Plymouth or Rome??

Hiya guys

OK, so basically I'm going to be studying medicine this September (), following the most ridiculously long and arduous process of applying twice (and thinking I was going to have to apply again for a third time!). I currently have an unconditinal offer from Peninsula Medical School - great! you may say, you're sorted!

But no. It seems that I am now torn between going there or going to study medicine at La Sapienza University in Rome. Initially this was a back-up plan, but the more I looked into it the more I warmed to it, until now I am in this stupid position of not being able to decide which to go to!

There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to both, making it harder to weigh up all the factors together. To be honest though, I think I'm leaning towards Peninsula - maybe Rome is just a romantic and reckless notion that most sensible people wouldn't even consider...

I don't know. But any advice or input from you guys would be greatly appreciated! I don't have too long to make my mind up to be honest!

I did my BEng in Computer and Electrical Engineering at La Sapienza (so I don't think I'm gonna be much help, but still I know the city pretty well ) and I'm gonna be starting an MSc in Software Engineering @ York in October.
If you need any advice feel free to PM me

Btw do you speak any Italian? 'Cause I imagine it'll be hard doing a degree in a foreign country even if the course is taught in English.

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Can I ask why you chose to go to Rome instead of studying in the UK? I'm assuming you're British - maybe you have an Italian parent or something?

And no I don't speak much Italian, though yes the course is taught in English. You receive Italian lessons on the side while studying; basically I'd have 3 years to become fluent before the clinical stages of the course start in earnest. A lot of people have told me that this will be enough time to learn, seeing as everybody around me will be speaking it as well. Would you disagree with that??

I am in fact going to Rome for 4 days on the 29th of this month - partly to check it out but also for a well-needed holiday! Its been on top of my must-visit list for a long time! I won't bother asking you whether you enjoy living there, as I reckon I can guess the answer

This is what would worry me the most. Learning enough of a language to 'get by' is completely different to learning enough of a language to do well in the clinical stages of a medical course. Whilst living a in country where the language is spoken is a huge advantage, don't be fooled into thinking 'everybody around me will be speaking it as well' it's likely that the vast majority of the people who you socialise with (or who are around you) will be those from your English language course and the temptation to converse with them in English will always be there. Be prepared to put in a lot of extra work.

I'm Italian, so I wouldn't really know how long it would take for someone who has never even studied it in college to become fluent in it.
The spelling is really easy and we don't have homophones. On the other hand, the grammar is dreadfully difficult. But, since you won't be studying the language in the UK and will be fully immersed in it, I guess learning it might be easier and it might even take less than 3 years (you'll find yourself desperately needing to speak the language properly when you want a bartender to give you all the booze you'll need to get pissed on night-outs ha ha ha ha ha ).
Rome is amazing ... words can't even begin to describe. It's not so much all the history and yada yada. You get used to that after a while, it's just one of the best places on earth to get drunk... did I already mention spirits are really cheap?
Unfortunately, tech firms in Italy are centuries behind (and this is even worse when you aspire to get a CS-related job).

Well yes, this is indeed one of my main concerns: not being competent enough in the language to connect fully with patients and colleagues. Having never been in that position I can't say if its doable. Do you speak from personal experience here?

I have to say, you have brilliant written English for a non-Brit! How long did it take you to get that good??

Cheap booze is certainly a plus point! Anyone with any sense knows how beautiful and vibrant Rome is, but how have you found studying at the uni itself?

I presume a UK medicine degree would be better than an Italian one!

Would the Italian medicine degree be ok in the UK?

The Bologna Process is a series of ministerial meetings and agreements between European countries designed to ensure comparability in the standards and quality of higher education qualifications.
With the Bologna Process implementation, higher education systems in European countries are to be organized in such a way that: