Jirayu Phillip Chantanakomes (21) is a fourth year medical student from Bangkok, Thailand.

 

How is university life in Bangkok?

Each Thai student has to go through what they call an entrance exam. Once you get in, life in each university varies. All first year students go through hazing. The point of this is to show first year students how to bond with each other and how to pass through the difficulties of university life. One thing that I find Thai universities differ from other countries is that each student is so bonded with the friends in the same year, we know everyone in the same year as us.

 

Is it financially possible for everyone to study medicine?

Yes, money isn’t an issue. It is the amount of people who wants to get in and the competition for the entrance exams that makes it difficult The government pays for most of our fees and have some scholarships for students but with special conditions. We have a contract with the government that we have to spend three years in rural areas to pay for our debts. Most people spend a year in rural areas and after that they can pay off the rest of the depts.

 

What do you think is the best part of the medical education in Thailand?

I think the best part is that is it not expensive to study. Also we have one of the most stabilized and effective curriculum in south east-Asia. The medical faculties in Thailand give so much support for their students and we gain so much more other then the knowledge we receive.

 

What do you think that is the biggest difference in study medicine in Thailand and other countries?

I think the biggest difference is that we are not broadening up our minds to other opportunities as other medical students do. For example, other medical students seem to have the opportunities to do other things other than study medicine, as Thai students seems to just go through the six years of studying without doing anything else. It would be nice to have the chance to explore the things we could do as a medical student in other places around the globe.

 

Describe your life in 2020…

I really don’t know. But I guess I would be here, in Thailand. Hoping to be helping others as I have been taught. Other than that, it would be nice to be able to teach in the hospital.