THE UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATION
IS THE EDUCATION DIFFICULT?
Yes, medicine is considered to be one of the more difficult educations - but it is also so much more than that.
I believe that you should choose the path in your life upon many criteria. Among them are what's the most appealing according to your personality, your interests and your values in life. Not everyone can be a doctor just as much as not everyone can be a lawyer or a shop manager. It all comes down to where you believe you'll fit in the most.
With the right motivation, inspiration and interest anyone can go through the difficulties of studies. The workload along the way is just greater for some, and easier for others.
When it comes to medicine I don't think there ever will be a moment of total Zen, complete enlightenment or saturation in knowledge. Science, and medicine along with it, is steadily expanding and your life in the medical field will be one long pathway of learning and constant studying.
At first medical school will be though, but I believe that you'll become good at what you do the most, and studying will become a part of you.
Entering medicine with great resolve is in my honest opinion a key to success, in medicine as in any other field.
WHAT'S THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE STUDENTS?
This varies a lot. Usually the span of age is one to four years plus to the age of recently graduated students from high school. Some students take Premedical courses, as I did, or work after their last school years.
However, you most probably will meet older students as well, that are either 'late' deciding what to study or are simply re-educating or chasing a second degree.
In my opinion age does not matter.
ARE THERE MANY PEOPLE DROPPING OUT / BEING KICKED OUT?
Students are leaving the University for many different reasons. My personal opinion and experience is that people that show interest in the education and put effort in their studies will succeed.
This only account for anatomy, the second big course in histology has its own success rate figures – which mean that some number of students did not make it to the second year due to unsuccessful grades in either one, two or more courses.
From this you can draw own conclusions but I stand by that many leave on other reasons than the lack of knowledge. In any case, it is alarming to see the rather constant downhill of the percentage the last years.
HOW ARE THE TEACHERS?
There is really no easy answer to this question - each teacher of course has his or her own personality, way of teaching and level of knowledge.
Teacher A might be considered better than B by some students, while someone else thinks the opposite.
Generally, I have been very satisfied with my tutors, with few exceptions.
WHAT ABOUT THEIR ENGLISH KNOWLEDGE?
WHAT DOES THE STUDY PLAN LOOK LIKE?
For this question I will refer you to the end of this page, where you can find a summary of every year which will include a study plan and the course details.
WOULD YOU RECOMMEND STUDYING MEDICINE ABROAD?
I most definitely would! Not only is it an amazing opportunity to meet new people, discover new cultures and learn new languages but it creates problems that you would never have to face if you'd stay on the home field.
This has of course been troublesome at times, but after solving the situation by no other means than your own (with help of others of course) you grow as a person. Your responsibility and courage will get a boost by moving out, most probably from your parents' safe haven, or from the borders of your country.
50 years ago a long distance away from one's family was indeed a long distance, but we are a fortunate generation and today one's family is never further than a Skype video-call away.
Your language skills will eventually become so great that you begin to think and dream in this particular language - these days I speak far more English than Swedish and it almost starts to become an issue when trying to have proper discussions with my family or any other Swede.
WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS, COMPARED TO A SWEDISH EDUCATION?
As I have no real experience with the Swedish medical system I can not justly comment on this point. If someone who studies in Sweden happens to stumble upon this site then all input are very much appreciated.
ECONOMY
HOW MUCH DO YOU PAY FOR THE EDUCATION?
The tuition varies between 13ooo-14ooo EUR per year of studies.
My year, Graduates of 2016, paid 13ooo EUR per year of studies until year 3. The education is originally six years, plus retaking years or postponing due to exchange programs or other postponing reasons. However, I believe that any extra year is recalculated according to the University's standards for whatever reason you have.
Note that according to University policy the tuition fee can be increased during the studies - make sure to contact the University of interest in order to plan your budgets. Our year’s tuition fee was increased at year 3 to 136oo EUR.
13,ooo IS A LOT, HOW DO YOU MANAGE IT?
Yes, the tuition fee is high and I can only answer for my own case. Since I'm from Sweden the financial study aid (CSN) covers approximately 94% of the tuition fee in loans. Note that this varies from person to person based on your application to the study aid department as well as current and previous income the year of application.
These loans are rather beneficial compared to other options for students. Additionally I get approximately 26oo EUR in study aid (not loan) granted every year of study.
