Hi Maskchamp,
I am also considering applying to medical school in Italy next year. If you don't mind, can you tell me which school you are attending? How was the application process? Is there a certain level of italian you have to know from the start or can you just enter with little knowledge and work your way up for when you enter year 3? Btw what is the level of italian needed at year 3? How many international students are in your year? And lastly, how easy/difficult is it for international students to get scholarships?
If you are able to answer any of these questions (i know it's a lot) i'd be super appreciative. Thanks!
I am Canadians and at Humanitas in Milan, pretty new, been around since 2014. The good thing is that the application process is very very easy. You just register for the exam. It's not like in North America where you need transcripts, letters, volunteer hours, all that cap, etc. There were 40 spots for non-eu students last year, about the same again I think. If you score in the top 40, you're in no matter what. It is not as hard as it seems to be honest, some people who score in the top 40 end up choosing another school or deferring so you get that spot say if you were number 41. We have 40 internationals, with the rest being Italians. 3 Canadians, 2 Americans, lots from Germany/France/Switzerland, and the rest from other places around the world. For the first year people, there were a few Canadians, nobody can freakin get in there.
Ages range from about 19-35 or so. Mostly early/mid 20s and some older. The big obstacle is the bureaucracy...oh man, I can't even describe the process and how inefficient and annoying it is. That's what really, really p***es people off.
Private schools each have their own exam. For Humanitas, it's the UKCAT, which is much much easier than the MCAT. For public schools, it's the IMAT which is very easy (compared to other exams, only 2 hours). You get 1.5 points for a correct answer, and -.3 for a wrong one. If you can afford to go to a private school, I would definitely suggest it. Public schools are good an all, but a mess compared to private. There are a few private schools to chose from too, 2 in Milan, a new one in Torino, and one in Bologna. Also, a huge plus is that if you have done a biology or say a pre-med degree, you can get a TON of exemptions. My first year in terms of course load was a total breeze, I got something like 30 credits. Also, San Raffele is the other private school in Milan and they have an agreement with OSAP which I thought was pretty cool.
You don't need to know any Italian whatsoever. All classes, tests, etc, are in English. You just have to know basic Italian when you start your 3rd year, which is not too hard considering you'll be in the country for 2 years. Like pretty much what the doctor asks you when you go for a visit, how are you feeling, taking patient history, etc. Only the clinical contact in the 3rd year is in Italian, all the tests and all are still in English. We just can't ask a 65 year old from Naples in English how he's feeling.
For scholarships, you have to score either number 1 or 2 on the entrance exam out of the 40 spots they have for internationals. I scored in the 20s cause I'm no genius if I remember right, but the two kids who were number 1 and 2 got scholarships. You do have to maintain an 90% to keep, which I personally think is too high, puts a lot of pressure on the student. Doesn't mean you need to ace every test, some you can ace and the other might do bad on, but the overall average has to be a 90. But the interesting thing is that if you do bad on a test, you can reject the mark and take it again (lots of times). I know people that have rejected a mark 3 times.
In terms of the future, I'm just trying to get through school, lol. But I always do think about Canada, but speaking fluent French and soon Italian, the EU options open up. Don't forget about the UK, heard it's good to work.
For the Canadians and Americans, I heard it's hard for IMGs to go back to North America, but I'm sure it's not impossible. Funny thing, our school does have specific USMLE prep courses that you can take at no charge. I have NO interest in going to the States, but some people are taking them.
Overall, I'm quite happy to be honest. Italians, are very disorganized, so from an North American POV, it can be very very annoying at times. Hard to believe they built the Roman Empire...As they say however,
"Heaven is where the police are British, the cooks are French, the
mechanics German, the lovers Italian and it's all organised by the
Swiss. Hell is where the chefs are British, the mechanics French, the
lover's Swiss, the police German and it's all organised by the Italians."
At first it's tough, especially being far way and not speaking the language, but everyone is pretty much in your situation so you should make some good friends. I just didn't want to wait 2 years to get in, get more letters of recommendation, volunteer hours, etc. I found it really annoying. But keep exploring. More than happy to answer any other questions, I know that it feels like and have been through all of it.