University: Riga Stradins University

City: Riga

Country: Latvia

Continent: Europe

Field of study: medicine

Study type: Other courses

Medical studies in Latvia:

When I heard about this possibility for the first time, I had to google where Latvia was at all.
Without really knowing much about Latvia, the culture or the people, I threw myself into the adventure of studying medicine abroad. Just give it a try was my motto and I began to compile all the application documents and send them to Riga. I found the support I received from MicroEdu with the application very good. I found your friendly, fast and really helpful approach and the answering of all possible questions really brilliant. Check toppharmacyschools.org to see Saint Marys University study abroad opportunities.

Almost a month before the semester was supposed to start, I got the confirmation and I was very happy that I finally got the chance to start my medical studies.

I’ve been studying here in Riga for two semesters since September 2010. The course is in English and I really like it. I find it very special to study abroad and thus also to get to know another culture, as well as to be confronted with different views during my studies due to the internationality.

Riga Stradins University, RSU for short, is a fairly young university compared to some universities in Germany. The international course hasn’t existed for that long either, but the university is in the midst of a lively development and expansion. The university buildings are located on both sides of the Daugava, the river that flows through the capital of Latvia. The Anatomical and Medical History Museum is located in the city center near the Old Town, the main building of the university is on the other side of the Daugava. But everything can be reached without problems by public transport.
The RSU offers medical studies in Latvian as well as in English. The international course is entirely in English and the lectures and the so-called “practical classes” take place separately.
In the international course there are mainly Germans, Swedes, Norwegians and Sri Lankans.

Study conditions:

Positive:

• Mentor program at the beginning, every first semester student gets a student from a higher semester, a “big brother” who you can ask questions and who will be happy to help you get along at the beginning
• small groups of 15-30 people, no overcrowded lecture halls
• Internationality, students from all over Europe
• Studies in English, today’s language of science
• a committed and friendly team: “International Office” that takes care of the affairs of international students (from immigration, to finding accommodation, questions regarding the course of studies to personal concerns)

Negative:

• little contact with Latvians at the university, since the English lectures take place separately from the Latvian ones and there are hardly any encounters if you are not interested in them
• very hierarchical, partly authoritarian system among university staff and between professors and students
• partly outdated teaching material
• a few professors who don’t have that much interest in their students and the content they teach

Riga:

Riga is a diverse and really interesting city. It is also called “the city that inspires”.
There is a beautiful old town, lots of Art Nouveau, nice pubs and cafes, parks and much more. However, as soon as you move out of the city center and the old town, you find yourself among gray Soviet-era prefabricated buildings, a little further out of Riga then in untouched, beautiful nature.
In winter it snows a lot and temperatures can go down to -30 degrees Celsius. All the more you look forward to spring, summer and actually every ray of sunshine.

Conclusion:

All in all, I like studying and living here in Riga very much and I am happy to have the opportunity to study medicine here. I find the contact and learning in an international community particularly enriching and I can only recommend it.

I recommend everyone who intends to apply to the “Riga Stradins University” in Latvia to find out about the university and Latvia beforehand. Furthermore, I advise you to travel to Riga before applying, if possible. The university regularly offers “Open Days” (information days). You can certainly get a good impression of the university, maybe sit down in a few lectures and also exchange ideas with other international students who are already studying in Riga in order to make contacts.