Thread: take a look at this if u plan to go Lodz med

I study in Lodz medical university in Poland, and for all the ppl. want to study medicine in Poland, Lodz medical university s u c k s, I won’t respond to any reply to this thread, and I am not here to convince anyone anything, u may find out whether what I say is true by yourself, but got to be aware that students study here in Lodz med may boast about their university because they need a good reputation of their university to earn jobs back in States. But let me tell you, I don’t see any up side of this 4 yr English program, instead, lots of inhumane down sides:

1. first of all, several tutors/professors can’t speak comprehensible English in class or in hospital. Best examples are those from Gross Anatomy department, of the 1st yr studying, they also give lectures/Labs to 6 year English program, for 2 whole semesters, all students learn from classes are the images of mumbling teachers, we will have to learn Anatomy(the heart of Medicine) by self-grind-reading, if u can’t believe me, just simply go asking some med-students-specific Anatomy questions to those graduate from here.

2. lectures are given in Power Point, but tons of them are copy-paste sentences from Internet and lack of context, more than half of doctors(2+half yr up when doing rotation in hospital) can’t answer your questions directly with scientific aspect or mechanisms, because they had left med schools for long, they don’t remember those basic knowledge, it’s ok, we understand, but can we have some formal tutors (we don’t need a very powerful doctor without med-student knowledge to teach us knowledge) who can really clarify students’ doubts? Especially before we step in hospital facing patients? No, that’s all English-speaking men school got.

3. school promise their curriculum will be USMLE-oriented, just like what Poznan does, but it’s not true, students have to on-duty/night duty in hospital as early as the beginning of 3rd yr studying, students got no time to study, no matter for school exams or USMLE, well, starting from the last 1/3 of 2nd yr studying, students are already staying in hospital all day (generally AM8-PM5) walking around with doctors who are responsible for u, sometimes those doctors are English-incomprehensible, and so as patients are! So how to spend time when we face these Lost-in-Translation situations? Staring at ceiling? Read your pocket med book in front of patients? Or read them while walking? Choose one. Basically school make u lack of time gaining med-student knowledge, those are important in USMLE. So do we gain more doctor-patient experiences than those students from other medical universities? Sorry, we don’t speak Polish. What’s the point to stay in hospitals for so many hours? We are so exhausted, for lost-in-translation, standing, walking, without learning.

3. so did school listen to our suggestions? Both yes and no. School office and Dean always get news from those immature students complaining about the other students.

“dear dean, somebody in my year has final exam questions from last year, it’s not fair for me, pls consult whoever in charge to revise exam questions.” --- so the exam changed its date, his classmates all have to modify the date of their plane tickets back home.


“dear dean, we want to learn more, pls round out our hospital schedule, and give us more lectures.” --- so we have such an intense schedule in hospital as he personally prefer, but do we have more lectures? Noooooo!!!


“dear dean, some students from my class keep skipping classes, without getting any penalty, pls sentence him.” ---so nowadays students will have to pay 1040 polish zloty (367 Dollars) for ONE day absence, to make up the day (to cruise in hospital), before student can sit in final exam. What about if I got cold on that day? Sorry, got to go hospital, to spread virus to those immunocompromised patients. And, I doubt where the penalty money go?? Cuz according to tutors who do the make up class for us, they didn’t get so much money. ----àSchool office!!!


“dear dean, my classmate had a gun. and he hates me” --- ***!!
And blablabla so on so on.

so…..what happened to these future doctors?????
And what happened to dean and school office? You don’t make changes in response to every single student’s singular event, at the same time neglecting majority’s opinions.

4.School office secretaries of 4 year program are just so mean, very very mean. When they (3 of them) are busy, (I don’t see reasons for them to get busy, they don’t care about students, they exploit students, several examples will be revealed some other time) they are so emotionally labile, they need Anger Management. From time to time we heard students were threaten by them. They generally create problems than solving them.

5. lecture halls, hospitals are located far apart, sometimes you have to take bus across the entire city to get to the next lecture spot. This is really really troublesome, esp. during winter. I hate it!

6. most importantly, Lodz med university diploma is now not recongnized in several states in USA, like California, and 5 other states, can't remember now, remember to check it out before u apply Lodz, otherwise u get an useless diploma after 4 years.

Oh quit your whining. If you think med-school back in n. america is all daisies you'll surely be disappointed. I didn't attend Lodz, but all other Polish schools have similar stories coming out of them. That's the culture shock I've referred to in some previous posts. Just to dispel some misconceptions based on the above e-mail:

1) Anatomy is not "the heart of Medicine". It's barely stressed on the USMLE. Radiology and a few surgical specialties are really the only ppl who may require more than rudimentary knowledge of anatomy.

