St. Vincent "sticky thread"?

[snitzle]

Hey all...

I was thinking that, since everyone who goes to SGU is going to ultimately end up at St. Vinnies for a semester, it might be nice to have a static, easily accessible thread to peruse. There's a huge amount of info on Grenada on this forum, but (as far as I've found) very little on Vinnies.

It seems like St. Vincent still remains the "great unknown" as far as the SGU experience is concerned! Let's change this!!

Steph, would it be possible to "sticky" a thread devoted solely to St. Vincent? Sure, there's some info scattered about the forum on this particular phase, but it'd be nice to have a resource at the top to be able to refer to and exchange questions/information on. Even my SGU graduate friend can be a little vague on St. V, since it was only the one term.

Sound like a good idea? Any other recent SGU matriculates want to know more about "the other island"?

[stephew]

if a useful thread on vinnys faqs starts ill sticky it.

[geoff]

It just rules there.... all the classes ...well almost entirely are taught by MDs .... so it has a huge clinical emphasis....no more PhD science obscurities...., the food is 1/3 of what Grenada is...I got hooked up for 3 dollar 1lb + t-bone steaks... like every other day,.... got a car and apartment with a great view...and deck... for the same price as on campus housing.....and you feel like your academic career is moving forward...besides you get 22 hospital rotation sections.... with some very interesting patients....saw a twenty y/o F with PDA....you could feel the thrills in her arms........ um well I went off for a bit...maybe some others would like to join in for some tales of Vinnie's. Oh...they had a jazz bar with leather seats up the coast at Buccuma's.. private beach..... also saw a blues festival there with Roberta Flack. Loved it there,
Geoff

[helpfulgrad]

thanks for making me nostalgic.....
St. Vincent was so much better than Grenada. Yes food is cheaper and the island is (in my opinion) so much prettier than grenada. There is so much natural beauty around (including the ladies). If you get a chance, go over to the grenadines on a weekend trip - Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Tobago Cays (I highly recommend Tobago cays) and some of the others. Definitely do the volcano hike with Dr. Baer and take a sailing trip to the falls of Baleine if you can.
I really enjoyed "vinnies" and maybe it had something to do with "the light at the end of the tunnel" getting closer. Also, I think that unlike Grenada where a major part of the economy is dependent on the school and locals are out to extract as much as they can, St. Vincent is slightly different. Of course, there are still the landlords who try to extract as much rent as possible but...its not as bad...in the food stores, and elsewhere on the island...
As was said earlier... Vinnies rox!! This is not useful in any way... just opinion ;)

HG

[stephew]

i think helpful, that vinnys was more refreshing to us than it is nowadays; then it wa slike a decompression chamber slowly easing us back into the westernworld; not quite there, but more than grenada; i think gda has really gotten more "student friendly" since then. But yeah the patho phys is great. Path was great on Grenada, and anatomy though.

[geoff]

ya...I do think the whole finishing up feeling came into play. But the island was less influenced too by the students or the other way round...so they were very nice downtown...and in general. Unlike Grenada some people didn't know of the school. But ya...the experience was great...and to agree with above...Vinnie's did have a larger proportion of tall pretty women..... like 6 feet tall sort of thing... I kept asking them what they were eating... and they'd give you that big warm smile...with perfectly white choppers... Just to hop topics here... I did the volcano climb too...it was cold up top and raining but a great view.. oh and went on the ferry to the little beach island across the way with the turtle sanctuary...and they were much more tourist orientated than you'd get in grenada...beach side bars, restaurants and a couple of hotels....just a more catering enviro than you get used to in the islands.
Geoff

[Silenthunder]

Hey all,

was wondering if anyone had suggestions as to good and bad landlords in Vinnie's. I've also been hearing that it's a good idea to start looking for a place early - how early?

Cheers,

Silenthunder

[geoff]

I just walked up the hill from the campus and they had a number of places for rent.... and then cabbies and others...will help you out. A lot of people scheduled a visit first. I think there's a school landlord list too.
Geoff

[stacy_de_lin]

One downside of Vinnie's.... they have an animal quarantine, which means if you have pets, you can't bring them there.

[clinicalso]

I thought I'd add my 2 cents to the pile, to help get this thread "stickied", because you're right, there's not much info on it.

To the person who asked about landlords and places for rent... go to the DES office in Grenada and get the St. Vincent Housing list. It is great- better than anything the local SGU employees do for Grenada housing (which is nothing). It is a list of all student housing in St. Vincent: prices, amenities, etc, and how to contact landlords. You can even get surveys from previous students on what they thought of their landlord and their apartment. This stuff is invaluable, so take advantage of it. I would definately schedule a visit to find housing. Try to shack up with a student ahead of you. A plane ticket was $50 round trip when I was there.

Try to get housing lined up ASAP- there is PLENTY OF HOUSING ON VINNIE'S (I don't mean to cause a riot, because you will not have trouble finding housing there), but all the REALLY good places go by 2nd and 3rd term. Same with lining up a car to rent, if you live far from school. On Vinnie's, everything is spread out: school, grocery shopping, beaches, etc, and busses aren't what they are in Grenada- not even local busses. So getting a car is a great idea- splitting one with someone is even better. Also, there is some crime in housing right next to campus. Be smart and get a place with bars, you know the routine. But get on it as soon as possible. You can get a really sweet place for dirt cheap if you don't dilly dally.

And I would second, third, whatever, all the other people who have raved about Vinnie's. I agree I think it has to do with too many students in Grenada- locals resenting us, and your basic, everyday political corruption. Also, students are usually ruder and dumber when they first arrive on the rock. (Sorry, but I've seen it). So by the time you get to Vinnie's you are cooler and know what to expect and how to act around the locals. The locals there are awesome and so friendly. The stores and groceries are inexpensive. It is a great experience for most people.

[basupran]

Where should I get tix from NY?

[emt036]

If I am understanding you correctly, you want to know how to get to SVD from NYC?

-You can take JetBlue (or anybody else) direct from JFK to San Juan, and then go Caribbean Sun direct to St. Vincent. Pros: Only 2 flights, Cons: 2.5 hours on a turboprop.

-BWIA direct from JFK to Barbados, then LIAT or CaribStar 20 min to St. Vincent. Pros: Most of the way in jet comfort with a movie and a real meal (at least what was considered a real airline meal in the 80's.) Cons: Probably more expensive.

Both of the above must be booked as separate tickets, so CaribSun may decide that you only are allowed 1 50lb bag, and charge you $75US for the other one. I think the only way to avoid this is to book on US Air, which theoretically code shares with CaribSun, so they should respect the higher baggage allowance, but employees have been known to do do whatever they want anyways.

