Trinity College Dublin and Columbia University Dual BA: Application Process and Q&A

[@ciaraleonard5345]

this is my dream program!! I love NYC and Dublin so much, and I’m an Irish American so it seems perfect for me🥰

[@QueenofQuirk]

Hope you find the video helpful! TIMESTAMPS 1:05 what is the Dual BA programme / program? 1:49 why do it? 2:01 subjects / majors? 2:53 so... eight years of work in four years? 3:31 The Core (Columbia) 4:13 my story 4:53 please remember... 5:44 the application process / application form 5:55 extra-curriculars? 6:29 transcripts / grade requirements 7:38 do I need to be a straight A student? 9:07 letters of recommendation (brief mention) 9:16 the essay 10:46 should I have an international interest? 11:26 standardised testing (SAT / ACT) 13:08 how did I prepare for the SAT? 14:23 individual subject SAT tests? 14:45 the interview 17:21 receiving an offer 18:19 accommodation? 18:49 tuition? 19:26 do I feel separated as a Dual BA student?

[@ASingh-bo9dd]

I'm putting the final touches on my essay now! I'm applying as an English major and this is my dream program. Your videos inspire me!

[@bellabolstad]

Thank you so so much for this video! Very helpful as I am going through the application process right now! I LOVE your videos!

[@rebecca4568]

love your videos, i recently discovered your channel during quarantine !! Im doing my LC next year and watching your Trinity vids has pushed me to work hard and to hopefully get in :-) x

[@QueenofQuirk]

Rebecca this makes me so happy!! Thanks so much!!

[@neamhu-m479]

Thanks for a great video- started my app today

[@QueenofQuirk]

How exciting!! Thanks so much☺️

[@sarah.93.30]

Greatly informative video! Hope you get to travel to Columbia University soon, Coronavirus is an absolute party pooper! Can't wait to follow your journey at Columbia on your channel. Go Lions! (I think?) :D

[@QueenofQuirk]

Sarah .93 thanks so much! And I hope so too! And it is Lions yes, go Lions!! 😅

[@sofiaferraribravo6577]

Hi! this is such a great vid thanks so much! if you have time, do you think you could clarify something for me? Do you apply for the Dual BA program through the CAO as a secondary school student, OR do you apply once you've already been accepted and are already a first-year undergraduate at Trinity? Also! If you apply in secondary do you think you could apply for a normal undergraduate spot AND for the Dual BA program??? I'm so confused but so interested hahah! thanks! xxx

[@QueenofQuirk]

No worries! And of course! So you apply to the course you want to do, for example, English, at trinity through the CAO, and make sure to put it as your first choice. But you also go through the general application process. So if you’re accepted to the programme in the April of your 6th year you have to wait for you results in August to know for sure you have been fully accepted. The early acceptance to the programme is basically the Columbia part of the app done, but you still need to do the CAO as normal. And of course you can apply for normal spots! I’d actually recommend that since you can put multiple courses on your CAO. But if you’re keen on the dual BA, make sure to put the course you applied to through the general application first on your CAO

[@e.j.9740]

Your videos have really helped as I’m hoping to get into Trinity this year, I’m not sure if you’ve mentioned this before but did you commute to college or live in accommodation? Do you know if many people commute and if it’s harder to get involved or make friends that way? I know everything will be different this year, but under normal circumstances? Thanks!

[@QueenofQuirk]

Heya, I’m delighted they helped! For my first year I commuted on the Dart but for my second year I was a 20 min walk away from college (staying with my brother and sister) I’m a firm believer that you will find ways to make friends no matter the situation! Lots of people are in accomodation and lots of people commute - you can make friends from roommates yes but also from your course and societies! Commuting does take time out of your day to dedicate to getting involved but there’ll always be events / activities on at times that would suit you! It’s hard to know with this coming year but I’m sure it’ll be similar (at least some things will happen in person)

[@ashmews5489]

Whelp I failed my Christmas exams and got very low mocks. It’s fine for Irish universities since it’s not about continuous assessment but I don’t think Columbia would like that lol. I was a top student in the Junior cycle but my mental health plummeted and so dig my grades fir the LC, still hoping I can get decent grades fit the actual LC tho. I wonder if there are exceptions for conditions like autism which can negatively affect exam results

[@amyconnolly65]

How much did your tuition at Columbia cost? I looked it up online and the fees are really high. Did you manage to get any financial aid?