2) 8am - 5pm? Say it ain't so. Wow, you do work hard. I feel sorry for you. Wait till you get into residency and pull 80+ hrs a week. Oh, and don't think that just because the ACGME has an 80 hr duty limit that you won't find yourself working more than that. You will. All sorts of activities don't fall under the duty hrs umbrella. But I digress. If you think US students spend their days "productively" during their clinical rotations, once again, you'll be disappointed. Yeah, there's plenty of scut work and lots of rounding on patients, on your own, with a resident, with an attending, with the whole team. You'll see your patients over and over again, and all sorts of other patients too, and you won't give a c**p about them. And then, when you go home at 9 pm, you think you're going to open a book?

4) Penalties for skipping classes? That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. Haven't you whiny babies paid your tuition?

man's best friendy secretaries, deans with a sense of humor... typical european attitudes to rich, whiny, privileged americans who couldn't get into a school in their own country. Yes, I'm generalizing here, and before you go off and report this post and get you silkies all in a bunch, that's the reality. And yes it's unfair, and yes, americans are not the only targets, and yes you don't have to be rich, and yes, you may not necessarily feel privileged, but if I were in their place, I'd have me some fun too. The truth is, ppl will still pay big buck to go to the school, because, face it, they couldn't get in back home, wherever it may be. And they know it. And why should they care? Are you going to stay in Poland and practice med there? Are you going to stay and raise their standard of care? So, what's their motivation.

Which brings us back to what a few of us keep repeating on this forums...
Before you go anywhere, check it out, in person. Go to a few lectures, go hang out in the clinics, tag a long a couple of students. Oh, and realize, that if you act like a child, you'll be treated like a child.

But yes, I agree, students enrolled at these schools will boast about them for fear of ruining the schools, and therefore their own reputations. It's very human.

Caveat emptor.

yes i would have to agree with many things Kluver has to say. i have many friends in med school in america and in the carribean....blah, blah, blah, blah same whining....EVERYTHING Is self taught you will not get it handed to you and everything will not be perfect for god sake look what you settled for it is Poland not America!!! and as for the skipping class you have to be kidding, you are really whining now, it is their fault for not using the "service" they pay for (an education). i find it mind boggling how passmisive people can be just because it is "not easy" well nothing is. Everything in life, again i say, will not be handed to you!! this is the first real complaint i have read about Lodz and i say one rotten egg is exspected out of....what...at least a hundred (or whatever, whomever is at lodz). some of these complaints i hear are confusing that you write....did you even read what you wrote? well if anything i say again, to whom ever, there will always be those in every program, even in America, at good schools, (cause i have heard them) that will whine B!$%ch and complain about "i didn't get this" or "why can't i have it this way", this is not fair" "this is to hard" blah blah blah blah!!!!! and there will be those ones that keep a positive mentallity and will succeed...that you don't hear anything from cause why would they say or complain about anything. in conclusion DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!! good luck to all and stay positive you will not get far if you think you won't!

~Ann Marie

My god it's Poland, not America. And you will have to learn on your own were ever you go. You can get a fine education here if you choose to try. And yes after having taken and passed the USMLE Step 1 on the first try, anatomy is a mute point. What until you get to pathology and then talk.

Sounds like the Caribbean would have been a better choice.

If by Caribbean you mean bumming around on the beach, I agree.

How about the Hollywood Upstairs Medical College. Just call 555-Nick. "The most rewarding part was when he gave me my money."

Did any PUMS students have complaints about the schol or/anything that bothered them??
I'm gonna be a freshman this fall and I just wanna get myself ready before it actually hits me in Poland

Hmm…I currently study in Lodz medical uni, under 4 year Eng division. I myself is a self-study type of student but frankly its just hard to concentrate on studying with such long hours hospital duties. Residency is well-known of its busy schedule, however, we are in medical school, the time students should learn, in-depth, not work, especially when students are not ready to. I’d say school put too much time on warding, and lose its balance, this Polish-speaking ward activity indeed waste a lot of my time for studying.
Together w other aspects, I’d say LMU Eng program is not yet completed, both in educational system and in program organization.
I have many friends studying in Warsaw, Poznan, same 4 year program, I like their school schedules better Same high amounts of tuition, but their schools tend to think by students’ side.

i am going to be a freshman this october in lodz. i never thought it was going to be easy, but the previous posts seem to be extreme. AIM has been really helpful with the whole process. is it true that they stick you with all sorts of fees? is life at univ of lodz really that bad?