Much Ado Re: Irma

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Puerto Rico (which already has funding issues for it school)


If the PR meds are further damaged with Maria, do you think the states' med school will take in students?

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What have you decided to do? Will you be going to England? Or will you stay in the US, beef up your GPA next semester, and apply to DO schools next summer?

My situation was this: I had a pretty mediocre GPA from undergrad, and took all my pre-reqs and did reasonably well as a post-bacc student to earn a GPA in the 3.1-3.3 range. I actually don't even remember what my GPA ended up being, since I had to reconcile quarter and semester credit hours and my undergrad (Davidson College) didn't even use credit hours--each class counts as 1 "credit hour" on the transcript, regardless of the course. Davidson is the only institution I know of that does this, and it made it a doozy to even know what my GPA was. But, my guess is somewhere in the 3.1-3.3 range.

Then I took the MCAT and did reasonably well with a 510 (one SD above the mean--yay!). However, I took the January MCAT, not knowing that I needed to have taken the test several months earlier to even be on time to apply for the incoming fall 2017 class for most schools. I didn't have a pre-med advisor and found some conflicting/bad information online, and screwed myself out of applying to all but 4 D.O. schools, which I applied to on the last days of their cycles. Despite my VERY late apps, I still was interviewed at 2/4 schools and also was waitlisted following both of those interviews. I feel like if I had applied earlier in the cycle, I would be in school in the US right now.

HOWEVER, I turned 26 this summer. I started going through the whole pre-med process at 22, immediately after I graduated from Davidson. I want to be a psychiatrist or possibly in family medicine, rather than an ENT surgeon or a dermatologist. I could wait another year, or follow the Caribbean/now-UK path that leads me to almost the exact same place. I honestly gave US schools very little of a shot, and with my personal history I feel like I can reasonably say that I'm not in the Caribbean because I'm "a bad student", I'm in the Caribbean because I'm impatient, lol.
 
If the PR meds are further damaged with Maria, do you think the states' med school will take in students?

I mean they are US medical schools accredited by LCME. For the shortage of physicians that already exists in Puerto Rico, it would be quite devastating to loose any students.

Do you think only one current year's worth of students will be lost? I think apps will be down, but I also wonder how many students will not be able to easily relocate to wherever their SOM sets up shop.

And don't these schools have enrollments that start 2-3 times per year?

As mentioned above, AUC is moving to England. I wonder how many will not go.

It's quite amazing that they are hoping to relocate hundreds of students in a matter of weeks to a facility in UK having no established presence there.
If I were a British medical school accrediting body, I would block such a deal for the sake of their own reputation.
 
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It's quite amazing that they are hoping to relocate hundreds of students in a matter of weeks to a facility in UK having no established presence there.
If I were a British medical school accrediting body, I would block such a deal for the sake of their own reputation.

I'm thinking the same thing. Cost alone will be a huge obstacle. And many students are married with children. Imagine suddenly losing many of your personal items (uninsured, probably), then getting back to the states, and then being told you have to quickly MOVE to England, set up a home, and begin classes in a matter of days?!? Where's the money supposed to come from to pay for flights, repurchasing lost items, etc? That $2k loan is likely long gone. Those with spouse/kids may have to leave them behind simply because they lack funding to fly them over.

I suspect that AUC is going to take a huge hit with current enrollment, and with future applicant numbers. Wouldn't be surprised if they don't start recruiting at high schools with the promise that these students can just skip college altogether. (Do they do this already??).
 
My situation was this: I had a pretty mediocre GPA from undergrad, and took all my pre-reqs and did reasonably well as a post-bacc student to earn a GPA in the 3.1-3.3 range. I actually don't even remember what my GPA ended up being, since I had to reconcile quarter and semester credit hours and my undergrad (Davidson College) didn't even use credit hours--each class counts as 1 "credit hour" on the transcript, regardless of the course. Davidson is the only institution I know of that does this, and it made it a doozy to even know what my GPA was. But, my guess is somewhere in the 3.1-3.3 range.

Then I took the MCAT and did reasonably well with a 510 (one SD above the mean--yay!). However, I took the January MCAT, not knowing that I needed to have taken the test several months earlier to even be on time to apply for the incoming fall 2017 class for most schools. I didn't have a pre-med advisor and found some conflicting/bad information online, and screwed myself out of applying to all but 4 D.O. schools, which I applied to on the last days of their cycles. Despite my VERY late apps, I still was interviewed at 2/4 schools and also was waitlisted following both of those interviews. I feel like if I had applied earlier in the cycle, I would be in school in the US right now.

