He was attracted to pharmacy mainly due to its combination of several sciences, including medicine, the natural sciences, biology, and chemistry. Today, he is in his third year of study and is very happy to have changed his major. He even says he has found himself, as he is able to manage his studies and work at a company at the same time.
“I am originally from Bangladesh, but I grew up and studied in the United Arab Emirates. All through high school, all I heard from my family was medicine, and they all pointed me in that direction,” recalls the student, who actually came to Masaryk University years ago to study to be a doctor.
“It’s a pity I didn’t know more about pharmacy then. When a friend took me to visit the Faculty of Pharmacy, which became part of Masaryk University four years ago, I was thrilled. I was even more excited that pharmacy could be studied in Brno and that I didn’t have to move somewhere else. I have a lot of friends here, and I love the city full of students,” he explains, adding that shortly after the visit he applied for pharmacy and transferred there from medicine.
Studying medicine was not a waste of time
But he does not consider his years studying medicine to have been wasted. He gained a lot of knowledge that is useful in his new field. And many of his credits from his previous studies were recognised by the faculty. As a result, he is several courses ahead of his classmates and has already started working on his thesis because he wants to finish his studies as soon as possible.
“I got to work in the lab this summer for my thesis and I’m really enjoying it. I’m doing my thesis in pharmacology, and it’s fascinating to study what happens in experimental models under the influence of different factors. What is more, after a few months in the lab, I can already see that this is exactly the kind of work I want to do in the future. It’s amazing how many opportunities pharmacy has opened up for me. As well as working in pharmacies, I can work in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food companies, medical facilities, research institutes or even teach at universities. And it all sounds very appealing.”
He does not know exactly where he will go after his studies – it will depend on the job offers he gets. He is also considering the possibility of joining a one-year programme at the Faculty of Pharmacy after completing his Master’s degree to obtain a PharmD – and possibly even a PhD – which would open up new opportunities and make it easier to find a job after graduation.
International project = great experience
To gain experience outside the field, he attends various events whenever he has time between his studies and work. Recently, he joined a Model UN conference, which simulates a United Nations meeting. He has improved his debating and communication skills as well as his critical thinking and made many new friends from all ten MU faculties.
“Taking part in the international project was a great experience, thanks to which I got to know the wide range of disciplines at Masaryk University. The quality of education and research at Masaryk University is very high, while the tuition fees are affordable. In the Emirates, for example, I would pay two or three times as much. I was also surprised by Czechia itself: it is a peaceful country where people are very nice and positive and you feel safe,” Naeem added.