Studying in Poland

[Sandy]

I'm Polish-American and looked into these programs. They're useless scams that teach you nothing. Even some of the professors in these programs will tell you that they can't teach you what you need to know to pass the boards. A lot of US and Canadians were tricked by HMI and other similar scams. Stay away from Polish programs. Visit : http://www.network54.com/Forum/183613 and you'll get a taste of life in Poland and Polish medical education.

[iza0iza]

Wrong..! my sister went to poland for school.. she went to the four year program.. she was really happy.. everything went fine for her... you should take a look at this... she is finishing her residency in NY..
This is from the American Association Of International Medical Graduates
"
The study of Medicine in Eastern European countries has many advantages and disadvantages for American citizens. Many of the disadvantages have more to do with the nature and expectations of young American medical students and less to do with the actual quality of the education."

http://www.aaimg.com/list/european.html

Why don't you take a look at this..

[neilc]

read again the info on polish schools at the aaimg site...they do seem to have a less glowing review than the other eastern europe schools, and they really emphasize that agents are invovled, and that they may be misleading. i really cannot fathom why anyone would get involved in a school that has agents charging "placement fees". it seems like an alarm should go off if you have to pay something to get placed. this cash goes straight to a guy sitting in an office simply for putting you in touch with a school. schools should not have to resort to such tactics. if they have a rep or an office in the states or anywhere, fine. the cost of that office should come out of tuition, just as the profs salary, the secretaries on campus, etc...oh yeah, izaOiza HMI stands for Hope Medical Institute, the agent that works with these schools...you asked in an early post what HMI stood for, i think.

only based on my experience with transfers and current students, i would say look elsewhere... there are success stories out there, but the unhappy students far outnumber the happy ones, in my limited experience.

good luck

[iza0iza]

Just like with any school there will be happy students and unhappy ones.. I am a Polish native, I know what the living conditions are like, I know what to expect when I get there... The school that I am going to does not have any agents... I was accepted through the school, they also warned applicants not to rely on agents.. I've done my research, I've spoken to graduates and current students, ofcourse not everyone I spoke to was happy with the school, but I found their complaints to be more about the living conditions and the language barriers rather than their education..

Thanks for the definiton by the way..

[iza0iza]

I went to the link you have on your message... First of all some of the points these people make are totally absurd.. Like
"Their agent Stanley Wiktor operates a program out of his home in Somers, NY."

First of all I met Stan Wiktor when I went to NY for my intervies... Yes the interviews were conducted in Somers NY, however they were at an office on campus at Mercy College.

Second the interview was conducted with both professors from Mercy College and Admission councilors from both the polish school and mercy college.. there were six people present at the interview.

Third I did not have to pay them any money.. besides 100 application fee, which all schools make madatory whether in Canada, States or Poland... Stan Wiktor is not an agent, he is a representative of the school, just like all schools have representatives..!!!

Than some guy claims that they said they have a 100% pass rate on the USMLE, which is also absurd because they told me their stats and believe me they did not claim they were 100..!

THe information you're getting from that web site is way way way off...!! Not only that but how can you take anything there seriously... It's so vulgar..!

Iza

[jerry81]

i was wondering what kind of grades you had and what your mcat score was to get into the polish medical school......or if you know of anybody who went there and what their grades and mcat score was.
thanks
jerry

email is happyhour82@aol.com

[iza0iza]

Well because I am going to the six year program I did not need to take the MCAT. They based their decision on my high school marks.. my last year I have a 95 average... and on my the marks I received my first year of university which I had a 93 average... There were other people there also waiting for their interview who were applying to the four year program and their marks were quite high... I can't give you specifics though..( I can't remember.. ) What marks did you receice? Are you thinking about applying?

Izabel

[ctkmd2003]

Iza,

I just wanted to respond to your concern about studying in Poznan, Poland. I just graduated from Poznan and can tell you that it is not like all of the horror stories that you've been hearing. It has been voted the best medical school in Poland for the last 2 years. Granted that the program is not perfect and somethings are definelty in need of change, the overall quality of the program is good. It is a legit program and in NO way, shape, or form affiliated with HMI (Hope Medical Institute). There are a lot of exciting things going on within this university and with some hard work and dedication, you will be able to get your MD and find a residency in the US.

I will be happy to address any concerns or questions that you, or any other person may have. I'm keeping this post short, however, I will post more later (am even thinking about starting a Poznan thread). I will do my best to answer any questions in a timely manner.

Best Regards and Good Luck,

ctkmd2003

[iza0iza]

Hi..! your post makes me feel soooooooooo much better.. =) I'm glad to hear from someone who has had a positive experience..

Iza

[highlandpoet]

hi ctkMD2003
i just wanted to ask you whether poznan, has clinical rotations in the u.s ,
and if any other schools have clinicals in the u.s, i'm studying in ukraine and have a lot of freinds from poland (esp krakow) and they've never heard of this.
and for those people who think that polish schools, are a waste of time, try coming to ukraine or russia, you'll have a field day.
thx