So are you saying that the social service may not be all that necessary?

That's exactly right, the social service will not be necessary. And why would it? Social service is a Mexican thing, not an American or California thing. Mexican culture dictates that its citizens have an obligation to society and government. That is the basic premise behind the social service requirement. Alot of countries work like this. I'm sure everyone can name a handful of countries where boys are required to join the army or at least participate in some sort of military training when they reach a certain age. The Mexican government doesn't make its people join the military, but if you become a doctor they figure you owe something to society.

America doesn't work this way. Additionally, Americans who study abroad shouldn't have to participate in social service. I'm sure that there are plenty of students at UAG like me who believe that they don't owe Mexico anything. Mexico gave me an education, and I'll give Mexico nearly $200,000 over the course of four years. That's a pretty fair deal. I'm sure that California will see things the way I do, and there will be no need for social service.

yes, they do. It is required by law to go to the draft and once in the draft you get a green or red ball. Green mean you dont have to do it, red means you will need to enlist and at least go once a month to a military training.

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From one of the speakers during Orientation, "There is nothing wrong with Mexico; it is JUST different"

This is what I would like to do to the "burros" of Megacable....

Check your sources.

As all mexican citizens will tell you, all Mexican males between 16-50(I think) are part of the reserves and if they "win" the lottery when they turn 16, must do training one Saturday a month ("marchar") for a year. If you don't go, you don't get citizenship rights (i.e. passports and such) and may be charged criminally.

Thanks for the complete process capitan. I agree, need to check sources before making such assumptions.

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From one of the speakers during Orientation, "There is nothing wrong with Mexico; it is JUST different"

This is what I would like to do to the "burros" of Megacable....

I am debating here whether I validate your point of view or not. I agree we shouldnt do social service based on our "status" and the fact we wont stay in Mexico to practice. On the other hand, I just dont like the mentality of "I dont owe Mexico anything" because whether you like or not, you do. You owe Mexico and the UAG the opportunity to become a doctor. An opportunity that was denied to you by the same country you adore so much. Maybe you can offer to pay the US your 200K plus you are spending in Mexico and see if they let you become a doctor. ummmmm not really huh? See my point? is this a fair deal? I think so. I respect your opinion and I have known many students that share your erroneous point of view. Sometimes is good to look at the reality of things; they might not be what we want but true indeed. I owe Mexico and the UAG the opportunity to realize my dream and I wouldnt be able to spend 200k in federal money if they wouldnt have given me this chance. Good luck

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From one of the speakers during Orientation, "There is nothing wrong with Mexico; it is JUST different"

This is what I would like to do to the "burros" of Megacable....

I stand corrected about the whole military service issue. I was not aware that Mexican boys had a weird lottery system when it came to military obligations. Regardless, I hope people see my point.

In response to rasputindoc's claim that we do owe something to Mexico, you're perfectly entitled to feel that way. If you want to spend a year doing social service in an underprivileged area of Mexico because you feel some sense of gratitude then that is your choice. However, most of us don't share that opinion. Also, don't just assume that students at UAG are here because they were rejected from American medical school. There are lots of reasons why people end up at UAG, and not all of them center around being unable to get into medical school in The States. I for one never applied to medical school in The States. UAG was the first and only application I filled out. I was accepted within two weeks of applying. I decided that instead of spending several months filling out applications, then secondary applications, then flying around the country doing interviews, it was better for me to just come here and get started. I started at UAG at the age of 26, when people I went to high school with were graduating from medical school. I felt a sense of urgency, and UAG was able to accommodate my urgency. I know of several classmates who made it into American medical school but decided to come to UAG. When else would they ever get a chance to live abroad? For most of us, graduating from medical school means going to work, paying bills, paying a mortgage, sitting in traffic, etc. The only time we'll see another country is on vacation. The older you get, the more your "opportunity cost" increases. Obviously, Mexico isn't as nice as the United States, but it's different than the United States. This is probably the longest look at "different" that most of us will ever get to see. I'll leave here with a medical degree and a story to tell. That's why I came to UAG.

I never said I wanted to do an extra year because of gratitude. All that I am saying is that we should be thankful to have the opportunity to be here . Just because we pay 200K plus doesnt mean we have to feel we deserve something special or be ungrateful about the country and the school. National students at the UAG pay about 100K and they still do social service. By the way, we all knew about the fact that if we couldnt do FPP, we had to do social service and the 6 year route. I am not advocating doing the 6 years. It is just that recently it has become an issue students dont want to do because they feel that they are paying enough money to get away with something 99% of latinoamerican countries do. It is a part of their program and it has nothing to do with the school/mexican system trying to upset students; it has been the law for many years whether you are a national or foreign student. Again, I am not against the abolishment of the 6th year social service. I am against the " I pay 200K, I dont owe anything to Mexico an the UAG". But, everybody is entitled to their opinion.
Now, in all honesty. I have known many students who never applied to the US because they knew their chances were dismal to get in. Some of these reasons were things such as time, age, grades, mcat. I, personally, have never met one student who was accepted in the US and decided to go to the UAG just to experience a new culture and the way medicine is done in Mexico. If there is such a person, you are lucky you met him/her. Good luck

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From one of the speakers during Orientation, "There is nothing wrong with Mexico; it is JUST different"

This is what I would like to do to the "burros" of Megacable....

I had a nice long conversation with Itze Lebrija in the San Antonio office yesterday. She is the person who handles all the paperwork involved with elective rotations in American hospitals. There are several rumors that have been floating around UAG that should be dispelled. First off, invitations to the Co-Op program are principally based on USMLE scores, not GPA or anything else. Those who have the best USMLE scores will be the first invited for the Co-Op program, which primarily takes place at the Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. If you get into this program, you can do 16 weeks of elective rotations for each of two semesters at this hospital. However, this DOES NOT mean that students not in the Co-Op program are precluded from doing electives in The States. Itze said that like half the students in each semester end up doing elective rotations in the United States at some point during their fourth year at hospitals all over the United States, even Harvard. She said that Dr. Villalobos is the man in charge of approving clinical rotations. So students have to obtain permission from him to do a particular clinical rotation, and then Itze handles the paperwork.

So it looks like UAG has a standing agreement to send a certain number of its fourth year students to Maimonides every semester for elective rotations. That's the Co-Op program. If you don't get into this program, you have to "make your own" Co-Op program. If you're savvy, proactive, and you don't mind getting on the phone and talking to hospital administrators to make your own deals, this is definitely do-able.

It is do able! Even students from the Latino have done rotations in the US. Under a different program of course!