University: Riga Stradins University

City: Riga

Country: Latvia

Continent: Europe

Field of study: medicine

Study type: Other courses

I always wanted to study medicine. But what I was never really clear about was what that would mean. Of course you already know from somewhere that it’s not an easy degree, but i had no concrete idea of ​​what i was getting myself into. Of course, before I started my studies in Riga, I did internships, informed myself, etc. After all, you don’t just make the decision to study medicine just like that. So I was just about to graduate and I was sure that I would study medicine. Basically, I was satisfied with my average of 2.1, but it was clear to me that it wouldn’t be enough for a university place in Germany. Check toppharmacyschools.org to see vocational training in Spain.

By a happy coincidence, I then found out that there was an opportunity to study medicine in Riga and at the same time that I could contact MicroEdu. So I did. After calling MicroEdu, I received all the necessary documents for my application via email. After a seemingly endless process of collecting doctor’s reports, translations of certificates, copies, letters of recommendation, letters of motivation and passport photos, my application was ready after about 2 weeks so that I could send it to MicroEdu. I was quite curious about whether I would get a place and therefore found it a relief to hear from MicroEdu that everything was fine with my application. After not too long I got an email with the confirmation that

I was happy when I got the place, but after the first semester I can personally say that everything went too fast for me. The decision to study medicine was not a wrong one, but after graduating from high school I should have taken time for myself, maybe a year abroad, or at least completed the mandatory 2-month internship, since I now have to do this during the holidays, and I already don’t really know where my head is. In addition, not only the studies themselves, but also the new environment and the whole “life change” gave me a lot to deal with.

Arriving in Riga, a good time awaited me at first. It was summer, I quickly got to know people, the contacts at the university were always very helpful. I was lucky with my professors, who were generally very friendly and also spoke some German. I bridged the initial homesickness with many things that were of secondary importance, just not with studying. We drove to jurmala to the beach, went to restaurants and bars in the old town which is really nice. It wasn’t dramatic at first either, since, looking back, the course got rolling relatively slowly and allowed the students a certain adjustment phase.

As far as the learning material and the demands on the students were concerned, we were initially spared. Personally, however, it was still very difficult for me to get into learning, that is, to really sit down and just learn. In my own defence, I have to say that I lived in a hotel room for the first 2 months in Latvia, as it was more than complicated to find a suitable apartment in Riga.

However, as far as the place of study is concerned, I’m glad that I “landed” in Riga, because there is really good cohesion among the students and Latvia is a beautiful country. I didn’t really find a working atmosphere in the hotel. The hotel was only a few minutes away from the university. At the beginning I went to every lecture, later mostly to compulsory lectures. I quickly noticed which subjects I needed to invest more and which subjects needed less time to get through my studies. I consider molecular biology and anatomy to be the most important, since the learning material in these two subjects is impossible to catch up on afterwards. Other subjects such as Latvian, Latin or cell biology are of course not unimportant, but can be mastered with a little attention in class without studying at night.

The time went by very quickly and I couldn’t get out of my learning rut, which later caused me more stress than I first thought. Anatomy, for example, is an interesting subject, but only as long as you understand it and learn it continuously. At a certain point in time, the mass of learning material became so large that it was almost impossible to catch up on what was missed. And not just in one subject. I remember the first anatomy lesson, after which we were supposed to memorize 2 vertebrae until the next week. i felt completely overwhelmed and looking back, i have to say that those were “good times” in terms of learning.

After I had failed some important exams and then had to write them up, other exams were added and time was getting tighter, desperation came back, but above all homesickness came into play. I had to learn to rely on friends in Riga and it was difficult for me to find motivation again because I also got sick in -30 degrees in winter. Now that I’ve passed all the exams and spent a few days at home, I’m looking forward to the 2nd semester, which I’ll approach differently from the 1st.

I’ve realized that I really want this degree and that with a little more discipline I can get through it all easier. I now know that I have to study while others are working, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to complete my studies. I “knew” this from the start, but only now do I really know. I’m glad I made this experience for myself as now I know what I can do better in the future.