A journey to remember
LIFE is a journey with many paths.
Dr Tan, as he wishes to be known, shares his journey as a medical student at the Russian State Medical University better known as Russian National Research Medical University.
He was only 17 when he first arrived in Moscow.
“Everything was in Russian,” he said. “Even the immigration officers spoke only Russian to us. But I did not panic and regret my decision. Instead, I took it as a challenge to learn their language.”
During the semester, on top of learning the basic sciences for pre-medical foundation course, he had to learn Russian.
“We brushed up our Russian so that we could converse with the locals. We tried to befriend Russian students so that we could improve on the language. But today, it is very different in Russia. There are English signboards everywhere. Things have certainly improved over the past decade,” said Dr Tan.
He pointed out that many students are afraid to move abroad.
“They live comfortably at home and do not have the courage to leave their family. But fret not – it is actually part of the process of growing up,” said Dr Tan.
There is a large community of Malaysians and other foreign students studying in Russia, which will help them settle in easily.
“While I was studying in Russia, a Malaysian Students Association was established to help our students there. There is no discrimination among us as we know we are 8,000km away from home and we need to rely on each other to get through our medical studies in Russia,” said Dr Tan.
In terms of education, Russian medical universities have lecturers who are top professors, doctors and medical laureates.
“They are the ones you have the utmost respect for as they have achieved so much in the medical field and yet, they are here to pass their knowledge to us. It has truly been an honour to learn from all the best professors in Russia,” said Dr Tan.
He believed that if students are enthusiastic and proactive in learning, the lecturers will not hesitate to help.
“This is the reason why I felt my seven years in Moscow flew quickly and it was very enjoyable with great friends who helped out during difficult times. I do not regret making my decision to pursue my tertiary education in Russia. If I can enjoy my university life in Russia, why not you?”
■ For further enquiries on entry requirements or application procedure, call 03-7981 1821 or drop by Medic Ed Consultant Sdn Bhd, 19-1 & 19-2, Plaza Danau 2, Jalan 5/109F, Taman Danau Desa, Off Jalan Klang Lama, 58100 Kuala Lumpur.