thinking about transfering

[skew9]

I am currently an MUA student thinking about transferring to SMU, wondering what the pros and cons are? do you think the schools are on equal footing? i know the teachers at MUA are excellent...how would you rate the faculty at SMU?

[Knight007]

I think there are several MUA transfer students at SMU who post on this forum.

[ol' man]

I am currently an MUA student thinking about transferring to SMU, wondering what the pros and cons are? do you think the schools are on equal footing? i know the teachers at MUA are excellent...how would you rate the faculty at SMU?

I transferred from MUA this past semester. I'm in 4th semester in Maine, also doing the master's program. The teaching here is very good. I think that Dr. W in path does as good or better than the 2 Dr. H at MUA. The pharmacology is more thorough than you would get from Dr. A, but it is taught by about 10-12 doctors. Some of them teach at UNE, some are practicing physicians, and some are retired. My time on MUA did give me a good foundation though. Several things we have gone over here were convered by Dr. D in neuro.

I would highly recommend SMU. If you have any questions, you can pm me on here.

[skew9]

Hey man thanks for the reply,
My situation is as follows, i love the teaching staff at MUA, but medical school and living on the island was a major adjustment for me so i didnt fair to well my first semester.

Also NY is a big plus for me since im from there but not a huge necessity. I guess to bottom line all this will i be at a serious disadvantage academically at SMU vs MUA. You know as well as i do that some students at MUA have a bad impression of SMU for whatever reason. so i guess im trying to find out how reputable the school is....although i must say SMU seems more impressive.....
thanks

[ol' man]

Yeah. I think they have the bad impression because of 3 things. #1, they believe AAIMG is real, and not something that the owner of MUA/Saba had designed to make his schools look good. #2, they know that SMU has NY approval, and that the owner of the school there so far has not spent any money to try to get it. And #3, SMU will not accept the credits from the MUA pre-med program (which most of the other "big schools won't either).

SMU for me has been great. It is not for everybody, just like MUA is not for everybody. But if I were starting over now, and know what I do, I would start here.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

[studentMD]

another reason some have a bad impression of SMU is because of formal california disapproval (while not being approved is one thing.. being reviewed and then disapproved is another). Whether the report is faulty or not.. the fact remains that SMU has been disapproved(whether for the right reasons or not, whether its accurate or not) and all it takes is some disgruntled student(s) to forward the report to every state medical board in the US and that alone could potentially create significant licensing issues in the future.. so until the cali issue is addressed and resolved u have to accept that risk (however small or large it may be)

that being said ...different schools are for different people, and if you are having troubles academically because you are unable to adjust then perhaps you do need to find a place better suited for your needs.. and its smart to recognize this early enough that you can do something about it... whether its finding a way to adjust or finding a school in an environment that better fits your needs as an individual

SMU is a good option, its headed in the right direction and the education is also up to par and definately not lacking.... school has good/great faculty, its important to note that what you will begin to realize eventually is more than half your education (regardless of where u go including us schools) is what effort you put in.. adult learning is different from the kind of learning u did in gradeschool/highschool... the faculty and school just provide you with the tools to succeed... but effort comes from you.. and the more you put in.. the better you will do and the more you will get out of a school.. once you understand that.. SMU definately provides you with all the neccessary tools to do very well, its your choice whether you want to make use of them or not...

[JTP73]

another reason some have a bad impression of SMU is because of formal california disapproval (while not being approved is one thing.. being reviewed and then disapproved is another). Whether the report is faulty or not.. the fact remains that SMU has been disapproved(whether for the right reasons or not, whether its accurate or not) and all it takes is some disgruntled student(s) to forward the report to every state medical board in the US and that alone could potentially create significant licensing issues in the future.. so until the cali issue is addressed and resolved u have to accept that risk (however small or large it may be)

that being said ...different schools are for different people, and if you are having troubles academically because you are unable to adjust then perhaps you do need to find a place better suited for your needs.. and its smart to recognize this early enough that you can do something about it... whether its finding a way to adjust or finding a school in an environment that better fits your needs as an individual

SMU is a good option, its headed in the right direction and the education is also up to par and definately not lacking.... school has good/great faculty, its important to note that what you will begin to realize eventually is more than half your education (regardless of where u go including us schools) is what effort you put in.. adult learning is different from the kind of learning u did in gradeschool/highschool... the faculty and school just provide you with the tools to succeed... but effort comes from you.. and the more you put in.. the better you will do and the more you will get out of a school.. once you understand that.. SMU definately provides you with all the neccessary tools to do very well, its your choice whether you want to make use of them or not...

Having not yet started med school, but having already completed graduate studies and subsequent licensure in my current field, I agree. Self-motivation = self-preservation. We'll see if that works for me as I begin AGAIN this semester @ SMU. I am looking forward to trying to adapt to the NEW game!

JP

p.s. I am running for SGA -- for those of you who plan to vote -- VOTE FOR THE "OTHER JP" (That's in reference, of course, to JP "ValueMD Retired" Yates.)