Hello everyone, I wanted to let all of you who are on SABA that I will be coming to visit next week, February 12h-13th. I have been accepted for the September class and I am coming down to check out the campus and the island. I would love to meet with some of you, if possible, especially those of you who are married and have children (no offense you single folks). I am married with a 17 month old daughter who will be coming with us when I start school.

I will not be arriving until late Thursday afternoon(5:30PM). I will be visiting the campus on Friday morning and hopefully seeing some of the apartments/housing. I will be returning Friday afternoon on the ferry to SXM. Please let me know if and when you would like to meet. PM if you need to.

Also, if you have any suggestions on places to stay please let me know. Sincerely,

Walter Morgan

Hi Walter,

I have been accepted to Saba for Sept. 2004 entering class. After you are done visiting the island and the school...can u please let us know how did u find the place and the school. (ie. what is your impression on the Saba island and the school) and any other things that u find relevent to the school and the island.

Thanks and enjoy your visit.

I found out about the island through a graduate of SABA doing his residency in the hospital where I work. He went to the school back in '97.

There are a lot of things I can tell you about the island but I will just give you my final impressions, which will probably be nothing new if you have been reading the postings on this site.

Island: Small island that is a rock sticking up out of the ocean. The roads are all on hills. You could put a marble anywhere on the island and it will roll in one direction or another. Reminded me of the upper Rockies. Two main activities. Diving and Hiking. You can get in great shape just living there. No beaches. Well there is a beach, but not the kind you see on TV. 20 yards of rock mixed in with sand. People are nice and helpful but I got the feeling that some of them would be happy to leave the island but are sort of stuck there for one reason or another. There are some places to hang out like the local pub (swinging door). Classic place, something you would expect to find in a small Texas town or something. Hank Williams Jr. was there main choice of music. I was told that on weekends they some of the med students or locals will play music. Also a few restaraunts. You will need a car or at least share one with somebody. A lot of people do hitchike. Unfortunately I am too Americanized not to have my own car. If you have a family it is almost a must. As you have probably heard you do collect your own rainwater. However if you live in the dorm and also in some of the houses the water will be collected for you. This varies from place to place. I have a feeling that it would take a while to get use to but ask some of the students their opinion. You do not flush your TP. You place it in the waste basket next to the camode which at first freaked me out.

The island is very quiet and a great place to study. It was cool when I was there but it gets hot in the summer. The island is also beautiful with some tremendous views of the ocean. You can definitely see the ocean.

A lot of this stuff is petty. But keep in mind if you have to collect your own water and are having to study a problem presents itself. Also, if you don't have a car and you can't catch a ride the hike to school from Windwardside (which is the town of choice to live in) is 45 minutes. And if you have to go back to the anatomy lab to study that would be very difficult. That is why a say a car is almost a must.

The grocery stores are interesting, especially the one in the Bottom. very small and tight isles. There is one in Windwardside that is the closest to a real grocery store. Prices are not as bad as you would think. Comparable to back home. You should be able to get everything you need.

I was told by a professor that there is not a pharamacy on the island but you can get meds from the hospital. I am also not sure about the prices. You may want to post this question.

The school: Nice buildings. Classes are small which is a plus. I was there on a week before black monday, a big exam day. Therefore many of the students were not able to anwer a lot of my questions. They were understandably distracted. There were a lot Candian Indian students and non traditional students. The library and computer lab is nice. They also have examination rooms. You will see some patients at the island hospital/clinic and also be on call during your fifth semester. Unfortunately I also got the feeling from some of the staff that they were not happy there. No research and not much to do on the island is what I was told. So there is a high professor turnover rate. Also, they have a gym but it is only open to students.

In final. If you are single and self motivated you should be fine. Just be prepared to study. If you are outgoing and athletic you can have a lot of fun on SABA. I would be fine if I were alone and would probably go there because of the price (comparatively cheap in school costs and cost of living) and I am very outgoing.

If you are married I do not personally recommend SABA. I have applied to AUC and visited the school but have not been accepted. My wife and I have not come to a final decision but we are definitely leaning towards AUC because I do not think she will be happy on SABA. That is my personal opinion suited for my family. There are families on the island which are doing just fine and we might end up there. We would make it but I don't believe my wife and kid would be happy and stimulated. It really comes down to you and your family.

Keep in mind we will be busy studying while they will be free to do whatever.

My suggestions are to go check it out yourself if you can afford it. I hope this post will help those of you who are trying to decide on SABA. You will get the education you need to be a doctor here or at AUC or Ross or St. George, that is really what matters most. Email me or post questions.

Walt

[/url]walterowe2003@yahoo.com[/url]

Wow this is an excellent summary of Saba. The information given is exactly what I gathered from my visit to Saba. There is a major transition involved especially from Canada and the USA's busy life. The people on Saba are extremely nice and helpful. When they see a new face they automatically assume you are a med student. (that is how small the island is!)

I agree with Walterowe if you get a chance it is worthwhile to go check it out before you decide to go there. The island is very small and there is not alot to do, though we will be busy studying and in that sense the island is an amazing place to have peace and quiet while studying. There are not alot of distractions.

Doc