Questions about Cebu Institute of Medicine

[Quac Dr]

I happen to go to one of the not so finer medical institutions of the Philippines and I’m thinking about getting out of here and transferring to a new one or even starting over at a new one. Currently I’m looking in to the Cebu Institute of Medicine. A lot of people are saying it’s a good school but other than mentioning their board passing rate they don’t say much else about it. So I’m wondering if anyone here can answer a few questions about the school for me:

First of all do professors come to class on time if at all? If not how late do they show up or how often do they show up?

Will they test you on the things that they actually teach you in class?

Do they actually write out new test papers for each exam or do they just had you the same test papers they have been handing out since 1978?

How does a typical class go? Do they give you assignments, research papers, etc?

Do they teach in English? All the time?

If you have a question about something will they take the time out to answer you? And if it is something they do not know will they look up an answer and come back to you on it or will they insult you because they think you are trying to test their intelligence?

Lastly, do the professors act like they are God’s gift to the medical world and you are some ignorant school boy who doesn’t have a clue?

Any info you can give me would be appreciated, thanks!

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[gil t azel]

I happen to go to one of the not so finer medical institutions of the Philippines and I’m thinking about getting out of here and transferring to a new one or even starting over at a new one. Currently I’m looking in to the Cebu Institute of Medicine. A lot of people are saying it’s a good school but other than mentioning their board passing rate they don’t say much else about it. So I’m wondering if anyone here can answer a few questions about the school for me:

First of all do professors come to class on time if at all? If not how late do they show up or how often do they show up?

Will they test you on the things that they actually teach you in class?

Do they actually write out new test papers for each exam or do they just had you the same test papers they have been handing out since 1978?

How does a typical class go? Do they give you assignments, research papers, etc?

Do they teach in English? All the time?

If you have a question about something will they take the time out to answer you? And if it is something they do not know will they look up an answer and come back to you on it or will they insult you because they think you are trying to test their intelligence?

Lastly, do the professors act like they are God’s gift to the medical world and you are some ignorant school boy who doesn’t have a clue?

Any info you can give me would be appreciated, thanks!

Just curious what school are you currently attending?

 

[Quac Dr]

Perpetual....
Where teachers on average are 1-2 hours late. We had one teacher curse us out, for our own good he says. Another teacher who told us "it's ok for me not to show up to class because I know everything but not for you because you know nothing." Maybe he should show up to teach us more often so we then would know something. I went threw an entire year with out seeing one of my professors, except for once at Starbucks.

I could complain about the school the whole day. The university is a joke.

Anyway, anyone have some experience regarding CIM? Seriously I would like to know how it is really like there.

 

[Cretinoid]

im still not a student at CIM, but it's my first choice of school in cebu. if accepted, i will hopefully enroll sometime this may. having cousins currently enrolled at CIM has helped me gain insights and opinions about the school.

CIM's curriculum is strictly PBL, though they said they they are planning to modify it just a little bit, maybe including more lectures. most people, particularly the med students in cebu, agree that CIM has the most rigid curriculum and training. and these may account for the very high board passing rating that they attain each year. as what ive heard, the schedule is quite loose since they use PBL. they hold focus group discussions and lectures in the morning and the students are required for some followups in the afternoon. the rest of the afternoon is for your independent/group study time. they are affiliated with chong hua hospital (the st.lukes hospital of cebu) and vicente sotto memorial medical center (the PGH of cebu). in my opinion, this makes their training very well-rounded.

but there cant really be said much about the buildings of the school which not very-well maintained. but i havent been inside any of their classrooms. i have only gone to the lobby and some of the offices. but i guess in the end, these wont matter as long as you have the passion to learn and to pursue your goals. this lack can be compensated by their very competent teachers.

i just gave my few cents on this matter. i, too, have been waiting for the replies of those who really come from CIM. btw, have you checked their website already? there is also another forum here about CIM and cebu doctors.

 

[Quac Dr]

Thanks for the reply cretinoid. Yeah, I saw saw the website and the other thread here but other than people saying it's hard and that they have such a good board passing rate no one gives much detail about the curriculum.

Having a good board passing rate is good but personally I don't think it can tell you much. Some schools are very selective and only get the best. Obviously they are going to do good no matter where they are. My school is not so selective but I bet over half my batch can pass the boards in the end. And they will pass because of their own efforts, the school will only be supplying the degree. The others who are not so passionate, who are only there because their parents are making them be there, will most likely get a degree as well but probably won't do so well in the boards.

