Medical University of Sofia

[doublexhelix]

I have noticed several students posting for the Medical University of Sofia on this website. I am second year foreign student here and have some insight for those debating with notion to come here. First, the school has all accredidations, it is well established (90+yrs). This makes the return to North America for residency more realistic and there are 100s of doctors that graduated from here now working in the US. Also, the teachers are excellent. Having done my B.Sci in America I can promise that the english of the teachers here is far easier to u/st than back home. Like any medical school the work is serious, there is no one to spoon feed you but if you plan on doing well you must put in the effort. It is important to mention that the program is a 6yr progam, 2 years of basic sci. This is especially good for those right out of high school as rather completing pre-med and attempting to get into med school you spend less time and graduate w/ guranteed medical degree. Finally, Bulgaria is now part of the European Union. Hence, ones degree would be valid in all eu countries. This is a great option for anyone looking into med school. I have noticed some ppl say they were coming through Source America. Through personal experience I would not rec. forking over 12000 USD to this company. If anyone is serious about going to school at the medical unversity of sofia feel free to contact me!

[arista29]

I have previously posted on the University of Sofia in response to earlier posts. I would have to agree with the last user in regards to what he/she commented.
As far as Source America, I have heard about them before on this site:
I attend school with some of the unfortunate individuals who came here, while paying a 12k fee to this company. In general, I have noticed that this agency in particular does not take care of the students who have enrolled with them. They have done basically nothing for the students except file paperwork and buy a few books. They have essentially left the students on their own in a foreign country with little advice or substantial assistance. Bulgaria is a good country and yes, part of the EU, but it is only a matter of time until some immature eighteen year old student brought by Source America gets himself/herself in real trouble here because it is so difficult to navigate the various problems of life Bulgaria without any real help.
I'll spare all the details of what I have witnessed in regards to this company's incompetence but the company is a total scam: A group of people who take huge amounts of money from people who can't really afford it and offer little in return. Enough said.
In any case, the agency has nothing to do with the University of Sofia itself. Students are accepted based on individual applications and merits. The school tries to help foreign students when it can, but it is not a babysitting service.
I am curious to know if other students on this site have used 'agencies' and what their experiences have been?

[Doctor2012]

before sending students to bulgaria, the said agency was working in connection with an agency in europe to bring students to slovakia. and both the agencies were useless in holding up their end of the bargain. sad to say, we wasted 10,000USD to get in here and an additional 1500USD for books that were not part of the cirriculum(save one, Gray's Anatomy).....

[diogenes]

Could this thread be moved to the main European schools forum? There's already an almost identically-titled thread there with mostly the same members posting.

[preciousita]

I have noticed several students posting for the Medical University of Sofia on this website. I am second year foreign student here and have some insight for those debating with notion to come here. First, the school has all accredidations, it is well established (90+yrs). This makes the return to North America for residency more realistic and there are 100s of doctors that graduated from here now working in the US. Also, the teachers are excellent. Having done my B.Sci in America I can promise that the english of the teachers here is far easier to u/st than back home. Like any medical school the work is serious, there is no one to spoon feed you but if you plan on doing well you must put in the effort. It is important to mention that the program is a 6yr progam, 2 years of basic sci. This is especially good for those right out of high school as rather completing pre-med and attempting to get into med school you spend less time and graduate w/ guranteed medical degree. Finally, Bulgaria is now part of the European Union. Hence, ones degree would be valid in all eu countries. This is a great option for anyone looking into med school. I have noticed some ppl say they were coming through Source America. Through personal experience I would not rec. forking over 12000 USD to this company. If anyone is serious about going to school at the medical unversity of sofia feel free to contact me!
PLS I REALLY DO U NEED ASSITANCE I WANT TO TRANSFER TO MUS INTO 2ND YEAR CAN U TELL ME WHAT TO do . that is my email. or if u can assist me with information about other medical in bulgary, i will be greatfull.precious_ita2008 at yahoo dot com

[devildoc8404]

PLS I REALLY DO U NEED ASSITANCE I WANT TO TRANSFER TO MUS INTO 2ND YEAR CAN U TELL ME WHAT TO do . that is my email. or if u can assist me with information about other medical in bulgary, i will be greatfull.precious_ita2008 at yahoo dot com

Contact information for your inquiry is available on the MU-Sofia website.

Try: Medical Faculty at the Medical University - Sofia, Bulgaria (http://www.medfac-sofia.eu/index_eng.htm)

Good luck to you.

[cupofcoffee]

When does the school year start in Sofia? How is it there in 3rd (and above) year clinical subjects in terms of teaching? Do you have to commute from campus to hospital? Do you have textbooks or you get handouts?

[Riza]

The school year at MUS starts on September 14th, 2009.

As for textbooks, of course you need them. For each course so far, we have been given a list of textbooks that are recommended for the course and it's up to the student to purchase a textbook, depending on personal preference.

During lectures in every class, you do get handouts however I wouldn't recommend using them as your only source as the material is always detail oriented and for a better understanding, you need a better resource.

This is how it was during the 1st year anyway, and I would imagine it would be the same for the 2nd year and up.

As for the clinicals, you'd have to ask devildoc or arista since they are both in their 4th year and would thus, know more about them.

[devildoc8404]

Good heavens, yes, you need textbooks! This is medical school. Handouts will help to direct study, but they will not come close to teaching you everything you will need for exams, let alone the boards. Riza is spot-on with that information. Riza is also a pretty cool guy, in general.

