Visit the school before u come and find out everything...

[RonJeremy]

I suggest to all those that want to go to the school to visit it first.

Most of u will be in for a rude awakening and see that the pictures on the site are false.

Just don't be stupid and come to the school blindly.

Ron

[jasano]

Are you saying then that you've been to the school? Tell us what it's like then by all means. Not everyone has the cash flow to make such a trip and attend school there both. Most are going in somewhat blind and I would appreciate your thoughts.

[jameslynton]

Are you saying then that you've been to the school? Tell us what it's like then by all means. Not everyone has the cash flow to make such a trip and attend school there both. Most are going in somewhat blind and I would appreciate your thoughts.Even the cheapest island medical schools are going to run you close to $100,000+ Aruba is one of the most expensive islands. Bonaire is not cheap either. One of the top ten mistakes students make - is to not visit a school before going. You will spend 4 years and 100's of thousand dollars - what is a few trips to the islands to see schools - These trips will save you many boat loads of trouble. If you don't have the money to do these trips then you need to work and save before you go to medical school.

[jameslynton]

BTW - I know of one poster DrJohnWebb who was all gung-ho for MUA-Nevis for months on end - till he made the trip and visited there. He hated it! He is now at St Matt's on Grand Cayman. His SO told him no way to Nevis! medical school is not something you run to on a whim. I my case - I had a house to sell and had too much other stuff to sell - so I chose to do grad school in molecular biology until the time I can go. Medical school needs to be a well planned task. You will need the help of a lot of people to make it so. The school you go to is very important!

[jameslynton]

I suggest to all those that want to go to the school to visit it first.

Most of u will be in for a rude awakening and see that the pictures on the site are false.

Just don't be stupid and come to the school blindly.

RonThanks for posting that - many other posters have said the same thing. Xavier is a mom and pop school. Also they are known to have visa issues for students. If you don't have a visa proving you were on the island - you will not be allowed to sit for the USMLE exams and be certified by any state in the US or Canada! Think!

[baba123]

Thanks for posting that - many other posters have said the same thing. Xavier is a mom and pop school. Also they are known to have visa issues for students. If you don't have a visa proving you were on the island - you will not be allowed to sit for the USMLE exams and be certified by any state in the US or Canada! Think!

I love how people like to give advice and have no idea what they are talking about, read above. You do not need to show a visa proving you were on the island to take the USMLE. Don't state facts you don't know. As far as the school goes, yes there is problems getting your student permit. take that into consideration. you may go home for the break and not be allowed back on the island. do your research before picking a school, not wasting your time on value md listening to people don't want to study so they come online and post garbage.

[RonJeremy]

I don't see how we are posting garbage. Is it not true to visit a place first before u make a huge investment in it. I think many people here are willing to help and give advice.

I'm just stating this because sometimes its too late and people are stuck in a horrible situation where alot of money is already wasted and there is not turning back.

[DOCplucinski]

I love how people like to give advice and have no idea what they are talking about, read above. You do not need to show a visa proving you were on the island to take the USMLE. Don't state facts you don't know. As far as the school goes, yes there is problems getting your student permit. take that into consideration. you may go home for the break and not be allowed back on the island. do your research before picking a school, not wasting your time on value md listening to people don't want to study so they come online and post garbage.
that's craziness. the school needs to establish a better relationship with the local government if that is the case or warn their students before coming to the school. i don't think any of the bigger name schools has problems with student visas

[Profy]

I love how people like to give advice and have no idea what they are talking about, read above. You do not need to show a visa proving you were on the island to take the USMLE. Don't state facts you don't know. As far as the school goes, yes there is problems getting your student permit. take that into consideration. you may go home for the break and not be allowed back on the island. do your research before picking a school, not wasting your time on value md listening to people don't want to study so they come online and post garbage.
You are quite right, jameslytun is known to stalk this particular forum here Xav Aruba, to give un-solicited advice and bully people who do not agree with him, it is obvious that some people here do not have enough to do with their own time, while claiming to be medical students somewhere else, you would think they would concentrate on their own plate, next thing thay will acuse you of being a school offical, just for speaking up. They are experts at antagonising or disputing other members with false information unverified by themselves.

[Profy]

that's craziness. the school needs to establish a better relationship with the local government if that is the case or warn their students before coming to the school. i don't think any of the bigger name schools has problems with student visas
How does any of these concern you directly, if you do not have to deal with any of those issus, then good for you, your time would be better spent enjoying the so called school that you are in that is better that this school.

