Interested in applying in UK and Ireland..Please help!

[MedDreamer]

Hey guys,

I am interested in applying for medical schools in the UK and Ireland and I need some help here I have been in medical school for 2 years in Baghdad/Iraq then immigrated to Canada and been living here for 8 years. GPA is around 3.3 and my bad MCATs (22 Q, VR 5, BS 8, PS9)have been keeping me from getting into medical schools in North America! I have taken it 4 times but it seems that I don't have the logic it has and I can't seem to get it! I really want to continue the medical education I had discontinued in Iraq due to war, but I am so tired of applying to Canadian and American schools..I have extensive volunteer experiences with NGOs (localy) and at hospitals in Canada..I have travelled on youth programs and have so many extracurriculars..so, I'm looking into the Irish and UK programs hoping I would have a chance there..

I have looked on old threads but it was hard finding answers to my questions .So sorry if I'm repeating the same questions that might have been posted any time, but I really need help ..

So, here are my questions:

1. Is the application different for British and Irish Med. school? I know that UK website is the UCAS, but does that also include Irish schools?

2. Which British schools have the highest rate of accepting international students (canadians?)

3. Are Irish schools easier to get into that British schools?

4. What is the tuition range like at UK/Irish schools?

5. In the application process, does one have better chances if he/she was in medical school before at a developing country? What are the main things admissions people look at? Do they look at extensive volunteer work??

6. Is the MCAT required? Or any other tests?

7. Do you think I have good chance of getting in with my stats??

Thank you very much to anyone who attempts answering my questions..I really appreciate it very much..

Med.D.

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[Kev (UK)]

1. Is the application different for British and Irish Med. school? I know that UK website is the UCAS, but does that also include Irish schools?

Yes, UCAS is for UK only, not Eire medical schools. Belfast is in UK however, being N.Ireland.

2. Which British schools have the highest rate of accepting international students (canadians?)

3. Are Irish schools easier to get into that British schools?

Probably for US students.

4. What is the tuition range like at UK/Irish schools?

5. In the application process, does one have better chances if he/she was in medical school before at a developing country? What are the main things admissions people look at? Do they look at extensive volunteer work??

If you dropped out of a medical school elsewhere, without a very good reason, I suspect this would significantlt reduce your chances of being accepted to a UK school. They would not give you academic credit even if you did get accepted, you would need to start at year 1 again.

6. Is the MCAT required? Or any other tests?

At some UK schools there are entrance tests, but not at most. US MCAT does not count.

7. Do you think I have good chance of getting in with my stats??

Thank you very much to anyone who attempts answering my questions..I really appreciate it very much..

Med.D.

Good luck.

 

[MedDreamer]

thanks Kev(Uk). I didnt just drop out, my family just had to leave the country (b/c of war situation) and they immigrated to Canada. So it wasn't by choice, but a must..Do you think schools would understand that?

Yeah, I'm not expecting to get credits for that anyways..I just hope it doesn't hurt my chances..

thanks again

Med. D.

 

[Kev (UK)]

thanks Kev(Uk). I didnt just drop out, my family just had to leave the country (b/c of war situation) and they immigrated to Canada. So it wasn't by choice, but a must..Do you think schools would understand that?

Most definately. But I would recommend contacting each UK medical school you are interested in before applying, as you can only apply to 4 medical schools on a year via UCAS, so don't waste an application applying to a school which either does not accept overseas applicants or does not accept your overseas qualifications.

Sorry, but I don't have any info on Irish med schools- it's a whole different country!

Good luck.

 

[leorl]

1. If you are canadian, you'd apply to the Irish schools via Atlantic Bridge (www.atlanticbridge.com). Most of them require the MCAT, but Trinity does not (at the moment, I'm not sure if it changed this year along with their curriculum change). If you have MCAT scores, I think you'd be expected to report them, but it wouldn't hold as much weight.

3. Possibly, but I wouldn't throw my chances on it

4. Irish schools for non-EU people is in the range of about 19-21,000 euro which translates to about 28,000 USD. Except RCSI which is like 33,000 euro. It's not cheap. UK tuition for non-EU I believe is 10-12,000 GBP which is slightly cheaper at maybe around 24-25,000 USD...but living expenses are higher.

