St. Christopher's College of Medicine

[cousteau]

I would like some information about St. Christopher's College of Medicine.

What is the on campus housing like?

Where are the 3rd and 4th years completed?

What kind of residencies (specialties, locations, etc.) are graduates obtaining?

Please include any other information that may be helpful to a prospective student.

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[neilc]

i have a personal problem with this school, so you may want to take what i say with a grain of salt..

i have a freind who attended, and it was such a negative experience for him that he is to paranoid to talk about it. anyhow, i was told that they have a very shady operation, including having only 1 teacher for the majority of subjects. my buddy feels woefully unprepared for the usmle based on his schooling.

my personal problems stem from another forum where st chris administration routinely lie and mislead students. they attack other schools (esp, AUC which is a proven carib school) . they make ridiculous statements such as "it is illegal to release the names of graduates and there residency positions" when many schools do this both here in the us and abroad.

anyhow, i think this is a school to be avoided. even if you choose to ignore what i have experienced, then consider that not a single st chris student has passed the usmle, and that anybody placed in residency or clinicals has been a transfer. that casts some doubt on the quality of the basic science education at least. i think there are too many high quality schools out there (st georges, auc, ross, australia, ireland, hungary, czech republic) that offer a proven education to risk any money at st chris.

every school has to start somewhere, but do you want to be the guinea pig? and a school would do well by being up front and honest about any shortcomings, and should stay away from lies and attacks of other schools.

if you want to see some history, visit www.network54.com/forum/4609.

look back in the old pages and you will see what i am talking about.

anyhow, i don't mean to be so long winded, but like i said it is a personal thing. hope this helps, and good luck whatever you decide.

 

[cousteau]

Neil - Thank you for your comments on the school. I am a bit surprised/disappointed that I have not received more feedback.

 

[neilc]

i don't think they have too many students out there. also, this is a very legit forum that would not tolerate the stuff that usually goes on with a st chris discussion...anyhow, take a look at network54, so some research and look at other schools as well. don't take my word or thiers, do your own homework. i don't expect you will be too satisfied, not with all the other options out there.

the school seems to be a great idea, but i just can't get over some of the statements they have made and the seeming immaturity of both students and administration at the school. like i said, being a new school is nothing to be ashamed of, and with time if they are legit they could show it with results.

good luck with everything, and sorry i can't be more positive.

 

[cousteau]

I appreciate your candidness. I did review network54.com and found an abundance of information.

Best of luck to your friend. I hope things work out for him.

 

[Duncan MacLeod]

Wow, "It's like Deja Vu All Over Again"

To anyone that is new to these or similar boards or reading them for the first time: Beware of the trash talkers who will bash, attack and spew out dubious information about various schools without first hand knowlege.

As a current student at St. Chris, I can assure you that the school is actual, well equiped, and has students involved in all stages of their medical education, including the basic sciences, clinical rotations in the US and in residencies.

The School is going through it's last phase of consolidation this semester-meaning that the the former structure of two campuses are being incorporated together here in Luton, which in my opinion is a great move!

Please note the writing style of the people posting negatively on this board. You WILL see them time and time again! Usually writing under different names and most likely with no e-mail address. Their comments are irresponsible, reckless and can even be considered unethical. Almost unbelievable for a future medical doctor.

Researching and finding the right medical education for yourself is serious business. There are some decent offshore schools that can help you acheive your goal. But, ALL of the offshore schools (again,in my opinion) have flaws or at least pro's and con's, and therefore not all schools are appropriate for all students.

There are a lot of factors each of us must weigh in order to be comfortable with our decision (i.e. location, cost, years in existance, staffing, states in which they are recognised and clinical rotations to name only a few..)

For those out there that may want to consider St. Chris, It's best to come for a visit, sit in on classes and chat with the students and profs. You can also find the names and e-mail addresses on the St. Chris forum of students like Mike Klele ([email protected]), and others who would be more than happy to field student to student questions about the school, classes, workload, facilities and more.

