Detailed Experience Of First Month

[IAUPREMED]

I know you new first semester students are really busy with school but can any or a few of the you please post a DETAILED description of your first 3-4 weeks of attending UMHS? Please try to include everything from:

arrival arrangements at airport
Housing
Banking
Financial Aid
Orientation
Registration
Faculty that teach current classes
Material covered
Methods of teaching
General academics
Social atmosphere
Interaction with nursing students and other med/vet school students on the island
Time management with going out and studying
Other island activities

And just a general overall experience so far!

Thanks alot if you have time to reply to this, i understand your all busy studying.

[PPadilla]

Having been here now for almost a semester I can honestly say that the administration has done more than enough in working with our class to help us acheive our goals. It is true that I was at first very critical of the schools administration because I felt that they were not willing to work with us but that could not be further from the truth. They have bent over backwards to help us move foward into next semester well prepared. I am proud to be apart of UMHS-SK and feel that our education supercedes that of most US medical schools in terms of depth and application. The visiting physiology professors Dr. Carol & Dr. Wood have taken our understanding of cardiology to a whole new level. It has been an honor to be taught by them. I am sure that those of you who come next semester prepared to work hard will share the same growth experience as we have. If nothing else UMHS-SK has been our solid rock foundation from which we are building our careers one piece at a time.

[joyw]

that i can deal with , no hand outs big deal. you have your textbook study from it. Miami? read the UMHS website in the news section, i did not see Miami anywhere else. Are you talking about AUA? Hey UMHS fifth semester will going to be in Portland, Maine not Miami, duh


I was very excited to begin here at UMHS-SK. The idea of a small school with a small class was a dream come true. That coupled with promises of a fifth semester in Miami made things seem better than ever. But once I got here reality seemed to set in. First, they dont tell you on the website that the policy is that you will have to study everything from your computers and that there will be no handouts for classes and then even if you wanted handouts for your classes the presentations are not acessible until ten minute before lecture starts if you are lucky. That and the inability of us to access lecture notes from home are issues that we are trying to work out with administration but there are others. Like some of the professors not teaching effectively to the objectives that are given. This puts much more work on the students and it is time wasted in class if objectives are not covered efectively and efficiently. The other problem is that if you dont type fast enough then having to use your laptop to view lectures notes is not efficient and you are going to need handouts to write your note in. Please dont get me wrong there are a lot of good things happening at UMHS-SK the small group PBL sessions are fun and interactive except for one professor that does not seem to realize his role as a facilitator. There has been a huge amount of thought put into the curriculum but a lack of execution in some areas. The majority of the class requested handouts at the begining of the semster but we were denied the request. The professors for histology and physiology are phenomenal. Guest lectures for biochemistry and anatomy also bring to light the objectives in a way that they ought to be given positions as regular faculty members and the guest speaker from Harvard on Neurophysiology was excellent. The staff since day one has been very helpful and the administration has encourages us into dialog about our greivances but the issue will take time to resolve. Time that we as students dont have. These issues that should have been dealt with before our arrival. If you wish any more info feel free to email me.

[IAUPREMED]

Actually having handouts is a big deal. If the school is only making these handouts available 10 mins before a lecture that is pretty ridiculous. If they posted them maybe a few hours before or at least the day before then I could go home and print them out myself. I like to have a hard copy as well as one on my computer. Taking notes by hand is MUCH more efficient and fast and allows one to draw diagrams and details. Also access from home is MUST for any medical school. These are very important issues that need to be addressed to this class and following semesters also. I understand the text book is there however your OWN notes collaborated with the professors power points would be an ideal way to study.

[melle]

I am a first semester medical student here at UMHS-SK and I believe that this school is headed in the right direction. From my first day as a medical student, I was gladly welcomed by the administration. The financial aid people were helpful and helped me get my loan in a short amount of time.
Classes are interesting and challenging. Yes, some of the professors are better, per se, than others, because they give more guidance, but I don't think that our biochemistry or anatomy professors are "bad" they just approach the learning process differently which may not be what some students want. We are going through some growing pains, as would be expected, but our instructors are always on time and have their lectures ready. We may not have the notes ahead of time, which would be beneficial, but we have textbooks that we can pre-read. The administration is working on getting the Apps folder online so we can access it from off-campus.
What keep me going and makes me believe in this school is how hard our professors work to make sure we understand the material, from extra sessions on the weekends to having 3 professors in anatomy lab guiding us in our dissections. Now, I can't say everything is perfect here. The curriculum is a work in progress and we are having small hiccups every now and then, but for the time this school has been around, I think they are more organized and receptive to student suggestions than institutions that have been around for much longer.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me... I will try to respond soon after our exams on Monday.

