Hi Marco,
Thanks for replying. Which forum are you talking about? I don't want to sound conceited, but I'm sure I'd be a "fantastic performer" considering my background. I'm actually surprised by how many Italian students want to study medicine in English (that's a good thing!). And I'd be happy to be surrounded by many Italians, I've been to Italy several times and I'm in love with the history, culture, people, food, fashion, language (really beautiful language!)...everything really. I'm just at a point right now where I'm confused as to where I want to go to pursue medicine. Moving to Italy for the next 6 years and maybe forever is very daunting. I guess I'd be taking a huge risk if I ever wanted to come back to the US and get a residency here. No offense, but I'm a little apprehensive about Italy and what my life would be like over there if I decided to stay. I've heard from expats about the difficulty gaining citizenship, getting accepted to a residency and finding a job as a physician (Italy has the highest doctor-patient ratio in the world) and really low salary(?), climate would not be the best fit for me considering the hot/humid summers and extremely cold winters (I prefer hot and dry). What is the European educational system like, specifically what are the oral exams like? It's a scary thought, maybe it's not so bad? LOL. Oh and why are there nothing but exams for 3 whole months, instead of spread out throughout the year? We get ~a month extra for vacation per year, so that's a little disappointing too. If I did decide to come back to the US, the extra 2 years I'd spend there because of the 6-year program would seem like a waste of time, but if I decided to stay and practice as a general physician there then it wouldn't be. There's a lot to think about, I think if you only think about the positives, then you'll be in for a surprise and disappointment.
Julia