Life in a Polish Med school
2nd year of 6 year stuff.
CalendariCalendar iCalendar file, you can import it to Google Calendars or whatever other calendar program you might use.
Cytology.ppt Cytology Power Point.
Gaz Transport 07.pdfOxygen & Carbon Dioxide Exchange and Transport presentation in PDF format.
Hematoopoiesis presentation
Histology Lab Topics, page 1
Histology Lab Topics, page 2
Histology Lab Topics, page 3
Histology Lab Topics, page 4
Sociology as a discipline presentation
Symbolism in medicine (History of Medicine)
Transport across cell membrane (Physiology)
News for New Students!
There were few questions posted on facebook that I could not type answer to because of the limit of 1000 characters, so i'm writing them here.Banks
There are a few banks in Lodz, including what i believe is a Citibank. Many students choose to use ING bank because it's a little more internationally known, including here in the US. The school also has an account at ING, which make deposits for make up classes and tests a little easier. Personally, I use Compass bank because of their free ATM world wide. For grocery purchases, I started using my American Express cards, and will continue to do so. Points are good!
Shopping
Distance to the shopping centers is a little relative. You can walk to some of the shopping centers like Tesco or Real (formally Geant), but it's not like walking across the street. Most of us take the public busses (you'll be assisted in getting a bus pass!) to get around to the different shopping centers.
Most of your groceries will be bought at Real or Tesco, and you'll find the prices are cheaper then here in the US. Remember, the exchange rate is around 1 Dollar to every 3 Zloty (As of this writting, it's 1 to 2.79). While stocking up on groceries, it wasn't uncommon to buy more then 100 zloty worth of groceries, but that means you've spent around 30-40 US dollars.
There are a few malls for other shopping and of course P-street, which i'm sure everyone has read about on the website. P-street is very big, and it is a place we spent a lot of leisure time there.
There should be a tour of the city on the 29th which will take all new students to these areas. I can't promise you it'll actually happen, but i'm pretty sure there will be.
Dorm Life
Dorm life is pretty hectic. For those of you that have never lived in a college dorm like setting, prepare yourself! There's usually something going on, and always somebody somewhere trying to study. We all live in an international dorm with students from everywhere! It's certainly one of the most interesting and most fun places I've ever lived.
Within walking distance is the Polish student dorm, Lumumby, quite a lot larger then ours. There you'll find night clubs, shops to buy a some odds and ends, and a few restaurants. When winter hits, this is where you'll find most people going since it is within walking distance, which makes the cold a little easier to take.
The dorms themselves are not bad, though you might find yourself a little intimidated driving up to it. The water is okay to drink, though you might want to pick up a brita filter. The beginning of last year we had an eatery at the bottom of the dorm, though they guy left the second semester for whatever reason. I'm told he was unable to afford the rent. Hopefully he'll be back.
Each floor has a washer and dryer, and they are free to use. At the request of everyone in the dorm, PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY WASH CYCLE LONGER THEN ONE HOUR. Lots of us have clothes to wash too! For the American students, you will find these washers and dryers much smaller then what you might find at home, just to warn you.
The kitchen is sparse, but functional. You will need to buy your own cooking equipment and dishes. Please try to keep the kitchen clean. There is a cleaning lady that comes in every weekday morning, but not on weekends and holidays.
Other Recommendations
For the 6 year students:
Buy the anatomy books. The Netter's Atlas and the Clinically Oriented Anatomy. I also found that most of the neuro anatomy books had something to offer and helped in studying. Also, you might consider buying the Anatomy BRS and the Neuroanatomy BRS.
I do not recommend buying any of the other books. I don't think i opened any other single book the entire time i was there. If you do think you'll need a book, buy all means buy it! We had several Medical Book Fairs last year where we could purchase any of the books needed for class. It's also very likely that you'll be able to buy books from older students. I know i have several books that I'd easily let go!
Be prepared to study and learn without a lot of assistance from the professors, and don't be discouraged if you have no idea what's going on in class. The younger professors in the labs are great help, such as the biology lab and the anatomy lab, but don't expect a lot of help in the actual lecture rooms. Chemistry and Anatomy are by far the best taught classes, and even then it's difficult. The anatomy lab professors are a great source of information and will help you as much as possible.
For the 4 year students:
I'm not sure what books you guys should get, but i do know my recommendations on the anatomy books are true. As for the other books, i have no idea. I'll try to get more information.
If anyone has any specific questions, please feel free to drop me a line! You can either email me, john at parastie dot com, or you can post a comment. I'll try to get to them as soon as i can.
-John