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Review from: Teaching Level category
lectures are not very stimulating
In my opinion, lectures are not very stimulating. It might be due to the English level of the professors (which is not always excellent) or due to a need for renewal of the modality. This is sad because they actually take a lot of time and have a high potential. I think maybe putting the knowledge in a more concrete situation would help in making them more appealing.
The English level of the professors is very limiting in some cases, so that they have to read the whole lecture to keep up with what they need to say.
Review from: Exams category
too many exams are multiple question format
In my opinion, too many exams are multiple question format. Some more of them should be oral, since that type of exam requires a different kind of study and a deeper final knowledge.
In any case, the exams are always on time and rigorous with what the professor explained.
Review from: School Organisation category
The overall organization of the university is satisfying.
I think the main problem with organization is the fact that we don't have many libraries and rooms for studying with friends, but this is being solved with the campus della salute. The overall organization of the university is satisfying.
Review from: The City category
there is sufficient night life on specific days
The city is a bit small, but there is sufficient night life on specific days. Most of the population consists in students. Costs are not as high as the ones in Milan, but still life is not considerable to be cheap.
The weather is for the most part foggy.
Public transportation is very cheap but after 8 am there are none, if not on call.
Review from: University Services category
I don't usually frequent the cafeteria
I don't usually frequent the cafeteria, because for students without the edisu scholarship is a bit expensive. However, the food is good and the portions are big enough.
Many services offer students discounts, including some sports teams and gyms.
Libraries are excellent places where to study, the issue is there are not enough spots. They are opening new ones, as mentioned before.
Review from: Population category
they are pleasant.
People know how to speak in English, at least the basics. People in Pavia are not the classic Italian extroverts, still they are pleasant.
Review from: Accommodation category
The agency is available for any issue and cheap
I live in an apartment with 5 other girls and it is amazing. The agency is available for any issue and cheap. I know other students have completely different experiences.
Review from: Teaching Level category
The teaching level is highly variable.
The teaching level is highly variable. There are very few professors who have impeccable
English. You will often encounter professors that won't know how to translate an Italian medical
term and will 'make up' a translation on the spot and believe it to be right (meaning, they'll
slightly warp the Italian word to "sound" English). Sometimes it is not their fault, as there are a
number of medical terms that do not actually have an English counterpart - in that case, of
course said terms won't be that relevant for practical purposes, though it doesn't necessarily
mean they won't be asked at the exam. This said, overall there are not many issues when it
comes to understanding what is being taught.
Lectures are almost always based on PowerPoint presentations. In some cases, these slides
can be extremely useful as study material, and generally students have access to them. There
are few instances where knowing the content of the slides is enough to pass exams. From year
3/4 onwards, this hardly ever happens. Essential study material is usually based on what is
being taught in class and other sources for all the topics the professor won't have time to teach
(frequent!). Books that are suggested by professors are often meant for residents that are
studying that specific branch of medicine, which means they have a lot of redundant information
and not what you need to know for the actual exam. Sometimes it's altogether not clear what
one has to study for a specific exam. We mainly rely on the experience of older students, but in
some cases it can be easier to understand what a professor wants by attending lectures.
Lectures are almost always clear.
There are a few professors that are very good at teaching. Most are alright and available
enough, but again, lectures will be entirely focused on theory, even when it comes to semiotics.
There has been an instance of professors not showing up for a huge number of lectures, but
generally the schedule is followed. Professors can often be late because of clinical duties. In
general there's huge flexibility of starting times (a lecture said to start at 4 pm can either start at
4, 4.15 or even much later; you will not know beforehand). The same goes for exams.
Sometimes residents teach instead of whatever professor assigned to the course, but not so
frequently.
Review from: Exams category
Exams are highly dependent on who is examining you.
Exams are highly dependent on who is examining you, even for the same subject. You won't
necessarily be examined by the professor(s) who taught you, there may be residents or other
doctors doing it with them or in their stead. Grading is extremely variable because of this. Our
grades go from 18 to 30 (getting less than 18 means failing, they won't even assign a number).
With the same amount of knowledge, you may get a 22-24 with an examiner and 28-30 with
another. Sometimes the difference is less, but it is nevertheless very subjective. Furthermore,
oral exams are usually based on answering just a few questions, so they're very reliant on luck.
If you study hard you will have good grades for sure, but I wouldn't call the system as a whole
fair. Written exams on the other hand can be unreliable if the question bank is known by
students beforehand (students will only study for those specific questions); in some cases it's
also possible to cheat. But this is really not the bulk of the exams you'll be taking anyways.
Exams can be taken as many times as you wish, and every student decides when to take them
(given a set of pre-established dates in: January, February, June, July, September, December). I
think this is quite good compared to countries where it isn't allowed. On the other hand, not
having clear deadlines can facilitate procrastination. There are organisational issues with exam
dates and official recording of grades that can lead to unnecessary anxiety. Sometimes the
exam date can be moved a few days later (or more rarely, earlier) without much notice.
However, in general it is possible to discuss and reach an agreement with professors when it
comes to exam date issues. Some professors also allow students to unofficially sit for their
exam in other months, only to officially record the grade later (ex. having an extra date in May
that will be recorded in June). This is just them helping students out, they're not required to do it.
No one knows how long it will take to be examined in an oral exam. If there are many students
that have to be tested, you could even wait the whole day and find out at the end that you'll only
be tested the next day. For written exams, you have a much more reliable idea of the time
commitment. Professors can be late sometimes.
There are some oral exams where you'll have to be tested in front of a large number of
students, which can be a big deal if you're easily anxious.
Last but not least, exams are often grouped with other exams in what we call "modules".
Sometimes you have to pass all the exams in the module within a given time frame; if you don't,
you'll have to retake all of them, also those that you've already passed.
It is also worth mentioning that our course requires you to pass all exams by December (ex. if
you start year 3 in October 2022, you have to pass all year 3 exams by December 2023). If you
don't, you'll have to repeat the year (you'll be in year 3 again from October 2023 to September
2024, if we use the previous example), but you won't necessarily have to retake exams you've
already passed.
