After graduating cum laude from UP Manila Pharmacy, I went straight to Taiwan for medical school. I went mainly because I have relatives living in Taiwan, I was considering practicing medicine in Taiwan, I was interested in seeing another medical system and I am quite fluent in Mandarin. I would say Mandarin is essential for medical education, but not so much with post-graduate programs. It took quite some time for me to be acquainted to the Chinese medical terms but studying was manageable because UP Manila gave me a really good pre-medical foundation. Also, the Taiwanese people are very friendly and helpful.

Studying in Taiwan gave me a lot of extra-curricular opportunities. I was able to become actively involved with International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA) which brought me to a lot of international events and exchanges. I was also able to work part-time as a pharmacist and as an English tutor, which allowed me to earn on the side and get to know the Taiwan medical system more. My case was a lot of luck, courage and hard work. As for academic opportunities, Taiwan provides very good clinical training because of the huge amount of clinical cases they have. Also, KMU allows one month of clerkship abroad with their sister schools (I went to Seoul National University).

I highly recommend people to go abroad to study for a broader perspective and life experience. Taiwan is a good place to live, learn and explore.

Franchesca Choi
University of the Philippines – Manila [Pharmacy ’08]
Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan [Medicine ’13]