Ciao!

I am Harith Shevan Murale. I am from Kelaniya. I studied at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo 10. I did my AL’s in the Biology stream. After the completion of my AL’s back in the year 2020, I was interested in pursuing my higher studies abroad, even though I had already started my higher studies in the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. I was particularly interested in studying in Europe because of the standard of the Universities and rich culture. After considering several options that I found on the web, it was by chance that I found out about SMIT academy. I then did some reading about the universities mentioned on their webpage. And as expected they were of remarkably high standard, all of which were state universities. I then learnt that the education in Italy is highly subsidized and that was a significant reason as to why I chose to study here. The Single cycle master’s degree in Medicine and Surgery is offered in English language. The duration of the degree is six years. It is one of the very few affordable options to study medicine in English in Europe.

After going through the academy’s website, I spoke to Mr. Pattapola who is based in Kandy. He provided me with all the basic information necessary. I was told that Dr. Viraj would be conducting preparatory classes in lieu of the entrance exam. Despite our best efforts, I was unable to sit the exam in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as a travel ban was imposed on Sri Lankans just prior to the exam. However, I decided to sit the exam in the following year. After six months of hard work, I was able to sit the exam in India. SMIT Academy was supportive in organizing our travel and stay in India for the exam. Mr. Charitha who is part of the SMIT team accompanied us to India, ensured that everything went on smoothly. We stayed at the same hotel where the exam was being held which was very convenient and reduced the hassle that we might have incurred if we had to travel on the day of the exam. We had a delightful stay at the hotel and on the last day we were also taken out to go shopping.

After the results were released, I was extremely happy and excited. After two years I had finally made it. The next phase of the process was obtaining the Visa, which was very stressful to say the least. Dr. Viraj and Mr. Pattapola were extremely helpful throughout this entire process, without whom I couldn’t have done it. I was guided through all the steps of the process and my documents were checked and verified by them. After about a month’s time I got my student Visa and was ready to fly to Italy. When I landed in Italy, Dr. Viraj was there at the airport to pick me. It was extremely nice to meet the person who had been supporting me for the last two years.

I started attending lectures at the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” in Naples, in the week following my arrival. What struck me at first was the high standards maintained by the university which was reflected in academics and in other aspects as well. I met a lot of international students and I made a lot of new friends coming from different parts of the world. The lectures have been very interesting, and the lecturers have been very supportive and have maintained a very friendly and approachable learning environment.

Naples is a very vibrant city, boasting some really good food and some spectacular views of the sea. The city is very student friendly and as a Sri Lankan, I have found it rather easy to adapt to. The cost of living in Naples is considerably lower than some other areas in Italy, making it a very convenient for students. I’ve been here for a little over a month now and it has been one of the best experiences in my life.

I would like to thank Dr. Viraj, Mr. Pattapola, and Mr. Charitha at SMIT Academy for their countless efforts in making this a success story. Their service was very personalized and they even went out of their way to help me. I wish the team at SMIT Academy all the very best in their future endeavors.

Harith Shevan Murale.