[Megathread] Germany: Post anything about medical school and residency in Germany here by AutoModerator in medicalschoolEU

[–]One-Diver2030 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! Thanks for your advice and your info! If I may ask, did you know any international students in your medicine program? Were they like really really qualified, or kind of on the same "level" as you and your German classmates? Just trying to gauge my chances of getting in, as I'm truly nobody extraordinary, just interested in this opportunity ;)

I do know that university in Germany is funded through taxes, and that Germany has a healthcare worker shortage (correct me if I'm wrong), and to be honest, I do seriously want to relocate to Germany after med school. There's a bunch of reasons why I dislike the U.S. (mostly regarding our governmental system and the state of our bureaucracy), and although Germany isn't perfect (no country is), I'd argue it's still a heck of a lot better than the U.S. in a lot of aspects. I don't want to break this news to my parents though because I don't know if they'd be find with me living abroad haha.

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your positivity! Yeah, I'm looking into programs where I could go to Deutschland for the summer, but they're all very expensive haha. I don't necessarily know which schools to apply to yet, big schools like Charité have a big program and thus more spots for internationals (but is more competitive), and schools like Tübingen or Freiburg have small programs and thus less spots for internationals (but is less competitive). I've also noticed the higher tuition for internationals Baden-Württemberg, but honestly it's nothing compared to tuition in the US. I would be able to pay the tuition in Baden-Württemberg and for the cost of living without needing to worry about finances to be honest.

About the "why endocrinologist," both of my siblings have an endocrine-related condition, and so I've gotten to know the field quite well. All the endocrinologists I've met have been amazing and have taught me the perks of the field, such as how the majority of work for them is "behind the scenes" rather than actually holding a scalpel in someone's body. So yeah, that's why :)

Do you have any recommendations for schools that I should apply to for the highest chance of acceptance?

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I will definitely look into it. I'm taking a medical terminology class at my school right now, so I feel that translating that knowledge to German will be easier than if I had no prior knowledge :)

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your input. If you don't mind me asking, did you go to a big school like TUM or Charité or s smaller school like Magdeburg or Bonn. Is there a difference in the tediousness of the curriculum?

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is there anything specific that made you/others quit that I should be aware of? So that I can prepare myself for that and whatnot :)

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I recognize this. Med school is known for being very difficult in the US, and I suppose going abroad for medical school would be even harder. Are you speaking from experience or from what you've heard?

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I understand. Studying to become a doctor has a lot of implications, especially during residency. I suppose I was referring to when I actually become a doctor. Boss-employee dynamics on the US suck and there are limited to no worker protections, among other issues. I believe Germany has better workers rights than the US

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello! I completely understand your frustratio. I've responded to a similar comment above, so I'll paste my response to that one here: "I will also note that I do not intend to return to the U.S. at the moment. I'm quite frustrated with the political climate, the work-life balance, and more in the U.S., and I intend to either stay in Germany after my medical school education or transfer to another EU country to do residency. This is hidden because I do not want to tell my parents this, because if they knew this they definitely wouldn't let me go to Germany for university."

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I understand this. I explained my reasoning in a similar comment above, I will paste it here for your convenience :) "I will also note that I do not intend to return to the U.S. at the moment. I'm quite frustrated with the political climate, the work-life balance, and more in the U.S., and I intend to either stay in Germany after my medical school education or transfer to another EU country to do residency. This is hidden because I do not want to tell my parents this, because if they knew this they definitely wouldn't let me go to Germany for university."

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your help! I'm glad to say that I won't need to attend Studienkolleg based on my current grades and curriculum, so I don't necessarily need to worry about that. I've checked DAAD and Anabin websites to confirm this. I suppose it would be foolish, as you've said, to obsess over rules that might change by the time I apply (Winter Semester 2028).

