Student retention at PUMS

[mrt99]

The question is basically for current 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year students at PUMS. How many students did you start with and how many are left (please include what year you in)? Thanks!

[bckwood]

I asked the same question a couple of months ago, and I am lazy so if you want to get a quick anwser just do a search of the forum. Off the top of my head the retention rate was pretty good. They only lost a couple of students the first couple of years in the 4 yr md program.

[chexpool]

Well i wouldn't mind hearing a recent grad answer to this either.

I can tell you that the 4th graduating class of PUM, which my friend was part of, had 30 people start in year one. 12 people actually graduated from the school from his original class. He and his wife that went there, along with six others, totaling eight people; are practicing doctors currently in the USA. He said finding residency was no problem in NYC but he felt that he had to less hands on patient doctor experience. He said it took a little bit to catch up to American trained students: there is more observation in PUM then physical practice of procedures. Also he said parts of the USMLE were not emphasized enough. The other 4 people did not pass the USMLE part 2. Hope that helps if anyone has more recent information; I know things have changed drastically s

[mrt99]

Chexpool,
Do you know why there was such a high number of people who didn't make it? I mean 18 out of 30 not finishing the program - that's a very high number!!! Thanks!

[chexpool]

Well from what my friend told me it was because some people didn't pass the first USMLE. Second others hated living in Poland: i must say in the past few years Poland is very different then in the 90'sand others transferred to other schools. Keep in mind, the explanation was vague. He did say some people were not in medical school to become doctors if you get my drift. That’s all he specifically told me.



I could extract that many people were not prepared to go to medical school. Like most licenses the dean must issue a certification to approach the exams. I think that some students that lets say specifically came from the USA who didn't have the study habits to get into a school in the USA; lead them not to have the study habits to be succesful at PUM: and there fore fail the USMLE.



I read somewhere on another thread “successful students at Poznan are successful students everywhere.” I think that is very true. I hope to be a successful one starting this fall. But really I don't have any answers, like i said i am looking for them as well. Hope that helps!


Its sad that the school must focus on filling seats rather then producing a better student body, but i think PUM and UJ have become popular and cheaper alternative to the USA so that soon there will be more applicants then chairs. Until then i guess they will happily collect the hundreds of thousands of euros from drop outs. I think that it really should be mandatory for the 4 year program to have at least the MCAT average for the respective years as well as a ** in science. That way you get at least DO level students, not people that want to star in medical sitcoms. Well just rambling now I guess…


Then again, i have been told by people on this website that the majority now pass the part 1 and even higher percentage for part two. I guess we have to do it our selves to find out!

[bckwood]

Originally Posted by chexpool

Well i wouldn't mind hearing a recent answer to this either.

Like I said I asked this same question just a couple of months ago and gvenserv (sorry for the spelling) anwsered. I don't feel like going through the threads to find it, but if you do it will tell you that the retention level is not that bad.

[chexpool]

well when i said recent i meant recent graduates not recent information. The information is boneified from my family friend who i know and went there. 4th graduating class. I speak only for that graduating class. The rest well i simply could not know. So believe it or not. But those numbers come from a real graduate, not someone on a website. I also know those numbers have improved as well. But 60% loss is not so surprising in my books, in upper level undergrad we have 35% losses in many chem classes what’s different in a medical school that doesn't filter much. hope that clarifies things.

[gvanderv]

Why is it so hard to do a search? I answered this before, but than again I am just someone on a website. We have only lost maybe 10% of our class up until now. I know a couple of those were family related issues. This school has changed considerably in the past 5 or 6 years, and the way it was in the 90's is not the way it is now. We take NBME Shelf Exams for every class now. My class is the first one required to supply USMLE scores to the Dean's office. I think you should worry more about how you will do and not the others in your class. There are people in my class that will never make it. It wouldn't matter if they went to Harvard.

Why don't you come here to Poznan. Visit the school and see for yourself. I always bothers me to read dribble from people that have never been here. Take great care in what you read on this website, there are many trolls.

Back to studying for the USMLE Step 1.

[mrt99]

Thank you to all of you! Btw., I did search, but it gave me some stats from last year, so I wanted to hear something more recent.

Gvanderv - Good luck on your USMLE! ;o)

[bckwood]

Originally Posted by gvanderv

Back to studying for the USMLE Step 1.

good luck, see you this august if your around for break.