Dublin SVM system and scholarships

[Devastating]

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I have a question regarding how UCD's vet system works for international students.
Now that the VMCAS is done for this cycle, I have been looking into scholarship opportunities. One that really caught my eye was the George J. Mitchell scholarship--which offers a pretty much all-expenses-paid year of postgraduate study at one of several schools in Ireland, including University College Dublin. (unfortunately I only learned of its existence about a week ago and it's due October 1 but the advisor is more than willing to help me through the process)

Looking over past winners, I notice that I may be the only one who's ever applied from the Animal Science field. What's slightly worrying is that the app states choosing less than 3 different campuses can hinder your chances, but for me the ONLY school that offers relevant studies (both animal sci and veterinary) is Dublin, so I'm hoping that maybe being in a unique field may offset this and give me an angle for my PS.

Anyway, I know that vet med is considered an undergrad program to UK/Ireland students. How exactly does it work for international students who need a bachelor's degree? Would it be considered "postgraduate" to us? I may have to inquire about eligibility for this program, but I was hoping that in the event I am selected it would be an option to enter a first year of vet study rather than a 1-year masters. The remaining 3 years would not be paid for, but having a whole year of tuition/travel/rent completely paid is a big deal. The selection process for this scholarship will take place over the course of October/November (via skype and then in DC for finalists) so there would hopefully be no conflicts if I happen to get interview offers from the schools I applied to via VMCAS.

They do offer "MS in Veterinary Medicine" programs but I'm not sure how this works in relation to being a vet student (some of them are grad cert programs that make it seem like you must already be practicing).

 

[DogtorCK]

Oh man! I wish I had read about this sooner! Do you know if you can apply at any point in your career? If I got in and attended Dublin, could I apply next October for my second year?

 

[Devastating]

Oh man! I wish I had read about this sooner! Do you know if you can apply at any point in your career? If I got in and attended Dublin, could I apply next October for my second year?

You mean for the scholarship? It's for anyone who is a graduate student/already has a bachelors, and age 18-30 I think, so yes you should be good to go for next year (think it opens in April).

It MIGHT hurt your chances a bit if you were already attending Dublin though, because I think their FAQ says that they give a higher priority to those who have not already studied abroad in Ireland/attended a school there (they want to introduce Americans to Ireland). It wouldn't be impossible though so you could definitely give it a try! I just did the supplemental video recorded interview a few days ago so now I have to wait and see if I get to the next round (skype interview) at the end of this month.

 

[devyn]

I have a question regarding how UCD's vet system works for international students.
Now that the VMCAS is done for this cycle, I have been looking into scholarship opportunities. One that really caught my eye was the George J. Mitchell scholarship--which offers a pretty much all-expenses-paid year of postgraduate study at one of several schools in Ireland, including University College Dublin. (unfortunately I only learned of its existence about a week ago and it's due October 1 but the advisor is more than willing to help me through the process)

Looking over past winners, I notice that I may be the only one who's ever applied from the Animal Science field. What's slightly worrying is that the app states choosing less than 3 different campuses can hinder your chances, but for me the ONLY school that offers relevant studies (both animal sci and veterinary) is Dublin, so I'm hoping that maybe being in a unique field may offset this and give me an angle for my PS.

Anyway, I know that vet med is considered an undergrad program to UK/Ireland students. How exactly does it work for international students who need a bachelor's degree? Would it be considered "postgraduate" to us? I may have to inquire about eligibility for this program, but I was hoping that in the event I am selected it would be an option to enter a first year of vet study rather than a 1-year masters. The remaining 3 years would not be paid for, but having a whole year of tuition/travel/rent completely paid is a big deal. The selection process for this scholarship will take place over the course of October/November (via skype and then in DC for finalists) so there would hopefully be no conflicts if I happen to get interview offers from the schools I applied to via VMCAS.

They do offer "MS in Veterinary Medicine" programs but I'm not sure how this works in relation to being a vet student (some of them are grad cert programs that make it seem like you must already be practicing).

I would be surprised if you got this scholarship... as vet med in Ireland is considered undergrad whether the undergrad(5yr)/grad(4yr) program.... if you are basing your entire decision on going to UCD on whether you go to UCD on getting this scholarship then best to pass on it... it is extremely hard to get any scholarships being a US student...

 

[DogtorCK]

You mean for the scholarship? It's for anyone who is a graduate student/already has a bachelors, and age 18-30 I think, so yes you should be good to go for next year (think it opens in April).

It MIGHT hurt your chances a bit if you were already attending Dublin though, because I think their FAQ says that they give a higher priority to those who have not already studied abroad in Ireland/attended a school there (they want to introduce Americans to Ireland). It wouldn't be impossible though so you could definitely give it a try! I just did the supplemental video recorded interview a few days ago so now I have to wait and see if I get to the next round (skype interview) at the end of this month.

Good luck! What an awesome scholarship! I guess I should've been fund-hunting harder. We'll be buried alive under our student loan debt.

 

[Devastating]

I would be surprised if you got this scholarship... as vet med in Ireland is considered undergrad whether the undergrad(5yr)/grad(4yr) program.... if you are basing your entire decision on going to UCD on whether you go to UCD on getting this scholarship then best to pass on it... it is extremely hard to get any scholarships being a US student...

It IS a competitive scholarship (FAQ says they usually receive around 300 apps a year avg. and they choose 12 people or more depending on available spots), so I would be surprised if I was a winner too, but it is offered through an organization called the US-Ireland Alliance and doesn't have anything to do with UCD themselves, it just has a partnership with several Irish schools (but UCD being the only one available in this field)

Mostly I applied because it is for a year of post-grad study in Ireland (have always wanted to visit), and under the assumption that I am unlikely to get accepted anywhere this cycle (first time applicant). A year of entirely paid travel, expenses and study in animal/veterinary sci in Ireland sounds awesome and in the event that I do win and don't get accepted anywhere this year, could offer great experience for next year's apps--but I also wondered about the possibility of putting it towards a first year at UCD SVM rather than just a year of grad studies. Since I know vet is undergrad in Ireland I'm not sure if the US sponsors of the scholarship would consider this (they do state that you can choose programs longer than 1yr, but will just have to foot the bill for the remaining years yourself), but I guess I'd have to speak to them about that if/when the time comes that I need to sort out enrollment details.