Thread: A few questions- bank account, books, etc

Hey all,
I'm relatively new to the forum. I submitted my app pretty late (mid July, a week before the deadline) so I'm still waiting for a reply. After reading some of the older posts, I guess I would classify myself as the "odd asian" as I am not Indian (I'm Chinese). I went to ucsd, my ug gpa wasn't that hot, and post-bac is very pricey with no loans available, so here I am.

Anyways, onto the questions:
1. Did you guys set up a bank account in Poland? I'm assuming that I have to get some other kind of loan if the whole fin aid thing doesn't work out.
2. Is there an updated book list? From older posts, the list thats given is out of date or something?
3. I've read about the dress code on campus. So do we need to dress up only for exams? and in the winter, do we need large sports coats or whatever? I was just thinking of getting a snowboard/ski jacket at burlington or something.
4. Can I buy all my appliances when I get there? I don't want to lug my stuff onto the airplane. and how much does a bed cost?

I think that's it for now. Thank you in advance for answering!

Originally Posted by gimmeryce

Hey all,
I'm relatively new to the forum. I submitted my app pretty late (mid July, a week before the deadline) so I'm still waiting for a reply. After reading some of the older posts, I guess I would classify myself as the "odd asian" as I am not Indian (I'm Chinese). I went to ucsd, my ug gpa wasn't that hot, and post-bac is very pricey with no loans available, so here I am.

Anyways, onto the questions:
1. Did you guys set up a bank account in Poland? I'm assuming that I have to get some other kind of loan if the whole fin aid thing doesn't work out.
2. Is there an updated book list? From older posts, the list thats given is out of date or something?
3. I've read about the dress code on campus. So do we need to dress up only for exams? and in the winter, do we need large sports coats or whatever? I was just thinking of getting a snowboard/ski jacket at burlington or something.
4. Can I buy all my appliances when I get there? I don't want to lug my stuff onto the airplane. and how much does a bed cost?

I think that's it for now. Thank you in advance for answering!

What i did was set up a wells fargo account it charges me 5 bucks everytime i use the atm and the rates are much better then a local exchange place.

Citi and bofa charge a certain percantage i think like 3?. I didnt get a bank account because currency fluctuates everyday one day you can put in all your money into an account and the next day the dollar will shoot up or it can be the other way around. Although some of my buddies use ING bank because you can hold American money it while your there without it converting.
Gdluck

1. The only issue with banking in poland is that most american banks charge you a fee for converting currency and withdrawing from an atm (about $5-$10 usd per transaction for bank of america and wachovia/wells fargo) Alot of people set up citibank accounts because there are 2 local citibank branches, but they dont let you directly access American dollars without a fee. They do however, allow you to set up a polish citibank account and then transfer usd into pln for use in the polish account. Many people i know have chosen this route.

One thing to keep in mind is that alot of day to day activities in poland require that you have some amount of cash on you. (not everyone takes credit cards ex: taxis, small food vendors, busses) Atm fees can really add up.

2. Books. This is a tough one. For my first year, (3 years ago) I struggled with whether or not i should pack the expensive books, (anat, phys, histo, bchm) but i decided not to, because they added soooo much weight to my bags.
In hindsight, i wish i would have brought some of the smaller books; First Aid 2010, BRS Physio with BRS Case studies physio.

The fact is, the list of books they give you are generic. In most of the first year classes (of 4) they teachers give you powerpoint lecture handouts that are supposed to be "enough". They are enough to pass quizzes, but they are not enough to really grasp the info. You have to do the secondary learning on your own, and ive found that the board review books helped me the most with that.

3. Dress code: There really is no "dress code". The proffessors appreciate it when students wear suits and business attire for Final exams (its what the polish med students do) but other than that, normal school attire is fine.
About dealing with the cold... From what ive seen, it doesnt really get cold (<40 degrees F at night) until october. Winter doesnt kick into full gear until about mid december - march.
A ski jacket is fine, but i would also bring like a northface fleece or something because alot of the times, a ski jacket is too much.
The cold isnt really that bad, i compare it to living in like new york, except its always cloudy. (the cloudiness is the worst part of the winter season imo.)

