[amber109]

I am currently in my first year of A levels and have finished all my exams...i dont think they have gone too well but i am very passionate about studying medicine and have thought about going to germany to do so.
So, i was wondering what the procedures are of applying for a medicine course at uni in germany. I heard that i have to pass a german test before i can apply at a univeristy at all? and also are there any english taught courses for medicine and how do i apply for this?
finally, what sort of requirements do the universities hold, such as for grades and work exp etc.?

thank you very much in advance

[thegodofgod]

(Original post by amber109)
I am currently in my first year of A levels and have finished all my exams...i dont think they have gone too well but i am very passionate about studying medicine and have thought about going to germany to do so.
So, i was wondering what the procedures are of applying for a medicine course at uni in germany. I heard that i have to pass a german test before i can apply at a univeristy at all? and also are there any english taught courses for medicine and how do i apply for this?
finally, what sort of requirements do the universities hold, such as for grades and work exp etc.?

thank you very much in advance

As far as I'm aware, there are no universities in Germany which offer the medicine course in English, so you would probably have to have a very good grasp of German for lectures / clinical years; I'm not sure whether they would offer German lessons while you're there.

There are other medicine courses taught in English (Charles University, Prague comes to mind, as well as St. Georges in the Caribbean, although that's very expensive, as I don't think they offer any student financial support).

For the course in Prague, you just have to sit an entrance test, encompassing Biology, Chemistry, and possibly Maths and Physics, which is the sole factor in deciding whether you're offered a place or not.

[clair0511]

(Original post by thegodofgod)
As far as I'm aware, there are no universities in Germany which offer the medicine course in English, so you would probably have to have a very good grasp of German for lectures / clinical years; I'm not sure whether they would offer German lessons while you're there.

Hi
Not medicine and not Germany but I study veterinary medicine in German in Vienna so I thought I might be able to help here. It is quite hard to get into med school in Germany although it is not as difficult as in the UK, BUT (and it is a very big BUT!) you will have to be extremely fluent in German to get anywhere. I lived in Vienna for 10 years before I applied to uni here.

I didn't do German A level (as I was obviously just taking science A levels), but did do an Erasmus semester in Germany while I was studying for my first degree in the UK so I certainly had a much higher level than just A levels. To give you some idea, the European standard classifications range from A1 (beginner) to C2 (proficient/expert). I think A level is about B2. I got 95% in a C1 exam (I needed something on paper to prove that I could speak German, even though the uni said it wasn't really necessary from my fluency at interview....it was just another part of the bureaucracy!) so my German was good. And it still wasn't easy! Oh, and another thing, in Austria at least, to study medicine or vetmed you have to take a course in Latin if you didn't take it at school! Trying to translate texts from Latin into German is no fun at all

The other thing to bear in mind is that the uni system is totally different to the UK. There are a lot of oral exams (almost all of them) and if the lecturer is having a bad day or doesn't like you then you might fail! Some of our exams have a 70% fail rate! There is little to no student support. It is a totally different experience to student life in the UK - not necessarily all bad, but different.

If you still want to try it, I would suggest that you spend at least a year in Germany to get started on learning the language.
Good luck!

[amber109]

(Original post by thegodofgod)
As far as I'm aware, there are no universities in Germany which offer the medicine course in English, so you would probably have to have a very good grasp of German for lectures / clinical years; I'm not sure whether they would offer German lessons while you're there.

There are other medicine courses taught in English (Charles University, Prague comes to mind, as well as St. Georges in the Caribbean, although that's very expensive, as I don't think they offer any student financial support).

For the course in Prague, you just have to sit an entrance test, encompassing Biology, Chemistry, and possibly Maths and Physics, which is the sole factor in deciding whether you're offered a place or not.

oh thank you, for medicine in germany it means ill have to learn german properly right? do you think i could do an english taught course in biology or somthing maybe and then apply to medicine after grasping the language?

[AishaTara]

For germany you'll need to take a C1 examination

[Helenia]

(Original post by amber109)
oh thank you, for medicine in germany it means ill have to learn german properly right? do you think i could do an english taught course in biology or somthing maybe and then apply to medicine after grasping the language?

Germany has no need to offer English-speaking medicine courses because it doesn't need to prop up its universities with internationals who couldn't get into their own country. Of course you will have to learn German properly - how could you communicate with patients/other staff if you can't speak it?

