Norwegian student Magnus Lauritzen shares his first impressions of the Czech Republic, student life in Brno, and the ambition that has kept him motivated throughout a demanding six-year medicine degree at Masaryk University.
I’d visited the Czech Republic during trips through central Europe, and was struck by the country’s rich history and traditions.
From Prague, where you find yourself surrounded by amazing architecture, traditional Czech culture and modern city life, you need only go a short distance to reach historic castles, vineyards and small villages with a very different pace of life.
Having researched the university, I decided Masaryk’s international focus and high educational standards made it a good choice for my future.
In addition, Brno is not called the ‘city of universities’ for no reason – with six universities and around 70,000 students, it has a great social atmosphere. You meet people from all around the world, there’s always something cultural going on, and it’s relatively inexpensive compared to many other European cities.
I’m taking a six-year general medicine program, taught in English, which will lead to a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree.
The first three years focus on basic theory in anatomy, chemistry, physiology and biology, while the second part is clinical, focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This is based in the hospital, which is a stimulating learning environment.
I’ve always been interested in working with people, and I like the idea of having the knowledge and experience to make a difference to someone. Working with sick people every day might seem heavy, but for me it provides balance and perspective to experience the outer limits of human life, and see how small things can make a big difference.
The area of medicine I find most interesting is trauma and emergency. This field is very dynamic, and means making big changes in short amounts of time.
It’s a long and demanding study program, requiring a lot of personal motivation and discipline. But for those who want to become a doctor, this is all a natural part of the process towards reaching that goal.
During my studies, I’ve been regularly daydreaming about life as a doctor with the air ambulance team, practicing emergency medicine among the high mountains and deep fjords in Norway.
This has helped keep me motivated during hard exam periods and hours of reading, and since I now find myself close to graduating, hopefully it will soon become a real choice.