Financing Irish Education

[funkmasta]

Hello all! I'm very new to the idea of attending a foreign medical school, and I was wondering how those of you attending Irish medical schools (US citizens) are financing your educations. I was looking at the RCSI website -- 29,000 pounds!?! Plus living expenses/travel. That's a bit much for five/six years, despite the fact that the education seems excellent! Can US loan programs even cover that amount? I'm interested in primary care so my earning capacity would not be as high. Also, on a more frivolously curious note -- does an MB BCh BAO actually entitle you to be called "Doctor" ? Thanks so much for your help!

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[leorl]

Yes, an MB BCh BAO is an MD equivalent and entitles you to be called "Doctor." Actually, although I'm not sure about this, you are allowed to put MD after your name for the sake of clarification and simplification issues.

First of all, that's 29,000 EUROS. Irish pounds don't really exist anymore . And right now, the euro is about equal to the dollar. Last year's RCSI tuition was about 27,000 or 28,000 euros.

As a US citizen, you are allowed to take out Stafford and Perkins loans. These do cover costs sufficiently. I think you're allowed to take out over 50,000 in loans, actually. I'm not sure what the restrictions are because I'm not taking out loans at the moment, but if you have undergrad loans that may play into it as well.

RCSI is the most expensive Irish school. TCD, UCD are around 18,000 euros for last year's tuition, although there is a tuition price-hike in talks that all third-level students are in the process of "fighting." RCSI's tuition is one of the main reasons I'm not going there, in addition to the fact that it's only a med/health sciences school and nothing else.

Hope that helps

 

[roo]

If you want to save some money, you can consider UCD or UCC. Cost of living is going to be your killer, and cork is cheaper than dublin. UCD has vast acerage on the south part of Dublin and has a good chunk of on-campus residences available at very cheap rent vs. downtown living in an apt. RCSI and TCD also have residences, but the real estate is limited where they are, so there is only a few available, and thus tougher to get. To be frank though, money shouldn't be that big of a concern in your decision of which medical school: there are 2 things worth getting on credit: an education, and a house.

Re: MB BCh BAO. Yes, in US, it is converted to MD, though you have an option for using MB BCh BAO if so desired. If you do a web search of "MB BCh BAO", you will see many Irish medical professors prefer to keep their MB BCh BAO, while others just say MD. You can't use MD in Ireland however, because MD is yet another animal (sort of a PhD of academic medicine would be the nearest equivalent). Residency programs will usually print MD on your jacket.

It comes up for discussion every few years about whether the MB BCh BAO should be renamed MD to be in line with so much of the rest of the world (esp US/Canada since Ireland as a country is closer to Boston than Berlin in most ways), but it always shot down, because it has been MB BCh BAO for so many hundred of years, that the tradition is always kept.

Best wishes,
roo

 

[funkmasta]

Thanks leorl and roo... Another financial question for you: do international students usually have an opportunity to work part time for extra money in the city or on the campus? From previous posts, it seems that the Irish system allows for extra time to pursue non-academic activities. But is it generally advisable (to work)? Are there limitations on non-citizen employment?

Also, if you are not able to get "on-campus" housing, do the schools have a service for finding cheap accomodations? I think there was some vague mention of this on the RCSI website...I could be wrong though. Thanks again.

 

[leorl]

Although you could, i would not recommend getting a job. Especially the first year you're hear, since you'll be adjusting culturally and be completely in a new setting. You'll have a good bit of work, and the time is better spent making friends and participating in things you enjoy (sports, clubs, or just going out). It's not advisable to get a job except for christmas (if you're staying) and summer breaks. None of the Irish I know have jobs either, except for maybe weekend jobs.

It used to be a lot stricter, but now I think american students are free to work in Ireland with no work visa restrictions. I'm not sure cuz I haven't tried looking for a job once, but I remember two years ago that I wouldn't have been able to get a job as a student. So I asked the aliens office about it when I came here in October, and it seems that the restriction has been completely reversed.

The schools don't really help you find accomodation at all. word of warning - it can be really hell tryin to find a place to live that's affordable, so if you were unlucky enough not to get housing, you'd want to arrive here a few weeks early. TCD has a little school noticeboard that they run (online) where people can advertise places they have to rent, but it doesn't really help you much since you don't know the geography of the city and don't know what's decent and what's not. I found my place on www.daft.ie, which is a general Irish housing site. Campus also runs accommodation services a few weeks before term starts, but that involves you going to the office, checking out a few ads, and visiting them yourself so it's not really different from looking for places to rent in the Evening Herald.