Have you ever been to the former communist country of Grenada?

Why is it an excellent school? Because it has an excellent faculty? More than half of their faculy, their better half, are "visiting" professors. There are three types to profs in the carib:

1- Total losers that the USA could not tolerate and now they are in the carib.

2- Over the hill, retired profs

3- Profs on vacation (sgu gets many of these, that come for a few weeks or months and then they list them as their own.)

Why else would any decent person want to give up the comforts of the USA to live in a former communist country?

Anyway, it doesn't really matter who they get to teach at their school, even if Hippocrates himself or Albert Schweitzer comes from the dead, you still will not learn anything, because they have over 340 students per class!!!!

Then they over-charge $13,500 per semester and they have the nerve to call themselves the "Harvard of the Caribbean".

just amused...how dare you use the your island is worse than mine defense on grenada? quite laughable actually since i've met a few people visiting from st lucia with the same glazed over look my two year old has upon entering toys "r" us....i just thought it was funny and sxm is no paradise i can guarantee that.

__________________
OBGYN PGY II
I see light at the end of the tunnel!!!...wait a minute its just another freakin tunnel!

rrod, I feel like buying you a ticket to go to the former communist country of Grenada on a two week vacation. On only one condition, you have to sit thru their 340 + packed classes and then when you get back I am going to ask you, "How is the Harvard of the Caribbean, in comparison to AUC?" And then you know what you are going to say?

People generally gravitate towards other places, they "heard about" but where they know next to nothing about, then when they actually go there, its another story...

auc student transfered to sgi said facilities are great, exept for the dorms he said they are better at auc. teaching 1st semester was comparable according to this person with one bad prof. admin was much better in respect to having themselves organized. as for the teacher student ratio didn't mention it either way. why are you so fixated on this ratio thing again if you can't understand what your teacher is saying and they have no clue as to the US system or have never sat for the USMLE it wouldn't matter if it was one on one having this person read me biochem bed time stories it would still be not understandable and without a USMLE focus. so are you a student, gread, faculty, recruiter? i just don't understand this anal fixation on a school that has been around so long with such a track record, did you see the last residency placement for sgu? i will venture to say it probably had a few better programs than the hidden "great ivy league" list that you never posted a link or referrence to....it just bugs me as teacher student ratio is meaningless unless you are asking to be spoonfed.

__________________
OBGYN PGY II
I see light at the end of the tunnel!!!...wait a minute its just another freakin tunnel!

That is my point rrod, not to go by what somebody has told you about the school, not to go by their pretty websites and catalogs but to actually go there, sit in the classes and see exactly what it is like... You might change your mind, you might be more critical, as much, if not more than you are of AUC...

Your friend who transfered to sgu, obviously is not going to tell you, I don't know why I did this because this island is --- and the classes are too big and the profs are bunch of nitwits and now I am paying more for nothing.. If you are paying 2 or 3 thousand dollars per semester, which is about 9 or 10 thousand dollars per year, then I would not expect you to be spoonfed but when you are paying over $13,500 per semester, which is over $40,000 per year, you better be spoonfed for that kind of money, you better get TPN!!! Thats a lot of money and I think its a little fishy when a school accepts over 340 students per semester and then they charge so much, for such a bad environment. The ratio bothers me, rrod, because they charge so much. Have you ever been in a class of over 300 people??? What a waste... They are like a factory and they base most of their business on really good PR, which draws a lot of students in, students who believe that by going to sgu and only sgu, they will be successful or at least more successful than by going anywhere else.. That is why these students are willing to pay so much. But that is nonsense..

How big or great or fancy your basic sciences facilities are, although nice, is not going to get you into a top residency program. What helps the most: 1- Good strong board scores, 2- Rotations at the best possible USA hospitals with good recomendations, 3- An ability to present and carry yourself well thru interviews. Anyone of these schools (sgu, auc, spartan, ross, saba, etc) can allow you to be an MD, the rest is up to you.. That is all I have to say.

There is way too muck bickering between you guys. I have done a lot of research, and I found that schools like SGU, Ross, AUC are expensive.

BUT they do give you the oppurtunity to pursue more competitive residencies if you work hard. If not then you are not better off.

Spartan is cheaper. They do have grads. However, even if you bust your behind, you wont have as good a shot at competitive residency as a SGU graduate. This is because programs go by school reputation. Many times PD depend on other doctors in their program to rate that school.

For example; The University of Wisconsin has an Ortho program. A SGU grad worked hard to get in. The PD relied not only on scores but on the reputation of that school in specialty residencies. This got him in, and allowed another SGU student in the following year.

This will open doors to SGU graduates. This may not be impossible right now for Spartan grads, just improbable.

Spartan may be a great school. They have grads in the US, and most of them are in primary care. This makes the school more attractive for those who want to purse those areas of work.

SGU, Ross, AUC are over priced and crowded. You can fail out too. However, they have enough affiliations and reputation that if you desire more competitive residencies and you work hard, you will have a better chance.

As to the location. Who cares. Even if it is a dump. Most of the time you will be starring at a book indoors, and it's not a permenant move.

Lets just say every school has ups and downs. No need to argue about which grad is better.

archon,

I do not agree with you, I am a spartan grad and I didn't only get my residency in primary care but it doesn't matter.. Lets just move on. This thread has just gone on for too long. Lets talk about something else. I am getting sick of this thread. Its endless...

"students who believe that by going to sgu and only sgu, they will be successful or at least more successful than by going anywhere else.. That is why these students are willing to pay so much. But that is nonsense..
How big or great or fancy your basic sciences facilities are, although nice, is not going to get you into a top residency program. "

all you need to look at is sgu residency placement and see that the very things you list must have an impact when compared with the spartan list. i give up each school has ups and downs but the cost should never be an issue because you get what you pay for in terms of qualified faculty and facilities. just want the last word....when you are in preactice the difference in student loan payments graduating from sgu and spartan will be around $60.00...that is $60 out of around $12,000 per month will it really matter? just eat two less mcdonalds value meals per week and you get a SGU education....

__________________
OBGYN PGY II
I see light at the end of the tunnel!!!...wait a minute its just another freakin tunnel!

shockandnotawed,



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[pic removed by Moderator for containing foul language and personal insults]

Someone is bitter, bitter, bitter!!! Relax and have faith in your school. You sound as if you are trying to convince yourself of something??