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- Oct 22, 2019
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Hello all. I'm seeking some advice in regards to potentially transferring from one Caribbean medical school to another. I don't want to share which school because I'm not sure if my concerns are grounded in fact and I don't want this post to scare other students.
I'm currently done basic sciences and no longer in the Caribbean. I'm a relatively strong student and have qualified through my schools process to write the USMLE. I'm thinking of transferring after I get my step 1 score. I understand that transferring has risks, and that no school is perfect. Many of my classmates transferred to other schools during basic sciences, but I wasn't convinced that this was worth it for me. I could handle the island living and the med school environment, so I didn't want to disrupt my life and make a gamble that I may come to regret.
Since my next step after the USMLE is clinicals, the island that the school has it's basic sciences campus on doesn't matter to me. I'm also okay with moving anywhere for clinicals. What I do care about is the administration of the school, the clinical rotation experience and student support.
My main concern currently with my school is the lack of support. I can't get answers the my questions about important things. Student marks are not available online and my emails asking for access to my grades go unanswered. There aren't receipts for tuition payments and the accounting is often wrong, requiring extensive back and forth with the finance dept. I've done my part and scoured the student handbook for every detail about the protocols for every request and followed up at regular intervals. Basically, I'm scared that this will go from being an inconvenience for me, to a real problem, or that there may already be an underlying issue that's causing the school to not be running smoothly.
I may choose to stay with the school I'm at. That would be a lot easier for me. I've already paid for part of my clinical rotations and am looking forward to moving to the city they are held in, but I want to have some other options if my fear that things are getting worse comes true. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, especially if you have first hand experience as a student at a particular school.
I'm currently done basic sciences and no longer in the Caribbean. I'm a relatively strong student and have qualified through my schools process to write the USMLE. I'm thinking of transferring after I get my step 1 score. I understand that transferring has risks, and that no school is perfect. Many of my classmates transferred to other schools during basic sciences, but I wasn't convinced that this was worth it for me. I could handle the island living and the med school environment, so I didn't want to disrupt my life and make a gamble that I may come to regret.
Since my next step after the USMLE is clinicals, the island that the school has it's basic sciences campus on doesn't matter to me. I'm also okay with moving anywhere for clinicals. What I do care about is the administration of the school, the clinical rotation experience and student support.
My main concern currently with my school is the lack of support. I can't get answers the my questions about important things. Student marks are not available online and my emails asking for access to my grades go unanswered. There aren't receipts for tuition payments and the accounting is often wrong, requiring extensive back and forth with the finance dept. I've done my part and scoured the student handbook for every detail about the protocols for every request and followed up at regular intervals. Basically, I'm scared that this will go from being an inconvenience for me, to a real problem, or that there may already be an underlying issue that's causing the school to not be running smoothly.
I may choose to stay with the school I'm at. That would be a lot easier for me. I've already paid for part of my clinical rotations and am looking forward to moving to the city they are held in, but I want to have some other options if my fear that things are getting worse comes true. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, especially if you have first hand experience as a student at a particular school.
