dksamp
09-03-2004, 02:54 PM
Greetings,
Been LONG minute since I have posted anything. I just wanted to send out a special goodluck message to those getting ready to start UNIBE this Fall. All of y'all have worked pretty hard so far, and now get ready to work even harder. That is what med school is about.
I know most of you have some degree of fear and anxiety as to what the future will hold for you as foreign medical students and future FMG's. Lemme tell you, despite all the rhetoric, rumors, and **, the formula to succeed has ALREADY been laid out by your predecessors. When I say predecessors, I am not just referring to those that graduated from UNIBE, I am referring to the legions of FMG's from EVERYWHERE that have busted their butt since the 1950's and have been coming over to the US for DECADES. That formula is study hard, rock your boards, and be DILIGENT/PERSISTENT in your pursuit for a residency spot. If you choose to party, barely pass your boards, and become a lazy bum in the residency application process expecting people to give you information and "hook you up", then your chances for success are gonna be much lower.
A couple of talking points to remember:
1) DON'T BELIEVE RUMORS THAT YOU HEAR....lemme repeat...DON'T BELIEVE RUMORS THAT YOU HEAR. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I would hear various rumors, and then when I did a PRIMARY verification, that runor went up in smoke. For example...
"Oh my God, we can't get licensed in (name your state)". If you have ANY questions about a particular state, why not call up the sate medical board YOURSELF and do a primary verification. The ONLY states that UNIBE has a current problem with are California and New Mexico.
ALWAYS REMEMBER, only the ALUMMNI, know what the "afterlife" is like, so if you have any doubts, do not hesitate to coctact any of the alumni (like myself), so that we can set the record straight.
2) STOP LOOKING FOR STASTICAL GUARANTEES...because YOU WON'T FIND THEM. There are only 2 guarantees in life, they are 1) DEATH, and 2) TAXES....PERIOD. I am NOT Miss Cleo, and neither are your classmates or anyone else on this board, so PLEASE, for heavens sake, STOP asking, "What are my chances for a (fill-in-the-blank) residency in XXXX if I do/go to XXXX or have xx score". It is a POINTLESS question that has no answer.
3) If you are going to spend the next 4 years in complain-mode, then DON'T GO!!! Nobody put a gun to your head and told you that you had to go offshore. There are daily flights in and out of the various islands, so if U ain't happy, go home and apply to a US school. Med school abroad is hard enough without having to put up with a bunch of whiners who firmly believe that "misery loves comany"
4) Do not be too overly impressed with other people's stories. You are a medstudent just like them and thus in the same boat. During my years, I noticed a tendency of certain individuals (usually older), who feel the need to run their mouth about their prior accomplishments, and they try to assume some leadership/paternal role among the student body. And they are always trying to tell people how to do things (such as how to study for the USMLE, etc). But you know what the irony is, for all the trash they talk, most of them tend not to have the grades nor the board scores to back it up. So do your own thing and don't worry about the others, and you'll be fine.
5) Take people's "connections" with a GRAIN OF SALT. I cannot count the number of times I heard of someone (usually in First semester Med) who comes in with a supposed "transfer plan". They love to mention that because they know a certain doctor at the [fill in the blank with any department of any particular US med school], that they have a "hookup to transfer after basic sciences".
All I can say to that is I personally have NEVER seen annyone's supposed "connections" come through.
6) Transferring...I have engaged in lively debates with numerous individuals about this topic, and I am STILL WAITING on the ever-elusive SHRED OF EVIDENCE that changing schools has significant imact on your END-OTCOME (defined as passing the USMLE and getting a residency). So when you go to UNIBE or any other medschool for that matter, go with the intention of STAYING and COMPLETING. If a transfer has to occur, make sure it is for a DAMN GOOD REASON.
7) STUDY...STUDY...STUDY...you should be studying primarily on 2 occassions, DAY and NIGHT...LOL
There will be plenty of time too party, but if you bust your butt from Day 1, you WILL come out Alright.
8) USMLE prep begins when you FIRST LAND in the DR, NOT when you graduate!!!!!!
from DAY ONE, ALL of y'all need to have a copy of "First Aid for the USMLE", you need to go through that book on a regular basis and WEAR THAT BOOK OUT!!!!! A new edition comes out every year, and SHOULD BE BOUGHT EVERY YEAR, and equally worn out...COMPRENDE???
9) PLEASE read the "Common Characters found in Offshore Medical Schools" post. Aside from getting a good laugh out of it, it will preview you on the characters you are likely to encounter.
and Finally.......
10) PLEASE READ my "Life after UNIBE" post as well as my "10 most common error/mistakes" post. It puts various things in perspective.
