Ross vs SMU including more general concerns

[LqdPls]

Why are there so many people complaining about Ross university, but so many good things are being said about St. Matthew's. In relation to residency positions and opportunities after graduation it is obvious that Ross is the right choice. But what about the intellectual and academic environment of each medical school. The last thing I want is to find myself at a University with cut throat competition among students who are supposedly embarking on a journey to pursue a humanitarian career. My point is this, I have a friend who is in his second year at Yale University, and by no means am I trying to compare Yale to any school in the caribbean, but he has described to me that students there are treated with great integrity and respect. There is an intellectually nurturing environment using all means possible by the faculty to shape and mold the minds of fututre physicians. Having monitored the Ross forum for the last few weeks and months it appears that there is a certain uncomfortable feeling of apprehension expressed by both current and prospective students. Current students appear to complain about everything from overcrowded classrooms and poor living conditions to unapproachable faculty with the intent to fail as many students as possible. Prospecive students on the other hand are jaded and discouraged by not knowing what they maybe getting themselves into if they actually decide to attend Ross or any other caribbean school for that matter. But on the bright side after having reviewed the St. Matthew's forum, the same type of negative feedback just doesnt exist, maybe not yet. So what is the final verdict for these two schools? How do they compare academically? What is the intellectual environment of each school, meaning what type of resources and opportunities exist for students who are willing to work extremely hard to succeed, and have come to medical school for one reason and one reason only, and that is to become great physicians. I am not interested in the drama, or the adverse opinions and misleading information posted on this site almost daily. Whether I am acceped into an American medical school or not, I dont want to look at an off shore school only as an alternative. If I choose to attend a caribbean school I want to know that I will be inspired by my institution during my pursuit of a medical degree. I want to be proud of the school that I graduate from, and not spend free time warning others of the possible consequences of attending Ross or any other school. Finally, what is the deal with the faculty at these schools. I realize that they are all well educated with good experience, but do they care about the students or do they simply treat them like rejects placing additional unnecessary obstacles in their way?

[jim]

you may notice that the number of whiners is quite small, epsecially whne you consider that the class sizes at Ross are quite large. school choice is your choice, but my 2 cents? i am at a university hospital IM residency in the states...we will NOT give interviews to any st matts students, no matter waht their board scores or grades. we have had 5 st matts grads. one was very good. he was teh reason the other 4 got in. those other 4 are the reason that administration has banned SMU here.

[seadoc]

Check the thread on this site concerning the articulation agreement with Rowan University. I would think a state school with their reputation has done their homework before signing this type of agreement. I understand one of their advisors actually traveled to the school, inteviewed students, and checked on the successes of the graduates. They signed the agreement! I wonder if they would have done the same with ST. Matts, SABA, or most of the others, I seriously doubt it!
Checking state approvals and where graduates are practicing should answer most questions.

[FMG]

U will always find the students who would blame others for their failure but themselves, no matter which school. I was never been a hard working student who study alot, yet I passed all 4sems in 16 months, which tells u that Ross is very fair. I passed step I with good score without prep course would tell u that Ross curriculum is well prepared & geared towards StepI. I owe it to Ross to give me an opportunity to become an MD. Ross students & graduates are well respected in US Hospitals and we rotate along with US med students. Ofcourse, if u could get into US med school, its the best. But out of all carib med school, I chose Ross for their reputation(compare to St Matthew & others), cost (compare to St george, much cheaper), length of the program (48months for St.George), recongnize by US Dept of Education for higher learning (only SGU, Ross & AUC are eligible for federal stafford loans), much more clinical rotation sites(compare to SMU or others), and success of Ross graduates in Residency placements. If all these reasons donot inspire you, Lgdpls, u r out of reality. U may find so called intellectually nuturing environment in other Carib schools or US med schools, at the end of the day, MD behind yr name matters most & Ross can get u there fast :wink: Or u could keep looking for school that would provide :wink: either way good luck to you. For me, no regret that I went to Ross.

