More Irish students turning to Poland for veterinary courses
Leaving Cert students are increasingly looking beyond Ireland to pursue careers in veterinary medicine, with Poland emerging as a key destination.
Currently in Ireland, the only veterinary medicine courses available are being offered by University College Dublin (UCD), Atlantic Technological University (ATU), and South East Technological University (SETU), with the latter two colleges only launching the courses this year.
With UCD's veterinary medicine course requiring 589 points last year, many future Irish vets have ventured abroad to begin their studies.
For Matthew Ryan, a third-year veterinary medicine student in the University of Wroclaw, the decision to study in Poland was shaped by his farming background and a lack of courses in Ireland.
Growing up near Rosses Point in Sligo and the dry stock family farm in Mayo, Ryan always had his sights on becoming a vet and started exploring his third-level education opportunities early on.
He recalled: "I went over to Poland for a week during Easter of my sixth year in secondary school; I visited the three colleges and basically had my three places before I even sat for my Leaving Cert."
Now in his third year at Wroclaw, Ryan outlined that the five-and-a-half year course (11 semesters) has a good balance between theory and practical coursework.
He said: "First year is relatively basic, second and third year are tough, but after that then it's very practical.
"During third year, we're dealing with a lot more cases and being exposed to post-mortems; I'll also be doing work experience back home this summer."
Compared to veterinary courses in Ireland, the Irish student described the education standard as very similar in the way they are taught.
Ryan highlighted that the course structure broadly aligns with those in Ireland due to the accreditation standards in place for Poland.
The veterinary medicine course available in Wroclaw is taught in English, with many Polish universities now accustomed to facilitating Irish students.
When applying for his course, Ryan noted he was suprised about how much Polish colleges knew about the Irish third-level education system.
"They knew the Central Applications Office (CAO) exactly; you'd swear they were an Irish college."
For others hoping to study veterinary in Poland, the Irish student recommended secondary school pupils to go visit the University of Wroclaw, alongside the other two colleges on offer - University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.
He advised pupils to contact the univeristies directly and organise a week during secondary school holidays, such as Easter break, to travel abroad to the campuses.
Wroclaw
Despite the distance, Ryan said that a number of Irish students in Wroclaw have built a strong community amongst themselves.
He estimates that there are currently over 120 Irish veterinary medicine students in the city, with numbers continuing to grow.
"There are eight Irish students currently graduating, while more than 40 Irish students have just started first year, so the course is definitely growing in popularity," Ryan said.
Travel back home to Ireland is also manageable, as Ryan noted that there are daily flights from Poland to Shannon and Dublin Airport, with the college campus only 20 minutes distance away from the airport in Wroclaw.
GAA
A key part of Irish student life in Wroclaw is the GAA club, founded by 11 veterinary medicine students four years ago.
Now boasting over 50 members, Ryan said that the club has become a "great outlet" for Irish students and it "takes them back home."
However, he highlighted that the men and ladies teams isn't only made up of Irish students as many other nationalities, such as students from Lebanon and Scandinavia, have also taken up the sport.
"It's allowed me to meet people I would have never met before," the Irish student added.
With the nearest GAA club being around 300km away, Ryan noted that the biggest expense for Wroclaw Éire Óg is travelling to compete in tournaments.
Raffle
To address this, the club has organised a fundraising raffle, which has accumulated over €15,000 worth of prizes on offer.
Many Irish agri-businesses are sponsoring the raffle, with rewards such as animal meal, a bale spike, calving cameras and more up for grabs.
Funds will help subsidise travel cost, while part of the proceeds will also go to the Irish Veterinary Benevolent Fund.
The full list of prizes available can found on Wroclaw Éire Óg's Facebook and Instagram pages, with tickets priced at €10.
The raffle is set to run from Monday, April 13 to Friday, May 15.
