Why I'm Leaving Xavier Premed

[jasano]

First off, for me, Happy Mall is not a happy place, nor is Aruba 'One big happy island'. Non-natives of Aruba are treated like garbage here IMO and people will routinely cut in front of you and cheat you in any and everyway they can. I absolutely despise Aruba. It's hell disguised as a tropical island.

That aside, what about Xavier? Well firstly, none of the credits done in the premedical program count for anything, and that fact alone counts for a lot in my decision not to stay. If anything should happen, i.e. if I were deported, my credits and the time I spent obtaining them would have been a waste. Number two, tuition increased $800.00 per semester AFTER I had obtained my loan monies. Number 3, the school appears quite disorganized, with its bookstore and website showing inconsistencies in which texts to purchase - students end up buying books twice. Number 4, deportation - I worry that if I go to visit my family, that my premed course will come to an abrupt end - see point 1. Number 5: we still don't have a physics and calculus instructer after 3 weeks - does this worry me? Yes it does.

So all in all, I think the best thing for me is to complete my premedical courses elsewhere, considering a return for the MD program at a later date as a last resort. Curious word to end with - resort.

I could tell you some horror stories about my experiences here on the island, but for me, a life time of wearing a t-shirt with the caption "I hate Aruba" should be vindication enough.

[jameslynton]

Hey jasano,
If I am reading this correctly from your posts,
1. No housing
2. Cheated out of your money every where you turned
3. Treated poorly by locals
4. No teachers to teach needed courses
5. Visa issues

For others coming here - this is from a former student who lasted about a month.

[dt]

... but for me, a life time of wearing a t-shirt with the caption "I hate Aruba" should be vindication enough.


That's funny.

[WPW]

wow ur the first one i've met with issues with the island! I think you just had a bad experiance man i spent 16 months there and loved every minute of it. Had great housing, obviously payed more then the locals what you expect you go any where any country if they know your a foreigner they take advantage of u!

[D4Doc]

Hi Jasano,
I'm current MED 1 student here at Xavier,aruba. I agreed with you on almost everything. Doing pre-med in any carribean med school, in my opinion, is a waste of time and money. This is useless b/c courses are NOT transferable to the state. So I would recommend to anyone to avoid doing pre-med classes in any carribean schools especially when it comes to residency issues. Where you do your pre-med does matter as well as USLME score. As for me, Med program is actually going good with some competent teachers, but the admin is very disorganized in almost all the cases. However, I wish you all the best if you decide to leave the island. No doubt about that, the school has so many problems with non- academic related issues and they are very slow to in doing things. But the school school continues to grow.

[mshail]

I personally think that Xavier is a good school. I find that people who come from places where they are handed everything on a plate find it hard to settle in a place where there they have to do things themselves. If you just sit there complaining about everything on the island, you are bound to find your stay horrible. If you make an ounce of effort making friends, talking to your profs, talking to the housing department, talking to the locals, you’ll find that they don’t hate you…they only hate pessimistic people…which some people tend to become when they move away from the Utopia they come from. Life is not always beautiful, every schools have problems. I came from University of Ottawa, and I find that profs here are much nicer than back home. So don’t’ expect people on this island to just come to you and offer you the world. They have lives to, not everyone will smile…do you? Woopty doo, someone cuts in front of the line, if that upsets you, then maybe you should think twice about becoming a doctor. It’s one year of your life, just suck it up. They are getting teachers. And really, its pre-med, you can read stuff on your own. If you really need a teacher for pre-calculus…well then, you are better off leaving the island. As for Visa issues, well I don’t think, that’s an issue. Think about it, why would the school screw you over like that, they want you in their school, b/c they want your money…every institute wants our money. Finally, the tuition of this school is far less than any of the other universities…and the only reason its increasing is because the school is being recognized. So why wouldn’t they increase the tuition. All in all, people who are so negative should be deported, its probably better that they leave on their own, cause it saves the island money if you buy your own ticket.

[xlntxs]

First off, for me, Happy Mall is not a happy place, nor is Aruba 'One big happy island'. Non-natives of Aruba are treated like garbage here IMO and people will routinely cut in front of you and cheat you in any and everyway they can. I absolutely despise Aruba. It's hell disguised as a tropical island.