[williamrobert]

Ross is fine. Granted it is only my second semester, but so far the teaching (for the most part) and the treatment I have received from faculty have been quite professional. My performance, at least so far, has been commensurate with my level of effort. The facilities are quite good, especially when you remember where the heck the campus is in the world. My friends and acquaintances are not "cutthroat" in the least. We help each other out with just about everything, including academic stuff, sharing textbooks and review books etc. etc. I have had some depressing days and negative, frustrating moments here so far, to be sure, but I would have those anywhere. Basically, Ross is a challenging, intense experience that is not for the faint-hearted...kinda like being a doctor, I'd imagine.

[LqdPls]

Thanks for the responses. They're fair and to the point, now at least I have some perspective.

[billydoc]

Yes, a one-sided ROSS/DeVry spin stuff :lol:
They both are FOREIGN med schools, a label which you you'll be wearing up untill your residency, and may be beyond. ROSS is not any less foreign than SMU. It may be true that some hospital program may have some reservations about some certain schools. All it takes is one idiot to screw it up for everybody else. And believe me, friend, ROSS sure has a share of those too. But question to ask is if hospital traning program takes a broad brush painting aproach,i.e "they're all like that", and is incapable of seeing you as an individual,then what's next? They may not like the way you look, talk, walk,treat! We've seen that approach before applied to a whole nation...In my humble opinion such narrow-minded places should be avoided anyway,if possible.

Good Luck to you on your choice :lol:

[TigerMD]

In my person opinion, I believe you should go to Ross if you can deal with the high stress of not only studying hard and becoming a quality physician but also the stress of an apathetic and careless administration (administration includes a lot of faculty unfortunately-those in administration have the worst attitudes I have ever seen from any faculty anywhere) and finally a very dangerous island.

Let me just warn you that DOMINICA IS VERY DANGEROUS. Please compare crime rates also before coming. Ross hides facts from students when it comes to reporting crimes against students. They don't even send warnings. They are supposed to help us, not get us killed. Security situation is horrible.

If you do decide to risk your life on Ross, then I suggest never to live in any apartment where you have to walk through the bush. Very dangerous. A lot of locals here walk around with machetes, and so unless you know some great self defense you will probably be helpless if attacked. My friend, she was almost raped by a local while she was walking home. Very very very sad. I thank God every single day when I think of what could of happened to her but didn't. I talked to the Ross administration about this and I first asked them to do a teach in about local safety and to increase the amount of security patrols in the immediate area at least. They did nothing. I kept seeing more and more people walking past very dangerous zones at night. Some students HAVE NOT BEEN EDUCATED that Dominica is one of the worst islands in the Caribbean when it comes to crime. They are sometimes told it is "just as dangerous as walking through the Bronx at night". NOT TRUE. I have walked through the Bronx at night, Dominica is a place where you will be dragged into jungle by someone and you will never be found again. I have personally had my apartment burglarized. Also be warned against the fruit selllers of the night. They have been known to burglarize people on a regular basis and have attacked a few people in their own apartment. The SCHOOL WILL NOT TELL YOU ABOUT THIS, even when they know. I talked to them about a guy named Joseph "the liar" who seems like a harmless begger. This man is a big time criminal and predator and he walks free amongst us. I learned this from the Portsmouth Police. I only wonder why such a dangerous man roams freely amongst us.

And unfortunately, there is almost no housing on campus. So you must get used to the fact that the risk to your life is much higher in Dominica and the administration will do nothing to increase local security.

Just know that you are coming here to become a doctor and save lives, but do you want to lose your life before even getting a chance to save anothers life. Your life is valuable. Choose life. Go to St. Mathews.

I would have done the same had not been in advanced semesters. I am trying my best to do as well as I can, present the truth about Ross (so hopefully it changes) and finally but most importantly staying alive and safe in Dominica.

All the best to your life of medicine.

[williamrobert]

Also be warned against the fruit sellers of the night.

mmmmm k .....


Just know that you are coming here to become a doctor and save lives, but do you want to lose your life before even getting a chance to save anothers life. Your life is valuable. Choose life. Go to St. Mathews.


