If you go for the cheaper location like Leeds in UK, your tuition fees + living cost for 5 yrs should be around RM600K+.

With Monash Malaysia fee + living cost, it would probably be around RM500K+ for 5 yrs.

a quick google reveals leed's med school fees as pounds 13,300 for the 1st 2 years, and 24,500 for the next 3 years, making a total 100,100 pounds.........at current exchange rate, it works out to rm520k.........

frugal living cost would be about 6k/year making a total of 30k pounds or rm160k..........

minimal total cost, assuming the pound does not rebound back to it's previous levels (or the rm sinks) is rm680k........not counting airfares......

one can live quite comfortably in kl/jb for rm15k/year......so total fees and living cost would be rm475k.........

not as close as one thinks.........

If I'm not mistaken, Monash 1st year fees is 80k, but for every subsequent year, the fees increases by x%, forgot how many %. So the total after the fee increment each year would total up to around 500k+. That would be tuition fees alone.

Leeds total tuition + living comes to RM620K.

I know for certain you can get by with GBP4K/yr or 20K/5yr or RMRM100K/5yr in Leeds because it's the cheapest in UK and if you are careful with money. Of course if you wanted to go to London's Imperial College or go to pub every night, then this budget flies out of the window.

And mind you, Monash fees increases every year unlike Leeds which are fixed upon 1st entry.

http://www.rbs.co.uk/content/personal/curr...iving_Index.pdf

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Added on January 2, 2009, 3:50 pmMy own calculation comes to:
5 yrs tuition fee (including annual increase) RM460K
5 yrs living expenses RM90K
Total RM550K.

Excluding London. UK ranges from RM620K to RM750K depending on which uni you go to. All courtesy of the falling Sterling Pound.

In other word, doing the cost in UK is only about RM70K to RM200K more than MM.


This post has been edited by Optiplex330: Jan 2 2009, 03:50 PM

i think you need to relook at the figures........the rbs article is based on part time work covering part of the cost, ie net outlay after taking into account term time part time work.......it is not possible for a medical student to do any significant part time work.......certainly not in the clinical years......

if you look at the average expenses, it already comes to 130+73 (living +rent) ie 200 pounds a week......ie 10k pounds a year..........

if you take the cheapest of the two figures from 2 different cities, it's still 150 pounds a week, or 7.5k a year........

What I don't get is the hype about Monash.. I've seen lots of people being so happy/proud simply becuz they're from Monash.. Their quality of education have not even been proven yet as their first batch will be graduating end of this year and the fees are skyhigh for a local programme..

Leeds own calculation comes to GBP 5200. So if you are very careful with money, GBP4K is possible. I know of someone doing just that and that is where I got that figure.

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/students/cost_of_living_postgrad.htm

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Added on January 2, 2009, 4:20 pmI think one can indeed be proud to be in Monash when you compared it with the other private uni offering medicine. I heard their admission requirement is the strictest.

I reckon the biggest advantage would be being recognized by the Australian medical council.



This post has been edited by Optiplex330: Jan 2 2009, 04:20 PM

that is indeed the case, they have the tightest admission criteria and processing of all the ipts med schools......

however the amc recognition does not mean the same thing as what many people thinks.......it does NOT confer automatic rights to work in oz.........

amc recognition means you can be registered to potentially work in oz.......

but it does NOT mean you can actually go work there.......that right to work is the function of another department, that of immigration.........and you will thus be subject to the same rules as any one else who want to work there, you need to get a pr, or one of the myriad work or 'bridging' visas currently available.........

it would be interesting to see what happens when the 1st batch graduates end of this year.......

walao eh, now Leeds only RM 620K? compared to roughly RM 1M when I finished my pre-U last time. I think it's now the best time to go UK or US medskols, whether thru IMU or go straight.

not really, unless you have the money upfront and transfer them over now at current rates....

the sterling has dropped vis-a-vis the rm by a quarter from 7 to 5.1 currently.....but it may not stay there for long.......

i think the estimate of rm620k is a bit on the optimistic side, a safer estimate would be about rm680k, taking the lower range of living costs estimates of 6k pounds a year as provided by imu (range 6-8k depending on city).......assuming the exchange stays the same, or you buy all your pounds now....

otherwise, if the pound appreciates, or something happens to the rm (like 1998), you will be in trouble......

in that sense, ipts like monash msia is more secure in term of cost estimates.....you are not exposed to currency fluctuations......

