I come from the city of Chennai, India, the administrative center of the Tamil Nadu state. Now I am in my sixth year at the Pediatric University in Saint Petersburg, and I am getting accreditation to become a physician with a university degree. I am planning to pursue a residency program in Ophthalmology. I dream of becoming an ophthalmic surgeon.
There were no physicians in my family, and I will be the first one. When I realized that my desire to help people determined my choice of profession, my family supported me. A friend of mine, who then studied at one of the Saint Petersburg universities, advised me to go to Russia. He told me about the Pediatric University and said that it is one of the best medical universities in Russia. The tuition fees turned out to be quite reasonable, with high-quality training. That’s how I found myself here.
In the beginning, I had some difficulties, because I didn’t speak Russian. I studied the language throughout the first year, and my Russian was getting better with each passing year. Now I speak well enough to successfully communicate with the people around me.
If I decide to come back to India after graduation, I will have to pass exams in test format, in other words, undergo a three-stage accreditation. I think that all countries follow this process. After you complete your studies at the Pediatric University, it is not so difficult to obtain accreditation because the level of theoretical and practical knowledge, that I acquired here, is very high. My acquaintances, who graduated from this university, easily passed all the tests in their home country.
My friends ask me whether to apply to the Pediatric University or not. I write to my compatriots that they definitely should apply. Our teachers treat international students very well. Studying is not easy, but then you will become a good specialist. Besides, we have the opportunity to pursue an English-taught program.
I’ve had plenty of awesome impressions during my university years. Saint Petersburg is the most beautiful city in the world. I’ve made a lot of friends. These are my fellow students and students from other universities. I used to live in a dormitory, but later it became possible to live in rented accommodation. What I like most about the university is the Russian people and their kind attitude. Russians are kind-hearted and are happy to help with some issues or challenges. My plans for the near future are to continue my studies and stay and work in Russia.
