Hi...

I might be going to Xavier University in Bonaire (or Aruba) in september 07. The only problem is housing there which I m really worried about !
Is there any girl (or east indian girl) from Vancouver who is going to Xavier this year for 4.5 premed/MD program?
Please do reply me asap.
Thanks.

Hey I plan on going to either Bonaire or Aruba this fall for the pre med program. I dont know which campus to go to. I plan on applying sometime this week. I am paki... and also looking for a place to stay.

Gl w/ that, its cutting it real close considering that you are wanting to enroll in the fall semester. I phoned xusom bonaire and they said that they accept around 20-25 each semester. If they tell you there are no spots left for sept... I'd wait about a week and den call back. I have been accepted to bonaire but I will most likely be going to drop out because I think my interview w/ SGU went very well. Again gl!

ind3r,

did you just get out of high school? or are you a college graduate? also, what state?

I got out of HS but I did so w/ an IB diploma. I went to a hs in BC, Canada. My parents wanted me to apply to Bonaire just incase if I didn't get into any where else... I just had an interview w/ an SGU grad as part of my admission process and it went pretty well. I like the way SGU asks the grads to conduct the interviews... not only does it show how successful one could be but also you can get great insight on how well SGU prepared him. He told me that he'd back my application up so I'm guessing i have a good chance of being accepted. Furthermore, since I had very good IB marks, SGU, if were to be accepted, will grant me two year credit for the Pre-med program so I"m going straight to pre-med year 3. Then, granted that I pass an aptitude test and maintain a 3.2 GPA, I can enter the MD program. (I won't be eligible for the BofS bt I really don't mind.) Considering that you have at least 1 year of undergrad under your belt and if you have a decent GPA, I'd suggest you try for SGU or even atleast inquire by phone and see how much credit you could receive for the content that you have already covered. It is undoubtedly much safer(just got look at the USMLE pass rates they are comparable to US/Canadian Medschools!) The interviewer actually told me how beneficial SGU is... he said that for his clinical rotations that the most of the people who were teaching him were actually SGU grads and so he ended up having great connections and his clincial years were one of the most enjoyable times in his life!
Once again, do some research and consider other Caribbean schools (the big four) as atm, Bonaire seems quite risky. Just some advice based on the research I have done... but at the end, it's all up to you!

When did you decide it was "risky", BEFORE or AFTER you applied and got accepted, or was it after a better offer came along?

After I did my research (this was after I got accepted, I had no prior knowledge of how Caribbean schools stand compared to US/Canadian medschools)... I told my parents I really didn't want to apply but they said i should... Futhermore, I am no way implying that its impossible to be successful @ Xavier or any other meschool for that matter. It all depends how hard you are wiling to work and how dedicated and effective teh teachers are. But you do have a greater sense of security knowing that you are going into a university that has a track record that can, to some degree, be comparable to US/Canadian med schools for success rates.

So you did your research AFTER you applied and got accepted......interesting strategy.

Wondering why your parents encouraged you to apply to a school you had done no reasearch on....

It's all very interesting.

they had gone and attended a seminar which was held here about 2 months ago...

A rep from SGU phoned today... I've been accepted =D