If you do some calculate here you'll see that living costs and free time expenses are not covered for - neither is the cost for laboratory equipment, transportation nor literature.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A PART TIME JOB?
I do not take any part time job, I simply find it difficult to find the time and energy. Is it possible to manage? Sure, anything is possible. With the correct time management, priorities and flexible kind of employment I think it could be possible to do it during evenings.
However, I do admit that only a few of my colleagues actually do have an out of school employment.
What I do recommend, is to spend the time during the semesters wisely in order to finish the year as early as possible leaving the whole summer free of other obligations and you will be able to work.
HOW MUCH ARE LIVING EXPENSES IN AVERAGE?
This of course varies from person to person – depending on your living standards. As a student in Sweden it is possible to cut down on food and living conditions by staying with parents or relatives. In a foreign country this becomes a little bit more difficult as you can imagine.
However, being more people in a shared space, sharing food and logistics usually turns out to be cheaper in the long run and indeed; many of my colleagues tend to stay in pairs or trios.
My average expenses per month was during 2011-2013 approximately as follows:
“All Inclusive” Rent, shared flat (3ppl): 6900 Kč,-
“All Inclusive” Rent, alone: 8000 Kč,-
Groceries: 2600 Kč,-
Restaurants: 1000 Kč,-
Gym: 700 Kč,-
Transportation (24h, full access Praha): 240 Kč,-
(1000 Kč,- is approximately 330 SEK or 36 EUR)
APPLICATION
HOW DO I APPLY FOR CHARLES UNIVERSITY?
This solely depends on what faculty you are interested in. Search the websites given above for information of the different faculties. If you already know, each website has a link for application. It’s all in English and easy to follow. The standard procedure is to go through an entrance exam, see below.
WHAT IS THE ENTRANCE EXAM ALL ABOUT?
The entrance exams differ from University to University. Some are easier and some go deeper than others, demanding some basic knowledge from the first year of medicine such as basic physiology, anatomy, chemistry and physics. Examples of the entrance exams for Charles University can be found here:
http://www.lf1.cuni.cz/en/sample-questions?f=for-applicants
WHAT ABOUT OTHER UNIVERSITIES IN EUROPE?
My experience of application, and contact network, diverge to the following Universities in Europe:
Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Faculty 1: http://www.lf1.cuni.cz/en
Faculty 2: http://www.lf2.cuni.cz/homepage.htm
Faculty 3: http://www.lf3.cuni.cz/en/index.html
Zagreb University of Medicine, Croatia
http://mse.mef.unizg.hr/index.php
Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Official: http://www.semmelweis-univ.hu/education/academic-programmes/
Application: http://www.studyhungary.hu/
Gdansk Medical University, Poland
http://www.mug.edu.pl/
STUDIES
DO YOU STUDY EVERY DAY, 24/7?
More or less, yes!
The pace iof the studies are indeed very high. During the first three years we face two to four new topics every week within the four or more major subjects. We are lucky if they happen to cover the same thing, only through different perspectives, e.g. the topic 'DNA' is of course found in genetics, biochemistry and physiology - the question is if they are lined up chronologically or not.
In order to keep up I have to study at least one to three hours every day, with time in school not included.
It all comes down to how time efficient I am and what I am studying. Worth mentioning is that if I read a subject or topic I really enjoy I can keep going for far more than three hours. Passing the courses does not necessarily demand very hard work, although this is rather individual. Passing with good marks do require hard work.
The deeper into the field of medicine one travel, the more one understand that one know nothing on the topic - i.e. the more one dig, the larger the hole becomes.
Lately, I find myself devoting more and more time to my studies, not out of requirement, but out of interest.
IS IT NOT STRESSFUL?
Both yes and no. It is mainly interesting but yes at times there are massive amounts of stress. Being examined is by far the most emotional and psychological challenge during medical school and I think I will never get used to it. However, not every day is an exam, and during the weeks I usually don’t feel stressed. Remember that we are all more or less likely to resist stress and a situation for me may be completely different to you. Having a higher stress threshold will help on the way but I doubt that anyone in this world will be able to go through medical school without feeling stressed.
As a doctor, I believe, stress will be part of the everyday work and being drilled in coping with it as early as possible is only a good thing.
