Medical School in Taiwan admission?

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
#1

Hey guys, I’m a CBC (Canadian born Chinese) living in Vancouver. I’m going into my senior year, and I’m interested in applying to med school in Taiwan. Preferably to one in Taipei (NTU, TMU, Yang ming). I’ve looked at all the admission guidelines to apply as an overseas Chinese, and I’m qualified in those respects (living overseas for 8 years etc.). Admission is done through my local overseas chinese affairs office, and is based on my high school transcript especially courses I’ve taken in English, Mandarin, Chem, Bio, and Math. Just wondering if anyone else has gone through this admission process or has any information (like around what marks they are looking for? I understand that many students admitted to med are perfect scorers on the entrance examination :/)? Or anyone who went to college in Taiwan having grown up in North America? Knowing how competitive Taiwan students are, needless to say I’m super nervous. Haha.
I really really want to come back here for med school. Any advice would be greatly (!) appreciated.

I’m new here, please be gentle :slight_smile:

#2

Hey man!
I think I can help you out a bit. I’m actually starting my MBA in Sept this year. The application process is a bit different but shouldn’t be that different. I believe as a overseas student your chance of getting accepted is better than local students. They will look at the basic requirements for admission such as your grades and language proficiency. After than they might ask you for a autobiography, study plan and skype interview. I’m not sure what school your applying to and what they have listed as there requirements but you can always look at the schools website or call the overseas office here in Canada. They are really helpful.
When I applied for the MBA program they let me choose 3 schools in any program. Every school required a transcript of grades, a copy of bachelor diploma, 2 signed recommendation letters, autobiography, study plan, language proficiency certificates and any other supporting documents that will benefit your application. Since I finished my bachelor in Canada they waived my requirement for english proficiency certificate.
I know some schools require you take GMAT or the equivalent for Med school.
I think the admission process is less intense for foreign Chinese students and easier to be admitted. As for grades, I’m going to be honest with you… my grades after graduating from my BA degree is terrible. LOL but I think my application essays and autobiographies says i’m a decent student. I mentioned how i didn’t have a interest in what I was majoring in but still finished it because I knew how it would benefit me later on.
Getting into NTU med school I would imagine your grades should be at least 86% average. Show them you have extracurricular involvement and other interests besides school.
If you have dual citizenship, Canadian and Taiwanese you might have conscription duty so don’t apply as international student if you do.
check out this site:
overseas.ncnu.edu.tw/
You might have to apply as overseas Chinese

#3

In fact if OP has ROC citizenship he must not apply as an international student or risk forfeiture of student status. ROC citizenship is not determined by holding a valid ROC passport, but depends on whether OP’s parents have ever renounced ROC citizenship - this is often misunderstood by many ABCs / CBCs who are not really aware of their citizenship.

#4

If anyone is still following this thread - I’m actually sort of in the same situation as you, OP! Is there anyone who has actually gone through the experience who would be willing to answer some questions for me? ie how much of a struggle was the language barrier? How to make friends? How competitive was everyone? etc
Would be a great help!

#5

I have 2 ABC friends who went to med school here. Both didn’t finish. Even though the books are all in English, they teach in Chinese so with an average ABC Chinese level (3rd grader at best) it was very difficult for one guy to keep up. The other guy was forced into it by his parents and dropped out soon after. He probably would have had the same problem if he stayed.

#6

Hi. Kinda late to the game, but here’s some info for anyone who’s interested in Taiwanese medical schools/allied health majors.

I’m an incoming MS1 at I-Shou University, having reapplied after 3 years of OT school at NTU. I got in via 個人申請 like most Taiwanese students, and am part of the (local) MD charter class at ISU (previously they accepted only students from countries like Kiribati and Paraguay)

I have a friend at NTU who used to live in Vancouver and got in via the Overseas Chinese Program. She is very proficient in Mandarin though, and I think this is a major deciding factor especially when it comes to healthcare majors. The bottom line is that you have to be able to communicate with patients. Even I struggle with communication sometimes because some of my patients exclusively speak Taiwanese.

Generally speaking, it is a lot easier to get into Taiwanese medical schools as an overseas student, provided that your stats are up to par. However, once you get in it’s another story. It is not impossible to excel, but Taiwanese med schools are very different from US/Canadian ones. Before even starting preclinicals you have to take 1-2 years of calculus, physics, chem, organic chemistry, biochem, and all sorts of premed courses. You have to work very hard to keep up with the top ~0.5% of Taiwanese students.

#7

Hi Sherlock,

Do you know what sort of grades you need to get a place in med school in Taiwan (via the Overseas Chinese Program)? I am in University now but have decided that I want to change major. I got pretty embarrassing high school grades but I am doing better at uni now, however, I was under the impression that the admission is purely based on high school transcripts? Do you know if that is true? Sorry for bombarding you with questions… but I am struggling to find info online (you are my only hope :P)

#8