinity is the most highly regarded university in the Irish republic (not that there is anything wrong with UCD). hope you hear from Pitt soon...
 
Best wishes to all. I will be away for a few days. Pray that we all get what is best for us.

Though I must say that I am a bit sick over Trinity.

As of yet I have not been accepted any where. The answers should be comeing in the middle of this month.

See ya'll soon!:p
 
I got my accaptance fed ex today.

need to send int he $ by april 22. that is way too short! i have an interview april 23!

i wish i had more time, i would like to travel over there first......
 
yay for bridgie :) !!!

i just e-mailed ab, and they told me a letter is in the mail, whatever that means. i didn't pay extra for the speedy delivery.

any idea what you'll do, bridgie?
 
congrats on your acceptance Bridge!
Badkarma- I sort of disagree with you comment regarding the Trinity med school being the best in Ireland (no offense!) . I was talking to 2 doctors who are Irish and went to medical school in Ireland (one went to Trinity and the other to UCD). One is practicing here in Toronto and the other came to do a fellowship here as well and will be returning to Ireland to work. I asked them what they thought of the 4 Irish schools (Trin, UCD, Cork and Royal College) and they said that they are all on the same scale- one is not better than the other. This same feeling has been confirmed by many others (I work in a hospital and am always looking for some sort of feedback!). It is just that Trinity is talked about more since it is well known for its arts program and has had many famouse writers graduate from there! Just thought I would share that with you guys!
 
Soooooo... I called AB today and received some pretty good news. I have been offered places at UCD (which I knew), Trinity, and UCC, BUT Trinity only offered me a place in the 6 year program. I kind of thought this might happen because I was a non-science major and LeoRL kind of alluded to the fact that Trinity does this.

It looks like if I am going to go to Ireland, it will be UCD. I talked to Peter Nealon (I think that's his name, can't think right now) for a while, and he had nothing but good things to say about the school/ affiliated hospitals. I have to decide within the next few days. I think I HAVE to go to Ireland... I had my heart set on it for so long, and I know I will be kicking myself in the a$$ for the rest of my life if I don't. I really don't care at all about the IMG stigma or anything, it is more a matter of $, family, etc.

Please LeoRL (you are the main person I look to for Ireland info, thanks :D) and anyone else over there, tell me again how great it is so that I can reassure myself. I am second-guessing every decision I attempt to make right now. I won't have time to go over there before I have to send in my deposit, so I will just have to blindly throw myself into it if I go.
I do have one quick question, how is the area where UCD Med. is located? The Hospitals? Is it anywhere near Trinity and RCSI? OK, that's 3 quick questions.

I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has been a part of the Ireland threads over the past year or so. You have all been extremely helpful, and whether I end up there or not, I wish you all the best of luck in the future. :cool:
 
Congratulations JMD!:)
 
that's awesome, jmd!!! :) yipeeeeeee.

i wish i could answer your questions, but unfortunately i can't. what about pitt? ;)
 
Congrats JMD! I'll reassure you :) I absolutely love it here and have no regrets. It was the perfect choice for me and like you, I prioritized having the chance to study abroad over being an IMG. Looking back and comparing what I do to what my med friends in the US do, I have no doubt that I made the right decision and am certain that I'm much happier here than I would be in the US.

I'm not totally certain where UCD is, but it's not that far away from the city center. I know the rugby pitch is in Belfield, which is like a 10 minute bus ride. UCD is still pretty close to TCD / RCSI. I'm not sure where the hospitals are in relation to UCD, but I'd imagine pretty close. Also not very far from the city center.

As far as the Irish schools are concerned. The standard in Ireland is pretty much the same wherever you decide to go. Trinity or RCSI would not be better than UCC or UCD. THat's a different concept than what we grow up with in the US, but think about it - in the US, medical education is all the same whether you go to Harvard or Tulane. You all learn the same things, it's what you make of your experience that counts. Medical education is pretty much standard world-wide. Things just become differentiated a bit in residency programs.

The reason people hear about Trinity more is because of its international reputation regarding famous authors, dramatists, etc and its "connection" to Oxford and Cambridge. Although it has leading centers in science and is the primary research center in Ireland, that doesn't really contribute to its fame. Also, because it's so old, it's a huge tourist attraction and while it has a gorgeous campus, it's age can be a detriment in terms of providing totally modern technology, although it has done pretty well. (it just gets annoying sometimes when the networks get really slow or you have to wait in long queues to get a computer). All Ireland's medical schools are very well respected, and if you went to Boston or somewhere, you'd meet just as many practicing docs from UCD as from Trinity or RCSI.
 
congratulations bridgie and JMD :clap:
(hope I haven't forgotten anyone....)
 
