Being a doctor has been one of my life goals for a long time. Hence when I decided to study in Italy, I researched Medicine and Surgery programmes of all the universities in Italy being taught in English. Choosing the university phase was super important for me because we had to go through a national level test and as a non-EU student, I could only choose one university. Thus, I compared all the courses and styles of different universities, then the cities. I learnt some of the overviews about the universities from the university websites, YouTube channels, and social media platforms. Finally, out of all the universities, I found the University of Padua the most suitable for me so I chose it.

In my opinion, the main features would be lecturers and cultural diversity. The professors are very competent, lenient and understanding. They try to make the lectures engaging which I can feel even from the zoom lectures before coming to Italy. Some professors usually point out how the particular parts in the course relate to real world application which indeed make the course more interesting, feel more practical.
Additionally, because the programme is in English, it forms a multicultural environment with lots of international students having different backgrounds. Knowing their unique stories lets me see the world from a different perspective.

I was mostly touched by the way the University cares about education. Since getting the visa is a long process for some students including me, the university allowed us to attend the class via zoom while the professors were teaching in the lecture hall. Thanks to that I didn’t fall behind although I arrived about one month late.

Firstly, you might feel a bit overwhelmed to come here, a place famous for the medical academics, and for the cultural importance. To be honest, despite certain problems that international students usually have to encounter, the university let me reflect that I made the best decision when I was choosing the university in every single aspect- the city, the course, the professors, the people. After studying for some time here, I can surely attest that this is a place worth trying. However, as one of my professors says, “Do not trust everything I say. Do your own research, and keep thinking”, I would recommend prospective students to reach out for more students who are already in the University and who can give you different points of view.
Secondly, do everything early. Do study for the entry test and also prepare the documents in advance because after getting the mark from the test, everything happens in just a single glimpse.
Lastly, if possible, learn some Italian before coming here. Although the degree programme provides us with free language courses, knowing the language and culture beforehand makes things much easier than you think.

I must say it happened pretty well because I got all the support around me. I made new friends starting from the first day of school after arrival although I was a bit late. Thus I got advice from them whenever I needed some. Furthermore, the lifestyle of the people here suits me well so my experience has been great in general. The transportation is convenient, the people are welcoming, and the students are diverse yet not too chaotic.
However, like most of the international students, I had a problem with the accommodation until the end of my first semester. Apart from that, things were brilliant for me.

Watching movies is one of my hobbies while not studying. I enjoy watching movies from different countries and lately I am trying to watch Italian ones for my language improvement.
Moreover, since the weather has been pleasant lately, I spent my time hanging out with friends (of course, we also hung out even during freezing weather and now we have more excuses to go out) in the parks and sightseeing in the city while walking or cycling. I have visited some of the nearby cities with my friends and I am looking forward to going to more in the summer.
I also love the fact that we can go around anywhere safely in Padua as there are bicycle lanes. As ESU canteens also work on Saturday, I usually eat there and then cycle, exploring unfamiliar places around the city.