Atlantic Bridge 2017

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It's time for a new thread, although the application process won't start until August.

Applicants applying for 2017 entry: here's the place to post your questions, concerns, etc.
 
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When do applications typically become available? I sent a request in on Friday and they still said to submit the request later.
 
Also anyone have insight on US match rates? I've seen conflicting posts on here
 
I'm just gonna go ahead and post here and bump it up. Just submitted my completed AB app. Sent in to all of these:
University College Cork

University College Dublin

University of Limerick

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

National University of Ireland, Galway

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

How long do you think it takes before they process the complete application? Do they do rolling acceptance? The application packet says that we might not get an acceptance until as late as next September!? Not much prep time for this US applicant...
 
Doctor_Beez said:
I'm just gonna go ahead and post here and bump it up. Just submitted my completed AB app. Sent in to all of these:
University College Cork

University College Dublin

University of Limerick

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

National University of Ireland, Galway

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

How long do you think it takes before they process the complete application? Do they do rolling acceptance? The application packet says that we might not get an acceptance until as late as next September!? Not much prep time for this US applicant...
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It will take until early next spring for most of the schools. There isn't a really formal "complete date" system like AMCAS, they'll just send it along to those schools for you and you wait. Most of the schools do a pseudo rolling admission, meaning they wait until the deadline passes, then send out bulk acceptances in a few groups. After that everyone else is put on a waiting list, and then the rejections are silent until nearly the end of summer because they always expect a few last minute dropouts and then throw a bone to a lucky person on the waiting list. This is what it's like for almost all of the GEM programs. I say all of this based on my experience with it last year
 
No, I ended up dropping the application process to go for a post-bac. I switched majors late in college so it made more sense to do a post-bac and try again
 
Does anyone know what the GPA conversion is as a Canadian applicant ?
 
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Jloyay said:
Id say if you have a 3.5 cGPA you'll have a good chance of getting in.
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I have a 3.57 cGPA (positive trend- last 2 years were 3.75 and 3.92) with a 501 MCAT. Do I stand a chance ?
 
Don'td o it
 
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MDaspiration2020 said:
I have a 3.57 cGPA (positive trend- last 2 years were 3.75 and 3.92) with a 501 MCAT. Do I stand a chance ?
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Should look into Australia too. Have about 60% ++ matching rate as per Carms
 
I'm applying to both UCC and RCSI. Anyone have an idea of the schools and the pros/cons of each?
 
I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology in USA. I did not take premed courses other than the required general biology 1 and and general chemistry 1. I did average in those classes. I graduated with a 3.6 GPA in USA. Can I get into Irish medical school? Is there any possibility of me attending? Should I apply
 
undergrad13 said:
I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology in USA. I did not take premed courses other than the required general biology 1 and and general chemistry 1. I did average in those classes. I graduated with a 3.6 GPA in USA. Can I get into Irish medical school? Is there any possibility of me attending? Should I apply
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From what I've read you have a shot with Atlantic Bridge. If they are allowing recent high school graduates into their program, I don't see any reason why a college graduate wouldn't be considered. If you lack usual prereqs or a degree they place applicants into their longer programs. Was medical school your goal? Have you really thought about the decision to go to medical school?
 
Doctor_Beez said:
From what I've read you have a shot with Atlantic Bridge. If they are allowing recent high school graduates into their program, I don't see any reason why a college graduate wouldn't be considered. If you lack usual prereqs or a degree they place applicants into their longer programs. Was medical school your goal? Have you really thought about the decision to go to medical school?
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I have planned to take more courses in science but I had to take care if my brother who has gone sick. I'm looking for clear chance.

So which school should I apply to? How should I apply?
 
Clarus said:
I'm applying to both UCC and RCSI. Anyone have an idea of the schools and the pros/cons of each?
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UCC Pros:
- Cheaper than RCSI
- Full university life (RCSI is only one building for medical science students)
- Very new laboratories/facilities/simulation wards
- Cork is not as busy as Dublin, less stressful life
- Early clinic skills exposure

UCC Cons:
- Cork's flights out are limited, need to travel to Dublin for more flight options
- GP/hospital placement might be far

I'm a UCC 2nd year med student.
 
Hi all. I'm applying from Canada to the 6 year programs at RCSI, UCD, and NUI Galway. My marks for the high school prerequisites are 96% in Biology, 95% in Chemistry, 91% in Calculus. I'm not applying out of high school; I graduated 4 years ago and worked as an electrician. I'm currently a first year nursing student (7 courses first semester, 6 courses second semester). I have ~100 hours of volunteering at a long-term care facility, and four letters of recommendation from my professors.

Does it sound like I have a chance? If I don't get in I'm also looking into getting some sort of shadowing experience with a doctor, what else can I do to improve for next year?
 
