Hi, thanks for reading this. I am a British student studying pre-vet at Nottingham and will be making my way over to SGU in August. I am very nervous about this as unfortunatly i have heard lots of horrid rumours about SGU. Some students here have returned from SGU because they found it difficult to settle in. Can someone please put my mind at rest about this and tell me something positive!! Also i would really like to get to know anyone who is out there already or going in August so that i don't feel like i am jumping in at the deep end. Can anyone answer these questions;
1) Is it true that the lecturers are unhelpful and you have important exams every two weeks?
2) What is the basic academic schedule and when is practical work introduced.
3) How easy is it to make friends, what is the community spirit like?
4) How safe is it?
5) What do you think of the course and do you think your qualification will stand up to UK and USA standards?
Sorry i know these questions are pretty basic but i can't seem to get a straight answer, my pre-vet advisor cant seem to say a bad word about SGU but the two girls who have returned cant seem to say anything good about it. Please can someone let me know what it is actually like out there?!
Thanks
Rachael xxx

I am really sorry about the information you have heard, I don't know who the source was, but I don't think it is very accurate in many regards.

Firstly, I am American and there will be some differences in our expectations from SGU. That being said...there aren't really all that many differences (sorry for self contradiction there).

I do know of at least 1 student...I am pretty sure was British, who left because this person simply didn't like it here. Perhaps because of the reasons you cited. However, there will always be a percentage of students no matter their nationality who simply can't/don't/or won't adjust to either Grenada living or the demands of veterinary school or both.

In response to this post I asked a Brit student in my class if it was difficult to adjust. This person flat out said "No." Surely this wouldn't be the response of all students, UK or otherwise, but I know quite a few in my class and in others who thrive here. In fact, many of the Brit students outperform students of other nationalities quite handily. Why this is I don't know. As testament to this, Brit and European students over represent themselves in Phi Zeta, the veterinary honor society.

This has never been my experience with helpfulness. Sure, some are better than others in different aspects of their teaching abilities, but I have always gotten the help I needed. As far as exams, sometimes you have an exam every week or every few days and sometimes you have a couple of weeks in between. They are all important!

I am not sure how to answer the 'academic schedule' question...generally you will have lab for half the day, and lecture for the other half. Can you clarify what you mean? Practical work is introduced as soon as you start. Usually classes such as Anatomy will work this in right away in your first term here. Hands on experience increases steadily as you progress with academic and clinical knowledge.

Generally, most students who make it this far are pretty confident and generally outgoing. Those who are more extroverted make many friends easily. Those who are introverted may take a little longer but you will make friends with those in your class and other classes as time goes on.

On campus is very safe, but still watch for theft with things out in the open and unsupervised. Off campus is pretty safe, but always be aware of your surroundings. If you wouldn't go into a neighborhood for personal safety concerns in your area, then don't do it here either. Don't walk around at night unless you have friends (or a dog) with you. Generally, theft is one of the largest problems students encounter.

Sometimes classes are great and sometimes they are quite challenging. Such is the way with vet school. I am very happy with the program here and wouldn't change anything (except maybe a few grades here and there).

Don't freak out! It is just school after all and you have already made the first hurdle of being accepted. Study hard...don't over commit yourself with extracurricular or social activities, and you will be fine. I do very well and I don't consider myself particularly intelligent. You must come in with an open mind. The 2 girls you mention don't represent every UK student at this school. Otherwise, why do most of my Brit/European/Canadian/South African/American/ and others I can't think of right now like it here.

I hope this helps, I can try to find a person to contact you if you wish. PM me if you think this will help!

__________________

Know your food supply

This message is not too short...

Rachel,

I'll see you in August!! I'm not really aprehensive at all, just anxious to get going!! Feel free to correspond with me in e-mail (rayetay@iastate.edu)

I will be stating veterinary school on Aug.2007 and I was recently viditng teh campus for a few days and I can tel you that I was very imppressed. I beilieve hat what some pople might have a hard tme getting used to is living in a differnt country and teh fact that the curriculum might be more intense than course taken during college. I hope everything goes smooth with your trip to SGU and I look forward in meeting you.