[IAUPREMED]

that is a great response Melle. As long as things are progressing and there is good communication with admin, this is great. I am excited to be starting in September.

[melle]

Congrats IUAPREMED! If you need anything please don't hesitate to email me.

-Melle

[zaynequeen]

i am very happy about your responses. i applied for jan 09. see you guys and good luck on your exams

[DrQTKricket]

as my pastor said when i was a little girl "blessed are those who are flexible", i can't agree more. okay, so you have 20 some students packing up their lives and moving to a foreign country to pursue a dream... what are the chances that everything is going to be perfect the first time? the only way to learn is from your own mistakes or others, and since there haven't been others... so here we are, 20 M.D. hopefuls, arriving to st. kitts for the first time, and the minute i get off the plane, i see a huge group of students in IUON (our sister nursing college) t-shirts and a UMHS sign, VOLUNTEERING their time to welcome us to the island. We got welcome bags with a whole bunch of helpful stuff- coupons to the grocery, a bottle of water, a cell phone, and an amazing student director was there too, asking anyone if they needed to use her phone to call home and letting us sit in her AC car while everyone got checked through customs. I've heard that most other med schools don't have a welcoming committee like this, let alone the nursing students doing this for us!!! So I'm not going to pretend that everything that first week was sunshine and roses... yes, we hit some road blocks, but let's be realistic, no matter where you move to, there are hassles of getting settled in. However, the student director and the nursing students were there every step of the way to help any way they can, and the school tried to be as prepared as they could to handle any problems.

So our first weekend there, the Ross family payed for all the nursing students, staff and med students/staff to not only have a great welcoming party at the Oasis restaurant, but an amazing day of sailing and snorkeling on a private, OPEN BAR catamaran!!!! I mean really... who do you know that got the chance to drink on a boat with their profs and the entire Ross family!!! It was awesome! And the best part... they really do care. They care about us a people, as students... not as a paycheck. I can't tell you how much that has meant to me. Obviously this huge change can seem overwhelming and scary, but Mrs. MP and Mr. WR, their kids, their families, they were all there, and they asked us time and time again about the very specific details on how things were going, how we felt about things, and if we needed anything at all. That's what I call going ABOVE AND BEYOND!!! So it's been a little over a month, and we are preping for first exam- am i terrified- no. Nervous- of course. I've studied every single day since we arrived and feel I've never been so prepared for a test in my life.. but I also don't think that any test thus far, as matter like this one does. This is the first step towards making my dream a reality.

So while yes, there are kinks in the line. Yes, sometimes lectures are posted only a few minutes before, and yes, in undergrad I was one of the students that utilized handouts and thought I would do better with them, i'm here to say that that's very small in comparison to all the great things going on here. Maybe this is different for some older students that may not have the computer skills that the majority of college students have (ability to type quickly), but honestly, are we looking for things to complain about?

I'd also like to take a minute to clarify something about our professors. You can all go to the website and read about these professors- they are freakin brilliant. I think if anything, they are too smart (if that's possible). I have never seen teachers be more supportive and more dedicated to student success. I really believe in my professors, and I feel they really believe in me. They are always available for questions, during school, or even on their cell phones outside of school, and don't mind a bit! We run into them @ the Marriott and "hang out" with our professors, and they are awesome people!!!!

I know this is getting lengthy, so I'll just conclude by saying that when I got here, I was a little overwhelmed, because hey- that happens, but our histo professor said something that has stuck with me... he said, this is our school, this is our island, we chose to be here, we volunteered, so don't waste your time bashing your school or bashing your island- make the most of it and pretty soon, you'll love it. I couldn't agree more.

[brob311]

I heard Dr Ross was actually pretty genuine about helping students become Dr.'s...I know there is always the motivation for the almighty $, but that is his job. I go to Ross, and I heard that the climate changed after Dr Ross sold it to DeVry...it's even more about money now.

He definitely opened up this school to make money, and most likely to give his son something before he gets too old for the biz, but it sounds like he is still just as invested in the students as he is in the business.