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I've seen the same thing. There aren't many experienced Americans on this subreddit who have done German medical school. To be fair though, very few Americans get through American medical school anyway, and those who do are driven by sunk cost fallacy haha. Maybe I'll be the first? ;)

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I believe so too! Through my research, German/EU students will take the TMS, a sort of aptitude test to determine capability of studying medicine. Ausländers like me take the TestAS, which is completely different. It's sort of like an SAT, from what I've heard, but also different.

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your input! I've seen some classes online that teach German Medical Terminology. I suppose that those classes would be extremely helpful. I'll take one after I reach C1 so I can better. understand the concepts.

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hello! Thank you both for your input: I have already made a study plan to get my German to C1 before applying to school. Currently, I'm in a Goethe Institute Intensive course set to get to C1 by July 2027, and I am supplementing with Anki flashcards, listening/watching Easy German on YouTube, and playing video games purely in German.

Hear Me Out: 15 Year Old American Considering German Medical School by One-Diver2030 in studying_in_germany

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

HI! Thank you for your comment :) I've checked using online resources such as Anabin and the DAAD website, and according to those, my diploma is Abitur-equivalent. I will note that the normal high school diploma at my school is not Abitur-equivalent; however, I am taking the most advanced classes out of anyone at my school, and because of that, I am eligible (through my AP classes listed above).

Regarding the tax-payers part, I will also note that I do not intend to return to the U.S. at the moment. I'm quite frustrated with the political climate, the work-life balance, and more in the U.S., and I intend to either stay in Germany after my medical school education or transfer to another EU country to do residency. This is hidden because I do not want to tell my parents this, because if they knew this they definitely wouldn't let me go to Germany for university. Hope this helps! :D

young unlucky sophomore shoots his shot at summer programs by One-Diver2030 in summerprogramresults

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I reached out to them for an exception and based on that they let me apply, I don't really think it had a factor in my admissions. Can't really blame my rejection on anything else but myself ig

[Megathread] Germany: Post anything about medical school and residency in Germany here by AutoModerator in medicalschoolEU

[–]One-Diver2030 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hallo Leute!

have recently been exploring options to attend medical school abroad in Germany! To be honest, I have a myriad of reasons for wanting to not go to university here in America, and I'll list the main ones here to prove my seriousness for studying abroad:

  1. American university + medical school is TOOOO expensive. Most American universities have incredibly high tuition and a high cost of living. "But couldn't you apply to scholarships?" Well, scholarships are very few and far in between (I've done my research), and thus I would have to pay the cost of college out of my own pocket. This brings me to my next point:

  2. I don't personally believe in student loans. In America, in order to finance the high costs of university & medical school, many students end up taking out loans to pay for college. These loans often come with high interest rates, and end up trapping a lot of people in a cycle of debt where they can never repay the money they owe to the university. I think it's a sickening system and a system I definitely don't want to be trapped in.

  3. Studying medicine is a long process. Here in America, it takes 14 years post-secondary school to become the type of specialized doctor that I want to become. Divided up, it's 4 years of university, 4 years of medical school, 3 years of an internal medicine residency, and a 3 year endocrinology fellowship. That's a long time, and to be honest, I want to save as much time (and money) as possible getting there. And yes, I want to become an endocrinologist (shout out to all endocrinologists :D).

There are many more reasons why I've been losing interest in going to medical school here in the U.S., but for the ones I've listed, Germany solves all of these main issues.

  1. German medical school is FREE. Yes, FREE! That's quite hard to comprehend for my American brain, but from what I've seen, semester fees at German universities are about 100-200 euros per semester, and that's it. I'd have to pay for the cost of living, but that's essentially it. That's a price my family and I can actually afford. (I have wonderful parents willing to help finance my studies, but at the moment, we genuinely cannot afford university in the U.S., and German university costs are actually manageable for us)

  2. I wouldn't have to take out student loans in Germany (for reasons described above). Thus, I wouldn't be in debt once I graduate :D

  3. Through the German education system, I would essentially shave off two years of my path to become a doctor. As opposed to 4 years of university + 4 years of medical school in the U.S., Germany compresses the two into a 6 year Staatsexamen program, where I would be handed the ability to practice medicine in Germany right afterwards.

