Thread: About Hope Medical Institute and its programs

Hi Elssha and to the rest of the world who keeps bashing on HMI so much.....I havent been on ValueMD in a long time but I thought it would be nice to share my thoughts......

Elssha, you seem to have a lot of time on your hands ........as just doing a search on HMI brings up your name a lot..... I dont know why you and some others keep talking negatively about HMI when you yourself attend one of there schools. Seriously, get your act together and get your education over with. Obviously you chose HMI for some reason and I'm sure they must have been good and thats why you chose to go to HMI.
I don't support HMI about everything...but I have more positives than negatives about them. You keep refering to them as an agent or something....i felt the same somewhat when i first joined the program but the authorities in Poland made it clear to me that HMI is there admissions and administrative office in the US for US & Canadian Students.....in collaboration of a few schools in Poland....its just that the office had to be registered here in the US so it was named Hope Medical Institute as it represents a few schools and could not choose one schools name over the other.....so they are not agents......and FYI they are not just renting a building taking calls......I had the opportunity to visit the HMI office a few days ago as I wanted to make sure that everything was in order for me to graduate in a few weeks. I was just panicky about residency and getting everything in time..but they had everything in order for me. Hope Medical Institute is a in a beautiful office building that they own in a medical district in Newport News, Virginia...really down to earth staff.......the employees there are working head and toes for the students....try visiting them if any of you get a chance....you'll understand what i mean .......the weather was great.....i heard the summers are busy down there cuz of Virginia Beach....would love to go back when its much warmer.

Just a little about myself....i joined Hope Medical Institute a few years ago because I had a dream of becoming a Physician.....wanted to get into a MD program in the US but couldn't because of the high demands....I had a really good GPA and decent MCAT scores but was put on the wait list at several universities. I didn't want to wait.....Hope Medical Institute gave me a chance to go to Medical School. I got admission to few DO (osteopathic medical schools) but i didnt want to do DO ...i was determined to do MD as a I had many in the family who were MD's....i think it was a pride issue.....many say DO is like a step below MD....so I had to become an MD.

Today, because Hope Medical Institute (HMI) gave me a chance, I will be graduating from Medical School this spring. I studied my butt off and I got an 89 on step 1, got a 96 on step 2 and I passed step 2 CS all on the 1st chances... I for sure will be thankful to HMI for the rest of my life for giving me HOPE and a chance to fulfill my dreams. I PREMATCHED in several residency programs and turned down several of them and have finally accepted one of the offers. I'm not trying to boast about myself....but wanted to make it clear that it was because of HMI and Poland that I achieved all this. I have several friends who also Prematched in residency programs and have accepted offers now.

You have to be determined whereever you goto medical school. It aint a joke. But lot of kids goto med school thinking the opposite. I know many kids who went to Poland who are simply wasting there time and money partying and doing whatevers in Poland. I partied a little bit during school but not crazy though....Seriously, if you are focused and determined you will be fine ... just like me, some of my friends and all the past graduates who have also guided me along the way.

Now about costs, Yeah HMI charges fees as well, but thats all part of the tuition....it's just that a portion has to be given to the university in Poland and another small portion to the HMI office here in the US. I thank God for helping me make the choice of going to HMI cuz if you think about it if i did go to a US med School I would have been paying atleast $50,000 or more in tuition each year......I would have been in debt for the rest of my life....

However, HMI's tuition was only at about $21,000 per year for the first 2 years of basic sciences and about $35,000 per year to do the last 2 years of rotations in the US. SO WHAT if they had an administrative fee in the beginning......everything added all together still comes no where near what I would have had to pay if i went to a US medical school. This is another thing I must Thank HMI for.

I did my rotations starting in NY. I did them in a few other states and then Illinois and continued most of my rotations in Illinois. My learning experience in Illinois was great while doing rotations. I heard that HMI has many other locations now to offer as well.