Personally I'm just tired of the crap I have to deal with at this school. So even if 100% of CIM's students pass the boards but I have to deal with the same kind crap I do at my current school, in my opinion it's not worth it. When I pay for a service, I'm expecting to get something in return.

 

[health3]

What year are you now in medical school?

 

[Quac Dr]

I would be going in to 3rd year med if I stay at this school.

Hmm... so no one on this forum attends CIM I presume.

 

[Cretinoid]

yes, i agree with you quac doctor. after all, we should choose the med school that best suits our wants, needs, and personality. each school has its own pros and cons - it is up to us to weigh them down and decide. good luck to you in finding the right med school for you!

the people at CIM may be too busy to check out the forums here. im still eagerly waiting for their comments.

 

[cimjunk]

just wanna share something.... though i left the old place a long, long time ago ... and the training method may have changed to PBL.... our dean is still there... after all these years!!! So i can honestly say... you get what you want when you go to this old school.... you become a healer.

I am proud to have finished medicine there... cause it made me a better doctor... they worked us hard then.... but when i left those hallowed halls... i was confident that i was a good doctor. Unfortunately, not many will boast that they come from CIM. Coz they don't need to. Their practice speaks for them.
So if you do continue and transfer ( and forget the 2 years already spent somewhere) Good Luck! And More Power! And may the Sambag Tree give you shade while you study for the next exam in the social Hell!

 

[PA Paul]

Hi I'm from the united states and work as a Physician Assistant and want to get my MD degree. What medical school could I transfer in. I have been doing cosmetic dermatology for 7 years now in the United States. I just want my degree. Can anyone recommend a medical school easy to get in. Money is not a issue. How much is the average tution a year in american dollars

I need help 911!!!!!!!
Please email me at [email protected] for more details.

 

[LocutusofBorg]

I've been *grudgingly* accepted to CIM and I am ecstatic!! Grudgingly because my undergraduate performance is very very low (overall GPA under 3, at least 10 failing grades on record, almost no clinical experience, etc, etc). So although i haven't attended CIM yet, I can say that I'm an example of their NOT cherry picking their students.

Also, from walking around the building, I can't say it's really that terrible. I mean of course it cannot compare to the gorgeous campus of UST. But seriously, it didn't appear to be a barnyard. In other words, the bare minimum required to learn appears to be there.

The Perpetual experience sounds terrible. I hope the same isn't true for CIM. But on the basis of everyone that I spoke to, their biggest complaint is the workload. Everyone said they loved the professors there, and thought it was a good place to learn.

Dude, hop down to Cebu, and visit the school for yourself. Of the 3 schools that accepted me in Phils, CIM was the one that truly grabbed my heart (with UERMMC being a very close second... tuition cost was the ultimate tie breaker).

 

[Quac Dr]

I was told that CIM doesn't take transfers with passing marks, even if they were to start all over again. For some odd reason, so unfortunately CIM is not an option for me. Well, to plug their competition, hey LocutusofBorg I understand that CDU allows you take an entire year of clerkships in the states. Something you might want to consider.

For PA Paul the majority of the schools in the Philippines are easy to get into especially if money is not a concern.

 

[LocutusofBorg]

For PA Paul the majority of the schools in the Philippines are easy to get into especially if money is not a concern.

Getting in is easy.... getting a student visa is HARD Any filipinas on this board want to marry me so I can get filipino citizenship????

 

[ravensong]

Getting in is easy.... getting a student visa is HARD Any filipinas on this board want to marry me so I can get filipino citizenship????

hahaha...

good luck!!!

 

[chappy88]

how much is the tuition? someone told me it is less expensive here. i really like to know for me to decide where to study. thanks

 

[angiostent]

the most common tuition fee here is p80,000. the highest is 90,000 or 93,000 or lil bit higher. the lowest is 23,000. plm around 40. up around 20. ust 70. uerm,feu, mcu 80. st. lukes 93.

 

[saykiatrist]

wow. i'm really starting to reconsider cim. i was more of a pro-cdu before... but now i'm starting to think, maybe cim is the better choice. is it? it doesn't matter to me if their facilities aren't as good as the ones in cdu, what matters to me is the training. i want to be competent in my craft. and, judging by the posts i've read in this website, cim seems to be the better choice. =) hmm. i'd better visit those two schools soon, to see things for myself.

