SLOVENIA

“I went on a SCORE research exchange to Ljubljana, Slovenia, and was warmly welcomed in the pathology department along with another student. Everybody was happy to teach us something new, and to let us watch as many autopsies and organ dissections as we wanted. I learned a ton and it prepared for pathology at NUIG, where I could follow along in lectures instead of feeling like I was drowning.

But that wasn’t even the best part, the Slovenians had organised events for us ranging from a weekend in the mountains canyoning and rafting, to playing beer pong in town. Since there were so many SCOPE/SCORE students, they came up with new group activities to do every day after lab/hospital so you could participate for free in as many as you wanted. It really helped us to get to know the city in a meaningful way. With like-minded people there alongside me, it was really easy to make new friends and now I’m planning to visit them as far away as India and Russia. I think EVERYONE in medicine should experience SCORE exchanges because it’s like learning in a casual setting, meeting new people and going on holiday all in one. I would go back a hundred times over.”

- Clara (NUIG), 3MB, Slovenia (SloMSIC), University of Ljubljana,Department of Pathology,

“Participating in a SCORE Research Exchange was the highlight of my summer. Having the opportunity to travel and experience a new culture – while completing a research project – was a way to keep the sometimes-mundane task of summer research interesting and exciting.

Assisting in a laboratory setting taught me valuable skills that I have been able to apply to my studies this year, while helping me appreciate the ways in which research transitions to real changes in the field of medicine. My research project in skeletal muscle regeneration has exciting applications in the future of medicine and I was grateful to witness and be a part of some of the great research taking place in this field.

Additionally, meeting medical students from around the world and having the opportunity to travel and discover Slovenia with them made the time away from the laboratory exciting, eye-opening and enjoyable. I loved hearing about the culture and medical school experiences in the home countries of the other students. Participating the in social program activities was a great way to see, feel and taste all the best that Slovenia has to offer and the medical students who hosted us really had a passion for sharing their country with us.

To date, my SCORE Research Exchange has been the most unique academic experience of my medical career and is one of my most memorable travel experiences.”

- Emily (NUIG), 3MB, Slovenia (SloMSIC), University of Ljubljana,Department of Pathophysiology, Project: Skeletal Muscle Regeneration