Why SMU

[charger5001]

Ive gotten 3 private messages from people asking me about SMU.

I figured I would say it aloud.

I chose SMU b/c of the dedication to students, the teaching styles of professors, NY approval and quality of life you get being on a fully developed island.

I can not imagine going to any other school. I have friends who have gone to other carribean schools and to be honest they seem jealous when we discuss "developments" going on in SMU. From the Kaplan courses starting in 3rd semester to Harvard professors, to ENGLISH speaking professors, to retired surgeouns teaching some courses. The curriculum is top notch.

To add to the list, SMU students now begin performing physical exams in 3rd semester! In addition we got word from a school official that we will be allowed to visit the main hospital in (georgetown) Cayman for further clinical experience .

The school now consists of about 650 students, almost all from the US (2-5% from U.K), is developing two brand new 7 story buildings, is located on an incredibly developed island, is strengthening its curriculum with the hiring of the most qualified professors and even provides free tutoring for those in need of help.

Now my question to you: Find me a school that has a better outlook on the future and is so dedicated to their students? SMU was the best decision of my life.

[ES21]

I think the professors are great too !

They are available to answer all your questions, tell you exactly what you need to know for the boards and for life. They dont waste time with the little details (shapes of structures) unless it is essetial for your understanding.

I think the strongest professors are in: MIcro, Neuro, Pharm, Path, Anat and Embryo. Thats not to say the others are not good. It is to say that on the shelf exams these are the subjects the SMU students tended to thrive in.

Im also very impressed with the Harvard profs. I dont know of any school who has the connection with such an elite institution as does SMU with Harvard. On campus whether in maine or in cayman we constantly have people visiting and teaching from Harvard.

So in conclusion to all those out there who are still unsure. Look at the positive feedback the students have for the administration as a good indicator of the immense respect and appreciation, we have for those teaching and those working behind the scenes to make our medical education top notch.

[ES21]

Woops...I forgot to add physio to the list.

I believe the overall passing rate at SMU is 86% so you can rest assure that if you do as the professors say, you study hard and you balance your time well you will be fine.

Those who dont do well (remaining 14%) tend to be those who skip class, go out every weekend and sleep too much and are memorizing the enormous amount of information rather than applying it.

" In SMU we trust" (words of Kevin - 4th semester)

[gwl777]

I thought smu is ONLY affiliated with harvard in hyperbaric medicine at the Maine campus. Is this not true?

[SMU_Information]

I posted this a while ago under a different topic.

"Let me outline our relationship with the Harvard Macy Institute.

http://www.harvardmacy.org/default.asp

Our Executive Dean has been involved with Harvard Macy and Harvard Medical International for years. One of the members of our Board of Trustees is the Director for Education Programs, Harvard Medical International, Director of the Harvard-Macy Institute, Harvard Medical International, and Associate Professor in Pediatrics (Medical Education) at Harvard Medical School. You can learn more about her at http://www.stmatthews.edu/boardarmstrong.html

Since they have joined us, we have been allied with the Harvard Macy Institute. We are hosting a program with them later this year
http://www.harvardmacy.org/programs.asp?DocumentID=31

How does any of this affect you as students? Well, your curriculum that you are currently utilizing was developed mostly by the two individuals above, along with many of the other changes that you have seen recently. The most encouraging results of this are of course the jump in USMLE pass rates.

Also, in case you did not see it, we are jointly developing a research center on Brac

http://www.caymannetnews.com/2005/02/779/eye.shtml

which will of course allow more research opportunities for students. There will be continuing visiting lectures.

There are no mentions of clincal placements arising from this affiliation that I am aware of. "

The Maine program is a Master's in Health Services Administration offered in conjunction with St. Joseph's College. Harvard and SMU do not offer a Master's in Hyperbaric Medicine.

[SnowRat]

Although my husband chose to go to a different caribbean school, I want to be fair when answering questions for a friend who is looking at St. Matthews. As far as I understand it, the threads talk about great professors and a caring school environment. That is definitely noteworthy, but I'm wondering why St. Matthews doesn't have the reputation yet of being a top school. When considerig schools, we were always told to choose a top Caribbean school since the stigma is already going to be there. The top three are always mentioned to be St. George, Ross, and AUC with Saba often talked of joining the ranks. How much does reputation play into your success in the U.S.? I know that St. Matthews is a popular choice for students from our Caribbean school that fail out and need to transfer. Does this mean that they are extremely lenient in accepting students? I know that Colorado does not like to license for schools that have lenient entrance qualifications. I mean non of this to be rude or misrepsenting, I just want to be sure my friend makes a good decision on his choice of school regardless of its good professors. There are high and low Step 1 scores coming from every school, and from what I understood from people practicing in the U.S. now, reputation IS a factor. Can you help to resolve this concern? Thank you!

[SMU_Information]

A lot of the reputation issue can be summed up in the following list:

SGU - 1977

AUC- 1978

Ross- 1978

Saba - 1989

SMU - 1997

Other schools simply have an advantage by having large numbers of grads in the US. We currently have a limited number of grads fully licensed in 13 states, but are limited in numbers by sheer chronology. If someone entered SMU today, by the time they went for residency, there would be hundreds more fully practicing SMU Alumni out there.

As far as admissions go, we do have rolling admissions, and we do look at each applicant individually. Are there people who have come to us after attending other schools? Absolutely. Do they succeed at SMU, passing their boards, and generally perform well? Yes, the vast majority of the time. There are also people who also don't make it at SMU, but they are far fewer. In Colorado's ""Questions for International Medical Graduates" on its application, I see no mention of admissions standards. The only thing that might have offered an obstacle in the past is the question regarding whether or not the school was a University offering other graduate programs. I'm not sure if the Master's with SJC will count for that or not, but it may not be a deal-breaker in any case. Anyone that graduates after this Fall will be covered on that issue anyway, as teh Vet School will open.

As it stands now, we are approved by FL and NY, and hope that the CA situation will be resolved. We also have full accreditation from the ACCM, the same accredition that allows SMU, AUC, and Saba to be listed on the DOE's NCFMEA website as having comparable accreditation standards to the US schools (and allows AUC to receive federal loans).

SMU is not the right school for everyone, but then no school is. Each individual has to make their choice based on what is important to them.

Thanks for your question.

[SnowRat]

JP Yates,

Thank you for your reply. I'm sure it will help my friend out a lot. I will refer him to you if he has anymore questions regarding SMU since I am definitely not qualified to answer questions about a school with which I have no experience.

As for Colorado, we have researched the state and emailed the licensing board to find out their view of FMGs. They said they look at everyone on a case by case basis, and that schools with lower acceptance standards are not looked highly upon. They have licensed many grads from SGU, a few from Ross, and AUC just had its first this last year. Saba has a clinical sight there, but I don't know if anyone has been licensed yet. Every state is different and must be carefully looked into for determining their willingness to license FMGs.

It's good to hear such great info about St. Matthews. Thank you again for helping me out!

[ES21]

As always you should do your HW before making a decision on a school.

I think you have done yours. So now look at what school fits you best, and make this important decision with a clear head.

Good luck....