[rokshana]

DrQ...very nice post.

remember people will always find something to complain about (and up to a point its healthy and can serve a purpose) and if you find that the things complain about are minor, well thats not a bad way to start...

and i just want to say that i'm a bit in awe of those people who can be in the charter class of anything...ya'll go down knowing there is a level of uncertainity in everything that you do and will happen to you and in a way i think like the idea....

just a note though since you are a new poster...while i realize you want to give credit where credit is due, personal names are against TOS...you probably want to edit that.

Good luck on those exams!!

[Pearl.d]

Nice to hear about classes but I am still trying to figure out how to manage for housing and stuffs require to carry along with me?

[UMHS]

Pearl D.,
If you have been accepted to UMHS, you should have received a welcome packet. It contains information on how to arrange housing, what to pack and how to ship it. Please read it carefully because it contains a great deal of very helpful information.

If you have not received the welcome packet after receiving your acceptance letter, please contact your admissions representative who can make sure that you get it.

If you have not yet received your acceptance letter, watch for the welcome packet after you receive the acceptance letter. Almost everything you need to knwo is in there.

If you have specific questions after reading the packet, be sure to PM me or you can ask me when you visit campus.

[doug2222]

Hi

Do any of the current students or faculty have an actual timetable schedule? I know that courses and credit units are posted on line. But I am just curious to see how many hours a week of class time there is. If someone can please get back to me thank you...

[nikeman]

Here are the class hours that we currently have:

Anatomy 8-8:50 M-F
Histology 9-9:50 M-F
Physiology 10:30-11:20 M-F
Biochemistry 11:30-12:20 M-F

DPS 1:30-2:30 M
Anatomy Lab 1:30-4:30 T, Th
PBL 1:30-3:20 W, F

[medicine2k6]

what are some nice areas to live in St. Kitts that is close by to school and near the supermarket, etc.? The student housing site has many places listed but which are better? Are the areas near school nice?

[IAUPREMED]

i got housing in Frigate Bay, by the marriot. Its a 15 minute drive i believe, but its the nicer part of the island, a little more touristy and I am hoping somewhat safe. I think Mattingly Heights its right by the school where alot of student apartment are and possibly Camps I think. hope that helps a little.

[UMHS]

I'll leave the determination of "nice" to the students since that is an opinion and theirs is more important than mine. What I will say is that no housing is close to both campus and supermarkets. Housing that is closer to one is farther from the other.

Students who live near campus do have one grocery store (I wouldn't call it a supermarket) near to them and it provides the necessities but I think most still go to the IGA and Rams to buy the bulk of their groceries. The store near campus also tends to be open on Sundays and holidays so it is a great place to pick up odds and ends when the other super markets are closed.

The Frigat Bay area is about 10 minutess from the supermarkets and 15-20 minutes from the campus. My wife refers to it as "touristville" because it is the location of most vacationers and the ex-pats who live here. It is a relatively safe area but can be a bit more pricey than other areas. No buses go to this area, only taxis which can be very expensive. We strongly encourage students in this area to buy or rent a car.

[medicine2k6]

Thank you guys for responding. I guess closer to campus is better. For groceries I can just take the cab. But I dont know if I want traffic to slow me down from frigate bay to get to campus. Thats more time to the 20 minutes it already takes.

Is the student housing near campus "walkable" to school? What I mean is lets say I study till late night, is there enough lighting in the area to make it to housing? How about the daytime, how long is the walk?

Can you please list numbers to cabs and car rental ppl? Also I hope the car rental ppl are good and dont scam students.

Lastly, the student housing website is a great idea with pictures and everything. But in terms of availability, how will we know which ones are available or not? Would the school know or do we directly get in touch with the landlords?

Thank you.

[IAUPREMED]

The housing website has an "availability column" which states "yes" or "no" but just to make sure, you email Mr. S, he is the director of housing (his email is available on the housing webpage) and a very helpful gentlemen. He will email you back within a day. I am going to email him and check on the list for car rentals and used cars for sale also.

[trex]

I’m curious to find out how the inaugural class felt about their preparedness for their first set of exams. The program sounds very well thought out.

[mrsemej]

I’m curious to find out how the inaugural class felt about their preparedness for their first set of exams. The program sounds very well thought out.


I was thinking about the same thing, I am going to make a thread about it...hopefully we will get some answers there. :D