The race for aspiring doctors' coats for the "filter semester" has officially begun —amid controversy—even at the Cagliari Fair: a total of 1,167 candidates are competing for the 305 available places in the Sardinian capital's Faculty of Medicine, plus an additional 25 in Dentistry. Space is limited, just as the number of places on the national ranking list is limited: 24,000 for the more than 50,000 students who registered for the first session introduced by the reform signed by Minister Bernini.
"It's impossible to study three subjects—like chemistry, physics, and biology—in two months and arrive adequately prepared," observes Claudia Farci, from Quartu.
"I already know I won't get through, but it's not because I haven't studied, it's a question of method, which is totally flawed," comments Barbara Laudi, waiting in Piazzale Marco Polo, crowded early in the morning for the first roll call and also rife with controversy over the restricted number of places, which was only cancelled on paper: because, they all agree, in practice it was simply postponed.
The day begins at 11:00 a.m.: forty-five minutes are allotted for each test, plus fifteen minutes of rest between them, before we can summarize this day, which represents a testing ground for everyone, students and non-students alike.