First Fac. of Medicine, Charles

[npatel0317]

Hi,

I have been accepted into the medical program at the first fac. of med Charles, and had some enquires, that the internet couldnt find any answers to....so if shrey or other senior stud at the uni could answer them i would be ever thankful!

1. Is it possible to rent a room with own bath and kitchen (not shared) in the uni dorms, and if possible which one of the dorms would be the best? and are the dorms liveable?

2. I have been reading dan kameny blog about the uni which paints a very pathetic pic of the staff and the system in the uni, how true is it?

3. I have been doing some research in the annual reports issued by the uni and found out that in 2006 only 18 guys graduated from the english paralell, while the no. were in 100s in the czech lang. program? to say it simple, there are not many people graduating from the english program from 2004 till 2006 ...almost the same ....while at least 80 students are taken up every year?

4. Are the prof. helpfull??

5. Are there any norwegian students in the faculty?

6. Any problems or trend of problems at the time of enrollment, that the new comers should be aware of?

7. If renting a apartment becomes an option where in prague should it be ..prague 1,2,3,4 or 5

Thank you in advance!

[martakruszcz]

Hey I just got accepted to the first faculty for the 6 year md program. I have a couple questions concerning the school.

Does anyone know if you can get a single room in the doorms/ which dorm is the best ?

Considering the workload is it possible to have a part time job during weekends?

**is it hard to find residency in Canada after graduating?

thanks

marta

[shrey]

Hi,

I have been accepted into the medical program at the first fac. of med Charles, and had some enquires, that the internet couldnt find any answers to....so if shrey or other senior stud at the uni could answer them i would be ever thankful!

1. Is it possible to rent a room with own bath and kitchen (not shared) in the uni dorms, and if possible which one of the dorms would be the best? and are the dorms liveable?

I don't think they have such an option. You can however have your own room and share the bath and kitchen with one other person. This facility as far as I know is only available in 3 dorms: Kolej Komenskeho (Prague 6), Kolej Kajetanka (Prague 6), and Kolej Hostivar (Prague 10). Unfortunately the dorms are not ideal for the First Fac. students as they're quite far away. Kolej Komenskeho and Kajetanka are very close to the 2nd Fac. (Prague 6) and Kolej Hostivar is closest to the 3rd Fac. (Prague 10).

I wouldn't really recommend living in the dorms for too long. In some dorms (like Komenskeho), there are so many social distractions as that's the only dorm that gets tons of American exchange students coming every year (who are not in medical school) so unless, you can resist going out and partying every night, then I wouldn't suggest it. Also the facilities are not that great (although the Internet is quite fast).

What I do recommend is staying in the dorm you're assigned to for a couple of months or possibly a semester and later getting an apartment with a friend/s close to the University (if you look for good deals, you'll surely find them).

2. I have been reading dan kameny blog about the uni which paints a very pathetic pic of the staff and the system in the uni, how true is it?

Yes, some of the things are definitely true but some are quite exaggerated in my opinion. I must tell you one thing: In Europe (as you might already know), no prof. will hold one's hand and lead them to the finish line...it's all about being independent and working in tough conditions. The staff is quite good in that they're experienced and very good in their fields. But the problem is the communication barrier (although some profs. speak excellent english, some other don't). But this problem exists in any other medical schools in a European country offering an English medical program (not just electives but an entire program!).

The program is quite intensive and requires a lot of commitment and hard work.

3. I have been doing some research in the annual reports issued by the uni and found out that in 2006 only 18 guys graduated from the english paralell, while the no. were in 100s in the czech lang. program? to say it simple, there are not many people graduating from the english program from 2004 till 2006 ...almost the same ....while at least 80 students are taken up every year?

I don't know much about the stats. you mentioned but in general I don't think that's the recent trend. Do you also know that in the first year, there are somewhere around 600-700 medical students??? And tons and tons and tons of them fail up to the 3rd year. The English parallel is not so bad but yes, they do have high attrition rates (not as high as the 3rd Fac.) in the first 3 years.