Originally posted by leorl
I'm not totally certain where UCD is, but it's not that far away from the city center. I know the rugby pitch is in Belfield, which is like a 10 minute bus ride. UCD is still pretty close to TCD / RCSI. I'm not sure where the hospitals are in relation to UCD, but I'd imagine pretty close. Also not very far from the city center.
Click to expand...

UCD's main campus is in Belfield on the southside of Dublin. It's a good 20 min bus ride (depending on traffic) from the city centre ;) The UCD med school is in the city centre off Stephen's Green (on Earlsfort Terrace) on the opposite side of the Green to Grafton Street and RCSI.

UCD has two main teaching hospitals. The Mater which is in the north inner city. The area it's in is OK but it's near enough to some dodgier areas. The other main teaching hospital is St. Vincents which is on the southside near enough to the Belfield campus. There's a whole load of smaller specialty hospitals too for obs/gynae, opthamol, paeds etc etc dotted around the city.

Congrats to all those accepted - just make sure to pack a waterproof jacket ;)

P
 
Whats new guys? Anyone else get good news. Congradulations to all have been accepted, and best of luck to we who are in the loop and holding!:D
 
So does anyone know more or less how the skools give offers? Is it based on first come basis (ie, those who applied in dec. are looked at before those who applied in jan/feb)?

some ppl have posted that the irish Schools offer acceptances to the most competitive applicants at first and wait on rejections until they have a full class.
Is that how it;s done?
Does anyone really know or are these just speculations?

ANYONE OUT THERE APPLY IN JAN/ FEB AND RECIEVE AN ACCEPTANCE/REJECTION YET?
 
I called AB today and basically told them I need a few more days to decide because I am going to go to Dublin to check out the school (UCD). I was told that I should take a check with me to Ireland and pay them directly while I am there, because the due date for my deposit can't be changed (4/8). So, I am leaving for Dublin on Sunday, coming back Wednesday. This is going to be so hard. Making a decision while I am there, jet lagged, and directly under the influence of Dublin (and Guiness). I don't know what to think. I hope the decision becomes clear to me while I am there, because right now I am totally confused. Wish me luck.

...and Lola, I called Pitt today, and was told that decisions will be sent out the 2nd week in April. So right now I am just going to decide what country I want to be in, and if I decide to stay in the US, Ill worry about Pitt vs. other schools later.

:eek:
 
jmd,
have a blast in ireland!!! ouch, date of deposit 4/8? i thought 4/22 was bad, though i'm not into any u.s. schools so may have to pay it and lose it if i end up getting into u.s. schools afterward. that would suck! don't drink too much guinness ;).
 
Have a really safe trip JMD, I hope Dublin is everything you've hoped it would be :) And congrats lola for Trinity, that's awesome!

As for me, I'm pretty much in the midst of the worst week of my life ---- in the span of 4 days all of my financial plans for school have absolutely fallen apart. I can't get the top-up that I would need beyond the CanHelp loan, so it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to make the UCD deposit by Tuesday. And I can't get the CanHelp loan until I've registered, meaning that I couldn't possibly use it for the deposit. So that will pretty much be the bottom line, and I'll have to give up my spot, as UCD has a waiting list to attend to.

I really have no words at this point; I've been spun 180 degrees, owing to this bizarre conjunction of $-related factors, and am now trying to figure out exactly what to do next year here (find a thesis supervisor, register all my courses, etc).

But on the bright side, this will mean that someone out there who was told they weren't in the 1st round of offers but weren't rejected...well now they'll have a place. I hope they become a great doctor.

Good luck to everyone who is still waiting, and to everyone who'll be starting in Ireland in the fall.

Cheers,

M.
 
meese :(, i'm so sorry to hear that your ireland plans won't work out. i don't really know what to say except that that is really too bad and best of luck to you.
 
Hi:
Can sympathize with your siutuation. Was in a similar boat not too long ago. This is the most frustrating feeling. I remember feeling quite dejected, however, after a lot of soul searching, I decided to go ahead and beg, borrow, and/or steal the money to pay for med school. The rationale was, each year that I waited to begin school was an extra year before I could really get my career off the ground, and equalled a loss of real income, say, 120K, depending on the field I chose.
You have an excellent opportunity in your hands, with a confirmed acceptance, and from what you state here, financial aid would kick in after you start, so its a matter of a few K....right?
Well, I went to a school for which federal student loans weren't allocated, so imagine my predicament. Decided to bite a bullet, and lets just say I am a happy resident today.
Ultimately, you would do what feels right. But I would really be rather aggressive and make the best of this great opportunity.
Irish schools are well respected. Look at some of the programs in the Northwest. They typically don't accept IMGs. But you will see many UK/Irish grads doing residency at UW, OHSU etc
I only wish that I'd known of this route for med school before. Would have definitely chosen UK/Ireland/OZ/NZ over any other foreign school.
Cheers
 
Meese, that would be a total shame if you had to give up a spot due to financial factors. Could you call AB and explain your situation and ask them if they know of anything that can help, or whether they can be lenient on the deposit timing in this one case? Because that sounds like through no fault of your own, terrible luck.

