How is the social life at SGU? I hear that ROSS is very desolate and depressing, is SGU any better? and how much of a culture shock should I prepare myself for?

tough question. First, be wary of anyone who tells you one place is better in any way to another because rarely have they ever even been to both places. So I wont tell you how sgu is compared to Ross or anywhere else, but I will tell you the gestalt of sgu

Most poeple find the medial school part more of an adjustment than the caribbean part, but there are both factors. Bascically your lifestyle will probably be pretty good; Manhattan it ain't but Im in balitmore and i can tell you- Manhattan it ain't. SGU has stuff to do but you aren't gonig to the big city. Much of your social life will be on a smaller scale in that you'll be hanging out a friend's on or campus more than in pubs- there are pubs and movies but again-smaller scale. Some poeple hate it, some love it, most like it and have periods of Island Fever. The interview process tries to weed ou the folks who will struggle on the island as best it can- basically people find life is pretty much the same wherever they go- social people stay social and sgu does have a social life. Grinds will always be grinds.

__________________
Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

A better question to ask is "will i be able to balance a social life with studying?" There are literally 100's of students on the island and most of them like to do things other than study. You're bound to find things to do. Just to give you a perspective, let me give you a brief rundown of the things that went on during this first week of classes:

saturday night - AMSA chapter party at Grande anse - unlimited drinks for 10$US cover
Sunday night - Welcome back bash sponsored by the school - free drinks and free food for 1st term students
Monday - (classes start, 1st termers are freaking out)
Thursday night - call-out for surgery club with free pizza
Friday night - call-out for women's soccer, Heineken party 8$US cover (drinks and food included), party down at the Boathouse
Saturday night - Potluck for SO's (significant others), Caribbean student association party (10$US Cover + drinks)

Thats just the stuff that's been posted (and i that i can remember). Saturday morning someone rented a catameran and had a party and drinks for 25$US/person. Now that was only open to vet students, but you can get an idea of the things available down here. I heard of someone else who was renting waverunners for her and her friends saturday.

Realize this is the FIRST weekend of classes and everything right now is mostly review. I hear when time comes for midterms, there will not be any parties leading up to and the weekend of. But the weekend afterwards this is this thing called "Sandblast." I don't know what it is, but it sounds like fun. The weekend after that is a 4 day weekend for us. People typically take off and visit some of the other islands or do a short trip back home.

There is always something going on, and the more people you are friends with, the more opportunities you will have to be involved in "non-organized" stuff, like the waverunners and catameran. As i said before, You need to ask yourself if you will be able to balance studying with fun. Can you resist the temptation of a party when you know you have hours of anatomy to study? Some people party alot. Others don't do anything but study. And everyone else is somewhere in between.

well, SGU and Ross might be better if you want to study. ppl have told me it is nothing like the word you use, "depressing." compare it to something like AUC............. just go there for vacation for a week or two. You can choose from all kinds of not so helpful distractions such as but not limited to : 1) lots of casinos 2) legal prostitution (on the Dutch side) 3) plenty of marijuana, cocaine, extasy, and non existant police enforcement 4) native islanders stealing you blind 5) corrupt local government 6) continous party atmosphere 7) lots of drunk drivers ... accentuated by the constant flow of tourists.

But all these together and you have a recipe for disaster for all those students who do not have the personal discipline to attend medical school in this atmosphere. SGU and Ross have it good in this manner.

is traditionally fun as is the EMC midterm fundraiser party (which I started thank you very much).

__________________
Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

... is a third world country with its own charm... no, you will not find big city night life...

I met my wife there during our first term....

P

__________________
Jean Luc Picard
Academic Hospitalist/Assist. Professor of Medicine, Star Fleet Medical, Earth, United Federation of Planets
Borg-Certified... Resistance is Futile.

In Glock, We Trust... Everyone Else... Keep Your Hands Where I Can See Them.

http://www.odmp.org/search.php?searc...=2001&cause=27
http://www.nypdangels.com/wtc.htm
http://www.hampsteadnh.us/police/A%2...ica%20Died.htm
http://longmontpolice.com/MEMORIAM.HTM

many people meet spouses there.

__________________
Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

Hi guys, I don't want to sound too cynical here... but lets remember why you are going to St. George in the first place: to become a DOCTOR and to help others. The priority shouldn't be on a social life. The whole 'social' scene was something one got into in their undergrad studies, that is their first or second year.

I'm sure you'll make a friend or two and thats all you need... your priority must be your studies! TRUST ME! don't get distracted with socializing... I can tell you from experience... my GPA was a 3.75 and dropped to a 3.55 because I was an idiot and 'socialized' WAY too much in my third year! anyhow.... just keep in mind that marks are VERY important, and if you have decent social skills you'll always make friends...

8)

To be a medical student you MUST be disciplined: however it may also mark the firs ttime in your life where you have to tell youself -rather than to stop procrastinating- to put down your books. In med school there is little that is actually difficult conceptually; its just that you will NEVER have run out of things to study. So you have to learn to study efficiently and put it down; this isn't your life on hold; this is your life.
Not learning will mean you'll fail and thus ends being a doctor. BUt dont become one dimensional. LEarn to balance, its the key to it all.
steph.

__________________
Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

Medicine is a life-long learning process. It's impossible to learn everything in medical school. And through repetition, pattern recognition, your medical experiences will grow. And yes, a good physician is always learning and expanding his or her knowledge base.

Yes, it's very important to study all you can in med school so that you can be a competent physician. But remember that life goes on outside of medical school (and your medical career down the line)... and to be a well-rounded physician, you need to pay attention to your life outside of medicine. If you are constantly under stress of medicine, it will impact your ability to care for your patients.

So, yes, study all you need, but don't let life pass you by.

P

__________________
Jean Luc Picard
Academic Hospitalist/Assist. Professor of Medicine, Star Fleet Medical, Earth, United Federation of Planets
Borg-Certified... Resistance is Futile.

In Glock, We Trust... Everyone Else... Keep Your Hands Where I Can See Them.

http://www.odmp.org/search.php?searc...=2001&cause=27
http://www.nypdangels.com/wtc.htm
http://www.hampsteadnh.us/police/A%2...ica%20Died.htm
http://longmontpolice.com/MEMORIAM.HTM