This thread serves a purpose to save time for both prospects and regulars on the forum on common questions that have been previously addressed in the past.

I wrestled on my cell phone against customer service representatives who did not want to service customers, and paid disgustingly large phone bills for long distance charges to retrieve the below information worthwhile sharing with everyone.

Some are only relevant to prospect students from Canada, specifically BC. Some will only be of interest to new students entering first trimeter at Spartan.

St. Lucia Embassy 212-697-4360 or 416-203-8400
Canadian or American Passport and a return ticket for entry
It is recommended to bring the following, even though not required by St. Lucia Embassy or Spartan: Copy of birth certificate/citizenship card, criminal record check, bank recommendation, 8-12 color passport sized pictures, health certificate.

IIME http://www.iime.org/database/cacarib/stlucia.htm
"Institute for International Medical Education"
Spartan listed

FAIMER IMED http://imed.ecfmg.org/
"The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research International Medical Education Directory"
Spartan listed

ECFMG 215-386-5900
Spartan approved
Has a separate directory of medical institutions from WHO listing, therefore irrelevant to Spartan's standing with WHO
Register 2 months prior to your desired 3 months eligibility period for Step 1

WHO 202-331-9081 or 202-974-3000
Spartan approved
Previous removal from the 6th edition and readdition on the 7th edition is due to editorial mistake at WHO's end- "omitted" =/= "disapproved"

Canada Student Loan Services, BC Student Assistance Program 866-587-7452
Spartan approved
Maximum funding available for international studies in medicine = $5,600 CAD through federal program per year (2 semesters)
Absolute cap at 340 weeks (80 months) or $35,000 CAD
Women in medicine = Not a grant or bursary, just an extension to absolute cap

IEFC Teri's CanHELP 781-834-5334
Spartan approved
School code 026054
Current interest rate = Prime - 0.5%

Spartan Financial Services 505-589-1372
-The school has financial flexibility that I can definitely appreciate. $800 USD seat deposit is due in 15 days upon your acceptance. However, remaining balance of $2750 USD for the first semester tuition is due on the first day of classes with upto 30 days for deferral without penalty for students in financial aid.
-Absolute cap on financial aid: $20K per year (2 semesters) in Basic Sciences and $25K per year (2 semesters) in Clinical Rotations in US
-Fax Shiela at NM office an applicant copy of your loan application for verification before she certifies the document from the loan agency.
-After this is completed, your loan will be fully approved. The amount you qualified for (ie. $20K USD for trimester 1 and 2) will be mailed directly to Spartan in two installments (ie. $10K USD in beginning of trimester 1, and $10K USD in beginning of trimester 2).
-Shiela will cash the two cheques in the school account, deduct tuition, and write you two cheques in EC dollars for you to cash on the island. To do this, you need to open a bank account in St. Lucia.

Travel
Booked my last year end roundtrip flights from Vancouver to St. Lucia through Travel Cuts for $1400 CAD after tax and fees. My recent booking cost $1300 CAD after tax and fees. Common connecting points are: Barbados, Jamaica, Antigua, and Puerto Rico. I would recommend this student travel agency to Canadians.
http://www.isic-canada.com/

Caribbean Star Airline 268-480-2561, 268-480-2587, 268-480-2500
http://www.flycaribbeanstar.com/inde...ation=main.cfm
-Barbados has a Bds $25.00 departure tax unless leaving the same day as arrival. Passengers who will be remaining in Barbados for less than 24 hours and children under 12 years are exempt.
-U.S. and Canadian nationals travelling direct from these countries may be admitted without a passport for a period not exceeding 3 months. However, that person will be required to produce proof of nationality, by means of original birth certificate or citizen papers.
-Passengers are required to check-in at least 1 1/2 hours before flight departure. No excess baggage fee for connecting flight customers.