My father's cousin work as an examiner for their clinical year(something with optometrist) said that PMC students are very very good as they are trained for the first 2 years in Ireland.

There a lot of discussion throughout this thread but can anyone help me with this question (I'm an STPM student waiting for result):-

1. What is your STPM/Matics etc. result when you get accepted to certain university?
2. Any list of good IPTS recommended? PMC,Monash, etc. in term of cost vs. quality
3. How you pays the enormous tuition fees? Loans? Scholarship?
4. Interviewing process?

Lastly, I'm a Singaporean studying my whole life in M'sia.

5. What is my chances of studying in public university? I heard most don't accept except UIA (which I vying for).

Working medical life in Malaysia is like hell, trust me. All the best to all of you future doctors!

Oh, if you support my statement above! please drop a comment!

I see..

Care to elaborate? Like hell in terms of?

I'm just wondering.. but for those of you who got accepted into uni's.. did you get any experience before-hand?

Like shadowing a GP / volunteering at a hospital / etc.

When did you do it?
I just started my A-Levels and I have to send my application off around Sept. this year so I'm wondering if it's a good idea to start now - need to find out how first though

Oh come one. Plz reply this question. I seriously thinking of becoming a doctor but this question really bugs me.


Yes as docotr works without any limit of hours compare to the UK's law. Doctors in M'sia have lower wages than engineering (in private sector) and can have terrible day if the patient is in bad mood(most of the time) but I guess everyone going for it as the benefit exceed the cons.

I planning to work in the UKs so I got more time for myself.


Hmmm...my sister's friend (very smart) apply as intern for hospital even before applying so she could get a headstart in interview. But she fail the interview because NUS entry is very strict.

If I were you just read medical books and knows basic medical knowledge as it could help in interviewing process.

You mentioned that you are a Singaporean? by this I assume that you hold a Singaporean citizenship?
then if you wish to practice in Singapore, there are only two Universities in Malaysia recognized by the Singapore Medical Council for Medicine.

- Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
- Universiti Malaya (UM)

Check Here: http://www.smc.gov.sg/html/1153709442948.html

Dang. Does it mean IPTS like PMC and IMU not recognized by Singapore? (even if twinning in Ireland?)

I need an accredited U's as it would help me with deferment letter from National Service. I heard UM and UKM does not accept foreigner into medicine as it already filled with local...

This post has been edited by Ibrahimovic: Jan 7 2009, 01:05 PM

yup, u should do it esp if u r applying for the more competitive medskols. i did stpm so it's a diff matter for me.

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Added on January 7, 2009, 2:58 pmmost IMU twinning medskols are recognised by SMC, PMC is no longer recognised, cos the clinical component is not done in the country of origin(Ireland)
You should look thru the list and see which medskols suit u the most. even some taiwanese medskols are recognised so that can be part of ur considerations.

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Added on January 7, 2009, 3:01 pm1) reuslts depending on which medskols u apply.
2)depends mainly on ur budget and locations.
3) i dun think u can get any loan/scholarship in msia to fully support ur studies.
4)wat r u asking?
5) wat's ur predicted results?

This post has been edited by wgy589: Jan 7 2009, 03:04 PM

I'm not sure what do you mean by experience before-hand, but I assume it's like those pre-medschool entry kind of thing where aspiring students apply for a short term (few days to 1, 2 weeks) of posting at hospitals. IMO it's not particularly helpful.

