Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara

[Brerwolf]

Hi all!
I was wondering if there was anyone here that did not get into
any US schools that was considering AUG. I have asked the school for a list of grads, but I have not gotten anything yet. I am planning on visiting the campus this summer. I know the first 2 years are in English the last 2 are in Spanish. 5th pathway allows study in New York at some point also. I work with a Plastic Surgeon that went there but it was in the late 70's. Love to hear from anyone that has gone there.
Thx

Brerwolf

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[dwstranger]

I graduated June 2003 and will finish 5th Pathway this June. I matched in Ob/Gyn.

First, the first 2 years are 60% in English. You start with some classes in Spanish from the first semester (especially the clinical skills class, called IPM) and will have to go to clinics each semester in the areas surrounding UAG, so Spanish is needed there, too. You need to be relatively fluent by 5th semester when you go to the hospital because all the classes and tests are in Spanish. They will let you use a regular English/Spanish dictionary (i.e., not a medical one) for tests, though. Many of the professors understand English, although they may not be comfortable enough to speak it or they just let you think they don't understand it (so watch out -- I know of people who said things thinking the teacher wouldn't understand...).

Don't be too disappointed when you visit the campus. The main campus is nice, but ICB, the Basic Sciences campus, leaves a lot to be desired. The library looks like it belongs at an elementary school... UAG takes a lot of self-study. Also, you need to start studying for the Boards on Day One, or the 4th semester Kaplan review course will not be a review, and you will not pass. There are people from my class who still have not passed Step 1 (and remember I said I graduated last June), which means they haven't started 5PW yet. UAG changed the rules and now you must pass Step 1 before you are allowed to progress to the third year but it wasn't like that for us. When you get to HAL, the Hospital Angel Lea?o, where we do the third year (and the fourth if you don't go to the US for it) is a little better than ICB -- the library is much better, but you shouldn't go there expecting to see the equivalent of UCLA, as I did.

Now, I say all this as someone who really enjoyed her experiences in Mexico, graduated at the top of my class, did Coop during the fourth year, got my desired hospital for 5PW, and am going to my top choice for residency in the field I chose. This is because I worked hard, and didn't party. It's easy to fall into the trap of procrastinating and going to the beach because there are always old tests to study from and you can pass the classes that way. Let me tell you something: of the people I know who passed Step 1 and graduated and got into 5PW, most of us did not depend on the old tests, but referred to them at some point during our independent studying. You'll see what I mean when you get there.

You should search the Forums/Archives for posts relating to UAG and/or 5PW and you'll get a lot of info. If you have any specific questions that aren't covered there, feel free to PM me.

 

[Brerwolf]

Thanks a lot stranger. Lots of good info. I called AUG and a list of grads is on the way to me. I live in Austin, TX and it seems like every May crops are cleared by burning in Mexico. Did that pose a problem for you in Guadalajara?

 

[Adapt]

I attended a medical spanish program there over the summer. I have to say the campus is relatively nice. The neighborhood around it is ok but it was a bit weird to see soldiers with guns here and there walking on the sidewalk. I liked the clubs near there though as you can be under 21 and still drink.

I would say that it is good to be able to speak some decent spanish before you go because many people there don't know english as they do in Puerto vallarta or some of the other vacation type cities. I did get to shadow doctors in some of the poor hospitals and it wasn't too bad.

Personally, I woudn't go back just because you can't drink the water and sometimes the food is bad particularly if you buy it on the street. Even though it would be great to become fluent in spanish, I definitely wouldn't want to go back and live there for 4 years let alone another month. After staying there for a month, I realized how good I have it in the US.

 

[dwstranger]

I agree that having some proficiency in Spanish makes life a whole lot easier.

As far as drinking the water goes, most people buy 5 gal. bottled water -- it's pretty cheap, and the trucks come buy a few times a weeks ("aguaaaaaaaaa"), so it's no big deal. And swishing tap water to brush your teeth won't kill you. Oh, and BTW, watch out for ice, too -- if a restaurant uses tap water to make their ice, it's the same as drinking it...

Food on the street: I agree that you have to be careful where you eat. The only times I ate on the street (and for that matter, in any restaurant) was when someone had recommended the place. Lots of Mexicans eat on the street, and they end up with a touch of gastroenteritis, too. Just use your head.

Teenagers with guns: Military (or other social) service is mandatory for Mexican teenage boys when they graduate/turn 18, and the Mexican government is serious about contradicting drugs, so you will come up against lots of checkpoints on the roads. It is a bit disconcerting to see it... teenagers with automatic weapons. You also have bank guards with automatic rifles and shotguns. I must say that it is a deterrent, too, because unlike in the US, there are a lot fewer guns owned by the general public.

As ADAPT said, the campus where the Spanish class is held is nice enough - that's the main campus, or CU (Ciudad Universitaria), but like I said, prepare yourself for ICB and HAL.

Although we all had our "bad Mexico days," living there for 3 or 4 years is definitely doable. Granted, some people hated it and got away whenever they could. But it's not too bad. One of the tricks is telling yourself that you're there for one reason -- to be able to get into a residency in the US -- and you can definitely do it. Another is trying to accept/blend in with the locals, not just sticking with the other Americans, because it's then that you gain the perspective that ADAPT was talking about. I don't consider myself a patriot or anything, but it was only by living outside the US that I was able to appreciate it more when I returned. Don't get me wrong, I'm still waaaay liberal and disagree with a lot that the government says/does, but I also realize we have it a lot better than so many other people in the world.

 

[exigente chica]

thank for the info, I too am looking into this school..