Travel Insurance

Travel Cuts Plan A
1. Emergency Hospital and Medical Expense Coverage $1,000,000
2. 24 Hour Personal Accident:
Accident $5,000
In-flight Accident $25,000
Loss of Limbs or Sight or Total and Permanent Disability $50,000
3. Trip Cancellation & Interruption
Trip Cancellation Prior to Departure Amount Purchased
Trip Interruption after Departure Amount Purchased
Travel Delay $150
Missed Connection $1,500
4. Baggage:
Limit per Item $300
Delay $100
Personal Money $100
5. Lost Tickets $250
6. Lost or Stolen Passport $500

Rates (Tax and fees included)
For WorldWide Travel Excluding USA
4 months $220 , 8 months $378, 12 months $552
For WorldWide Travel Including USA
4 months $275 , 8 months $489, 12 months $742

Eligibility
Insured under a Canadian Government Insurance Plan and 50 years of age or under.

I purchased 8 months Travel Excluding USA for $378.

Medical Student Line of Credit
Bank of Montreal and Royal Bank of Canada both offer credit limits upto $125,000 CAD with interest rate of prime. You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Book an appointment at the nearest branch and take the offer of admission letter with you. I am personally going with Royal Bank of Canada as there is a branch in St. Lucia.

BC Medical Services Plan 250-952-2654 or 250-386-7171
To be eligible for continuous coverage, contact MSP for absence upto 60 months with the following information:
-Reason
-Destination
-Dates of departure and expected arrival
-BC residential address and mailing address
-Program and duration of studies
-Name and address of the institution
Upon completion of the program, must return to BC within 30 days for minimum 6 months
Every 12 months confirm continued enrollment with MSP

From SHSU Admission Package

Housing
1 Bedroom Apartment: 150-300 USD per month
2 Bedroom Apartment: 350-500 USD per month
3 Bedroom Apartment: 400-600 USD per month

Rental rate includes A/C, TV cable, furnishing, basic electronics, and utilities. Most offer free laundry, telephone installation, burglar bars, and water tank.

Transportation
School provides bus transportation for all students from their homes to school and back, free of charge. Late night transportation is also available.

Cost of Studying and Living Per Semester in St. lucia: 7515 USD
Tuition: 3550 USD
Student Government Association Fee: 65 USD
Wireless Internet Service Fee: Be sure to have a wireless ethernet card 10/100 installed if you're bringing your own laptop
Books and Supplies: 500 USD
Living Allowance (Room and Board): 3000 USD
Incidentals: 400 USD

Arrival in St. Lucia
Island of St. Lucia has two commercial airports, one in Vieux Fort (UVF) ~10 minute drive, and another in Castries (SLU) ~75 minute drive from Spartan campus. SLU is the main airport that flies in all island flights, so it will be a lot cheaper and easier to book for an arrival at SLU in general. Direct international flights from US, Canada, and England land in UVF.
After booking your flights, fax your itinerary to arrange for pickup by the school driver. UVF pickup is free, and SLU pickup will cost $55 USD.
All incoming students will spend their first night in St. Lucia at a nearby hotel that cost $50-65 USD per night, and look for housing first thing next morning with the school driver.
If you're arriving on the same day as another student, you can split the cost of pickup at SLU and stay at a hotel by sharing. Be sure to let the administration know about this plan, so they can arrange for a vehicle with sufficient space to accomodate your party.

Fido Roaming 888-481-3436
On a world phone in St. Lucia, charge per minute:
Local calls = $1.28 + airtime
To Canada = $1.99
All incoming = $2.04 + airtime

Medical Equipments
I decided on AllHeart.com for everything from scrubs to dissecting kits. Be sure to use a 10% online coupon, code is TN10PCTRWAH.

Books www.ecampus.com
The current school library does provide some, but definitely not all required and optional texts. It would be strongly recommended to purchase your own books and supplementary materials for first trimester. But with the school library expanding and a new book store being constructed, students will have resources to consider and consult on the island before deciding on purchase for subsequent trimesters.
The books on average are $10-20 CAD cheaper than any other online companies including Amazon. Free shipping and no sales tax, and there are online coupons (http://www.shoppersresource.com/coup...us-coupons.htm). However, ecampus does not ship internationally. Only good for US billing/shipping address.

Booklist
The booklist included in the admission package is out of date and unorganized. Didn't take too long getting to the newest editions of the right books, but below will save you some time anyways.
I purchased all books from AllHeart.com, don't forget to use a $10 off coupon (FREE200) for orders above $200, and a $5 off coupon (RR1552570) for orders above $100. Please support ValueMD by linking to the website from here (for detailed instructions, PM 'Doc').