This is because of several factors: some students just give up early in the year; some other get homesick and can't stand the culture shock; some of them get way too socially distracted only to realize that they can't cope up with the subjects; and there are those very few poor souls who work so hard but still don't make it.

4. Are the prof. helpfull??

The profs. are helpful to an extent. You have an option to arrange for consultations with them in case you have any doubts. Some of them go extra-hard on their students while other go easy (the students who have it hard throughout the year however, will have a huge advantage when it comes to taking the final exams).

But all in all, I think they're quite decent. They neither go overboard helping students nor completely neglect them. They're there for you if you need them and ask them for help (in fact they'll be more than happy to help you).

5. Are there any norwegian students in the faculty?

I'm afraid I haven't seen many Norwegian students. Most of them attend the 3rd fac. for some reason (it's the Scandinavian haven!!!) But I have seen a couple of Swedes in the faculty and I assure you, you won't have a hard time meeting the Norwegian students if you try.

The first faculty has a lot of Malaysians, Greeks, British and American students. But in general it's so diversified (from Africans to Indians to Malaysians to Greeks to Americans).

6. Any problems or trend of problems at the time of enrollment, that the new comers should be aware of?

I think one of the worst problems with the Faculty is the administration. Some of the administration coordinators (for the 1st year especially) are just horrible in the sense that they don't give out much info. But you can also go to some other coordinators and they're absolutely kind and helpful. I didn't really have any problems with them so far.

Also the university has tons of regulations that differ per each department. You will get a detailed handbook regarding the subjects and profs., rules and regulations at the time of registration.

7. If renting a apartment becomes an option where in prague should it be ..prague 1,2,3,4 or 5

Thank you in advance!

It would be idea for the apartment to be in either Prague 2 (which is where the university is located), Prague 4 (close to Prague 2), Prague 5 (also close by), and also parts of Prague 3.

But since Prague is not all that big and due to it's effective transport system, you shouldn't have a problem getting by pretty much anywhere and everywhere.

Hope this helps!
Ciao

[shrey]

Hey I just got accepted to the first faculty for the 6 year md program. I have a couple questions concerning the school.

Does anyone know if you can get a single room in the doorms/ which dorm is the best ?

Yes you can get single rooms. The best dorms in terms of facilities are Kolej Komenskeho, Kolej Kajetanka (which however doesn't have very good transport facility, and Kolej Hostivar (which is too far).

Kolej Komenskeho offers different options: Two bedroom with a common bath and kitchen, 4 bedroom with a common bath and kitchen, 1 room shared by two with a common bath and kitchen and finally a suite facility (6 rooms with a common kitchen and bath).

Considering the workload is it possible to have a part time job during weekends?

I've seen a couple people do it (and have a few friends how tried such an alternative) but they ultimately gave up due to the heavy work-load. Med school is pretty much like a full-time job in itself and it's also a bit hard to get a job (as you need to be able to speak decent czech; unless you do stand-up comedy shows at bars or work at english speaking clubs/bars/restaurants etc.)

But I just think it's too hard to balance the both (or at least I've had people tell me the same).


**is it hard to find residency in Canada after graduating?

thanks

Marta

I don't really know much about this. But considering that we have about 5 Canadians (all excellent students with an intention of returning back to Canada) in the 1st year this year, I would assume that they do have good residency options back home.

Hey do I know you by any chance? (I do know a Marta through MSN...wondering if it was you?).....and you're welcome :)

[MrBones]

Dont worry about the statistics, if you can do it you will do it.
Stay at the dorms first, or find a flat before the year begins ( or in the first weeks), if you do it later within the year, you will get time problems most possibly. Or you find somebody who needs a roommate, which might be the most elegant way :-).
If you want to have a flat, you should locate a flat near the metro/tram or uni. If you have a metro station next by you can live quite a bit 'outside'. You can get to the uni with every metro line quite fast... At least i do (as mr shrey maybe knows), even though everybody is saying im living far away, the time you drive is a good time to relax or wake up in the morning (or study for a test).

[npatel0317]

Thank you so Much, Dr. Shrey !!!:)

[npatel0317]

Thank you, Mr. Bones