Risk your life coming here? Honestly, the riskiest part of coming here is probably the landing maneuver of the American Eagle flight at Melville Hall. Here's a news flash...the WORLD is a dangerous place. Period.

I dunno how many, if any, students have died while at Ross, but I do know that many thousands have come and gone from here intact (at least physically). You claim to want a reasonable debate about the issues you bring up, but honestly the tone of that last post was just off-the-scale dramatic and even inflammatory. I'm sure, sadly, that some people have some really bad experiences here, just like some people have bad experiences everywhere on the planet, but the GREAT majority of us get through each day just fine.

One last thing...my positive comments about Ross are not Ross/DeVry spin...they just reflect my personal experience so far. I'm not ecstatic about being on this island, and I have plenty of unhappy moments here. But Ross itself has little to do with that and I am satisfied with my education so far.

[link626]

there are at least 2 kinds of people who post on this board.

1. the minority who come and talk crap about the school
2. the people who try to keep the craptalkers in check.

there are about 2-3 type 1's here, but they post a buttload of negative posts. and that is why it seems like a lot of people are complaining. Fortunately, the bad apples only make up a tiny portion of the student body.

Ross is like Toyota, and people like tigerMD are lemons. Despite the few lemons, Toyota still makes great reliable cars.


......
Yes. Ross students are in great danger. The natives use machetes to behead students. And they videotape it too. They email the videos to us, and demand that we pay higher rent, or else they will behead more students.

crap. I'm starting to sound like tigerMD now. I should stop.

[TigerMD]

Honestly, I think a few of you are employed by Ross to come here and smash the grieving students and their civil protests.

I'd prefer telling people the truth rather than oversimplify everything and make a wonderful picture of Ross. Ross is what it is. It is an average Caribbean school with bad administration, mostly cut throat student body, passable teaching standards, on a dangerous island. The cut throat student body is actually a cultural norm at Ross that has its origins in the Ross Administrations way of treating students.

There are several better schools out there even in the Carribean if you don't like going further from home. I personally would recommend schools in India or Australia, especially India. The only advantage Ross had was the the clinicals in the US. So I am simply serving my time here and gearing to pass the Board Exam. I will not be as prepared as many from Indian and Australian schools but I have self taught myself. The experience of working with hundreds of qualified tutors and other assistance will make your experience special in India, that is what I hear. There is a reason such a high number of students from India and Australia outscore their US counterparts on the USMLE.

I would just tell these few Ross employees posting on here as students to stop trying to intimidate everyone else. It cannot work. Our voice will be heard.

Also, do take a look at the Australian and Indian schools. If you don't mind clinicals in another country, they are your best bet at a better education than what we have even in the US at becoming a stellar physician. The education there is more rigorous than a US education but you will get plenty of help through the way. It will be like Medical School Boot Camp but once you come out, you will be great. I have friends that are in both places. I can give you some information and particular university information if you want.

All the best to you on your endevours at becoming a physician.

[LqdPls]

WOW! It is hard to believe that we are even talking about a medical school. It sounds more like a factory with a revolving door. You come in on one side, and if you're lucky enough you'll come out on the other a physician. Furthermore, if you're lucky enough the locals will leave alone, the faculty and administration will not screw you, and you'll make some friends who'll be interested in more than just watching their own back. Is this really an accurate description of Ross University, I mean we are actually talking about an institution of higher learning. Well I guess this is the price you pay when you have to seek alternatives to a medical education.

[Dru]

I have worked in ICU with numerous residents who have graduated from Ross. My daughter, a present Ross student, and all the Ross residents have had nothing but excellent things to say about their professors and their willingness to help their students.

If a student feels estranged to the point of expounding at maximum verbosity, it may be time to move on to a different learning environment.

Incidentally, the only Ross employee that posts on the Ross Forum is well identified in name and insignia. A moderator's check of IP addresses can easily prove this data.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll#Examples

[TigerMD]

People who have graduated from Ross would have nothing but good things to say, since they would want the name of their institution to remain positive. This is more a selfish motive. Why would someone want to put down the school that they graduated from. It would only hurt their career to do this. No one with any business sense is going to jeopardize their career for their personal thoughts.

