ENGLISH PARTSurvivingYear OneJAMES CUNLIFFEIfyou ask successful graduates from Medical University ofWarsaw (MUW) which year wasthe toughest, they’ll most likely say the first. The course-load will be difficult, and it will becoupled with the trials and tribulations ofmoving to a new country, adjusting to a differentlife-style, and being far away from home.BERNARD PAWLOWICZThat’s why I’m writing up a battle planfor all of you new-comers! In it you’llfind a bit about how to survive theacademic year, and also my recommendationsfor a great social life at MUW.First, academics. The most challenging classesthat you will encounter in your first yearof MUW will, thankfully, also happen to be themost interesting, and the most rewarding.These are Anatomy, Histology, and, as an addedbonus for the 4-year program, Physiology.Since these are the hardest courses I’dlike to spend a little time on each of them andgive you tips on how to succeed.Anatomy is the hardest of all, and thereforerequires a lot of time and effort. To succeed,go to lectures, and spend your time wisely inthe labs. Touch, feel, prod, and poke the specimens,ask your instructors a lot of questions,do practice exams from LWW question banks,and try to find a little time everyday to memorizethe names of structures. Moore’s Anatomyand your anatomy atlas will be your newbest friends, tagging along everywhere yougo. However, don’t be afraid! This class is superhands-on, and many of you will love thecourse, in particular you future surgeons outthere! Oh, I almost forgot, the top 3-4 studentsin the class get exempt from the finalexam, receive a 5 as final grade (this is equivalentto an A, people), and get to competefor the prestigious Golden Scapula against24ga l en
ENGLISH PARTthe best of the best from the other EnglishDivision anatomy programs across Poland.Pretty sweet if you ask me.Histology is another toughy, also with a labcomponent. Those of you that like workingwith microscopes will enjoy this class. Thoseof you that don’t may find the practical component,where you will have to identify celland tissue types on slides, a little difficult.Most students find that BRS Histology servedthem just fine as a textbook. Put in the timeto study and you will do just fine. As was thecase with anatomy, there is also a final examexemption for histology if a high enough averagegrade is achieved from the intermediates.Shoot for this exemption. You’ll thankyourself for your hard work during finals.Physiology is a class that only pertains to thefreshmen of the 4-year program - don’t feelcheated, 6-years, you get this beauty in yeartwo. It is another well organized, interestingand challenging course. Mastering the physiologyconcepts in this course give a particularsense of achievement, because it is medicinein it’s purest form. BRS Physiology is a greatcompendium to the recommended Guyton’stextbook. The practice questions at the endof each chapter are a fantastic way to preparefor Physiology exams.The last course I’d like to talk about isn’t exactlydifficult, but it’s importance is paramount.This course is Polish Language. I strongly recommendyou wholeheartedly embrace PolishLanguage, and take it seriously. Enjoy it!Approach this class with a particular zeal sinceit will be important for you to be able tocommunicate with your Polish patients comeclinical rotations in upper years. Learning anew language can be difficult without the rightmind-set. Think of it as an investment inyourself and the future.Now, academics aside, let’s talk about how tosurvive at MUW socially. The best advice I cangive to you is to get involved! For example,you can run for the English Division studentgovernment, you can organize a football teamand play for the coveted MUW CalvariaCup, you can help out with our annual clothingdrive, you can write for Galen *coughcough wink wink*, and much more. All MUWevents are advertised on the MUW EnglishDivision Facebook page so make sure to join.Last year, as a noobie on the scene, I sawsomeone post that Team MUWment, ourschool’s running club, was running a 1 0K racein October. I joined, ran with the team, gota medal, and it’s still one of the highlights ofmy first year in medical school.Another great activity to get involved in is theIFMSA’s Let’s Talk. During Let’s Talk, both theEnglish and Polish Division students hang outand practice their language skills on eachother over a pint of beer, or a cold glass ofcola! Is there any better way to learn Polishthan from native speakers? Nope! Trust me,the Polish division students know the valueof a native speaker, and will jump at the opportunityto talk in English with you! I wentout for one of these meetings early in my firstsemester, and I got to meet the coolest PolishDivision students ever. These same Poleshave become some of my closest friendsin Warsaw. It’s important to expand your connectionswhile studying here in order to notfeel isolated and trapped in this big city andLet’s Talk is a great place to meet people in arelaxed atmosphere. Great conversationsare a guarantee.Another piece of advice, and this can’t be emphasizedenough, is to please delve into thedepths of knowledge, and experience that isoffered to you by your fellow peers studyingin the upper years at MUW. They have gonethrough exactly what you’re going through,and know how hard it can be. I have nevermet an upper year student that wasn’t willingto help me out if I had a question or concern.Take advantage of their experience and expertise.It will save you a lot of headaches. Youwill meet some of the upper year studentsduring orientation, but also during MUWevents, and at Tortilla Factory, which has becomethe de facto bar of choice for the EnglishDivision.In conclusion, if you set aside the appropriateamount of time to study with a particularfocus on the tougher subjects, and if you don’tforget to relax and get involved in MUW’s socialevents, you WILL survive your first year atthe Medical University of Warsaw and love it.Go for it, and good luck!ga l en 25
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