For the prospects considering USE, below is information that I gathered in the last few months when I seriously explored the institution. My research on USE came up quite positive. The school established reliable affiliations with various clinical sites in US, and the administration is extremely professional and dedicated.

I hope you carefully study each school before making a commitment. I wish this thread helps shed some light and clear some specific questions. The more you know about the possible roadblocks ahead, the better planned your journey will be.

Smiles,
Kirsten

1. Why does USE charge tuition & fees ($7900) for six semesters instead of the usual five that other Caribbean medical schools charge for the same 72-80 week clinicals?
Our tuition structure is a little different because originally we were a 10 semester program 4 basic and 6 clinical. Now that we have discovered that the 4 semester basic is too aggressive for most students we have become 11 semesters for most students. We are also the only program that paying hospitals and doctors for their services to you and the university in critical to maintain teachers and we also expect to pay for elective rotations which can be just as important for you when residency interview comes around. In essence each preceptor that works with you in a member of our faculty and receies a stipend for thier willingness to teach you what they know.

2. Does all student have to apply for loans through USE and pay the service charge of $495 each time they take out a loan every year (3 semesters)?
Yes you must apply thru the school to get a loan and yes the school charges a loan processing fee each time you apply for a loan.

3. Are the $500 tuition and $750 dormitory deposits credited towards tuition and dormitory payments?
Yes the deposits are credited towards your tuition and dorm payments.

4. Page 13: $1000 deposit before clinicals start- would this be credited towards tuition?
Yes.

5. $100 utilities are included in dormitory fees- On average, how much more do students pay on top of $650? Or do most stay under the $100 limit?
The dorms are $2600 for your first semester only, after which you get your own place and you pay utilities as you use them, the school will help you find a place but beyond that it is your responsibility to pay your rent and utilities. While you are in the dorms you only pay $2600 it includes utilities.

6. How much is the diploma fee not included in supplemental fees?
The diploma fee is $350.

7. Would transcripts be cheaper if bought in multiples? For residency applications and subsequent state licensures, I heard that students on average need at least 40 copies- isn't charging $1400 USD for 40 sheets of paper enveloped with regular postage to US a bit harsh for student budget?
There is no charge for transcripts for residency applications and state licensures. That fee is for students that leave and need transcript for other purposes.

8. How are the campus Facilities (Laboratories, Classes, Study rooms, A/C)? Permanent or rented?
The facilities on Island are all leased the owners have allowed us to modify each property to best suti it purpose: Calss room, Library, computer lab or test center etc, All have the latest technology and have central A/C.

9. How many are enrolled in the accelerated program, and what is its attrition rate?
Only 2% are enrolled in the 4 semester plan as it is very aggresive and we only invite student with an undergraduate GPA of 3.6 or hihger to particiapte in that plan. Our over all attrition rate for all phases is 6-7% with only half of that being directly due to poor academic performance.

10. Would you provide contact information of current or former students?
We will provide student contacts but only after the admission process in nearing its end only because they are very busy and we want to only send them people who are really serious and already have some knowledge of the program as a result of these kind of interactions and the formal interview process.

11. Does USE offer any USMLE I Prep Program (Kaplan, Workbooks, Lectures, Q-Bank, CDs)
It is expected that most students will particpate in a review course of varying styles and length and we have recently begun offering and incorporating materials from ExamMaster CD which is specifically developed to assist in Step I preparation.

12. Is USE approved for Stafford loans?
We are not and lilely will not be approved for Stafford in the near future due to law changes in 1988 requiring that 50% of our student come form the country of origin of the schools Charter.

13. How many full time administrative staffs? How many specific clinical staffs?
We have approximately 14 full time Deans Principles and admin along with their support staff and 24 professors currently that administer to your educational needs Three full time in Clinical, 2 in financial, 5 in basic science and the Principles who are very active in the day to day management of the program.

14. Does USE set up all of my clinicals, both core and elective?
We take responsibility for clinical placement but will always work with students should they have niformation that might lead to a new clinical encounter. Electives we act more as guides since the options for electives are nearly endless your interests are not neccessarily the same as other students. Most medical university programs will allow you to apply for electives as a visiting student for 4 to eight weeks and sometimes more.