Every school has there ups and downs...HMI and there schools in Poland are not perfect but they are great...There is no school out there that one can't complain about.........don't keep picking at the negatives...if you are going to Poland through HMI with one goal which is to pass and get that diploma, you will graduate and pass your boards with no problem....you have to spend a lot of time learning and reading on your own on top of what they teach you in class.....don't expect to get spoon fed like we did during high school and undergrad.

I heard last year that one of HMI's students was 1 of 14 foreign medical graduates who was accepted into that particular SPECIALTY in the entire United States (one of the hardest specialties to get into)....which is amazing.

I had about 40 residency interviews including an IVY league interview. Some of the program directors already knew of HMI and the Polish School system. Many had good things to say about them. Just some advice to all of you. Most program directors wanted to talk about the research that I did while I was in Poland and the research I did while I was in the US. I had some publications and few posters etc.. which were published. HMI was the one that pushed me and some others to do research while in school. I had attended some scientific meetings in Europe while in Poland and attended many presentations here in the US with the head of our group while I was doing rotations in the US... So again make sure you try to enroll in research wherever possible. But then again some of my friends who had no research also prematched but only had about 15 interviews. Program Directors are looking at USMLE scores, how many times you took them, the school you came from and if you did research. I dont think there are any students of HMI that could not get into a residency program after they had passed the USMLE's.

Anyways, I really needed to let this all out especially when some of you were talking down about HMI......They are not perfect....but they have everything to offer now when considering going to a foreign medical school
- California and New York Approval, you can basically practice anywhere in the US
- Federal Loans (US financial aid, stafford etc...)
- low cost compared to many other schools
- research while in school
- rotations in poland, and many locations in the US


I wish you guys all the best and luck with your future. HMI was the best choice I ever made.....with no doubt, I would so do it over if I had to.....I kinda miss Poland.....I hope I get to visit there again soon......

Once again I would like to THANKS Hope Medical Institute ( HMI ) and the Medical University for all there efforts.....I would love to name a few key people but I don't think I should name people on the forum.....good luck to all and hope to meet you on the floor some day.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never heard elsha talk down on HMI its the other way around she always says something positive and delightful about the school.

HMI is not a school, people. HMI is a service agency (agent, go-between, middle-man, call them what you will), but not a degree-granting institution.

That's just a fact. It's not good or bad, per se, but it is a fact. People should just be aware of that before they apply.

IMHO, I would rather apply directly to a school and save myself ten grand - which is what I did - but that's just me. Some people are simply more comfortable putting things in the hands of others, no matter the cost. I do think that there are upsides (CA approval, Stafford loans, and the like), and there are also downsides, as well. People just need to know exactly what they are getting in to...

Originally Posted by devildoc8404

HMI is not a school, people. HMI is a service agency (agent, go-between, middle-man, call them what you will), but not a degree-granting institution.

That's just a fact. It's not good or bad, per se, but it is a fact. People should just be aware of that before they apply.

IMHO, I would rather apply directly to a school and save myself ten grand - which is what I did - but that's just me. Some people are simply more comfortable putting things in the hands of others, no matter the cost. I do think that there are upsides (CA approval, Stafford loans, and the like), and there are also downsides, as well. People just need to know exactly what they are getting in to...

I go to this school and everything is fine, Hmi are the people that get you in the clinical rotations within the USA, what other european school that you can name today will that for you?

you sound like an hmi agent?

LOL....wish I got paid for going to med school ....sorry no i do not represent HMI whatsoever and I don't support everything they do....HOWEVER, its because of them and of course my efforts that I am gonna be an MD....that's all that counts.

I will always take pride in the school that I went to especially since its because of HMI and the university that I am a Doctor (few weeks to go April 2010 )....

Also about all these people that keep talkin trash about HMI and the Polish programs on ValueMD and anywhere else. Why are you still in Poland? If it is so bad then why are you all still there. I just don't get it and it doesn't make sense to me when all these people joined HMI and continue there when they think the program is bad when its actually great as long as you are determined. I was really satisfied with HMI's program. Can anyone honestly tell me anything that the program lacks? By talking trash about the program, one is only putting themselves down....because if the program was really bad then that person must be an idiot for being there.