[drturtle]

Both of the above must be booked as separate tickets, so CaribSun may decide that you only are allowed 1 50lb bag, and charge you $75US for the other one. I think the only way to avoid this is to book on US Air, which theoretically code shares with CaribSun, so they should respect the higher baggage allowance, but employees have been known to do do whatever they want anyways.You're right about US Air codesharing. They codeshare the flight from SJU to SVD. You can book that ticket most anywhere that will allow you to book US Air tickets. It works fine and if you book your entire flight through one booking, it's more than likely you can get your bags pushed all the way to SVD without a problem.

[RussianJoo]

I dont think it would be beneficial to have this thread a sticky, because this forum is used primarely by new in comming 1st termers that have no clue about how the school runs or anything about the caribbean. But the people who go to vinnies have lived in the caribbean for a over a year and know how the school opperates and everything else. So i feel that sticking this thread would be useless. And in regards to finding a good place to rent in vinnies the angel webiste has a great evaluation form that the school had all the students fill out about their land lord and their apt, same goes for car rentals. And you should get your apt. either in the begining of 4th term or 3rd term, you will hear about people going to vinnies to get a place. and should go at the same time.

[tralfaz]

I dont think it would be beneficial to have this thread a sticky, because this forum is used primarely by new in comming 1st termers that have no clue about how the school runs or anything about the caribbean. But the people who go to vinnies have lived in the caribbean for a over a year and know how the school opperates and everything else. So i feel that sticking this thread would be useless. And in regards to finding a good place to rent in vinnies the angel webiste has a great evaluation form that the school had all the students fill out about their land lord and their apt, same goes for car rentals. And you should get your apt. either in the begining of 4th term or 3rd term, you will hear about people going to vinnies to get a place. and should go at the same time.

Both clinicals and vinnies still remains a bit of a mystery as far as forum threads are concerned.
And just because it may not be useful to YOU, does not mean others cannot benefit from it (especially for those of us who are actually going there this aug) . This a very good idea, and I hope that people keep adding more and more info.

A few questions:
Do we still need Bates, or is the acs class note based? Also, can anyone recommend any review books for pathophys/pharm (aside from katzung/lippincott)?



thanks!

[RussianJoo]

Both clinicals and vinnies still remains a bit of a mystery as far as forum threads are concerned.
And just because it may not be useful to YOU, does not mean others cannot benefit from it (especially for those of us who are actually going there this aug) . This a very good idea, and I hope that people keep adding more and more info.

A few questions:
Do we still need Bates, or is the acs class note based? Also, can anyone recommend any review books for pathophys/pharm (aside from katzung/lippincott)?



thanks!


Touche!

RJ

[drturtle]

A few questions:
Do we still need Bates, or is the acs class note based? Also, can anyone recommend any review books for pathophys/pharm (aside from katzung/lippincott)? No need for Bates. They do lectures again and they give out the same checklist handouts that you got in Grenada.

The Pathophys dept is pretty good note-wise. Just add to your path/First Aid notes. You don't really need anything else. Just go to the library for reference if you need more info on anything. The stack of notes for Pathophys is ridiculous.

The material for Pharm are in the handouts (whether it's easy to understand is a different story ;)). Katzung (big or baby, depending on how you study) will work to help you understand the material.

[emt036]

Agreed - I brought the big Bates along, and never ended up looking in it. The pocket Bates might be useful for a quick refresher on which way to ballot before the OSCE, but then again, I probably wouldn't worry about that either. It's mostly just the checklists and a review of 4th term ACS. (There are also lectures and notes, but no written exams.)

You'll get plenty of notes from Pathophys (so much that even reading them all through once is sometimes a challenge).

[vtrain]

we should sticky this thread or make a St. Vincent sticky thread

[tralfaz]

Where should I get tix from NY?


We got jetblue out of jfk to san juan. From there, you have to rely on carib star/sun. We recently purchased non-stop tickets from sju to svg for 360 per person (via expedia) only to get a cancellation email the next day. Price "accidentally" went up by $200... . I am curious to know if anyone managed to actually get the 360 price.

[Groove]

Does anyone know if there are dry cleaners in St. Vincent? I'm assuming that we need to dress formal for the hospital visits and I'm having to dig out my old work clothes to bring down, but the problem is that most of them are dry clean only, especially the pants. I don't want to have to buy new clothes if I don't have to, so can someone familiar with vinnies lemme know if a dry cleaners is available? Thanks.

[Silenthunder]

While we should have some more formal'ish' clothes down with us - I was told that most of the hospital visits can be done in clean trousers with golf tops that are not faded - and I'm assuming with dress/non-open toed shoes.

I'm still bringing along some formal clothes for osce, and I'm going to check with a few people on the whole dress code issue......

Cheers,

Silenthunder

[drturtle]

You don't need to bring anything beyond a nice pair of slacks or two, comfortable dress shoes, and a few decent collared shirts. Most of us went in with khakis/dress pants and a collared shirt (buttoned optional) in dress shoes or nicer looking non-dress shoes. You don't need a tie. So, no need to be formal but remember that medicine is still a conservative profession so leave those neon shirts/pants for another occasion. ;) Just make sure you bring something light because most of the depts DON'T have A/C and you have to wear your white coats. The white coats from the White Coat Ceremony will suffice but if you recall/notice, they're pretty thick.

[basupran]

Regina's prices:
NY to Vinnies:
NY->PR->SV
850
NY->Barb->SV
900

There is more flexibility from Barbados + you get to stay on a jet for most of the way.

[Saora1]

and you have to wear your white coats. The white coats from the White Coat Ceremony will suffice but if you recall/notice, they're pretty thick.
Oh we do? Thanks. I wasn't sure.

I really wish they'd tell us crap like this.

[drturtle]

Oh we do? Thanks. I wasn't sure.

I really wish they'd tell us crap like this.
Yeah, everyone has to wear their white coats. If you have a lighter material one, most definitely bring that.

Oh yeah,... for everyone, esp girls, there have been cases where the staff (depending on the dept) where they were picky about white shoes. I can't remember if it was that we aren't allowed to wear them or we are allowed to wear them. Can someone else remember? Anyway, it has happened so heads up. Note: I didn't have a problem in any of my rotations regarding shoe color (I wore black).

[Buttons]

There is an 'advice from st. vincent' discussion board on ANGEL (go to the SGA folder, 'in touch tab', and then just click on the link). A lot of questions have been asked and answered about food, clothing, transportation, phones, banking, etc.

The SGA St. Vincent folder also has survey results on housing and rental car agents (see St. vincent info for 2nd and 4th termers).

[basupran]

Any book recs?