HOWEVER, I turned 26 this summer. I started going through the whole pre-med process at 22, immediately after I graduated from Davidson. I want to be a psychiatrist or possibly in family medicine, rather than an ENT surgeon or a dermatologist. I could wait another year, or follow the Caribbean/now-UK path that leads me to almost the exact same place. I honestly gave US schools very little of a shot, and with my personal history I feel like I can reasonably say that I'm not in the Caribbean because I'm "a bad student", I'm in the Caribbean because I'm impatient, lol.


So, you're moving to the UK?

I think your impatience with waiting until next summer to matriculate is going to bite you in the butt in the long run. You still haven't paid anything to AUC, correct? You still haven't technically matriculated, right?
What if there are some sort of issues in the UK? Is your spouse going? Will he be allowed to work there or will he be forbidden? What if AUC has accreditation issues there?

@Goro can't post right now, but maybe @gonnif can share some wisdom about the choices you have before you.
 
I'm thinking the same thing. Cost alone will be a huge obstacle. And many students are married with children. Imagine suddenly losing many of your personal items (uninsured, probably), then getting back to the states, and then being told you have to quickly MOVE to England, set up a home, and begin classes in a matter of days?!? Where's the money supposed to come from to pay for flights, repurchasing lost items, etc? That $2k loan is likely long gone. Those with spouse/kids may have to leave them behind simply because they lack funding to fly them over.

I suspect that AUC is going to take a huge hit with current enrollment, and with future applicant numbers. Wouldn't be surprised if they don't start recruiting at high schools with the promise that these students can just skip college altogether. (Do they do this already??).

I certainly wouldn't wish anyone to be in the situation that Carribean medical students find themselves in. Now, the hurricane passed over Dominica and Ross U, which I believe is the largest school out there and also the has the same parent company as AUC.

In another news, Barry University evacuated their PA students off US Virgin Islands to the main campus in Miami. It is one thing to move 50 students to the main campus in US and another to try and move thousands (!) to some third-party country. Wasn't it just a brilliant idea to even establish a program in the Caribbean so that students and faculty could enjoy the beautiful beaches?

Barry University charters faculty, students in St. Croix to South Florida ahead of Hurricane Maria
 
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I honestly gave US schools very little of a shot, and with my personal history I feel like I can reasonably say that I'm not in the Caribbean because I'm "a bad student", I'm in the Caribbean because I'm impatient, lol.
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Student Visas
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None of this will happen for 3-6 months


Agree. And I think the UK requires that the student/family show that have all the money they need, upfront, to live in order to get those visas. That's another hurdle, particularly for families.

AUC is shooting for a Sept 29th start date in the UK, and it's Sept 19th already.

And, according to the below, they're still in the "exploring" stage for actual location.

Do you think they're stringing students along (and requiring a commitment) in order not to lose students and having to return loan money?


**Posted 9/18 at 9:35 AM ET

Multiple teams have continued to work to address key matters regarding our planned relocation to the United Kingdom, including regulatory approvals, curriculum, housing, facility and IT needs, student support services, and passport and visa issues. We learn more by the hour but still have many details to work out.

The location we are exploring is in northern England, in an area served by the Manchester Airport.

Regarding passport and visa issues, we are getting closer. I know that understanding visa and travel restrictions for families is very important. We have individuals dedicated to this matter and we are working to address your questions as soon as possible.

Finally, as a reminder, the deadline for notifying AUC of your intention regarding the September semester has been extended to tomorrow, Tuesday, September 19 at 5 PM ET. Please contact Rodney Bowen, University Registrar, at [email protected] to inform us of your plans.
 
Our family friend (AUC student) says that they're flying out Tuesday to the UK. Don't know if AUC has moved their start date from Friday. Seems like too much to expect students to fly on Tuesday and start classes on Friday considering the time change and flight time losses and getting settled into a new "home". They need to be "in seat" by Friday start date due to Fed Direct Loans.
 
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@AUCgirl619 Any updates?

I've seen some very recent social media posts from some of your fellow classmates and they're posting that they still have not been told where classes will be held or if they'll be any issues with getting education visas for themselves and the correct visas for their families. Has your husband found out if he can work while you're there or will his visa preclude that? The race certainly involves having students seated by this Friday which seems to be the deadline required for student loans.
 
@gonnif do you know what's going on with Puerto Rico's 4 MD schools? Are their students being brought to the mainland and placed in schools here?