That aside, what about Xavier? Well firstly, none of the credits done in the premedical program count for anything, and that fact alone counts for a lot in my decision not to stay. If anything should happen, i.e. if I were deported, my credits and the time I spent obtaining them would have been a waste. Number two, tuition increased $800.00 per semester AFTER I had obtained my loan monies. Number 3, the school appears quite disorganized, with its bookstore and website showing inconsistencies in which texts to purchase - students end up buying books twice. Number 4, deportation - I worry that if I go to visit my family, that my premed course will come to an abrupt end - see point 1. Number 5: we still don't have a physics and calculus instructer after 3 weeks - does this worry me? Yes it does.

So all in all, I think the best thing for me is to complete my premedical courses elsewhere, considering a return for the MD program at a later date as a last resort. Curious word to end with - resort.

I could tell you some horror stories about my experiences here on the island, but for me, a life time of wearing a t-shirt with the caption "I hate Aruba" should be vindication enough.

i think this is a pretty typical response by the few ppl who i feel have a slightly narrowed view on things. yes you may have had a bad experience but there are plenty others who've had good ones thus far. as in the rest of life, everything is about perspective. what one person may deem miserable, another may find glorious.

i'm currently in pre-med @ XUSOM and i for one have had no problems at all on the island in any form. i admit the school is slightly more disorganized than what i'm use to back home, but then again, this isn't back home.

to come here expecting everything to be the same as home is almost ignorant to begin with. you have to come here expecting to be taken out of your shell and forced to conform to some degree. unfortunately the world isn't egocentric ;)

my suggestion to others considering a caribbean med school is this; have an open mind, and remember first and foremost that you are the one entering another person's home. no matter how long your stay is here for school, your always the guest. you don't expect every person to live the way you live, believe what you believe or think what you think. so what makes it any different here?

as for the island itself, i've been fortunate enough to have spent some time to explore the island on my off time as i'm not the type to sit at home grumbling about things. if you've even attempted to explore aruba, you'll find some of the most picturesque and beautiful scenery in the world. just check out the northern coast and arikok national park and tell me it's not beautiful.

if you walk around with the frame of mind that everything and everyone is out to get you, then you'll simply view everything negatively, regardless of the actual intent or experience. it's up to you how you decide to approach the situation, if this is your situation because you can't get into med school where you are or you decide an accelerated program is what you want, then as some like to put it, "get with the program"...because the program will not get with you.

it's ultimately up to you how you choose to view your experience here. you can make the most of it, open your mind, and enjoy your time here while you study. or you can expect the world, and be disappointed because you can't get your starbucks latte extra hot with 4 pumps instead of 3.

[Mano54321]

Hello Jasano, i understand the things you may have gone through, but you have brought with you many expectations from Canada. Lets put somethings in perspective. We are all here in pursuit of our dream of becoming a professional doctor. We had rough pasts, and could not compete in the higly competitive USA and Canadian schools. With that being said, i came here with one goal in mind. To do well in classes, and score high on the USMLE. i understand your experiences, but none are which should hinder your progression in the feild of medicine. For anyone else reading this understand, that Aruba is just like anywhere else, all foreign countries have their problems, with immigration and with legal issues regarding Visas, this is not unique to Aruba or Xavier. These are things one must expect especially from a school as young as Xavier. Fear not though, the school itself, has a good program, and i know of people who graduated, who are in residencies, and they all have claimed, more than the school and their issues, it was their scores, and their board exams that got them good residencies. So i wish you well in your endevours, but like msshail said b4, if you can't handle being cut in line by locals, how can you bring yourself to tell someone they have cancer, or even look at serious injuries, the blood, everything in medicine will be much scarier than being cut in line...For anyone else considering coming to this school, just leave your expectations behind, and come here ready to learn, to open your books and study, and get your work done, and prepare yourself for a return to America. If your the type that needs your blanket everywhere you go, or needs that extra expresso shot in order to function, or if you can't go 1-2 years without hockey, or watching guys curl a rock down a lane of ice, don't come then, try another profession, i hear Tim Hortons is hiring, they have great uniforms you can wear anywhere. Also if you apply to mcdonalds, i hear employees get great health benefits even on a part time basis, so try your luck, look around u never know rite, as for Xavier, its a good school academically, and looks like its continuing to improve.