[Buttons]

Baby Bates is good for the hospital
I used Rooney's Review book for the Step II CK to study for OSCE
Get one of the pharm books- I liked Lipincott, my roommate liked baby Katzung- just depends on the person.
First Aid if you plan on doing a little BSCE prep.
I didn't have my phsysio or path BRS books and wished I'd brought them.
There is no book for pathophys- they just pile on the handouts!

Enjoy the term. You'll love St. Vincent! I'm just 8 weeks off the island and I miss it already (especially when I see the commericals for the new Pirates flick).

[drnick07]

Baby Bates is good for the hospital
I used Jenn Rooney's Review book for the Step II CK to study for OSCE
Get one of the pharm books- I liked Lipincott, my roommate liked baby Katzung- just depends on the person.
First Aid if you plan on doing a little BSCE prep.
I didn't have my phsysio or path BRS books and wished I'd brought them.
There is no book for pathophys- they just pile on the handouts!

Enjoy the term. You'll love St. Vincent! I'm just 8 weeks off the island and I miss it already (especially when I see the commericals for the new Pirates flick).
You mean this book? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071445153/sr=8-3/qid=1152489873/ref=sr_1_3/104-1327082-5107127?ie=UTF8 I bought it for Step 2 CS but haven't used it yet.


Sorry Buttons, but i don't know if saying the author's name is a TOS violation. Maybe we'll just call her Bozo the clown's daughter?
http://www.clown-ministry.com/images/bozo-pinto-colvig.jpg


Sorry, but that was too easy. Trust me, i love the guy to death. The entire time i was in UK i thought of him every time i had to go to a physical exam.

[tralfaz]

Thought I would post some feedback pn the place after being here 1 week:

First off, the roads are terrible, and you really should try to arrange a carpool if you don't drive. Technically, there is one main two-way road, but it has many blind turns that may or may not be a drive-way/dead-end. Also, roads are poorly labeled, so get used to using landmarks (i.e., "afro's" shop and a mirror mean turn left to get to school). And that road is a narrow strip with many blind turns (as well) that is somehow supposed to accomodate two way traffic. IMHO the campus truly does suck. It is a joke compared to the "luxurious" grenada campus. It looks like an abandoned hotel from a distance, and does not get much better up close.

The lecture hall is not too bad compared to bourne hall. The gym is a small (outdoor!) affair that has a punching bag and weights. Parking is a pain due to both over-crowding and very poor layout. Almost everyday you end up waiting for someone trying to pull out of their small space to get by. The library is rather small as well, but decently stocked. The computers there are very poorly maintained (many are not connected/memory slots don't work). I saw a bunch of new dell computer boxes at the airport, so maybe that will improve.

The clinical rotations are very interesting, but do make it more difficult to plan out your day. We are scheduled for about 2 different ones every week (but rumor has it that you can do them more often to fulfill the requirements more quickly). Most are at the (non air-conditioned) hospital, with a few exceptions (psych, radiology and ent). For surgery/anesthesia/trauma, you submit your scrubs to a secretary who has them washed and stuffed into a bag with booties/cap). Because they all are piled together, try to find a unique color or mark them clearly with your initials. So far, the docs have been very helpful and it does make you feel sort of like a doctor (a very, very sweaty one that is:)).

Notes for pharm are not too great. So far, I just use lippincott's/ ridiculously simple. I do like the class though. There are small groups for it, but like with other classes, I find them to be a waste of time. To be quite honest, just going to campus amounts to be a big waste of time because the notes are online.

As for food, it has been a big let down. There are a bunch of stores, but most of them are not very reliable (i.e., fungus growing all over frozen dinners, expired cheese...etc). The "best" is Aunt Jobe's, which happens to be very close to the hospital. And since you have to park your car there for rotations (can't park in the hospital), most end up doing their shopping afterwards. Fruits are almost all imported from the us (apparently the climate is bad for growing them here?!). They are expensive and it is not uncommon for there to be mold on them. If you go to kingstown (the main city), you can buy things like passion fruit, mangoes and some sort of potatoe that is locally grown. There is also a fish market there (good for parking during the day). Some locals have suggested that the one in calliqua is better.

Speaking of locals, so far, I have found them to be very friendly and helpful. They will always help you with directions and go so far as to call a friend of a friend of a friend who happens to know the person/place you are looking for. Another nice thing is that most do not assume that you are a student, which is very refreshing compared to gnd.

One last thing, do try to visit the place before commiting to an apt, because some places are a real pain to access on a regular basis because of the poor road design.

[cavalletti]

How many students at the St. Vincent campus at any given time? Is it just one term at a time? What percentage of the starting class is left by 5th? Is there a shuttle for students.

I think this would be a very useful sticky. :) Those of us looking at SGU would like to know a little about what happens 5th semester.

[RussianJoo]

yeah it's only 1 term at a time so about 300 to 400 students there at once.

[rokshana]

yeah it's only 1 term at a time so about 300 to 400 students there at once.
closer to the 300 than the 400 i suspect.

oh and there is a store (the "WalMart" of st. Vincent-really you can find verything there!!) across the street from the hospital- you can park there for 2EC/hr.-well worth it when its hot. And actually you can park on the side street right next to the parking lot for free(just sometimes difficult to get a spot there.

[Saora1]

Thought I would post some feedback pn the place after being here 1 week:

I've been here since the 9th. Thought I'd come a little early to settle in and get to know my way around and how things work before I was thrown into classwork. So going to just add my comments to this.

Before I forget, I'd like to say one thing. I thought that by signing up early for internet, etc. I'd have a head start on those who came later. However, I did that with the thought that they might just go out and connect a bunch of people together instead of doing mine one day and then returning two days later to the same area to connect someone else.

Turns out that that was the case. I signed up for C&W ADSL service on the 9th, got my phone line installed on the 18th and had internet yesterday on the 24th. I had my OWN modem and was doing the installation myself so I don't know what the hold-up was. But anyway, just saying that getting a "head start" provided no benefit as others were also connected then.

First off, the roads are terrible, and you really should try to arrange a carpool if you don't drive.

Hahaha, I concur. I've been driving in Grenada for many, many years (I learned to drive at 12 and in that largely lawless place, my father used to give me the car to drive around the neighbourhood) so I used to think that all the reports by students of crazy driving and bad roads in St. Vincent were just exaggerations since they'd never driven in Grenada and it was a new experience for them. Many more students get cars here instead of in Gnd where they live on campus or can rely on the more frequent bus service. Getting here on my first day, even I was feeling a bit apprehensive about driving. I wasn't really concerned about the condition of the roads, the other drivers or the winding turns but rather about how narrow the roads are and the fact that the drains bordering them were like huge ravines and were often covered over by grass making it hard to tell where they were.