5. They will look at you holistically, at least the Irish schools because of the different grading/standardized scoring system. So good extracurriculars and things that are unique to the general pre-med application will work in your favor. They also seem to like research experience

6. If you've taken them, I think you have to report the scores anyway. You could ask Atlantic Bridge (email them [email protected]) about this

7. Can't really answer that. There is no clear cutoff

 

[dr strangelove]

1. For British schools you have to go through UCAS, for Irish schools you have to go through CAO.

2. No idea. I don't think any UK school has a 'higher' acceptance rate than any of the others. Most British medical schools give around 10% of their places to foreign students. I have heard that they favour students from disadvantaged countries that lack doctors, so if you do apply I'd recommend telling them that you want to go back to Iraq to practice, even if you don't mean it. It won't damage your chances and it might improve them. I think international students are more likely to be drawn towards the more prestigious and older universities such as Oxbridge, Glasgow, Aberdeen and the London schools, so it might be better application wise if you looked at some of the newer medical schools as there might be less competition. I'm in Glasgow and there are a few foreign students in my year, but there's not that much of a mix. Mostly they're from Malaysia or Singapore, with a few Africans. Very little of other nationalities. In Ireland I know that RCSI has a higher foreign student acceptance rate than the other Irish universities.

3. In my experience, it's easier to get into British medical schools compared to Irish ones. I found the hardest part to be getting to the interview stage - I got rejected without interview to 2 schools, but the 2 I was asked for interview at offered me a place. As you're a non-EU student however, the Irish schools will probably give you easier entry requirements. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try the UK though!

4. Irish teaching is still quite old fashioned - for example UCD only brought in a systems based learning curriculum 3 years ago. It is changing though - from what my friends who are studying medicine in Ireland tell me they're really shaking up the system and introducing reforms e.g. reducing the course from 6 years to 5 years (already the case in Cork and TCD). The danger is that the new curriculum is only in its infancy so there might be an element of being a guinea pig. The UK however has a greater variety of teaching styles for medicine: from the traditional 6 year approach they use at Oxbridge to cutting edge PBL teaching such as in Manchester and Glasgow (yes, I'll admit I'm PBL biased)! It really depends on what way you want to be taught.

5. See what I said in (2) with regard to this. Milk your background for all its worth. Besides that, they're just making to look sure you're an all-rounded individual on your personal statement. Emphasize activities that require teamwork and leadership. They're buzzwords that Admissions can't get enough of.

6. AFAIK for the UK, no.

7. I really can't tell. Sorry, I don't understand the entire GPA/MCAT scoring system. You'll never know unless you try though.

UK tuition for non-EU I believe is 10-12,000 GBP which is slightly cheaper at maybe around 24-25,000 USD...but living expenses are higher.

Rip-off Ireland cheaper than the UK!? I just spent the past few years living in Dublin. Granted, Dublin is the most expensive part of Ireland but as it contains 3 of the 5 medical schools in all probability if you're coming to Ireland to study, you're going to Dublin. Living is cheaper in the UK, even factoring in the exchange rate.

Good luck if you decide to apply.

 

[MedDreamer]

Thank you very much for all your help guys..It is very useful
I really appreciate it.

Med. D.

 

[amamann]

Thank you very much for all your help guys..It is very useful
I really appreciate it.

Med. D.

RCSI fees are 36,600 Euros I believe for the 05/06 study period!! Trinity I believe is a lot cheaper, but its a college for everything, where as RCSI is specialized!! - so that's some what of a benefit. Class size is about 200 max students, which is nothing, compared to a canadian university!! RCSI - dont think it looks at MCAT scores.

 

[leorl]

RCSI fees are 36,600 Euros I believe for the 05/06 study period!! Trinity I believe is a lot cheaper, but its a college for everything, where as RCSI is specialized!! - so that's some what of a benefit. Class size is about 200 max students, which is nothing, compared to a canadian university!! RCSI - dont think it looks at MCAT scores.

I personally don't see it being solely a health science school as a benefit. That would drive me insane...

 

[DrMann2010]

I personally don't see it being solely a health science school as a benefit. That would drive me insane...

...well truly, I wouldnt either, but maybe jus in a health sciences environment you get individual attention, and you concentrate on what you are going to be doing for the rest of your life..ya know? I mean, i'm not agreeing and saying is a good thing, but it can be a benefit in that RCSI is a smaller school, etc. Personally, I found that i had to watch the news and read up on things and what not to stay sane, 'cause it felt like the world was closing its doors on me!!