And with that I close...Best of luck to ALL that are starting..God Bless :-)
Derek Sampson, MD
Been LONG minute since I have posted anything. I just wanted to send out a special goodluck message to those getting ready to start UNIBE this Fall. All of y'all have worked pretty hard so far, and now get ready to work even harder. That is what med school is about.
I know most of you have some degree of fear and anxiety as to what the future will hold for you as foreign medical students and future FMG's. Lemme tell you, despite all the rhetoric, rumors, and **, the formula to succeed has ALREADY been laid out by your predecessors. When I say predecessors, I am not just referring to those that graduated from UNIBE, I am referring to the legions of FMG's from EVERYWHERE that have busted their butt since the 1950's and have been coming over to the US for DECADES. That formula is study hard, rock your boards, and be DILIGENT/PERSISTENT in your pursuit for a residency spot. If you choose to party, barely pass your boards, and become a lazy bum in the residency application process expecting people to give you information and "hook you up", then your chances for success are gonna be much lower.
A couple of talking points to remember:
1) DON'T BELIEVE RUMORS THAT YOU HEAR....lemme repeat...DON'T BELIEVE RUMORS THAT YOU HEAR. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I would hear various rumors, and then when I did a PRIMARY verification, that runor went up in smoke. For example...
"Oh my God, we can't get licensed in (name your state)". If you have ANY questions about a particular state, why not call up the sate medical board YOURSELF and do a primary verification. The ONLY states that UNIBE has a current problem with are California and New Mexico.
ALWAYS REMEMBER, only the ALUMMNI, know what the "afterlife" is like, so if you have any doubts, do not hesitate to coctact any of the alumni (like myself), so that we can set the record straight.
2) STOP LOOKING FOR STASTICAL GUARANTEES...because YOU WON'T FIND THEM. There are only 2 guarantees in life, they are 1) DEATH, and 2) TAXES....PERIOD. I am NOT Miss Cleo, and neither are your classmates or anyone else on this board, so PLEASE, for heavens sake, STOP asking, "What are my chances for a (fill-in-the-blank) residency in XXXX if I do/go to XXXX or have xx score". It is a POINTLESS question that has no answer.
3) If you are going to spend the next 4 years in complain-mode, then DON'T GO!!! Nobody put a gun to your head and told you that you had to go offshore. There are daily flights in and out of the various islands, so if U ain't happy, go home and apply to a US school. Med school abroad is hard enough without having to put up with a bunch of whiners who firmly believe that "misery loves comany"
4) Do not be too overly impressed with other people's stories. You are a medstudent just like them and thus in the same boat. During my years, I noticed a tendency of certain individuals (usually older), who feel the need to run their mouth about their prior accomplishments, and they try to assume some leadership/paternal role among the student body. And they are always trying to tell people how to do things (such as how to study for the USMLE, etc). But you know what the irony is, for all the trash they talk, most of them tend not to have the grades nor the board scores to back it up. So do your own thing and don't worry about the others, and you'll be fine.
5) Take people's "connections" with a GRAIN OF SALT. I cannot count the number of times I heard of someone (usually in First semester Med) who comes in with a supposed "transfer plan". They love to mention that because they know a certain doctor at the [fill in the blank with any department of any particular US med school], that they have a "hookup to transfer after basic sciences".
All I can say to that is I personally have NEVER seen annyone's supposed "connections" come through.
6) Transferring...I have engaged in lively debates with numerous individuals about this topic, and I am STILL WAITING on the ever-elusive SHRED OF EVIDENCE that changing schools has significant imact on your END-OTCOME (defined as passing the USMLE and getting a residency). So when you go to UNIBE or any other medschool for that matter, go with the intention of STAYING and COMPLETING. If a transfer has to occur, make sure it is for a DAMN GOOD REASON.
7) STUDY...STUDY...STUDY...you should be studying primarily on 2 occassions, DAY and NIGHT...LOL
There will be plenty of time too party, but if you bust your butt from Day 1, you WILL come out Alright.
8) USMLE prep begins when you FIRST LAND in the DR, NOT when you graduate!!!!!!
from DAY ONE, ALL of y'all need to have a copy of "First Aid for the USMLE", you need to go through that book on a regular basis and WEAR THAT BOOK OUT!!!!! A new edition comes out every year, and SHOULD BE BOUGHT EVERY YEAR, and equally worn out...COMPRENDE???
9) PLEASE read the "Common Characters found in Offshore Medical Schools" post. Aside from getting a good laugh out of it, it will preview you on the characters you are likely to encounter.
and Finally.......
10) PLEASE READ my "Life after UNIBE" post as well as my "10 most common error/mistakes" post. It puts various things in perspective.
And with that I close...Best of luck to ALL that are starting..God Bless :-)
Derek Sampson, MD