Corrected and Updated First Trimester Booklist

1. Anatomy
Grant's Dissector
12th Edition 1999
Sauerland, Eberhardt K.; Grant, J. C. Boileau
(Required)
Clinical Anatomy
7th Edition 2003
Snell, Richard
(Required)
Atlas of Human Anatomy
3rd Edition 2002
Netter, Frank H.; Hansen, John T.
(Required)

2. Physiology
Textbook of Medical Physiology
10th Edition 2000
Guyton, Arthur C., M.D.; Hall, John E.
(Required)
Review of Medical Physiology
21st Edition 2003
Ganong, William
(Required)
BRS Physiology
3rd Edition 2003
Costanzo, Linda S., Ph.D.
(Optional)

3. Histology
Essential Histology
2nd Edition 2001
Cormack, David H., Ph.D.
(Required)
Color Atlas of Histology
3rd Edition 2000
Gartner, Leslie; Hiatt, James L.
(Required)
BRS Cell Biology and Histology
4th Edition 2002
Gartner, Leslie P.; Hiatt, James L.; Strum, Judy M.
(Optional)

4. Embryology
The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology
7th Edition 2003
Moore, Keith L., Ph.D.; Persaud, T. V. N., MD.
(Required)

5. Biostatistics
Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2004
43nd Edition 2003
McPhee, Stephen J.; Tierney, Lawrence M.; Papadakis, Maxine A.
(Required)

I encourage everyone to contact the officials themselves and verify on the information I gathered above. Emails are extremely slow and your chances of getting any useful feedback is next to none- guaranteed you'll end up receiving a brief copy-and-pasted message telling you to dig more on their websites, or non irrelevant information that in no way addresses your inquiry. Calling is the only effective way to go, but be sure to get the names of the people you corresponded with, including the time and date of your calls for later reference if the need arises.

Basic Sciences Curriculum

Trimester 1: 5 Courses 500 Hours

Biostatistics & Medical Writing 30
Embryology 40
Physiology 220
Anatomy 140
Histology 70

Trimester 2: 9 Courses 520 Hours

Human Genetics 60
Immunology & Allergy 40
Infectious Disease 40
Public Health 60
Biochemistry 120
Behavioral Science 40
Neuroanatomy 60
Nutrition 20
Microbiology 80

Trimester 3: 13 Courses 500 Hours

Psychiatry 40
Legal Medicine 20
Anesthesiology 20
Neurology 20
Endocrinology 20
Dermatology 20
Tropical Medicine & Parasitology 40
Fluids & Electrolyte 20
Otorhinolaryngology 20
Pathology 100
Pharmacology 120
Respiration 20
Cardiology 40

Trimester 4: 14 Courses 540 Hours

Systemic Pathology 80
Physcial Diagnosis 80
Obstetrics and Gynecology 80
Surgery 60
Gastroenterology 20
Pediatrics 60
Hematology 20
Oncology 20
Orthopedics 20
Radiology 20
Ophthamology 20
Geriatric Medicine 20
Child Abuse and Human Sexuality 20
Principles of Clinical Medicine 20

You can expect an exam every 20 hours. Exams are not cumulative, and the final grade is calculated by the average of all scores. Eg. Pediatrics = 60 hours: 60/20 = 3 exams

Some courses like also grade you on group presentations, term papers, laboratory examinations, etc.

During my days as a prospect, I contacted 16 Spartan students and graduates and below are some of the interesting answers they provided:

Q. What would you recommend bringing to the island besides the obvious?
"Good raingear is important b/c it rains alot during the rain season. Hiking boots or sneakers. Comfortable clothes for warm weather, but a sweater for the classrooms that can sometimes get cold with A/C. A good flashlight. A good USMLE review book like First Aid."

Q. Is it possible for a fall semester enroller to compete for a match in their 4th year (Can the MD program be finished in 4 years realistically)?
"IT'S VERY POSSIBLE AND MOST OF ALL VERY IDEAL. HAVE ALL OF YOUR REQUIREMENTS READY, AND YOU'RE IN."

