I am in my final semester of a 5½-year veterinary medicine degree programme in Warsaw University of Life Sciences.
Growing up on an organic suckler farm, studying veterinary medicine was always at the back of my head, and after a year of studying maths, music and Nua Ghaeilge in UCD I made the decision to apply for the program in Warsaw University of Life Sciences.
I chose Warsaw based on its large Irish student population, the fact that I already knew some people studying there and that the degree is accredited by the Veterinary Council of Ireland and the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education.
Entrance was based upon receiving minimum grades in your Leaving Certificate and passing an entrance exam which takes place in Ireland.
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To be honest I did not find it that difficult to settle into life in Warsaw owing to the number of like-minded students in the course. Students from older years helped us transition and were able to help and guide us along the way.
The backbone of our Irish community at the university is our GAA Club Cumann Warszawa, which for the past year I have been chairman.
Our club not only provides physical recreation for students of all nationalities but also acts as a great catalyst for social events and making friends.
As a club, we also have excellent support from the Irish Embassy in Warsaw and the Irish Polish Chamber of Commerce which regularly involve us in their events to display Irish culture in Poland.
One great advantage of studying in Warsaw is that the university provides guaranteed dormitory-style student accommodation for the entirety of the programme. This is a great advantage as it allows students to integrate right from the beginning of the course.
While private accommodation of a high standard is readily available and affordable I would always recommend to prospective students that living in the dormitories is a must in their first year as it is the best way to make friends and very often it makes studying easier as many people will buddy up for study with the people they live with.
Warsaw offers a great value metropolitan lifestyle with a wide range of cultural and social events on offer. Being based in the middle of continental Europe allows for great travel links, be it by taking a night train to Vienna for the weekend or a short flight to travel to one of our Gaelic football tournaments.
The thing that I am most grateful for over the past five years is the international friendships that I have made.
By studying abroad on an international degree programme, I have been given the opportunity to make life friendships not only with the more than 200 Irish students studying alongside me but also with other nationalities ranging from Scandinavia to the Middle East to India.
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