If you need a students perspective and have a brief question drop me a line with your e-mail address and phone number-or I'll send you mine, and we can have a brief chat (it's easier and quicker for me to do the phone thing)

With regard to the false statements about facilities and staff: There are plenty of faculty with some new additionds being expected in the next couple of weeks. And regarding facilities - everything you would expect from a university in the states is here, which to me is a real positive, no makeshift this or that. Having said that, nothing is perfect including St. Chris. The dorms here are spartan/very basic (not as good as in the states)-having said that I don't believe it's mandatory to stay in them. Also the library closes at 10pm on weekdays and at 5:30pm or so on weekends, which kind of sucks (The ITCenter/Computer Lab is open till 2am though). All in all though, I think the positives outweigh the negatives.

Best of luck to all in their research of medical schools or in their coursework, regardless of what school you are attending. Its time to take these boards back from the immature and bored out there and to once again make it a positive student to student tool for dialogue and assisting others!

"Duncan"
St. Chris Student

Posted on Oct 9, 2002, 2:42 AM

 

[neilc]

again, to really see what kind of students st chris has, visit www.network54.com/forum/4609

i think it says it all.

 

[ParalelUni]

I have noticed that in every discussion that has involved St. Chris, that Nelic has never had anything to nice to say about it, even though he has never attended the university. Also Nelic is attending medical school outside the United States, so I cant imagine what his issues are with this medical college? I was always told unless you have something nice to say, dont say anything at all, and I think this definetly applies to talking about a medical school that you have never attended.

 

[ParalelUni]

In addition, I can?t imagine that anyone would use the comments of a bunch of people who claim they are St. Chris students on a non-affiliated message board to say anything about the medical school??
I could say, "I am the Emperor of Japan and that China stinks!" but that doesn?t mean that I am the Emperor of Japan, or that China necessarily stinks. Provide me with some hardcore evidence to support your claims, and then I will believe you, if not, go and put up some useful replies!

 

[neilc]

so i should only post if i have something positive to say? sort of defeats the purpose of the discussion, i think

my problems with st chris follow, and they are based on my experience with those who claim to attend or represent st chris, and from personal experience with a previous student who wishes to remain annonymous:
1. the school has made ridiculous claims (eg we cannot release the names of grads and their residencies because it is illegal..many schools do release these lists!)
2. the attempts to divert discussions about st chris into personal attacks against those who speak against st chris (you prove this point well, as your points do not address the original question at all)
3 blatantly misrepresenting the school on the website by posting pictures of other universities (cambridge) on its website without clarifying that it was not a st chris facility
4. reports from a previous student that nearly all classes were taught by one professor in a rented room above a burger king

these are a few that pop to mind. i have every right to share this information with anyone who asks. if it is incorrect, point this out to the poster, provide information on how it can be verified. if i am wrong, great! i hope things are getting better there...

the reason i refer people to the other website is to demonstrate what happens when st chris is discussed. it results in an outburst of personal attacks, unrelated charges and diversionary tactics. whether they are from students or admin, does not matter. i would not want to attend a school consists entirely of people that are not mature enough to participate in a debate .

i freely admit i have a personal issue with this school. i made a point of mentioning that. take my input or leave it, i don't care. but i do have every right to post my opinions.

 

[cousteau]

Neil: I originally posted my question and was surprised to receive an email from you - a student in Prague, Czech, who has never attended St. Christopher's College. Your "friend's experience" seems irrelevent. What ever happened to your friend, anyway? You fail to disclose this. You know nothing about the school. Yet, you consider yourself enough of an authority to post negative comments.

Thank you for the link to network 54. Unfortunately, most of the information is dated.

My original inquiry last week was intended for those who could accurately depict information about the School. Unless you subscribe to the clich?, "I have a friend, who has a friend, ...", please refrain from posting feedback on topics you have absolutely no knowledge of. It defeats the purpose of the forum.

 

[neilc]

sorry you did not find my info helpful. my freind transfered out of st chris and into a different offshore program.

just trying to get some info that would not come from st chris.

good luck.

 

[The Pill Counter]

still looks like a sham
it's a rent-a-school
instead, make a trip to london or north to birmingham and see what real medical schools look like

 

[Thewonderer]

Neil has written quite a few posts before and his comments have been fairly helpful. Instead, I would be more wary of ParalelUni who just showed up of nowhere and post his very first 3 SDN posts on this same thread. And it is true that ParalelUni did not refute anything that Neil said.

