Medical education at the University of Vita-Salut San Raffaele
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:
Good afternoon dear Egor,
thanks for your email and for your interest in our University.
Please find below the answers to your questions:
1. Is it possible to enter your university after graduating from the 11 summer school in Russia — or do I need to take one more course at a university in Russia?
I study English (I will leave school with C1), and advanced chemistry with biology. Starting next year, our school will have mandatory participation in all Olympiads in Russia for schoolchildren — in general, this is a wonderful school. But only 11 years of study.
In order to enrol in UniSr to study medicine in English, all candaites have to have at least 12 years of education. If they have 11, like you, you have to attend university for 1 year or attend a foundation program (that we unfortunately do not offer). Students with only 11 years ef education are not allowed to enrol, even if with great grades.
2. Do you have any students from Russia who are studying to become a Doctor? We do have students form Russia currently studying at the IMDP. You can chat with one of them on Unibuddy. Please click here for more info.
3. Are there quotas for training foreigners to become a doctor at your University (and are there quotas for Russians?) We have quotas for EU and for NON EU students. Russian students living in Russia should apply as NON EU students.
4. Do I understand correctly — you need to study for 6 years? Yes, it is correct, the International MD Program is a 6-year program. Students start after high school and after 6 years they are awarded the MD Title, which is also a licensing degree in Italy and it is recognzed worldwide.
5. Does your University have dormitories for students for the entire period of study? yes, we do have students residences on campus. Please find more info here
5.1 If there are no dormitories (or there is a queue for five years in advance), can the university act as a guarantor for renting housing? Our students can also decide to rent an apartment but the university does not act as guarantor.
6. What is the cost of studying and living in hostels and all other expenses per year when studying to be a doctor at your university (meaning the costs associated with education — that is, payment for textbooks, laboratories, etc. — not including of course food and transport ) (I know that prices are rising, but the total costs need to be understood early) The uni fess are 20140 EURO per year (only fees without books). Rent could cost between 600 to 1200 EURO per month.
6.1. Are there scholarships for Russians for study and/or living? UniSR does not offer any scholarship program reserved to international Students. All UniSR Students can apply to the Regional Scholarship call which is published in July each year. Scholarships are given according to merit and economic requirements: students coming from high school will have to have a very good high school diploma grade and their family income does not have to be over a certain level which is given in the call. The family income has to be certified by official documents which are listed in the call and that have to be translated and validated by the Local Italian consulate in order to be valid for the application. Students who rank successfully , in order to maintain the scholarship received, have to get a minimum amount of credits and a good average for the entire year. All applicants are requested in any case to pay the first instalment upon enrolment since the final ranking list is published after the enrolment deadline. in order to access the call published last year please visit: https://www.unisr.it/en/servizi/borse-di-studio/borse-di-studio-regionali
7. What exams do I need to take besides English? You have to take and pass an admission test which is usually held online in Winter before the start of the semester. A specific call for admission is published in Fall with all details.
7.1. What language certificates do I need to enroll? a C1 English certificate
7.2. Is it possible to study in English?
this is an important question, because I know that in most countries of the world medical education is in the state languages of the respective countries, and I think that 2.5-3 years of studying in any language is quite enough for level c1 — with a serious approach.the International MD Program is all taught in English
7.3. Are internal Russian achievements accepted and important (Participation in the Olympics, successful passing of exams in Russian universities) As far as acceptance is concerned, no, they aren’t. Exams passed in other universities are important if they belong to the year to be added that you have to attend before applying (your 12th year)
8. Is it obligatory to take preparatory and/or language courses at your University before entering the university? Not mandatory but highly recommended since students get a better preparation for the admission test thanks to our preparation courses (which are online). We do not offer any language course for prospective students.
9. What is the further procedure for training as a doctor after graduation from the university (postgraduate study, residency, specialization) and obtaining a doctor’s license (if you know)? Once graduated you are already licensed in Italy therefore you can apply to the national Residency exam.
10. Will I be able to work after graduation? Yes, sure. if you do not wish to take any residency you can decide to work as not-specialised doctors (you can do night shifts for examples) although almost all graduates decide to specialise
11. If training as a Doctor is not possible, please tell me if it is possible to study as a Pharmacist (if you have one) and a Chemist (biotechnology, as an option — chemical engineering for pharmaceuticals)
It’s great if in the answer you can indicate whether it is possible to study in English as a Chemist or Pharmacist)
I am afraid UniSR does not offer these courses in English for students coming from high school
do not hesitate to contact us for any further enquiry you might have. Moreover, I suggest to download the Program brochure available on line here to receive automatic updates on our activities reserved to prospective students.
Best wishes,
Angela
Angela Romolo
International Recruitment and Promotion Office
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University
Palazzo Borromini, Via Fratelli Cervi,
20054 Segrate MI
www.unisr.it/en/