YOU DRAW VERY WELL, IS THIS A REQUIREMENT?
The final exam from anatomy does include a lot of drawings and schemes. During the whole year one will be forced to learn how to illustrate their knowledge in schemes, regardless of previous skill, in order to present the topic of the exam question properly. The professors’ value anatomy knowledge converted into illustrations. Note that we have no written exams, except for the slide tests. Every exam is oral and a drawing to rely your speech on is a powerful tool.
In order to impress, and to feel confident, having one scheme per question very much increases your chance of passing. Note also that some questions in the final anatomy exam demand a scheme.
Not everyone likes drawing, and of course many students do excellent with only basic schemes. The most important part is not how much shading one uses, but that all your labels are correct and that the anatomy in the scheme is somewhat proportional. In the end, it is your ability to illustrate a problem to the patient that really matters. Being taught this from day one only makes you better at it.
To me, however, it was a fantastic way to study anatomy.
I DON'T LIKE READING, CAN I STILL PASS BY ATTENDING LECTURES?
Sure, you can pass but believe me, your reading skill will be your primary brother in arms against the horde of information. I understand that not everyone "likes" reading. Not everyone has to be "good" at reading. However, as long as you can read, you can practice it and become amazing at it. I was not an overwhelmingly strong reader in the beginning but it is a skill that I have refined over a period of 3 years and it only becomes easier and easier for each year. As I mentioned in paragraph one; your life in the medical field will be one long trip down the road of learning and constant studying.
Lectures are at times very good and I strongly recommend to attend them even thou they are never mandatory. However, I would not recommend anyone trying to survive solely on lecture attending.
By drinking from the source of the river one will get the purest of waters - i.e. the book will be your best friends. In my honest opinion, the bigger book the better, it's only a matter of time and laziness.
WHAT IS THE EXAMS LIKE?
I try to distinguish examination of a student’s knowledge into three types;
There are the checkpoint tests, the final exams and the state exams.
By checkpoint tests I refer to the course tests that appear every other week, depending on the course. Some courses are regularly tested while some are tested only in the end and is then called a credit test. Some courses have both these types and they are equally required in order to obtain the course credit which proves you are ready for a final examination.
The final examinations on our faculty are by default oral examinations. Some may have other elements to them, such as written open question or closed multiple choice tests. In the practical topics there is usually a practical part of the exam as well. Each course has a set of exam topics. These are not questions per se but include everything from broad categories to specific topics.
The examination begins when you have blindly picked 3-4 topics randomly. What follows is typically 10-15 minutes of preparation before you have your sit down with the professor or doctor.
An oral examination typically lasts 30 minutes to an hour depending on the number of students being examined together with you.
That’s right, it is most rare to be alone during the examinations. While you prepare your topics, other students will be examined. If you dare to be the first one to go, others will be able to listen to your performance. However, usually they are too busy preparing their own set of topics.
State examination are similar but includes a small jury instead of one professor and his or her assistant. However, I have yet to accomplish one of these so I can not evaluate it just yet.
HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR SUCH AN EXAM?
DO YOU HAVE ANY VACATION?
LIVING CONDITIONS
HOW IS PRAGUE AS A CITY?
HOW DID YOU FIND YOUR APARTMENT?
WHAT ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUTING?
Transport is by far one of the best ones I’ve ever experienced.
For 240 Kč,- a month (~90SEK) you get full access to the city Metro, trams and busses. You can easily get around town and as long as you are close to a metro station you are close to school. Personally I live in the outskirts of Praha but have only 12 minutes runtime with the metro +/- 5 minute walking to and from the station.
Metro stops at midnight but night-trams will take you pretty much wherever you need to go. More about city commuting traffic can be found here: http://www.dpp.cz/en/
DO YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH OTHER STUDENTS FROM SWEDEN OR SCANDINAVIA?
Often, as there is a new small group of Scandinavians coming every year; mainly Norwegians and Swedes. First and third faculty seems to be the faculties of choice.
In my year we were 12 Scandinavians and there are similar amounts beginning each year.
ANNUAL SUMMARIES
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF YEAR 1
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF YEAR 2
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF YEAR 3
Have you heard of anybody who could successfully transfer the credits from other University? In that case, Could the years of study shortened like 5 years or 4 years? Have you heard any case like that?
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