Would moderator(s) please make this thread a sticky? We need it for 2007 accepted/perspective students info exchange.

Thanks

Can some one tell me if i need to bring
1.external hard drive, how many GB ?
2.thumb drive, printer?
3. food ?
4. how expensive is it to eat out and what is the situation like if one needs to cook ?

An external HD really isn't necessary (unless your laptop has an unusually small hard drive). By the way, definately get a good, durable laptop (a lot of students ride bikes here, and you'll probably take your laptop everywhere with you). It doesn't have to cost a lot (I got an HP for about a thousand).

Get a thumb drive. Probably a gig or more if you can

Printer is optional, but would be nice (they sell HP ink cartriges here)

If there's a particular food, spice, etc. that you want, you could bring it, but that's not necessary. There are lots of grocery stores here (If you want brand name stuff (like poptarts or tropicana) it will be a little more expensive).

I typically only eat out during lunch. You can get a sandwhich for 3-5 NAF (Netherlands Antilles Florins, aka: guilders) which is about 2-3 USD. But if you want a plate of food you can get it for about 10-12 NAF (6-7 USD), but that usually lasts me for 2 days. By the way, there's a microwave and refigerator in the student lounge. Pretty convenient.

Anything else, just ask.

__________________
Student, Saint James School of Medicine
[X]MD1 [X]MD2 [X]MD3 [X]MD4
[ ]Step 1
[ ]Clinicals
[ ]Residency
[ ]Life

This is a letter I wrote to a fellow ValueMDer. I think it will help a lot of the perspective students.

With Saint James what you get is what you see. If you look at their website and read ValueMD, you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect. I'm only an MD1, but the teachers that I've had are actually really knowledgeable. One fact I learned after getting here is that a lot of Caribbean professors are teaching until they get residency (or a visa) in the US, but that doesn't make them any less of a teacher. To be honest, the facilities at St. James are probably inferior to those at other schools. The classroom building is pretty old, but the roof doesn't leak, the airco works great, and each classroom has a computer and projector. The school consists of 4 buildings: the classroom/library building, the student lounge, the office building (for professors), and the anatomy lab building (which I haven't been inside, but I know that it's recently been renovated because the premeds were in there until the cadavers came and they told me it was nice). There are also rooms in the hospital (which is next door to the school) that are used by the premeds and MD3s. As you probably know, there are 4 prosected cadavers, acquired through an agreement with a Puerto Rican medical school. The school has decent wireless internet and a computer lab attached to the library. The only thing that really surprised me was the quality of students. The MD1 class has between 42 and 47 students, and I am one of only about 3 students who don’t have a bachelor's degree (only 90 hours are required to come here. I was in my senior year at Georgia Tech when I came). There are also about 10 students in the class with master's degrees (don't let that intimidate you, it doesn't give them a great advantage, it simply demonstrates the quality of St. James's applicant pool). The island is great. The people have been nice. There are a couple of beach bars that a lot of students go to on the weekends. Other than that there are a lot of opportunities to have fun on the island (I’m going to get trained in scuba diving this weekend). There’s also a bowling alley, a few gyms, and even a small movie theater. The only complaint I have is with the housing. There is enough, but sometimes it takes a little while to find. So try to come about a week early if you can. As far as the studies go, what you end up learning is pretty much up to you. If I were you, I would get all of the texts that are recommended (there are a couple I still haven’t used yet, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I would also recommend getting the BRS for each subject (so, for 1st semester, get anatomy, embryo, and histo). They will be your best preparation for the USMLE. The basic science is only 16 months (4 semesters) long, giving plenty of time to take the Kaplan review course before taking the USMLE step1. My favorite thing about the school, and the main reason I came was the SallieMae loan (and federal loans for Canadian residents). By the way, about half of the MD1 class is form Canada. Well, those are my first impressions of the school (having only been here a month). If you have any other questions, fell free to ask. You can also ask Whuds and MYMD, whom I believe are both upperclassmen.

__________________
Student, Saint James School of Medicine
[X]MD1 [X]MD2 [X]MD3 [X]MD4
[ ]Step 1
[ ]Clinicals
[ ]Residency
[ ]Life

Thanks shizzle,
For the detailed info. on SJSM. I think Sjsm is the only school that has Sallie Mae amongst the newer schools. That it self should tell the school has great potential to become one of the best Carib. med school. i just wish the school post the faculty members and their credentials that would really look great and also do some update on their site.
I chose SJSM after doing extensive comparing with other newer schools
1. they have lower tuition
2. they got Sallie Mae
3.great clinical sites
4.16mths basic science which give u more time to study for USMLE at comfort of your home.
5. and I personally think my diploma will look great

How is that sound to you ?

I like my light 4lb Dell 710! (you can get one for 1000 to 1200 direct) Yeah baby, Yes I have a USB driven 30gig HD a flash was not beig enough for me. It's up to you. Do not get a HD that has to be plugged in.
Bring a good surge protector with you.
Cell phones Just buy the 22usd nokia here cheap!


BTW Shizzle is right on, I have posted the building was not pretty, its old (130yrs) and yes they are fixing it up. But thats the main bad thing about SJMS now, the professors are pretty good and things are continuing to get better. Hey as long as the Professors are good and we have Airconditioning and LCD projectors for PPT then everything is cool I think!

MY.

For some reason this letter looks familiar...lol...Thanks Shizzle

But yes...they do have great clinical sites for a newer school. The building aint all that, but hey, im not there to study the building.

__________________

"Pain is temporary...Pride is forever"

Are you guys allowed to download the power point projections to study outside of class?

Also, what kind of monthly cell phone plans/prices are available on the island.

Thanks

Absolutly, in fact it is tradition the upper classmen share from the previous semester so you have what we had ahead of time, they do change but not that much.

Oh thats why you need a laptop, small light and powerful!!!!

Boo to Macs, they have problems on a Windows campus.

[quote=DocFiveO;513150]Are you guys allowed to download the power point projections to study outside of class?

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