15. Will USE have my entire 3rd and 4th year scheduled prehand, or one by one as I pull through each rotation?
As much of your clinical path is scheduled in advnace as possible. It is difficult to do more than six months since I do not always know the schedule s for th efull year at a given program and the goal is always to seek and place you in Green Book and that is a plan you and I will develope together depending on many factors that will come into plan between now and the time you will begin clinical rotations.

16. How many times do students relocate for clinicals on average?
I would say the average would be four if I have to discover the number of relocations especially when completing electives when you might be auditioning for residency programs of interest.

17. How long is the wait time (break) in between rotations?
Once rotations begin it is common to end a rotation on a Friday an dbegin a new one on Monday in a different department. July 4th week and the end of December many programs do not have students so it is usually time you will be down; Always can be used to study for upcoming USMLE exams.

18. How many residency programs do students apply to in general?
The average student in our program applys to 50-60 residency programs during the match.

19. Is it possible for a fall semester enroller to compete for a match in their 4th year?
If you were to join us in Sept 2003. It is possible to make the match of July 2007. The time lines are tight but it is possible. Some make it and some do not. You must be sponsored by a medical school to take the USMLE exams and be able to prove that you are enrolled at the time of the exam and eligible for the exam by beign in good standing and having completed enough education to be qualified for Step I or Step II etc.

20. Accomodations during clinicals- assisted?
Accomadations during clinical rotations is ultimately your responsibility but we provide as much assistance as possible and current students in those ares that you might be assigned are a great resource to incoming students as well. Only a few programs provide housing as part of the rotation assignment.

21. Is there a booklist for clinicals?
There is no book list for clinicals as it veries so much with individual preceptors, your $1000 clinical deposit is credited toward you tuition if it is not used up with addtional insurance premiums beyond the norm that we can provide.

22. I think it's safe to assume that students at St. E will need to go through at least four financial aid sessions as there are 11 semesters. This will come to ~$2000 just to get the forms that we can get for free on our own from individual loan programs. Is this a correct estimate? Or could we be charged more depending on how many loan programs we apply to (since we may have to take out multiple loans to afford the total cost for the entire academic year)? Is there any way to apply for Teri loans without going through the university?
When a student applies for a loan there is much more involved than sending an application to the lender. The loan processing fee includes credit review and counseling, processing of paper work to send to the lender, communication with the lender during the loan process, contacting students and cosigners for missing information or assisting students with obtaining correct documents to give to the lender to make sure a loan will get approved, mailing costs, accounting costs for processing loan money after a loan is approved, certifying loans and much more. The school gets involved whether or not a student submits a loan on their own or thru this office and typically when a student does that it takes much longer for the loan to get processed because it doesn't go thru the same channels that it would if I submitted the loan and information is usually missing. All students that get a loan thru the available lender pay the $495 processing fee regardless of who sends the application to TERI because ultimately this office must have involvement with the loan. The processing fee is basically charged once a year.

"You must be sponsored by a medical school to take the USMLE exams and be able to prove that you are enrolled at the time of the exam and eligible for the exam by beign in good standing and having completed enough education to be qualified for Step I or Step II etc."

So what is meant by USMLE sponsorship is just a verification with ECFMG that the student is eligible to sit in the exams- but not the actual exam fees?

"your $1000 clinical deposit is credited toward you tuition if it is not used up with addtional insurance premiums beyond the norm that we can provide."

I thought the school provided health insurance and malpractice insurance as covered in the $1900 supplemental fee (x6 semesters) during the clinicals. What would be this 'additional insurance premiums'?

"Electives we act more as guides since the options for electives are nearly endless your interests are not neccessarily the same as other students. Most medical university programs will allow you to apply for electives as a visiting student for 4 to eight weeks and sometimes more."
"we also expect to pay for elective rotations which can be just as important for you when residency interview comes around."

So even if I were to arrange my own electives, the university will be paying appropriate fees and stipends for my supervising doctors and the program department? I am aware that several teaching hospitals don't charge any more than $50-100 administrative fee for IMGs setting up their own core or elective rotations...

"Once rotations begin it is common to end a rotation on a Friday an dbegin a new one on Monday in a different department."