As for your daughter, I am glad she has a positive outlook on things. I was that way also. But this would not be a true qualification of how I was feeling, so I decided to stop pretending it was a good place. It's not. With that said, I hope that your daughter is well and has a successful tenure in Dominica. I would recommend that you care for her safety though. You have a daughter and you have more to be concerned with. There is a high amount of rape/attempted rape cases in Dominica. And this is not date rape that I am speaking of. Dominica IS dangerous. I have heard of many and witnessed one horror story already. Vigilance and some knowledge of self defense will keep you alive in Dominica.

Anyhow, I am currently thinking of transfering but I am nearing the end of my stay in Dominica and may simply try to wait it out to Miami even though my heart says there are a lot of terrible things going on at this place and the school.

I would not recommend Ross to anyone who was not desperate. And there is no reason to be desperate. We have options and we have a voice. There are so many good schools out there that this would have to be your last resort to MD.

I would pick Indian or Australian schools from the get go if I had to do it all over again. Ross-Dominica is a mediocre, disheartening school in a dangerous area that I will probably endure until I am off of this island. From what I understand about St. Mathews, it's a wonderful school on an island that doesn't have a high crime rate. I would endorse that school over this place any day. There is also AUC where the island will not pose a threat to your life. And ofcourse there is St. George. If you have to go Caribbean, then consider these. If these don't appeal, don't be affraid to leave this continent. The standard of education in India and Australia, namely can be better than the US schools themselves.

[shutterbugmd]

Guys here are a few stats on Dominica for the crime rate and general info..

http://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/do.html

http://www.cejamericas.org/reporte/muestra_pais.php?idioma=ingles&tipreport=REPORTE0& seccion=0

http://www.cejamericas.org/reporte/muestra_pais.php?idioma=ingles&pais=DOMINICA&tipre port=REPORTE0&seccion=TASADELI

[Dru]

My daughter has been back in the states since November and has successfully completed her tenure on the Rock. I have taught her and my other children well...they observe simple safety rules and have all remained safe. I have discussed these rules on the forum at length, so readers can do a simple search to find them. Briefly, they include dressing modestly, traveling in groups, not carrying purses, not wearing lots of flashy jewelry, using cargo-pant type pockets to carry money, keeping doors and windows locked, selecting apartments with secure bars on accessible windows, keeping drapes drawn shut to prevent people from surveying your valuables, etc.

I have traveled to the island of Dominica a total of 5 times. Three of these times were prior to my daughter even considering attending Ross. Many Caribbean islands suffer from severe poverty, and outsiders will always be targets for theft when they are catagorized as "rich visitors". I have never had a problem with theft or assault there. This is not to say that it won't happen, but I am saying that the island of Dominica IS relatively safe (more so than a lot of the other Carib islands). Natives DO carry machetes, and they are used as a tool for harvesting their bananas. It is common for incoming and unknowing students to view them all as knife-wielding maniacs, but this is not reality. You will even find artists their painting artwork on the machetes, since they are a common site. (If you buy one, make sure you pack it securely in your checked luggage...can you imagine the scene at the airport when you bring one of those babies home!!?)

There is a fine line between reality and paranoia. I hope that forum members and potential students are open-minded enough to realize that the integrity and success of a school needs to be weighed. You will be subjected to risks no matter where you travel, be it here in the states or abroad.

[williamrobert]

Honestly, I think a few of you are employed by Ross to come here and smash the grieving students and their civil protests.

I'd prefer telling people the truth rather than oversimplify everything and make a wonderful picture of Ross. Ross is what it is. It is an average Caribbean school with bad administration, mostly cut throat student body, passable teaching standards, on a dangerous island. The cut throat student body is actually a cultural norm at Ross that has its origins in the Ross Administrations way of treating students.

Fine, you feel the way you feel. But many, many more feel quite differently and have been, and will be, quite safe and successful at Ross and beyond. You don't wish to have your grievances and experiences "smashed," but that is exactly what YOU are doing to the experiences and feelings of those of us who have a view of Ross completely opposite to yours. Of course Ross ain't Disney World...it's not supposed to be. But neither Ross nor the island fits the picture of "hellish torture chamber" that you describe. Come on.