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HKGYYZ95 said:
UCC Pros:
- Cheaper than RCSI
- Full university life (RCSI is only one building for medical science students)
- Very new laboratories/facilities/simulation wards
- Cork is not as busy as Dublin, less stressful life
- Early clinic skills exposure

UCC Cons:
- Cork's flights out are limited, need to travel to Dublin for more flight options
- GP/hospital placement might be far

I'm a UCC 2nd year med student.
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Thanks! Are you planning on going for residency in the States? That was one of my biggest concerns if I graduate as a US-IMG from an Irish school. How are the rotations like and electives? Isn't it important to do those in the States if you want to get into residency after 4th year?
 
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lorong said:
Should look into Australia too. Have about 60% ++ matching rate as per Carms
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Upon doing no research in AUS schools whatsoever - what programs do you recommend? And how's their application timeline fit in?
 
Does anyone have any information on post-grad prospects? I hear it's difficult to get into residency training (or the equivalent) in Ireland right now, especially if you're not an Irish citizen. Also, with Brexit, will placement into UK programs be significantly affected?
 
Does anyone know a person that did this program and came back to do residency in the USA?
 
zbrittingham said:
Upon doing no research in AUS schools whatsoever - what programs do you recommend? And how's their application timeline fit in?
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I know of one school called University of Queensland Ochner that's popular with American applicants. I guess they have a good match rate and you can apply really late in the cycle, like as late as early May. Like any foreign school though it will cost you an arm and a leg in tuition and it's sketchy in terms of clinicals and whatnot. Those are things ive heard by hearsay, haven't done any research myself as I'm not really interested in the Australian programs.
 
bluejay96 said:
Does anyone have any information on post-grad prospects? I hear it's difficult to get into residency training (or the equivalent) in Ireland right now, especially if you're not an Irish citizen. Also, with Brexit, will placement into UK programs be significantly affected?
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Post grad prospects are very slim for non EU citizens, priority is given to Irish citizens who applied through CAO, followed by EU citizens followed non EU citizens. It's not uncommon for less than 15 spots to be available for non eu citizens however it can vary considerably from year to year.
 
zbrittingham said:
Dunno about you guys, but after last nights election, I am very happy to have applied to four Ireland programs alongside US ones.
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but at the same time I hope this doesn't mean that there will be a massive influx of additional applicants to compete with who also want to spend exactly the length of one presidential term studying out of country lol
 
I applied last year to graduate med at UCC, UCD, RCSI and Limerick, and also undergrad med at TCD. I only received an interview at Limerick and ultimately was accepted with a 509 MCAT, 3.7 GPA. Ended up rejecting my offer to go to Australia. Also had a friend who got in with a 505 MCAT, 3.3 GPA.

Heres a pro-tip: when I interviewed for Limerick, I was asked whether I got any offers from other schools. I honestly believe that this weighs into whether you get accepted at Limerick. I believe this was the case because I don't believe my interview was particularly strong, and my group interview was absolutely garbage. The people who got accepted with me were asked the same question and also did not receive any interviews at the other schools.
 
ThrillaInManila said:
I applied last year to graduate med at UCC, UCD, RCSI and Limerick, and also undergrad med at TCD. I only received an interview at Limerick and ultimately was accepted with a 509 MCAT, 3.7 GPA. Ended up rejecting my offer to go to Australia. Also had a friend who got in with a 505 MCAT, 3.3 GPA.

Heres a pro-tip: when I interviewed for Limerick, I was asked whether I got any offers from other schools. I honestly believe that this weighs into whether you get accepted at Limerick. I believe this was the case because I don't believe my interview was particularly strong, and my group interview was absolutely garbage. The people who got accepted with me were asked the same question and also did not receive any interviews at the other schools.
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just curious, what factors made you choose Australia over Ireland?
 
Dr_Jan_Itor said:
just curious, what factors made you choose Australia over Ireland?
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Life style and school reputation were big ones. I still felt that Irish schools had stigmas, whereas Australian schools are quite literally some of the best schools in the world. Australian National Uni, Uni of Sydney, Uni of Melbourne and University of Queensland are particularly ranked very high. I also have the privilege of going to Australian National University which gives its internationals the same status as domestics when applying for internships, giving me an amazing backup if I am not able to secure a residency in Canada or the US.
 
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ThrillaInManila said:
Life style and school reputation were big ones. I still felt that Irish schools had stigmas, whereas Australian schools are quite literally some of the best schools in the world. Australian National Uni, Uni of Sydney, Uni of Melbourne and University of Queensland are particularly ranked very high. I also have the privilege of going to Australian National University which gives its internationals the same status as domestics when applying for internships, giving me an amazing backup if I am not able to secure a residency in Canada or the US.
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That is definitely a personal thing. I've actually always felt at least for Canadians, Irish schools had a better reputation because they had higher requirements for Canadians than Aussie schools. For the longest time a 28 MCAT and a 3.4 GPA was all it took to get into USyd and Melb.

