u/HeronSpecialist8844

Hi,

I’m an international applicant from Spain (not the Leaving Cert). My Spanish Bachillerato converts to 600 CAO points, and I also have an IB score of 40 (including the HL Maths 25 points bonus) though the IB conversion table itself is pretty shitty, so my Bachillerato ends up being my best score. Going the Spanish Bachillerato route, I’m not eligible for the 25-point HL Maths bonus LC applicants can get, which was the maximum extra I could have gained on top of my score. Applying to TR031 Mathematics in Trinity, last year’s Round 1 cut-off was 598, so I’m hoping I’m in with 600 but the margin feels razor thin and it’s making me really nervous.

If I don’t make it in Round 1 and only get the offer in Round 2 instead, the logistics are genuinely a nightmare for me as a non-resident applicant (flights and accommodation in Dublin with only days of notice)

On top of that, I’m nervous about my transcript submission. I followed the guidelines and it was translated by a certified/sworn translator, but the document says “ready for assessment” instead of “assessed,” and I’m worried that wording might cause issues or delays on CAO’s end.

I do have a backup plan (already in for uni in Spain) and I also have TP on my CAO (which the points was lower last year for), and I understand the system would automatically upgrade me to Maths in Round 2 if it comes through so I won’t be left with nothing. But between the tight points margin, the possible Round 2 logistics, and the document wording thing, I’m just really overwhelmed by the whole process right now.

Has anyone here been in a similar spot?

Starting uni in Dublin this September and torn between a private student residence (would need to sign/pay soon to secure it) and university halls (won’t hear back until 28th August at least). Halls would be way cheaper for me, but I can’t afford to risk being stuck paying for both if I sign the residence contract and then get offered halls.

The residence’s cancellation policy says once the 7-day cooling-off period passes, all money paid is forfeited, with no early release except finding a replacement tenant, which isn’t guaranteed. But I found on the RTB site that SSA licences/tenancies are covered by the Residential Tenancies Act no matter what the contract calls itself, and that a student can end a fixed-term SSA tenancy any time between 1 May and 1 October for any reason with a 28-day notice.

Does that statutory right actually override the private cancellation clause? Has anyone actually used it to get out of a PBSA contract, and did the provider push back? And does it apply if you cancel before move-in but within the May–Oct window, or only once you’ve taken up occupation?

Given my financial situation I really can’t afford to gamble on this without being fairly sure it works, so any real experience or corrections would help a lot. Thanks!

Starting uni in Dublin this September and torn between a private student residence (would need to sign/pay soon to secure it) and university halls (won’t hear back until 28th August at least). Halls would be way cheaper for me, but I can’t afford to risk being stuck paying for both if I sign the residence contract and then get offered halls.

The residence’s cancellation policy says once the 7-day cooling-off period passes, all money paid is forfeited, with no early release except finding a replacement tenant, which isn’t guaranteed. But I found on the RTB site that SSA licences/tenancies are covered by the Residential Tenancies Act no matter what the contract calls itself, and that a student can end a fixed-term SSA tenancy any time between 1 May and 1 October for any reason with a 28-day notice.

Does that statutory right actually override the private cancellation clause? Has anyone actually used it to get out of a PBSA contract, and did the provider push back? And does it apply if you cancel before move-in but within the May–Oct window, or only once you’ve taken up occupation?

Given my financial situation I really can’t afford to gamble on this without being fairly sure it works, so any real experience or corrections would help a lot. Thanks!