Located in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, Trakia University (TU) is a regional leader in medical sciences education. With its Medicine and Veterinary schools, TU’s founding ethos of scientific and educational institutional autonomy focuses on excellence in training. Accordingly this then results in medical doctors and veterinarians who can care for the needs of society — regional and international. Because TU is widely recognised for its medical education programmes, their place in international cooperation and contribution is growing annually. Read on to hear about first-year medical student experiences at TU and how SME supported them to study abroad.
Hear From M., First-year medical student, Trakia University.
How are you enjoying the medicine course at TU in Bulgaria?
All in all, “I find the course very captivating,” she says. “My favourite subject is anatomy and that’s because we have loads of resources and materials to learn from.”
How would you describe the teaching culture at TU like for international students in the medicine programme?
She says that the TU faculty are dedicated to all medicine students having a comprehensive grasp of the programme curriculum. Therefore, “We get one-to-one support from professors and they’re always ready to answer our questions whenever we need help.”
How have you adjusted to the culture of Bulgaria as an international student?
Undeniably it is a major shift to study in a different country. Nevertheless support at TU and with SMU makes the adjustment more comfortable. Explicitly, “Communicating with the locals can often be very challenging but we have Bulgarian lessons to help us overcome this.”
Would you recommend the SME services for medicine study in Bulgaria?
For him, SME made a long-term goal a possibility through their recruitment services. He says, “I’d say if you want to achieve your dream of being a medical doctor go with SME they would make your dreams come true.”
What is the TU medical programme curriculum structure?
He says, “There is a lot of practicals embedded in the learning process so we have practicals in the different groups small amount of students in each groups which makes the practical sessions very interesting.” Further to this, he enthuses, “You get to interact with your lecturers who know your name and make it very interesting for you to learn.”
What is student life in Stara Zagora like for you as an international medical student?
In detail, he explains “I find living in Stara Zagora very nice and quiet environment.” Chiefly TU’s small city setting is ideal as, “It’s the perfect environment for studying.”
How did SME help you with navigating the medicine study programme requirements for Bulgaria?
SME services “have been really helpful since the beginning like preparing for the entrance exam” she says. Hence, “Thanks to SME I’ve been able to do the course that I’ve always wanted to do.”
How would you describe living in Stara Zagora as a TU medical student?
“Everything is close by to the university,” she describes. “So you can pretty much walk everywhere or you need to get a taxi then they’re really cheap and there’s lots of cafes where you can study and socialise with friends.”
Has the TU medicine course lived up to your international study expectations?
Overall she says, “I’m finding the course really interesting so far and the professors know a good level of English.” This helps with feeling comfortable and being able to focus on learning. She says, “So it’s easier to understand what they’re teaching you and whenever you have any questions and they’re always ready to answer them.”
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