18.9.10

Sup Freshman!?

Am I the cool, older, experienced dude....? Or, am I the creepy, older, loser dude?

Life of a medical student here in Debrecen, is a bit different than how it is in the U.S... I think. I of course am not a medical student neither here, nor there. Medical school here is huge. I would almost go as far as comparing it to the Eller business school at the UofA. Most students begin medical school immediately after they finish high school, and admission into the program is far less competitive than in the U.S. There are 600 first year students. 300 Hungarian students, and 300 international students. Only about 50% of those first year students will continue on with their second year of medical school, and I assume the numbers continue to dwindle as they progress through the 6 year program. It is quite easy to explain the high rate of failure in medical school here. These 'kids' are too young to be starting an intense educational program such as studying medicine, regardless of how big their aspirations are and how serious their dedication is. They are freshman... I met a kid who just turned 18 LAST WEEK and if all goes as planned, he will be a physician when he is 23. Sure he was a cool guy and I'm sure smart enough to get through the books, but that is still frightening to me.

Hanging out with these guys has allowed me to realize just how thankful I am for my education experience thus far. Nope, I can no longer name the 206 bones in the human body or list the source and target of all the digestive enzymes. BUT, one thing that a bachelors degree did do for me was allow my immature mind and self to develop and settle to be where it is today without added disturbances of the 'real world.' A process that these kids are forced to rush through as they attend professional school.

The question, however, remains. The reactions of the Korean, Norwegian, Japanese, French, Pakistani, English, Swedish, German and Hungarian students that I have met so far lead me to think that I am the cool, older, experienced dude. But in my mind, I'm not too sure.

BA-out

4 comments:

  1. shut up ben. you know what i'm scared of? 16 year olds behind the wheel. i think european countries have it down pat. 18 to drive, 16 to drink.

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  2. ya, we were all talking about that. it is wickedy whack.

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  3. YOU ARE! YOU ARE!
    A COOL DUDE AND A GREAT THOUGHTFUL GUY
    I LOVE YOU
    GRAMMA

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  4. Crazy sheet BA. Putting things in perspective while learning a significantly diverse culture. Dig It!!

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