 

[xanthine]

cim student here... we'll the thing about the facilities are true.. aside from the amphitheater all the other rooms are not air conditioned.. anyway CIM is strictly PBL.. let me give you a sample of what happens on PBL.. Anyway the whole class is divided into PBL groups... and you will be working with your PBL group for the rest of the year...

Example scenario... let's say the topic you are on is about the respiratory system... the first day is what you call PBL A.. you are given handouts that contains 'stories' or activities and exercises regarding the topic.. after you've read the handout you discuss within the group previous knowledge regarding the topic and possible learning issues or question you might have.. after that the facilitator (A facilitator/doctor observes you throughout the whole discussion) gives you a competency.. The competency contains guide questions or outline on what is to be discussed on the next day as well as the list of books and chapters you have to read.

On the next day is PBL B.. you discuss within your group what you've read the day before with the competency as your guide.. The facilitator is still there to observe and guide you during your discussion

Throughout the week we have correlates.. that's our equivalent for lectures.. it's not 'lecture' per se.. the correlates are simply there to clarify any learning issue or questions that were not answered or you had difficulty with during your PBL discussion. correlates last for about an hour at most.

Personally, this method works best for me.. long lectures doesn't really work for me.. I fall asleep in the middle of it.. I prefer reading on my own.. hope this helps..

 

[jskim]

once i thought about going PH to study MED. But because I'm not US citizenship, I worried about getting VISA after graduate.
...

Also I visited CIM to see the building itself. Well, it was scary. it was like a building of ghost appearing.. but but... i also think it will not matter after all, while a lot who attend CDU which has nice building under-perform than CIM students.. I don't know why but I guess it's because they teach well.

 

[Bridge5595]

cim student here... we'll the thing about the facilities are true.. aside from the amphitheater all the other rooms are not air conditioned.. anyway CIM is strictly PBL.. let me give you a sample of what happens on PBL.. Anyway the whole class is divided into PBL groups... and you will be working with your PBL group for the rest of the year...

Example scenario... let's say the topic you are on is about the respiratory system... the first day is what you call PBL A.. you are given handouts that contains 'stories' or activities and exercises regarding the topic.. after you've read the handout you discuss within the group previous knowledge regarding the topic and possible learning issues or question you might have.. after that the facilitator (A facilitator/doctor observes you throughout the whole discussion) gives you a competency.. The competency contains guide questions or outline on what is to be discussed on the next day as well as the list of books and chapters you have to read.

On the next day is PBL B.. you discuss within your group what you've read the day before with the competency as your guide.. The facilitator is still there to observe and guide you during your discussion

Throughout the week we have correlates.. that's our equivalent for lectures.. it's not 'lecture' per se.. the correlates are simply there to clarify any learning issue or questions that were not answered or you had difficulty with during your PBL discussion. correlates last for about an hour at most.

Personally, this method works best for me.. long lectures doesn't really work for me.. I fall asleep in the middle of it.. I prefer reading on my own.. hope this helps..

are the any foreigners at CIM ! im a foreigner at CIM and hoping to start in 2012.are they strict when it comes to admission ..........GPAs,NMAT and all .how much are the apartments around CIM,on average hoe much does one need to survive per month as in the cost of living .i need all the information I can get about CIM im not worried about air con and all

 

[10years]

are the any foreigners at CIM ! im a foreigner at CIM and hoping to start in 2012.are they strict when it comes to admission ..........GPAs,NMAT and all .how much are the apartments around CIM,on average hoe much does one need to survive per month as in the cost of living .i need all the information I can get about CIM im not worried about air con and all

try to look at locutusofborg's earlier posts. he did get into cim even with "not so great" grades. they did grill him on the interview because of his shortcomings. you have to find his posts because i am just writing down what i remembered he wrote. are u considering other schools?

 

[10years]

are the any foreigners at CIM ! im a foreigner at CIM and hoping to start in 2012.are they strict when it comes to admission ..........GPAs,NMAT and all .how much are the apartments around CIM,on average hoe much does one need to survive per month as in the cost of living .i need all the information I can get about CIM im not worried about air con and all

sorry, i was actually referring to his post above our posts. i just noticed it when i scrolled up. are u looking into any other school?

 

[Alexandercorvinus]

I just want to ask if they accept failed medical student from other school?