- the second coming

[jasano]

Hello Jasano, i understand the things you may have gone through, but you have brought with you many expectations from Canada. Lets put somethings in perspective. We are all here in pursuit of our dream of becoming a professional doctor. We had rough pasts, and could not compete in the higly competitive USA and Canadian schools. With that being said, i came here with one goal in mind. To do well in classes, and score high on the USMLE. i understand your experiences, but none are which should hinder your progression in the feild of medicine. For anyone else reading this understand, that Aruba is just like anywhere else, all foreign countries have their problems, with immigration and with legal issues regarding Visas, this is not unique to Aruba or Xavier. These are things one must expect especially from a school as young as Xavier. Fear not though, the school itself, has a good program, and i know of people who graduated, who are in residencies, and they all have claimed, more than the school and their issues, it was their scores, and their board exams that got them good residencies. So i wish you well in your endevours, but like msshail said b4, if you can't handle being cut in line by locals, how can you bring yourself to tell someone they have cancer, or even look at serious injuries, the blood, everything in medicine will be much scarier than being cut in line...For anyone else considering coming to this school, just leave your expectations behind, and come here ready to learn, to open your books and study, and get your work done, and prepare yourself for a return to America. If your the type that needs your blanket everywhere you go, or needs that extra expresso shot in order to function, or if you can't go 1-2 years without hockey, or watching guys curl a rock down a lane of ice, don't come then, try another profession, i hear Tim Hortons is hiring, they have great uniforms you can wear anywhere. Also if you apply to mcdonalds, i hear employees get great health benefits even on a part time basis, so try your luck, look around u never know rite, as for Xavier, its a good school academically, and looks like its continuing to improve.

- the second coming

Yes, I brought with me expectations from Canada. In Canada, whether you are white, black, brown or anything and everything under the sun, whether you speak greek, papiamento, spanish, english, dutch, etc., you are still treated with respect. So, yes, that is an expectation I went down there with, and one which was quickly dispelled. Second, my GPA is 3.678, meaning I should be a competive candidate here in Canada, but then, as you say, life isn't exactly fair is it?

I could get by the poor treatment that non-Arubans often receive and the poor living conditions on the island if the school itself had merit. But when you have classes without teachers, students being deported, and a complete lack of organization along with absolutely NO RECOGNITION OF ANY PREMEDICAL COURSES COMPLETED ON THE ISLAND, then yes, for me at least, it makes little sense to stick with.

"if you can't handle being cut in line by locals, how can you bring yourself to tell someone they have cancer, or even look at serious injuries, the blood, everything in medicine will be much scarier than being cut in line.." Oh please give me a break. I can handle being cut in line, and I've already been in the position of telling people they've had cancer, along with family members that their loved one is dying. I can do it and I can hack it. I've had blood and feces sprayed up my arm and seen wounds that tunnel right down to the bone. Let's put 'that' 'in perspective'.

This quote shows a lack of maturity to pursue a calling like medicine, which hopefully will improve as his/her course continues:

"If your the type that needs your blanket everywhere you go, or needs that extra expresso shot in order to function, or if you can't go 1-2 years without hockey, or watching guys curl a rock down a lane of ice, don't come then, try another profession, i hear Tim Hortons is hiring, they have great uniforms you can wear anywhere. Also if you apply to mcdonalds, i hear employees get great health benefits even on a part time basis, so try your luck, look around u never know rite..."

Let us all pray that if and when you do start practicing medicine, that you're able to tell them more than just how grim is the outcome they face; let us hope you will have the capacity to treat them with human dignity as well.

I would, for the record, recommend doing the medical program at Xavier, but not the premed. If the courses don't count, you're putting yourself at great risk should anything go wrong.

[jasano]

And really, its pre-med, you can read stuff on your own. If you really need a teacher for pre-calculus…well then, you are better off leaving the island.

Yet another immature quote unbefitting a physician, or someone with aspirations of being one. I excel in math actually, and received a 93% in Calculus. It was somewhat insulting for me to be placed in pre-calculus given that I had already aced calculus, but then that's Xavier Premed for you. I digress, however. The point here is that some people do struggle with precalculus, and do need some extra help. Would you boot those people out of the program because they don't measure up to your standard?

[Mano54321]

Yes, I brought with me expectations from Canada. In Canada, whether you are white, black, brown or anything and everything under the sun, whether you speak greek, papiamento, spanish, english, dutch, etc., you are still treated with respect. So, yes, that is an expectation I went down there with, and one which was quickly dispelled.

- that was your first mistake, and when you think about it the root cause of most of your problems, don't blame Aruba's problem on your expectations. Buddy you go to the middle east, you leave your (not you in particular) Judeao - Christion values behind...they don't apply there. same with Aruba....same with bonaire, Bahamas, almost all carribean schools outside, SGU, AUA, ROSS...

