HK Pre-med Dilemma...

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Hi all,

I'm in my final year for BSc in Canada and my goal is to practice medicine in hk. I just got rejected by hku and cu for mbbs and I really don't know what my next step should be... Can anyone provide me with some advice for the following choices? I hope to gather as much information as possible before I make a decision.

I can either...

1. Get a Master degree in Canda - but I am still stuck in Canada if I don't get accepted in hk for the next 2 years

2. Go international med schools - but it is extremely expensive and I can't guarenteed to practice in hk after I graduate. This will leave me with a huge debt.

3. Get a BSc in Dietetics in Canada - I can get a science-related job with this degree but it takes almost 4 years and I doubt the hk med school will consider me if I re-apply in the middle of my degree

Thank you so much!!!

Originally Posted by leviticus

Hi all,

I'm in my final year for BSc in Canada and my goal is to practice medicine in hk. I just got rejected by hku and cu for mbbs and I really don't know what my next step should be... Can anyone provide me with some advice for the following choices? I hope to gather as much information as possible before I make a decision.

I can either...

1. Get a Master degree in Canda - but I am still stuck in Canada if I don't get accepted in hk for the next 2 years

2. Go international med schools - but it is extremely expensive and I can't guarenteed to practice in hk after I graduate. This will leave me with a huge debt.

3. Get a BSc in Dietetics in Canada - I can get a science-related job with this degree but it takes almost 4 years and I doubt the hk med school will consider me if I re-apply in the middle of my degree

Thank you so much!!!

I guess the best choice is to go to an international med school and then apply back to HKU/CU next year?
Also, they in fact do consider people not finishing their degree
I'm in my second year of my undergraduate but they still accepted me (And if you look back at previous posts someone else in first year got in too)

Originally Posted by leviticus

Hi all,

I'm in my final year for BSc in Canada and my goal is to practice medicine in hk. I just got rejected by hku and cu for mbbs and I really don't know what my next step should be... Can anyone provide me with some advice for the following choices? I hope to gather as much information as possible before I make a decision.

I can either...

1. Get a Master degree in Canda - but I am still stuck in Canada if I don't get accepted in hk for the next 2 years

2. Go international med schools - but it is extremely expensive and I can't guarenteed to practice in hk after I graduate. This will leave me with a huge debt.

3. Get a BSc in Dietetics in Canada - I can get a science-related job with this degree but it takes almost 4 years and I doubt the hk med school will consider me if I re-apply in the middle of my degree

Thank you so much!!!

If you're only interested in practicing medicine in hk, then going to an international school like aussie schools might be a good option since hk is more familiar with uk/aussie medical schools than north american ones. You're also more likely to do well in the hk licensing exam due to its clinical emphasis - which uk/aussie schools offer whereas north american med schools focus more on the science. Doing a master will only help if you can get some nice research productivity out of it. HK schools are all about accolades and so if you don't have the gpa, you better have something crazy on your resume. Doing dietetics might be ok but again not sure if it'll help you get into hk schools. You have to check how they view second undergrad gpa.

I'm surprised that you heard back from both schools already. They usually notify rejections pretty late in the cycle.

Yeah, did you apply to the fast track? They're still accepting late applications so I find it quite strange that you already received notice from them.

Also, you can consider England med schools as well since HKU is pretty similar to them

how'd you get notified that you were unsuccessful? I applied for fast track but didn't get in, now they said I'm in the main round.
May I ask what is the appeal of practicing medicine in hk for you?
I would suggest going to an international med school, preferably aussie or england med schools as mentioned above as they are similar to the hk med school system.

Just two things I wanted to chime in about:

1. Dietetics may not be that easy to get into - I've known people that have tried a total of 3 years in a row before they finally got in...but then I suppose that depends on your gpa/statement/interview/luck/etc. Basically, it's a nice backup to have, but that doesn't mean that it's that easy.

2. Even if you finish your MBBS in Australia (I'm not sure about UK), you still won't be eligible to sit for the HKMLE - and practice in HK - until after you finish an internship year. Someone correct if I'm wrong about this.

Australian internships really aren't guaranteed right now for international students since there's a massive lack of spots, so that might be something you'd want to consider.

Originally Posted by marble30

Just two things I wanted to chime in about:

1. Dietetics may not be that easy to get into - I've known people that have tried a total of 3 years in a row before they finally got in...but then I suppose that depends on your gpa/statement/interview/luck/etc. Basically, it's a nice backup to have, but that doesn't mean that it's that easy.

2. Even if you finish your MBBS in Australia (I'm not sure about UK), you still won't be eligible to sit for the HKMLE - and practice in HK - until after you finish an internship year. Someone correct if I'm wrong about this.

Australian internships really aren't guaranteed right now for international students since there's a massive lack of spots, so that might be something you'd want to consider.

You are correct. This is also why Irish schools are "safer" options because the internship is basically guaranteed I believe, like a foundation year in UK term? But the problem is that unless you're a EU citizen, its impossible to get a placement afterward. For Australia, getting that internship is really difficult in most states but some are still ok for international students. Once you got the internship spot, however, it's much easier to stay and work. There won't be flexibility in choosing your specialty afterward, however, because local graduates will obviously be more preferred.