Jagiellonian University--Krakow

[afx60]

Does anyone out there go to this school?

If so, what's it like?

I've been accepted for the fall semester to the 4 year program, and I would really like to hear what someone who goes to this school has to say about it.

Thanks,

afx60

[carbon]

Having spent some time in Krakow, I can say it's a beautiful old world European city full of culture, architecture and activities. You surely won't mind living there. Unfortunately I can't say much about the medical school other than it is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in central Europe (established in the 1300's). It has always been thought of as the best university in Poland but this is probably more due to it's history, tradition and famous graduates. I believe in recent years Warsaw and Poznan have always topped the charts as the best medical centers in Poland according to rankings in POlish magazines and newspapers. This is based on number of scientific publications and grants. I 'll see if I can find the articles.

Ok here is the link, it's in Polish but I think it's self explanatory. This is from 2003. I certainly would not make any decisions on which school to attend based on this list. More important is what the town offers, ease of travel and communication. Some Polish cities are much less progressive than others. Krakow and Warsaw are essentially weternized cities. Lublin feels like the communists are still in charge there.

www.rzeczpospolita.pl/teksty/raporty_030411/raporty_a_8-3.F.gif

[kmufangs]

Carbon,

here are the rankings of all medical schools in poland for the year 2003.

http://www.rzeczpospolita.pl/teksty/raporty_030411/raporty_a_8-3.F.gif
#1 ... Poznan
#2 ... Lodz
#3 ... Warsaw
#4 ... Krakow - Jagielonian


Over all though, of the 384 institutions of higher learning, Jagelonian University (does not include the Medical school as it functions as its own entity) is the number 1 in Poland followed by the warsaw university, with Poznan Medical school making the 8th position.

[vikingprincessa]

Hey!
I got accepted to Jagiellonian too. I am at St. George's right now doing an MPH, and I could start the medical program in August. However, I really want to go to Europe for the travel, the language, and the culture. Also, it's $30,000 cheaper per year going to Poland than Grenada. Does anyone think it's okay to go to Poland over SGU, or should I really just stay here at St. George's? If it doesn't really matter, I would go to Poland in a heartbeat, but if it's going to be really hard to get back to the states, I guess I should stay at SGU.
Any suggestions?
Thanks.

[neilc]

i would stay at SGU over any of the EE schools. basically, SGU is pretty much the best you can do outside of the US. full recognition in the states, impressive match list, great USMLE results, etc...poland will certainly not allow you to practice everywhere (NM and CA jump to mind), and i have yet to see a match list or usmle results that compare to SGU.

language, culture, etc are fine and those are part of the reasons i am happy with my school. but, if your goal is to get back to the states, it is a far better idea to stay on the well beaten path. SGU is the shortest, straightest distance between two points. have an adventure in europe over the summer for language and culture!

best of luck.

[carbon]

I chose a european school over the Carib schools for the exact reasons you mentioned (culture language etc). Poland was a tremendous experience and I would go back to the same school if I had to do it all over again. It worked for me but not for a significant number of my classmates. These polish schools are not up to SGU's stats when it comes to USMLE prep and getting a residency spot. If you are a serious and motivated student however, you will succeed regardless the school you choose. It might be easier from schools with proven track records as NeilC stated. Visit the schools first and know what you are getting yourself into. Studying in Krakow vs. SGU will be 2 completely different experiences.

[Miklos]

I agree with Neil.

IMO, the $30,000/year is money well spent for the reasons above.

[UMP]

I'm thinking about going to Jagiellonian, but I'm wondering how difficult it is to get in. My GPA is fairly low, but my MCAT scores more than make up for it... if anyone has any idea of what I should expect in the application process please share.

[Gabi]

hello! i might apply to the 6-year program...but is it worth it?...does anyone know if Jag's got some kind of financial aid? I'm polish if that helps...and i've got polish citizenship :) thanks

[kitch]

where is this school ?

[Dave_MD]

Google (http://www.google.ca)

[KluverB]

where is this school ?

In Krakow.

If that doesn't help, Dave_MD has a point.

Or, if you're completely lost...
Let me google that for you (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Jagiellonian+University+Krakow)

[Dave_MD]

hahaha thats amazing

but yea, it's in krakow

[Rotten]

What's funnier is that the poster has the same name as one of the most famous, or shall we say, "infamous" night spots here in Krakow.

Ahh, Kitch.