Any prospective students out there, pay little attention to him. He has a right to feel how he feels, but his view just is nowhere near that of the majority. I am not an idiot and certainly not suicidal, so if this place were even REMOTELY the way he describes it, I'd have been out of here by the end of my first week. It's tough here, but not for the reasons he describes.

[2ndyear]

Honestly, I think a few of you are employed by Ross to come here and smash the grieving students and their civil protests.

I'd prefer telling people the truth rather than oversimplify everything and make a wonderful picture of Ross. Ross is what it is. It is an average Caribbean school with bad administration, mostly cut throat student body, passable teaching standards, on a dangerous island. The cut throat student body is actually a cultural norm at Ross that has its origins in the Ross Administrations way of treating students.

There are several better schools out there even in the Carribean if you don't like going further from home. I personally would recommend schools in India or Australia, especially India. The only advantage Ross had was the the clinicals in the US. So I am simply serving my time here and gearing to pass the Board Exam. I will not be as prepared as many from Indian and Australian schools but I have self taught myself. The experience of working with hundreds of qualified tutors and other assistance will make your experience special in India, that is what I hear. There is a reason such a high number of students from India and Australia outscore their US counterparts on the USMLE.

I would just tell these few Ross employees posting on here as students to stop trying to intimidate everyone else. It cannot work. Our voice will be heard.

Also, do take a look at the Australian and Indian schools. If you don't mind clinicals in another country, they are your best bet at a better education than what we have even in the US at becoming a stellar physician. The education there is more rigorous than a US education but you will get plenty of help through the way. It will be like Medical School Boot Camp but once you come out, you will be great. I have friends that are in both places. I can give you some information and particular university information if you want.

All the best to you on your endevours at becoming a physician.


TigerMD, I have yet to see you admitting the obvious reason why you are trashing RUSM. On the SABA forum, tigermd states that he/she barely passed first and second semesters and now fears failure. Please look in the mirror before posting anymore false accusations.

[Mikael]

I agree with TigerMD. I saw this post and had to respond.

I think Ross should look in the mirror and make some serious changes.

Ross is doing a terrible job :( . I am currently at Ross but as TigerMD posted earlier, one should look for better schools in the Caribbean or outside this continent before coming to Ross as a last resort. You can do much better than this.

I wish I could give letter grades to the Ross. If I could, this is what I would give:

Ross Admin.: F
Safety: D-
Faculty: C+
General Student Cooperation/Teamwork: D
Dominica, Island Life: F
Living Standards: F to C depending on APS (Area Person Stays in)
Student Support Services, i.e. tutoring and counseling: C

So Ross has a total of 3 failing grades. I guess it will have repeat everything and try to get its act together. Ross is "Marginal". Ross needs to study harder and get its work done before the next Mini. :x

Regards,
Mikael

[Mikael]

Excuse me but a "D" is also a failing grade so....

Ross has failed a total of 5 times. I think this may call for dismissal. :twisted:

We'll send this to the Promotions Committee headed by Dr. Evil. Don't expect any sympathy. Ross better get its bags packed and ready to go or it may be escorted out by security.

[futuremdsomewhere]

People who have graduated from Ross would have nothing but good things to say, since they would want the name of their institution to remain positive. This is more a selfish motive. Why would someone want to put down the school that they graduated from. It would only hurt their career to do this. No one with any business sense is going to jeopardize their career for their personal thoughts.

As for your daughter, I am glad she has a positive outlook on things. I was that way also. But this would not be a true qualification of how I was feeling, so I decided to stop pretending it was a good place. It's not. With that said, I hope that your daughter is well and has a successful tenure in Dominica. I would recommend that you care for her safety though. You have a daughter and you have more to be concerned with. There is a high amount of rape/attempted rape cases in Dominica. And this is not date rape that I am speaking of. Dominica IS dangerous. I have heard of many and witnessed one horror story already. Vigilance and some knowledge of self defense will keep you alive in Dominica.