Once I got behind the wheel however, I don't find it so bad and now am zooming along like a "crazy Vincentian" swearing at the students holding back traffic in front of me. hehehe

Technically, there is one main two-way road, but it has many blind turns that may or may not be a drive-way/dead-end. Also, roads are poorly labeled, so get used to using landmarks (i.e., "afro's" shop and a mirror mean turn left to get to school).

hahaha, it's like that in Grenada too but there are more blind turns here indeed.

And that road is a narrow strip with many blind turns (as well) that is somehow supposed to accomodate two way traffic.

Yeah, it's just stupid. IMO, they should make one of the roads leading to campus an IN and the other an OUT. They are separated from each other by less than a minute on the main road and noone really has to go out of their way by much to use one or the other to enter/exit.

However, so far, it hasn't been as bad as I first expected. At least they cut the grass bordering the road now. When I arrived, it was even more narrow because of the bush overhanging the road.

IMHO the campus truly does suck. It is a joke compared to the "luxurious" grenada campus. It looks like an abandoned hotel from a distance, and does not get much better up close.

I think it's perfectly fine.

The lecture hall is not too bad compared to bourne hall.

Except for the smaller projector screens I find it better than Grenada. Oh, and the fact that the seats seem to be more connected to each other. By that I mean that if the person 2 chairs away shifts in their seat it transmits more and I can feel the shaking.

For anyone wondering, there are outlets under each seat for computers.

The gym is a small (outdoor!) affair that has a punching bag and weights.

It's perfectly adequate for anyone wanting to lift weights but there are NO cardio machines and some of the smaller dumbells are missing.

Most people join the commercial gym which is about 4-5 minutes drive from campus and costs EC $70 per month. The more people that go there, the happier I will be since I will have my run of the ghetto campus gym.

Parking is a pain due to both over-crowding and very poor layout. Almost everyday you end up waiting for someone trying to pull out of their small space to get by.

Haven't had a problem but I've been going to class early in the morning due to wanting to use the web before lecture.

The library is rather small as well, but decently stocked.

Yeah, it's tiny.

The clinical rotations are very interesting, but do make it more difficult to plan out your day.

The couple I've been on so far are cool and I'm looking forward to more.

I think the school could better prepare us for them though and give us some more idea beforehand e.g. we had an info session on Friday about the hospital where they told us that we need to have our scrubs laundered by the school before we could attend surgical, trauma, emergency rotations. So I had my trauma rotation on Monday and got told at 5 p.m. on Friday that this needed to be done. Yeah, I'm supposed to get what done where now??!!

Because they all are piled together, try to find a unique color or mark them clearly with your initials.

Not a big deal. There's a permanent marker where you drop off your scrubs. Just write your name on the inside of the collar or waist band (or on the tag if you prefer) and you're good to go.

So far, the docs have been very helpful

Yeah, I've found thm to be pretty cool.

As for food, it has been a big let down. There are a bunch of stores, but most of them are not very reliable (i.e., fungus growing all over frozen dinners, expired cheese...etc).

I haven't had the problems you've described but I haven't bought any frozen dinners. I do find that Grenada is much better stocked however. You can find most things here but not everything e.g. I like iced tea and there is no diet iced tea or other non-sugared drink mix to be found. Just one example.

The "best" is Aunt Jobe's, which happens to be very close to the hospital.

Aunt Jobe's is more expensive that Grave's/Sunrise by the airport. I do most of my shopping at Sunrise (which also has a great bakery) but Aunt Jobe's has a better selection of meats, dairy (fresh milk for those who can't do without) including cheeses and yogurt, and deli meats. Oh and imported fruits like peaches, grapes, etc. Sunrise seems to mainly have local fruits like bananas.

Oh, and fruits have been very cheap I've found. Buying them from vendors anyway. I got 5 large mangoes my first week here for $2 EC. Mmmnnn!!

Speaking of locals, so far, I have found them to be very friendly and helpful. They will always help you with directions and go so far as to call a friend of a friend of a friend who happens to know the person/place you are looking for.

Yeah, Vincentians have been very, very friendly and helpful. Most of them. There are always a few exceptions.

Kingstown is pretty cool. It's a little more hectic than St. George's in my opinion but what I absolutely love is that there are guys selling music on almost every corner and it's awesome to hear "tunes" everywhere I go. Watch out for flash floods on the sidewalk though. haha, I had to climb up on a ledge one day when it was raining hard in town.

Another nice thing is that most do not assume that you are a student, which is very refreshing compared to gnd.

Why is that refreshing? You are a student..

One last thing, do try to visit the place before commiting to an apt, because some places are a real pain to access on a regular basis because of the poor road design.

Yeah, I know many people who arranged their apartment over the phone and then weren't happy when they got here. As well, it's a good idea to make sure your place is secure. We had a break-in reported the very first week. Apparently this apartment had burglar bars on all windows but one (what's the sense in that?!) and someone got robbed. I don't have more details than that but a prof told us about it so I'm assuming it's not a rumour.

[Toddaa1]

Thought I would post some feedback pn the place after being here 1 week:

First off, the roads are terrible, and you really should try to arrange a carpool if you don't drive. Technically, there is one main two-way road, but it has many blind turns that may or may not be a drive-way/dead-end. Also, roads are poorly labeled, so get used to using landmarks (i.e., "afro's" shop and a mirror mean turn left to get to school). And that road is a narrow strip with many blind turns (as well) that is somehow supposed to accomodate two way traffic. IMHO the campus truly does suck. It is a joke compared to the "luxurious" grenada campus. It looks like an abandoned hotel from a distance, and does not get much better up close.

The nice thing about the campus is that its not crowded like in GND, and the A/C there was awesome. we had a water outage for a week that really stunk. and by the way, the Annex is that house down a dirt path behind the "ladies" where all the goats live.



Notes for pharm are not too great. So far, I just use lippincott's/ ridiculously simple. I do like the class though. There are small groups for it, but like with other classes, I find them to be a waste of time. To be quite honest, just going to campus amounts to be a big waste of time because the notes are online.

I agree classes were a waste of time especially with the non-german lecturers. pretty much everything is in the notes, and the macdaddy powerpoint is helpful (pm me for specifics)

other pointers:
- there is a big produce market and town that has cheap fruits.
- school busses run from school to the airport and town (and i think to off campus aptmnts) but are much less reliable than grenada, but the reggae bus system is better and cheaper than grenada, you wont need a taxi there.
- start studying NOW for the 2nd pathophys exam if you expect to cover everything on it (the stack of handouts for this test alone was over a foot high)
- dont get nervous about the OSCE, its easy and fun, just go over the review packets for x rays, ekg's and prescription writing :)

Overall, I found this term is one of the easier ones

-T-

[rokshana]

I agree classes were a waste of time especially with the non-german lecturers. pretty much everything is in the notes, and the macdaddy powerpoint is helpful (pm me for specifics)


eh, the german ones weren't worth that much time either.

