SPbU student Nicole: "The choice was made in a matter of hours. I have no regrets now"

Medical majors require a lot of hard work and patience — what attracted you to dentistry in particular? What are the defining features of this profession? 

I got into medicine almost by accident. Prior to that, I attended journalism Preparatory Courses at SPbU. I liked everything very much, but medicine was it for me. I prepared for the exams from scratch in six months. At the time, I applied to another university, because I didn’t know about the Faculty of Medicine at SPbU. I didn’t know which specialisation to choose either, so I applied for both General Medicine and Dental Medicine. The choice was made in a matter of hours. I have no regrets now. Dentistry is a high responsibility profession and involves both mental and manual work. 

Why did you choose the SPbU residency programme? 

A friend of mine transferred from her university to SPbU at one point. Her impressions were nothing but positive. She talked about the quality of teaching and the attitude towards students. That was very encouraging. I also liked the residency placements available and the variety of training options.

There is currently a growing interest among international applicants and students in medical education in Russia. Today, SPbU offers the following undergraduate medical programmes in English: "Nursing", "Dental Medicine", "General Medicine".

Was it difficult to pass the entrance exams and process all the documents? 

The admissions staff were very attentive and answered all of my questions promptly, not only about documents but also about deadlines and site navigation. It was very helpful. 

What are your first impressions of the programme? What are its advantages? 

Freedom, freedom, freedom. After receiving the residency placement, I was allowed to just get to work. It was very convenient to stay in the process of active learning while the rest of the subjects could be done remotely. I really respect this approach. 

What does a residency involve? What subjects are you studying, have you started clinical practice? 

Clinical practice began one month after the start of training. From the very first day of my clinical practice at the City General Hospital No. 2 (ГМПБ № 2) I got to work. The mentors are very helpful and really teach us how to work with our hands as well as our heads. What could be more important to a surgeon?

If you feel comfortable sharing, how are you doing academically? What comes easily and what takes some work? 

It is all a matter of attitude. I am slowly building up my skills. I can say that, for the first time, I enjoy going to work (I like to think of it as working, not studying). If you put your heart into it, there are no barriers. 

What difficulties might an international student encounter on this programme? How can they deal with them? 

I haven’t encountered any difficulties. International students in residence are not isolated, but included in the process. In the first few weeks as a team we didn’t even know who was local and who was from another city or country. 

What hobbies and leisure activities help you take a break from your studies? 

Myself and other residents spend a lot of time away from our placement. Friends, travel and foreign languages are also good distractions. 

Do you have any plans for after your residency? 

I am thinking about doing a second specialisation at SPbU or starting my own dental practice. For the time being, I want to work in Russia, develop my skills and learn from our surgeons. But I don’t really plan that far into the future. 

What advice would you give to international applicants who want to study at SPbU?

If you’re interested, come on over! Don’t hesitate! Here you’ll find support from the administration, faculty, and other students. On top of that, the SPbU Faculty of Medicine is located in the historic centre of the city, on a beautiful island. This is the best place to fall in love with your profession and with Russia. Go for it! Good luck!