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Studying Medicine in Eastern Europe - A comprehensive guide

2018-08-20 · Podcast or interview · Ali, Abdullah · recording, 31:52 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Medicine and his doctor years · mode: Conversation and interview · tags: Aimed at students

In a Medical Mondays interview after A-level results day, Ali asks Abdullah, a fourth-year medical student in Bulgaria and part of the MedConnect Europe agency, how UK applicants without offers can study medicine in Europe: lower grade requirements, a university entrance exam, about 6,000 pounds a year in fees, English teaching and a GMC-recognised degree.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Ali introduces studying medicine in Europe after results day and how the interview with Abdullah came about

  • ★★ Just after A-level results day, Ali says studying medicine in Europe might be another option for those who got no offers to study medicine in the UK or missed their offers. (hedged) — 00:00:00
  • ★★ Ali knew nothing about studying medicine in Europe until a few weeks before, when Abdullah, who runs an agency that helps people study medicine in Europe, messaged him. — 00:00:00
  • ★★ Asked by Abdullah to advertise his agency, Ali instead invited him over to record an interview explaining to viewers exactly how studying medicine in Europe works. — 00:00:29

00:00:58 — Abdullah's six-year course in Bulgaria, grade requirements, entrance exams and the academic year

  • ★★ Abdullah is a fourth-year medical student in Bulgaria. — 00:00:58
  • ★★ Abdullah's medicine course in Bulgaria lasts six years: two pre-clinical years, three clinical years and a final-year internship that equals F1 in the UK and is recognised by the GMC. — 00:00:58 · Foundation Programme
  • ★★ Abdullah: When Abdullah applied for medicine in the UK, a tutor told him there was not really any point; he tried anyway, it did not work out, and knowing he had a backup plan really helped. — 00:02:11
  • ★★★ Abdullah: Grade requirements for medicine in Europe are much lower than in the UK, Abdullah says: some universities ask for at least C grades, some set none, but they want biology and chemistry A levels. — 00:02:11
  • ★★★ Abdullah: Each European medical school sets its own entrance exam, with a syllabus and practice papers, and admits the top-ranked students, so entry rests more on the exam than on A levels and gives a second chance. — 00:02:46
  • ★★ Abdullah: Most European medical schools run from September to July; Pleven Medical University starts in February and finishes the following December. — 00:03:30

00:03:57 — The UK or Europe; tuition fees and living costs

  • ★★★ Abdullah says a place to study medicine in the UK is ideal because it is more convenient, but sees little difference in the degree and job prospects, since medicine is medicine. — 00:03:57
  • ★★★ Abdullah says that without a UK offer there is no point looking into other careers if you have the option of studying medicine in Europe. — 00:04:26
  • ★★ Before talking to Abdullah, Ali had never considered studying medicine in Europe and thought it took really rich parents to pay tens of thousands of pounds in fees. — 00:04:26
  • ★★★ Abdullah: Medicine fees in Europe are lower than in the UK, Abdullah says: 8,000 euros a year, about 6,000 pounds, paid as 3,000 pounds at the start of each semester, in September and February. — 00:05:16
  • ★★ Abdullah's living costs in Bulgaria come to around 500 pounds a month or less, including about 230 pounds rent for his own one-bedroom apartment. — 00:05:45
  • ★ Ali says Abdullah's monthly rent is what he paid for about ten days in Cambridge. — 00:05:45 · Cambridge

00:06:14 — Countries to study in; F1, F2 and the UK MLA

  • ★★ Abdullah: In Bulgaria a nice one-bedroom apartment starts from around 230 pounds a month, Abdullah says. — 00:06:14
  • ★★ Abdullah: Countries where UK applicants can study medicine include the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, and also Poland, which Abdullah knows little about. — 00:06:14
  • ★★ Two F1 doctors in Ali's current batch in Cambridge are from Poland. — 00:06:53 · Cambridge, Foundation Programme
  • ★★★ Abdullah: Graduates of Bulgarian medical schools have done a sixth-year internship that the GMC recognises as F1, though it is not exactly the same, so they can apply straight for F2 jobs in the UK. — 00:07:19 · Foundation Programme
  • ★★ Abdullah: Graduates from Europe could apply for F1, but Abdullah is not sure many F1 posts are available to international students, who usually go straight into F2. (hedged) — 00:07:19 · Foundation Programme
  • ★★★ Abdullah: The UK MLA, starting from 2022, is an exam that both UK and international students will sit to apply for GMC registration. — 00:08:04
  • ★★ Abdullah: Details are still up in the air, but as far as Abdullah knows, where doctors get jobs in the UK will mainly be based on their UK MLA score. (hedged) — 00:08:31

