Hey People!
Anybody on this forum attend University of Debrecen? I was set to go there but got accepted to PA school instead here in the states. But I still wonder if I should've gone. Any comments about this University would be appreciated.
Stay Safe, and be well,
-Nick

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(Deja-vu conversations at midnight in South Jamaica) But you've been shot in the chest my man, skip anger, skip denial, and let's get on the #@$% board, C'mon I'll even help you on, There ya go........

I am currently studying here in Debrecen and I can give you advice which would resemble those that have been posted before in this forum for other Eastern European schools. Most of the exams are administered orally although the first 3 yrs there are written tests. It is pretty tough but if you put your mind to it and have discipline then you will do well. This place will really teach you how to study but the system is pretty different than the States. It doesn't really prepare you for the boards b/c the tests are not really done in MCQ format and the thinking process of the way to take the boards are really not acquired if you come here to study but that is why lot of the ppl go to take the 7 week Kaplan course. The standard of education is pretty high although. It has gotten alot harder for 1st yr than what I remember when I was in 1st yr. They keep on making it harder, but if you really study then you can make it. Lot of ppl do complain about the unfairness of the professors when they conduct these oral exams and in some cases I have heard about it happening but I never have witnessed it myself or experienced it myself about failing an exam. Personally I feel there is some unfairness though when I hear these stories but it is very subjective or varying among individuals. Different individuals have different stories so you can investigate it yourself. It is very cheap here to live compared to other places like the Carribbeans and in the States. If you are willing to live away from home and be accustomed to a new culture and environment and different kind of ppl then this would be a place that you can consider this place. I hope this helps you.

well what specific questions do you have about the school? well I am currently doing my sixth year rotations in the US through NYMC.. I am currently a sixth year med student at the Medical school of Debrecen .. but hey. . I will say that the 3rd year was tough .. we were the first to survive the new onslaught of the written system.. and yeah there was a TON of correlation with clinical material pertinent to USMLE step I and the wards in general.. I think that if you really put youre mind and time and discipline together, and you are willing to sacrifice everything that you have into youre studies there for a few years.. the paybacks are - well skys the limit.. sure there are failures there (very few), and peeps that have never passed the boards due to their own misfortunes and mistakes (sorry .. sad but true).. but bottom line is that if you do youre time, you will recieve the benefits.. however, there are some issues regarding US clinical experience, which I have had no probs getting.. but I really dont know the whole scenario it is pretty hazy to me.. but I had no problems at all securing great US clinical experience.. which I am doing right now.. so pm me or email me if you have any specific questions.. but I will say that the USMLE average overall in the past 2 years has been really stellar.. outstanding actually.. 99 and 98 scores, its ridiculous.. its true they made the school harder.. the written exams are tough. but the paybacks are tremendous, as evidenced by the USMLE scores of the past 2 years. You just have to be willing to endure tough times for a few years thats all.. believe me this school can even put you ahead of youre US medical school counterparts (not to say of course that you will be treated on the same basis automatically.. you have to prove yourself from scratch like all the time. but thats life in the medical world).. but hey its for you to decide what you want to do.. PA school? well you know thats good and all. . but if youre smart enough to go MD then why would you settle? not to say of course that PAs are doing great as well these days.. (and theres some HOT ones in orthapedics ha ha!) well its better if we leave most discussions here, so that others can benefit from discussions regarding the school.. I cannot comment on other Eastern European medical schools, even ones in Hungary.. only Medical school of Debrecen... of which I am a sixth year med student..
ok cummon any questions? go right ahead please fire em up..

Currently, I am a 6th year student at the University of Debrecen (DOTE) completing my core rotations, and final exams. I would feel honored to answer any of your questions and concerns about DOTE .... feel free to email anytime at nitinsawheny@gmail.com or nitinsawheny@euroweb.hu

Here are a couple of concerns other new students I have spoken with in the past have had :


Reputation: DOTE is a remarkable university with a long 150 year history. The Foriegn students, attending this University have been matriculating here for over 10 years. Recently the school has upped its standards of education, and therefore it seems the curriculum is getting harder and harder each year. The theoretical portion with in the first 2 years are definitely the most difficult, but if you put your mind to it and keep up with your studies you will be fine. Majority of the final exams are in an oral exam format, which has its pro's and con's. Overall, I am very satisfied with the education I have received at DOTE, and would highly recommend this University.