Review from: School Organisation category
It's hard to find something positive
It's hard to find something positive. As mentioned previously, there are constant issues with
study plans and sometimes official recording of exam/module grades. There's faulty equipment
in classrooms, unclear whether that is a money or organisation issue or both. Rotations are
currently being assigned blindly with repeated revisions due to mistakes in the schedule, not
taking into account student preferences or even requirements to graduate, though we can only
hope the situation will improve once the post-pandemic chaos is over. In the hospital, oftentimes
doctors are not even aware they have been assigned students.
At times, when students collectively ask the university what they have access to or can do, it
seems like no one knows the answer.
Rotations are taken into account when it comes to scheduling lectures, but there are still issues
with the two partly overlapping (we usually have rotations in the morning and lectures in the
afternoon). Rotations are also currently held in exam months (could change in the future), and
it's completely random whether you're unlucky enough to have them in said exam months.
It has happened before that professors didn't know they had to teach that day, but it's not a
frequent occurrence.
We don't have enough opportunities to gain practical experience, I think both because of
organisational issues and lack of space (too many students in the hospital) and available
instructors.
However, it's good that we have public transport that is quite frequent during hospital/lecture
hours and so cheap. We also have many available study rooms and libraries, and canteens,
stationery/printing stores. All of it is very close, so the loss of time is minimal. There are also
plenty of university residences and, considering the size of the city, opportunities to practice
sports for students. Riding a bike to university is also relatively accessible (considering Italian
standards).
Review from: Clinical Rounds category
I've seen a few hospital wards so far
I'm giving a 2.5 rating because you really can find many residents that are willing to help you
out, and by following them around you can learn a few things about their daily troubles (and
therefore your future ones as well). However, older doctors often either ignore you or, if you're
unlucky, take their anger out on you (and the residents).
There are very few opportunities to do something yourself. The most I've done so far (I'm
attending year 5 rotations) is taking blood pressure and auscultation of the lungs. Depending on
the ward, doctors are more busy typing patients' histories or attending to bureaucracy-related
matters than visiting patients. In the OR that is not the case, but of course you're only there to
observe and surgeons are quite too busy to teach you.
The problem with the "instructors" is that there are none. The doctors may as well be good at
their job, but they've not been trained to teach students, and they don't.
The hospital itself isn't that bad in terms of equipment, but again it depends on the ward. In one
ward I've seen there was a huge issue with malfunctioning computers and printers running out
of ink, plus there weren't enough rooms to visit patients in (meaning residents had to wait in the
corridor for one of their colleagues to be done with their patient, to then use the room for their
own visit). There is a private health facility to which students are sometimes assigned that is
allegedly much better in terms of organisation, equipment and the likes; but I've only been there
as a patient.
Everyone in the hospital speaks in Italian and they don't even have time / will to teach in Italian,
so you really should not expect them to teach you anything in English. Some doctors / residents
may tell or ask you a couple of things in English, but I would not rely on it. A lot of them may not
even be capable of speaking English well enough, will aside.
Currently, in year 5 we have around 4 months of rotations. At the time, in year 3 I had 2 weeks
of rotations. I don't think the quantity is an issue, but the quality definitely is. Not being followed
and actively taught, been shown how to visit patients and then guided while we try to examine
them ourselves - these are all important things that are missing and that cause all of us to feel
and be incompetent.
Review from: The City category
I'm personally happy with the city
I'm personally happy with the city, but I think this is a very individual preference. Pavia is quite
small, things are less chaotic and there is a smaller likelihood of being harassed in the streets
compared to, for example, Milan. The cost of living is also less than it would be in Milan, but
compared to other Italian cities it would be higher.
Rent is usually around 300 euros/month for a single room in a shared apartment, 400 to 500
euros/month to have your own small flat. However, I've heard that lately prices have
skyrocketed, so it may be worse when you get here. Living in a university residence can even
be free if you get a scholarship, or it can be significantly cheaper. There are however toxic
environments in some of these residences, so it would be good to ask which ones are the best
beforehand.
I would say we pay around 40 euros per person every 2 months for electricity, though again it
may increase. Whether you have to pay for gas or not depends on what kind of cooker you
have, but the expense is lower than that of electricity. The water bill is usually included in the
rent. The tax we pay for rubbish (TARI) depends on the size of the apartment, but it would be
around 200 euros/year per flat (if you have a flatmate, that would be 100 each).
WiFi, around 25+ euros per month, if you choose to install it; it's convenient only if you share a
flat and therefore the cost. Furthermore, it only makes sense if you plan to stay in the same flat
for more than a year.
For food and other expenses, I would say 200 euros/month could be a conservative estimate
(essentially only food/house stuff and no going out, but without being too stingy). This highly
depends on your own eating and spending habits.
Alcohol isn't particularly cheap. If you go out, a cocktail would usually be 7 to 12 euros. I'm not
sure about very low quality alcohol, but I wouldn't recommend it anyways.
Going to the cinema is very cheap for students, around 3 euros last time I went. There's a local
association of sorts, linked to the university, that organises movie projections. It's my favourite
thing in Pavia.
There's also a theatre; you pay around 7 euros for really bad seats, probably around 15 for
average ones. I think it's worth going at least once to see the inside of the building.
Most movies are dubbed in Italian, but sometimes they do show them in English as well. Plays
at the theatre are almost always in Italian.
There's a periodic student nightlife event, traditionally on Wednesdays, but I've never been. It's
mostly about drinking alcohol and socialising. Either way, since Pavia is known for its university,
a lot of the population is students: in spite of its size you do see quite a few people around in the
evening.
If you crave different activities, I suggest taking a train to Milan. It takes only 30 minutes and
4.50 euros. There are many art exhibitions there, both modern and contemporary art and more
traditional, ancient art.
The quality of med uni in Milan should be quite similar, so I'd say you should choose Milan if you
prefer living in a big city and have more money to spend, otherwise Pavia is definitely better, as
you can still frequently visit Milan.
Public transportation within Pavia costs 25 euros per year (for university students!). As a
resident, they'd ask you to pay 100 euros/year or so. For everyone else, 300-400 euros, so
there's a huge difference.
