Medicine as european - which university to choose?

It's pointless to apply after the deadline and it's pointless as an EU applicant to apply without the necessary qualifications (chemistry).

Original post by MoMed

And applicants that apply on time are being prefered? I already took a gap year and I started to study in France, since being accepted for medicine in Germany is even harder then in the UK - and the main (and almost only) criterion is the grade of our final examn...

Supposed I want to try anyway, are there universitys where

1. you don't need to have had chemistry
2. it's "easier" to be accepted because they aren't that "popular"?

Reply 6

Helloworld_95

19

Only 10% of EU applicants get a place each year at a UK med school so even if you met the deadline your application would need to be spectacular, equivalent to the top quartile of UK applicants who get a place.

You always need chemistry, except in a couple of cases where you can get away with two or all of biology, maths and physics.

Ironically the less popular schools are the more difficult to get into, they have a much higher competition for places and when you're talking medicine applicants this translates to much higher selection criteria in practice.

Also it was to my understanding that it was much easier to get into a med school in Germany as there is much less competition for places and a lot of demand for doctors

Reply 7

Hippokrates

20

The deadline does not have exceptions, plus without chemistry or a levels you wouldn't get in even if you'd met the deadline. Without Chemistry I doubt very much that you have any work experience or voluntary work either, medicine isn't something you do on a whim, do you research in time for the next cycle. Why aren't you applying in Germany?

Reply 8

Ronove

18

Original post by MoMed

Hello everyone,

my name is Moritz, I'm from Germany, and I am currently concidering studying medicine in the UK.

I have two main questions:

1. I didn't take Chemistry until my final secondary-school exams
2. It's already December, almost January, so obviously I'm about 3 months behind the deadline.

So, my question: Is there a university you would recommend for someone in my position?

Thanks for your help, :smile:

Moritz

Hallo Moritz. :smile:

1. When you say final secondary-school exams, do you mean Abitur? Did you even do the Abitur? I can't remember whether there are any other German school-leaving qualifications that grant entry to standard academic courses at university right now so you'll have to let us know what it is you have. You say 'until' your final exams, do you mean after? It does not matter whether you took Chemistry before the level required, as long as you have it at the level required (usually British A2 or foreign equivalent).

2. You cannot apply after the deadline, you will be rejected automatically because of being late. In fact UCAS might not even allow you to submit the application without warning you of this, or at all.

Others have asked - why not apply in Germany? It's a hell of a lot cheaper and you'll most likely find that student life at British universities in the early years are quite different from that in Germany (I speak only from limited experience of living with students in Hamburg but I'm fairly sure there is a significant cultural difference).

Reply 9

letsbehonest

15

Original post by MoMed

And applicants that apply on time are being prefered? I already took a gap year and I started to study in France, since being accepted for medicine in Germany is even harder then in the UK - and the main (and almost only) criterion is the grade of our final examn...

Supposed I want to try anyway, are there universitys where

1. you don't need to have had chemistry
2. it's "easier" to be accepted because they aren't that "popular"?

All med schools are extremely competitive. They are all 'popular'.

In the UK, your place depends on:
minimum grade requirement - for almost all its compulsory to have studied chemistry in your final year.
work experience
personal statement
ukcat/bmat exam result

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 10

Original post by Helloworld_95

Only 10% of EU applicants get a place each year at a UK med school so even if you met the deadline your application would need to be spectacular, equivalent to the top quartile of UK applicants who get a place.

Same goes for UK applicants, no? Both EU and UK applicants are considered to be 'Home' students so the selection criteria should be identical for both groups of applicants.

Reply 11

Original post by ilem

Same goes for UK applicants, no? Both EU and UK applicants are considered to be 'Home' students so the selection criteria should be identical for both groups of applicants.

There are only x number of funded places (note: funded doesn't mean free for the student) for students from other countries etc. For instance, in Scotland there are quotas set for Scottish, RUK, EEA, and International applicants.

Reply 12

Original post by Zedd

There are only x number of funded places (note: funded doesn't mean free for the student) for students from other countries etc. For instance, in Scotland there are quotas set for Scottish, RUK, EEA, and International applicants.

EU applicants are not considered to be international, they compete for their places with RUK students. In Scotland, for example, Scottish and EU students are considered to be Home (and pay Scottish fees as a result) while RUK students pay 9k/year.

Reply 13

winningjojo

Original post by MoMed

Hello everyone,

my name is Moritz, I'm from Germany, and I am currently concidering studying medicine in the UK.

I have two main questions:

1. I didn't take Chemistry until my final secondary-school exams
2. It's already December, almost January, so obviously I'm about 3 months behind the deadline.

So, my question: Is there a university you would recommend for someone in my position?

Thanks for your help, :smile:

Moritz

The 15th October is deadline for medicine applicants I doubt anyone will look seriously at your application now I would wait until next yrs cohort of your serious about doing medicine in the uk.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 14

Original post by ilem

EU applicants are not considered to be international, they compete for their places with RUK students. In Scotland, for example, Scottish and EU students are considered to be Home (and pay Scottish fees as a result) while RUK students pay 9k/year.

Sorry, but EEA applicants are not treated the same as RUK or Scottish students in Scotland. It's true that they are basically treated as the same as Scottish applicants in terms of financial support, but that doesn't extend to them being able to take places reserved for Scottish or RUK students. If what you are saying were true then there would be a huge number of students from EEA that are studying medicine in Scotland, which isn't the case.

Reply 15

Ronove

18

Original post by Zedd

Sorry, but EEA applicants are not treated the same as RUK or Scottish students in Scotland. It's true that they are basically treated as the same as Scottish applicants in terms of financial support, but that doesn't extend to them being able to take places reserved for Scottish or RUK students. If what you are saying were true then there would be a huge number of students from EEA that are studying medicine in Scotland, which isn't the case.

Not questioning the rest of what you say but what makes you think large numbers of people would want to come here to study Medicine when they can just do it in their own countries, for much less money, and most likely without having to do all the work experience and voluntary work like UK applicants do?

Edit: When I say 'here' I mean the UK, had a moment of emigrant amnesia there... :tongue:

Reply 16

Original post by Zedd

Sorry, but EEA applicants are not treated the same as RUK or Scottish students in Scotland. It's true that they are basically treated as the same as Scottish applicants in terms of financial support, but that doesn't extend to them being able to take places reserved for Scottish or RUK students. If what you are saying were true then there would be a huge number of students from EEA that are studying medicine in Scotland, which isn't the case.

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/medicine/prospective/overseas/
'Candidates applying from the European Union are classed as "Home" students, and will be competing for one of the remaining 152 places available.'

http://medicine.dundee.ac.uk/faq
'There are 154 places available of which up to 12 can be allocated to overseas-fee students.'

http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/medicine/mus/international/
'There are only 18 places for candidates from non-EU countries.'

I couldn't find any information regarding Edinburgh and St. Andrews at a glance but nowhere here does it mention EU students having to compete in a bracket of their own.

As for why there's not many EU students studying Medicine in the UK, Ronove is probably right. The UK medical application process is very tough and daunting compared to most EU countries where grade alone will get you in. It's usually cheaper to study in your own country as well.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 17

Original post by Ronove

Not questioning the rest of what you say but what makes you think large numbers of people would want to come here to study Medicine when they can just do it in their own countries, for much less money, and most likely without having to do all the work experience and voluntary work like UK applicants do?

Edit: When I say 'here' I mean the UK, had a moment of emigrant amnesia there... :tongue:

Is that the case though? Given that degrees from the UK are desirable and that in Scotland, EEA applicants are treated the same as Scottish students in terms of funding. Also, being German, or French, or Italian, etc and getting your degree in an English speaking country is a selling point for those graduates when returning to their country. Granted that might not be so important with something like medicine. Not too sure about it being harder here in regard to shadowing etc, although in France it is certainly easier to get into medicine.

Original post by ilem

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/medicine/prospective/overseas/
'Candidates applying from the European Union are classed as "Home" students, and will be competing for one of the remaining 152 places available.'

http://medicine.dundee.ac.uk/faq
'There are 154 places available of which up to 12 can be allocated to overseas-fee students.'

http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/medicine/mus/international/
'There are only 18 places for candidates from non-EU countries.'

I couldn't find any information regarding Edinburgh and St. Andrews at a glance but nowhere here does it mention EU students having to compete in a bracket of their own.

None of these statements tell you how many places are allocated to EEA students. Even in regard to Aberdeen's statement, they say that EEA applicants will be competing for 'the remaining 152 places available'; that is not to say that you are competing for one of the 152 places available, but one of 'the remaining' ones, i.e., the places not allocated to RUK, Scottish, and Internationals. I think it was probably Edinburgh who had some information which alluded to a limit on EEA places, but I'm not sure where you'd find that as someone else linked me to it. Best bet is to check the statistics posted on Aberdeen's website and/or email the various schools.

Reply 18