Part 1 - All about the University
Timestamps
What Are the Timetables like for the English Med Course?
If you’re a first year medical student, you have to be present for lectures that go from morning until the afternoon, typically 9am to 6pm. From second year onwards lectures are usually in the afternoon since there are hospital practicals in the morning. You also need to have at least 75{bb8d53cabbfbfa48737bbedab9cb9b55bf5183c8f56cc8e5fd88b7a4065b00a7} mandatory attendance for each class.
What is the Clinical Experience for International Medical Students like?
There’s one week of rotations in the hospital in first year. From third year onwards there are four to six weeks dedicated to clinical experience focused on internal medicine, general surgery and public health. You can also choose which ward you want to have experience on; you just need to check the schedule of the ward and check the availability of slots that are usually prioritised for students from upper years.
How do the Exams Work in UniTo?
We have dedicated sessions like the rest of Italy, and usually up to 7 dates a year per exam: the first session is in January and February, then an April one and then a few across June, July, and September. The last exam session is in December. A valuable piece of information is that you can only take an exam three times a year. You don’t have to repeat the year if you don’t pass it, but it’s clearly gonna put you behind schedule.
Regarding the modality of the exams, in the first two years, it’s almost 50{bb8d53cabbfbfa48737bbedab9cb9b55bf5183c8f56cc8e5fd88b7a4065b00a7} oral and 50{bb8d53cabbfbfa48737bbedab9cb9b55bf5183c8f56cc8e5fd88b7a4065b00a7} written but after that it’s heavily oral based like the rest of Italy.
Even if you have written exams, you must pass them only to attend the oral which is the deciding part.
What are the Average Tuition Fees in University of Turin?
The highest amount you can pay is around 2800 euros a year. Depending on your financial situation you could end up paying only 156 euros every year.
What are the Scholarship Options?
There’s a regional institution that offers scholarships that are either merit based ( so you have to reach a certain amount of credits each year to be eligible), or needs based where you need to present all of the required documents.
The scholarships vary and go from having a place in the dorm, to reduced university fees or even free meals at the canteen.
How much does Accommodation Cost?
The prices of rent in the centre of Turin are around 400 euros for a private room or 600 euros for a private apartment. However these are essentially the starting prices, Turin is a very progressive city and definitely not cheap to live in.
An important thing to consider is that the English programme for Medicine & Surgery is not located in Turin city centre, so costs will generally be cheaper the closer you are to university.
Class Dynamics & Quality of Professors
The classes are super diverse, with people from any age and background. Around 60{bb8d53cabbfbfa48737bbedab9cb9b55bf5183c8f56cc8e5fd88b7a4065b00a7} of the people are Italian and the rest is international students from all over the world.
Since the English course is new in Turin, there are often problems with the organisation and schedule so you need to be involved in classroom discussions to stay on top of it.
When it comes to professors, there’s a slight struggle presented by the English language and preparing and delivering materials for the course, you might end up having to look up resources yourself. However the Dean is very invested and helpful, and working to improve the situation every year.
Sports & Canteen Facilities
There’s a football field at the hospital and people can go jogging in the park of the university. In the city centre there are a lot of different sports facilities that are mostly situated in the San Paolo neighbourhood.
Private dorms also often have gyms inside of them.
Teaching Facilities
The hospital is situated 40 minutes by bus from Turin city centre, and is actually located in another small town called Orbassano. This small campus is now dedicated to the English medicine programme.
We have classrooms, histology & microbiology labs, as well as a simulation centre there.
It has its own library, but of course you can visit the libraries of the other departments in the city if you want to do some extra lectures or attend events.
Are there language requirements or courses?
The university in the past did not offer an Italian language course to the students of the international programme. However that has recently changed, and there are now classes provided with a focus on Medical terminology in Italian. Students can also avail of classes from private institutions that are located in the city centre that are more reasonably priced compared to the university.
There is a requirement to provide an English proficiency certificate after enrolment.
Part 2 - All about the City
How Did You Prepare for the IMAT?
I prepared on my own because I took several IMAT courses and didn’t like their structures. In fact, I did the exam twice, and learned from my own mistakes. When I was granted admission,I started helping friends and family with the exam. I used my high school books as a primary source since my studies were in alignment with the IMAT topics.
Ecem does private tutoring for interested prospective medical students. You can contact her from her instagram here.
Why Study in University of Turin?
The city is very student friendly. There are thousands of students in prestigious universities like the Politecnico. There’s also so much history, lots of museums, you can go hiking and there are various chill restaurants and cafes.
You should come here if you’re looking for a city that’s young but not too crowded. There are a lot of international students with a prominent erasmus scene.
Do You Need to Know Italian?
The hard truth about Italy is that you generally need to learn Italian to thrive here. The university offers two months of Italian lectures in the first two years for international students. It’s particularly important to be able to communicate with patients when you’re doing rotations.
A Brief Overview of the City
The city has a rich culture and history, being known for its numerous art galleries, churches, opera houses, theatres, and other venues. Turin is not well connected to other countries though, you usually need to travel to Milano with a bus or a train for 15 euros.
It’s a very safe city, but you need to be wary of landlords when you’re moving because with the influx of students there is a chance they could try to scam you by asking you for payment before meeting for example. You need to be very careful and maybe get an Italian friend to help!
The Weather
In the summer it’s hot and dry so you should count on not spending it here, during the year it’s pretty chill without getting too cold to the point that’s uncomfortable.
Different Activities for Students
The most important tool to find events and activities here is Facebook, there are countless groups for students for every activity you can imagine. Italian students use it a lot.
There’s a huge number of gyms and swimming pools and cute places to go hiking, but using Facebook you can even create your own event and students from all over the city will join you.
Getting around Rome Turin
There’s no metro but we have buses and trams, for which a monthly ticket costs around €30 euro. You can move inside the city with a bike, but biking from the city centre to the hospital in Bassano everyday is incredibly unrealistic. You are going to need to use public transportation to get there.
Cost of Living in Turing for an International Medical Student
There’s a very diverse scene, but it’s generally cheaper than Milan. You can expect to pay around €10 euros for a cocktail or around €3 euros for a beer.
A proper meal at a restaurant doesn’t exceed €20-25 euros usually, but it really depends on the places you go to.
The cost of living is pretty average compared to other Italian cities, but it is still in the North so don’t expect things to be on the cheaper side.