Medical Education at the Li Ka Shing Faculty of the University of Hong Kong
My questions:
Hello
I am Egor Kugno, a 15-year-old pupil of the 9th grade in Moscow school.
I have a small website — https://kugno.ru / where I write about my studies, exams and publish various answers from Russian ministries (about paying for studies abroad, transferring money for studies and so on)
The first 7 years I studied in an ordinary (good) Moscow school, had additional classes in biology (microbiology) and chemistry; last year I passed through the competition entrance exams to Chemical School #1501 — #10 in the rating of Moscow schools (it is approximately #30 among ALL schools in Russia). The school chemistry was very good — 6 hours a week, all year round (the standard in Russia is 2 hours a week, now there is no chemistry at all in humanities classes), but everything else, except chemistry, was not very good, and I went to 9th grade to school at the Higher School of Economics — (through entrance exams, of course) — where chemistry is a bit less, but everything else is much better)
Although I am still studying 2.5 years, I started researching universities of the world — to understand where I can go to study, what requirements I have to meet, whether to study languages other than English and Spanish that I am studying now at school, and of course — whether my parents will be able to pay for my education.
At the moment I am most interested in medicine (pathology, chemotherapy and hematology), chemistry (more like laboratory management) and pharmacy (more like managing science and research in a pharmaceutical company, but of course with a full understanding of what scientists do, and with a deep knowledge of biochemistry).
Right now I am studying primarily medical education, as it is the most complicated, expensive, there is a lot of information and it is the hardest to find.
Later I will gather information about chemical and pharmaceutical education.
I checked out your university’s website, but I have a few questions for you:
1. Is it possible to enter your university after I finished my 11 years of school in Russia — or do I need to take another course at a university in Russia?
I am studying English (I will graduate with a C1) and advanced chemistry and biology. Starting next year, our school will have compulsory participation in all the Olympiads in Russia for schoolchildren — all in all, it’s a great school.
But, as I wrote, we are only 11, not 12.
2. Do you have any students from Russia who are studying to be a doctor?
3. Are there any quotas for foreigners to study medicine at your university (and are there any quotas for Russians?)
4. Do I understand correctly — I need to study for 6 years?
5. Does your university have dormitories for students for the entire period of study?
5.1 If there are no dormitories (or there is a five-year waiting list), can the university act as a guarantor when renting accommodation?
6. What is the cost of tuition and living in dormitories and all other expenses per year for studying to be a doctor at your university (I mean education-related expenses — i.e. textbooks, labs, etc. — not including food and transportation, of course).
I know that prices are going up, but the overall costs need to be understood early on.
6.1. are there scholarships for Russians to study and/or live in?
7. What exams do I need to take besides English?
7.1 What language certificates do I need to register?
7.2 Is it possible to study in English?
This is an important question because I know that in most countries medical education is done in the national languages of the respective countries and I think that 2.5-3 years of training in any language is enough for level C1 — if taken seriously.
7.3 Are internal Russian achievements recognized and important (participation in Olympiads, successful passing exams in Russian universities)
8. Is it compulsory to take preparatory and/or language courses at your university before entering university?
9. What is the further procedure of training as a doctor after graduation (postgraduate course, residency, specialization) and obtaining a medical license (if you know)?
10. Will I be able to work after graduation?
11. If training to be a doctor is not possible, please tell me if it is possible to study to be a pharmacist (if you have one) and a chemist (biotechnology, as an option — chemical engineering for pharmacy)
Great if you can indicate in your answer if it is possible to study in English for a chemist or a pharmacist)
P.S. Even though I’m only 15 years old, I’ve started seriously looking for a university to get a good education. I have noticed that many universities put information in PDF format on their websites. This, in my opinion, is very wrong. Not everyone REALLY knows English (French, Chinese….), and such guys, going to a university website and not finding information that can be read in Google Translate, will leave forever and not come back.
Sorry for the unsolicited advice))) — But it would be great to have all the information about the university not only in PDF format, but also as plain text on the websites)))
P.S.2. If you have students from Russia, could you give them my email address or forward them my letter?
I would love to talk to them.
Thank you very much again.
Egor Kugno
Answer:
Dear Mr Кугно,
Thank you for your interest in our MBBS programme.
International students can apply for the MBBS programme via Non-JUPAS admission scheme.
You may wish to refer to the links below for the entrance requirements, admission standards, online application procedures, fees, programme structure and details of the programme for 2023 entry for your reference:
https://admissions.hku.hk/apply/international-qualifications
(change “Your current school is located in” > choose your current qualification which is accepted by the University > type the programme of interest)
https://hkumed-ugadmissions.hku.hk/ug_programmes/bachelor-of-medicine-and-bachelor-of-surgery/#_section-3
https://admissions.hku.hk/fees-and-scholarships/fees
Kindly note that:
1. chemistry (with school / public exam result achieved at high school level, e.g. HKDSE, HKALE, GCEAL / IAL, IB, and SAT / AP) is the compulsory subject for admission to the MBBS programme;
2. as an international university, our official teaching medium is English; however, our MBBS students must be able to speak in and listen to Cantonese as they will come into contact with local patients starting from Year 1 who speak Cantonese only.
Applicants are therefore required to have a working knowledge of Cantonese prior to admission.
Shortlisted applicants need English & Cantonese speaking and listening skills for the interview as the language ability of them will be tested during the selection interviews;
3. there is no fixed quota for all non-JUPAS applicants, local or non-local;
4. our MBBS programme is a 6-year full-time degree programme. Successful candidates are normally required to start the MBBS programme from Year 1; and
5. MBBS is a registrable primary qualification by the Medical Council of Hong Kong.
After graduation, MBBS graduates will undergo one year of internship in a public hospital arranged by the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong.
Upon satisfactory performance at the internship, they could register and practice medicine in Hong Kong.
Our Faculty Office will assist all non-local students in applying for the internship.
Regards,
Miss Carman Kwan
Faculty Office (Admissions Section)
T +852 3917 9193
5/F, William MW Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