00:09:00 — Funding, convenience and applying with or without an agency

  • ★★ Ali says studying medicine in Europe is not the ideal option: it is less convenient, and while the UK has student finance, abroad you have to front the fees yourself. — 00:09:00
  • ★★ Abdullah: If paying for it is a struggle, Abdullah says applying for medicine in the UK is much more convenient, and travelling abroad is a hassle. — 00:09:00
  • ★★ Abdullah is part of MedConnect Europe, an agency that helps students apply abroad, find apartments and get through the whole process. — 00:09:29
  • ★★ Abdullah says you do not need an agency to study medicine in Europe: you can contact the universities directly, register for the entrance exam and sit it on the university's campus. — 00:09:29
  • ★★ Abdullah: Applying abroad means getting documents legalised and notarised, which can be costly and a hassle; MedConnect Europe handles this and helps with the entrance exam with resources its medical students wrote. — 00:10:28

00:11:03 — Choosing a university: social life, cities and international communities

  • ★★★ Abdullah says European medical schools are very similar in facilities and teaching, so the choice really comes down to social life and living standards. — 00:11:33
  • ★★ Abdullah: Studying in Sofia, the big capital of Bulgaria, means a very different life from Varna, whose medical school is right next to the beach. — 00:11:33
  • ★★ Abdullah: The medical school in Varna has a lot of German students, while Plovdiv, where Abdullah studies, has a massive UK community among its international students. — 00:11:59

00:12:44 — Applying after results day: entrance exam dates and moving abroad

  • ★★★ Abdullah: Applicants who miss their UK offers in August can still apply to European medical schools for the same year: a few hold entrance exams in early September and courses start in late September. — 00:12:44
  • ★★ Abdullah: Plovdiv Medical University's entrance exams in 2018 are on 3 and 10 September. — 00:13:06
  • ★★ Abdullah: Applicants to Plovdiv Medical University hand in their legalised documents with an application form at the entrance exam and see the list of admitted students on 15 September. — 00:13:06
  • ★ Ali notes how quick the process is: results, an entrance exam within two or three weeks, and another country by the following month. — 00:13:39
  • ★★ Abdullah: Those still deciding can apply for the following year, or to Pleven Medical University, which starts in February. — 00:13:39

00:14:13 — GMC recognition and teaching in English

  • ★★★ Abdullah: All the medical schools in Bulgaria are recognised in the UK, Abdullah says, and the GMC website lists every university whose degree it recognises. — 00:14:13
  • ★★ Abdullah: In Bulgaria the medicine course is taught entirely in English by English-speaking professors; students also learn basic Bulgarian to talk with locals and, in the clinical years, with patients. — 00:14:39
  • ★★ Abdullah tries to use Bulgarian with patients who do not know English, though his Bulgarian is not up to scratch; the universities also provide translators. — 00:15:13
  • ★ Abdullah: One of Abdullah's internal medicine professors spent a few years at the University of Manchester, and one of his biology professors studied at the University of Cambridge. — 00:15:41 · University of Cambridge
  • ★★ Abdullah: Medicine is taught in English in Romania too, Abdullah says; he is not sure about Prague. — 00:16:04

00:16:33 — Paying for the degree and why agencies exist

  • ★★★ Abdullah: Students of medicine in Europe have to fund their studies themselves: parents usually help, and otherwise some come back to the UK as often as possible to work, such as a friend of Abdullah's in call centres. — 00:16:33
  • ★★ Abdullah: Some of Abdullah's friends with earlier degrees in pharmacy or biomedicine come back to the UK to do locum jobs; without a loan, they finish loan-free. — 00:17:03
  • ★★ Abdullah says other agencies tend to overcharge students and not provide the right services; MedConnect Europe's medical students, overcharged when they applied, set out to help instead. — 00:17:49
  • ★★ Abdullah: Most UK students who apply to study medicine abroad use an agency, Abdullah says, because applying abroad is such a hassle that it can put people off altogether. — 00:18:10

00:18:56 — MedConnect Europe's packages and prices

  • ★★ Abdullah: MedConnect Europe has two packages: a basic one that covers only the application, and an advanced one that covers everything from application and relocation to help during the degree and after it. — 00:18:56
  • ★★★ Abdullah: MedConnect Europe's advanced package costs around 1,200 pounds, a price that can change with the time of year and how busy the agency gets, and it gets very busy after results day, so it is best to apply early to secure the best price. — 00:19:35
  • ★★ Abdullah: MedConnect Europe's basic package costs around 800 pounds. — 00:20:04
  • ★★ Abdullah: MedConnect Europe takes a 500-pound deposit before the application, covering legal costs, and most of its fee only after the student gets in; it helps rejected applicants apply elsewhere. — 00:20:04