Q. Are there opportunities for pre-clinical exposure during Basic Sciences at the local hospitals?
"The pre-clinical experience you will get is from local clinics rather than the hospitals that you might be accustomed to. Dr. Wilson is a Physician on St. Lucia and also teaches Endocrinology and OB/GYN. She will offer some clinical exposure which I found very helpful, especially in the OB clinic where we had the opportunity to examine dozens of pregnant women at all stages of pregnancy. There are also a few other experiences like blood pressure drives and STD drives. In Physical Diagnosis class we were required to write up History and Physicals on various patients throughout the trimester. But this is all just to get your feet wet because you'll get tons of experience when you start your 3rd year."

Q. How are the road conditions?
"Leave your roller blades at home. The best road on the entire Island was built by the Americans during WWII, when the U.S. Navy had a temp. Naval base in Vieux Fort by the old airport. Secondly the natives drive like maniacs, so you don't want to be on the road or near it."

Q. Does Spartan set up all of clinicals in US if you lack the connections and the desire to arrange your own? Both core and elective?
"SPARTAN STUDENTS TEND TO GET SENT TO JACKSON PARK (CHICAGO), A SITE IN ATLANTA, AND MEXICO (ISSSTE) WITHOUT BOARD SCORES. GRIFFEN HOSPITAL WITH BOARD SCORES, THAT I KNOW OF, THE REST ARE SET UP BY THE STUDENT (WHICH I THINK IS A BETTER DEAL) FOR CORE AND ELECTIVES. I HEARD STUDENTS STAYED AT THE ABOVE MENTIONED HOSPITALS FOR ALL OR MOST OF THERE ROTATIONS, THEN AGAIN I HEARD STUDENTS RELOCATING 2-3X. STUDENTS ARE PAYING $5000.00/4 MONTHS AT JACKSON PARK FROM WHAT I'M TOLD, AND VERY SIMILAR AMOUNTS IN ATLANTA. STUDENTS THAT SET UP THERE OWN ROTATIONS MOST DIDN'T PAY AT ALL INCLUDING MYSELF."
"The school will set up your rotations for you, cores and electives in a U.S. teaching hospital (Jackson Park in Chicago), usually with no delay's, Step 1 or not. You could do rotations in Canada if you can arrange them. I knew canadians that went back home to do their training. This would be a good time for you to do the research. Call the Graduate Medical Education office, or the Chief of Service of the departmant your trying to get in."

Q. Any advise?
"You are probably getting discouraged by other people, because they are either previous (transfers/graduates) or current students, that have been very disappointed by Spartan. Yes, you can get through all 9 trimesters and pass your boards and get into residency, but it will most likely be a painful experience sometime or another. As I said before medicine is hard enough on it's own. Students don't need extra baggage while trying to study medicine. Spartan dishes out lot's of extra baggage which is not needed or necessary. I think your doing the right thing by asking lot's of questions before you actually attend. The students who survive Spartan are the one's that keep themselves informed about becoming a resident and what to do."
"sure i have my complaints like everyone else regardless of the school but i'm happy with my decision and it provided me what i needed, no more no less. like i said before whichever school u choose take it and run with it and make the most of it. dont dwell on the negatives but take advantage of what they have to offer."
"SPARTAN DOES NOT HAVE A VERY GOOD ADMINISTRATION, BUT YOU WILL GET BASIC SERVICES. THE ISLAND IS 3RD WORLD AND VERY BEAUTIFUL. YOU COULD MAKE IT THERE, JUST KEEP YOUR STREET SMARTS ABOUT EVERYTHING AND DON'T BE FOOLISH OR NAIVE. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND FOLLOW UP ON EVERYTHING YOU ASK THEM TO DO FOR YOU. THEY ARE NOT BAD PEOPLE. I THINK THERE A LITTLE SLOW WHEN IT COMES TO BUSSINESS AND STUDENT AFFAIRS."

Q. How is the school atmosphere?
"actually that is one of the best things about spartan is that u become like part of a family because the school is so small. everyone literally knows everyone. when i say that theyre slow and unorganized i dont at all mean b/c they dont care. its b/c theyre understaffed in my opinion."

Did you apply directly to the federal gov't for student loans? Did you get other loans than that - eg. RBC?
You mentioned if you arrange the rotations by yourself that most did not have to pay? Do you mean that it was free to do rotations at the hospital you arrange yourself?