The climate here is slightly continental, meaning it's quite hot in summer and quite cold in winter,
compared to other Italian cities. In summer it's not rare to see temperatures of 40 degrees
Celsius, in winter it can easily go below zero (but not by much). A pro is that it's not a very windy
city. It's however extremely foggy, especially in the morning. I personally like the weather in
Pavia, summer aside, but most people actually dislike it.
Review from: University Services category
The quality of the canteen food is not bad in my opinion
The quality of the canteen food is not bad in my opinion, but if you don't have free meals as part
of your scholarship I'd say it's cheaper to just buy food in a supermarket and cook it yourself.
You can get first course (ex pasta), second course (meat / fish, vegetables), fruit, yogurt,
pudding and the likes. The amount of food you get is usually shared between two students,
because it's quite abundant; this way you can reduce costs.
Nevertheless, I've eaten in the canteen a few times only. I think it's mainly a good option if you
attend rotations and have to head to lecture right after.
There is both a gym and different sports you can try as a student (ex. volleyball, archery..). In
the volleyball course people are put in separate teams according to their skills, so it doesn't
matter if you don't know how to play yet. Some students can be competitive, but overall it's a
good activity to pick. There are different time slots available, one of which is after dinner, so med
students can go without skipping any rotations or lectures.
You can join the scouts or there's a specific med student association to go hiking, as well. The
latter also organises hikes in other regions, for example they've been to Liguria in the past. It
can be a good opportunity to see more of the country.
Finally, a lot of activities for uni students involve drinking alcohol, so a Muslim Student
Association has been recently founded to include those who don't wish to drink; most of the
activities are not religious in nature and anyone can join. For example, students can play
tabletop or group games.
There are several libraries in Pavia; you can book your preferred seat and time slot beforehand
using an app. Notably, there are some both near scientific faculties and in the city center (where
you mostly find humanities students), which can come in handy depending on where you live.
Review from: Population category
Everyone in a store will default to Italian
Some people can speak English, but there are also many who can't. Usually, this depends on
the age of the person you meet - young people are more likely to be able to speak it at least a
bit. Overall, most things can be dealt with successfully. It can become a bit tricky when it comes
to discussing complex issues, for example at the bank. However, you can use Google Translate
quite successfully for most things, also communication with landlords. Most people aren't overtly
unpleasant towards foreigners who can't speak Italian, especially if they see you as a student.
You should still be careful about not being taken advantage of, though, especially when you're
renting a flat. There is a university mentorship program where older students help younger ones
navigate life in the first year, and I'd suggest asking an Italian one for help in that department.
Review from: Scholarships category
It isn't too hard to get a scholarship
It isn't too hard to get a scholarship, but you usually have to keep taking exams (up to a certain
number of credits per year) or have relatively high grades (an average of). These scholarships
can concern university taxes, accommodation (in university residences that we call collegi),
canteen food.
The Erasmus programme isn't ideal for med students in my opinion. There are difficulties having
your Italian professors accept the grades you got in foreign universities when you come back,
and the dedicated Erasmus personnel can only help to a point. Typically people apply to go on
Erasmus in their 4th year (= they leave in their 5th year). However, 4th and 5th year are the
most challenging ones, so it can be stressful.
In terms of seats, earning a spot is doable.
There are also other opportunities overseas that I personally looked into, but they are closed to
med students specifically. However, one other thing that you can do is apply to write your thesis
abroad during your 6th year, that can be an alternative to the 5th year Erasmus experience.
There are specific meetings where the different possibilities are introduced to you by the
university, and you can also ask any questions you may have.
Review from: Accommodation category
Not very good
I answered part of this question in the living expenses portion, so I'll just copy paste that:
"Rent is usually around 300 euros/month for a single room in a shared apartment, 400 to 500
euros/month to have your own small flat. However, I've heard that lately prices have
skyrocketed, so it may be worse when you get here. Living in a university residence can even
be free if you get a scholarship, or it can be significantly cheaper. There are however toxic
environments in some of these residences, so it would be good to ask which ones are the best
beforehand.
I would say we pay around 40 euros per person every 2 months for electricity, though again it
may increase. Whether you have to pay for gas or not depends on what kind of cooker you
have, but the expense is lower than that of electricity. Water is usually included in the rent. The
tax we pay for rubbish (TARI) depends on the size of the apartment, but it would be around 200
euros/year (if you have a flatmate, that would be 100 each, of course).
WiFi, around 25+ euros per month, if you choose to install it; it's convenient only if you share a
flat and therefore the cost. Furthermore, it only makes sense if you plan to stay in the same flat
for more than a year."
Flats for students are usually not that fancy, the furniture is quite cheap because the landlords
know it's not worth it. However, you can still find some that are quite nice and perfectly adequate
for most students' standards.
Something I personally would recommend is checking whether the flat has air conditioning,
especially if you plan to stay here during the summer months. Doesn't need to be the whole flat,
your bedroom only is quite fine. You can survive without air con, but it really is unpleasant, and
depending on your constitution and the location of the flat it's not impossible to feel sick because
of the heat. Apart from that, most flats have more or less the same things. Fridges, ovens,
washing machines, showers are always present. Dishwashers are rare but also not essential. I
recommend buying a vacuum cleaner, that will most likely not be included.
Also check whether the building and flat you want to rent are infested by cockroaches, because
it can happen in certain areas.
When it comes to university residences, I definitely recommend Collegio Volta. I've been there
many times, and if I didn't live in a flat I'd pick that collegio for sure. It's very neat, has many
study rooms, nothing crazy happens (unlike some other residences), and it's even close to the
hospital / scientific faculties.
4th Year Student at UNIPV
Review from: Teaching Level category
It is good in my opinion.
It is good in my opinion. I would say 4/5 because the presentation are usually easy to follow and you usually have access to them, or at least the ones from previous years before the lecture, to go through before the lecture. Personally i haven't felt like i have really struggled with the presentation quality or English level, because wherever the lessons are not clear or perhaps some parts in the slides were not translated from Italian, i find the sbobines compiled by students from previous years quite useful, as well as the suggested reading texts by the professors ( both textbooks or papers). Also, sometimes recording and re listening to the lecture afterwards, when I'm now at home, has helped me to fill in the gaps of the things i would have missed.
