Thread: Bonaire September 2011

I was wondering if there was anyone accepted and going to SJ in september??? I have my interview tomorrow!

For the people going:
Where do you plan on living?
What made you choose SJ?
What is life really like on the island ( food, night light...etc)

I have also been accepted, but not sure if i want to go to this school. how will you guys fund your education. do you know any lender, who will give money for foreign school on lower interest rate

Hey congrats on your acceptance. I'm not sure as well, I plan on retaking my mcat in Jan, to see if i can get into the big four. I did my research on Saint James, It is obviously below some of the top schools but its an opportunity nonetheless. With that said, funding is an issue, I've looked up Delta and Affinity Credit Union so far. But they cant be compared to Federal loans that are available at SGU, Ross, and AUC. But ill see what happens Good luck.

I chose SJSM for reasons other than an opportunity. There are many positive things about the school if you research it in depth. All the things that matter in the end, regarding the Caribbean medical school you attend, SJSM possess. In the end, we will all be viewed as IMGs and we will all have to prove ourselves in clinical rotations and with our Step exam scores - no matter which Caribbean medical school we graduate from. The Step exams are what prove your abilities.

In the beginning, I had my reservations about all Caribbean medical schools (the "big four" included) because they all seem to be a little less seamless than U.S. schools. However, after thinking about it, what medical school does not have issues be it with faculty/staff, clinical rotations, step exam pass rates, etc (U.S. schools included). Further, at this stage in our education, we should be able to extract and process the necessary information regardless of who is presenting it to us. I mean come on; we will ultimately be responsible for people's lives which mean you have to be a quick study and possess a certain level of independence. Notwithstanding, there are some teachers that are better than others in all schools. As far as SJSM go, I hear that most teachers there are experts in their fields.

Regarding the loans, the interest rates are higher with the lenders provided by the school which makes deciding how to pay tuition an issue for many. But, when you consider those students at institutions who do not have loan options; or, if you consider the financial aid that some schools offer that will not cover the tuition that is three/four times the amount of financial aid offered, the high interest loans begin to look better. Title IV loans (U.S. sub/unsub loans) are not enough to cover tuition at the schools which offer it to students. The amount of loans (in the forms of fin. aid) will cover ~1/3 of your tuition/semester. So, working hard and saving may be the best way to cover the cost; even if that means prolonging your start date.

I have spoke to students from SJSM who are in MD1 - MD4, those in clinical rotations, residency and some who are applying for licensure in the U.S. and I was basically told the exact same thing I shared with you all above. Reach out to these students; they speak very candidly about their experiences. Also, there is an article that was done by a U.S. physician (Dr. Jessica Freeman) who advises U.S. students who are considering Caribbean medical schools. In the article Dr. Freeman (who worked on Mt. Sinai SOM NYC admission’s committee and residency program) addresses many questions that a serious medical student should be asking, numbers to contact regarding your school's reputation and/or credibility. Please google the article: Caribbean Medical Schools: A good option?

I hope the article answers some of the questions many of you are having. Dr. Freeman offers great advice and I did everything she suggested; thus I am now confident with my final decision to attend SJSM fall 2011.

Please let me know if you have any further questions. I will be happy to share with you what I know.

Best,

Dr2016

Well said, you bring up very valid points. I'm going to continue to do as much research as i can but hopefully I will see you Next Fall. Quick question, are you from the US? If so where are you from?

Matt1986, good luck with your research. I will advise anyone to research the schools in addition to former and current students of the schools they are considering. This will help you narrow your choices and help with coming to some resolve within yourself about the school you choose in the end.

My list continued to get longer and longer each day. I would read a lot of stuff that was posted on different forums and it would only confuse me more. Please, do not do this to yourself. Read people's opinions (mine included) with an open mind and use it for what it is worth to you. Dedicate the bulk of your time contacting ECFMG, IMED, clinical sites that the schools have affiliations with to make sure there is an active contract in place, verify that these hospitals are ACGME certified sites, and contact the states you are interested in practicing to find out what their policy is for IMGs being licensed in the state. While the only additional things that most states require of IMGs are an ECFMG certificate and to complete a residency at an ACGME certified hospital; however, I would check with each state of interest just to be safe. Gaining answers to the aforementioned questions will give you 'peace of mind' and more confidence in the school you choose.

I am from the U.S. - born and raised! I am currently in Maryland working on my master's in cellular and molecular biology. Are you from the U.S.? Where are you now?

Yeah will do, Thanks for your information it truly helps. Im from Staten Island, New York, Born and raised haha. Thats good, So your getting your Masters thats great! Are you planning on applying to schools in the US, or are you going to attend Saint James in the fall?

Matt1986, initally I was going to apply to U.S. medical schools but I consider myself to be a non-traditional student on many levels, so I feel that stepping outside the box will be a better fit for me. I am excited at the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time in another country/on an island. So, yeah, I will most likely be at SJSM in the fall. I want the experience and I feel that being in an environment with fewer distractions will be to my advantage.

Matt1986, I was unable to find you on facebook.

does anyone know a graduate from SJSM, doing residency.

and

although its SJSM forum

what do you guys think about Xavier Bonaire. i have been accepted to both the schools. but i can't decide which one to pick.

Its almosts 3 weeks that SJSM accepted me and i haven't replied them. i was supposed to reply them last week with yes or no. ms maureen is my advisor and she told me that if i don't call back, the seat will be gone.

so i didn't call back, because i got accepted to xavier bonaire.

however, maureen called me back this monday and left me the message. this kind a showed me that, they don't have students and they are really desperate to enroll us. even after telling me that i won't get the seat, she calls me..

Peace-md, I do not think that the seats filling for fall 2011 is a problem for SJSM. I know for a fact that there were only like nine seats left a few weeks ago. Perhaps, it is not the school needing you to enroll; but, instead, you have some desirable qualities that are sought after by SJSM - just a thought.

As for the graduates and residents from SJSM, you can Google "SJSM newsletter - March 2010” and it has a list of the students who matched for U.S. residencies, their specialties and the states where they matched. Additionally, you can look on the school's facebook page and contact some of the graduates and residents there. I found current and former students very helpful when making my decision. They speak freely and honestly about their experiences.

Concerning XUSOM, I was accepted there too. I decided not to go there because I could not confirm the active contracts with the clinical sites; some of the sites were not ACGME certified sites (instead the students shadowed physicians - who had affiliations at hospitals - in their clinics); and the cost. The clinical sites not being ACGME recognized will cause problems when applying to residency and for licensure in the U.S.. However, I was impressed with the fact that this school does local seminars, facilities, formal white coat/graduation ceremonies and the staff was nice and helpful.

Secure your seat somewhere so that you at least have an option.

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

Best,
Dr2016