Rafał Brzoska Foundation. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of our short podcast series with Rafał Brzoska Foundation scholars. Today I'm joined by Ola Kobółecka. Hi, Ola. Hi. Good morning. Tell us a few words about yourself.
My name is Ola. I'm originally from Łódź, but I moved away quite early. I attended high school in Warsaw, and now I'm studying medicine in Paris. I chose medicine because I really enjoy learning. It's a long course of study, and I wanted to pursue an academic career, but I also always wanted to work with people. However, I think I only truly realized that I wanted to become a doctor after I started medical school and went to a hospital for the first time.
Studying medicine in French—you really set the bar high. Couldn't you have studied in Poland, in Polish? Why Paris?
I wanted to challenge myself, and I told myself that it would also allow me to become fluent in French. Before moving, I thought the exams would be the biggest challenge, especially because in France as many as 80% of first-year students don't make it through. There's a highly competitive selection process. But it turned out that the biggest challenge was actually communicating with patients. I have to understand them, understand their problem, and then explain what their treatment will look like. Medical terminology, and even everyday French, is quite different from the French I learned in school in Poland. So that has definitely been a challenge.
What's been the most interesting subject? Medicine in French... Our daughter is studying medicine in Poland, so I know what surprised her the most. What has surprised you the most?
When it comes to the studies themselves, I think what surprised me most was how much emphasis is placed on the humanistic side of medicine. During my first semester, the most important course was the history and philosophy of medicine. It actually carried the highest weight, was the most demanding course, required the most studying, but also gave us the most to think about because there was a great deal of philosophy involved. We learned, for example, how the Second World War influenced the development of bioethics legislation and helped put an end to unethical drug testing on people.
So, for anyone considering studying medicine and wondering whether it's the right path or which medical school to choose—did you have similar thoughts? Were you asking yourself the same questions?
Yes, absolutely. Before starting university, I took a gap year. During the first half of it, I studied German, which had nothing to do with what I'm doing now. During the second half, I went to the United States for an internship, where I conducted research on glioblastoma and cancer biology. That was also when I got a much more practical insight into what a doctor's work actually looks like, because in the United States the medical education system is a bit different. You first complete pre-med studies and only then go to medical school.
And you knew you wanted to become a doctor sooner rather than later, right?
It's hard to say it was about speeding things up, because in France medical school lasts seven years, while in the U.S. it's eight. So it's not a huge difference, but I also wanted to stay in Europe. I really love Europe, and I see my future here, closer to Poland.
Great. Tell me, who is someone you look up to? Someone who serves as a role model, a source of inspiration, or a guiding figure?
Ever since I was little, it has been Marie Curie. I know many people mention her, but I recently learned that Marie Curie's sister, Bronisława Dłuska, was also a physician, and she graduated from the very same university where I'm studying today. It was thanks to Bronisława, who moved to France first and started earning a living there, that Marie was later able to join her. So she brought her younger sister over. Exactly. Marie was the younger sister, and Bronisława, the older one, studied in the very same buildings where I study today.
Do you spend a lot of time studying?
I'd like to say... It's difficult to answer because it's really all about finding the right balance. I graduated from a Polish high school that offered the International Baccalaureate programme. That was by far the biggest academic challenge I've faced so far. IB was actually more demanding than university.
