Charles Univ. (Czech Republic)

[Roger]

Hi all!

I'm interested in applying to Charles Univ. located in Prague, Czech Republic, and was hoping someone could help me with some questions I have. I've looked at the school's website, but it didn't answer all my questions. Hopefully, someone here can help me out. So here goes:

1. Approximately how many total students are enrolled in the English program?

2. How many graduates of this program are in residency right now?

3. If there are any in residency, which programs are they in? If none are in residency, why is that?

4. Are there any graduates of the English program practicing now in the U.S. (not including residency)? (I wasn't able to find any, although I can't say I did an exhaustive search).

5. What was the pass rate for USMLE Step 1 in 2001? How many took it and how many passed?

6. What was the pass rate for Step 1 in previous 3 years (1998-2000)?

7. How many students took or will be taking Step 1 in 2002?

8. If I go to Charles, will I have to do my rotations in the Czech Republic or can I do them in the U.S.?

9. If I can do them in the U.S., can I do cores there too or just the electives?

10. Which hospitals or cities can I do these rotations in?

11. How proficient will my Czech have to be to graduate?

12. How many students typically start every year?

13. Where are the accomodations (dorms, if any)? How are they?

14. What about dining?

15. And most importantly, what is your opinion of the quality of education you are receiving and are you happy you chose Charles?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help with these questions.

Rog

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[neilc]

thats a lot of questions, but i will give it a shot...

1. about 140, about 10 are american
2/3 i know of 1 right now, in PA, a family practice residency. also, there is a guy who did 4 years at charles in a prelim surg spot in maine. remember, this is not an american heavy program, so not many grads want to go to the states.
4. there is, but i only know of one in maryland. the school keeps no records of this.
5. i know one girl that took it, her two digit was 96
6. in previous years i personally know 2 takers, both did well. one was well into the 90's, the other in the 80's. i don't recall the exact scores, but those are ballpark.
7. i don't know any for 2002, but i personally know at least 5 for 2003. some are current 4th year students, one is myself, and some other 3rd year students.
8.you can arrange some rotations in the states, but you must do it yourself. my plan is to do some extra rotations in the states, as we have summers off, but to still complete everything here.
9.if you can find a core site, yes.
10. up to you
11. this is a toughie. in my opinion, to learn what you need in the clinicals you need to be conversational. that being said, many have slid through knowing very little. i think they are cracking down though, and you do need to be able to do a full H&P in czech to move to 4th year. it is not too difficult to learn if you attend class and speak outside of class. i mean, you are here for 6 years!!!
12. about 40 start in each new first year class, nearly all are english. usually 2-4 americans. the fail rate is about 30-50% in the first year. don't worry though, all the americans with college degrees do very very well. mostly the young brits fail, as they have no university experience.
13. dorms are like dorms everywhere. good for about a year, then get the hell out. they are up near the castle, about 15-30 min from school via a tram
14. food is good and cheap. mcdonalds and kfc's everywhere, but the czech food is solid meat and potatoes type fare. also tons of good italian food
15. 100% happy. the school is amazing with great facilities. it is a very different type of education, but it is very academic and thorough. you will not be spoon fed usmle info, but you will cover all the material. then
15.100% happy. it is tough and different than the us. there are easier ways to get back to the states. for me, though, this is the place to be. the city rocks, and i am getting a legit education. if you really want a us style education, and us clinicals, i would reccomend st georges or auc. if the language stresses you out look at ireland or australia. but, for the cost (10,500/year) and the cost of living (about 8000/year) you can't beat it. i am entirely financing my education and expenses with stafford loans. and it feels nice to be a part of a large university with its own hospitals affiliations, and to have legit profs who are internationally renowned in the fields. i just prefer this to a carib style education, which i consider a usmle prep course. no offense intended, just my perception.

anyhow, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

 

[Roger]

Wow, I didn't expect such a detailed response when I posted. I didn't even think I would find a Charles student, but I just gave it a shot. Thanks again for taking the time. Any chance I could e-mail you and ask some specific questions? If its allright, please post your e-mail. Thanks, Neil!~