[drnick07]

eh, the german ones weren't worth that much time either.
Atleast they can speak, read, and write english, unlike another prof down there.

[drturtle]

Hahaha, I concur. I've been driving in Grenada for many, many years (I learned to drive at 12 and in that largely lawless place, my father used to give me the car to drive around the neighbourhood) so I used to think that all the reports by students of crazy driving and bad roads in St. Vincent were just exaggerations since they'd never driven in Grenada and it was a new experience for them. Many more students get cars here instead of in Gnd where they live on campus or can rely on the more frequent bus service. Getting here on my first day, even I was feeling a bit apprehensive about driving. I wasn't really concerned about the condition of the roads, the other drivers or the winding turns but rather about how narrow the roads are and the fact that the drains bordering them were like huge ravines and were often covered over by grass making it hard to tell where they were.

Once I got behind the wheel however, I don't find it so bad and now am zooming along like a "crazy Vincentian" swearing at the students holding back traffic in front of me. hehehe

A large chunk of the road was redone within the last few terms. Prior to that, the road was in worse condition with lots of potholes. Hopefully, the roads will hold up better to the weather since it looked like the people who were redoing the road looked like they knew what they were doing... none of this business of a random guy by the road with a wheelbarrow and a shovel, a la Grenada. ;)


Yeah, I know many people who arranged their apartment over the phone and then weren't happy when they got here. As well, it's a good idea to make sure your place is secure. We had a break-in reported the very first week. Apparently this apartment had burglar bars on all windows but one (what's the sense in that?!) and someone got robbed. I don't have more details than that but a prof told us about it so I'm assuming it's not a rumour.
Get used to it. Security continues to be a problem in St. Vincent's. The locals know where all the students live so it's easy for the thieves. The Spring 2006 term of students tried their best to get the school and police to deal with this problem properly but to my knowledge, nothing real significant was done. There was a supposed to be a "Task Force" that was created but the officers on that force didn't take students' concerns/complaints seriously (e.g., there were thefts, these guys were called, and they arrived at the scene really late and drunk). The current and future terms of students should continue to press the school and police to take this matter more seriously.

In the interim, know that...
- most of the crimes committed are petty crimes and usually involves money. So far, they've been largely happy with cash (e.g., usually no computers, digital cameras, etc). Hopefully it stays that way.
- the method of choice to steal items (assuming all entrances are blocked really well) is to use a long pole or similar to "fish" for items through the window bars so keep all valuables AWAY from a line of sight to the windows. There have been cases of fishing that reaches over 15-20 feet away. Don't ask how they do that, just know it has happened.
- if you are in the room at the time, be wary as there have been cases of theft occuring with the occupant IN THE ROOM at the time. Depending on your location, be wary about leaving doors/windows open simply to get fresh air. It's a compromise, of course, so the final decision is yours to make.
- on big days, like during finals week, the locals know that ALL students won't be around. Have contingency plans on what to do with your valuables. Don't tempt thieves so hide valuables. You can bring stuff to the finals, but you'll have to leave them at the back of the lecture hall so that could be an option. Let your landlords know to keep a better eye (hopefully your landlord is honest ;)).
- I'm not trying to scare folks. Just trying to put out a notice on what has happened in the past and what to be aware of.

[tralfaz]

I thought I would add that as much as I hate the place, the material really is a lot of fun. So far, the pathophys notes are great (HUGE packs though!). It's a lot of work, but 4th term path really does make it easier to get it all down.

The pharm notes continue to stink big time. Small groups really should be optional in my opinion. Aside from the previously mentioned pharm review books, there is a great little one called "Basic concepts in pharmacology" by Janet Stringer. It's out of print but can be had through ebay. Learned about it by accident on an amazon.com book list and ended up buying it on a whim. Really good at getting the mechanisms/drug families organized.

A question for the upper termers...have you encountered many questions on step 1 in which they give you diff levels of HR/BP and ask you to figure out which drug was given where? Even our tutor was apologetic about us having to do that one today.

Oh and some random factoids:

The import tariff for a laptop is 4%. Fedex is apparently the way to go at about $115 from the us. I mention this b/c there are some people who are in need of that right now.

If you happen to miss out on any of the note packets, just go to the copy room. The guy there will pretend you are not there and just pick up what you need. I figure most already know this, but I didn't:(

[drnick07]

The import tariff for a laptop is 4%. Fedex is apparently the way to go at about $115 from the us. I mention this b/c there are some people who are in need of that right now. You mean you pay this at the airport? Or is it if you ship a brand new one down in the mail?

[tralfaz]

You mean you pay this at the airport? Or is it if you ship a brand new one down in the mail?

Only if it's shipped to you (i.e., emergency).

As far as arriving here, it's good to have a receipt just in case. In my experience, the customs people didn't seem to care and just let me through.

More random information:

We are already pushing 300 pages in pathophys (if you include the upcoming endocrine stuff). I guess people were not exagerating when they said that there would be a lot of notes. Makes 4th term look like 3rd term :) .

There is a really nice gym near the school (fitness quest, I think). Very modern. You can't miss it as it has multi-colored rings going around the parking lot. It's just a question of balancing time. Again, I really miss the tight integration of the gnd campus.

[Toddaa1]

Only if it's shipped to you (i.e., emergency).



We are already pushing 300 pages in pathophys (if you include the upcoming endocrine stuff). I guess people were not exagerating when they said that there would be a lot of notes. Makes 4th term look like 3rd term :) .

.
the "pile" was approximately 1000 pages for the second exam, the 1st and 3rd exams werent too bad. I advise you to ignore hematology (only 9 questions, but a couple hundred pages of reading).

as for those questions on drugs affecting BP and HR, i saw a couple questions about them, one of them showed something like those diagrams you are learning.
-T-

[drturtle]

A question for the upper termers...have you encountered many questions on step 1 in which they give you diff levels of HR/BP and ask you to figure out which drug was given where? Even our tutor was apologetic about us having to do that one today.
Not many questions but there are such questions.

[emt036]

A question for the upper termers...have you encountered many questions on step 1 in which they give you diff levels of HR/BP and ask you to figure out which drug was given where? Even our tutor was apologetic about us having to do that one today.

I didn't see one on my exam, but I did see something similar in Q-Bank.

