1) The university of Padova is one of the oldest in the world. It has a rich history in the field of Medicine: it boasts the oldest anatomical theatre and some famous contributors like William Harvey or Morgagni.
2) The professors are all highly experienced and very good researchers really passionate about their fields.
3) The programme is structured in a way where we learn all the subjects in an organised manner with the right amount of internships.
4) The Class schedule is relaxed: we have two or three lectures a day, (maximum four), and there are enough breaks. This is great for your mental health.
5) The exams are held in exam windows and there are often 2 dates per window. So this helps students plan their exams and study in a manner such that the information remains in your mind, and you are not just gobbling and repeating information in the exam.

To prepare for the IMAT I suggest students to start early and plan your studies out in an organised manner. The questions can be tricky, so you need to have in depth knowledge of the material. It is best to prepare from the books suggested by Cambridge and also use a question bank. It is a challenging exam but planning it out well can make the journey relaxing. Also, it is essential to practice doing questions in the right amount of time as time is the most challenging part of the exam.
I would also suggest you use just a few books, as referring to a lot of books would drain you and consume a lot of time, so just be perfect with the essential resources rather than having a lot of resources and just wasting time trying to do everything. Do not get burned out.

Padua is small compared from where I come from, but a beautiful city. It's a city that can make you feel like you are right at home. The weather is different everyday, the people are different everyday, the events are different everyday. Yet the city is still the same. There are so many parks, bars, cafes, squares or spots around the city where you can have coffee or spritz with your friends or alone reading a book. There are always things going on around you, people to interact with around you. There are also theatres, seminars, orchestras and concerts frequently in beautiful locations. I enjoy spending time walking or cycling around Padua.
I have been all over Padua and also to a lot of cities around Italy. The train station of Padua is very prominent so it has trains to all over Italy. I have been to the places around Padua like Bassano del Grappa, Vicenza, Verona, Venzia and they were all wonderful. Every town in Italy is special. I have also travelled far to the bigger cities like Rome, Milan, Florence, Napoli and they were really cool experiences as well. The most convenient thing about Padova is the fact that there are two airports near it - Treviso and Venice Marco Polo - and they have flights to most places. I have been able to take advantage of it and go to Amsterdam and Porto.
Padova being a city filled with international students it is easy to make friends from all over the world and you can always travel to visit them and explore where they come from. It is a wonderful thing to do.