Living arrangement: The greater majority of Medical students tend to reside in apartments located very close to the campus. I personally live approximately 10 minutes (walking) from campus. The apartments are usually equipped with all of your basic necessities ( TV, phone, stove, fridge, bed, washing machine, etc….) and cost in the range of $200 - $300 for a single apartment- (meaning one bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living room) plus utilities. The price is usually based on how nice the amenities of the apartments and the buildings are. On the other hand, there are a small number of students who have started to reside at the dorms. They do have an Internet service for all of its’ residents. I have been there once to check it out and I found the rooms to be very cramp and claustrophobic, but they tend to be a lot cheaper....

Personally, I would recommend coming for a visit, or arriving a good 3 weeks prior to school to finalize your living arrangements (the good apartments get taken very quickly). There are numerous rental agencies in town where the agent speaks fluent English.

Items to bring to Debrecen: Personally, I would highly recommend bringing a laptop – with a webcam and headset. This is how I communicate with my parents on a daily basis – and save a tremendous amount of $$$ on my phone bill. I also find my laptop to be an essential tool for my studies – especially for various presentations and research. I would also recommend bringing a CD burner (if not already built into your laptop) for entertainment purposes – (downloading music, games, movies via kazaa) Do NOT forget to buy a couple hundred CDR’s on a spindle – on rebate ! They are quite expensive here.

Loans: The university offers the Stafford Loans – (18,500) a lot of students usually make due with that. Personally, I usually bring additional cash from home for security. You are also allowed to take the Teri loan up to certain amount for those details you would need to contact the Financial Administration.

Monthly Expenses: I try to keep monthly expenses below $1200.00, but depending on how luxurious you personally would like to live you can get by with approximately $800. Certain monthly utilities such as house phones ($60 –70) and DSL ($60 – unlimited at 384 kbs) are very expensive here comparatively to the states. I also would recommend buying a cell phone here. Dining in Hungary is a lot cheaper than in the USA especially at restaurants. There are numerous pizza delivery services (www.donpepe.hu), a couple Mc Donald's, and various gyros stands. These are quite cheap – I would say a menu to satisfy an individual’s appetite is less than $5.

Entertainment: Debrecen has it’s’ share of nightclubs, and bars. The student favorites are Genius, Joy, Ibiza and Tornado. You will usually always find a crowd at one of these places. There are a couple of pool halls and movie theaters here, but the greater majority of students download the latest TV shows (friends, ER, 24) and movies off of the Internet. If you get bored in Debrecen, which tends to happen- you can just hop on a train to Budapest – which is approximately 2 and half hours away. Budapest is a diverse metropolitan city where you can find or do anything.

Banking: It is a must to have a bank account in Hungary to obtain a Residence Permit. They require you to have an account with a balance of (I think) $500.00 USD. It is very useful in another aspect as well: wiring from the USA. Majority of banks offer you a bank card/ATM: Visa electron or Maestro which is very convenient especially at night when all the exchange booths and banks are closed.

Internships: There are numerous companies set-up which essentially guarantee Foreign Medical Students a spot in an American hospital to do Clinical Rotations for a small fee, or you can apt to do the 5th Pathway at NYMC. I have done a lot of research on the subject and been in contact with numerous state medical boards to determine the rules and regulations of each state. It seems DOTE is recognized quite well, and former graduates have had no problems in getting licensure in the USA. This subject is quite a detailed one, and needs quite a bit of time to explain....

Once again if you have any questions, feel free to email me - nitinsawheny@gmail.com or nitinsawheny@euroweb.hu ! Take care .....

Miklos,

I am very curious about your perspective of the level of education at your University and Hungarian Universities in general ? Do you feel that you have obtained a good education ?

To answer your question from the other post ... The students who got over 90's - were on the USMLE step 1. They were all tremendously hard working students, and were "excellent" students throughout there 5 years here at DOTE, and are currently completing their rotations.