[Profy]

I don't see how we are posting garbage. Is it not true to visit a place first before u make a huge investment in it. I think many people here are willing to help and give advice.

I'm just stating this because sometimes its too late and people are stuck in a horrible situation where alot of money is already wasted and there is not turning back.
For the people who for lack of finances cannot visit, it is their problem not your problem. Let everyone do what is best for them.
If you can visit 10 caribbean schools before you choose, good for you.

[jasano]

Well here's the thing. I could go down to Aruba, taking a week off of work and spending roughly $2,000.00 to investigate the school close up. The actual cost then would be roughly $3,000.00 which could have gone to living expenses, a laptop computer, books etc. In other words, knowing that they are an accredited university, recognized by the World Health Organization and chartered to the island of Aruba, I would need some rather condemning insights in order to want to potentially waste this money in going down there personally.

You have made me consider it, but I would like to hear from someone who's actually been there first. I guess if I heard some bad things, maybe saw some pictures of doors hanging off their hinges and books with cobwebs - that sort of thing, I could always turn it into an investigation/vacation. :) It's not that I don't have the money, it's that I don't have the money to waste.

[jameslynton]

I love how people like to give advice and have no idea what they are talking about, read above. You do not need to show a visa proving you were on the island to take the USMLE. Don't state facts you don't know. As far as the school goes, yes there is problems getting your student permit. take that into consideration. you may go home for the break and not be allowed back on the island. do your research before picking a school, not wasting your time on value md listening to people don't want to study so they come online and post garbage.We just love hearing from our fans - You need to be able to prove you were at a school per regulations. Having done the proper paper work that shows you spent time on an island is critical to you getting a medical license in all 50 states - this prevents internet medical schools. Perhaps you want to go to Delphi U in a mythical made up country. Aruba and Bonaire both have some serious paper work to do before you can go to school there - like police reports, etc! It is more than just a visa! Do your research!

[jameslynton]

Well here's the thing. I could go down to Aruba, taking a week off of work and spending roughly $2,000.00 to investigate the school close up. The actual cost then would be roughly $3,000.00 which could have gone to living expenses, a laptop computer, books etc. In other words, knowing that they are an accredited university, recognized by the World Health Organization and chartered to the island of Aruba, I would need some rather condemning insights in order to want to potentially waste this money in going down there personally.

You have made me consider it, but I would like to hear from someone who's actually been there first. I guess if I heard some bad things, maybe saw some pictures of doors hanging off their hinges and books with cobwebs - that sort of thing, I could always turn it into an investigation/vacation. :) It's not that I don't have the money, it's that I don't have the money to waste.It is really a matter of risk assessment. Spend 2k to save several wasted months and a lot more money - the choice is yours. I visited St James - AUA - Saba - AUC - Ross - and SGU. It cost me less than $3,000 a year ago. You can get cheap tickets. Saba was a boat trip from SMX. After seeing these schools I ruled out Saba & St James.

[WPW]

I went to medical school in Aruba and had no such problems. I have heard of students having issues with permits, but as far as i have heard that is been taken care of, When i was on the island we had maybe 2 people get deported but since then i have not heard ofany. I just had a few friends graduate and come of the island and they all had permits so i dont think that is still the case but i could be wrong. But whenever we are on the island, the school insures we have insurance and proper documentation, its the island peopel thate take a bit longer...

[jasano]

I went to medical school in Aruba and had no such problems. I have heard of students having issues with permits, but as far as i have heard that is been taken care of, When i was on the island we had maybe 2 people get deported but since then i have not heard ofany. I just had a few friends graduate and come of the island and they all had permits so i dont think that is still the case but i could be wrong. But whenever we are on the island, the school insures we have insurance and proper documentation, its the island peopel thate take a bit longer...

You went to Xavier Aruba? Please do share your insights. What did you think of the school? Did it meet your expectations? Would you recommend it to others? How many students pass the USMLE?

[RonJeremy]

Finances to fricken go to aruba... Dear god fricken work a summer job. kids go here all the time during spring break. 3000 grand u gotta be kidding me. That is ridiculous!!!! if u only visited for a a week u would only spend a grand max. If u have ur heart set on going here. visit first its the bottom line.

I know its not my business, just want to help people...

[fossildoc]

Brace yourself; this will come as a surprise to all: I have no opinion on this topic.

I would, however, like to share my experiences on the matter.