[Xavier Admissions]

Yet another immature quote unbefitting a physician, or someone with aspirations of being one. I excel in math actually, and received a 93% in Calculus. It was somewhat insulting for me to be placed in pre-calculus given that I had already aced calculus, but then that's Xavier Premed for you. I digress, however. The point here is that some people do struggle with precalculus, and do need some extra help. Would you boot those people out of the program because they don't measure up to your standard?

"NO RECOGNITION OF ANY PREMEDICAL COURSES COMPLETED ON THE ISLAND"
Dear Student,
I heard about your issues today and was concerned because I was the main Admissions Officer who worked with you and most other students training at Xavier. I would like to begin by saying to all students that Xavier University School of Medicine has the best interest in mind in regards to all our decisions. We do not benefit from an unhappy student, and losing a sound student like yourself is troubling. That being said, and after reading many of the postings on this thread, there are some major flaws to your most troubling issues.
Who, and I am seriously asking who, told you that our Pre med program in non-transferrable? That is rediculous! Xavier was chartered by the Education and Health Dept. of Aruba for both the 3.5 and 4.5 year programs. 4.5 includes Premed, obviously. Xavier is also WHO recognized. In regards to any transfer credit(s) coming from or going to any other school, this is 100% based upon the guidlines of the intended school code. We have the right as an institution to create our policy so as not to take any from anywhere else, or to take every single one not based on any GPA status. Some schools require a "B" class average to transfer, such as my school a few years ago in the states. In proof, just 2-3 semesters ago we had a student transfer his Premed courses at Xavier to a school in Florida where he wished to go into another feild of science. No problems there. Please remember that different COUNTRIES reserve the right to govern their institutions, as well as each institution has it's own policies in addition.
We also don't withhold or falsify transcripts based on student behavior or reason for leaving.
As to your Calculus situation, it was an advanced level High school course. Once again, our policies have been unwavering in that these credits are non-transferrable to our school. But to another school? Maybe.
Your "increase in tuition" was the standard registration 1 time registration fee and financial aid fee that every other student pays. And it isn't even an increase because these number haven't changes since we have been here in Aruba.
I bring up these rebuttals not in a demeaning way or to dicourage talk amongst students, but to show how sometime a lack of a phone call because of a lack of information, not defiance, can take these conversations down a awkward path.
As you all know, I have not written on here much, but I will make an effort to do so more often. Please "private message" me if you do not wish to write on the open forum. My job is to assist students and I hope that the Admissions Process has been smooth for you all.

[jasano]

"NO RECOGNITION OF ANY PREMEDICAL COURSES COMPLETED ON THE ISLAND"
Dear Student,
I heard about your issues today and was concerned because I was the main Admissions Officer who worked with you and most other students training at Xavier. I would like to begin by saying to all students that Xavier University School of Medicine has the best interest in mind in regards to all our decisions. We do not benefit from an unhappy student, and losing a sound student like yourself is troubling. That being said, and after reading many of the postings on this thread, there are some major flaws to your most troubling issues.
Who, and I am seriously asking who, told you that our Pre med program in non-transferrable? That is rediculous! Xavier was chartered by the Education and Health Dept. of Aruba for both the 3.5 and 4.5 year programs. 4.5 includes Premed, obviously. Xavier is also WHO recognized. In regards to any transfer credit(s) coming from or going to any other school, this is 100% based upon the guidlines of the intended school code. We have the right as an institution to create our policy so as not to take any from anywhere else, or to take every single one not based on any GPA status. Some schools require a "B" class average to transfer, such as my school a few years ago in the states. In proof, just 2-3 semesters ago we had a student transfer his Premed courses at Xavier to a school in Florida where he wished to go into another feild of science. No problems there. Please remember that different COUNTRIES reserve the right to govern their institutions, as well as each institution has it's own policies in addition.
We also don't withhold or falsify transcripts based on student behavior or reason for leaving.
As to your Calculus situation, it was an advanced level High school course. Once again, our policies have been unwavering in that these credits are non-transferrable to our school. But to another school? Maybe.
Your "increase in tuition" was the standard registration 1 time registration fee and financial aid fee that every other student pays. And it isn't even an increase because these number haven't changes since we have been here in Aruba.
I bring up these rebuttals not in a demeaning way or to dicourage talk amongst students, but to show how sometime a lack of a phone call because of a lack of information, not defiance, can take these conversations down a awkward path.
As you all know, I have not written on here much, but I will make an effort to do so more often. Please "private message" me if you do not wish to write on the open forum. My job is to assist students and I hope that the Admissions Process has been smooth for you all.