[Semitallsmalls]

I like the clinical experience and perhaps aside from a few pham lectures, everything has been very clinically orientated. In Grenada, I felt like I was studying to be a phd in each of those classes there. Here I feel like I might actually be a doctor one day! St. Vincent, like Grenada, has its short comings of which most have already mentioned above. I still have a lot to learn about the island, but so far so good.

[RussianJoo]

Hey can someone comment on the quality of the paid gym in vinnies? is it air conditioned? does it have eliptical machines ( i have bad knees and need a low impact aerobic exercise.) what about the amount of dumbells, is there a cable machine? how does it compare to the school gym in grenada?

[basupran]

Hey can someone comment on the quality of the paid gym in vinnies? is it air conditioned? does it have eliptical machines ( i have bad knees and need a low impact aerobic exercise.) what about the amount of dumbells, is there a cable machine? how does it compare to the school gym in grenada?

Gym=better than my gym in America in terms of equipment. Excellent facilities, but expect a lot of sweating, particularly where the sun don't shine. No circulation.

[drturtle]

Hey can someone comment on the quality of the paid gym in vinnies? is it air conditioned? does it have eliptical machines ( i have bad knees and need a low impact aerobic exercise.) what about the amount of dumbells, is there a cable machine? how does it compare to the school gym in grenada?
No A/C but the breeze and fans are pretty good. Not sure about eliptical machines or cable machine. All the dumbbells you'll need are available. There is a lot of equipment at the gym as well. It is larger, better stocked, and better maintained than the Grenada school gym.

[RussianJoo]

ok thanks for the replies.. Hope they have a cable machine....

[tralfaz]

Here's some more information:

As it turns out, fed-ex will ship to the school without any duty (they don't even open the box).

Address is:

Student name
Kingstown Medical College
Ratho Mill, St Vincent
West Indies.

The rotations are becoming more and more worthwhile, especially when the group size is down to three or so (happens every once and a while). Doing the full history on patient after patient is a real confidence booster and a far cry from the cs nonsense we had in gnd. And as was predicted earlier, there have been instances where we were told to ignore what was taught there as well. You will get very familiar with diabetes here, as it is one of the most common causes of admission at the hospital. As one doc put it, it really makes you think twice about eating.

Another thing learned is that you can't get decent quality gas on the island (or at least it's very hard to). That's why you see so many cars shooting out black smoke through their mufflers.

First pharm exam is next fri 9-11am. It will consist of 80 questions. Sure is a far cry from path's 150, but the content may cancel out that advantage;) .

Here are some last minute websites that I think are helpful for the classes:
Welcome to Critical Care Medicine Tutorials (http://www.ccmtutorials.com) renal/cardio
Neuromuscular Home Page (http://www.neuro.wustl.edu/neuromuscular/index.html)
Diuretics (http://lysine.pharm.utah.edu/netpharm/netpharm_98/notes/diuretics.html)
The Pharmacodynamics of Diuretics (http://www2.mc.uky.edu/Pharmacology/instruction/pha824dr/PHA824dr.html)
RECOMMENDED LINKS (http://www.healthyhearts.com/links.htm)

[basupran]

Another thing learned is that you can't get decent quality gas on the island (or at least it's very hard to). That's why you see so many cars shooting out black smoke through their mufflers.


Why does gas quality matter to you? Is your car turbo? If it is, I would like a ride (I miss boost more than anything right now...) I think the black smoke is because the cars are running to rich, lack of emission controls (JDM cars tend not to have as many cas) and unburnt fuel (I doubt they change plugs out here); not because of the crappy gas.

Car report (please don't read if you don't live, breath, and sleep cars, you will just get bored)

Anyways, I have seen some pretty nice cars out here as compared to Grenada. A couple of Skylines, lots of Starlets (I am in love with them), a Supra (MKIV turbo), Altezzas (is300 as we know it) and a lot of boosted scoobies, mitsubishis. The roads are awesome for a car with a nice suspension setup, not a jeep that drives like a boat. Heads up for the car fans, try to get your hands on a nice car when you are here. You won't be able to get them in America. They do a lot of racing a little further north, and the roads are perfect for that.

Also, I wonder how they run boost out here...they supposedly have guys running about 21 psi of boost. The gas prob has an octane rating of 83 or something ridiculous, wonder how they control detonation. I am gonna head to some of the races after exams to see how the cars run, hopefully get a ride in one. I will try to take some pictures if I get a chance. I have also seen a really nice 1981-82 Toyota Corolla with a roll cage, etc. I am sure he had some nice work done to the car.

There is also a sick soarer 3.0 gt with the 7m-gte. He is running an open exhaust, the car seems pretty modded, but I would have to pop the hood to take a look-see if he has the stock turbo, injectors, etc.

What else...have seen a couple of cars without front bumpers and an exposed intercooler (looks like it came from the NPR trucks, pretty sure that is what they would use out here), not sure if they did it to maximize airflow or they wanted to show off. One car I remember had that, and an open exhaust, along with a BOV. That might have been a bit more functional, but again, I didn't get to look under the hood.

Nitrous doesn't seem to be big here (no straight lines), and no displacement either....just small motors with turbos...

If you love cars, particularly imports, you will see a lot of nice jdm imports, cars that never made it to the US. They are definitely big into cars out here.

[basupran]

No A/C but the breeze and fans are pretty good. Not sure about eliptical machines or cable machine. All the dumbbells you'll need are available. There is a lot of equipment at the gym as well. It is larger, better stocked, and better maintained than the Grenada school gym.


They have elipticals, 3 treadmils, a cable machine, 3-120+ lb dumbells. Again, the gym is great, but the circulation is horrendous.

[Saora1]

They have elipticals, 3 treadmils, a cable machine, 3-120+ lb dumbells. Again, the gym is great, but the circulation is horrendous.
School gym = rusty weights w/ no wimpy 3 lb dumbells. :)

Real men don't do cardio (they just die young *grin*) but there's some kind of bike thingy. There's also a cable machine in the school gym.

I checked out the commercial gym briefly just to see what it had in it. Have to say that the equipment looked pretty solid and more than enough for any lifter. But the campus gym has pretty much everything I need and is just plain more convenient. Plus, I've heard the commercial gym can get crazy busy depending on when you go e.g. in the evenings.

Either way, prepare for lots of heat. I think I lost 10 lbs of water weight the first day I worked out on campus before they hooked up the power to the gym. Man, it was nuts in there. It's not so bad with the so-loud-you-can't-hear-anything fans though.

[MYung]

The Spring 2006 term of students tried their best to get the school and police to deal with this problem properly but to my knowledge, nothing real significant was done. There was a supposed to be a "Task Force" that was created but the officers on that force didn't take students' concerns/complaints seriously (e.g., there were thefts, these guys were called, and they arrived at the scene really late and drunk).

