fossildoc
07-22-2007, 12:02 AM
A couple of months ago I sent to CMU a list of questions that med schools don't like to answer, but which I feel are perfectly legitimate and in no way inflammatory. CMU "lost" them, and when I made a followup inquiry, they sent me an email requesting that I resubmit the questions, and promised a swift reply to all of them.
Anybody who has haunted these forums for a while should not be surprised that the second submission went unanswered as well. These med schools seem to be unwilling to allow students to make informed decisions, and instead rely on subterfuge, evasion, and deceptions of all sorts, in the hope of luring enough "early adapters" (risk-takers) upon whom they will build their empires. Below the dotted line are my questions; I have made obvious edits to replace my personal circumstances with more general ones. Maybe some of you can find a way to get answers out of this school, or if you have them already, please post.
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1. Do you have, or are you in the process of obtaining, ECFMG Step exam eligibility (which would imply WHO and/or IMED listing)? "In the process" means you have unofficial approval by ECFMG, pending waiting periods and paperwork.
2. Do you offer student loans for U.S. citizens which do not require a co-signer (like TERI, or equivalent)?
3. Do you have a charter from the government of Curaçao to operate a medical school? If yes, what is the name of the government agency that issued the charter?
4. Is the school incorporated in the United States? If yes, in what state and under what name?
5. Do you require Step 1 as a requirement for your MD degree? If yes, what do you do with students who do not wish to take Step 1 (e.g., to practice in other countries or to become researchers)?
6. Do you accept transfer students at all levels of Basic Sciences? If yes:
a) Do you accept courses taken at <current school>?
b) Do you accept courses taken at <previous school>?
c) Do you require anything at all, besides a transcript, to transfer credits (like course Syllabi)? Note that <previous school> has flatly refused to provide syllabi to former students.
d) <previous school> <reason why previous school is about to collapse>, and may vanish at any moment. If it is not possible to obtain a transcript from them, will you accept an "official transcript given to student" in conjunction with a <current school> transcript showing courses transferred from <previous school> (<current school> will have an official transcript)?
7. Do you have or are you in the process of obtaining rotation contracts with at least one hospital in the U.S.? If yes, please list the hospital(s). If no, please give some indication of how far along this process is.
8. Do you encourage or at least permit students to arrange their own rotations? If yes, would this include rotations in foreign countries? Do you have a formal procedure in place for such students?
9. What is the approximate monthly cost of living in Curaçao for a single occupant, including hot water and 24-hour Internet?
10. What is the range of car rental fees?
11. Are there any problems encountered by U.S. students with Curaçao Immigration?
12. Are personal effects such as computers and cameras taxed by Curaçao Customs when medical students enter the country?
13. Is there Skype service from Curaçao? If yes, is it currently blocked?
14. At the end of each semester, will you provide an official transcript to each student -- subject to a reasonable fee -- showing courses completed and credits transferred from other schools?
15. For each student, do you guarantee the tuition and fee schedule that was in effect at the time the student was admitted? This includes semesters spent in rotations.
16. Do you have a formal, actually operating -- not theoretical or planned -- grievance procedure for the adjudication of student complaints?
17. Do you have an office or contact person in the United States? If yes, please give the address, phone number, email, and name of that person or office.
18. Do you have a student government? If yes, please provide me with the name and email address of its president or other officer.
19. Do you publish the names of the textbooks used in each course? If yes, are those books actually, really and truly, used by the teachers, or is the list merely part of a marketing plan?
20. Are your teachers required to have "office hours" to meet with students? If no, do they make themselves available at reasonable times?
21. Do you require a school uniform?
22. Do you require students to be tested in subjects that are being transferred from another school?
23. Do you require a "shelf" or "exit" exam before being allowed to start rotations?
24. What are your policies regarding teachers' behavior in the classroom? Are they permitted to humiliate, berate, and ridicule students? If they do that, what will you do?
25. Are there any graduation requirements, however trivial, not explicitly stated on your web site? If yes, what are they?
Anybody who has haunted these forums for a while should not be surprised that the second submission went unanswered as well. These med schools seem to be unwilling to allow students to make informed decisions, and instead rely on subterfuge, evasion, and deceptions of all sorts, in the hope of luring enough "early adapters" (risk-takers) upon whom they will build their empires. Below the dotted line are my questions; I have made obvious edits to replace my personal circumstances with more general ones. Maybe some of you can find a way to get answers out of this school, or if you have them already, please post.
---------------------------------
1. Do you have, or are you in the process of obtaining, ECFMG Step exam eligibility (which would imply WHO and/or IMED listing)? "In the process" means you have unofficial approval by ECFMG, pending waiting periods and paperwork.
2. Do you offer student loans for U.S. citizens which do not require a co-signer (like TERI, or equivalent)?
3. Do you have a charter from the government of Curaçao to operate a medical school? If yes, what is the name of the government agency that issued the charter?
4. Is the school incorporated in the United States? If yes, in what state and under what name?
5. Do you require Step 1 as a requirement for your MD degree? If yes, what do you do with students who do not wish to take Step 1 (e.g., to practice in other countries or to become researchers)?
6. Do you accept transfer students at all levels of Basic Sciences? If yes:
a) Do you accept courses taken at <current school>?
b) Do you accept courses taken at <previous school>?
c) Do you require anything at all, besides a transcript, to transfer credits (like course Syllabi)? Note that <previous school> has flatly refused to provide syllabi to former students.
d) <previous school> <reason why previous school is about to collapse>, and may vanish at any moment. If it is not possible to obtain a transcript from them, will you accept an "official transcript given to student" in conjunction with a <current school> transcript showing courses transferred from <previous school> (<current school> will have an official transcript)?
7. Do you have or are you in the process of obtaining rotation contracts with at least one hospital in the U.S.? If yes, please list the hospital(s). If no, please give some indication of how far along this process is.
8. Do you encourage or at least permit students to arrange their own rotations? If yes, would this include rotations in foreign countries? Do you have a formal procedure in place for such students?
9. What is the approximate monthly cost of living in Curaçao for a single occupant, including hot water and 24-hour Internet?
10. What is the range of car rental fees?
11. Are there any problems encountered by U.S. students with Curaçao Immigration?
12. Are personal effects such as computers and cameras taxed by Curaçao Customs when medical students enter the country?
13. Is there Skype service from Curaçao? If yes, is it currently blocked?
14. At the end of each semester, will you provide an official transcript to each student -- subject to a reasonable fee -- showing courses completed and credits transferred from other schools?
15. For each student, do you guarantee the tuition and fee schedule that was in effect at the time the student was admitted? This includes semesters spent in rotations.
16. Do you have a formal, actually operating -- not theoretical or planned -- grievance procedure for the adjudication of student complaints?
17. Do you have an office or contact person in the United States? If yes, please give the address, phone number, email, and name of that person or office.
18. Do you have a student government? If yes, please provide me with the name and email address of its president or other officer.
19. Do you publish the names of the textbooks used in each course? If yes, are those books actually, really and truly, used by the teachers, or is the list merely part of a marketing plan?
20. Are your teachers required to have "office hours" to meet with students? If no, do they make themselves available at reasonable times?
21. Do you require a school uniform?
22. Do you require students to be tested in subjects that are being transferred from another school?
23. Do you require a "shelf" or "exit" exam before being allowed to start rotations?
24. What are your policies regarding teachers' behavior in the classroom? Are they permitted to humiliate, berate, and ridicule students? If they do that, what will you do?
25. Are there any graduation requirements, however trivial, not explicitly stated on your web site? If yes, what are they?