“It’s a vocation for me, something I’ve always wanted to do since I was little,” says Cihan Durmarz, a 22-year-old student in his fourth year of medicine, who aspires to specialize in general medicine.
Medical studies are renowned for being very difficult, but also very long, around 10 years to become a general practitioner.
Which has a real cost over time, when we know that many students start by paying for prep to prepare for competitive exams, then accommodation depending on the faculty where they are admitted, numerous trips during their internships, the price of daily life...
This did not discourage this young man from Dreux from enrolling in medicine.
At the beginning, Cihan was able to count on his parents to support him financially, in particular for the rental of his studio in Tours (Indre-et-Loire), near the university.
The first months are time-consuming and decisive for a first choice of specialty granted according to the ranking at the end of a competition at the end of the first year.
For him, everything went well.
His place - 19th out of 417 participants - allowed him to be given priority over his wishes.
“In the second and third year, we had more time, I was able to find small jobs.
During Covid, I carried out antigen tests.
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“Complicated to work alongside from the 4th year”
But at the end of this period, doubt took hold of the student.
“From the fourth year onwards, it's impossible to have a job on the side if you want to study properly,” laments Cihan Durmarz, aware of the burden weighing on his parents' shoulders.
Cihan is the eldest of four children.
His little brother also entered higher education.
He therefore had to find how to finance the rest of his course.
Also read: Medical deserts: where the worst is yet to come
By inquiring, he learned of the existence of a scholarship for medical students from the youth deputy of the town of Dreux, with whom he was already in contact through his associative commitments.
In fact, the municipality of Dreux recently implemented a project aimed at financing medical studies in exchange for a commitment to settle in the municipality for eight years.
After an interview, Cihan Durmarz, a native of Dreux, was chosen to benefit from this funding, i.e. 1,000 euros per month.
“I am very happy to obtain this scholarship, it will be able to relieve my parents,” rejoices Cihan.
Winning bet for the city.
The young student recognizes that without this scholarship, although he loves his city, he is not sure that he would have settled in Dreux.
With six years of study still ahead of him, Cihan Durmarz says he is finally eager to settle down as a doctor where he grew up.