00:20:41 — How competitive entry is with low A-level grades

  • ★★★ Abdullah: Asked whether an applicant with B and C grades at A level stands a chance at a European medical school, Abdullah says yes: students who apply with C grades get in. — 00:20:41
  • ★★ Abdullah: Plovdiv Medical University has no minimum grade requirements and focuses on the entrance exam. — 00:21:14
  • ★★ Abdullah: European medical schools keep a waiting list, and places open up because many admitted students decide in September to take a gap year and try again in the UK. — 00:21:44
  • ★★ Abdullah: With so many European medical schools, Abdullah says, an applicant who does not get into one will definitely get into another. — 00:21:44
  • ★★ Abdullah believes even applicants with the worst UK results can get a place in Europe: Plovdiv, in a nice city, is more competitive than smaller, more remote schools such as Pleven, where entry is easier. (hedged) — 00:22:13

00:23:07 — The agency plug and the cost for students from low-income backgrounds

  • ★★ Ali tells Abdullah the interview happens because he wants to plug his agency, and appreciates the hustle, but hopes it shows viewers that medicine in Europe is an option. — 00:23:07
  • ★★ Abdullah sees a rise in UK students applying to study medicine abroad, who are so focused on becoming doctors that they find ways to fund the degree. — 00:23:30

00:24:04 — Is the course hard, and will the UK MLA standardise doctors

  • ★★★ Abdullah: Even if entry to a European medical school is easy, the course is not, Abdullah says: it is as intellectually demanding as in the UK. — 00:24:04
  • ★★ Abdullah says he has seen students with A and A* grades grow overconfident and fail, while students with C and D grades work harder and make it through. — 00:24:31
  • ★★ Ali concludes that a European medical degree is not bought: it is a rigorous course, and you have to pass the exam. — 00:25:02
  • ★★ Abdullah: The UK MLA is coming in to standardise all doctors: at present only doctors from outside Europe have to sit an exam, and from then on UK, European and international students alike will. — 00:25:02

00:26:00 — GMC recognition, and why Abdullah would not swap Bulgaria for the UK

  • ★★ Abdullah: Many people fear a medical degree from abroad is worth less, Abdullah says, but it is not: the GMC recognises it. — 00:26:00
  • ★★★ Abdullah does not wish he had studied medicine in the UK: with Bulgaria's low living costs he gets more for his money and enjoys university more than he thinks he would in the UK. — 00:26:00
  • ★★ Abdullah: Bulgaria is right next to Greece and Turkey, so at weekends and in breaks students take a bus to Istanbul or Thessaloniki. — 00:27:12

00:27:35 — Ali's recap: an agency or doing it yourself, the entrance exam, accommodation

  • ★★ Ali compares an agency for studying medicine in Europe to a mortgage broker: you can fill in the forms yourself, but when the degree costs 40,000 pounds over six years, 1,200 pounds at the application stage is little. — 00:27:35
  • ★★★ Ali says the cost of studying medicine in Europe discriminates against people from low-income backgrounds, an inequality that cannot be cured at this stage of the medical application process. — 00:27:35
  • ★★ To start medicine in Europe in the same year, Ali says, you face a very rapid turnaround and presumably have to work very hard for a few weeks for the entrance exam. (hedged) — 00:28:14
  • ★★ Abdullah: Most medical students in Bulgaria choose private apartments, which are cheap and close to the campus. — 00:28:14
  • ★★ Abdullah: The university's student dorms in Bulgaria are shared: a small room with two beds and a fridge for about 70 euros a month. — 00:28:43
  • ★★ Abdullah: With so many students coming to Bulgaria, new buildings with one- and two-bedroom apartments are going up for them; a two-bedroom flat for 500 euros can be shared by two. — 00:29:07

00:29:54 — Jobs after graduating: the UK, the EU and the US

  • ★★ Since UK and international graduates will all sit the UK MLA, students of medicine in Europe should not worry about later job prospects: their degree will be accepted. — 00:29:54
  • ★★★ Abdullah: A European medical degree is accepted throughout the EU, where doctors can work without passing entrance exams; the UK will have the UK MLA, and for the US there is the USMLE. — 00:30:24 · USMLE, United States

00:30:52 — Ali thanks Abdullah and signs off

  • ★★★ Ali had never appreciated that studying medicine in Europe is a legit option, but Abdullah has sold him on it; he will send people who message him on Instagram after missing their offers Abdullah's way. — 00:30:52 · Instagram
  • ★★ Ali says Abdullah's agency seems reasonably priced. — 00:31:20

In the description and comments

  • ★★ Ali Abdaal (channel): MedConnect Europe offers places to study medicine or dentistry at European universities with lower grade requirements and tuition fees than UK ones, on English courses it says the GMC and GDC recognise. — video description

Threads in this video

Mentioned

Central: Abdullah · Bulgaria · MedConnect Europe

Also: Projects: Medical Mondays

Works: UK Medical Licensing Assessment · USMLE

Organizations: General Medical Council · Instagram · Pleven Medical University · Plovdiv Medical University · University of Cambridge · University of Manchester

Concepts: Foundation Programme · Gap year

Places: Cambridge · Czech Republic · Greece · Hungary · Istanbul · Poland · Prague · Romania · Sofia · Thessaloniki · United States · Varna

Only in the description or credits: General Dental Council

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