Zoubeir Badulla graduated in his native Mauritius during the Covid lockdowns. As he was searching for possible university destinations, an acquaintance of his recommended Semmelweis. He opted for the medical university in Budapest after visiting the capital for a month. Choosing this profession, on the other hand, was a no-brainer. As an athletic kid, an avid swimmer, and a horse rider, he was a frequent guest at hospitals, where his doctors’ professionalism and hospitality made him fall in love with medicine. As a member of the Semmelweis Students’ Scientific Association (TDK) conducting research in cardiology and analyzing plaque samples from endarterectomy surgeries, his dream specialization is cardiac surgery.
@zoubz2912 And that’s totally fine 🧡 #fyp #study #learnontiktok #life #relatable #student
He started experimenting with TikTok during the lockdown when he wanted to create something that could resonate with people of his age, and the account soon gained 10,000 followers in his home country. The channel exploded when he began his medical studies at Semmelweis. He soon moved to Instagram, where he reached 100,000 followers within a year. Zoubeir also launched a YouTube channel last year to share informative videos about the application process, the entrance exam, scholarships, and so on. As an inside joke, the term ‘tamam’ in the name of the channel means ‘amazing’ in his native Mauritian Creole, referring to him as a reliable source of information. Besides being featured in an episode of MedChats, a podcast for conversations with medical students around the world, he also hosts his own podcast series, Island Med Talk, where he interviews exceptional students he met at Semmelweis University.
@zoubz2912 Anatomy be crawling on us #fyp #medschool #semmelweis #couples #xyzbca
Each component of this diverse portfolio has its designated goal: TikTok is a place for medicine-related, humorous short videos, Instagram serves as a vlog of his daily life, whereas YouTube is reserved for more informative content, spanning from 30 to 60 minutes. Some of his most popular videos are the ones in which he shares student hacks, for example how IT, and especially AI can be used to save time and energy when drafting exam notes. Right now, he is testing a recently developed AI application for a collaboration on his flagship Instagram channel, which over time has also become his part-time job.
Zoubeir Badulla was surprised by the extent viewers loved medical content and its impact on prospective students. “Lots of first-year students at Semmelweis know me from Instagram because they watched my videos when they applied. That was kind of a motivation for me to showcase campus life here, since if I hadn’t come to Budapest to see it for myself, I would have never discovered such a university system.”
Currently, six Mauritians are studying at Semmelweis, one of whom is the upper-year student who inspired Zoubeir to come here, and three of whom were inspired by Zoubeir’s videos. “When we bump into each other, they hug me, which makes my day. And three more Mauritians are expected to enroll this September, whom I helped with the entrance exams. I’m building a community which I did not expect social media to bring for me.”
He usually schedules two videos per week on TikTok and Instagram, and one video per month on YouTube. The exam period is an exception, though, reserved for study obligations. Most of the time, he edits the videos himself, but he also has photography and editing assistance. Studying and content creation are frequently interwoven: He starts his study sessions with the camera rolling and tends to completely forget about it, only to rewatch it as a way of relaxing and to see if any useable footage was captured to illustrate any of the video ideas he has in mind. “Otherwise, it would become a stressful chore,” he explains his timesaving working method.
His focused, goal-oriented outlook on life, which permeates most of his posts, was inspired by his father’s bon mot, “Commit 100 percent to your studies, and 100 percent to living life to the fullest,” expressing a wholehearted dedication to one activity at a time without distractions or procrastination.
Although it was a learning curve to accept being exposed to criticism, having been engaged with social media for four years, he considers it part of the growth process. “At the end of the day, my videos are for me; I am pleased if anyone benefits from them, but I am aware that I won’t be able to help everyone.”
Still, community engagement is high on his priority list as he envisages a cooking series with his international student peers; also, as a member of the International Students of Semmelweis Association (ISSA), he is regularly involved in bake sales and weekly charity events for orphans and the homeless.
These two years have been crazy. I’ve gotten opportunities I could have never imagined.
Judit Szabados-Dőtsch
Photos by Boglárka Zellei – Semmelweis University
