Im a high school senior planning to go to unibe after i do premed requirements here in the US. Ive read basicly the entire forum and havent found a direct strong answer to some questions i have...

1: Is it better to buy a car here in the states and then ship to DR or is it better to buy in DR? and how much is car insurance per month? (just an average....not looking for an exact amount.)

2: im not sure if you need a ** ( apart from pre medical courses requirement) in something in order to be accepted into UNIBE medical school. Do you need one to get into UNIBE just like any other american medical school? Also... i plan to take premedical studies at a community college close by to save some $ Is that a problem? or it doesnt matter where you go as long you know your stuff (the basic sciences)

3: Are the stafford loans the only govermnment aid available to US citizens planning to study offshore? Ive looked and only find private loans.

4:I plan to do the English program at Unibe but would it really make a difference if i take the spanish program instead? I speak fluent spanish as i am a fellow dominican, but i am a US citizen planning to practice here and i think learning medical lingo in english would be easier for me. The question is...if i do take the spanish..would it be alot harder to adapt to the terms in english?

5: Does anyone know when the orientations to new students are because i plan to go to SD to check out unibe before i make my final desicion. i just need to know the usual months they have 1.

Any other suggestions are welcome as ive read alot in these forums and checked every possible source of info, and i still belive there is lots more i can learn. Thank you /)

Im a high school senior planning to go to unibe after i do premed requirements here in the US. Ive read basicly the entire forum and havent found a direct strong answer to some questions i have...

WILL ANSWER IN CAPS TO SEPARATE ANSWER FROM YOUR QUESTION
1: Is it better to buy a car here in the states and then ship to DR or is it better to buy in DR? and how much is car insurance per month? (just an average....not looking for an exact amount.)

YOU HAVE TO BE CRAZY TO DRIVE IN THE D.R.! NOT TO MENTION GAS AT $4.50 U.S. DOLLARS PER GALLON. SERIOUSLY, DRIVING CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS IN THE D.R. FOR THE UNINITIATED. YOU WILL NOT NEED A CAR IN THE PRE CLINICAL YEARS ANYWAY AND THEREFORE SUGGEST YOU SPEND SOME TIME CHECKING THE DRIVING SITUATION OUT FIRST.
BUT BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION, SHIPPING CAN GET VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE AND THE PAPERWORK AND LEGALITIES A NIGHTMARE. MOST STUDENT PURCHASE LOCALLY.

2: im not sure if you need a ** ( apart from pre medical courses requirement) in something in order to be accepted into UNIBE medical school. Do you need one to get into UNIBE just like any other american medical school? Also... i plan to take premedical studies at a community college close by to save some $ Is that a problem? or it doesnt matter where you go as long you know your stuff (the basic sciences)

A B.S. DEGREE IS NOT NEEDED TO MATRICULATE AT UNIBE. IN FACT, IN MANY U.S. SCHOOLS ONE CAN BE ACCEPTED AFTER 90 SEMESTER HOURS IF THE REQUIREMENTS ARE MET BUT YOUR GRADES MUST BE OUTSTANDING. PRESUME THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE IS ACCREDITED AND THEREFORE NOT A PROBLEM.
ADDENDUM: IF YOU PLAN TO PRACTICE IN MISSOURI, THEY REQUIRE A B.S. DEGREE IN ADDITION TO M.D. DEGREE TO BE LICENSED.

3: Are the stafford loans the only govermnment aid available to US citizens planning to study offshore? Ive looked and only find private loans.
ONLY AWARE OF THE STAFFORD LOAN PROGRAM.

4:I plan to do the English program at Unibe but would it really make a difference if i take the spanish program instead? I speak fluent spanish as i am a fellow dominican, but i am a US citizen planning to practice here and i think learning medical lingo in english would be easier for me. The question is...if i do take the spanish..would it be alot harder to adapt to the terms in english?

IF ONE OR BOTH PARENTS ARE DOMINICAN THEN YOU MAY QUALIFY TO ENTER THE SPANISH PROGRAM AS A DOMINICAN AND PAY DOMINICAN TUITION WHICH IS CONSIDERABLY CHEAPER THAN FOREIGN STUDENTS. ONCE YOU DECIDE, TALK TO THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICER FOR ADVICE.

IF YOU ARE TRULY BILINGUAL THEN THERE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM. MOST MEDICAL TERMS ARE VERY SIMILAR IN BOTH LANGUAGES. YOU WILL HAVE A DEFINITE ADVANTAGE IN CLINICALS BECAUSE REGARDLESS OF ENGLISH OR SPANISH PROGRAM, ALL HOSPITAL WORK IS IN SPANISH, THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE. AS A FURTHER NOTE, IT IS ALSO A REAL ADVANTAGE TO SPEAK SPANISH BECAUSE SO MANY IN THE U.S. SPEAK SPANISH AND PREFER TO CONVERSE WITH THEIR PHYSICIAN IN THEIR HOME LANGUAGE RATHER THAN AN INTERPERTER. IT IS A DEFINITE PLUS TO GET INTO A RESIDENCY PROGRAM.

5: Does anyone know when the orientations to new students are because i plan to go to SD to check out unibe before i make my final desicion. i just need to know the usual months they have 1.

ORIENTATION FOR NEW STUDENTS IS GIVEN THREE TIMES A YEAR IN JANUARY, MAY AND AUGUST. THE DATES OF COURSE VARY FROM YEAR TO YEAR.

Any other suggestions are welcome as ive read alot in these forums and checked every possible source of info, and i still belive there is lots more i can learn. Thank you /)

WILL BE HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS. JUST BE SURE THAT YOU WANT MEDICINE MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD BECAUSE THERE ARE SACRIFICES THAT MUST BE MADE AND THE HOURS ARE LONG AND THE WORK IS NOT EASY. IT DOES NOT TAKE A GENIUS BUT ONE NEEDS TO BE WILLING TO SPEND THE TIME NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS. BEST WISHES

__________________
ERNEST C. HOLBROOK, M.D. FACS

About the car,, i will have no choice because communting on carro publico every day will drive me crazy. i will be living in arroyon hondo. Just as long as car insurance isnt as expensive as in the US i will be able to afford having a car.

Both my parents are dominican and i was born in SD, so i should have no problem applying for dominican tuition. The problem is will i be able to still use the stafford loan? Because i am a US citizen and i wont have any other means of paying for college. $200USD per semester Is Great. that is alot cheaper than 4k per semester. But i need the loan no matter what.

Just Talked With A Friend And His Car Insurance For One Year On A 1998 Model Car Full Coverage Is Approximately $20,000 Pesos.

You Will Be Eligible For Stafford Loan In The Spanish Program But Don't Know Where You Came Up With $200 Usd Per Semester. The Cost Per Semester For The Medical Program Is Currently $36,000 Pesos (raised This Semester), But Still Cheaper Than English Section. Suggest You Personally Visit The School On Your Next Visit To Sto. Dgo. And Speak Personally With Registrar And Financial Aid And Student Affairs Directors. They Can Give You A Wealth Of Information.

__________________
ERNEST C. HOLBROOK, M.D. FACS

thanx for your help. appreciate it