Before attending Xavier, I was at another school for two semesters: MUA-Belize. Had I visited the campus before enrolling, I would never have gone there for two reasons. First, the lofty claims about the physical facilities, as enumerated on the web site, were complete lies. The web site was a con to lure unsuspecting students with promises of a "state of the art" building and learning tools. I don't attach much importance to buildings beyond basic needs like temperature control and flush toilets, but I do believe that lies on the web site reflect a general attitude of the owners, and that proved to be the case. Second, the students I would have spoken to would have convinced me to get out of town as quickly as possible. In fact, since I left the school, there have been several cases of students who took one look at the place and got on the first plane home. Regrettably, they have not been able to get their tuition money back, which you can read about in the MUAB forum.

I did not consider visiting the campus because of the cost. As another poster in this thread remarked, it would cost about three thousand dollars in travel, hotel bills, and lost pay to visit the campus while class was in session, money that would better be spent on tuition. Like the other poster, I relied on the fact that the school was accredited, and naively believed that all such schools were pretty much the same.

I agree with the OP that in the best of circumstances one would do well to visit the campus. If that is not feasible, I can at least assure you that you will not want to jump on the first plane home when you visit here. The best place to get reliable information is to write to the SGA (sgaxusom@gmail.com). That email address is not controlled by the school, and is read only by student SGA officers, who are a pro-student bunch and not at all lackeys of the administraiton. Any student who has to talk to someone with a pulse can find me with Skype-to-Skype, or call my Skype-In number in the U.S., and I'll answer your questions and point you to SGA members who are 'real' people. PM me for contact info.

If you do visit, you should call the school registrar in Aruba to arrange it. You can't just walk in and mosey around. You should make sure your visit is during normal school days and not during a semester break or exam week, so that you can sit in on classes. They might even let you attend an Anatomy lab, which is twice a week in the afternoon (so you want to be here on those days).

[immunologic]

Excellent post- should be a sticky-Thanks mate!

Brace yourself; this will come as a surprise to all: I have no opinion on this topic.

I would, however, like to share my experiences on the matter.

Before attending Xavier, I was at another school for two semesters: MUA-Belize. Had I visited the campus before enrolling, I would never have gone there for two reasons. First, the lofty claims about the physical facilities, as enumerated on the web site, were complete lies. The web site was a con to lure unsuspecting students with promises of a "state of the art" building and learning tools. I don't attach much importance to buildings beyond basic needs like temperature control and flush toilets, but I do believe that lies on the web site reflect a general attitude of the owners, and that proved to be the case. Second, the students I would have spoken to would have convinced me to get out of town as quickly as possible. In fact, since I left the school, there have been several cases of students who took one look at the place and got on the first plane home. Regrettably, they have not been able to get their tuition money back, which you can read about in the MUAB forum.

I did not consider visiting the campus because of the cost. As another poster in this thread remarked, it would cost about three thousand dollars in travel, hotel bills, and lost pay to visit the campus while class was in session, money that would better be spent on tuition. Like the other poster, I relied on the fact that the school was accredited, and naively believed that all such schools were pretty much the same.

I agree with the OP that in the best of circumstances one would do well to visit the campus. If that is not feasible, I can at least assure you that you will not want to jump on the first plane home when you visit here. The best place to get reliable information is to write to the SGA (sgaxusom@gmail.com). That email address is not controlled by the school, and is read only by student SGA officers, who are a pro-student bunch and not at all lackeys of the administraiton. Any student who has to talk to someone with a pulse can find me with Skype-to-Skype, or call my Skype-In number in the U.S., and I'll answer your questions and point you to SGA members who are 'real' people. PM me for contact info.

If you do visit, you should call the school registrar in Aruba to arrange it. You can't just walk in and mosey around. You should make sure your visit is during normal school days and not during a semester break or exam week, so that you can sit in on classes. They might even let you attend an Anatomy lab, which is twice a week in the afternoon (so you want to be here on those days).

[doctorvp]

It is really a matter of risk assessment. Spend 2k to save several wasted months and a lot more money - the choice is yours. I visited St James - AUA - Saba - AUC - Ross - and SGU. It cost me less than $3,000 a year ago. You can get cheap tickets. Saba was a boat trip from SMX. After seeing these schools I ruled out Saba & St James.

