Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine

[neilc]

Well. there is a recent developement that I thought I would share...

It seems the admin/faculty are taking a more active interest in attracting students from the states, or at least providing a bit more information, etc...

So, students and administration have developed a "semi-official" website for Charles, specifically designed to answer questions for Americans that are considering the school. It is a strange combination of input from both Czech and English students, as well as administration. So, be patient with it as it develops. Please feel free to send along any feedback, to me or the site.

Now, I am participating in the development of the website, as well as proctoring/scheduling entrance exams for the school when I am in the states. I am not being paid for this, other than a small fee (a portion of the application fee) when I proctor the exam. I just want to make my participation and compensation transparent, so there is no confusion.

Basically several American students have encouraged the administration to pay more attention to the needs of US students, and potential students. The result of this is the website, an increase in the number of dates and locations for entrance exams, and more information specific to the American students. The hope is to develop better information in the future for such things as USMLE pass rates (we need to be better about accurately calculating these), residency placement and alumni contacts.

So, please check out the new site at www.firstfaculty.com and send any feedback to the emails on the site, or to me if you prefer. We look forward to the feedback, and hopefully this will prove to be a good resource for students looking into medical schools abroad.

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[DonDrimeXm8]

Thanks for posting this and for your extensive contributions regarding Charles University, Neil! I am only a second year premed but am strongly interested in attending medical school in Prague. I know that the path to becoming a doctor will be longer and more difficult this way, but am really excited about studying in a foreign country and learning another language as well (and there are very few locations preferrable to Prague!). I have a few questions too:

For housing, where do international students typically stay? Does Charles offer some assistance in finding a flat?

If there is a need, will Charles allow me to defer admission for a year? (family illness problem)

Finally, how long in studying Czech did it take for you to be at least comfortable using the language (if you are comfortable at all)?

Thanks a lot Neil. Without your contributions I would probably be completely unaware of the program's existence.

 

[Daniel vD]

I'm just looking into it too!

Since the Czech Republic will join the EU (European Union) in less than 5 months, the Dutch study-financing authority will pay anyone wishing to study medicine there, as they do for all members of the EU/EER (European Economic Region).

As a Dutch med student you get ?785 (euro) per month, about 250 of which is a loan. The rest of it is a gift. That is about $1000 per month. And as I mentioned, you get this money to study medicine (or a related medical study, such as dentistry, nursing and veterinary medicine) throughout Europe, including non-EU countries such as Switzerland.

Now here in the Netherlands, mathemathics, the highest level of it, has become required for medicine, in addition to chemistry, physics and biology. And 11 other courses.
Since I have great trouble in calculating, well, that is, in solving real math problems, I'll never make it through.
Which means that studying medicine in my own country is out of the question.

Now, I was considering Charles University. Life in the CR seems to be cheap, which is always good, and the CR isn't all that far from home (it's actually closer than Z?rich or Wien [Vienna]).
But if I want to go there, I'll have to follow a pre-medical year first, which I could do in Padebrody.
Now, neilc, do you know anything about this course? It's a one-year preparatory course.
This is their website:
http://www.cuni.cz/cuni/ujop/podebrady/english.htm.cs

What can I expect there?

As for medical school, I may choose Pilsen, since it's slightly closer to home (which means: saving on my train tickets).

Anyway, could you tell me more about it?

 

[neilc]

Hey guys, I will be happy to help...however, I am not a school official. The best information will come if you visit the website and submit questions, etc on the contact form or through this email address: [email protected]

Now, lets see what I can answer:
First, for dondrime...
for housing, there are dorms, and the school will assist you with that. if you don't want to live in the dorms, you are on your own, but it is pretty easy to get a flat. it used to be very cheap, but the stronger crown has brought prices up a bit. it is still an inexpensive place to be, but for those of us that remember the glory days of 10 cent beers, it is a shock to pay 50 cents to a dollare

defering admission is likely not a problem, but admissions can help you with that.

the language...well, i am still not "comfortable" with it. but, there are plenty of folks who work a bit harder at it that are conversational the first year. i can get by with a conversation, but i don't think i will ever be comfortable! anyhow, it is a difficult language, but that is not the problem. if you choose to learn it and speak it whenever you can, you can learn a lot in 1 year.

now for Daniel
i know about the pre-medical course only from those who have done it. and, i don't think it is at all neccesary. if you have passed a-levels or the equivilent, you should be able to go straight into the med school. who told you that the pre-med was required? one of my best friends did it, he was a university graduate from the states, and i didn't do it, with similar credentials. so, it seems like a strange little scheme to me...anyhow, i would apply directly to the school, take the exam and see if you can get in straight away.

as for the uni in plzen, i don't know too much. it is not far from prague, so i don't think that being closer to home is much of a concern. it is maybe 40 minutes or so by train, if i remember correctly. it is a small town, so if you want the big city and lots of people, and a more "western" feel, than prague is a better bet. if you like the small town, don't need to be around a lot of english speakers, etc. then plzen may be for you.

well, i hope this helps. if you need more info, go to the website www.firstfaculty.com and send them an email. also, you are free to email me anytime at [email protected]

i do participate in the site design, information gathering, test proctoring, etc..so, i am happy to help as much as i can.

best of luck to you both!

 

[Daniel vD]

Thanks!

 

[kiakaraji]

Any updates on this thread? I'm an American Student trying to attend Charles Uni. medical school