Sure, its aims is to expose students to the real life of being a doctor, and it surely dispels most myths (mainly those glamourous and exciting perceptions) that a layperson could have. Nevertheless, being someone who has very limited, if not zero, knowledge about the medical world, one is probably going to end up standing in a corner listening to jargons which sound like alien language. I'm currently doing my electives in S'pore and last week I met two students who did the same pre-med school attachment thingy. We had a patient who suffered an extensive subdural hemorrhage and eventually coned; and when the ED consultants were explaining the CT scans and other medical stuff eg resuscitation to us, the two students just couldn't make any sense out of it. This is not to show off or anything, but rather to highlight the relative uselessness of doing such activities especially when one has no real knowledge of the medical side of things.

I'm not sure about shadowing GPs, and would GPs be willing to take in students who have no prior medical teaching? Volunteering at a hospital on the other hand is a bit difficult as well if one is not particularly trained in specific medical procedures. I don't think any volunteer would be allowed to perform venepunctures or cannula insertions or set up drips etc, so one might end up doing boring stuff like pushing trollies and wheelchairs/show directions/ office and paper work. I could be wrong, so correct me if I am.

First of all, it's interesting for me to read that you're a Singaporean studying in M'sia. I come from JB so it's more common for me to know Johoreans crossing the causeway daily to study rather than the other way round.

As for your questions, most of them are very hard to answer:
1. Depending on which uni - private ones usually have slightly lower requirements but the competition for places doesn't necessarily makes it easier to enter.

2. Hard to say. Every institution has its pros and cons, and sometimes it's a perception (or misconception if you want) of "the grass is greener on the other side".

3. Self-funded, bank loans, scholarships, etc... there's lots of ways to pay for it, but bear in mind it's not really a good thing to insist on studying medicine if the costs will bankrupt you and your family. Sounds harsh but that's the truth.

4. Interviews for medical school are kinda bullshit anyway. The one that I had for IMU consists of typical talk cock questions such as "why do you want to study medicine" bla bla bla, and a couple of random stuff about your life both academically and extra-curricular activities. IINM, Uni Melb doesn't even have interviews but it might change as they've started the Melbourne Model which is a post-grad course. In short, it's really hard to "prepare" for interviews but you'll need to be articulate and enthusiastic, yet not appear fanatical and aggressive.

5. Public Unis in M'sia? Get a CGPA of 4.0 first, otherwise it's really hard to even fathom about it. Even 4.0 won't guarantee a place in your desired institution, eg you might only get UKM/UPM instead of UM.

Well private sectors are obviously going to pay you more so your example isn't particularly valid.

Like they always say, if money is your top priority, DON'T study medicine and become a doctor. To make things simple, being a doctor will put food on your table; yet it's not a guarantee that you'll become the next big thing on the Forbes' coverpage.

It's undeniable that doctors in M'sia aren't exactly as well-paid as their counterparts in other countries, plus the working hours and environment are in much dire states as well. If you're planning to work in UK then it's another matter compared to M'sia as there are other issues and requirements for working over there eg visa/PR/qualification stuff. Those who are studying/working in UK would be more qualified to answer than I am so I'll leave this out.

As for NUS, it's notoriously strict in its student selection; plus the quota for international students is very limited as well. Many Singaporeans who fail to enter NUS end up going overseas for their tertiary studies and it's not exactly a bad alternative either.

Think wisely and thoroughly before making a decision. My best advice would be, "Things aren't exactly as they seem", but once you get the hang of it, it's not too bad.

This post has been edited by StarGhazzer: Jan 7 2009, 03:36 PM

you are very naive to think you can go to any med school in msia, and just walk into uk to work......

even if you manage to get into a uk med school, current labour and immigration laws will mean you can only work the 2 foundation years in uk.........getting a job after that would be an uphill task, and even impossible.........