I got >90% in A-level German and was reasonably fluent on a conversational level once upon a time, but I would want to live there for at least a year before thinking about going for a medical course.

Out of interest, if you've decided the UK is not an option (for whatever reason) why have you particularly decided on Germany?

[amber109]

(Original post by Helenia)
Germany has no need to offer English-speaking medicine courses because it doesn't need to prop up its universities with internationals who couldn't get into their own country. Of course you will have to learn German properly - how could you communicate with patients/other staff if you can't speak it?

I got >90% in A-level German and was reasonably fluent on a conversational level once upon a time, but I would want to live there for at least a year before thinking about going for a medical course.

Out of interest, if you've decided the UK is not an option (for whatever reason) why have you particularly decided on Germany?

i was born there and have lived there for my early childhood years and so am quite attached to the country, so was just considering applying for medicine there...however this is just a thought obvs not 100% decided

[Giggy88]

Hi there, I am from Germany and moved to the UK 3 years ago.
I am currently doing A-levels and studying medicine in germany is my back-up plan, in case I don't get into a UK med school.

There are quite a few things to consider. First of all, getting into a german med school is much more competitive than in the UK. There are currently waiting lists as long as 4 years. But this is all dependant on your grades.

The application process is regulated by a body similar to UCAS, which only deals with applications to pharmacy, medicine and dentisry.

Students are mainly differentiated by their Numerus clausus, NC (similar to A levels). 20% of the places are given to the people with the best "A-levels" in the country while another 20% is given to people with the longest waiting time, counted as semesters. Eventhough it sounds weird that only 20% of german students get the maximum scores in their A levels, it is not nearly as easy as it is to get AAA. They study about 10 subjects which are all AS-level standard (according to NARIC)
The universities are allowed to give the remaining 60% of places based on their own selection criteria. These include along the NC a test called TMS which is voluntarily, but if you do good in it, it will be to your advantage. If you mess up it will not be taken into account.

There isn't as much emphasis to extracurriculars and work experience as there is in UK med schools, but a bit of work experience will show the admission tutors that you are serious about the programme.

To have a realistic chance you need to also pass the C1 examination which has already been mentioned.

This document contains a lot of info for UK applicants, on what they exactly need to apply.

Good luck with your application and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

[amber109]

(Original post by Giggy88)
Hi there, I am from Germany and moved to the UK 3 years ago.
I am currently doing A-levels and studying medicine in germany is my back-up plan, in case I don't get into a UK med school.

There are quite a few things to consider. First of all, getting into a german med school is much more competitive than in the UK. There are currently waiting lists as long as 4 years. But this is all dependant on your grades.

The application process is regulated by a body similar to UCAS, which only deals with applications to pharmacy, medicine and dentisry.

Students are mainly differentiated by their Numerus clausus, NC (similar to A levels). 20% of the places are given to the people with the best "A-levels" in the country while another 20% is given to people with the longest waiting time, counted as semesters. Eventhough it sounds weird that only 20% of german students get the maximum scores in their A levels, it is not nearly as easy as it is to get AAA. They study about 10 subjects which are all AS-level standard (according to NARIC)
The universities are allowed to give the remaining 60% of places based on their own selection criteria. These include along the NC a test called TMS which is voluntarily, but if you do good in it, it will be to your advantage. If you mess up it will not be taken into account.

There isn't as much emphasis to extracurriculars and work experience as there is in UK med schools, but a bit of work experience will show the admission tutors that you are serious about the programme.

To have a realistic chance you need to also pass the C1 examination which has already been mentioned.

This document contains a lot of info for UK applicants, on what they exactly need to apply.

Good luck with your application and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

thanks for replying! i was wondering, like for ucas we apply at around september or october in year 13, what about for germany, what time should we start applying or can we only do that once we know german properly? thank you again

[Giggy88]

You can certainly apply and see how it goes.

Unfortunately in germany they do not take into account your Predicted grades and you can only apply once you have achieved grades.
There are two times each year where admission is possible. The Summer and the Winter semester.

The summer semester starts around July and since Results day in the UK is mid-august, you can only apply to the Winter semester in January somewhere. I am not quite sure about the exact dates, but there is quite a bit of time until then. So just see how it goes with the UCAS this year and once you have your grades in August you can start thinking about applying to germany.