4th Year Student at UNIPV
Review from: Exams category
sometimes unfair
Those I feel like can sometimes be unfair and passing can be due to chance or being lucky. This is because you can be very fortunate to get asked questions from that topic you prepared very well for, compared to other topics that might still be quite hazy or that you don't remember in as much great detail. As a result, you could pass with a high grade. On the other hand, a second student gets instead questions from a topic that was harder for them or one they haven't grasped as well, as the other topics being asked to the previous student, and perhaps they also do fairly well, but could have gotten higher grades with a different topic or maybe just pass with the minimum grade of 18/30 or maybe not even pass at all. Of course, I understand the idea behind it is perhaps to minimize cheating if everyone gets asked different questions,and to also ensure the students cover the whole syllabus in their preparation and do not leave out certain topics, as they can never then predict what topics they will each receive.
Also after the first exam sessions of the course, where exams might still be a bit more spread out, the retake examdate sessions are often so close together, either on the same days or the day after. Thus if you are unfortunate enough not to clear them in the first exam sessions, this can make it quite challenging to pass all of them in the retake sessions, in order to then pass the academic year and not repeat that year.
The other issue i also wish they could review, for the welfare of medical students of the English course whom i feel are the only ones affected, is failing the year even if you might have cleared all exams except for only one course, in a lot of cases of repeating students. Also if you keep failing the same course/s, you will continue to repeat that academic year until you eventually pass it. So you may find that, for many repeating students, it's one course that has been holding them back for all the academic years they keep repeating, because it doesn't matter how many times you have already repeated the year in question. You will just continue to repeat it, until you have passed that one exam left. Also most exams are oral exams from the 4th year going forward, and in my opinion those are harder because they are very fast,...inorder to pass with high grades the answers have to come easily to you or quickly enough. There's no time to try to and come up with your answer, especially as they would be other students waiting for their turn to be examined. Unlike with written exams, where if you blank out for a moment, you could skip the question and come back to it afterwards, when you have thought carefully about your answer. So because of all these reasons i personally rate exams as 2/5 as i find them quite challenging.
4th Year Student at UNIPV
Review from: School Organisation category
i would just give it a 3/5
For the general organization of the school, i would just give it a 3/5..i don't really have much to say on it, when looking at it as a whole. The challenges i have experienced mostly are within my degree program and so organization of the english medical course in particular.
4th Year Student at UNIPV
Review from: Clinical Rounds category
usually no one has time to translate to English
Yes i have gone for rotations. And all i can emphasize on, is learning Italian enough to understand a lot of things because, usually no one has time to translate to English for you and can be quite irritating for the attendings that you would not have grasped Italian in your 3/4 years of study before starting clinical rotations. However usually the residents are nicer and more understanding about translating to you if you need some translation, but it's still limited because they are also very busy as well. So you just have to put a lot of effort with the language. However, i wish Italian language could be included or introduced as one of the mandatory courses in 1st year until 3 rd year, just to help international students learn the language, as it can be quite challenging also, trying to make time for it. You always then end up prioritizing your studies, and yet learning Italian becomes crucial for rotations. It also helps you with confidence, for instance during the physical examinations with patients, if you are able to communicate to the patient and understand them. So not knowing Italian is really a disadvantage during rotations, and you can quite see the gap when comparing yourself to Italians, and how much more knowledge they acquire from these rotations and clinical cases as they can understand everything being said. Overally i would rate rotations as 2,5 /5
4th Year Student at UNIPV
Review from: The City category
I am very happy about the city
Yes i am very happy about the city. It is good for studying purposes because it's quite small, less distractions, easy to get around too. Within a week or two after arriving in Italy, i had already grasped the bus system, and locating places, and just knowing my way around the city centre. I would have most likely been overwhelmed had i been in a big city like Milan or Turin. Personally I'm not really a social/ night out person, so I'm not going to elaborate much on it and hence the cost of going out because i don't like to got out as much as the average student. Rentals usually range between 250-350 per month, for a single room in a shared apartment and an additional 50/60 per month of bills. So per month i would say cost of living
In total including food and other small expenses is about 400-600 for most students. For me the best weather is in Spring and Autumn. Otherwise the weather for both summer and winter is extreme, compared to our favourable or moderate climate in Africa. And in summer, there's quite a lot of mosquitoes in Pavia, which can bite through clothes too especially if they are tight against your skin. Only putting on a repellent, can help you to reduce the bites, you can never survive without repellent in summer here in Pavia. The bus system is quite efficient, with stops always close by. For students, the annual fare for the bus pass is 25 euros, and you can get on all the lines which are 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,21,22,23.
4th Year Student at UNIPV
Review from: University Services category
the food was good and there was options to choose from
I have frequently eaten from the mensa in the past years, and the food was good and there was options to choose from, thus always catering for everyone's dietary needs. I have also eaten from other cafeterias within the university and not the mensa, and the quality of the food was also good enough. I would rate 4/5. I have never taken part in sports since starting university. However when i was still leaving in the collegio i would frequently visit the college gymn or fitness room, which was good enough for me. However, if you are a gymn rat and would like more advanced or well equipped gymns , local gymns are always offering great deals or discounts for students. The libraries i have frequented mostly are the Nave, Botta, and the medicine library within Policlinico San Mateo and i have enjoyed them because they are well organized and good enough for me, and also near our faculty. I would rate them 4-5/5.
4th Year Student at UNIPV
Review from: Population category
I would rate the ability to speak English as 2/5 compared to other bigger cities
It just depends, sometimes they are willing to,sometimes they are not. And even if they might be able to speak a little bit of it, they can also just claim to not be able to speak or understand English as they might not be willing to go through all that trouble, and just so you can also try to speak and learn Italian i suppose. Italians are very proud of their language and want you to learn it also. Sometimes, only when they have noticed that you are really failing to communicate in Italian and perhaps are about to just leave without assistance will they only then say, they can perhaps try to understand your request in English. Otherwise, usually they are not really willing to speak in English in my experience. However you can always use Google Translate to communicate if you are really stuck it's usually also good enough to get by during your first days, before you have acquired any knowledge of Italian. I would rate the ability to speak English as 2/5 compared to other bigger cities, which get more tourists.
