Study medicine in Greece: Aristotle University School of Medicine

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Admission Process

The English medical program in Thessaloniki, Greece has two application periods, one in December and one in April, each lasting a little over a month. Each period admits 30 students, with some placed on a waiting list.

The application process is straightforward and takes place through the university website.

Once you submit all the required documents, an admission advisor will contact you within three working days to update you on the status of your application.

Eligible applicants will be invited to a video interview and given a date to sit the admission test, which is explained in the Admission Test section.

Applicants that were exempt from the admission test and have received an admission offer will have to deposit 3000€ as a way of securing their seat*.

Applicants who are required to take the admission test must deposit 1200€ before taking the exam. If offered admission, they must then deposit an additional 1800€ to secure their seat, bringing the total deposit to 3000€*. In case of rejection by the university after the admission exam, the initial deposit of 1200€ will be refunded.

*This is non-refundable. However, it will be deducted from the semester's tuition fees if a candidate follows through with the admission offer.

The rest of the semester's tuition fees, 3000€, are due by January 15th if you are accepted into the program.

Admission test exemption

Although we are not aware of the exact selection criteria used by the committee, it is likely that they place a higher value on the interview and CV rather than the admission test. As a result, meeting any of the following criteria may make you eligible for an exemption from the admission test.

*Keep in mind that the criteria for the admission test exemption change on a yearly basis based on demand, so it'd be best if you consulted with us or one of the university councilors before applying.

• A-Levels with grades AAB at least in Chemistry, Biology, and any other subject other than English
• BMAT minimum score: 3.5
• GAMSAT minimum average score: 61
• ‍SAT minimum score of 1250 in English, Mathematics, and either Biology or Chemistry
• IB predicted or obtained score of 35, with IB Biology and IB Chemistry, both at a grade 6

Documents needed

All documents provided need to be in English and, if applicable, to their original language as well.

The following documents are needed to complete your application:

• Ιdentification card (EU countries) or valid passport (EU/Non-EU countries)
• High school diploma (copy of original document attached to an official translation in English)
• Academic transcript of the final two years of high school (copy of original document attached to an official translation in English)
• Proof of English language proficiency, this could be an IELTS minimum overall band score of 6 or a TOEFL minimum score of 79 or FCE, CAE, CPE, IGCSES TOEIC minimum score of 310 or a University education or High School education in English
• Personal statement OR proof of participation in the Cambridge Personal Styles Questionnaire (CPSQ) test

Personally, I would advise against not choosing to upload a personal statement instead of a CPSQ test, as it's an excellent opportunity for you to stand out as an applicant.

• Curriculum Vitae
• Results (if any) of entrance exams at universities in your home country (optional)
• Others (Optional)

In "Others" you could include a bachelor's degree (if applicable), a letter of recommendation, etc.

Interview

The interview is a big part of your application process, and I think that it can personally make or break your application. Setting that aside, the interview is quite different from what you can expect from other universities; it doesn't follow the MMI format; rather, it is a way for the selection committee to get to know you and hear more about your story.

You can expect questions of the likes of:

• Why medicine?
• Why not nursing?
• In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good doctor?
• What is your greatest strength and greatest weakness?
• Why this school?

Another thing to keep in mind is that they will definitely ask about any extracurriculars/hobbies you mentioned in your Personal Statement, so be prepared.

The interview is held via video call at a predetermined date. International applicants can expect to attend the interview at a not-so-convenient time.

Admission Test

Students who weren't exempt from the admission test (see "Who is exempt from the admission test?" section) will have to take this 60-question multiple choice exam to prove their foundational knowledge of high school-level sciences is adequate.

As mentioned before, the exam consists of 60 multiple choice questions, and it is taken online, via zoom call supervision, on the platform elearning.auth.gr.

The exam is divided equally into three categories (20 questions each):

• IB Higher Level Chemistry
• IB Higher Level Biology
• General Knowledge

The syllabus for IB Chemistry and IB Biology can be found here.

The admissions test for 2021 can be found here.

The General Knowledge sections is mainly comprised of Greek History/Mythology questions, questions meant to test your cognitive ability, and a few questions regarding European History.

Study Rules

Departments act independently and set their own criteria regarding the grading system of each course.

Most courses follow the recommended grading system, 80% of the grade arising from the final exam, and 20% of the grade being made up from the lab exam (100% being made up of the final exam if the course doesn't contain lab exercises).

Courses typically consist of a theoretical (lectures) and a practical (labs) class. Lecture attendance is optional, while lab attendance is mandatory, and (depending on the department) missing a class will label you unable to partake in the final exam of that course. Most departments are very lenient on this rule and allow one or two absences. However, lab classes are made up of three groups of 20 students each, meaning each lab is repeated three times a week on different days. Thus, if you can't make it to one of the lab classes, you could always email the lab coordinators and let them know that you will be attending the lab class of another group on that week.

Exams

There are three examination periods each year, one in February, one in July, and one in September. After the end of a semester, there will be a multiple choice final exam for each course that will determine your grade. All exams are taken in the main amphitheater on iPads under the supervision of the department of each course.

Courses from the winter semester (Oct-Feb) will be examined in February, while courses from the spring semester (Feb-Jun) will be examined in July.

If you fail a course, you can retake it again in September. If you fail the course a second time, you can retake it in its corresponding exam period and/or September again the next year. Theoretically, there is no limit to the amount of time you can retake an exam.

However, there are barrier years where you would need to have passed 2/3 of the ECTS of the previous years to continue to the next one. These barriers exist at the start of the third and fifth years. ECTS per course here.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you get a passing grade, you cannot retake an exam to better your grade.

Lab exams take place after each lab class is concluded, and each department gets to set its own exam date, that's usually a month before the final exams. The format of the exam can take many forms, but consist of primarily multiple choice questions. Lab exams are relatively easy, and their purpose is to help students get better overall grades.

Failing the lab exam of a course will usually result in you being unable to take the final exam in that corresponding period. Thus, forcing you to take it in September and also stripping you of the 20% (which may vary) that the lab grade could have contributed to your final course grade.

Also, if you want to retake a failed exam the next year, you are going to need to register for it at students.auth.gr at the beginning of next year's semester.

Teaching methods

At the start of each semester, each department will recommend a book that the syllabus is based on. Having these books is extremely helpful for some courses as the syllabus doesn't deviate much from the book.

Lectures on the pre-clinical years take place in the amphitheaters. The professors upload the slides on elearning.auth.gr where they can be downloaded by students after the lecture.

Tuition fees

Tuition runs at 6000€ per semester. Tuition fees are only paid by bank transfer.

Note that there are no other extra fees except for the tuition fees.

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Written by Andreas Antoniades, President, 2nd Year Medical Student at Aristotle University School Of Medicine