Interesting that PR has four MD schools when the island's population is under 3.5 million.
 
@gonnif do you know what's going on with Puerto Rico's 4 MD schools? Are their students being brought to the mainland and placed in schools here?

Interesting that PR has four MD schools when the island's population is under 3.5 million.
PR med student here. Getting off the island is our schools major priority right now. I left before the hurricane hit. I remember looking for gas in San Juan before returning a rental and the attendant said that none of the gas stations in the area had gas, with a look of desperation. Got to the airport and everyone just wanted to get the hell out of there ASAP.

I bought a ticket the night before the hurricane online, and all the flights were full and I was freaking out, refreshing the airline websites over and over until I saw openings. I got 2 just in case 1 of them canceled, and I left within 12 hours of landfall.

I've just been following the news about how people are camping out at the airport 4-5 days with no air, food, or water, only to have their flights repeatedly canceled, and I'm so glad I got outta there.

I still have classmates that I haven't heard from in some of the isolated areas of the island that are cut off from highways and communications. No Facebook check-ins, no social media activity, nothing. I just hope they're alright.
 
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PR med student here. Getting off the island is our schools major priority right now. I left before the hurricane hit. I remember looking for gas in San Juan before returning a rental and the attendant said that none of the gas stations in the area had gas, with a look of desperation. Got to the airport and everyone just wanted to get the hell out of there ASAP.

I bought a ticket the night before the hurricane online, and all the flights were full and I was freaking out, refreshing the airline websites over and over until I saw openings. I got 2 just in case 1 of them canceled, and I left within 12 hours of landfall.

I've just been following the news about how people are camping out at the airport 4-5 days with no air, food, or water, only to have their flights repeatedly canceled, and I'm so glad I got outta there.

I still have classmates that I haven't heard from in some of the isolated areas of the island that are cut off from highways and communications. No Facebook check-ins, no social media activity, nothing. I just hope they're alright.

This is so scary. I have a lot of Puerto Rican friends who are desperately trying to get in touch with family right now. It seems most of them are finally hearing from someone on the island who is able to check on others on the island - but many are still out of touch. I hope you get some new soon. Keep us posted on the situation.
 
PR med student here. Getting off the island is our schools major priority right now. I left before the hurricane hit. I remember looking for gas in San Juan before returning a rental and the attendant said that none of the gas stations in the area had gas, with a look of desperation. Got to the airport and everyone just wanted to get the hell out of there ASAP.

I bought a ticket the night before the hurricane online, and all the flights were full and I was freaking out, refreshing the airline websites over and over until I saw openings. I got 2 just in case 1 of them canceled, and I left within 12 hours of landfall.

I've just been following the news about how people are camping out at the airport 4-5 days with no air, food, or water, only to have their flights repeatedly canceled, and I'm so glad I got outta there.

I still have classmates that I haven't heard from in some of the isolated areas of the island that are cut off from highways and communications. No Facebook check-ins, no social media activity, nothing. I just hope they're alright.


Scary. So you have no idea of what is being planned to move your education to the mainland? I did hear about some people here in the states that are trying to arrange PR students education here...so somethings may be going on w/o communication being able to be shared due to limitations.
Had your classes started for fall semester? Is FAFSA loan funding going to be a problem since schools won't be in session in time?
 
Scary. So you have no idea of what is being planned to move your education to the mainland? I did hear about some people here in the states that are trying to arrange PR students education here...so somethings may be going on w/o communication being able to be shared due to limitations.
Had your classes started for fall semester? Is FAFSA loan funding going to be a problem since schools won't be in session in time?
Our classes already started. I'm a 3rd year and I've been hearing that we might get set up with rotations at hospitals in the states. Already got student loans for the semester.
 
Our classes already started. I'm a 3rd year and I've been hearing that we might get set up with rotations at hospitals in the states. Already got student loans for the semester.

So you're a ms3? Wondering what they're going to do with the ms1 and ms2 students.

Don't know what the protocol is in regards to federal funds from FAFSA if the school can't complete the semester after a very short start. It would seem strange if a school can start, collect tuition money, but then stop after a few weeks...and not have to return loan money. @gonnif do you know anything about this for the PR schools that started the semester, received/dispersed fed funds, but now is in a state of suspended semester? This is different from AUC which hadn't even started the semester, so they need to have students in seats by Friday in order to satisfy fed funds thru FAFSA. Sounds like the PR meds were able to actually begin the semester before the hurricanes.
 
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