Ironically, i've noticed that reputation doesn't go by world rankings in Australia, the best students still get in straight from high school and schools that have gone post-grad only have lost out on the students who are now going to UNSW and UQ since they have undergrad entry programs (I believe), but even that point is really moot because medicine judges almost everything based on licensing rather than reputation like in some other fields.

Backup is important and lifestyle is as well. I'd rather live in Australia lifestyle wise over Ireland, but the flipside is that Ireland is closer which does help with flight costs and travelling back and forth for interviews, electives and research.

In terms of matching to Canada, reputation has almost no correlation. The best match rates in fact according to the stats collected from Ireland by NIMSA in fact come from schools that traditionally in Ireland were not considered the most prestigious. What should matter is how much elective time you get, lifestyle, cost and reputation for teaching and most importantly whether or not they give you a spot for residency as backup.
 
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I work with US grads, DOs, Aussie grads, Carribean grads and European grads. They are all talented residents with more than enough training to become good physicians. I thought reputation was a big deal when I was looking at international medical schools but, in the end it really didn't matter.
 
Medstart108 said:
That is definitely a personal thing. I've actually always felt at least for Canadians, Irish schools had a better reputation because they had higher requirements for Canadians than Aussie schools. For the longest time a 28 MCAT and a 3.4 GPA was all it took to get into USyd and Melb.

Ironically, i've noticed that reputation doesn't go by world rankings in Australia, the best students still get in straight from high school and schools that have gone post-grad only have lost out on the students who are now going to UNSW and UQ since they have undergrad entry programs (I believe), but even that point is really moot because medicine judges almost everything based on licensing rather than reputation like in some other fields.

Backup is important and lifestyle is as well. I'd rather live in Australia lifestyle wise over Ireland, but the flipside is that Ireland is closer which does help with flight costs and travelling back and forth for interviews, electives and research.

In terms of matching to Canada, reputation has almost no correlation. The best match rates in fact according to the stats collected from Ireland by NIMSA in fact come from schools that traditionally in Ireland were not considered the most prestigious. What should matter is how much elective time you get, lifestyle, cost and reputation for teaching and most importantly whether or not they give you a spot for residency as backup.
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All fair points. Definitely considered all of this when I ultimately decided to turn down my Limerick offer. I was aware of the amazing match statistics but I personally did not like the fact that Limerick was a relatively unknown school internationally. Definitely a personal thing.

Also, I do believe that match statistics are correlated to the quality of students that are accepted. It is true that Irish schools have really good match statistics but because they have (on average), higher scoring students. It is true that it is easier for an international to get accepted into Australian schools, which will tend to skew the match statistics downwards. Again, in my case, I chose Australia over Ireland due to international reputation, lifestyle, and my internship opportunities in Australia.
 
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Anyone applying here? I sent my basic application in before the deadline, but my transcript request are giving me problems, and so are are my LORs. Sent my resume, MCAT in, though, and should be sending the personal statment by the end of this week.

Applied to 4 Graduate programs: UCC, UCD, Limerick and RCSI
 
2dumb said:
Anyone applying here? I sent my basic application in before the deadline, but my transcript request are giving me problems, and so are are my LORs. Sent my resume, MCAT in, though, and should be sending the personal statment by the end of this week.

Applied to 4 Graduate programs: UCC, UCD, Limerick and RCSI
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If you're implying that you're worried about falling behind the curve on applying, don't sweat it. The Irish schools don't start reviewing apps until early January
 
Out of curiosity, what were your reasons for applying to Atlantic bridge? Are these schools high on your list or are they fallbacks?


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Doctor_Beez said:
Out of curiosity, what were your reasons for applying to Atlantic bridge? Are these schools high on your list or are they fallbacks?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
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In terms of reputation, matching, exam scores, etc. I hold the Irish medical schools in equal esteem to US ones. Especially since in years 3+4 schools like RCSI and UCC have partnerships with some of the most prestigious schools in the US for clinical electives in the US. In terms of the price, it would be awesome if I could get into my local state school. I also have the unique situation of being in a very serious relationship with a girl from Co. Mayo, Ireland and so in terms of life choices, the irish medical schools fit the bill as well. They have a much more laid back attitude towards academics than our US counter parts do, yet their students perform on equal footing to ours. Long story short, I am of the impression that if you put in the work to get good USMLE scores, letters of rec, US clinical electives, you will be grand, but will likely be in a bit more debt than if you choose a stateside school.
 
Anyone know of someone who completed the program and came back to the US or Canada to do residency? Still waiting on an answer for that.

Also, any clue on when we hear back from schools for next Fall?
 
Clarus said:
Anyone know of someone who completed the program and came back to the US or Canada to do residency? Still waiting on an answer for that.

Also, any clue on when we hear back from schools for next Fall?
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I graduated from RCSI last year and am currently a first year resident in the US.
 
RCSI student said:
I graduated from RCSI last year and am currently a first year resident in the US.
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Nice! What year did you join RCSI and which program? I already have a BS and was planning on doing the 4 year program. What field are you doing your residency in?
 
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