Please HELP! More information on HOPE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IN BELIZE

[isa]

Milkos,
This is my lat post on the subject as I don't want to go in endless discussions.
Best is that you contact Semelweis and Hope as it is not the student's roles to act like the administration, the schools know better than the students.
The language on my rotations with the international group at Semelweis was english. Teachers spoke english, patients atributed to us to, nurses to. If we had to face Hungarian cases, they were translated for us.
I had a very nice experience in Hungary.
I saw some complaints regarding Semelweis on this forum, but I personnally have no complaints.
Maybe I was lucky, but I had good teachers, they were very nice and helpful.
I personnally think that at least all cores plus electives in the area of your specialty should be done in US teaching hospitals. But doing some electives away can be a very good experience.
Actually I am the only student from Hope doing rotations in Hungary now, the others are in US teaching hospitals.
There is a permanent Hope faculty who is MD PhD with close to 100 published articles who is in Budapest.
On top of my rotation, she teaches me how to write a research article, and we may publish.
Also, I am allowed to do a lot of procedures here (much more than in many US greenbooks that I know).
The ability to do whatever procedure and research was valuable to me.
Also, I am a European citizen, so I can easily go home for a few days at it is nearby.
Finally, I enjoy crosscultural experiences and I may speciatize in international publichealth.
A rotation in Hungary is very interesting. They say they are behind US technology, but the gap is not that big.
I had a good experience, and my education here is absolutely not substandard.
Good luck on your medical carreer!

[newbieundergrad]

Originally Posted by Miklos

I have a number of problems with this school.

In the past, their website claimed that they were building a "Hungarian" campus outside of Budapest. That has disappeared and now they claim a "sub-campus".

If there is a "sub-campus", isa, would you mind listing its Hungarian address, so that I can check it out?

In addition, their website is highly misleading about this.



The authority on higher education in Hungary is the Hungarian Accreditation Committee (HAC). They do not list them.

Hope Belize students, such as isa, who rotate at Semmelweis do so as electives students and do not speak a word of Hungarian. How do they communicate with patients, then?

I think that I might send a letter to the HAC and inquire about them.

Hey Miklos,

Did you hear any word from HAC about Hope University?

[Miklos]

Originally Posted by newbieundergrad

Hey Miklos,

Did you hear any word from HAC about Hope University?

No, not yet.

[Miklos]

Originally Posted by isa

Milkos,
This is my lat post on the subject as I don't want to go in endless discussions.
Best is that you contact Semelweis and Hope as it is not the student's roles to act like the administration, the schools know better than the students.
The language on my rotations with the international group at Semelweis was english. Teachers spoke english, patients atributed to us to, nurses to. If we had to face Hungarian cases, they were translated for us.
I had a very nice experience in Hungary.
I saw some complaints regarding Semelweis on this forum, but I personnally have no complaints.
Maybe I was lucky, but I had good teachers, they were very nice and helpful.
I personnally think that at least all cores plus electives in the area of your specialty should be done in US teaching hospitals. But doing some electives away can be a very good experience.
Actually I am the only student from Hope doing rotations in Hungary now, the others are in US teaching hospitals.
There is a permanent Hope faculty who is MD PhD with close to 100 published articles who is in Budapest.
On top of my rotation, she teaches me how to write a research article, and we may publish.
Also, I am allowed to do a lot of procedures here (much more than in many US greenbooks that I know).
The ability to do whatever procedure and research was valuable to me.
Also, I am a European citizen, so I can easily go home for a few days at it is nearby.
Finally, I enjoy crosscultural experiences and I may speciatize in international publichealth.
A rotation in Hungary is very interesting. They say they are behind US technology, but the gap is not that big.
I had a good experience, and my education here is absolutely not substandard.
Good luck on your medical carreer!

I'll be honest with you. I think that you have no business being there. (I know what I had to do to pass my first three years in order to get to clinical medicine in Hungary. I seriously doubt that you have any idea what that takes.)

Hope isn't a real school (unlike Semmelweis) in any meaningful sense of the word. They are basically taking advantage of the good name and teaching hospitals of Semmelweis. To claim that a Semmelweis person is on the Hope "faculty" is stretching it quite a bit.

[BTH]

Salutations "newbieundergrad":

If you can apply and get into a more respectable school, then you should do so. I have looked at the school's website and it being new and all, I would suggest you not take such a huge risk. That is, of course, my opinion. Try St. Matthews or MUA Nevis. Good luck. Ciao.

[Skipper]

it is the greatest school on earth--it is better than the other best school in the world--(SMU)

just if you didnt notice--sarcasm was involved!

skipper

[md90]

First, Hope University is not in Belize; and it can't be one year old but at least two years old.. why? I looked into the school two years ago, actually in September of 2003 and rec'd information on the school. It was not clear cut that the we could come back to the states to do clinical rotations. And also when I had to send information, I sent the information to England not in Hungary. Also it stated that I would have to learn the language, and that some classes would be taught in the native tongue.. there were too many doubts for me.. and I looked somewhere else...

[amyames]

but when I clicked on the website provided by whuds, well the site says the school is in Belize. Is this HOPE school different than the one in Europe? I'm confused.

and I've been told always be fishy with school websites that use the .org ending. don't know how much weight should be put into that, but it's one of the reasons I avoided HOPE in my foreign apps, and after research, I did the right thing.

imo, I would advise everyone to start from the top down when to comes to foreign medical schools, ie start with SGU, ROSS, AUC, SABA, The Irish Schools, The Aussie (this IS NOT IN ANY ORDER!!!). If you're stats are somewhere in the middle and you're not sure if you can get in, still apply to the better known schools, ya never know what will happen.

[md90]

as far as I know.. I just completed my basic sciences in Belize at MUA; there is no school physically by the name of HOPE; Belize has had one school closed (St. Luke's). MUA is still there... is on the island of Ambergris Caye. It has its' own campus and building.. owned by the ********s. check out the WHO, IMED/FAIMER website.. for the schools and locations; There is a link on the ECFMG site also re: the schools and locations.. and information about them.

[Genossa maximillian]

Originally Posted by md90

as far as I know.. I just completed my basic sciences in Belize at MUA; there is no school physically by the name of HOPE; Belize has had one school closed (St. Luke's). MUA is still there... is on the island of Ambergris Caye. It has its' own campus and building.. owned by the ********s. check out the WHO, IMED/FAIMER website.. for the schools and locations; There is a link on the ECFMG site also re: the schools and locations.. and information about them.

St.Luke's Belize closed, or moved? I do know St.Luke Liberia did. Can you clarify?