By the way -- I love the Balaton area as well !! It is the best in summer - (Langos & Beer) and so many beautiful sites to see . Unfortunately though the water level is receding - we had to walk about 300 meters into the lake just to get waist high Have you been to Eger, or Tokaji yet?

Let us just say that the jury is still out on that one. Perhaps once I have obtained my dream residency or better yet my board qualifications will I be in a position to say.

Re: Hungarian places. Both Eger and Tokay are great. (I think we could spend some time discussing the intricacies of Hungarian wine...maybe we should do a post on that. )

Shame about the water level at Balaton, I wonder how that will turn out? But, I agree langos and beer at the lakeside is not a bad thing at all.

The official DOTE website -

www.dote.hu
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A excellent website about the city of Debrecen (Live Webcam) and essential information

www.debrecen.hu
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A tour of Debrecen - and a simple map of the University -

http://dpoint.debrecen.com/main.html
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You can find pictures of the city of Debrecen at the following link -

http://community.webshots.com/user/magyarorszag69
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If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me at nitinsawheny@gmail.com or nitinsawheny@euroweb.hu

I wish all of you the best in all of your future endeavors !!!

Take care.

I graduated from Debrecen in 2001 and very easily was accepted into my residency. I also keep in touch with four of my former classmates who have either completed or are completing their US residencies. One of our graduates went to Dartmouth for medicine, another New Jersey near his house where he wanted to go. A husband/wife team to CT where they wanted to go. Myself, I am in a community program in CT. You will certainly be able to get a residency if and only if YOU work hard. Keep in mind that Hungary (and most of the European programs) are not MD factories as in the Carribean. Nobody will spoon feed or assist you outside of the classroom. BUT, if you are interested in working, studying and learning as much as possible you will be successful.

On a Debrecen vs Budapest note (after many discussions w/ Budapest srudents). Many of the clinics and classes are scheduled very close together and it is almost impossible to make all of your classes in Budapest. Next, Debrecen actually has more faculty and more high-level research on the international stage than Budapest. Of course this only really matters if you want to do research. Everyone thinks the "caliber" of the school will make a difference in you being selected for a residency. THEY ARE WRONG. The constant repetitive questions is WHY did you go to Hungary and the next oh, look at these USMLE scores, next your personality. If you interview and say I only went cause I couldnt get into school in the USA and I hated it and they are backwards etc etc etc, then you will not get in because you are underselling yourself.

I was applying for Ob/Gyn, ended up in internal outside the match due to extreme family circumstances and need for a job, but have now completed interviewing at 8 places (out of 10 applications) for Ob/Gyn. Match is March 15. I have been contacted by four of the programs outside of the interviews so I know I will match at one of those places. Howevere, be realistic, if you think you are going into ENT, Derm, Ophtho, plastics...(the super subspecialties) then forget it. But, peds, medicine, gen surgery, ob/gyn is available if you prove yourself over the 6 years.

Any questions just post a question.

DebGrad

I would agree with almost everything in this post.

I will take issue with the underlined material. Debrecen, though a very fine university, IS NOT the top research school in Hungary. For better or worse, Semmelweis takes that title, simply due to its size and the 'depth' of its faculty.

N.B. Currently, Debrecen is not California approved.

Miklos,

Just browse even through Orvosi Hetlap let alone journals like Blood and you will see the depth of the research at Debrecen. It even starts at the student level with TDK, in which I participated repeatedly and even represented Debrecen at the National level. The Debrecen and Szeged research push was more than that of Semmelweis. I am not slamming Semmelweis I am merely pointing out some objective findings. As I was deeply involved in research in Debrecen I made many research contacts in the country. I guess it may be fair to say that each institution has its forte in certain areas. Debrecen is certainly the Nation's leader in coagulation studies and in clinical biochemistry. Case in point Drs Laszlo Muszbek and Fesus who were the post-grads of Laki and Lorand in the discovery of Factor XIII and who are now each respectively the heads of their departments with active research. Many of their young MD's are doing research at Washington Univ, St Louis, UC-San fran, MGH and in Leuven Belgium and also several places in England. If you take time to look closely at the debrecen pages you will find that almost all departments outside of Ob/Gyn have research interests and contacts with labs in the USA.

DebGrad