4th Year Student at UNIPV
Review from: Scholarships category
I have been able to get the scholarship three times
I have been able to get the scholarship three times, and in my own experience, it was not difficult at all to get seats, as long as you submitted all the required documents and also had passed enough exams for the required credits to be included in the rankings. My experience was therefore 5/5. I have never gone for Erasmus.
4th Year Student at UNIPV
Review from: Accommodation category
Difficult
In my first year when i first arrived in italy, for 1 month, i was staying at a bed and breakfast called Pavia afitta camera, before i found a single room in a shared apartment, with another student. Therefore i would suggest to try and arrange for a permanent or long term rental even before you arrive as it can be quite challenging to try and find accommodation. Even upto now, it's still quite difficult and gets really stressful, because rooms in apartments have been in very high demand, with many students looking for accommodation even more now. So in my first year, i stayed in an apartment.There the rent was paid in quarterly payments , and it was around €1080 for 3 months and included condominium expenses, excluding bills(electricity, gas, internet). The apartment was great, quite modern too and seemed to have been recently renovated and so everything was in good state, i had no complaints. Also the location was perfect, right across the street from Esselunga. Thus in the most central position i can think of, well served by the bus transport system to go anywhere within the city. Also quite close to Policlinico San Mateo, the bus and train stations, as well as other useful services and the science faculties where i had lectures. I moved out in September, because i had then been offered accommodation in Collegio Castiglione Brugnatelli, an only girls college, and it was going to be cheaper for me. I had also wanted to experience the life of living in university residencies with my other peers, and perhaps help me get connected to other students as well, aside from just students from my course. However i still had to pay rent for my room in the old apartment upto December, because i had only handed in my notice to leave the apartment 3 months before i had left. And according to the contract, which was in Italian, i had to have informed the landlady 6 months before, of my intention to leave. The landlady could also not speak English, so all communications with her, had to be through my housemate or her neighbor who lived in the same building, who was also her friend. So those are some of things worth noting if you are an international student, that could be a challenge. In Collegio Castiglioni, i was placed in a single room, in the old wing of the College, with shared bathrooms for the whole floor. Only the new wing had private bathrooms for each room. However it was still great. Rooms were cleaned everyday and sheets changed once a week. . The collegio also didn't have shared kitchens for students to cook, but they allowed us to have an induction plate in our rooms to cook meals, as well as a mini refrigerator, and other electrical appliances such as microwaves. In addition to that, there is a mensa in the collegio. So for the years i was still receiving the scholarship, i had one free meal from the mensa, and for the second meal, i could either opt to eat again at the mensa, this time at a slightly reduced price according to my scholarship bracket or then prepare my meal in my room. The collegio, also had a library and study rooms, as well as a gymn which i made quite great use of. To maintain your position in the collegio you also have to be regularly enrolled in the degree course, without any interruptions in your studies such as repeating an academic year. Also the bed and breakfast accommodation i mentioned earlier, was also good. Upto now, it's always my first choice when i need temporary accommodation for 1 or 2 days or when recommending to family or friends as i also feel it's relatively cheaper as well.
5th Year Student at Pavia
Review from: Teaching Level category
The quality of teaching is really high
The quality of teaching is really high, professors are well prepared and usually cover most of the program they are going to ask at the exam. Most of the time they are nice and available if you ask for clarifications or if you have any question.
Again, there are some issues to consider, for example the fact that their level of English is not high enough to teach or answer questions properly, and this will result in partial understanding of students and poorer level of vocabulary in teaching.
This is one of the reasons why some people say that the course in English is easier than the one in Italian even if the professors and the program are most of the times exactly the same: English is the mother language of almost no one in the course, neither professors nor students. This requires additional effort from both sides to understand and to be able to make ourselves clear during interrogations and explanations. Professors, especially if not very fluent in English, would be much more confident in teaching in Italian, and sometimes they semplify topics to make them more clear and easier to present. This often happens at the expenses of the quality of teaching. My rating is again 4 out of 5.
5th Year Student at Pavia
Review from: Exams category
The organization of the exams is often problematic
The organization of the exams is often problematic, but I think this is one issue common to many universities. The dates are always really close to one another, or even overlap, and this makes it difficult to organize every session in the best way. It's also happened to me that the professor forgot about the exam and showed up one hour late. I'm sure that most of this lack of organization also comes from the COVID years and all the confusion they brought, starting from the online exams, to the masks and the problems with classrooms and spaces. My rate would be 3/5 because I'm sure that there's so much more that can be done in order to make the exams' organization better. I also don't like that they almost never respect the order in which students enrolled in esse3, and they prefer going in alphabetical order. Sometimes they want to finish earlier, so they decide to call 2 or 3 students together and make the oral exam in group like some sort of tv quiz, and this is just super stressful.
5th Year Student at Pavia
Review from: School Organisation category
I think that overall the faculty is well-organized.
I think that overall the faculty is well-organized. My rate would be 4 out of 5, because there's always some room left to do things better.
There are some things about my university that I really like, which include the libraries and the huge amount of places where you can go to study, the mutual help among students of different years, always willing to help each other. On the drive you can find transcriptions of the lessons, exams of past years, slides, books and everything you could possibly need to pass the exam nicely. There are also some guides made by students for students with the aim of giving you the best advice and tell you how each professor approach their courses.
5th Year Student at Pavia
Review from: Clinical Rounds category
Could be organized so much better
I would rate clinical rotations 3 out of 5 because thay could be organized so much better. But it also hugely depends on the single departments, because they don't have the same approach to medicine students everywhere. In general, from the 4th year on you have 4 months of rotations in 4 different departments, 2 clinical and 2 surgical. you go there every day in the morning, theoretically from 8.30 to 12.30, but in reality sometimes they keep you there so much more, also in the afternoon.
