Italy is the world’s most underrated country to study medicine

When Rebeca Ramos failed to meet the medical school requirements for a university in Europe, she was distraught.

She thought her dream to become a doctor was over.

“I received a conditional offer to attend a medical school in Pamplona, Spain, before even completing my International Baccalaureate (IB) programme,” recalls Rebeca Ramos.

“But when my final grades came in, I didn’t meet the medical school requirements.”

‘Seeing limbs, deformities, and diseases’: A child motivated to heal

Ramos had long known she wanted to pursue a medical career. Growing up in dangerous environments around the world shaped her values and deepened her desire to help others through healthcare.

Born in Honduras, one of Central America’s most unsafe countries, Ramos spent the first eight years of her life in the country before moving abroad to Michigan, US, for a year due to her father’s postgraduate studies.

When Ramos’s father completed his degree, they returned to Honduras for three more years before relocating to Dhaka, Bangladesh, for her father’s work.

There, Ramos witnessed abject poverty first-hand.

“Seeing people without limbs, deformities, and diseases shocked me the most in Dhaka,” says Ramos. “You could just see them on the streets. I knew then I wanted to pursue medicine.”

But her time in Dhaka was cut short. While back in Honduras for a holiday, heavily armed militants attacked a local restaurant in Dhaka — one she often frequents. More than twenty people were killed in what CNN called Bangladesh’s deadliest terror attack. 

Concerned for her safety, her parents moved her to Thailand to complete her high school years.

In Thailand, Ramos enrolled in the United World College and completed her IB programme, hopeful for her future in medicine.

Ramos (middle) with her brother and mother at her white coat ceremony during her third year of medical school. Source: Rebeca Ramos

Not meeting medical school requirements because of an … algorithm

During her IB programme in Thailand, Ramos applied to Spain’s University of Navarra’s School of Medicine to pursue a Degree in Medicine.

This was done using her predicted grades for her final IB exams, as applications were done before the exam results were out. With her predicted grades, Ramos received a conditional offer from the university.

When her grades arrived, however, the IB board’s algorithm (which had been redesigned due to Covid-19), revealed that she fell short of meeting her medical school requirements. Ramos was devastated.

The final grades, issued in May 2020, caused widespread outrage, as reported by Tes Magazine. Many students received scores far lower than expected, and Ramos was one of them.

To meet the University of Navarra’s criteria, Ramos needed a 37 overall, with sixes in both chemistry and biology. Ramos ended up receiving a 37 overall, with a five in chemistry and a five in biology.

As a result, the university retracted her offer. Later, due to the backlash from the final grades, Ramos received an updated grade — a 39 over 45 with sixes in both subjects. Using those revised grades, she appealed to the university to reinstate her offer. 

Ramos recalls, “I emailed the university to inform them my grades have been raised due to an issue caused by the IB board. I asked them if it would be possible for me to get the offer back, but they said it was too late.”

Disheartened, Ramos reluctantly decided that her next move was to take a gap year.

However, before that could take place, she received news of her acceptance to a medical school at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC), a private university in Italy.

Before applying to UCSC, Ramos (right) was studying for her Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) exams. However, she did not sit for the exams as it was not required by UCSC. Source: Rebeca Ramos

Medical school requirements in Italy

Medical schools in Italy only require an entrance exam, unlike schools in the US or UK that require taking a Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

There were only 70 seats for non-EU students and 30 seats for EU students at UCSC. 

And despite her previous hard work, achieving a 39 in her IB exams, those grades didn’t matter. You still need to meet the minimum medical school requirements.

Through more hard work and dedication, Ramos took the entrance exams and passed, kickstarting her journey into her medical degree.

She began her first year of medical school in Honduras, attending online classes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which she describes as disorganised. In 2021, she finally moved to Italy to continue her studies in person.

@rebecaramo.s being “smart” won’t take you far if you don’t work hard. i see smart people fall behind because they don’t study. #hottake #medicine #italy #medicalstudent ♬ original sound – rebe

Becoming a voice for medical students on TikTok

While Ramos had always been interested in social media, watching influencers like Bethany Mota and Emma Chamberlain on YouTube, it wasn’t until Olivia Rodrigo’s concert that she felt inspired to act.

“I realised I was cheering for a girl two years younger than me who had already achieved so much. I thought, if she can do it, why can’t I?” says Ramos.

Ramos started posting videos on TikTok, but her account only took off after a video about failing a gynaecology exam went viral. 

“The first viral video was about not having to be smart to become a medical student. Another viral video was about me failing a gynaecology exam. That got me thinking: what else can I talk about on the internet related to medicine?” she shares.

From there, Ramos found her niche — sharing the challenges of medical school.

“I was depressed and on the verge of dropping out, so I started sharing about my struggles and to my surprise, there were a lot of people commenting that they’re going through the same thing as me,” she says.

“I didn’t see anyone posting about the struggles of being in medical school, so I decided that that would be my content. I wanted to speak to the old version of myself because so many people are struggling like I was in the past. I want to help those who are struggling and to help them understand that failing and feeling down while in medical school is normal.”

Today, Ramos has over 40,000 followers and 2 million likes on TikTok.

Ramos believes that having a strong support system abroad, whether it’s parents, relatives, or friends, is extremely important. Source: Rebeca Ramos

Advice from a medical student about life in Italy

“Making friends abroad can be hard, but keeping those friends or a friendship is harder,” says Ramos. 

“What I noticed as an international student is that when you start to settle into the abroad life environment, you’ll find yourself trying hard to make friends, and it works. But we won’t realise that the first few friend groups will fall apart into your later years.” 

Ramos believes that friendships, solid friendships, are born with time. No one should force a friendship or choose a person and go, “You’re going to be my friend now.” 

It’s always best to be patient when making friends abroad and not to be afraid to put ourselves out there. Friendships come from random, small acts and memories we share with people over time.

Additionally, we may find friends older than us, and once they graduate and move away, it will hurt as we’ll feel like we’re losing a good friend. But that does not mean you should close yourself up.

“Long story short, do not pressure yourself too much about making a best friend within the first week of university or living abroad. You’ll find your people; it will just take time,” she says.

Ramos (second from left) recommends only joining a pre-med course if you’re sure that medicine is something you want to pursue. If not, taking a regular undergraduate degree is best. Source: Rebeca Ramos

Advice from a medical student if you’re looking to pursue a medical degree

“I would recommend students to pursue an undergraduate degree rather than going straight to medical school,” says Ramos. “I wish that were something I did because if I did an undergraduate degree, I would have probably figured out that what I liked was neuroscience.”

“If you apply to universities in Europe, try your best to look for universities that allow you to do undergraduate degrees and make your move into a medical school later on.”

Medical schools can take up to six years to complete. The worry is that you would realise that this is not the place for you or that you would like to dive into specific subjects in the medical world, like neuroscience, and you may feel like you have wasted time at medical school.

However, if you’re 100% sure that you want to pursue a medical degree, by all means, go for it.

“I have classmates who love medicine and can’t see themselves doing anything else,” says Ramos. “If you have set your mind to it, by all means, go for it. Once you’re working in the hospital, I can say there’s no better feeling than helping patients. You’ll learn a lot, and that’s the best feeling in the world.”