Studying medicine in Italy as a Brazilian student: my experience

Hi, I’m Ana Pagotto and this is my experience as a Med student in Italy! Ever since my early teenage years, I dreamed of studying abroad. When I was 15, I decided I wanted to study medicine, and with that came a flood of questions — medicine abroad? So many doubts and not enough answers. Where do I start? How can I return to my home country after graduating? Is that even possible?

With little to no information available, I applied for medical school in my home country after graduating high school — and I got in. But I wasn’t completely satisfied. After one year of med school, I still felt like something was missing.

That’s when I discovered the possibility of studying medicine in Italy — and, surprisingly, how it could be even cheaper than what I was paying at a private university in Brazil. In 2018, I decided that was what I wanted to pursue. Besides, Italy is the country of my ancestors, so how cool would that be? Later that year, I packed my bags and, with my parents’ support, I moved to Italy.

Preparing for the IMAT / MedIT

It took learning Italian and a few months living in Italy to truly understand the application process — back then, you could barely find any reliable information online. Fortunately, during one of my research sessions, I found out about Testbusters’ preparation courses. That was definitely a game-changer for me.

Long story short: in 2019, I applied for both the IMAT (English) and the admission test for the Italian program — and I passed both! By November, I was already enrolled at university, starting a completely new chapter of my life.

The move to Italy

Moving to Italy was exciting, but also overwhelming. That feeling of being completely alone, starting from scratch in a foreign country… But at the same time, I wouldn’t say I had an extremely hard time fitting in. Of course, some days were more difficult than others — dealing with bureaucracy, not knowing how things worked, the occasional culture shock. But you learn so much from all of it — especially about yourself.

The first city I lived in was Florence. Such a magical city — full of history, art, and beauty. Honestly, one of the most stunning places I’ve ever been to. Florence is well connected to the rest of Italy and Europe, making it super easy to travel when you live there. Two little problems, though: it’s extremely crowded and can be quite expensive.

After taking the entrance exams, I was accepted into the University of Messina, where I’ve now been living for almost six years. Sometimes, Messina feels like the exact opposite of Florence: not crowded at all and pretty affordable. It isn’t exactly an “artistic” city, and public transportation isn’t the best, but it has amazing beaches that make summertime so much fun! Summers in Italy are incredibly hot basically everywhere — and coming from someone born and raised in Brazil, that says something. So having access to the beach here is definitely a huge plus. But I should warn you — winters, on the other hand, can be a bit depressing… not much to do.

Life as an International Medical Student in Italy

Being an international student in Italy can feel like a love-hate relationship. Organization definitely isn’t one of their strongest qualities — especially at the University of Messina, at least in the Italian-taught course, which is the one I attend. The system is very different from what I was used to: more theoretical, and with oral exams. Over time, though, I’ve built a new life here — one that includes both Italian anatomy textbooks and aperitivo on weekends.

When I moved here, I was really worried about making friends and living alone. Fortunately, none of that turned out to be a problem. Don’t get me wrong — I miss my family and friends back home a lot. Especially in the first few months, it was hard. But I was surprised by how welcoming people are here, especially in the South.

So what should you expect when getting into med school in Italy? On a more practical level:

• Classes: usually from 9 to 5, depending on the year you’re in. The method is quite traditional and lecture-based.
• Internships: they start from the 3rd year (or even 2nd in some universities), and are mostly observerships at first.
• Exams: mostly oral. If you’re not used to them, it might be scary at the beginning — but don’t panic! You get used to it over time. Overall the university in Italy is pretty flexible, you choose when and which exam to take during your studies.

One of the things I love most about living in Italy — besides the food (who doesn’t love pasta and pizza, right?) and the culture — is how easy it is to travel and discover new places! Even though Messina isn’t super well connected, it’s still way easier (and cheaper) than what I was used to back home.

Looking back, I realize this journey has been about much more than becoming a doctor. It has taught me resilience, adaptability, and how to find a sense of home in unfamiliar places.

To anyone thinking of studying in Italy: be brave. It won’t be easy — but it will be worth it.