The first thing that I don't like is that after covid you can no longer choose the departments you will do your trainship in, and swapping with your collegues afterwards is just a mess most of the times. Some professors are really nice: explain everything, let you do procedures without stressing you and make sure you fully understand what's going on. They are also very nice with non-italian speaking collegues that sometimes struggle more to get the concepts being presented, and translate everything in english as well for them to understand.
Some other professors are the opposite: they make super clear that they don't like having students around, and that they would prefer you were not there. They never let you do anything, even when you ask esplicitely, and don't help non-italian speakers at all, claiming that they were suppose to learn italian before starting rotations in an italian hospital. Some other professor don't even want students in their department: it's happened to some colleagues of mine more they once that they were sent back home because the professor didn't want them around in his department. It's just so variable that it's super difficult to give a general opinion about trainships. Let's just say that if you're lucky and end up with the right people, you will have a lot of chances to learn how doctors work and what really happens in hospitals. I must admit that I was lucky most of the times and I learnt super interesting stuff, but if you're not lucky it just feels like a total waste of time, and it's very frustrating.
5th Year Student at Pavia
Review from: The City category
I love Pavia and I think is just perfect for University students
My rate to the city is absolutely 5/5. I love Pavia and I think is just perfect for University students. It's not too big, so that it's not chaotic and it's really well-organized. Bus ticket for students costs 25€/year (it was 15 when I started university in 2018, but still, I think is super cheap) and buses really go everywhere. You can also buy a bike and go everywhere with it. Traffic isn't allowed in the city centre and the hospital is very close. Also the scientific pole (where med students have most of the lectures) is not far by bike, just 10-15 minutes. Everything you need is available and easy to reach, and also theaters, some supermarkets and many services have discounts for students. During the nights the city is very busy, there are a lot of bars and pubs where you can hang out, and they are very close to one another in the city centre, near Piazza della Vittoria and Piazza Duomo, where most of the students will go out on Wednesday and Fridey nights. I would also say that the city is quite safe, I never had direct experiences of some scary situations in which I didn't feel safe and confident going around on my own, also at night.
The cost of living is ok, in line with other Italian cities. I think is higher than most of the places abroad anyways, and in the last years prices rose even more, but I think everything is pretty much affordable. Weather is not the best at all. During summer is incredibly hot and humid, with a lot of mosquitos. During winter is super cold, also below 0°C sometimes, and very foggy. The quality of air is really bad. I think it's because a lot of factories are in the area all around Pavia and all the smog and the bad air from Milano's factories arrives in Pavia and you can really sense that, but apart from that, it's not that bad.
5th Year Student at Pavia
Review from: University Services category
Well-functioning
Services for students are present and well-functioning, I would rate them 5/5. Libraries are present and always clean and well functioning. They are many, well spread around the city and very big, so that you will always find a spot in order to study there. Since COVID they also created an app through which you can book your spot at the library in advance for how long you want. I never go to the cafeteria or the cantine, so I cannot really give an opinion on that, but my colleagues never complained. There is CUS PAVIA, which is the most important sport group, linked to the university, where you can enroll for a very cheap cost and do a lot of sport during the year. They really have almost every discipline. If you simply want to go to the gym there, sometimes there are the sport sciences' students available to give you the best advice for free. There's also a very good rowing team.
5th Year Student at Pavia
Review from: The City category
People are normally really nice and chill
People are normally really nice and chill, and of course most of them speak English without any problems. Through the years students from abroad created a net of contacts of services where people speak English, so for example they are in contact with dentists, doctors, lawyers, and everything you could possibily need run by english speaking people, so this is a full 5/5 and really nothing to complain about in general.
5th Year Student at Pavia
Review from: Erasmus category
I'm currently in Erasmus and I really think is the best experience
I'm currently in Erasmus and I really think is the best experience. 5/5 to the University of Pavia, because the international mobility office works very well and also there are a lot of destinations and spots for erasmus and the responsible of every faculty and area is usually well prepared and available and willing to help. Apart from Erasmus, there is a bunch of other mobility programs and scholarships that the university offers and you can apply for. Really no complaints about this.
5th Year Student at Pavia
Review from: Accommodation category
Accomodation is a difficult question
Accomodation is a difficult question. Over the last few years prices for rentals increased a lot and it's not easy to find a place because the people applying for a room a usually more than the rooms available for rental. There are many dorms called Collegi, they are really a thing in Pavia and very different among one another. I live in one of them and I'm happy with my choice. Some of them are based on your academic merit, some others are EDISU, meaning that they have a lot of scholarship for low income families and students. Some apartments are really nice, some other not because are in some old buildings of the city centre. It's really variable but I think it's definitely doable finding a nice place if you start to search for one in advance.
Marta’s Review (3rd Year) Pavia
Review from: School Organisation category
Unorganised but professors very well prepared
Unorganised but professors very well prepared, my rating is 3 because of the very bad organisation of everything starting from lecture calendar to the exam dates and also because some Italian professors are no good at English. I won’t give less than 3 because the professors know very well their subject and most of them are very good at transmitting their knowledge to us
Marta’s Review (3rd Year) Pavia
Review from: Teaching Level category
English level is medium to low
English level is medium to low even if there are very good professors as well
The lessons are clear and I think the professors apart from their English are very well prepared and usually enthusiastic about their subject
Marta’s Review (3rd Year) Pavia
Review from: Exams category
Could be better organised
I think they could be better organised but the major and most important exams need a good preparation and an high level of education so I think they are not that bad
Marta’s Review (3rd Year) Pavia
Review from: Teaching Level category
UniPV in general needs to be better organised with U-Planner (calendar)
UniPV in general needs to be better organised with U-Planner (calendar)
Marta’s Review (3rd Year) Pavia
Review from: The City category
The city is not really my taste
The city is not really my taste but it is at student measure because the bus during the day are very good at allowing communication among the whole city and also everything is at walking or bike distance. The weather is nice only in the spring and the cost aren’t exaggerated (I lived in Milano before) but still it is really hard to find a nice place to live in
Marta’s Review (3rd Year) Pavia
Review from: Population category
Most of them speak also English
Most of them speak also English and they are usually very pleasant
Marta’s Review (3rd Year) Pavia
Review from: Accommodation category
because quality/price range isn’t very good
I am saying 2 because quality/price range isn’t very good, if you can’t spend too much the only places where you could live are very ugly and small places
Review by a 5th tear at Pavia, UNIPV
Review from: Exams category
Bad organization
Bad organization, especially in the clinical years where the professors are occupied by the hospital. An unfair thing is that in a lot of exams your result will be really influenced by the professor is making you the exam, there are professors that ask crazy questions and at the same time professors really chill.. so it is only luck and not a lot of meritocracy.