Anyhow, I am currently thinking of transfering but I am nearing the end of my stay in Dominica and may simply try to wait it out to Miami even though my heart says there are a lot of terrible things going on at this place and the school.

I would not recommend Ross to anyone who was not desperate. And there is no reason to be desperate. We have options and we have a voice. There are so many good schools out there that this would have to be your last resort to MD.

I would pick Indian or Australian schools from the get go if I had to do it all over again. Ross-Dominica is a mediocre, disheartening school in a dangerous area that I will probably endure until I am off of this island. From what I understand about St. Mathews, it's a wonderful school on an island that doesn't have a high crime rate. I would endorse that school over this place any day. There is also AUC where the island will not pose a threat to your life. And ofcourse there is St. George. If you have to go Caribbean, then consider these. If these don't appeal, don't be affraid to leave this continent. The standard of education in India and Australia, namely can be better than the US schools themselves.

Why should we believe anything you say? In one post you say you never got to speak with a prof about your problems with class and you blame them for it. Then you say you talked with them all the time and still failed because they couldnt help you. A different post you say they didnt start giving you respect until you started getting raw 90s. Then you bomb the final. So many different stories. Troll somewhere else.

I am currently a student at Ross university in Dominica. If anyone has any questions or I can dispell some of the rumors that are constantly being written by students who either are failing or cant hack the island, just message me. As for any students on the island who need academic help go see peg, she has one on one ta sessions that she can setup for you.

Oh and before tigermd says anything, I am not part of the Ross admin.

[Mikael]

Take it easy futuremdsomewhere.

TigerMD is presenting his experience. He has his rights and I agree with his opinions.

Besides, Ross isn't your mother that you need to go defending its deficiencies. It's a bad business that's being bought and sold all over the place.

Maybe TigerMD's messages will get through to this "I don't care about students", Ross.

I would love to see some changes around here. Let's start with the nasty bathrooms!!! Okay, so there are many other things to correct before the bathrooms.... But the bathrooms are a glimpse into Ross. Full of #$%^ and no one willing to clean it.

[futuremdsomewhere]

Take it easy futuremdsomewhere.

TigerMD is presenting his experience. He has his rights and I agree with his opinions.

Besides, Ross isn't your mother that you need to go defending its deficiencies. It's a bad business that's being bought and sold all over the place.

Maybe TigerMD's messages will get through to this "I don't care about students", Ross.

I would love to see some changes around here. Let's start with the nasty bathrooms!!! Okay, so there are many other things to correct before the bathrooms.... But the bathrooms are a glimpse into Ross. Full of #$%^ and no one willing to clean it.

I dont defend its deficiencies, I try to dispell these lies or posts with incomplete facts. Most of the bathrooms are nasty. I wonder why, maybe it is some of the students dont know when to flush? I know if I went into a bathroom to clean it and there was crap on the wall I would just turn around and walk out. I will admit we do have some immature students here.

The school isnt all roses but at least you shouldnt fill this forum full of incorrect information. I will admit the admin could be a lot better from the lack of communication to the financial aid.

[FRNC]

To LqdPls,

I'm the parent of a Ross clinical student. If you have time, read my previous posts. Ross has been a welcome opportunity for my kid to successfully pursue a dream. Even the Kings County IM rotation was not as bad as it's made out to be on this forum. Dr. R actually does care about the Ross students. I completed clinical rotations in a large county hospital for an allied heath proffession 30 yrs ago, things have not changed much as far as attitudes and the government health care culture.

In the past my kid has mentioned that Ross has a fair share of whiners/complainers. But you're going to find those attitudes in any school or occupation. You determine your own attitude everyday before you get out of bed.

Ross is a viable alternative.

Best Whishes for Your Success.

[suktinder]

If anyone cares, here is my take on what i went through while at ross, bear in mind i attending in the late 90s (dont want to give exact dates since i dont want to keep in touch with anyone there , but i do enjoy reading these posts).

here r my stats:

1. attended: late 90s
2. finished in 5 semsters (there was a 5th semster review class then)
3. passed all 3 steps on 1st try (although barely lol)
4. 2.1 GPA in college, no MCAT, mediocre student
5. straight Cs with a few ** during all 5 semsters, failed a few mid-terms. on acedemic probation a few times while there (but passed every sem)
6. currently finishing residency (took 1 yr off after step 1, then 1 yr off after graduation, the best decisions i ever made).

the strong points of the school:

1. proven track record with many graduates.
2. no matter what you hear, if u study hard, u will pass
3. excellent step 1 prep
4. guaranteed clinical rotations if u pass step 1
5. MOSTLY great rotations (for ex jamaica surgery, st johns psych, jamiaca OB, brookdale peds)
6. easy time getting psych, IM. FP, PEDs residencies, fairly easy for surg and OB/GYN (from what ive seen), i matched pretty easily
7. decent finanical aid opportunities

bad points of the school:

1. HORRIBLE living conditions, people fool themsleves into thinking its a great paradise, but i dont see anyone actually wanting to return to dominica and live there to practice medicine.
2. lousy food
3. terrible service at any store/business/restaurant
4. power outages
5. cut-throat fellow students: for example my micro review hand written notes (with great graphs and flow charts) stolen right from the library table, while i was having lunch (i even made copies for anyone that asked, but some loser wanted the real thing i guess), right before finals. another example is when a ******* student failed, he/she blamed the ones that passed of buying exams from various faculty members.
6. crime- while not as bad as 'tiger' makes it out to be, my house was broken into (while i was sleeping), money was stolen, as well as clothes/shoes. another student's wife was beaten up and raped, and at least 5 other physical attacks and several robberies (ide say a total of about 20 crimes that i knew about on students and myself during the 5 semsters i was there), averaging around 4 crimes per semester while i was there.
7. TERRIBLE step 2 prep, youre on your own for step 2 studies basically
8. alothough some good rotations, i had REDICULOUSLY terrible FP and IM rotations, just a complete waste of time, learned nothing (hence i learned nothing for step 2, studied on my own).
9. horrible clinical coordinators: i initially had an interest in psych for residency, but couldnt do it because they gave me psych as my last rotation, and gave me radiology as my 1st rotation (so basically i was doing electives before even taking a core clinical). When i tried explaining my interest in psych, i was basically told that if i wasnt happy with my rotation schedule, i could withdraw from the school for a semester and then reapply (this after finishing 5 semsters and passing step 1).

remember wherever you goto school, youre a FMG, wheter youre from the medical college of uganda, or if youre from SGU. no one cares. if you end up at ross, just remember the living conditions are terrible, but its a short 2 years and they go by quickly. IF youre doing well with classes, take a weekend off every month and goto martinique/guadalupe so u can get your sanity back (that worked for me), while having foi gras and enjoying and after dinner port. good luck!

[link626]

I still wonder why people always bring up the bathrooms as one of Ross' failures.

people talk about the bathrooms more than they do about the classrooms and learning experience.

it's as if people spend more time in the bathrooms than anywhere else.

I take a leak, wash my hands, and leave. At most i spend 3 minutes.


while i'm not in clinicals yet, i hope i don't have the same experience as suktinder...

[Mikael]

I urinate, wash my hands, and leave. At most i spend 3 minutes.
while i'm not in clinicals yet, i hope i don't have the same experience as suktinder...

After urinating you should flush the toilet! hehe

Yeah man, that's my little analogy. To see what Ross is just visit the bathroom. That's simpler than all this.

Ross needs diapers.

I aint' cleaning that #$%^. Dr. Open-shame and their psychotic Ross crew better get their butts in there and clean their mess.
Sick!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah, and a transport driver got mad at my friend for bargaining today and drove right into him!!! His back still hurts. Fo real, if you make it out of Dominica alive, you my friend are lucky!