 

[neilc]

no worries...there are a few of us out there...in fact, not too long ago there was another prospective student on here asking questions. anyhow, i am always happy to help...i am pretty happy with my school, so i like to spread the good word, but i try to keep it honest as well.

like i said, the program is not geared at all toward the american system. it is thoroughly european. that being said, you will get an awesome education in some incredible facilities. the history alone is pretty neat...

you can reach me at [email protected]

by the way, which faculty are you looking at? there are 3 campuses here in prague, and i am in the first faculty. obviously my reply is only pertinant if you are looking at first faculty.

good luck and looking forward to hearing from you.

 

[JMD]

Hey Neil,
I was doing a bit of research on Charles at one time, but I am still not clear what the difference between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd faculties are. Is it just where they are located?... What is taught?... Just curious.

 

[neilc]

i just compare it to the UC system, but in the same city...like UC irvine, riverside, san diego are all in cali, but they are different schools, different faculty, different admissions, different strengths and weaknesses.

so, they are different schools in all aspects, but they have the same large governing body.

hope that helps.

 

[Barbara]

Hello dear,

I was born in Czechoslovakia a lived there for 18 years. Then, I arrived to the US in my early nineteens.

I will describe to you Charles Univesity. Without laugh, it is the top school in the country and one of the top 3 recognized in Europe - Sorbonne in Paris, Cambridge in England and Charles in Prague.

When I attended a French Lycee in my country, only the best students from the class could apply to one of the above universities. It's as hard to get in, as it is to an Ivy League school in the US.

By the way, if you need the first-hand information, call Florida Atlantic University located in Boca Raton, Florida, US. Ask for organic chemistry professor, Dr. Parkani. He used to teach at Charles University and also comes from Prague. Give it a shot. He is a highly educated individual, nice person and will be glad to answer any questions you have.

Barbara

 

[Bobby Bo]

Roger, I hope you have not contacted Neil to seek advice. He is the last person you want to speak to. In case you don't know, he may seem like a "normal" and "nice" guy here, but his true self appears in the perfectdoctors.com forum.

The following is Neil's latest post on the perfectdoctors.com forum. Neil, you are a disgrace to yourself, medical students around the world, and to Charles University. For those who may have a "good" image of Neil because of his posts on this forum, you don't know the real Neil -- the guy who posts lies and insults on the perfectdoctors.com forum (where he is a forum moderator). Just go take a look if you don't believe me.

http://img.com.tripod.com/


by neil c (Login ncor33)
Forum Moderator

there is no recruiter in new york.

she is the rep of the school, she administers the entrance exam, gets you a dorm room and visa, etc...no fees, no sales pitch, no promises no nothing but free help, and limited help at that.

you pay no fees to her, she does not seek students. the only way to meet her is through the school, as far as i know.

there are so many posts from st chris students saying it looks foolish to degrade another school to make yours look better. st chris is the only school i see doing that. charles university should never even be in this thread. if you think st chris even remotely compares, you are sadly mistaken. your school is a joke, run by a grace "grad"...hah! we have had many usmle successes...i know personally 3, there are more out there as well. st chris has zero. we have departments that perform research in all medical disciplines. st chris has 1 prof from zimbabwe teaching several topics inadequatley. you guys are a joke, such a joke and you don't even realize.

this is my last reply to any ******s from st chris. you are toooooo stooooopid to have a reasonalble, inteligent discussion, you are toooooo stooooopid to get in anywhere else, you are tooooo stoooopid to see that you are being screwed in the pooper. if any prospective students ask, i will continue to tell them what i know. i will continue to refer people to this board just to read your idiotic posts. i cannot tell you how many messages i get daily from people on other forums that laugh out loud at what they read here. they can see, as can any reasonable human, that st chris is populated exclusively by folks who had NO OTHER OPTION.

enjoy!
neil

Posted on Oct 16, 2002, 1:51 PM
from IP address 62.24.64.12

 

[Bobby Bo]

