I’d definetely recommend it. Living and studying abroad truly widens your perspective about everything. You will be amazed to see the differences and yet, at the same time, realise how certain things are so similar. I’ve lived most of my life in Asia and also spent some time in North America, but Europe was another totally different world to me and I’m learning new things from living here.

Also, there are many international students (either full time students or Erasmus students) here at UniPD and you’ll get to appreciate the company of friends with different cultures and backgrounds which is one of the things that I appreciated the most.

Apart from its name and history in Medicine, Padova University and Padova as a city are a good place to live and study for 3 main reasons – Living cost, Location and Atmosphere. Depending on where you are from the living cost in Italy – the grocery, eating out and so on – may feel cheap or expensive.

The living cost and the quality of living in Padova can be seen as reasonable if you compare Padova with other cities that offer Medicine and Surgery course in English. Location wise, Padova is very convenient. Venice International airport is an hour away which makes it easy for me to fly back home as well as to travel to different European countries (and of course domestic flights to visit southern Italy are also available). Some popular tourist destinations such as Venice, Milano, Verona, Garda lake and the Alps are also within a few hours of reach from Padova.

Lastly about the atmosphere: it won’t take too long for you to understand that Padova is a university city: it’s diverse, safe, hosting many students and international students and yet it’s not too crowded.

Also I’d like to mention the Padua International Excellence Scholarship which can be another good reason to apply to UniPD. The recipient will be exempted from the tuition fee up to 3 years and will also receive allowance every semester given that they meet the credit requirement every semester.

Overall, I’m happy with my choice and I’m enjoying my journey here at UniPD.

I may be going back to Korea in February as I always do if I manage to finish all my exams in this really packed semester. If not, I’m planning to take advantage of spending the winter in Italy by traveling to some Italian cities I’ve never been to. Maybe in the mountains to enjoy the snow or some nice terme to warm me up, or even another European country I haven’t been to.

This year it looks like I will have some guests over. One of my best friends is coming to Padua from the US with her husband, so I’ll have the pleasure of showing them around. I’ve already booked the tickets for the tour of Palazzo Bo, as well as a nice restaurant to have dinner together. Also, I’m very excited that this year there will be three new students from Korea joining my degree programme. I guess we will have a little welcoming dinner together with other students of my course and give them a small tour of the city, libraries, lecture rooms and places to eat out and so on.

I usually go back home since I miss my family and friends who are on the other side of the globe. If I’m lucky sometimes my trip back home coincides with the Lunar New Year and that allows me to see all my relatives at the same time. When I go back, I usually stay a month and I spend most of the time meeting the people I’ve been missing to catch up and to spend quality time with them. It can get that busy that sometimes I’m sleep deprived but I enjoy every single moment of it since I only get to see them once or twice a year if I’m lucky. However, as I have passed the midpoint of my degree course, maybe I will try to spend my breaks and holidays in the next couple of years here in Italy as there is so much to discover here too.