Life between the amphitheater, the clinic and the reading room: Jovana Popović, a medical student at the prestigious Sapienza University

Studying medicine is a big challenge in itself, and when you add moving to another country, a new language, and a completely different education system, it becomes clear how much work, discipline, and courage it requires. That's exactly the path she took. Jovana Popovic from Podgorica, a fourth-year medical student at the prestigious Sapienza University in Rome, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe.

Jovana Popović completed elementary and high school in Podgorica.

“During my schooling, I was particularly interested in biology, chemistry and foreign languages, and it was precisely these interests that greatly influenced my choice to enroll in medicine at the Sapienza University in Rome after high school. The knowledge I acquired in high school helped me a lot, especially during the Italian language test and the very demanding entrance exam that included biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, logic and general culture.”

The decisive motive for enrolling at Sapienza is the fact that it is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe and provides an exceptionally high-quality education.

"Before making my decision, I spoke with students from Montenegro who are already studying there and they all had very positive experiences, both with their studies and with life in Rome. This further confirmed to me that it was the right choice for me."

Jovana really liked Rome because, as she says, it offers many opportunities, from quality universities and good conditions for studying to numerous facilities for students.

"I am particularly fascinated by the history and architecture of the city. Piazza di Spagna, Fontana di Trevi, Piazza Navona and the Colosseum are just some of the monuments that take your breath away."

The Podgorica native lives in the Piazza Bologna neighborhood, near the university, which makes her daily duties much easier.

"Sapienza has a large university campus with libraries, amphitheaters and study spaces, but also a large university clinic where medical students do their internships."

A medical student's day in Rome is very full.

"I have lectures in the morning, an internship at the university clinic in the afternoon, and then I spend time in the reading room preparing for exams and reviewing the material."

There are a large number of professors at Sapienza, each of whom teaches in their own field of specialization.

"Professors are available for questions and additional explanations, both during lectures and during practical classes, which helps us a lot to connect theory and practice."

Jovana's group is mostly made up of Italian students, with only a few foreigners. In addition to her, there are two other colleagues from abroad.

"Due to our commitments, we don't have much free time, but when we can, we go out together to the university districts of Piazza Bologna and San Lorenzo, where students gather. We often talk about Montenegro and many of them would like to visit it."

Medical exams, Jovana points out, are very demanding.

"Some are only oral, some have both a written and oral part, while some also include a practical part."

Jovana is not thinking about specializing yet.

"Right now, the most important thing for me is to successfully complete my undergraduate studies and gain as much knowledge and clinical experience as possible. I haven't yet decided which specialization I want, but there are certain branches of medicine that particularly appeal to me. A great advantage of Sapienza is that the university clinic has many departments, so students can do internships in areas that interest them and thus gain valuable experience."

Jovana Popović would like to return to Montenegro after completing her studies and additional training and use the knowledge she gained abroad to contribute to our healthcare system.

"The state should provide conditions in which young doctors can give their maximum through professional work, primarily through access to modern medical equipment and the possibility of continuous professional development."

Getting out of the comfort zone

Jovana admits that her studies have changed her a lot.

“After schooling in Montenegro, I went to Italy, where I didn’t know anyone. Adjusting to a new environment and a different system forced me to step out of my comfort zone, but at the same time made me more confident and ready for challenges. Living away from my family taught me independence, responsibility, and good organization, from finding accommodation and organizing a budget to administrative duties. The biggest challenge was switching from learning in our language to the professional Italian used at the university. This required rapid acquisition of medical terminology and a huge amount of material.”

The best Italian university

Sapienza University of Rome is the highest-ranked Italian university in the Shanghai Ranking for 2025. It is ranked between 101 and 150 in the world and is the only university from Italy in the top 150. Throughout its history, the university has been associated with numerous Nobel laureates, including Enrico Fermi, Guglielmo Marconi, Emilio Segrè, Carlo Rubbia and Franco Modigliani.