What It’s Like Studying and Living in Taipei According to a PhD Student

If you’re a science geek who’s interested in all things biomedicine, health, and sciences—don’t let this good opportunity pass up! This might be your chance to continue and enrich your medicine studies at one of Taiwan’s top universities, Taipei Medical University (TMU).

Located in Taiwan’s capital city, TMU provides postgraduate students with cutting-edge research facilities in a culturally-diverse environment to support their pursuit of solutions to health issues, ideas for biotechnological innovations, and a quest for advancement in medical sciences.

In this article, we talked to Vincent, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student at TMU. He shared some insights on what it’s actually like to study in Taipei through firsthand student experiences. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you’ll be able to map out your own international student journey and make better-informed decisions about taking your degree to the next level, abroad.

An Extensively Diverse Curriculum

TMU boasts of a diverse curriculum offered to its diverse student population, with an emphasis on humanities understanding, problem-based learning, and clinical skill development. For Vincent, this is complementary to his goals as a medical doctor: “TMU, as a university with a medical focus, provides me with more than enough resources for my studies, both in terms of facilities and professors. TMU, for example, has many affiliated hospitals, and I frequently go to Shuang Ho Hospital, one of the affiliated hospitals, to conduct experiments and collect samples that cannot be done at the university.”

In addition, students at TMU are also encouraged to adapt to flexible blended learning to reach their academic goals. They offer a combination of online learning activities and on-campus, in-person instructions to ensure that their student population has access to a wide range of expertise across national borders. This curriculum, designed to give students access to various learning channels, makes TMU education a unique and valuable experience for students from around the world.

Designed to Create an Impact on the World

One of the primary goals of TMU is to be an active contributor to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); hence, sustainability is at the forefront of TMU’s commitment. The university sees to it that medical professionals in their fields are competent and capable in carrying out their profession as well as in facilitating multilateral exchange and sharing of resources and expertise, among others.

For Vincent, this ethos is felt in the learning experience of the students at the ground level because, according to him, “We had the opportunity to do and excel at things with the supervisor’s support. We also had the advantage of making the best use of the resources in university.”

A Supportive University Environment

As Taiwan’s top university, TMU hosts a substantial cohort of international postgraduate students who are more than willing to help each other out and a faculty that provides resources when needed. “I think that TMU does not ignore the international community, as the majority of the instructions provided are bilingual. Furthermore, about 10% of TMU’s total students were international students, so we will have no difficulty meeting people from other countries who share our interests and can hold events together,” Vincent shares.

This fellowship is also exemplified by the numerous engagement activities hosted by TMU and other international students. As per Vincent’s experience: “[We had a] Preloved Clothing Market where people were encouraged to act sustainably by reselling and reusing their belongings. Students also had the opportunity of donating the profits and clothes to charity. We also had a Story Circle event where students shared their stories and experiences they had while studying at TMU. We can find not only foreign students but also local students queuing up and participating in the events.”

This spirit of camaraderie and support within the TMU campus makes it a conducive university to learn, exchange ideas, and excel.

Make the most of what Taipei has to offer and study at TMU now for the journey of a lifetime! Visit the TMU website to know more.