Going medicine?

wait.... don't tell me i mixed up between A2 and A level again ... *facepalm*

Having an A2 = having a full A-level. A2 is the second half.

Where have you applied in Germany? Presumably you speak German to a very high level?

Well i haven't applied , i have tried ( i re corrected it , my apologies )

No i dont. im just keeping germany in mind incase if none of these countries work out, i'll just take a gap year to further improve my grades ( specifically , chemistry ) and at the same time , i will be learning the german language . And i was just checking their websites for accepted grades etc.

No i dont. im just keeping germany in mind incase if none of these countries work out, i'll just take a gap year to further improve my grades ( specifically , chemistry ) and at the same time , i will be learning the german language . And i was just checking their websites for accepted grades etc.

You need to stop assuming that grades improved in a gap year would even be considered and make a difference to your application. Some countries' med schools will refuse to consider new grades if you do that.

And that it's possible to learn German to med school level in a year, from scratch.

That too. Though there are language schools that offer full-time German language education specifically to allow you to apply to university in Germany. I couldn't say what the success rate is of people going from zero to the required level for Medicine, though. You also need a whole lot of money.

Any advice on studying medicine in Germany?
IB Score: 37, I'm a british citizen and am happy to learn German C2 before I apply

thanks

I've been having a look for you - I was directed by Heidelberg's site to the following site: http://anabin.kmk.org/no_cache/filter/schulabschluesse-mit-hochschulzugang.html#land_gewaehlt but IB isn't listed. However I googled 'Hochschulzugangsberechtigung International Baccalaureate' and a Uni Augsburg page came up where it seems you can apply with IB too (it would be weird if you couldn't) but there wasn't any detailed info about requirements that I could immediately find there. The page said about applying and some stages involved in that rather than what you would need to be accepted etc. You might find it's a case of applying and then finding out later whether you have a chance of being accepted.

I can however tell you: the first link mentions A-level requirements and you need a language at AS or A2, I somehow doubt English will count for this (though if I read correctly then German counts even if they know it's your native language so who knows), and you need Chemistry at A2 and then two of Biology/Physics/Maths, also at A2. So whatever is the equivalent in IB is probably what will be required.

I can also tell you that the Heidelberg page mentioned some kind of admission test that I suspect will be like UKCAT or BMAT, though I don't know whether all German med schools will require it.

I've been having a look for you - I was directed by Heidelberg's site to the following site: http://anabin.kmk.org/no_cache/filter/schulabschluesse-mit-hochschulzugang.html#land_gewaehlt but IB isn't listed. However I googled 'Hochschulzugangsberechtigung International Baccalaureate' and a Uni Augsburg page came up where it seems you can apply with IB too (it would be weird if you couldn't) but there wasn't any detailed info about requirements that I could immediately find there. The page said about applying and some stages involved in that rather than what you would need to be accepted etc. You might find it's a case of applying and then finding out later whether you have a chance of being accepted.

I can however tell you: the first link mentions A-level requirements and you need a language at AS or A2, I somehow doubt English will count for this (though if I read correctly then German counts even if they know it's your native language so who knows), and you need Chemistry at A2 and then two of Biology/Physics/Maths, also at A2. So whatever is the equivalent in IB is probably what will be required.

I can also tell you that the Heidelberg page mentioned some kind of admission test that I suspect will be like UKCAT or BMAT, though I don't know whether all German med schools will require it.

Medicine in Germany is done points based. According the the Admissions tutor at Luebeck university (the best med school in Germany by many accounts) your target is an arbitrary 1.0. It's the inverse of what you'd expect. 1.0 represents the strongest of candidates and 4.0/5.0 represents the very weakest, like a logarithm.

Your AS & A2 grades (possibly also GCSE, due to the breadth of the Abitur) play a critical role in how many points you get, and it's all about how the conversion works (and also which state converts your results, as they have different academic standards). Assuming that an A/A* is equivalent to a 1.0, your average grade stays at a good level (of course they good be very picky and determine that A*s are worth 1.0 and As are worth 2.0). If for whatever reason your average is 'above' 1.0 (for example 1.8), there are numerous other things you can do which can bring your average down to 1.0 again.

The Medical test (which can only be taken once, but doesn't hinder your application if you do badly in it, as it isn't a pre-requisite to studying medicine in Germany) can bring you closer to 1.0 by 0.4 if you do well in it. Further more, three months of work experience (which I will be achieving by working in a German hospital for a year) can bring it up by a further 0.4.

Of course getting the grades is what will help you most, but German universities don't care too much about what subjects you have, more how well you do. It's advice, not a firm guideline. Doing as well in the exams as possible is the best strategy. And if you manage to do so well in the exams you can also apply to English universities if you've done the UKCAT. Germany certainly isn't a country you can fall back on for medicine if you aren't good enough for England; it's tough. But it's also free, and the way they do it there makes more sense to me.

Do you not meet the fachspezifische Anforderungen given in that link, then? It seemed pretty clear-cut that they require those subjects for Medicine for A-levels to be 'valid' for entry, but perhaps the universities don't really care?

Well I don't have my A2 grades yet, but seeing as I do neither maths nor physics I wouldn't according to that list. Having spoken directly with Luebeck though, they don't seem to care so much about what the grades are in (I assume they will also look at GCSE results alongside AS & A2, as the cumulative effect of all of them is equatable to Abitur. And it makes sense like that, Germans only have two subjects they really take up to A-level standard, they just have lots of other stuff to do at the same time). It really depends on how it's all converted to be honest.

I know that feeling. I wish you luck. Are you applying anywhere other than Lübeck?