Now that you’ve got accepted into medical school, and you’ve successfully made the first step in achieving your dream of becoming a medical doctor or dentist. Congratulations, you should be proud of yourself! If you’ve gotten thus far, there isn’t anything that can stop you.
You’ve taken one weight off your chest but now comes the tough part. As a once medical student myself, I want to share with you some tips about what to expect in your first couple of days and weeks of medical school in Europe.
I was reluctant about going to study medicine abroad in Europe at first too. I have older friends that had already taken this path who assured me there’s nothing to worry. I believe that a lot of people might have second thoughts about studying abroad.
Expect to Make New Friends Easily;
This one felt exactly like high school. You barely know anyone, and you need to prove yourself among your other colleagues. Luckily, almost everyone is willing to socialise as much as you are, at least in the first couple of months. At the end of my first month at the medical university of Varna, I honestly felt I knew half of the students in the school already.
Very few people ever have problems with socialisation, which means there’s nothing to worry.
However, at the end of your first year, you might start to notice that people sort of start to close themselves in. No one is that interested in making friends anymore since exams are ahead and people have already created a close circle of friends.
You’ll Probably Feel Overwhelmed;
University is different from secondary school in terms of way of teaching, studying. You’re expected to prepare for your classes beforehand, so that’s a great way to shine among your colleagues – going well prepared for every lesson.
Professors teach differently, and sometimes you might even feel stupid. Professors teach differently and sometimes you even might feel stupid. The good thing is – everyone does at some point. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed, use this as a motivation to study even more. In time, you will get used to it. Willpower and dedication is probably the two best things to help you succeed as a medical student.
Expect to Spend Some Money on Textbooks;
New subjects, new textbooks, that’s how it is each year. Take it as a form of investing in your future. I always preferred to buy original books instead of printed ones. Even now I keep all of them on my bookshelves and feel a bit of nostalgia when I look at them. I use some of them frequently.
What’s more, if you’ve decided to study dentistry in Europe then expect to spend a bit more on books since dental students have more subjects in the first year.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on this, there’s always students that buy and sell their textbooks so you shouldn’t worry about getting them cheaply.
Some Professors Will Expect You to Know Everything.
Not that the assistants want you to know the whole book by heart. It’s more like they think that you are already half-doctors. Some professors might use phrases that you haven’t even heard about, but they will nonetheless expect you to know them.
Have you ever had a doctor who’s started to talk to you in Latin and expect you to understand? It’s the same thing in the first couple of months in medical university.
Studying medicine in Europe is a terrific adventure; enjoy every single bit of it!