If medicine is not what you wanna do then they should return back home rather than racking up the student loans and flunking out. Be honest to yourself and to the people you are speaking to on this forum. This forum is meant to help students not talkin trash.......

I Agree this school is not bad at all they give you lots of chances to pass. Congrats on becoming an MD how did you score so high did you take kaplan? Or did you just take it right after you finished basic sciences?

i did take kaplan and also the pass program in illinois.

my suggestions for you for studying is do qbank over and over and till you pretty much know it inside out....same goes for USMLE WORLD for both step 1 and step 2. Make sure you are using the USMLE first aid for step 1 even while you are doing basic sciences so that you are kinda gettin used to it....thats what i did.....

hope that helps

How good or bad is it for someone starting off with a 6 year program??

I assume you mean the school in general?
The 6yr program is calmer, most certainly. We (4yr) have to 'make up' a lot of the ** 6yr students get out of the way their first two years (ex; biophysics). Also, some of the core classes are juggled around. I believe the 6yr programs get embryology out of the way before they start yr 3, for instance. I know they didn't have our entire workload fall semester (not counting the ** classes).
The first few years are also apparently a breeze... or so some 6yr contacts told me. You do basic physics, chem, etc. Usually you have lots of time to do whatever. Then 3rd year comes around and you're bombarded with the important classes and have to totally change how you study or get left in the dust. This without the benefit of going through a US Uni, which is basically where learning how to study happens.
I don't know about the pass rates of 6 vs 4yr students. Really depends on the year. Several profs have mentioned that despite us (4yrs) having far more work, we usually do better than the 6yrs in the same classes (though my year is repeatedly noted as the exception to this >_<). The profs mostly attribute it to the 6yrs not knowing how to budget their time and having enough time to slack of to not be as motivated (read; holy hell, i have two exams tomorrow morning) to buckle up and study.
My personal opinion is that the 6yr program is not a good idea for ~75% of the people thinking about it. If you're in HS and have good grades, you should seriously look into going to the best uni you can get into and working hard to get grades which will get you admitted into a US medschool. Foreign med schools are last-ditch efforts for those who didn't do well in Undergrad and are too stubborn to give up their hope of seeing that Dr. in front of their name. The two years you'll save (and the $) may sound like a good deal, but in the long run it will limit your opportunities. I know I'll have to get a far better USMLE score to get where I want to go than if I went to any med school in the states. The school's 4yr program will still be here if you try UG and it doesn't work as well as you'd hoped.
Also, and this is quite bias, I'd caution you from rejecting the life-changing experiance that is UG. You have no idea how much fun college is, how many things you'll discover and be exposed to and how many times you'll find other sides of things you thought you had down pat. Most Uni's make you try classes outside your major, making you a far-better rounded individual, and for some people it shows them majors and career paths they would far rather do than what they set out to entering the uni. Of my 5 friends who were dead set on med school freshmen year, one is currently in his second year, one had switched her major to chemistry and in pharmacy school, one has become a microbiologist and works in a CDC lab while looking to enroll in a master's program, one is starting law school this year and one is working towards becoming an author. And of course, I'm at MUL, though I did learn fencing, karate, kendo, dancing and several other fun (non-academic) things allong the way. I also got to work with a neurologist on his stroke research and got taught by people who wrote our textbooks or just finished research that negated what was written in them. I'm still using a lot of the groundwork they taught to make sense of some of the things they're teaching us here.
Bottom line is, Medschool is where you sit down, study your butt off and perhaps have a little fun on a saturday night. It's not where you want to be right out of med school, and you have none of the extras that you get with college in the states. No frats, no rec activites, no chance to learn anything outside of medicine. It's not worth a couple extra years. That's my $0.02 anyway.