I have been studying human medicine in Riga in the first semester since February 2018. In 2016 I finished my Abitur with a 1.6 NC in Lower Saxony. I had art, German and geography as advanced courses. I didn’t have chemistry or physics at all, math only as a skinner and bio as a written examination subject, at a basic level. After that I worked, did a 2 month nursing internship and traveled for almost 5 months. After my TMS was too bad and I again couldn’t get a place to study in Germany, I decided to apply abroad in autumn 2017. I only applied in Riga because the selection for the summer semester was relatively low abroad and I have already heard positive things about studying there from many acquaintances. During my internet research I came across MicroEDU, which responded very quickly and answered all of my questions.

application

Then the application phase began, MicroEDU sent me an information catalog in German, which I quickly worked through and completed and applied for everything that was necessary. I had to take an official English test because I hadn’t taken English at high school, had certificates and internship certificates translated and certified, a letter of motivation was written in English and two people asked two people to write me a letter of recommendation in English. I then scanned the whole thing and emailed it to MicroEDU, when I had their “ok” I sent the original papers in the corresponding stamped envelopes to MicroEDU, who then forwarded all applications to Stradins University in Riga.

In the middle of December, I received my confirmation by email and later also by post. I accepted the study place, transferred the money on time and received regular emails from the university. There were additional tips for starting your studies. About one to two weeks before Orientation Week began, we were informed of the study groups and timetables.

I also called MicroEDU over and over again when I had questions. I felt very well supported during the entire application phase and found it reassuring to know that I always have a contact person in Germany who can help me with any problems. Fortunately, this has not been necessary so far, so that I have actually had no contact with MicroEDU since the beginning of my studies, apart from their inquiries about our well-being in Riga et cetera. According to Abbreviationfinder, RSU is the abbreviation of Riga Stradins University.

Apartment search and introduction

I myself was in Riga twice before starting my studies, in September for the university’s open day and to get to know the city, and in early January to visit apartments and shared apartments. Both of these things helped me personally because I had a home right away when the orientation week began and I already had a good orientation in the city. However, many of my fellow students were there for the first time at the start of their studies and had no problems whatsoever. The search for an apartment is uncomplicated via Facebook. However, it is advisable to visit the apartment before signing the contract. On average, you pay around € 330 per month for a nice room in a shared apartment.

I like the city itself very much, it is very green and has two rivers in the center. The pub scene is lively and well attended, including by international medical students. Public transport is also well developed and the size of the city is very convenient. A lot can be reached on foot and the old town is beautiful.

The University

The quality of the university I can bad judge, compare respectively but personally, I like it that we learn in small, so-called “Study Groups” and the university has a large share of international students from around the world, even if we Germans on the number predominate. The atmosphere is very familiar, everyone is open, helpful and very friendly, interesting people.

The course is very learning and time-intensive and also strenuous, but it is still a lot of fun and leisure life is not neglected. The sports program of the university in my opinion is distributed not the best, but there are plenty of gyms in the city, and the ability to squash a, climbing, bouldering, tennis et cetera. However, swimming is very expensive compared to Germany. We are obliged to learn Latvian at the university and will also be tested, but for Germans it is relatively easy to learn the language, even if it is annoying with all of the other medical subjects.