After seeing the maniacal Neil go at it recently, I did some research and delved into his other posts on the perfectdoctors.com forum. It ain't pretty, let me assure you. For those with sensitive stomachs, please stop reading. Here is more of the nice young man Neil. Its from the IUHS forum at perfectdoctors.

http://www.perfectdoctors.com/iuhs.htm

(go back a couple of pages til you get to Aoril 2002)


hello people, this school sucks! neil c 1 Apr 13, 2002, 12:12 AM

total dump. and the girls are ugly too! neil c - Apr 6, 2002, 4:49 AM

silly rabbit, tricks are for kids neil c - Apr 6, 2002, 4:47 AM

i wouldn't go here if they paid me! neil c - Apr 6, 2002, 4:46 AM

iuhs sucks...taste of your own medicine neil c - Apr 6, 2002, 4:45 AM

 

[neilc]

what does this have to do with anything???

so, i realllllly, reallllllly dislike st chris? what does that have to do with this topic???

please, get a better strategy for defending your shady school. this is a forum for the exchange of information, not for display of your petty personal problems.

 

[Bobby Bo]

Your posts show that you have some mental problems and cannot be believed or trusted. All prospective students need to be aware of this or they may be duped by you.

 

[neilc]

how did you arrive at this diagnosis? please, what exactly points to this mental problem?

also, where is the lie or lies you speak of? you are just upset that i went off on your shady little school.

again, this is not the place for your personal vandetta...get a life.

 

[Stephen Ewen]

Okay, professionals.

 

[Bobby Bo]

First, thank you very much Mr. Ewen for your post. Good to see that you are looking after things, unlike the other forum that I recently referred to. Your presence helps the Neils of the world stay on their toes and abide by the rules. Its when there is no moderator like you (or the moderator is Neil himself) that things can seriously get out of hand. I will take to heart your words and hope that my good friend Neil does the same.

Before concluding, I would like to point out that Neil has been called a "psychopath" and a "pathological liar" by several members of the other forum. I will spare the readers and not post the links (unless requested).

Yeah, yeah, I know, Neil. The members of the other forum that called you those names are idiots, *****s, losers, jealous of you, go to this terrible school or that sham school, etc. etc. As usual, everyone is wrong and you are right.

 

[Paras Thacker]

..

 

[lindis_farne]

Neil indicated that the majority of the English course students are British. I would be grateful for any info on how they finance themselves - fees, living costs etc.

In the UK we have no loan system that provides finance that would allow us to match fees of $10500 / year for 6 years etc. Most UK students have a difficult time getting through college in the UK where the fees are just a fraction of this. I feel the money factor is one of the biggest obstacles we face in the UK when considering International Medical schools - whatever your academic standing and potential, if you can't obtain the money you can't do it.

Also do Charles permit any reduction in the years of study required on the basis of existing Biological Sciences degrees and PhDs. 6 years is quite daunting when you have already done 8 years + at university.

 

[neilc]

the guys from UK don't get money from the government, as far as i know. funded by families for the most part, i think.

as far as advanced standing, etc...there is none. the only thing you can get out of is 1 semester of biophysics if you have college physics.

the 6 year program is not really the result of taking more classes, more a result of a less intensive course load per semester. so, we do basic sciences in 3 years and clinicals over 3 years...just think of the same class load streched out, so no real room for non-medical school courses to be used as credit.

the 6 years is a big commitment. it looms over all of us! i am happy though, as it is nice to be a part of a real medical university, with the affiliations with other unis around the world and the full spectrum of hospitals and specialists, profs that are leaders in the field with tons of research. that helps ease the sting of the 6 year program for me, but many choose the more direct routes available.

good luck!

 

[FionaS]

Hey, lindis_farne, why do you want to leave the UK? Just curious

 

[Paras Thacker]

...

 

[neilc]

hey paras, it is me! i am in the first fac.
yeah, i sometimes do get over to the expats site with the same screen name...but, i haven't been there in a while. just getting ready to head home for a nice long winter break on saturday!

see ya around the campus!