[@cian434]

I'm going into leaving cert next year and this program looks amazing! I did quite well on my 5th year christmas exams, but a bit worse on my summer tests, they're not awful, but I know that I can recieve better results next year in my christmas exams and mocks. Would I be able to leave out my summer exams and submit my other results instead? Thanks for this video!!

[@GelseyBlythe]

If only I had seen this 3 years ago, then maybe we wouldn't. be separated by the cruel twist of fate that is higher education! (but awesome video and if I was someone watching I'd totally want to be like Jane and apply to the Duel BA program!)

[@QueenofQuirk]

Gelsey Blythe thank you my love!! It is the cruelest of fates 💔

[@SeanCreaghIE]

Wish I knew about this programme back when I did the Leaving Cert haha

[@QueenofQuirk]

Sean Creagh yeah it’s great, such a pity the advertising was so late when we were in 6th year, I was so lucky my sister saw it on fb!!

[@Munjoy19]

Do you know if the requirements for the Bio/Neurosci course are hard and fast? I took IB and once you choose your courses in year two, you can't alter them. After I took Biology in year 3, I discovered how much I love it. But by then it was too late to change my courses (in my case, to teh Higher Level version that the program materials say is required). Will the selection committee consider an application in such a situation?

[@annamuller2957]

Hi! Thank you so much for this video I've been interested in the programm for a few months now but I still struggle with the fact that I'm an EU Student (English is not my mother language) and I took a gap year so I would start studying at age 21... Would you recommend applying anyways?

[@QueenofQuirk]

Oh for sure! The fact that you’re an EU student and English is not your first language would not impact being accepted into the programme! Same with taking a gap year - I’d still apply!

[@annamuller2957]

@@QueenofQuirk thanks for the encouragement. All the best for your further studies !!

[@anacristinanovaes4335]

Hi, my daughter is thinking of applying to this programme and she would like to know if she can apply once she is already studying at trinity or does she have to apply before starting college?

[@QueenofQuirk]

Hi! I am pretty sure it’s possible to begin in trinity then transfer over during her second year! I’d recommend getting in touch with dual BA admin about this as I’m not too sure how exactly it works

[@kindateia]

Do you think international students (not from US/Ireland) have a shot? I'm talking about not anglophone countries👀 Also, can you apply for scholarships as a dual BA student?

[@QueenofQuirk]

Oh absolutely! There are lots of international students in my dual BA class! No matter where you’re from you have a shot. And honestly I haven’t heard of any, I‘m sure there are scholarships for trinity and Columbia separately but I’m not sure if you can get them as a dual BA student if that makes sense. Definitely look into it by asking the admin team!

[@kindateia]

@@QueenofQuirk thank you for answering c:

[@phoebewilliams269]

hey!!! I would love to do this program but I go to school in England and im confused about the comparison of an H4 and a levels as cant work out what the admissions requirements are. Also from the research I've done the subjects don't seem that broad? am I missing something? thanks you so much !!!

[@QueenofQuirk]

Hi! How exciting! Honestly I'm not sure how the grades translate from the UK. What subject are you thinking of doing? There are specifics about requirements on this page, including A level grades tcd.gs.columbia.edu/content/academic-requirements Once you enter Trinity you choose a subject and it either stays as the same subject or you get more specific once you get to Columbia, you can find out more about that here: tcd.gs.columbia.edu/content/majors-and-concentrations

[@Kyle-ke4hk]

What sat score did you get?

[@QueenofQuirk]

Sorry for the late reply - I actually do not know! The Dual BA admissions team recorded my score, and I think they told me once after I was accepted and I forgot what it was. My case was unique though in thet I didn't sit the SAT in the traditional way; the Dual BA admissions team organised the exam for applicants since it was the first year of applications and the usual Irish SAT exam sittings had already happened.