You're correct, we did have a number of security concerns last term. Hopefully, SGA will continue to work with the school to address these issues.

I believe the task force has been around for a while. They are divided into teams that are attached to individual police stations. Their response times may vary depending on how close you live to one of the stations that has a team. From my personal experience with them, they have been nothing but professional and efficient. They arrived within minutes of us calling the hotline and spent alot of time searching for the culprit and securing our location.

Marco

[Andrew21]

Hi

There is a chance that my wife will be going to school in Newark. If this is the case, can I specify this when selecting NJ sites for my clinicals? How well do they do (historically) at matching people up for family reasons? Thanks for any advice

Andy

[tralfaz]

Is there any way someone can post/upload-somewhere last terms pulmonary/pediatrics/hematolgy files? Most are still not up on ANGEL and that is rather annoying since they represent a big chunk of the 2nd exam.

[promac2]

Is there any way someone can post/upload-somewhere last terms pulmonary/pediatrics/hematolgy files? Most are still not up on ANGEL and that is rather annoying since they represent a big chunk of the 2nd exam.

i second that

[Dr.Speed]

Can someone tell me how long an SGU student will stay at St. Vincent -- and what years?

Actually, can someone post a brief timeline (time spent at Grenada and St. Vincent)?

I can probably find this info on SGU's website, but SGU's site seems too vague and I don't know how the terms are divided.

[jaywalk81]

its not vague at all on sgu website.
term 5 and 6 are in st vincent which is equivalent to the 2nd term in yr 2.
term 5 is 6 weeks long and term 6 is 12 weeks long, so in total 18 weeks in st vincent.

[Dr.Speed]

its not vague at all on sgu website.

That was my cover for my laziness to visit their site. heh, i like to be spoonfed. Thanks.:D

Oh, another question : Is traveling by air between St. Vincent and Grenada the only reasonable way to travel or are there options to travel by boat?

[jaywalk81]

u can travel by boat. it usually is an overnight boat ride.
but flying from GND to SVG is very cheap. less than 100usd round trip i think and less than 1 hr long

[tralfaz]

That was my cover for my laziness to visit their site. heh, i like to be spoonfed. Thanks.:D

Oh, another question : Is traveling by air between St. Vincent and Grenada the only reasonable way to travel or are there options to travel by boat?

Remember, you would only need to go directly from gnd to vincent once to secure a place during your last (4th) term in gnd. Other than that, flights would be from your place to vincent.

[RussianJoo]

u can travel by boat. it usually is an overnight boat ride.
but flying from GND to SVG is very cheap. less than 100usd round trip i think and less than 1 hr long


where can one find more info about the boat that goes back and forth between gnd and svg? Do you know how much tickets are? or how often it goes back and forth?? I have asked some people in town about it and they don't seem to know anything....

[rokshana]

Can someone tell me how long an SGU student will stay at St. Vincent -- and what years?

Actually, can someone post a brief timeline (time spent at Grenada and St. Vincent)?

I can probably find this info on SGU's website, but SGU's site seems too vague and I don't know how the terms are divided.

search,search, search- in fact search my name- i think i wrote a pretty detailed timeline at one point.

[drnick07]

where can one find more info about the boat that goes back and forth between gnd and svg? Do you know how much tickets are? or how often it goes back and forth?? I have asked some people in town about it and they don't seem to know anything.... Ask around the dock downtown. Look for a red and white boat called the Gem Star. I think it makes trips mid-week but that was awhile ago. I'd even try asking around at the chancellory, or calling over to KMC and asking the profs there.

[Toddaa1]

u can travel by boat. it usually is an overnight boat ride.
but flying from GND to SVG is very cheap. less than 100usd round trip i think and less than 1 hr long

flights can be as low as $50 bucks round trip after taxes are added, but the typical rate (last term) was $86.50. usually Liat is cheaper, sometimes caribbean star is, and sometimes going to a ticket agent is cheaper than buying online viceversa. the trip generally takes 25 minutes, t min 19 min, t max 1 hr 10 min, so u can be in grenada at 7 am and still make it to your 8 am class in st vincent. Also funny is that you can call and order La Boulangerie in st vincent, fly 90 miles, clear customs and immigration, catch a cab and drive 3 miles and still get to your buddies place before your food gets there.

-T-

[tralfaz]

Most of the notes have been posted on ANGEL today. Still some holes in pulmonary ,but still it's better than nothing.

[tralfaz]

Well, it's over.

Here are some thoughts and advice from my perspective:

-Be careful where you live. We ended up doing it blindly based on the advice of a friend/sgu employee, and it happened to work well (2 days left, knock on wood). At the end of today's pathophys final, we all had to fill out a mandatory housing survey so that should hopefully be of use for future students. I think, if it is possible, living with a reputable local is one of the safer options. It's not always easy to find, but it is something to keep in mind. I believe there is a police officer/investigator who rents out rooms in his place, for example. The school is located on a winding, secluded road. There are places where you can live along there allowing you to walk to school, but there have been mixed reports on the safety of that. Those more experienced will probably opine on that issue. Also, as usual, ask about deposit, average electricity charge and if they will pro-rate a partial month.

-Renting a car is probably a necessity if you live off-campus. I have tried walking to school once and it was too dangerous for my tastes (and I am a seasoned road cyclist back in the us). The ditches along the main road make it very difficult to walk safely along them. Also, the reggae bus drivers don't make things easier. As stated earlier, prepare yourself for some extreme hills/blind turns. It does get easier after awhile. Remember that there is one main road on the island, and it takes you everywhere you want to go. There are shortcuts, but they are not for the faint-hearted. Of course for all of my complaining, I still see teens riding bikes without helmets and even kids walking along the main road...so everything is relative. Ultimately, I do feel that it is a dangerous endeavour.

-Food-wise, I have been very disappointed. There are a handful of supermarkets (aunt jobes$$$>c.k greaves$$>correa(spelling?). I have gotten burned with mouldy food way too often, especially at greaves. There are a few fresh fish places, plus local fruit/vegetable vendors in downtown kingstown. It all depends on your standards I guess. Also, always check the expiration dates on everything! Even frozen foods. I have never had to do this before either in the us/gnd. Greaves for instance, still has egg beaters that have expired in 2005. Regardless, the first two take credit/debit cards, so payment should not be a problem.

-Shipping, as stated earlier, use fed-ex for shipping. It'll cost ~$100, but it will get there in a few days and it will be unopened/untaxed.