I agree that you should go check out the school if you can before going there.. Its a small investment when compared to what you could be losing in the long run.
I was actually a student at Xavier Aruba (for 1 day) and withdrew from the program on the first day. I was definitely concerned with the visa issues that I was not made aware of, and the school itself seemed to be very disorganized. However, there were a number of students in 3rd and 4th semester that did inform me that the school isn't that bad, and that everything is usually always hectic the first few days of the semester... but I had my heart set on leaving. I found the island itself to be very nice, although the housing that the school officials help you find is ridiculously expensive!!

I don't regret my decision, as it allowed me to do further research into the other caribbean schools that are out there.. I previously had no clue as to the best options that were available, and assumed like many do, that all of the schools were pretty much the same.

I will now be attending SGU in Jan 08.

If anybody has any questions about Xavier I'd be glad to answer them, however I am not an expert on the school. I can only provide you with general first hand experience.

[ams]

I agree with fossildoc, visiting is important, but if you can not talk to the SGA to get a real picture of things.

Aruba does have a visa mess, and the students that have been there for a while now (from pre med, or med 1) still have not gotten a visa. People have been deported many times...lol one time someone caught wind that there would be a raid and they call off school for 2 days.

The visa issue is long and complicated...alot of red tape. So what happens when you get deported...well u just try to fly back a week later and try your luck again. Alot of teachers left because of this paperwork issue.

As for your USMLE...Jameslynton you have no idea what your saying. THEY DO NOT CHECK FOR YOUR VISA. IF thats the case then why have my classmates w/o visas able to pass the step1, or why is that i am able to register for the step 1.

[dt]

I agree with fossildoc, visiting is important, but if you can not talk to the SGA to get a real picture of things.

Aruba does have a visa mess, and the students that have been there for a while now (from pre med, or med 1) still have not gotten a visa. People have been deported many times...lol one time someone caught wind that there would be a raid and they call off school for 2 days.

The visa issue is long and complicated...alot of red tape. So what happens when you get deported...well u just try to fly back a week later and try your luck again. Alot of teachers left because of this paperwork issue.

As for your USMLE...Jameslynton you have no idea what your saying. THEY DO NOT CHECK FOR YOUR VISA. IF thats the case then why have my classmates w/o visas able to pass the step1, or why is that i am able to register for the step 1.


Is not the usmle/ecfmg that checks your visa. more likely the state licensing boards can get picky and ask for official proof of time on island.

[ams]

BE realistic here. Why would the state board bother to call another country which is gonna give them the run around because they more than likely unorganized just to verify that you were on the island. Now think about this if the USMLE says your okay to take the exam, and says you have passed the exam..why would they investigate further when they have a private entity like USMLE doing all the filtering for them.

and lastly...if it were an issue (which i highly doubt) they would simply as for your passport, or look up your passport information in thier own country and see that you entered and exited the US, and entered and exited other countries as well.

Be realistic people!!!!!!!!

[jameslynton]

I...As for your USMLE...Jameslynton you have no idea what your saying. THEY DO NOT CHECK FOR YOUR VISA. IF thats the case then why have my classmates w/o visas able to pass the step1, or why is that i am able to register for the step 1.Basically Xavier is getting you a seat at the USMLE exam - That I agree with. However, getting a state license can be a bit more complicated than a seat at an exam. States do a great deal more time researching of IMG's and FMG's educations now as that schools like St Chris and St Lukes have pumped out some bogus grads.

My advise would be to keep very good documentation of your plane trips - passports stamps - If you do get deported - some states may anull that semester. Because you missed classes to miss the 80% rule, even if you come back a week or so later. So your basic science courses may not count come licensing time. As of yet there are no practicing licensed grads from Xavier. Realize the risk you'll are taking. That is realistic!

[dt]

BE realistic here. Why would the state board bother to call another country which is gonna give them the run around because they more than likely unorganized just to verify that you were on the island. Now think about this if the USMLE says your okay to take the exam, and says you have passed the exam..why would they investigate further when they have a private entity like USMLE doing all the filtering for them.

and lastly...if it were an issue (which i highly doubt) they would simply as for your passport, or look up your passport information in thier own country and see that you entered and exited the US, and entered and exited other countries as well.

Be realistic people!!!!!!!!


I dont think there are too many (if any) state licensing boards that pass their legislative responsibility to ECFMG/USMLE.

[jameslynton]

In the US a student from another country needs a student visa - If by some remote chance that student flew to the US and did classes at a University and then decided to go to a grad school. Not one of those classes taken at a US university without a valid student visa would count. The same applies here.