Regards,
Mikael

[jim]

the you know what is getting deep in thsi tired thread. yes, mikael and tiger are likely one and the same. yes, they are not happy about Ross. yes, 90% of people make it through and become doctors. No, dominica is not the riviera. but also no, the island is not as bad as these clowns make it out to be. suktinder has soem good points, though his island info is way off(I left in dec2000, the power outages and island conditiuons were drastically different from just my 1st semester). yes, the food sucked. yes, once you are in clincals, they dont give much help for step 2, (of course, step 2 is exponentially easier). man, I can only imagine if these whiners(or is it this..singular?) had to do the old 5 semester program on the island, they would probably have anervous breakdown. the point is...Ross gives you a chance. it isa good chance. many have made it without any complaints. you try to prove the US schools screwed up by not accepting you. Ross is not that difficult. If you cant make it there, the US schools were likely correct about your skills for medicine.

[TigerMD]

Your attitude of lumping every student that has legitmate concerns as one person is a Ross trademark.

Your statistics are absolutely wrong. 90% of students that start Ross make it through? Everyone is quite aware that such a fictitious statistic is nothing but another false claim by Ross.

Let us stop trying to defend Ross with false claims.

See the 4th Semester class now and ask how many students are there that began in the 1st together.

Students at Ross have legitimate conerns and quite frankly they have many grievances. They must be addressed. Everyone who doesn't do well is not a subpar student. Ross should admit to their negligence and dereliction of responsibilities to their students.

[futuremdsomewhere]

Your attitude of lumping every student that has legitmate concerns as one person is a Ross trademark.

Your statistics are absolutely wrong. 90% of students that start Ross make it through? Everyone is quite aware that such a fictitious statistic is nothing but another false claim by Ross.

Let us stop trying to defend Ross with false claims.

See the 4th Semester class now and ask how many students are there that began in the 1st together.

Students at Ross have legitimate conerns and quite frankly they have many grievances. They must be addressed. Everyone who doesn't do well is not a subpar student. Ross should admit to their negligence and dereliction of responsibilities to their students.

There you go again. He just said you and mikael not everyone with a gripe. I dont know if you are the same person or not but I do know that you keep changing your stories until it is just one big lie. As for the 90% that is incorrect and no ross official has ever sugar coated it that much. They stated about a 15% failure rate and that would be per semester so of course by 4th you could easily be down to half the original class if people who were repeaters didnt fail as well. I am in third and would we are more or less around 65% of starting class.

If you want to address these claims why not at the meetings that admin have with the students every semester? Talk to your class rep. Post signs on the boards. Get proactive instead of trolling the web when you should be hitting the books if you are having such a hard time passing :roll:

[link626]

Your attitude of lumping every student that has legitmate concerns as one person is a Ross trademark.



Do you blame the school for your academic performance?

cuz that sort of attitude is also a Ross trademark...


Ross is not without problems. But there is always a direct or roundabout way to deal with them.

The learning experience is all I care about here. I can't be bothered by security and other petty details.
For me, the learning experience has been SATISFACTORY. The teachers teach, and they are always available for office hours, at least when I visit them during their declared office hours.
The Ross security patrolcar patrols my neighborhood, and I keep the deadbolts locked on my doors, so security is really nothing I worry about.


Please don't make generalizations about the school based on your own personal problems. One isolated case does not mean the problem is common. If one professor belittles you, it doesn't mean that all professors are the same. Such conclusions are illogical.

Even the Ivy league schools have that one professor everyone hates...

[Dru]

1. Profanity will not be tolerated on this or any other thread. Posters have been requested to edit their posts or face formal warning.

2. IP addressses have been checked and results have been forwarded to Doc, the site administrator. Problems with trolls, I mean individuals, with the same entity having several accounts will not be tolerated and will be banned. It is interesting to note that individuals who are only applying for Ross are posting from the island, as well.

3. Mikael's "grades" of Ross are subjective...similar to pain. Subjective opinions are felt and viewed as different degrees by different people.

[jim]

yes, my sample size is small, as I only refer to my class, but when you drop the people who left before our 1st semester final exam out of teh equation, as well as those who "traded up", and transfered to US med schools, you have close to a90% rate of graduation in my class. our best semester was 2nd, with only 3 failures out of a class of >175.