While I don't seek any bad blood with Xavier, I feel it is important to point out inaccuracies and failings - this is the only way that the school can get better. You don't make things better by sitting on your hands and pretending that problems don't exist, you make things better by declaring the problems and then working to fix them.

Now, in two words I will explain why Xavier's premed courses are not transferable to most institutions: No Labs. If you don't have labs in your science courses, most institutions will not accept them. I notice also that you ignore the fact that you have not had a premed teacher for either physics or calculus for over 3 weeks; hopefully you will have this issue resolved soon. As for myself, these kinds of issues made completing a premed course at Xavier seem too risky. I may, dependent upon the negative feelings I have to date generated, consider applying to the MD program once I have completed my premedical studies in Canada. I like to think of it as Plan B.

I do know from talking to a number of students that the medical program is a good one. Talk to those same students about premed, and they'll tell you something very different. This is only to say that the program needs work, not to say that it's horrible.

FYI, some of what I said about Aruba was meant as tongue in cheek, though served up with a grain of truth. (I'm really not going to go out and buy an "I hate Aruba" t-shirt for example). That said, it's best for any new student to go down there with their eyes fully open and thus avoid the many unneccesary road bumps along the way.

[ams]

WOW the admin speaks...I wonder who it is Hmmmm.

Jasano...

A. the tution inc...you got owned on that.

B. Not have a prof for 3 weeks, had you read some earlier posts you would have known.

C. Its an established fact...most carib premed programs are crappy, and most of them dont have labs..and you really dont need a lab if your doing an "acelerated" pre med program. And everyone told you..do your premed back at home.

C. Why exactly did you go again...why didnt you pick a better school that has been in existence for a while...what did you honestly expect

D. you can transfer..and of all the problems xavier does have (believe me I pointed them all out) you can run away from them to another school and just encounter another set of dif problems. They all have thier issues.

E. I was never a fan of Arubans...but I never had any problems..maybe you walk around with predisposed stereotype in your head. I have never been ripped off..infact I ripped them off LOL. Wait we are talking about orangestad right...cuz you would encounter these problems in St. Nic...and we all know shady people go to St.Nic to do shady things. Either way..you need to make the best of situation and you will realize you are having a great time...it was fun in the sun for me.

F. Was that 90 something in calc from highschool?? if yes, did you honestly think a foriegn school would honor that??? and if Yes you got owned on that

and lastly... you do know your royally screwed now.

Who ever that admin is..most likely knows who you are..and depending on who it is..most likely your screwed.

now you stand out in that lil medical school community, now you have made an impression...and man the day you need help from the admin, if you were on thier good side you would be able to pull off alot things..but now.... good luck, and start kissing up

[TXMD2B]

Too sum it up... Write it in anger... Sleep on it for a day... Read it... Delete it...

[miss_sb]

Hello Jasano, i understand the things you may have gone through, but you have brought with you many expectations from Canada. Lets put somethings in perspective. We are all here in pursuit of our dream of becoming a professional doctor. We had rough pasts, and could not compete in the higly competitive USA and Canadian schools. With that being said, i came here with one goal in mind. To do well in classes, and score high on the USMLE. i understand your experiences, but none are which should hinder your progression in the feild of medicine. For anyone else reading this understand, that Aruba is just like anywhere else, all foreign countries have their problems, with immigration and with legal issues regarding Visas, this is not unique to Aruba or Xavier. These are things one must expect especially from a school as young as Xavier. Fear not though, the school itself, has a good program, and i know of people who graduated, who are in residencies, and they all have claimed, more than the school and their issues, it was their scores, and their board exams that got them good residencies. So i wish you well in your endevours, but like msshail said b4, if you can't handle being cut in line by locals, how can you bring yourself to tell someone they have cancer, or even look at serious injuries, the blood, everything in medicine will be much scarier than being cut in line...For anyone else considering coming to this school, just leave your expectations behind, and come here ready to learn, to open your books and study, and get your work done, and prepare yourself for a return to America. If your the type that needs your blanket everywhere you go, or needs that extra expresso shot in order to function, or if you can't go 1-2 years without hockey, or watching guys curl a rock down a lane of ice, don't come then, try another profession, i hear Tim Hortons is hiring, they have great uniforms you can wear anywhere. Also if you apply to mcdonalds, i hear employees get great health benefits even on a part time basis, so try your luck, look around u never know rite, as for Xavier, its a good school academically, and looks like its continuing to improve.

- the second coming

I agree with Mano54321... I guess coming to a foreign/3rd world country, you can't have too high of an expectation....