University of Pécs Medical School - pte
speciality: Medicine And Surgery

I have been studying Medicine in English at the University of Pécs, and my experience has been quite mixed. There are definitely things I appreciate about the university, but there are also several aspects that have been frustrating for me as an international student.

One of the things I appreciate is that there are some really kind, supportive, and knowledgeable professors and instructors. Some teachers genuinely care about students, explain difficult material well, and are willing to help when students have problems. I have had some very positive experiences with individual lecturers and seminar instructors.

However, the quality of teaching and communication can be very inconsistent. Some instructors have difficulty communicating effectively in English, which can be particularly challenging when studying Medicine, where understanding precise terminology and explanations is extremely important. Since the program is advertised and taught in English for international students, I think a consistently high level of English communication should be expected.

Another issue I have experienced is what I perceive as preferential treatment toward Hungarian students compared with international students. As an international student, sometimes I have felt that our concerns are not given the same level of attention. This is particularly frustrating because international students pay substantial tuition fees, and many of us have made a significant financial and personal commitment to study here.

I have also personally encountered situations where I felt that the behavior or attitude of certain staff members toward international students was discriminatory or insensitive. I don’t think this represents every professor or employee, but it is something that has negatively affected my experience.

One of my biggest concerns is the structure of prerequisites and exams. Some subjects are prerequisites for several subsequent subjects, so failing one important exam can prevent a student from progressing normally. In some circumstances, this can effectively result in having to repeat a semester or even an entire academic year. For an international student, that can mean not only losing a significant amount of time but also paying another large amount of tuition. I find this system particularly stressful because one unsuccessful exam can have consequences far beyond that individual subject.

There are also administrative issues that can make university life unnecessarily difficult. Registration, course groups, exams, and communication with different departments can sometimes be confusing, and students may have to contact several people to resolve relatively simple problems.

Overall, I would say that my experience at the University of Pécs has been a combination of very good individual teachers and a system that can be frustrating and stressful. I have met professors who I genuinely respect and appreciate, but I also think there is room for significant improvement in communication, administrative support, consistency of teaching quality, and the experience of international students.

If I had to summarize my experience in one sentence: I appreciate many of the people and the academic opportunities at the university, but the inconsistent teaching, administrative difficulties, and some experiences as an international student have made my overall university experience more difficult than I expected.