Until then, you may want to take up German A level or teach yourself german in some other way. I personally think if you have the possibility to study in the UK you really shouldn't go through all the trouble of learning a new language, just so you can apply for medschool in another country.

[amber109]

(Original post by Giggy88)
You can certainly apply and see how it goes.

Unfortunately in germany they do not take into account your Predicted grades and you can only apply once you have achieved grades.
There are two times each year where admission is possible. The Summer and the Winter semester.

The summer semester starts around July and since Results day in the UK is mid-august, you can only apply to the Winter semester in January somewhere. I am not quite sure about the exact dates, but there is quite a bit of time until then. So just see how it goes with the UCAS this year and once you have your grades in August you can start thinking about applying to germany.

Until then, you may want to take up German A level or teach yourself german in some other way. I personally think if you have the possibility to study in the UK you really shouldn't go through all the trouble of learning a new language, just so you can apply for medschool in another country.

thanks, the thing is im really worried about not getting good enough grades and getting into medicine here in the UK as it is really competitive ...however thi was just a consideration..and learing german is something that i would definately have to spend a long time on, so i guess i will try my best here!

[amber109]

(Original post by Pandabär)
My German is good enough to pass the entry exam, so I also considered this for a nanosecond, but decided against it- I want to live and practice as a doctor in the UK.

I reckon the training is better in the UK- for example German unis generally have a 6 year degree, sending you to see life on the wards only in the final year. You also apply differently- by writing directly to the universities.

It's very competitive for foreign students, so not an easy option. My friend's sister got into med at LMU Muenchen on her first attempt, but she really wasn't expecting it (she is German, though).

On the positive side- It could save you a lot of money!

that was one of the reasons i thought of applying to germany, as it costs near to nothing for the uni fees

[arnoob]

(Original post by amber109)
i was born there and have lived there for my early childhood years and so am quite attached to the country, so was just considering applying for medicine there...however this is just a thought obvs not 100% decided

At which age did you move here? I moved to England at the age of 11 and am still pretty fluent...

[Giggy88]

(Original post by Pandabär)
My German is good enough to pass the entry exam, so I also considered this for a nanosecond, but decided against it- I want to live and practice as a doctor in the UK.

I reckon the training is better in the UK- for example German unis generally have a 6 year degree, sending you to see life on the wards only in the final year. You also apply differently- by writing directly to the universities.

It's very competitive for foreign students, so not an easy option. My friend's sister got into med at LMU Muenchen on her first attempt, but she really wasn't expecting it (she is German, though).

On the positive side- It could save you a lot of money!

This is not true. Most med schools in Germany still have the traditional academic structure where you don't have much patient contact in the first few years similar to Cambridge. But in the years 4,5,6 there is much more emphasis on clinical experience and they are on wards exactly like UK medics. The final year which is the PJ year acts mainly as a transition year where students have quite a lot of responsibility similar to an F1 doctor.

You apply through hochschulstart.de, the body for admissions similar to UCAS and not through the uni's themselves.

[amber109]

(Original post by arnoob)
At which age did you move here? I moved to England at the age of 11 and am still pretty fluent...

i was 8, and am not so fluent anymore. i can understand and speak basic german but its really not that great

[arnoob]

(Original post by amber109)
i was 8, and am not so fluent anymore. i can understand and speak basic german but its really not that great

That's very interesting, there is only a 3 year difference between us moving to this country , I guess that goes to show how crucial your first 10-12 years are in learning a language.

[Pandabär]

(Original post by Giggy88)
This is not true. Most med schools in Germany still have the traditional academic structure where you don't have much patient contact in the first few years similar to Cambridge. But in the years 4,5,6 there is much more emphasis on clinical experience and they are on wards exactly like UK medics. The final year which is the PJ year acts mainly as a transition year where students have quite a lot of responsibility similar to an F1 doctor.

You apply through hochschulstart.de, the body for admissions similar to UCAS and not through the uni's themselves.

That's what I've heard from friends currently studying there, so yes it is true, at least in some unis. There's also an old bmj article somewhere stating the opposite.

[Giggy88]

Forget what you have heard from friends. I am giving you info from first hand. -.-

[BananaWhale]

(Original post by amber109)
oh thank you, for medicine in germany it means ill have to learn german properly right? do you think i could do an english taught course in biology or somthing maybe and then apply to medicine after grasping the language?

If you're gunna do medicine as post grad then you might aswell just do it in the UK.