Also, talk to banks for immediate loans?
 
Meese, that sucks, there has got to be something you can do!!! I did call AB and pleaded for a due date extension on my deposit, and basically was met with a very unsympathetic "no." Kind of in a "sorry buddy, you're screwed if the $ is a minute late," kind of tone. So, i don't think that is a possibility, but maybe you'll be luckier than I was. Can you get any kind of loan? I realize that hitting your parents up may not be an option (believe me, mine are broke), but even if they can take a loan or something, then you can pay it back in full as soon as your financial aid comes through. Don't give up so easily, you have a med school acceptance in your grips, and there are people out there who would love to be in your position.
 
i called AB the other day and they told me that i am on the shortlist for the interview with RCSI. I later understood that this means that the list will be further shortlisted and i will be informed if i am finally selected for the interview. anybody else receiving similar news?
 
i called AB the other day and they told me that i am on the shortlist for the interview with RCSI. I later understood that this means that the list will be further shortlisted and i will be informed if i am finally selected for the interview. anybody else receiving similar news?
 
hey catchmehere,
when did u hand in ur application? for the dec or feb round?
 
hi
i was told the same that i was on the short list to be interviewed for RCSI. I was also told to expect that the interviews would take place in early June.
 
i entered in the feb round. but Mr. K told me that the interviews would be during end of may somewhere between 17-19. now i'm worried cos i am supposed to fly home on may 23. have you guys heard of phone interviews being conducted if you cant fly htere. When I asked Mr. Nealon he said no, but people from last year told me that it had been possible for them.
Alos does anyone know of a loan for international students for which you dont need a cosigner? cos if i cant find one i wont be able to fulfill my ireland dream.
would appreciate any help in this regard. :( :confused:
 
Thanks for the up-date bridgie. I was wondering if anyone had any news as to how things were moveing along. As for those who have an acceptance in hand---Thats Great! As for we who are waiting to hear, maintain composure! It must surely be a hard place to find ones self---waiting on US schools and knowing the investment that will be made in an Irish school.



Now, has anyone been given word on Cork? Also, I need some advice. Should I call to see why I was rejected at trinity? My stats are:

1. BS---Biology
2. BS---Psychology ---from a school in the top 5% of US schools
3. GPA--- over all 3.2, science 3.2
4. Honers from biology dept.
5. two years full time clinical PSY. experance as a counselor II
6. one publication in developmental biology
7. two years full-time neuroscience research experance as a Research Spec. II
8. 4 years as a tutor
9. 4 years editing
10. three months OR and ER shadowing
11. three months Psy. ward shadowing
12. member of several groups academic and service

:thumbup: :thumbdown: :confused:
 
Valmont---it is well worth ringing Trinity to find out why you were rejected. I was initially rejected and now they are reviewing my file, it seems that something went wrong. Even if the result is not favourable then at least you will find out exactly what they were looking for. Did you apply to all of the Irish schools?
 
red_bull

Yes, I had apps. in to all four. Short list for RCSI, hold at UCD, no answers for Cork, and rejected after being on hold at trinity. How about you?
 
Hi
i applied to Trinity, UCD, and RCSI. i am on the short list for RCSI, i was rejected from Trinity, and UCD, but after talking with them there was a oversight on my file, in regards to the marks i presented from the university of toronto. my transcripts read one GPA and not a cGPA for the time that i had spent in Trinity, and another university. which college is your top choice? have you been over to Ireland to visit each of the schools?
 
I have not been over to see the schools. Wish I had the time and money! As for top picks: Trinity---for name, RCSI--for preperation for US exams, UCD and Cork are on equal footing so far. I like location of both, for two diffrent reasons. UCD will offer more oppertunity, I think. Sorry for the brevity of my posts right now---I am fighting the flue:(
 
Ok, it has been a while.

Anything new on the home front with ya'll? Anyone made any choices? Do I recall correctly that the next round of offers are expected on 4/22?

Meese, I too am sorry about Ireland, but didn't I hear that you will be going to England! If so, thats great. Perhaps if we all get to the UK we can get together for supper one night before things get tough.

Red_bull, whats new?
 
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