Any advice from former or current stdents

[wasselm]

HI all
I am stating this thread and looking for some help from current and former students of Spartan.

Any one has any advice for new incoming students?

Any advice is very appreciated.

I am planning on attending spartan this May and have only 3 days to send a deposit to the school, i need to hear from current or former students about the school and about the expectations.

Thank you all for your advising in this matter.

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[wisdom76]

HI all
I am stating this thread and looking for some help from current and former students of Spartan.

Any one has any advice for new incoming students?

Any advice is very appreciated.

I am planning on attending spartan this May and have only 3 days to send a deposit to the school, i need to hear from current or former students about the school and about the expectations.

Thank you all for your advising in this matter.

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Hey,
I am not a spartan student yet But I know a hand full MD's who went to spartan. They have completed residency and they are doing theor fellowship one in Peds another in IM/ER they both loved it and paid their way through college. I will ba applying for Jan 08 semester and I plan to pay my tuition myself. Well, they gave me their books and told me that, the way to go about it is studing hard (not a new story i guess) and understand mechanisim of disease from the molecular level. For example what is responsible for a cliff lips syndrom in baby, or what is the molecular explanation of the failure of neurospore closure or simply what is responsible for Spina bafida if you are able to set your mind in the think of answering complex question as such, medical school and USMLE will be doable but not easy. They also said, to systematicall program yourself in to reading alot and not to study to pass USMLE (otherwise you will not be a good DR) but to study to understand the mechanisim of disease from the celluler level e.g what is responsible for a necrotising tissue. SImply, hard work pays off. I am currenly a Respiratory therapy and my goals is to pay my tuition and study like their is a gun on my head. Perhapes I will see you on the island. cheers

[wasselm]

thanks for the information and i hope to see you next year.

I concluded that the school is a good school but it is small and that is why we do not see many residents and doctors in the states when we do the research.
also i see that some other schools list all the matching doctors every year but it is not the case with spartan.

the school has been around for many years and that makes it a good school.

[mal]

calling all people attending spartan this fall. 2007
i'll be coming from connecticut, usa....like they say experiances are better if shared by 2 or more.:D would love ur hear from someone.

[Sebastian85]

Hey ,

I agree, I myself was suppose to go in May, but have decided to in September, so I think getting to know each other would be a great idea. Maybe we can form study groups, or find apartments when we arrive.
I am a Canadian from Toronto. Hopefully I'll be there in the end of August.

[mal]

oh, great it's really nice to hear from u...i've been to toronto many times with family...what kept u from coming in may?.( u dont have to answer that if u dont want to)..Study groups was exactly what i had in mind...my dad's a doctor so he's always telling me how he had his friends with him thru out and how they helped each other with everything/every subject...i thought it would be nice have a group of my own to help and get help from...thanx for replying..hope we continue to talk.

[montrealdoc]

it's a good school, but you have to give it a chance... I guarantee you will want to go back home in the first few days you come down here... after the first week you get settled in and it just becomes another school like any other...

[yenroger2001]

;)I just decide to go to Spartan this morning. I am from Taiwan and went to college at UMBC.;)

[mal]

i need to know from previous students that is it necessary to have a return ticket from US .... and if so when is the best time to come home?

[cahsu2005]

Hi, like I said in the other post, post your email and I will try to get in contact with you on a personal level (no pun intended).

As for tickets, you are suppose to get a return but do not necessarily have to. If you choose to, you are usually done by Dec 21 if not earlier.
The thing is most students want to go home earlier and change their tickets, however, you must be careful of your test schedule because it does change and is not set in stone. You should be done at the very latest 2pm on the 21st. Exams now run Tues and Fri 8am..things have been changing at Spartan and like I said everything...and I mean Everything you want, need and perhaps do not want to hear I can tell you.

As for new students - there are no Teri loans; you can practice and there are many excellent graduates who are successful docs that I know of personally. New York is a no go for clinicals (only 12-16wks) Mainstay of clinicals for Spartan Grads is Chicago. Good luck!

[cahsu2005]

If you would like to stay that is not a problem either. However, it does get lonely and boring here. It is not a party in Vieux Fort where the school is. The party is in Castries where most resorts are (1 hr drive).
You will get a stamp from immigration but have to hand in your passport to the school so they can get it stamped -takes up to 3 wks.

Almost forgot...

Housing!!!!!!
--You will be picked up by a Mr. Maxwell driving a van, or truck. Usually the secretary will come with him. They will pick you up from the airport if you are arriving in UVF. If you are coming into Castries airport and if they pick you up, you may have to pay a fee...how much I am not sure.
They get tired of showing so many places so by the end of the day they just drop you off and tell you there are no more houses. Be careful of the area also and how far you are. There are break-ins often in certain houses --look for burglar bars too. Housing depends on how much you want to get ripped off (I know it sounds bad) but it is usually 800-1200EC for 1-2bdrm and if you have a room-mate it should NOT be double - rather you split it or they up it by 100-200EC only. Utilities you pay for - and make sure you check all--like water tank in case the water stops, air conditioning, ***so this is buyer beware. Because there have been a good influx of wealthy or spoiled brats - our housing costs have consistently gone up (the landowners do talk to each other). So be prepared - Oh yeah these are EC dollars!!!! 1US to 2.67EC - dont worry people take US - grocery stores no longer take 100US (counterfeits) but do take 20's.

Blah blah....if you really want to know more, post your email to ME CAHSU2005 !!!

[cahsu2005]

Once again for those that want more info. I can compile the info if you need, but for what purpose if you don't mind me asking? Unless you are planning to go to Spartan the information I have is useless to those who are not.