University: Riga Stradins University
City: Riga
Country: Latvia
Continent: Europe
Field of study: human medicine
Study type: Other courses
The application via MicroEdu
I found out through a friend that you can apply to Riga Stradins University through MicroEdu. I first obtained all the necessary information from the MicroEdu website and looked up the important documents such as my high school diploma, etc. If I had important questions or problems, I could always turn to the MicroEdu staff, who were always very friendly and quick to help me. I commissioned a translation company from the Internet (My Certified Translation) to translate the important documents. This was also very quick and easy. The university also requires two letters of recommendation. I asked a professor at my former university and my biology lecturer from the pre-med semester at RBZ Köln. Check mcat-test-centers.com to see vocational training in China.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact MicroEdu. The experienced staff will be happy to answer them and help you as far as possible. I always felt very well advised and supported.
Studying and living in Riga
When I received the offer for Riga Stradins University, I was overjoyed. A dream came true for me. But there were still many things to be done: house hunting, health insurance and other paperwork.
I arrived a few days before the semester actually started to get an overview of the city. I was very lucky with the apartment. I met my current roommate through a Facebook group for international new students. We tried to find an apartment together and found a nice apartment through a Russian real estate site. Another popular platform for finding apartments is Riga Student’s Apartment Market on Facebook. Various household or learning materials can also be purchased from students or other private individuals via Riga Student’s Market and do not necessarily have to be purchased again, so that you can save something here too.
The university organizes an orientation week for newcomers. There are many opportunities to meet new people here. I recommend everyone to take advantage of this opportunity. Not only to make new acquaintances or friendships, but also to explore the city together. To this end, the university organizes various activities. In addition, the time afterwards is not quite so carefree and there is a lot of learning material to learn.
In Latvia you have to register at the Residents’ Registration Office after three months at the latest. The procedure is not entirely uncomplicated, but the university supports the students. However, I can recommend making an appointment with the responsible registration office before entering Germany (approx. 1-2 months beforehand), as otherwise there may be delays.
The university divides the students into study groups, about 10-15 people. These groups are permanent. You can choose whether you want to be taught in a purely German or in an international group. I chose an international group because I am also interested in other cultures and find it very exciting to get to know people from other countries. In my group there are six Germans, one Swede, one Norwegian and three Finns.
The system is very well organized, even if schooled. I also don’t have the feeling that I’m lagging behind the German medical students in anything. Attendance is compulsory at most events, at least in the classes. You write 2-3 exams per semester in biology, chemistry, anatomy (usually a mixture of multiple choice and open questions). The classes and the exams are entirely in English. Then there are the exams for the other subjects… So you won’t get bored… The professors put their lectures online as Powerpoint, so you don’t have to worry if you don’t understand something 100%. Anyone who was good at English at school will also be able to follow it well.The language is really the smallest problem. If you have good knowledge of biology and chemistry, the first semester should not be too difficult. For the natural science subjects you need a white coat, it would be an advantage to organize this in Germany.
We had Latvian lessons three times a week. Unfortunately, you won’t get around that. It is important to Latvians that you learn the language. In addition, there is no guarantee that you will get a place at university in Germany, as this is becoming more and more difficult, and knowledge of Latvian is important for the clinic in Latvia. But I always enjoyed the lessons, especially since we were really lucky with our teacher. In addition, you can get by better in everyday life, since the older generation usually speaks more Russian than English. But on the whole you get along well with English, especially the young generation speaks English very well.
Even if there is a lot of work in between, you can always find some time to explore the city with friends at the weekend or to enjoy student life at one of the numerous WG parties : -)
Riga has a lot to offer: a varied nightlife, culture and in summer (in Jurmala – about 30 minutes by train) even a beautiful beach. You can also play laser tag and paintball here, which we occasionally do with the group. In winter, however, I recommend thick clothing, here it can get up to -20 and colder : -)