4. Appliances and whatnot:
Appliances?? really?
You arent moving to the third world, btw. There is a Tesco (British version of Walmart) and Real (French supergrocery store) within like 10 miles of the school. You can buy any appliance there that you can find in america. (except maybe a george forman grill--- but they do have panini makers)

BEDS: This is actually an exception. (seriously) The typical beds in poland (and europe in general) are not as comfortable (imo) as american beds. For example, most beds in the states come with a box spring-- this is not the case in poland. However thats not to say that you cant find an american style bed. There is a store called "Black Red and Blue" that sells really awesome kinda artsy furniture. They sell a version of the sealy foam temperpedic (sp?) mattress. It was too pricey for me though (like 500usd) as compared to a "normal" polish mattress which was like 150 usd.
You get what you pay for.


Final Note:
Dont overpack--- its really only worth bringing specialty items with you. In my case i love taco bell hot sauce, and Kraft fat free ranch. and real barb-q sauce. They have salsa and bbq sauce at tesco, but its not quite the same as home imo. lol. if you use any unique seasonings, like creole seasoning or old bay or something, bring that with you.

One of my biggest regrets is that i stuck to the belief that i was living in a backwards totally foreign place for too long. When in fact, if i would have taken a little more initiative, i would have discovered that lublin is alot more like a little town in oklahoma than it is frozen siberian tundra. lol

btw. they just opened up another huge multimillion dollar shopping mall right near real behind chodzki. so there are now 2 huge malls in lublin.


good luck, and remember that this experiance is what you make of it.

thanks guys for all the info! I'll look into those banks.
and I didn't mean appliances like toasters and microwaves. I meant like pots, pans, bowls, plates. Those aren't appliances, but for some reason in my head I lump kitchenware and appliances together haha.

as for books, what about shipping them to lublin? I'm assuming you can buy it from ebay.uk. of course I won't have an address to ship it to until I'm actually in the dorms or if I've found a place to live. And does anyone have a specific list of books?

What about the day to day things (soaps shampoos toiletries towels sheets)? Should I just buy them at the stores there? I'm not picky or anything about what I use, so that should be less stuff to pack. I should just be packing clothes mostly, right? And are there public laundromats to use?

Best rule as far as books go;
If it has color images (netter's, moore's, etc) that make studying easier, buy them.
If the book is basically text with some black/white images (or b/w/red like the brs books) just find someone who has it and get it photocopied. The copy places here do it without batting an eye at 8g/page (~$0.03) while reducing the book to both sides per page... most I've paid was the equivalent of about $15 USD
As for the weight issue... I got around that one last year by basically filling my carry-on with books (totaled ~45lbs) and keeping some $ with me in case i was told they wouldn't accept it. Had two transfers (LA>Chicago>Frankfurt>Warsaw) and no one checked.
I also recommend the moore's flashcards for anatomy. They helped me out a LOT ^_^

I dont see any book list on the school website or anything... I'm wondering if the school teaches out of specific books or require specific books... If not then the books mentioned in these forums should suffice correct?

thanks for everyones help!
you guys give very good information!

Great articles and it's so helpful. I want to add your forum into my rrs reader but i can't find the rrs address. Would you please send your address to my email? Thanks a lot!

Copy books from your friends.. get a bank account with milineum bank..

there is an official list, but not everyone follows it. Some of the books are useless and some are must buys. Here's a link to the one off the Asian prog's (I checked what they have listed for the classes i've already taken and it's the same as our recommendations), and I remember HMI including one in their packet. Still, like i said... some of these (many of these) are useless and in some classes one book is listed and another is used to pull the Q's from so the lists you find here are probably more beneficial than their official list (sad but true).
As for the copying, like I said, there are books that you can't use copies for (netter's atlas being a prime example), but anything without color pics go right ahead and copy (it's also a good way to buy multiple book copies per subject without feeling like you broke the bank if you end up not using one). Another good way to buy is to find ISE's online, just be careful that those are color printed, not b/w ^_~.
As for requiring books, Anatomy most certainly demands you buy the moore's and netter's books (others can be used in a pinch, but those are the bible in that class >_<), and Guyton is just a great (though hefty) physio book... but yeah, overall they don't demand specific books (micro for instance names lange and sherris as possible texts) but you're responsible for knowing your stuff. Personally I've found Lippy to be a wonderful series (lippincott's), even if it's not enough for some classes by itself.
Gah! sry... didn't mean for this to turn into a rant >_<