I just want to clarify... Students on average relocate 4 times for the entire clinicals, but in each location, would end one rotation on a Friday, and begin the next on the following Monday? If so, how long is the delay/break in between the relocation, and are they set up well in advance before the rotations in one location is finished? I'm just afraid that I'll do 3 rotations in a teaching hospital in one place, then be left stranded for couple months until another set of rotations are arranged somewhere else unless I'm willing to take non-greenbook rotations.

I also received a reply for Lori, and she informed me that there is no charge for transcripts for St. E graduates applying for resideny and licensure. Is this true? Is there a maximum number of transcripts one can order without a charge? Since students on average apply to ~50 programs during residency, having to pay $35 per copy would be... depressing!

I'm sorry that the past emails including this one is skeptical. But I hope you do understand how important it is for me to study all the loopholes before I go into a $150K debt.

Certification for exams is done by our offices but you send the fees with the exam application. The health insurance that you will have during the clinical phase in written such that each student is carried for 24 months. If the time between leaving the island and fiinshing your last week of clinical rotations is longer than 24 months than each additional month will have a fee of $200 to pay the additional insurance premium. It is expected that students will take approx 4 months (one term) to study for step I and sit for the exam. Should it take longer, each month after the first four "given" months will be charged the 200 until you m ight start rotations. Once rotations begin the insurance will then be incorporated into the tuition and the extra fees will not be charged. This does not happen very often and usually is as a result of Step I failure which delays student by up to 4-5 months.
If you were to arrange and be accepted for rotations we would expect to provide a stipend to each of the preceptors for the services provided to you at whatever fee would be expected or negotiated.
It is common to understand 3-6 months in advance what is coming available for rotations and I like to set up schedules as far in advance for each studnet as schedules will allow. Usually if you are moving form one location to another there might need to be a week between rotation to allow for transition to the new location.
You will not pay for any transcripts while you are a student with this program including the residency process. The ERAS (Electronic ResidencyApplication Service) only needs one transcript to be sent and the entire packet of information that you will provide is electronically sent to each residency program that you will apply to. DOn't worry about the transcripts. Thsi will only be a post graduate fee should you need on for credential verification and licensure issues once you are beyond residency. We also charge this fee to students who are transferring out of our program of which there have only been a half dozen so far that we have charged any transcript fee!

I understand your sketicism and there are answers to all you r questiosn thatI think and hope you believe to be reasonable since all the questions you have asked have been presented and addressed many times before. This is a difficult decision and I understand you want to arm yourself with as much credible information as possible. That shows me that you will have the diligence and need to seek understanding with your patients and their conditions in the future. Not a bad trait as a physician.
Best wishes and please feel free to continue using me as a resource.

Are you sure you don't wanna be a USE co-moderator? I think you've done enough research to be one.

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Finally beat Super Mario Bros within 7 mins.

That's why I'm so glad she's my partner in crime

She's got brains, organization, thoroughness, etc etc ...while I got......I got uh.......I'll get back to you on that

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Sometimes in life we have to be honest with ourselves in what it is in our best interest, even though it goes against our "want's" or egos.

Hummm you've got 337 posts, does that help?

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Finally beat Super Mario Bros within 7 mins.

I have a feeling that we're not Batman and Robin anymore Chris. You seem awfully close with microphage! Dang... I had your tights ordered and everything too.

Chris in tights...



Well, at least that makes more sense than "emerson24".












darn! this is post 194 -- and I am trying to cut back.

I'm speechless

If I'm wearing tights, I better have a S on the front.

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Sometimes in life we have to be honest with ourselves in what it is in our best interest, even though it goes against our "want's" or egos.

If there's a prize for verbal diarrhea on this forum, I know my posts will win.

Don't worry about it dt, once medical school starts for you, i bet you'll miss the days browsing and throwing your two cents at every thread!

yeah but what would all the micro fans do without all the useless posts??? (Yeah, I'm full of myself)

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Finally beat Super Mario Bros within 7 mins.

No offense but... Uh, you can keep him. I Know you had the tights fetish and all. Snazzy has the shorts fetish. ***** has the gun fetish. and I've got the useless post fetish(why do I always get the crappy fetishes?)

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Finally beat Super Mario Bros within 7 mins.