-School-Classes here are pathophys/pharmacology and a continuation of acs from gnd. Most of the lectures are recorded and availible via angel (with exception of a certain bright shirted individual). This made life much easier for me. At this point, I would say that the notes are all you really need for all of the classes.

Pharm-->As stated earlier, I LOVED "Basic Concepts in Pharmacology" by Janet Stringer. It is out of print, but can be had on ebay. Maybe because I have a background in molecbio, I found this book great at summarizing things down to a sentence or two. Lippincott was opened once or twice...and ultimately given away. Remember, that's me. Do yourself a favor and go to your nearest med book store and scrutinize the books they have there, and figure out what works for you. If I had done that, I would never have bought Lippincott's. Amazon.com reviews are also quite helpful. As much as I love ridiculously simple, their pharm book is strongly lacking. Would have been better to take micro made ridiculously simple instead. Also get pharmcards...I think that is a safe bet for everyone.

Pathophys-->there are tons of notes and that's pretty much all you need. Merck is nice, but really overkill because we are not actually dealing with REAL patient mangement...just board standardized stuff. One great tool to have is google, as many times it will help clear up a point via an academic link.

ACS-->You meet every other week with a small group and a real pt. You go over some things, and in the process hear how things are done differently here vs. gnd. Did not find it too helpful. The hospital rotations, aside from the pain of having to drive there during rush hour, were great. All sorts of different specialties. A handful are in private clinics where you are actually allowed to individually take a hx on a real pt (ENT). Really fun. Again, you will learn that the gnd way is sometimes wrong, but... :) . The classic schedule is to park at aunt jobe's supermarket and walk to the hospital (1 min walk). Then, when you're done, do your shopping there. I took my med kit (cheaply bought on ebay), and really did not use much more than my sthethoscope. Moreover, my penlight was used mostly as a way of reaching the car at night (really handy to have at all times). Again, the pt's are real, and you do a hx/physical on them (albeit in a group of 5 or 6 except for the abovementioned ENT guy). The emergency medicine, surgery and obgyn (when in surgery) rotations were the most appealing to me. Two pairs of scrubs, a pair of slacks and a short sleeved shirt are all you really need. More often than not, you won't wear the lab coat. Close to the end, you will have the osce, which consists of 7 stations where your clinical skills are put to the test (sort of, as they are not reall pts). There are four pts, with 7 minutes for each (then a whistle blows to let you know to move on to the next station). Also, three non-pt stations-->ekg/x-ray/prescription writing. I needlessly got stressed out about this (annoying a few vmd members in the process:( ), but it's really not too bad.

Crime- For some, this has been the best of times (engagements/vacations/travel), for others the worst (violence and robbery). I have been in the middle. For the most part, I have found the locals to be friendly and rather helpful. Unfortunately, we are known as students, and with that comes certain risks, which have been detailed in other threads. Given the current situation, namely the lack of adequate on-campus housing, we have to make the best of the situation we are in. The specifics of that depends on the individual.

Others--->Try to have $700 availible at the start of the term so that you can register for step 1 as soon as possible. So long as you either have a gpa>2.5 or passed BSCE I, you will be certified. The BSCE II comes during the same week of the osce, and consists of two books, one representing the first year, the other the second. Some people study like mad for the thing, others don't. I did not and almost fell off my chair when I saw my score. Unfortuantely, I am cynical enough to know that this is not even close to the level of step 1 questions, but the topics are for the most part similar. Halfway through, start planning on a step1 study schedule. The web is full of hundreds of different variations. Also, start looking at scutwork.com to get an idea of what residents think of the hospitals you plan on doing your 3rd year cores in. The student doctor forum is also helpful for investigating the clincal world of medical school (snobby though they are).

Well, that's it for now -- have to keep packing. Sorry for the redundency in some of the things mentioned. Hope this is of some help.

Last thing, I don't know how this worked out this way, but my two favorite basic science classes turned out to be 4th term path and pharm.

[snowedin]

Can anyone tell me about the dorms in ST. Vincent? Are there enough rooms for everyone who wants to stay on campus? Singles or doubles? Cooking facilities? Cost vs living off campus?

[tralfaz]

Can anyone tell me about the dorms in ST. Vincent? Are there enough rooms for everyone who wants to stay on campus? Singles or doubles? Cooking facilities? Cost vs living off campus?

There is not enough room -- spots are picked via lottery system.

[Stewie]

Can anyone please suggest some good appartments and websites or numbers for them in St. Vinnies. I'm planning to head down on Jan 27th to have a look around.

Thanks

[jaywalk81]

check out the sga angel and then under the st vincent/kmc section

[Stewie]

check out the sga angel and then under the st vincent/kmc section


Thanks Jay, that site is perfect!

[Bobcho]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend good hotels for parents to stay at here in St. Vincent. My folks are coming down to visit this term. Obviously, the first one that came to mind was Young Island. Any other thoughts?

Has anyone had parents come to Vinnies yet? Hotel suggestions and tour ideas are welcome.

[Malikha]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend good hotels for parents to stay at here in St. Vincent. My folks are coming down to visit this term. Obviously, the first one that came to mind was Young Island. Any other thoughts?

Has anyone had parents come to Vinnies yet? Hotel suggestions and tour ideas are welcome.

Young Island? It is very expensive I heard. There are other hotels around Indian bay or across from Young Island. I can't think of the name right now, sorry, I will try to get the name... Pharm/pathophys are killing my brain cells.

[Lydde31]

Young Island? It is very expensive I heard. There are other hotels around Indian bay or across from Young Island. I can't think of the name right now, sorry, I will try to get the name... Pharm/pathophys are killing my brain cells.

At Young Island, staff has an attitude problem and what you get for your money is rather poor, if you subtract the romantic scenery.

I have put up posh guests at the Mariner's (they have a room almost above the restaurant, forgot the number), with everybody happy. The place is not as posh as YI but rather effective, unpretentious, and good qual. including the restaurant. Plus you save the money that will take you on a sail to the Grenadines on the Windsong (at the YI dock).

[cavalletti]

At Young Island, staff has an attitude problem and what you get for your money is rather poor, if you subtract the romantic scenery.

I have put up posh guests at the Mariner's (they have a room almost above the restaurant, forgot the number), with everybody happy. The place is not as posh as YI but rather effective, unpretentious, and good qual. including the restaurant. Plus you save the money that will take you on a sail to the Grenadines on the Windsong (at the YI dock).

Is the hotel on the beach/water?

[jaywalk81]

IGNORE this thread. st vincent is no more for sgu.

[jaywalk81]

mod, this can be unsticky.

[seagoddess]

yeah this is obsolete

[stephew]

if you wish to offer a suggestion, please put in the suggestion box or PM. we dont typically run through threads to see if anyone has any suggestions.