Surge In Interest In Polish Medical Colleges
Over twenty students were already accepted to Ireland’s favourite Polish medical colleges this year before the Leaving Cert has even finished. Each year more school leavers make a smart choice to add options for their future.
The Leaving Cert exams are on until Friday, 24th June and still cause stress to students and their parents, especially to those who aspire to become doctors, pharmacists or vets. Medical programmes are extremely competitive and difficult to get into. Limited number of places at home at RCS, TCD or UCD increases pressure on students to achieve excellent results at both the Leaving Cert and HPAT exam. In many cases the latter jeopardises their chances to realise their dreams and to increase low number of doctors in Irish hospitals.
Many European countries, including Poland, do not have that extra barrier and despite excellent education systems they offer more accessible entry criteria for applicants. This is one of the reasons why Medical Poland has seen a surge in interest and applications so far this year. “We are expecting a storm in July and August” – says Medical Poland’s prof. Arkadiusz Jawien – famous vascular surgeon and a Head of English Division at Ireland’s favourite Polish medical school in 2015.
Professor Jawien is expected to visit Dublin this summer – again – to select the Irish students for one of the top Polish medical universities. “We are preparing for 40 new Irish students this year. That means over three times more than the last year. Realistic entry requirements are not only reason behind Poland becoming so popular”.
The parents confirm and spread their children’s outstanding experience of Poland. “My son Ross started studying medicine last year and I’ve already been to Bydgoszcz – the 8th largest Polish city that’s the size of Cork – six times. When my son sat his Leaving Cert, he got an A1 in biology, a B1 in physics and a C1 in chemistry, and did not achieve enough points for medicine. The Leaving Certificate is quite heavily weighted towards people with mathematical skills, and people don’t engage with biology on the same level. I don’t think it is the best system in the world by any stretch of the imagination,” said Morgan McCabe.
At the Polish prestigious colleges, the requirements are not solely based on the Irish grading system but on the strength of character and passion to study. That’s why Medical Poland runs a number of information events to introduce Irish students to Polish medical colleges. A special event for accepted students and those interested in studying in the heart of Europe takes place just after the Leaving Cert exams finish, on 25th June at 9.15am in a Polish school based in St. Declan’s College, Ratoath Rd, Dublin 7.