Review by a 5th tear at Pavia, UNIPV
Review from: School Organisation category
Unipv is a good historical university.
Unipv is a good historical university. It has a lot of things that other university in Italy doesn’t have, like really good contacts with foreign university, professors with huge curriculum, a really good hospital.. There are really good place where you can go in Erasmus and really good extracurricular projects you can follow
Review by a 5th tear at Pavia, UNIPV
Review from: Clinical Rounds category
Clinical rotations are not well organized at all
Clinical rotations are not well organized at all. It is only depends on the ward you go. There are ward in which they care about you and at least they try to teach you something, but at the same time there ward in which you feel like nobody wants you there and nobody spends a moment to speak to you. I think university should check that the ward are doing they job in teaching clinical stuff. I also think we should have practical exams as a lot of other universities do, to be sure that we have learned at least the basis. In my opinion I have seen different interns helping with English foreign students but of course they cannot explain things 2 times every time and also because a lot of learning it is with the patients that of course are not obliged to speak in English. I think that a student in an English course is totally aware, since the beginning of the course, that he will go in an Italian hospital and so it is a responsibility of the students arrive at the 3rd year (when clinical rotations start) with at least a B1 level of Italian.
Review by a 5th tear at Pavia, UNIPV
Review from: The City category
I really enjoy Pavia.
It is a small town but at the same time is full of students. Of course if you image a city like Milan or Rome you will be disappointed, but at the same time there isn’t the mess and the high prices that these 2 cities have. The night life can be better but if you have good friends you can really pass good time. The costs of transport is really cheap for students and rent are pretty fair in my opinion.
Review by a 5th tear at Pavia, UNIPV
Review from: University Services category
Library
I spend a lot of time in the library and I think are pretty good (San Tommaso is the best one). I don’t use cafeteria or canteen but I know they are not the best, but the price is based on the salary of your parents, so if you don’t have a lot of money it is free. For the gym there are the sports of CUS that are pretty good.
Review by a 5th tear at Pavia, UNIPV
Review from: Population category
Pavia in general has a good level of English
I am an Italian speaker, but I know that Pavia in general has a good level of English compare to other part of Italy. Don’t think a German level of English, but it is better that in other countries of sud Europe I think.
Review by a 5th tear at Pavia, UNIPV
Review from: Accommodation category
I live in an apartment and I really enjoy it.
I live in an apartment and I really enjoy it. Usually in Pavia you can find a good single room not far from the center for 300 euros/month. The are also amazing colleges in Pavia, it is famous for that!
Student Since 2018 at Pavia
Review from: Teaching Level category
Sufficient.
The level of education in the Harvey course of University of Pavia overall, i would say is sufficient. However, in my experience within the past years spent being a student here, I can confidently say it’s a more theory-based structure. Professors and their expertise in their fields really is as good as advertised, and that is the main reason why my university finds itself in the higher spots of the national rankings. However, the expertise in their respective medical fields, unfortunately from time to time, does not translate well into their lectures. Certain professors present very well structured and immersive lectures, with a pretty good competence in the english language. On the other hand, there are certain professors that unfortunately lack the presentability of their colleagues, and this affects the will of being a part of the lecture of students, me alike. Having a more theoretical approach to teaching, this sometimes give rise to challenges on the students part. The majority of the opportunity we receive here as students being in lectures, and not in the hospital wards, I have observed a good portion of students require support from other sources, different from the presented lectures only. At the end i would give the level of education of the Harvey course of University of Pavia a rating of 3 out of 5.
Student Since 2018 at Pavia
Review from: Exams category
changes from year to year
The structure of examination in University of Pavia changes from year to year, and from subject to subject. Also certain professors have a tendency to change the modality as they like from one academic year to another as well. However, i can say that the exams of the first three years are more commonly either written or multiple choice questions, and on the contrary, from fourth year and on, the exams tend to be oral. If a “pro and con” list of exams were to be made, written and multiple choice questions give you more time to structure your answer and present it on paper, however they don’t give you the possibility of explaining yourself, if you do a mistake you do a mistake. As with the oral exams on the other hand, most of the times professors are more flexible and the exam takes place as a conversation, rather than the student presenting a certain subject. In regards to fairness, it really depends on the subject OR even on which professor you are doing the exam of the same subject with. Unfortunately there are professors who do not allow mistakes and have very certain red lines you should not cross, and you could fail an exam without being given much opportunity to prove yourself. Moreover a good portion of the professors are extremely chill with their exams and fair with grading - even generous at times. Generally speaking i’d give examinations of University of Pavia a rating of 3 out of 5, they’re doing better than the past, but there still are things to be sorted out.
Student Since 2018 at Pavia
Review from: School Organisation category
unfortunately i can’t talk very positively
Here in University of Pavia, from an organizational point of view, unfortunately i can’t talk very positively. The course has flaws and the students are sometimes pushed to perform under stressful conditions. Thankfully there are professors in the organizational board that are aware of these faults, and are willing to help, but on the other hand there are professors turning a blind eye on the problems too. Also the difference between the organization of the medical course in Italian and English can be observed, as our regulations in the english course are way more problematic, in my personal opinion. So at times that can give the sense of unfairness overall to the students. Two major problems i can talk about as examples would be i. the CFU (credits) needed to proceed to the next year and ii. some professors of certain modules not willing to have students sit separate exams at different times. Basically, to proceed to the next academic year from year three and on, one needs to complete all the modules and collect all CFU of the year they are e in. As an example, if a fourth year student fails to pass all exams of fourth year until December, they unfortunately can’t proceed to the fifth year and be admitted to the fourth year for another academic year, being left behind. And on the other hand, about the second point, there are certain modules - cardiology, as an example - that consist of multiple exams, in the example of cardiology module we have cardiology, cardiac surgery and vascular surgery. Although being separate exams, done by separate professors, we are not allowed to pass some and fail some in the same session, so if you pass cardiology and cardiac surgery but fail vascular surgery, you have to do all three exams at once again in the next session. This situation puts a lot of pressure on students and no change seems to be planned in the coming future. As a rating i’d give University of Pavia a 2 out of 5.
