r/medicalschoolEU

I am starting 6th year at Jagiellonian in krakow in October.

Just some facts about me, things I think people would ask about.

EDIT: Feel free to PM me on Reddit if you have any questions and don’t want to ask in AMA format or the AMA ends and you didn’t get your question in, I will reply.

1. Did I do an undergrad?
2. Yes I have a STEM undergrad background and worked as an accountant during start of COVID before applying to Jagiellonian
3. Do I have medical parents or family?
4. Not directly, just have a cousin that’s a doctor (that lives in Poland but not krakow), both parents work in Canada
5. Why Poland?
6. I applied to Jagiellonian as a bit of a meme as already someone who had a start on a career that completely changed after Covid started and I felt like I was wasting my life. I have Polish parents and family so it seemed logical to me to apply to Poland, my mom went to Jagiellonian for humanities and I quite like krakow so it was the only university I applied to, thought that one year would let me see if I wanted to stay - I did stay.
7. Does speaking polish give you an advantage?
8. Yes most definitely but only if you take advantage of it, ask me about this if you want more details.
9. Am I going back to Canada or USA?

I also met a Polish med student now doctor here who is my gf and obviously that changes things.

8. International clinical experience? I’ve done rotations (some organized by me others through scholarships) in: Toronto x2, Boston(observer ship) , Cambridge, Oxford, Edinburgh.

9. Publications? 2 at the moment, 1 is very high quality new research with department heads and regional specialty heads, other is for points. Have 8 more manuscripts finished just need some touch ups.

10. Posters/ conference presentations? 4 total, 7 more by October.

11. Where do I want to practice? Poland. For the sub specializations that I want to do Poland works the best for me alongside me having worked with the people in the field I want to work for.

12. The Norwegian problem? If you’re naive and you trust people on average you will get burned. Don’t sleep with them. There are a good amount that are people you can make lifelong friendships with, just not most.

13. Early graduation? Possible but I’m not taking it as I don’t care for applying to residency in Canada or USA.

Ask me anything as I have some free time

Hi everyone,

I’m a non-EU medical student currently studying medicine in Slovakia, and I’ll be starting my 4th year soon.

Over the past two years, we’ve had Slovak classes at university, so I can manage basic conversations and patient interactions, although I know I’d need to improve my Slovak further.

I’m considering staying in Slovakia for residency after graduation. My main goal is to complete my specialist training here and then return to my home country afterward. I’m not too concerned about the salary—I mainly want good training and a realistic pathway into residency.

For those who have gone through residency in Slovakia (especially international graduates), how difficult is it to get a residency position? Is the process generally straightforward if you’ve graduated from a Slovak medical school? Are there any major challenges I should be aware of, such as language requirements, paperwork, or competition for positions?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences and any advice you have. Thanks!

As someone who's been browsing and interacting in this subreddit for the past year, i naturally have come across many posts (and even comments on the megathread now) with repetitive questions about the same universties and courses and decided to share my journey and knowledge on the application process, as i do believe i have done extensive research on the application process to med schools in the EU.

i wrote a summary of my thoughts and what i know about popular universities and also the ones that i personally have contacted and/or applied to.

I have also created a google sheet, that i used while applying. please do let me know if you find any inconsistencies within or if you have information to add.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTi697PinKU1H48e8FbrQlPmIaAyHI1a9wdxj1ltPhoEUvhsteX1-q7WVtTJYo6fsqjqfFGHLsSBVuQ/pubhtml

Greece:
- Aristotle University:
hosts an exam every 2 months approximately; it is fairly easy and tests basic scientific knowledge but challenging memory heavy general knowledge for that part. They only take 20 out of around 200 examiners every intake to end up with around 60 students (subject to change for the next AY). the exam comes after an interview, which if you pass, you have to send in a deposit of 1200 EUR to be able to take the exam (there is no application fee, only the deposit). you can also be exempted from the exam if you hold certain qualifications (available on website). They graduated the first english curriculum batch this year with a good pass rate and, in my opinion, good curriculum & clinicals.

- Crete University:
is even newer (first english curriculum batch currently finishing 3rd year) and only has an interview; it's more extensive than most unis but not hard or too intimidating. Smaller class but also a decent pass rate. They have 2 rounds (early and regular) to admit a total of around 30-40 students.

- NKUA:
most prestigious medical school in greece, but has really tough requirements to be admitted.

There are other universities that just started/planning to start education in english in greece, so if you're interested check that out as well.

Poland:
- PUMS (Poznan):
while it is the first to start applications between polish unis (end of september) you'd have to wait for an exam between march - july of the following year. has both an interview and exam i believe. Mainly has canadian & US students, and is fairly popular with the MATCH system and prepares you well as the curriculum is aligned with NBME. haven't taken the exam because timeline didnt match mine, but if it did i wouldve.

- Medical University of Lodz:
has a motivational interview that ends with 8 scientific questions, 4 each on 2 subjects of your choice between math, chem, bio, and physics. It is fairly easy and smooth; you receive your result in 2 days after that. Applications begin in Jan with the interview slots starting from the end of feb usually. however you cannot register/enroll until you have your diploma. this applies to everywhere in poland as you NEED your diploma for that and even your visa especially if you're a non-EU visa requiring student.

- Medical University of Warsaw:
Starts applications in march with exams over 2 days at the end of each month till july. not too challenging but definitely not easy. also one of the best and most well know in poland, and warsaw is beautiful.

- All other universities in poland have a similar system with applications and exams happening after march. Most unis have a 24 Euro application fee (something i noticed most share except PUMS and maybe more), and do fairly need more 'detailed' and indepth knowledge on scientific topics than other countries i've applied, so i would say they focus on your education the most.

Italy:
- public unis:
the IMAT happens once every year in the end of September to beginning of october (oct 8 this year), and if you're a non-EU student, you can use that score to apply to only ONE of ur choice university. Cheapest place to study med in english in europe no doubt with really good quality education, but a hard and risky path nonetheless. The exam itself isn't the hardest thing on the planet, but the competitiveness makes it that way, as you really need to ace it to get to where you want to be. You need alot of research, practice, and a plan b & c if you go with this path.

- Private unis
in italy, those exams happen between february and march (Unicamillus, Humanitas, UCBM, UniSR, and Cattolica). Exams are not too bad and less competitive than the IMAT, but you still need to study and prepare for them. All have application fees of around 200 euros and a tuition between 18-22k euros a year. Scholarships are very rare in this scenario, but you get a smaller class and possibly a more modern campus and hospital settings.

Turkey:
- Public unis:
start admission after june usually and need a standardized exam score, which could be either the TRYOS or SAT, which both are pretty hard to do and achieve a competitive score on, but not impossible. tuition fee ranges from 4-15,000 USD. They have good education and amazing clinical experiences and education. Not that popular of a choice (big reason is not being in the eu/part of schengen) but definitely a good one, as they do actually teach in english.

- Private unis:
they all usually start after january with approximately 18-40k USD in tuition. They have no application fees, no interviews or exams, and are fairly easy to get into. depending on which one, you'll probably be still getting really good education, but not extensive clinical experience like public hospitals/unis.

Czech Republic:
- Masaryk University:
it has an unsupervised exam with 90 questions (30 on each science); fairly good reviews and renewed campus and simulation center. they have good education and hard exams, but you do end up with valuable knowledge.

- Charles University:
Probably one of the most popular among alllll students looking to study in the EU, and has a lot of contradictory reviews. regardless it is great, probably one of the best education providers but the exams are really tough, which does push you to study and learn more, so it not might be that bad if youre really up to a challenging course. note applications start in october/november and the deadline was april 30th but exams do go on after that date till around mid july. now I only did the 2nd faculty exam, but i did alot of research to choose it and have friends attending other faculties as well, so here are my thoughts on each:

- first faculty: the biggest and oldest faculty with the most international students. it has the best location (near old town) and a historical campus. good standard education and examination (including orals). clinicals take place in the general/main university hospital of prague. exam has both an mcq and mmi part.

- second faculty: second oldest faculty but the smallest (smallest faculty to student ratio). it has a focus on pediatrics and its connected to the motol hospital, which is one of the biggest in europe and has one of the best pediatric departments. the exam has a choose all correct choices system for the sciences (60 questions), which sounds impossible but isn't that bad if you study and practice. Revise your normal school material as I believe it was mostly basic highschool science. The options are clear so if you know the fact you can easily tell what's right and what's wrong. Interview comes after a few hours with 2 questions on a scientific topic that you discuss with the committee. need preparation topic knowledge wise but confidence is key.

- third faculty: probs the friendliest faculty and follows a block system. it has a larger US/canadian student community and is known to be more modern curriculum wise

- hradec kralove & pilsen: out of prague faculties. they are also follow the same charles standard curriculum but are known to be calmer campus and city wise. also the new HK campus will be open for students starting fall 2026.

Lithuania:
- LSMU (university of health sciences):
has an interview followed by a 60 question exam on bio and chem that i found one of the hardest content wise but not impossible again. it isn't that known among students, but its calm with a good curriculum, and a lot of cold weather. applications go one from october till july with multiple exam date options.

- check out Vilnius University as well as it seemed promising but i did not apply.

Hungary:
- Debrecen, Semmelweis, Szeged, and Pecs all have a similar process of an oral and written part. known to have good quality education but are definitely challenging. i hear szeged is one of the hardest. it has an age requirement so keep that in mind and contact them before you apply.

there are many many other universities that i looked into but haven't applied to. those include bulgaria, romania, estonia, latvia, croatia, slovakia, and even half english taught programs in portugal, spain, and the netherlands.

Hi everyone,
I’m a non-EU medical student from Seychelles, currently studying medicine in Slovakia. I have about 3 years left before graduating, and I’m trying to plan my future early so I can prepare well.

My goal is to complete my medical residency in Europe and eventually return to Seychelles to work as a specialist.
I’m looking for countries where:
Residency training is paid (you’re employed and receive a salary rather than paying tuition).
Ideally, residency is available in English.

If English isn’t possible, I’m willing to start learning another language now if it’s worth it.
I’m interested in surgical specialties (currently considering orthopedics, ophthalmology, or plastic surgery), but I’m also open to hearing about other specialties if they offer a better balance of training, lifestyle, and future opportunities.

I’d really appreciate advice on:
Which European countries would you recommend?
Which countries are the most IMG-friendly for someone graduating from Slovakia?
What language level is realistically needed if residency isn’t in English?
How difficult is it to get into residency as a non-EU graduate?
Are there entrance exams or licensing exams?
What is the application process like?
How is the work-life balance during training?

I know no place is gonna be super easy but comparatively do you know any country where it's easy to get into residency (not super saturated and hard exams) . I can even pay for residency but I don't wanna choose a path which will take a decade before I can call myself a doctor. I always had conflicts and disputes during my stay in slavic countries and Germany so I wanna avoid those regions.

**Patient:** 22-year-old female brought to the ED by her university roommate for acute behavioral changes, severe anxiety, and paranoia over the last week.

Reveal the clues one by one. Comment which clue you locked it in at, and walk us through your clinical rationale! The most upvoted comment defending their diagnostic progression three cases in a row earns a custom 'Trivia Gunner 🏆' user flair.

* **Clue 1:** >!She is agitated and reports hearing voices telling her that her roommate is trying to poison her. She has a recent history of a mild viral-like prodrome (headache, low-grade fever) two weeks ago. Roommate strongly suspects illicit drug use.!<

* **Clue 2:** >!Urine toxicology screen is completely negative. CBC, BMP, and thyroid panel are strictly normal. Psychiatry is consulted for a presumed first-episode acute psychosis (Schizophrenia spectrum) and she is admitted.!<

* **Clue 3:** >!On hospital day 2, her clinical picture changes drastically. She develops a fever of 38.6°C (101.5°F), HR of 135 bpm, and wildly fluctuating blood pressure. She becomes mute, rigid, and unresponsive to verbal commands.!<

* **Clue 4:** >!She suddenly develops a generalized tonic-clonic seizure followed by continuous, prominent orofacial dyskinesias (involuntary lip smacking and chewing motions). Non-con head CT and standard CSF cell counts are unremarkable, but EEG reveals a classic "extreme delta brush" pattern.!<

* **Clue 5:** >!Because of her demographic and clinical progression, a pelvic ultrasound is ordered. It reveals a 4 cm complex cystic right ovarian mass containing calcifications and fat.!<

**The Diagnosis:** >!Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis (Paraneoplastic syndrome secondary to Ovarian Teratoma)!<

**Attending's Breakdown:** >!The initial trap in Clues 1 and 2 is anchoring on a primary psychiatric diagnosis or substance-induced psychosis in a college-aged patient. The pivot in Clue 3 mimics Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (if she was given antipsychotics) or a viral encephalitis due to the severe autonomic instability and catatonia. The diagnostic lock is in Clues 4 and 5. The combination of psychiatric onset progressing to seizures, severe dysautonomia, and pathognomonic orofacial dyskinesias in a young female should immediately trigger a hunt for an ovarian teratoma. The teratoma contains ectopic neural tissue expressing NMDA receptors, triggering an autoimmune cross-reaction that breaches the blood-brain barrier.!<

Hello everyone!!
So it has been my dream to live in France for awhile now. In a few years, I will graduate from a medical school in Ireland, but I am not an EU citizenship holder.
How difficult would it be to complete my medical residency in France, or do a medical residency somewhere else and then move to France and work as a doctor?
Thanks!!

I am studying for an anatomy oral and I don't understand how it is possible to do well. I come from a country where oral don't really happen. I tried anki and I really enjoy it but I feel like it is a bit slow (not the biggest issue) and that I fail to connect concepts to each other (the big issue). I'm willing to put in the work but I'm worried about results. What is a tried and true method. Just spamming passive reading? I also try reading a topic and then free recall but that just burns me out completely

I recall seeing his 15 hours stretch of study vlogs and study with me sessions. i wonder what he is doing, because i couldnt find much about him elsewhere

Hello doctors,
I’m looking for career advice because I feel very confused about my next steps.
I’m currently in the USA and have almost completed my USMLE journey. However, my life plans changed after meeting my husband, who is European and works in finance/real estate. In the next two years, we may move to London for his work, but the plan is only to stay there temporarily before eventually moving to Greece.
Now I’m unsure what direction makes the most sense for my career. Should I pursue UK medical registration/licensure during those two years, or would it be more practical to work as a nurse in the UK (i have a UK and US nursing license) while preparing for a future move to Greece? My long-term goal is to obtain medical registration in Greece and eventually build an aesthetics business there as a doctor.
Has anyone been in a similar situation, especially moving between the US, UK, and Europe as a doctor or nurse? What pathway would be the most practical and strategic in my situation?

I have made a separate subreddit just for applications it is called EUMSApplications. If anyone is interested join and share if you could as well.

Hi everyone. I am a first year medical student in an eastern european country and I only have anatomy left to finish first year. I have been studying anatomy all year and I genuinly like it, I also had the highest average on my practical and written exam in the whole class. However I failed my first anatomy oral on Wednesday. So on the exam we have 3 stations, I passed the first and on the second one I was failed by one of the youngest examiners (33 year old).

He would keep poking my answers and interrupt me in the middle to ask for so much more extra detail. The qustion I had was peritoneal and subperitoneal space of pelvic cavity, when I finally finished recalling all the organs in subperitoneal space (which tbh took me a minute or two to recall all of them as I was stressed and not saying all right away) I was told that I didnt even say half of it. I asked him to please let me proceed and not fail me on the first question because I really can answer all the questions but no luck. I had to sit through the examination of the last person who was the only person who passed this station with this prof out of all the other students. I dont think its fair that he let her pass just because he had failed everybody else even though her answers were not fully complete and with pause. I didnt bring this up but I still politely asked him if he could let me know what my answer should have been like, he kind of shrugged it off and then I told him that I looked up in the meanwhile on the phone and that I only didnt mention vessels and inferior hypogastric plexus because I only thought I should mention the organs and that it still was not lesss than half as he said.

I was told that he ultimately makes the decision and I should just try again next time. I told him that he was also a student not a long time ago and in our shoes, so he could be a bit more understanding but he just laughed and said its not fair to compare himself with us because that is not even comparable!
Should I have just accepted this without speaking up and is what I said really mean? This professor passes literally one or two on each exam term while other professors pass everyone except one or two. I understand that everyone has different examining styles but I worked so hard for this to the point of burnout, and even though I get 4 tries before getting kicked out of school I feel like oral exams are not fair since it so much depends on luck and who you get, how they fell etc.... I switch up between feeling mad, feeling dumb, motivated, depressed and all over again from the beginning.

Im sorry for my rumble and if anyone read till the end, did you have a similiar experience and if yes how did you deal with it? I would appreciate any advice.

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Taking B1 exam soon and moving to Germany to redo b1 german-->c1 then prep for fsp and then once that's done kp. I been reading online and plastics seem to require hospitation or maybe even to start a diff surgical residency first then reapply plastics and start over. I'm geographically very flexible and don't mind where I end up getting a spot as long as its plastics.I'd like to know how realistic is actually getting a spot if I do get c1/c2 german is there anything I should do to strengthen my application? Does research matter or not at all? Any advice is welcomed tbh

Hi everyone! Has anyone done a summer internship at the San Carlos Hospital in Madrid? How open are the doctors to speaking English? I’m going there in August without knowing any Spanish, and I’m afraid we won't be able to communicate.

Hi everyone,

I'm an Italian physician currently working as a General Practitioner (Family doctor).

I'd like to pursue a second specialty, but I can't leave my current job to enter a traditional full-time residency like the Italian system requires.

I'm wondering whether any EU country (or EU recognized) offers residency programs that are more flexible (hybrid, partially remote, or with concentrated on-site rotations), allowing physicians to continue working during training.

I'm mainly interested in specialties such as:

• Public Health / Hygiene & Preventive Medicine
• Occupational Medicine
• or similar fields.

I've heard mixed opinions about Romania and other EU countries, but it's difficult to find reliable information. I also found an organization offering a mostly online/hybrid residency in Romania for around €50,000, which made me wonder whether similar official programs exist or it's a fraud.

Has anyone done this or knows someone who has?

I'm only interested in officially recognized EU specialist qualifications, not master's degrees or private courses.

I fully understand that residency requires clinical training—I'm simply looking for a program that is compatible with continuing to work as a physician. For me, it's also a way to have a backup option given the current uncertainty surrounding General Practice in Italy.

Any advice or first-hand experience would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone, I’m an Indian citizen finishing my Kyrgyz mbbs degree in some five years and I'm planning residency abroad. I’m seriously considering **Germany** but also **Austria** if Germany fails and **Czeck Republic**. I will appreciate guidance from those with experience in either system.

**My Situation :**

* Graduating: **2031**

* Language: Started learning German & Czeck

**My Concerns :**

1. **Germany :** I’ve heard residency requires a Medical License, which for Kyrgyzstan I will need to do Post Grad (3 years), which is out of options for me. Also FMGE is something I don't wanna do since I never plan on returning to India.

2. **Austria :** It's my backup option if Germany fails, since I will have no Medical License.

3. **Czeck Republic :** This is my last option since I've heard a Medical License is not required for this one.

* So realistically should I prepare for Germany rn or no, or should I first take Czeck Republic and after getting the PG eu degree, I will be able to set out for Germany.

Thanks in advance. Please guide me correctly, your advice means a lot!

I am a medical student repeating my third year for the third time. These past years have been hell. I just burnt out. The last two exam season I was a complete mess. Severe depression, couldnt leave my room, just lay in the dark scrolling short form videos (it made me feel not alive, like my brain jsut stopped.)

2 months ago I got diagnosed with ADHD and started medication. Found the right dose, and after a few days of the dose change I could finally study. I studied 8-10 hours every day for almost two weeks. I finally enjoyed it again, I felt passionate about medicine again. It wasnt easy but I didnt have to fight against my brain every minute to stay there and do it. I was a straight A student in my first three years in med school, (until the summer exam season of third year where my brain just gave up. ) so I thought: wow maybe I am not stupid and lazy.

I went to my exam feeling hopeful. I passed the entry test with 90%, drew difficult but doable topics, and thought I had a real chance of finally moving on with my life going to 4th year.

Then it all fell apart.

The examiner failed the student before me in 5 minutes over nothing. My heart sank. When my turn came, she took my notes away and started picking apart my ECG analysis. She misunderstood what I wrote, and when I tried to explain, she told me not to interrupt her. She kept grilling me, asking why 300 is used in the heart rate formula. I froze completely. Basic math became impossible in my head. My ADHD diagnosis actually showed that mental arithmetic is very hard for me, but I couldnt explain any of this in the moment. She kept saying she should have failed me already but she is kind and that 90 percent of students dont know this either, which is terrible.

She passed me on that part since my ECG diagnosis was correct, but by then I was already tearing up. I felt so humiliated. I told her I wasnt crying because of her, but of course it was because of her. She told me she understood it was from stress, but added that as a doctor I will have to handle much more stress than this.

She kept going through the rest of my topics. She wouldnt let me explain properly. If I gave full sentences, she told me to stop explaining. If I gave short answers, she told me to elaborate. Nothing was good enough. She kept making side comments to the other students about how she was sorry they had to wait so long, but it wasnt her fault because I couldnt answer. She said this 5 or 6 times. She started these monologues telling me how stupid I am and why do I not care about this. When I tried talking during these monologues she told me to basicely shut up and listen, but when I just sat there and listened to her she got annoyed that I was just sitting quietly and not saying anything.

At the end, she failed me. The PhD student who was also examining told me to rest because third year is stressful. She immediately dismissed that and said I wasnt stressed, because I failed this year already and this was my only subject and that I couldnt even study for one subject. Asked me what I did this whole year.

When she finally let me get up I went to the bathroom and sobbed for 30 minutes.

That was 8 days ago. Since then I havent studied a single word. My meds dont feel like they work anymore. I cant stop crying and I cant bring myself to open a book. I feel so fucking hopeless, I was so stupid during the exam, I said so many stupid shit. But I knew those topics, I knew them and still...

I have my final retake in 4 days. If I fail this, I get expelled from medical school.

I hate myself. I have nothing left in me. I dont know what to do

Welcome to the overarching r/medicalschooleu Applications Megathread.

To keep the main subreddit feed clear for discussions among current medical students and physicians, all questions regarding applying to medical school in Europe must be posted here. This includes questions about entry exams (IMAT, BMAT, etc.), language requirements, grade conversions, application portals, and general admission chances.

Standalone posts regarding these topics on the main feed will be automatically removed.

---

MANDATORY FORMATTING RULE

Because this thread covers the entire EU, you must clearly specify the country you are asking about at the very beginning of your comment.

* Format: Begin your comment by bolding the target country.

* Example: "ITALY: Does anyone know what the IMAT cutoff was for Pavia last year?" or "GENERAL: Which EU countries offer programs entirely in English?"

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Historical Archives (Germany & Italy)

We have officially retired the dedicated Germany and Italy megathreads to consolidate the subreddit. However, those old threads contain years worth of highly specific, valuable answers regarding the IMAT, MedAT, and German grading metrics.

Before asking a question about these two countries, search the archived threads first, your question has likely already been answered.

* [https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolEU/comments/1l0lc1f/megathread\_germany\_post\_anything\_about\_medical/\]

* [https://www.reddit.com/r/medicalschoolEU/comments/1kzdvve/megathread\_italyimat\_post\_anything\_about\_medical/

Hello everyone, this is my first time posting here, so excuse any errors I may make. I’m currently a medical student at the end of my 4th year, studying in Cuba. I however am a national from another Caribbean country. One of the main reasons I chose to study in Cuba is because higher education is unreasonably expensive in my country.

My dream is to study pathology and I have been looking into international options, specifically pathways that would be accessible to someone with limited resources. So far, Germany has been a reoccurring country that has been mentioned throughout my research. I like the fact that they allow you to start in your chosen specialty without an internship year, granted you meet the qualification. I’ve also heard that hospital groups may offer aid or packages to incoming residents if they are willing to move to rural Germany. The lump sum required for the blocked account seems an insurmountable hurdle for me.

Does anyone have experience with this? Or has heard of such cases? I’d also like to know about the process to get into residency in general, as well how competitive would you consider pathology to be. Any insight you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

I am also open to hearing any other suggestions of countries you think might work for my situation. I’m no stranger to moving countries and learning a new language, so I am open to anything as long as the wages are decent. Thanks in advance!