From my previous experience on princeton review board and here, I do get wary of posters who might be recruiters (i.e. just show up from nowhere and post a bunch of nice things about a school, along with personal attacks of opponents). I have also rarely heard of anyone here who likes to speak to you "personally on the phone."

 

[Duncan MacLeod]

A few notes:

First: I don't believe these boards are about some kind of numbers game-meaning the one who posts the more is obviously the most knowledgable, sincere, wisest, best or whatever.

Second: Not everything has to be a debate, with items refuted, etc.

Third: as a student who was doing research on schools just a short time back, I really appreciated when people would agree to speak with me on the phone. You can get a lot more information in a short period of time, guage to some degree the persons seriousness, get pro's AND con's, and more. Coming from the business world prior to returning to study medicine, I learned people appreciate an extra bit of consideration. I actually have a difficult time believing someone could find fault with trying to assist another student...

These boards should be about helping other students. Enough with the games, school wars, ganging up on specific posters etc. Medicine is all about collaboration. Let's all start acting like doctors instead of ego driven individualists....

Wonderer, best of luck to you and continued success.

"Duncan"
St. Chris Student

 

[neilc]

thanks for the vote of confidence wonderer.. but just fairly helpful???jeez....

duncan, i heartily agree...more corroboration and less infighting. i reread my post, i could certainly have been less infllamatroy about my veiws, so i will do my best to be better at that.

all that matters is that people have the benefit of others experience/knowledge. they can choose to do what they want with it. and it goes without saying that there will be many disagreementw when it comes to opinions about different schools, etc. the mature individual will agree to disagree, and behave like a good person, which includes refraining from personal attacks.

i do hope i have helped some people here. i certainly have learned a lot over the time i spend here. and i am certain that i have pi$$ed a few people off...oh well, such is life! i didn't mean it....

best of luck to all!

 

[Bobby Bo]

The following is Neil's latest post (posted soon after the one above where he says he will do his best to mend his ways) on the perfectdoctors.com forum. Neil, you are a disgrace to yourself, medical students around the world, and to Charles University. For those who may have a "good" image of Neil because of his posts on this forum, you don't know the real Neil -- the guy who posts lies and insults on the perfectdoctors.com forum (where he is a forum moderator). Just go take a look if you don't believe me.

http://img.com.tripod.com/


by neil c (Login ncor33)
Forum Moderator

there is no recruiter in new york.

she is the rep of the school, she administers the entrance exam, gets you a dorm room and visa, etc...no fees, no sales pitch, no promises no nothing but free help, and limited help at that.

you pay no fees to her, she does not seek students. the only way to meet her is through the school, as far as i know.

there are so many posts from st chris students saying it looks foolish to degrade another school to make yours look better. st chris is the only school i see doing that. charles university should never even be in this thread. if you think st chris even remotely compares, you are sadly mistaken. your school is a joke, run by a grace "grad"...hah! we have had many usmle successes...i know personally 3, there are more out there as well. st chris has zero. we have departments that perform research in all medical disciplines. st chris has 1 prof from zimbabwe teaching several topics inadequatley. you guys are a joke, such a joke and you don't even realize.

this is my last reply to any ******s from st chris. you are toooooo stooooopid to have a reasonalble, inteligent discussion, you are toooooo stooooopid to get in anywhere else, you are tooooo stoooopid to see that you are being screwed in the pooper. if any prospective students ask, i will continue to tell them what i know. i will continue to refer people to this board just to read your idiotic posts. i cannot tell you how many messages i get daily from people on other forums that laugh out loud at what they read here. they can see, as can any reasonable human, that st chris is populated exclusively by folks who had NO OTHER OPTION.

enjoy!
neil

Posted on Oct 16, 2002, 1:51 PM
from IP address 62.24.64.12

 

[Bobby Bo]

After seeing the maniacal Neil go at it recently, I did some research and delved into his other posts on the perfectdoctors.com forum. It ain't pretty, let me assure you. For those with sensitive stomachs, please stop reading. Here is more of the nice young man Neil. Its from the IUHS forum at perfectdoctors.

http://www.perfectdoctors.com/iuhs.htm

(go back a couple of pages til you get to Aoril 2002)


hello people, this school sucks! neil c 1 Apr 13, 2002, 12:12 AM

total dump. and the girls are ugly too! neil c - Apr 6, 2002, 4:49 AM

silly rabbit, tricks are for kids neil c - Apr 6, 2002, 4:47 AM

i wouldn't go here if they paid me! neil c - Apr 6, 2002, 4:46 AM

iuhs sucks...taste of your own medicine neil c - Apr 6, 2002, 4:45 AM

 

[neilc]

you guys are all the same...what it the title of the thread we are on??? st christophers college of medicine, right? so respond to that or to my reply. you are the kings of diversion...but it does not work. this is not the place for your personal battle against me.

i agree 100%. go check it out. the forum is a joke, the students of both iuhs ans st chris are not so bright. i always encourage people to go there to see the kind of mentality it takes to be a st chris student....read something negative, start insulting and diverting. good strategy.

the forum is good for a laugh, though.

thanks for the links bobby bo...i particularly like the iuhs links. funny thing. last year the forum was all about iuhs, and what a joke. the "students" at iuhs were very similar to st chris, spouting all kinds of insults, etc. now, the school is know as a total joke, a waste. you guys are walking in their grand footsteps.

strange, though...all of you new posters. seems like the st chris is pulling out all the stops. and you guys do nothing but attempt to descredit me. i know defending your school is pretty pointless, but there are plenty of others who agree that your school is a joke. why pick on me?

so, go on back to network 54. this is a decent forum that will not tolerate your tactics. if you have nothing to say about the topic discussed, then beat it. you are wasting our time.

 

[Bobby Bo]

If simply posting your previous posts "discredit" you (as you have claimed), then I can't help that.

 

[neilc]

key phrase was "attempt to discredit"...it is a sorry attempt, you are right. but, you are the one doing it.

again, move along little man. you are wasting everyone's time.

 

[Bobby Bo]

"Little man"? Any more insults, Neil?

Ahhh, the true Neil is starting to rear his ugly head on this forum. I knew it was just a matter of time. Good night, Dr. Jekyll.

 

[Stephen Ewen]

Okay, professionals, physicians-in-training, and/or aspiring physicians.

These Forums can be viewed as valuable training grounds for our endeavors, discourses, and relations in the good days to come. If we do well in "small things," like Forums, we will build the habit of doing well when the stakes are much higher, as they inevitably will be.

So let's keep to who we are and are becoming by articulating our arguments and relating to one another according to who we are and/or are becoming. This of course does not negate a professionally decored debate of any issues, but in fact, encourages it.

Learning this now, even amidst strongly felt underlying currents, will serve us well all our days. As the clich? goes, you'll thank me later. I promise.

 

[Bobby Bo]

First, thank you very much Mr. Ewen for your post. Good to see that you are looking after things, unlike the other forum that I recently referred to. Your presence helps the Neils of the world stay on their toes and abide by the rules. Its when there is no moderator like you (or the moderator is Neil himself) that things can seriously get out of hand. I will take to heart your words and hope that my good friend Neil does the same.

Before concluding, I would like to point out that Neil has been called a "psychopath" and a "pathological liar" by several members of the other forum. I will spare the readers and not post the links (unless requested).

Yeah, yeah, I know, Neil. The members of the other forum that called you those names are idiots, *****s, losers, jealous of you, go to this terrible school or that sham school, etc. etc. As usual, everyone is wrong and you are right.

 

[Tevelin]

I have been doing some research on St Christophers as you do when considering medical schools and was alarmed to come across the following statement on the State of Oregon Department of Justice website. Link:

http://www.doj.state.or.us/releases/rel072500.htm

I am not passing any kind of judgement about the current status of the school but wonder about the implications of this action and whether there is a satisfactory explanation. Why is a medical school affiliated with a reputable UK university (Luton), the subject of such extra-ordinary events.