Student Since 2018 at Pavia
Review from: Clinical Rounds category
For rotations of pre-COVID 19 times i’d give a rating of 4 out of 5, but regarding the situation as of now, I’d have to go with a 2.5 out of 5.
Students of University of Pavia we start attending clinical rounds starting from year three. How it’s structured is that we start with a month of semiotics in third year, and from fourth year and on, we attend 4 months of clinical rotations, technically based on the courses of the year the student is attending, however with COVID-19 the program got a bit confusing, and we’re still working with the professors to put everything in order. How it was before 2019 is that we were given the rounds of our choice, and people could choose up to 4 months of clinical and 2 months of surgical fields to attend in a year, nonetheless now we are given 4 months and it is genuinely very problematic from an organizational point of view and our class representatives need to work really hard to make everything work smoothly. Be that as it may, these problems did not necessarily exist before, and i could only hope that in the coming years the university can do better. Italian is not my mother tongue, yet by the third year i was comfortable enough to have Italian conversations in hospital and out. So from my experience i did not have problems, but from what i have seen, not speaking Italian is not the end of the world - of course - but it is definitely frowned upon by the hospital staff. Another key point is that Italian IS needed to communicate with patients, as they can’t be expected to receive care in a hospital in their country with any other language but the one they speak. For rotations of pre-COVID 19 times i’d give a rating of 4 out of 5, but regarding the situation as of now, I’d have to go with a 2.5 out of 5.
Student Since 2018 at Pavia
Review from: The City category
Pavia, a student city that is for sure small in size
Pavia, a student city that is for sure small in size, but definitely big in everything that comes with it. I’ve been living in this city, attending the medical course for the past five and a half years, and i sincerely have to admit i’m ever so slightly done with this city. However, the first couple of years here were one of the times in my life i will forever cherish. The size of the city makes it extremely convenient. The compactness means everything is under the reach of your hands. The library, where you want to have lunch, your house and your friends’ house will be all in max 10 mins reach by walking. The hospitals and where we have lectures are a bit out of the city, but by out of the city i mean a 20 min walk, so you figure out the size and accessibility of the city. Being a city dominated by students, nightlife is very lively. You’ll surely have great company over drinks and so much more. Cost of living wise, it is definitely a cheap place, cheaper than the very close Milan for example, but considering the size i’d expect it to be a little bit more cheap. Again, definitely not the worst, but you feel that you live in a Northern Italian city of importance. Considering the weather, it is horrible, not much more to add to it. During the summers it gets VERY hot but humid hot, with a bad mosquito situation. And the winters are dark, with a fog so thick that you wish you never left the house. BUT i promise you get used to it. I’d give Pavia a rating of 4 out of 5 and not a 5 only because we spend long years here and honestly it gets a bit boring towards the end.
Student Since 2018 at Pavia
Review from: University Services category
University of Pavia and the services offered out side of academic activities is extremely limited,
Unfortunately, University of Pavia and the services offered out side of academic activities is extremely limited, or at least that has been my observation so far. There isn’t a university gym as far as i am concerned but most gyms in the city offer discounts for students. Apart from that, my experience/knowledge on sports teams and activities is highly limited thus i wouldn’t want to deceive by putting false information out. University cafeterias are many in the city, however some are managed by different companies than others so the quality of food and service changes from one to the other. The cost of a menu depends on your income, through the papers you may or may not choose to admit to the university if you’re non-italian. If you are an EDISU scholarship recipient you have access to one free meal daily, but for the rest it changes, with a maximum cost of 7-8 euros. Lastly, libraries will be where you live and breath if you’re like me and can’t really study well at home, and evidently there are many different libraries to choose from and i’d say i’ve been content enough from most of the ones i’ve been to throughout the past five years. The rating would be a 4 out of 5 for this category.
Student Since 2018 at Pavia
Review from: Population category
A 5 out of 5 is deserved here
I have started learning Italian and using it as soon as i have arrived to Pavia, so on this subject i don’t have much i can add, apart from people, like most places in Italy, are lovely and they’ll try to help you even though there’s the language barrier between you to the best of their abilities. A 5 out of 5 is deserved here, never really had a problem with people in Pavia.
Student Since 2018 at Pavia
Review from: Accommodation category
a 4 put of 5 as a rating would suffice in my opinion
In my first year, i stayed in a dorm, in Collegio Cairoli, although i had my own room, the bathrooms and the kitchen was shared. Unfortunately, me being a foreigner resulted in me not taking part in the common activities and that was slightly problematic. Given that i didn’t have the time of my life in a collegio, i decided to move out to an appartment from my second year and on. I found an apartment Camplus, or as then called Green Campus, which is a student residence and i have been staying there ever since. I would definitely recommend Camplus if you manage to find a place. They’re very bad with replying to emails but if you come to talk with the office in person you’ll for sure get an answer back. Because the first years arrive around the end of October to Pavia, it is pretty much impossible to find an available accommodation in Camplus but i’d recommend considering it for the coming years. I live alone in a studio apartment paying 558 euro a month including all costs, like electricity and heating and water. This is very convenient as i don’t have to deal with providers personally. Also there are options for two people, so two bedrooms with a kitchen and living room at one for around 400 euros, although i’m not sure about the exact quote. You most definitely can find cheaper options in city centre, sharing a house with multiple flatmates but if you’d rather live alone, i’d say get ready to get 600-700 including all the services out of your pocket per month. Compared to the nearest university option to us, which is Milan, accommodation situation is infinitely better, but it still has it’s problems, so a 4 put of 5 as a rating would suffice in my opinion.