Yes, you must commute from wherever you live in Sofia to the hospital or clinic where the rotation is being held. I find that the doctors and patients are not likely to pop by the apartment for a visit, even if invited. (Sorry, that was snarky. But seriously, is there another way to manage clinicals besides going to the clinic?)

In a 6 year program such as MU-S, clinicals begin in earnest in the 4th Course. Here at Sofia we have two "baby clinicals" in 3rd Course, namely Propedeutics of Internal Medicine and Introduction to General Surgery. From my experience in these two classes, as well as my discussions with other students, the experience can and will vary wildly.

This depends largely on:

1) The Instructor.
Some of them are brilliant. Some of them are bleeping horrible.

2) The Student.
Again, some of them are brilliant. Some of them are bleeping horrible. Some of them skate by with the absolute minimum effort possible, and they learn almost nothing. (This also turns off the good instructors, who are then less inclined to want to teach them anything.)

3) The Mindset & Work Ethic.
If a student demonstrates good progress and an aptitude for learning, s/he can gain absolutely excellent clinical experiences here. If you ask for it, and show that you are a serious student, you can have a terrific learning experience overall. If you don't, you will be a crappy doctor and you won't pass the boards.

I hope that helps!

[cupofcoffee]

Thank you both, Riza and DevilDoc!

I'd like to find out how big is the commute from campus to hospital in Sofia. In general do you travel for too long? Any convenient transportation? Where do the lectures take place?

What do you know about Plovdiv University? Or anyone here in Plovdiv?

[Riza]

I've heard the Bulgarian program in Plovdiv is good however I haven't heard much about the English program. This is also going to sound awkward and might not be so helpful but, there was a girl in one of the groups during my 1st year that was caught cheating during an exam and supposedly she transferred to Plovdiv.

This is what I was told and no one has seen her since, so take it with a pinch of salt. I'm not sure what that says about the university but a piece of advise I can give you is, do your research about the university prior to applying.

Personally, I would go with either MU-S or MU-V (Varna). Both are well established and have been offering their English program for quite some time.

[devildoc8404]

I'd like to find out how big is the commute from campus to hospital in Sofia.

Students here at MU-S do not live on campus (at the Medical Academy). There are no dorms there. Students either get an apartment in the city, hopefully close to the school, or else they live in Studentskigrad, which is the main (and very cheap) student section of town for all the universities in the city. It is NOT close to the Medical Academy. Travel from Studentskigrad to the school can take 30 minutes, or it can take as long as two hours (from what I hear) depending on traffic. Travel from an apartment varies, obviously, according to where you live, and whether you take the tramvai, drive, walk, ride a donkey, whatever... From my first apartment to the Medical Academy it was about a 20 minute walk. Now it takes me half an hour, but I'm going into clinicals, so it's not as big of a deal.

Speaking of clinicals, the distance will vary according to the rotation. The hospital where Internal Medicine is taught is not the same one as Pediatrics, which is not the same one as Psychiatry, which is not the same one as Emergency Medicine, etc. Travel will vary according to how far I live from the rotation site, and it will change every month or so. Sofia has a wealth of hospital locations, so I think we will be all over the place... some nice joints, and some hellholes.

In general do you travel for too long?

Again, it totally depends on where you live. Seriously. The other morning there was a car accident on the tramvai track, and it took for bleeping ever. Other mornings it's like sliding on goose poo.

Any convenient transportation?

Yeah, the tramvai and bus systems are reasonably reliable (assuming you live by a line) and quite cheap for students. I pay about 50 leva (roughly $35 US) for a 3 month unlimited pass, available only with student ID, gradebook, resident's card, photo, etc. Still, not a bad deal. Most of the cars are very old and second hand (retired from Germany and France), but there are a few very nice new ones coming into use on selected lines.

Where do the lectures take place?

Most lectures for the first 3 years occur at the Medical Faculty. There are a few exceptions, but not many. There are a ton of clinics and classrooms at the MedFac. Some (most) classes are held in the big lecture building on Zdrave Street. Anatomy is in the anatomy/pathology building, also on Zdrave Street. The third year introductory courses to IM and Surgery are held in the respective hospitals or labs. And so on. But mostly they are someplace at the MedFac.

What do you know about Plovdiv University? Or anyone here in Plovdiv?

I know almost nothing about Plovdiv except that it is a lovely town with a picturesque Old City. Oh, and one of their soccer teams (ПФК Ботев) is nicknamed "The Canaries," which probably strikes terror into the hearts of their opponents. ("Aaaaaahhh! Bird Flu! Bird Flu!")

[rps_0006]

hi. i have been accepted as a first year medical student/english speaking program in sofia. i understand that the program begins sept 14, '09, but i have heard that the first year program always begins late. is that true? any info you may have on when the first years actually start classes would be welcome. thank you in advance.

[Riza]

I'm not sure if that is true for every year, however last year we did start late because of students having visa issues. If 1st year students this year are having similar problems again then I suppose there could be a delay.

It'd be best to check with the Dean's office though. Give them a call or e-mail them and see what they say.

Best of luck.

[rps_0006]

thank you so much. i really appreciate that information. my visa is taking forever to come through. i guess i will just call the dean’s office, as you suggested. i was reluctant because many previous posts referred to disorganization in regards to administrative issues for students; however, this is probably the best option in getting concrete information regarding the start date and putting my mind at ease. thanks again. i look forward to taking you out for a cup of coffee. i’m sure i’ll be wanting an iv drip of it soon enough.

[rps_0006]

please ignore

[rps_0006]

again, please ignore