"I came to the Medical Prep course in ÚJOP because I did not cope well at the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University.

The preparatory year gave me enough time to revise as well as learn new skills to take care of myself.

In addition to the English language, I also improved the Czech language enough to travel around the Czech Republic.

I love the fact that the school is located in a spa town. When I realized I will study in a castle on the riverbank, it seemed pretty interesting to me.  

The school organizes lots of events like Christmas, Halloween, or St. Nicholas' day. It helps us to socialize with different people in our diverse community of students from both the English and Czech preparatory programs."

"First, I applied to General Medicine at Charles University directly, but unfortunately, I did not pass. This Pre-Medical course really helped me to prepare for the entrance exam – I can say it now, as I am actually accepted to the university now.

One of our teachers here is actually a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University that I wanted to go to. This is a really big advantage. The teachers and curators are very supportive. They helped me also with my school reports, nostrification, and visa."

"I did not pass my entrance exam to Charles University, but I did not want to give up on my dream. My agency advised me of this Preparatory program.

The course did really help me, as now I have got to the university I wanted. I am confident; I do have more knowledge than I did a year ago.

I find medical ethics really useful, as this topic I have not really learned about previously. We covered practical situations that can happen in the everyday life of a doctor. Now I have the chance to consider different aspects, and I will be able to make a well-thought-out decision faster.

ÚJOP is really flexible - for personal reasons, I could not join the program at the beginning. The staff here is very caring and made sure I felt welcomed and settled down well. I feel ÚJOP is a safe place to be and express myself freely.

My initial expectation was that the preparation year would be long and sad waiting for my university, but I was wrong. It is funny, but I am grateful that I did not get to the university straight away. Now I have more knowledge, more friends that are coming with me to the university. This year was definitely worth it!"

"I applied directly to the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University one year ago. During the exam, I realized there were topics I had never learned at school. I did not pass the exam. I was recommended the preparatory program at ÚJOP CU.

Throughout this year, I have learned subjects and topics I had not covered in biology, chemistry, or physics so far. This knowledge gave me the foundation to pass the entrance exam now, and I have been accepted for next year's studies.

Poděbrady is a nice and safe town. I recommend everyone to come here and study. During the year here, I visited many other places in the Czech Republic, such as Pilsen, Prague, and Hradec Králové. It is easy for foreigners to travel and navigate here. I also had time to go to other countries in Europe. Here we are in the center of Europe, so catching a train, bus, or plane is pretty cheap and easy. During the year, I found a group of new friends who helped me feel at home. We love watching football matches together and having a lot of fun in our free time."

"I was exploring my options to go to universities all over Europe. In the Czech Republic, I found the Faculty of Medicine of Charles University in Hradec Králové. It seemed pretty interesting. But that time it was too late because the admission was closed. So, I was about to lose one year, but I continued my search on the website, and I found the Medical preparatory course.

My main objective was to increase my knowledge and become more aware of the country.

Poděbrady is a small and pretty town; I familiarized myself with the environment: trains, buses, food, communication, banking system. Even though the Czech language is not that easy, with the support of the teacher, I acquired the basic knowledge and can get on with life here easily."

Mika came from Japan to study medicine. In the UJOP Charles University course she prepared for the entrance exams and now she is a student at the university. In a short video she talks about what she liked about the course, and the Czech Republic.

"Physics is highly advanced at UJOP Charles University. When you manage it, you don't need worry about anything anymore. Chemistry and biology are taught by professors from the university, so you study what is really needed."