Hey all, this forum was really helpful to me when i was looking for a med school in the caribbean! So now that i´m all settled in here in the DR i thought i might share my experience with prospective students!
So...a little about my background...I´m from Kenya (East Africa), and I did a 4 year pre-med BSc degree in Physiology and Psychology at a university in Canada. The competition for med schools for international students in Canada was insanely high...so i decided to look in the caribbean. I considered Saba and St Matthews for awhile, but then I went to the DR for vacation last year and decided to check out UNIBE and INTEC when i was there.
I had done some spanish in high school, but not done it at all in the four years i was at university.
I applied to UNIBE first...and with my 3.0GPA....they didnt give me a place.
I then decided to apply to INTEC....the biggest challenge obviously would be the language. So after i graduated in Canada, I went back to Kenya for a break. At that time I enrolled at a language school, and had intermediate conversation classes, and advanced reading and writing classes 20 hours a week from a guy from El Salvador.
Another big challenge for me while applying was that there was no DR embassy in Africa except in Egypt. My documents for my application to INTEC had to be sent to the DR embassy in Ottawa Canada, and they charged me US$100 per document to verify them !! And the embassy then forward the documents to INTEC.
I applied for the August 2006 trimester. One of the requirements for admission was to write a spanish proficiency exam made by the language department at INTEC. So without knowing if I would be accepted, I took a chance and I flew to Santo Domingo from Kenya. I enrolled in a spanish school in the city for 2 weeks before the exam. I paid $US25 an hour for a personal teacher at the school and we had 6 lessons a day (except sundays) before the exam. My weak points were conversation and the subjunctive tense. So we focused more on that. I wrote the exam and completely aced it!
But just incase that was a fluke.....I had to have an interview with the assistant dean to prove i really could speak the language. It went well...he made it very relaxed....so the nerves went away.
The next day...went to INTEC and saw my name on the acceptance list!! Amazing moment!!
SO...LIFE AT INTEC!
My second trimester just started. Since I had a BSc i automatically skipped the first couple of trimesters, and depending on what courses you took...u can skip a couple more. So i started out more or less in the 5th trimester...i convalidated about 7 courses.
In my first trimester here, i took it easy. I took two dominican history courses, research methods in the health sciences, leadership and success (psychology) and the mandatory academic orientation.
The teachers are good...can be a little tardy....but the students are ok with it. The classes are more participation-discussion oriented then I was used to in Canada..its definitely makes the classes more interesting.
The work load is alot because of the trimestral system. Most students take at least 4 courses each trimester. When they say that the work done for a two hour class in INTEC is the same as the work done in a week at any other university in this region....they are not joking!!
Since my conversational skills are between intermediate and lower advanced...i was a little shy in class, but towards the end of my first trimester here....i was able to debate and discuss with the class. Most of the teachers speak slowly anyway when teaching. The teachers were really helpful knowing i was a foreigner...asking to students to speak a little slower when they were answering or asking questions.
This semester, i´ve dived right into the medical sciences, histology, embryology etc.
I am really happy i came here, i´ve met great people and (fingers crossed)...so far so good.
If anyone has any questions about INTEC...holla!! Ahora Ozzie tiene una amiguita Inteciana para ayudarle.
Thanks....and to all those still searching.....keep at it...it pays off !!
Bye,
Sierra

Congratulations to you. It is always impressive when a student is so motivated that he goes to another country and learns the language in order to follow his passion.

I can relate to your irritation regarding document verification. I also agree that the fee the consulate charges you for putting a stamp on your birth certificate is rather steep, but.. oh well! It is another country and as I already learned, many things are definetely done differently in DR. I'm sure you have learned that it's all a matter of adjustment.

You said that you considered other schools such as Saba & St Mathews. Did you have an opportunity to visit other Caribbean schools as well? If so, how did you like them? I also heard that there is another school starting up an English program in DR besides Unibe? Do you have any information regarding that?

I'm sure you will do great. I wish the best of luck to you.

Hey,
I considered Saba and St Matthews but i never went to see them. For me tuition was a factor, because I cant apply for any loans (not a canadian or US citizen)...so all of it comes from my parents pocket!!
So when I found out that the schools in DR were cheaper than both Saba and St. Matthews, I decided that was the place for me.
The only other english program in DR that i know of is in UNPHU. From what i've heard (this forum and students at INTEC), their English program is not the best. Their facilities are not upto standard, and they basically started the program to bring in some much needed foreign currency into their institution. If you want a good English program, stick with UNIBE thats been there awhile.
My two cents : you are going to have to learn to communicate efficiently in spanish anyway in two years for the clinical part of your program...so why not take 6 months to a year of spanish classes at a language school (reading and writing comes waaay easier than speaking..eat, drink and breathe spanish)...apply for a spanish medical program...the professors teach better in their own language....save yourself a few thousand dollars a year....work your butt off for four/five years, and leave with more or less the same result as the guy who went into the english program.
Just my thoughts.
Sierra