The Entry Requirements to Study in Medical Schools in Europe or the U.S.A by Sayed Quraishi

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You know that you will have to put in a lot of effort and hours of study if you decide to pursue a career as a Medicine doctor. All your hard work will pay off in the end. Being a doctor is an honorable and rewarding career.

You should not apply to medical school superficially. It is important to pick the right medical school. Sayed Quraishi has compiled the most commonly used entry requirements for medical schools in Europe, the USA, and the UK to help you make your decision.

Study abroad for a Bachelor of Medicine

You’ll also find additional information such as your GPA. The acceptance of undergraduate degrees, and whether you will need an entrance exam to be admitted to medical school.

What does it take to enter a medical school?

1. Medical school admission requirements in Europe

These are the most popular admission criteria for European Universities’ Medicine Degrees.

• High school diploma (certificate).
• Excellent marks in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
• Recommendations letters
• Motivational letter
• Healthcare experience can be volunteered or worked in the field.
• International Baccalaureate Diploma candidates (IB) must have three subjects, including Chemistry and Biology at Higher Levels. They also need to offer three subjects at Standard Level. Some universities do not require the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
• Minimum TOEFL or IELTS scores

These are the most commonly used requirements. However, Europe is large and many countries have their own admission criteria. These are just a few examples.

Admission to a medical school and becoming a French doctor

Sayed Quraishi explains France has three cycles for medical studies. Each institution may have its own admission criteria.

The PCEM first cycle lasts for 2 years. The second year begins with a challenging examination. Most Medicine students fail to pass the exam.

The second cycle (DCEM), lasts for 4 years. This includes theory classes, exams, and training periods in healthcare institutions. The final year of medical school sees med students taking a national exam. Their specialization is determined by their grade.

The third cycle can be divided into General Medicine or Specialized Medicine. Internships in General Medicine typically last three years. An internship for Specialized Medicine can take up to 4-5 years. All students are awarded a Specialized Studies Diploma at the end of their third cycle (in French, DES, Diplome d’Etudes Specializes).

After successfully defending your thesis in front of a jury, graduates are awarded their diplomas as Doctors. You must still register with The Conseil National de l’Ordre des Medecins to practice Medicine.

These are some of the top French medical schools:

• University of Burgundy
• Institut Polytechnique de Paris
• Europubhealth Plus Consortium

Admission to a medical school in Germany

You will find the Numerus Clausus in Germany. It stands for Limited Number in Latin. This system is used to determine how many Medicine places are available for students. You must be a certain grade overall to be eligible for admission.

The average time to earn a doctorate in medicine in Germany is 6 years and 3 months. They are not broken into Master’s or Bachelor’s degrees. Sayed Quraishi explains that to graduate, you must pass a state exam.

There are several stages that lead to doctoral status in Germany.

• Stage I Studies – 4 semesters, followed by the 3rd section of the state examination
• Stage II Studies – 6 Semesters
• Successful completion of a practicum year (PJ), at a hospital/clinic
• After passing the second and final state exam, you are granted your license to practice medicine in Germany.

Because most examinations and lectures are conducted in German. It is very important that you have good German language skills.

2. The U.S. has strict admission requirements for medical school programs

The US considers Medical degrees second entry degrees. Sayed Quraishi clarifies that you can’t enroll in a Medicine Bachelor’s degree directly. Before you can apply to medical schools, you must first earn a Bachelor’s degree (undergraduate) in a related Science field (popular choices include Biology and Chemistry). You can then enroll in a Medicine program that typically lasts four years.

These are the requirements for US med schools:

• High school diploma
• A 3-year undergraduate degree in Sciences.
• Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0
• Good TOEFL language scores
• Recommendations letters
• Extracurricular activities
• Minimum MCAT exam score (determined by each university separately)

American med school requirements include completing premedical classes such as:

• One year of college biology with lab
• One year of general college chemistry with a laboratory
• Minimum of 24 semester hours in Humanities areas: Biology, Chemistry
• One year of Mathematics (Calculus &/or Statistics) (6-8 semester hours).
• One year of general college Physics with laboratory (8 semester hours).

These are some of the top medical schools in the US.

• University of South Dakota
• Liberty University
• School for International Training

What’s the MCAT?

Sayed Quraishi said it is the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). A multi-choice exam was created by the Association of American Medical Colleges. Nearly all US medical schools require that applicants submit MCAT exam scores as part of their university application.

The MCAT exam is approximately 7 hours and a quarter long and includes 4 major parts.

• Biological and Biochemical Foundations of Living Systems
• Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological Systems
• Behavioral Foundations: Psychological, Social and Biological
• Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills