Studying Medicine in Craiova - An Interview With One of Our Students

Watch a video interview with another one of our successful students, Tina, who studies at the University of Craiova in Romania.

You can also read the whole conversation below.

[Medlink Rep] So hello, Tina. How are you?

[Tina] I'm fine. How are you?

[Medlink Rep] I'm perfect, thank you. So I want to ask you what your experience was like when you first came to Romania at Craiova.

[Tina] Well, to be honest, I had shallow expectations from Romania because I'm from Germany and in Germany, we usually have the wrong prejudices about Romania. But when I came here, I got impressed by a lot of things, especially by the cars they're driving - also the buildings and the people. People here are kind, friendly and very open-minded. Very impressive.

[Medlink Rep] Right. So it doesn't sound like it's as bad as people say about Romania?

[Tina] No, not at all. No.

[Medlink Rep] So what about the city that you live in right now - Craiova?

[Tina] The city where I live in a small city. You can reach actually everything quite easily.

[Medlink Rep] So they have all the facilities that you need. Right?

[Tina] Exactly. And it's also a very safe city. I've noticed that if I get out late at night, there's no problem.

[Medlink Rep] Yeah, you don't even think about anything?

[Tina] No.

[Medlink Rep] That's amazing. Socially nice. So what about the environment, the university and everything else?

[Tina] The environment between students and teachers is much better than I had expected. Yeah, I thought that usually, the lecturers are "unreachable", that they don't care about the students at all. But no, it's not like that in any way! It's even like high school, where the teacher runs behind beyond the students. They care about the students; they talk to them.

[Medlink Rep] So they help them a lot if they need any help, that's good. How about the professors? Are they helpful?

[Tina] Yeah, they are very friendly, they are also intellectual, very well educated. They explain to you very well. Their English is too much better than expected.

[Medlink Rep] That's true. So you understand them correctly, okay. And how about the friends at the university? How are you getting along with them? How's social life?

[Tina] I'm not sure if you're more or less forced to make friends with people here because everyone is relatively new, but I'm glad that this is like that. Because of that, I found so many new and kind people with different mentalities and cultures, which makes you more open-minded and experienced.

[Medlink Rep], So the big difference between Germany and Romania is that you meet a lot of different international students.

[Tina] Yeah, exactly, which is excellent, I think.

[Medlink Rep] Yeah, of course. That's good. And how did you manage to get into medical school in Romania? That's good. Okay, so is there anything else that you'd like to add? About Romania, the university, the Medlink agency.

[Tina] I would recommend Romania a lot because of the tuition fees. It's an excellent price for what are you getting because you get way more than what you get in the Western countries. You get into the hospital from the 3rd year and have a grasp of how things work.

[Medlink Rep] So you're exposed more into the practical side with the patients right from the 3rd. Okay.

[Tina] Which is not the case with Germany, for example.

[Medlink Rep] Right, so I'm assuming when you complete your degree, it makes it a lot easier for you to get back to Germany.

[Tina] Yes, exactly.

[Medlink Rep] Oh, that's cool.

[Tina] I will be better prepared than the Germans are. Well I mean like a doctor, you would have to have a lot of clinical experience to be a good doctor.

[Medlink Rep] Yes, it's not about just the knowledge I see. So, Tina, I just wanted to ask you again about your ultimate experience. Overall, about Medlink Students, the agency that you mentioned.

[Tina] Well, actually, really good. I highly recommend them because they are a lot about you. The first thing they did they

Pick me up from the airport on time, even though I had a delay. So the representative was waiting for more than an hour, and he drove me to the centre. He drove me everywhere I wanted to, and I was starving. He encouraged me to the best restaurant in the city, and we were eating together, and he explained everything about the city, about the university. Even the head of the agency is there, always reachable. Also if I call them in the middle of the night, they would always reply to me as quickly as possible, which is good. I appreciate especially that because if you're stressed If you want to fly back home or organise stuff, you're stress, you want to have a quick answer. They do it very quickly, which is good. And what I also appreciate is opposite to the agencies in Germany. It's that the students or people who work for the agency here are studying in the university itself. They experience it; they know how it works.

[Medlink Rep] Do they have anyone who's graduated from the medical school that you know?

[Tina] Yes, they have people who have graduated from the university where I am currently studying.

[Medlink Rep] Is that from the University of Craiova?

[Tina] Yeah, and even one of the head students graduated just last year from the same university. He's always reachable. I can still text him, call him he will always reply to me.

[Medlink Rep] So this makes it a lot easier for them to get the students in because they already have good connections with them because they have previously studied themselves. They're in there; they know what they're doing because they've been through it themselves.

[Tina] Exactly. While German agencies have never put a foot on the medical campus, it's always questionable how much they guarantee entry. They are not like Medlink.

[Medlink Rep] But sometimes people say it's very intimidating having to choose an agency which is run by students. Do you think that this might not be true? Because if you're a student yourself, and if you're sitting, yourself in medical schools, you already know what you're doing. So in fact, that's a better idea than having to go with someone who has not put their foot there in that city or country as you said.

[Tina] Because how would the agent/person who is not at that university know how the university is, how the Dean of the university works, or how the structure of the university works.

The student himself is in that university right now, so he can at least go and talk to the secretary, to the Dean or whoever and get information.

[Medlink Rep] Yeah, exactly,

[Tina] This is what I appreciate and count on this agency.

[Medlink Rep] So sounds like the big difference between them is that some of the agencies claim that they know everything, but they're not even part of it.

[Tina] Exactly.

[Medlink Rep] And some of the agencies, such as, like you mentioned, Medlink Students, they're actually in there themselves. They know what they're doing, and they know what to expect, and they know what they want from you to apply for you. Yeah, that sounds interesting. Okay. Is there anything else that you wish to add?

[Tina] Besides the organisational stuff, they also helped me make friends. Like the first day when I came to Romania, I didn't know anyone. And the first thing they did was to introduce me to other students. To a few students that have applied with the same agency. So, it turned out that these were long-lasting relationships.

[Medlink Rep] Well, that's a good thing. That's good, okay. Thank you very much for your time.

[Tina] You're welcome.

[Medlink Rep] appreciate that, thank you.

[Tina] You're welcome, bye-bye.