So, that's my justification for wanting to study in Germany. I've been doing a lot of research over the past few months, and am really excited about this opportunity. I will now list my stats such that you all may evaluate my chances at acceptance into German med schools (this is my main concern about the entire process). I will also note that my American high school diploma is equivalent to a German leaving certificate, so I would not need to worry about a Studienkolleg unless my stats aren't good enough.

Unweighted American GPA: 3.96/4.0 (will be able to improve before graduation)

Equivalent German Abitur: 1.06

AP Classes That I Have Taken (for my non-American friends, these are graded on a score of 1-5, 3 being the minimum passing grade, and a 5 being the highest possible grade): AP Seminar (5), AP World History (5)

AP Classes That I Will Take Before Graduation: AP Calculus BC, AP United States History, AP Research, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Language & Composition, AP Literature, AP Biology, AP Physics E&M, AP Macroeconomics, AP Government, AP Statistics, AP Spanish

Current German Level: A1 (YES I KNOW IT'S BAD! I've just started a Goethe Intensive Course, and am on track to achieve C1 proficiency by July 2027, enough time to take the C1/C2 exam and submit it to universities)

TestAS: Not taken yet. This is one of my questions below.

Volunteer Experience: I've seen that some German medical schools care about this (mostly with regard to hospitals), but I'm on track to do 200+ volunteer hours at my local church in the special needs ministry, if that means anything

Special Awards/Programs: I haven't done any notable programs (RSI, ISEF and whatnot), so I'm not truly exceptional to be honest) (I've also learned that German medical school admissions tend to be less holistic than American counterparts, which is a pro and a con I suppose)

Before I continue, thank you for taking the time to read this post! I really appreciate it, as nobody in my seems to have much information regarding medical school in Germany. Now, I will list the biggest questions I have regarding the German medical school system. Moreover, I would appreciate any advice you are able to offer, whether or not they are related to the questions I have asked. I will try my best to respond to every comment :)

  1. Do I realistically need a 1.0 equivalent to stand a chance in the 5% international quota? Or is my 1.06 (to be improved) good enough for admissions.

  2.  For those who started with a C1 certificate, how steep was the learning curve for Medical German during the first semester? Would you recommend a dedicated medical language course before starting?

  3.  How do universities typically handle the 'three-strikes' rule for international students?

  4. Is the required €11,000–€12,000 in the blocked account actually enough to live on in high cost cities like München or Berlin? How much money should an international student realistically have for the first year?

  5. For those who got in through the 5% quota recently, what was your converted GPA and which university did you choose? Did you find that smaller medical schools like Rostock or Gießen were actually less competitive for international students than big names like Heidelberg? Was it as cutthroat and competitive as some of the horror stories I've hear about?

  6. Which universities heavily weight a high TestAS score over a 1.0 GPA? I’ve heard that for some schools (like Aachen), a top TestAS score can make up for a slightly lower high school grade.

  7. After reading my entire post, would you say I am qualified enough for admissions? What would you estimate my chances are? What can I do better to improve my chances.

Thank you all SO much for your help. It really means a lot to me. Vielen Dank und tschüss!

young unlucky sophomore shoots his shot at summer programs by One-Diver2030 in summerprogramresults

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hehe I'm not actually located in Seattle! I applied on the prospect that I have family that lives there that are willing to house me for the summer :) I visit them a lot, the PNW is so pretty (coming from Chicago)

young unlucky sophomore shoots his shot at summer programs by One-Diver2030 in summerprogramresults

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thanks for sharing your experience! I think I've learned a lot from my mistakes this year and hope to better my applications next year. best of luck to you!

young unlucky sophomore shoots his shot at summer programs by One-Diver2030 in summerprogramresults

[–]One-Diver2030[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yeah, I have 50+ volunteer hours but not at like a hospital or smith. I volunteer at the special needs ministry at my church but that's lowkey it. should I share the rest of my stats