Going to look at Cebu medical schools??

[surething1]

After a long time thinking about this I am going to Cebu for the entire month of December to 1. Visit medical schools and 2. Try to get a sense of if I can thrive in Cebu long term which I am quite sure of already.

So, that being the case I am posting to ask anyone on here the favor of touring me through their medical school? CIM CDU SWU Those are the only ones Im really interested in and I intend to see them all.

Would any of you (kardiomegly, locutusofburg, etc.) be willing to meet me for coffee or even better find a way to let me sit in on a class with u? I will find a way to repay u the favor.

Im an American guy 30 years old if that matters at all.

Thank you for the consideration.

[jskim]

glad you decided to go to cebu. i thought about going to cebu too but now i'm having difficulty in finding a place to stay with my wife. people say that room rent is very high and we need to spend around $1,000 for living cost there. still i'm doing my research but if i cannot reduce living cost to $500 per month, i have to move to manila.

i visited cdu, cim and mhwm. all were good on their own perspectives but cdu was the best for me. school building was very modern and they offered me to take pre-med courses. cim building was too old, mhwm was a big university...

for 5 days i visited ust, uerm, fatima, mcu, cdu, cim and mhwm. hope i can pursue medical next year. for me, tuition was affordable but living cost and environment are making me hesitate.

hope we can exchange some info later.. i'm going to phil to tak nmat this december. my mail address is i12b12b at gmail.com

[Locutusofborg]

Cebu is a wonderful place, its safe and very conducive to study. Just about anywhere you live there are 24 hour McDonalds and other chains who will gladly have you studying there all night. There are also 20cent-per-hour study centers that look like libraries, and some even have medical books you can borrow. Streets are safer than any place in urban USA or Manila.

Unfortunately, when you arrive, you will be target for people who want to make a quick buck. These people usually 1) work for tourist industry 2) work with foreign students at the school 3) work in transportation industry, 4) landlords in areas where foreigners rent - students and tourists. Basically all the scammers and low lives tend to go into these fields because this is where they thrive on foreign money and ignorance of local prices, laws, etc.

Best advice: DONT USE YOUR SCHOOLS FOREIGN STUDENT OFFICE FOR ANYTHING RELATED TO MONEY. Dont ask them to find you rentals, they get kickbacks for that which YOU will pay for. Don't ask them to process your student visa - your fees will be double the actual ones. Stay away from people offering you business deals, or telling you about great interest rates on your money. MONEY IS VERY RARE IN THE PHILIPPINES. Once you part with your money, no law there will ever bring that money back to you. Period.

The truth is Cebu is about twice as cheap as Manila. You can find a luxury rental with a doorman and air conditioning in a nice building for $200-$300. I lived in a lower income area with no air conditioning, and I paid $60 (sixty!)for my 2 bedroom apt, but not everyone needs to be this frugal.

Please be aware that in the Philippines, its UNCOMMON to ask for more than 1 month's deposit on top of 1 month's advance, but for foreigners, landlords can try to insist on 6 months advance payment. RESIST IT. Don't say "oh its so cheap, let me just pay". Guess what, after you've paid, the landlord will try his best to make your stay very uncomfortable so that you will leave and your money stays. Always hire an outside person to do any work in the house - whether its airconditioning installation or a new screen door. Else you'll pay triple.

I don't want to discourage you or make it appear that you'll be fighting yourself through life in the Philippines and in Cebu. The truth is, filipinos are very honest (especially the ones who are from the lowest income bracket - when I lived in the market area I would leave my apt door often unlocked, and nobody ever tried to break in even though my laptop costs more than what most there make in a year). When you go to markets, you'll rarely find yourself cheated. An emergency room visit at the hospital really is, on average, ten bucks. And unlike Manila, Cebu cabbies tend to be honest and won't ask you to pay a $5 "traffic" surcharge (illegal in the philippines, they would lose their cab license if they did it to a filipino).

However, keep on your toes when dealing with professionals from fields mentioned above. And follow these simple rules with money:
1) Always double check prices you're being told with an unrelated party.
2) Avoid people offering you help in transactions and negotiations. They will often conspire against you, since more honest people might be shy offering their help like this and accepting responsibility like that.
3) Whatever you paid, you lost. Meaning you can get it back in services, or rental time but you'll NEVER see that money in cash. What's paid gets SPENT right away, lest you try to take it back.
4) When renting, CHECK THE RENTAL AGREEMENT. There may be crazy rules in there about visitors of opposite sex, or overnight visitors. A friend of mine had to pay extra rent to have her FATHER visit her and stay at her place. Crazy rules about CURFEWS. Crazy rules about appliance usage - make sure everything is agreed upon early. Understand that electric meters can be rewired so that your meter pays for half the building. Understand that FLAT FEE utilities is the best type of agreement, but make sure all your appliances are included, and you know what electricity really costs. I had a foreign friend paying 2000 pesos ($40) flat fee for utilities per month for a tiny studio room. I doubt she could ever run up a bill that high, even if she had the AC running at home while she's in school.
5) Face is very important in Asian culture. If someone is trying to frame you, and you call them out on it, bystanders will judge you, not them. Always use tact when negotiating - blame your own financial misfortunes to bring the price down, call their arm-twisting tactics a "mistake", tell them you just want to rent at the price your "friend" is renting elsewhere, etc. Unlike the US, submissiveness and meekness is seen as STRENGTH, while aggression and argumentativeness are seen as foolish and a target for scammers.
6) Be generous to those that don't ask. Be aware that in Cebuano culture, tipping is NOT customary. So the cabbie who didnt ask for a tip is honest and should be tipped generously. A waiter who included a "tip" in his bill calculation (checks are called "bills" in filipino english), shouldn't be tipped at all unless including the tip is part of the restaurant policy (few do this). By indiscriminately tipping those who break the rules (and in case of taxis, the law) by demanding one, you're reducing quality of service and increasing prices for filipinos and foreigners from poor countries who can't afford it. Don't be nice to those who screw you! Also keep in mind that tipping in the TRUE UNWESTERNIZED FILIPINO culture is considered degrading, insulting. Try tipping a jeepney driver or a girl working at a caranderia (streetside diners catering to locals). They will give you a puzzled look, but some will be truly insulted - like you're belittling them by throwing your money around. I got yelled at by a provincial girl cleaning my table at a caranderia in manila, and learned my lesson well. When in higher end, or urban settings - tip those that don't ask. When in the province or in a very local setting, keep your tips to yourself and buy something for the person who you think deserves it (want to join me for my dinner?).
7) Don't call peso coins "change" or "cents" - its insulting. Always carry coins and plenty of smaller bills. P500 denominations ($10) are very large and are inappropriate outside of the mall or a major restaurant. Avoid P1000 bills at all cost, unless paying rent. Taxi drivers tend to "not have change" if you catch my drift.
8) Do give money to orphanages, nonprofit health associations, rotary club fundraisers and the red cross. Do NOT give my money to street children. Giving one a piece of fruit or a drink you happen to be carrying is a good thing - but dont go and especially buy one in front of a kid - unless you plan to feed the entire neighborhood.
9) Violent crime is low, but pickpocketing is a different story. Don't put in your pocket or bookbag anything you don't want to lose.
10) Jeepney drivers are some of the nicest, hardworking, underpaid, and HONEST people in the world. I think of all the professionals in the Philippines, I trust them the most. If your ride is 12 pesos, its really 12 pesos. So ride jeepneys not only to save money, but also to escape the "mangwarta ug amerkano" (make money off the foreigner) mentality that ull encounter in places and businesses that cater to foreigners.

Hope this helps you all acclimate to the first few months in the Philippines. And getting back to the original questions - CEBU IS TWICE AS CHEAP AS MANILA. If you're asked to pay $200/month for a SINGLE ROOM in a building that is a not a high rise with a doorman, you're being taken for a sucker. Remember that some cheaper hotels will offer you long term stay packages in the $200-$300 range, and that includes maid service.

Good luck, and im sorry I cant tour you. Im back in the USA for medical reasons. I'll be back in the Philippines either in my old school or a different one. Feel free to ask me for advice tho.

[trauma]

Locutusborg is right. I have rental properties in Metro Manila that are very nice and relatively new (less than 5 years) and they go for about $200. $300 if you need some air-conditioning. The only reason they will charge you more than that is they think you are one of the foreign suckers who agree to everything because they are "cheap" when converted to dollars. Cebu is really cheaper.

[IMGNY]

Thanks, and what is the medical school experience like?

Do you have any information about Southwestern University?


Ron

[Locutusofborg]

SWU has its pluses and minuses. In the end, when choosing a school in the Philippines, its best to find one that fits you in the best way possible, and not look so much at the ranking. In the end, the ball's always in your court, nobody can study for you.

Best things about SWU: 1) Pressure. From day one you're put under enormous stress, and that brings out the best in ya. You are told what is expected of you, and you do your best to attain that. 2) Some instructors are absolutely wonderful. I love the anatomy dept there. Lectures by the registrar in biochem are a real treat. There are about 2 professors that are pretty bad, but most I'd say are either good or great. 3) Lowest tuition for foreigners of all filipino schools. No sign up "donation". WITH foreign fees, your tuition is cheaper than UV. 4) Campus life. Everyone's always up to something at SWU. While as a med student u wont have time to participate, it lifts ur spirits to always see something new going on between classes or as u head home - marchin bands, dancing contests, performances, etc. And if you feel miserable, look at the poor nautical guys getting bullied and beat with a stick by their instructors. 5) Academic focus. Serious students, serious professors, professional environment. For the more ambitious (male) student, there is an academic fraternity that promotes excellence and community service. As a first year medical student, I was able to observe and assist in minor surgery. Admission to the fraternity is competitive and is not for everyone. For me, its been an amazing experience. I think they are in the process of establishing a similar sorority, but I don't know if it happened yet or not.

Things I dont like about SWU: 1) No Stafford eligibility. SWU lost its only private (Teri) lending support in 2008. 2) In the last year, there appears to be a greater focus on thai and indian student interests than on western ones (UV is worse in that sense). US clerkships and loans appear to be on the bottom of the priority list. 3) Counterproductive research requirement. It distracts from medical studies, and board preparation. There are two research projects: first year, and second year. Second year is experimental design, with animals. Extremely annoying when you've got pathology to learn and memorize. 4) ON OCCASION, and far less than the other schools in the Philippines, we get assignments that have NOTHING to do with medicine, but more about making our lives hard. Memorizing ancient apothecary measurements (how many ounces in a dram?), learning who built the anatomical theater at Padua, etc. This would be fine and dandy, except it leaves less time to study what matters. However, this is less than 5% of material, so its tolerable. 5) Biochemistry is a little weak, the big picture of metabolism seems to be missing. But easily caught up with on your own. Neuroanatomy is dreadfully below standard. We spend too much time memorizing brain geography, and very little time focusing on function. We come out unequipped to answer basic USMLE brain injury questions. All other subjects are up to standard, IMHO.