Who's behind gotomedschool.com??

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ebaydove

Whats up with these guys? I'm getting kinda sick of their universities ad's on TV, buses and today they had a weird heart shaped blimp over campus( hofstra)... Isnt medical school beyond the realm of ad's?
In the past, I have seen st georges, ross and these guys' ads on campus...
but then to see these ads so much in new york is a little ridiculous. Are other campuses also being overrun by that ridiculous and unstable blimp? I hope the damn thing gets caught in a high rise or something.
Members don't see this ad.
 
miklos,
my friend is now at one of the medical universities with alliance.
there was no seat agent fee. that's at hope medical ( 10k) that you are referring to.
these guys dont charge an agent fee.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Originally posted by dimsum
miklos,
my friend is now at one of the medical universities with alliance.
there was no seat agent fee. that's at hope medical ( 10k) that you are referring to.
these guys dont charge an agent fee.
Click to expand...

Which university?

BTW, anytime you use an agent to land a med school school acceptance, you pay the agent's commission (directly or indirectly).

If you think otherwise, I have a bridge I would like to sell you...
 
Thanks for all the input. Much appreciated...
I looked into these guys over the past few weeks, and it's pretty cool that they combine a european basic sciences program with a fully US based clinical sciences program. theyre using pretty much the same hospitals as AUC, Ross, etc. Interesting, especially because every body seems to think that theyre agents. Not quite, theyre the us wing of the school itself, similar to the way ross and auc have US offices. I asked why they dont carry the university's name, and their response was that they represent a number of european universities, and it didnt make sense to open an office for each one, when they could all work under one name. I am seriously considering going to Lodz. By the way, Miklos, there is absolutely no agent fee, period. ..I checked again after reading your rather confident note.
and no, I'm not interested in any bridges for now..
 
Originally posted by ebaydove
Thanks for all the input. Much appreciated...
I looked into these guys over the past few weeks, and it's pretty cool that they combine a european basic sciences program with a fully US based clinical sciences program. theyre using pretty much the same hospitals as AUC, Ross, etc. Interesting, especially because every body seems to think that theyre agents. Not quite, theyre the us wing of the school itself, similar to the way ross and auc have US offices. I asked why they dont carry the university's name, and their response was that they represent a number of european universities, and it didnt make sense to open an office for each one, when they could all work under one name. I am seriously considering going to Lodz. By the way, Miklos, there is absolutely no agent fee, period. ..I checked again after reading your rather confident note.
and no, I'm not interested in any bridges for now..
Click to expand...

One, check out the Eastern European forum at www.valuemd.com for more info on Polish and other Eastern European schools.

Two, be warned that the English program at Lodz is not California approved. Until it is approved, you will not be able to get licensed in California (no loopholes exist).

Three, four year programs in Poland have poor reputations for a number of reasons; again see the ValueMD fora for details.

Four, check out http://www.aaimg.com/list/european.html for things to think about.

Finally, prior to comitting, I recommend that you travel there in person and check it out.

PS The fact that they represent more than one university means that they are, in fact, agents. They will be getting paid, directly or indirectly by head count. The bridge is still for sale.
 
Originally posted by ebaydove
I looked into these guys over the past few weeks, and it's pretty cool that they combine a european basic sciences program with a fully US based clinical sciences program. theyre using pretty much the same hospitals as AUC, Ross, etc. Interesting, especially because every body seems to think that theyre agents. Not quite, theyre the us wing of the school itself, similar to the way ross and auc have US offices.
Click to expand...

Oh, one more thing. Comparing Lodz's English program to Ross or AUC is very misleading.

Please note that Ross is the number one school in the world when it comes to placing their graduates into residency programs (by number). Both AUC and Ross have a successful 25 year history catering to U.S. students. Both are California approved. Both have very respectable USMLE pass rates and do a good job of preparing their students for the USMLE.

You cannot say the same about Lodz...

Re: European basic sciences. They do not prepare you for the USMLE. Anyone that says otherwise is lying to you, plain and simple.
 
Hi Miklos, it seems that youre involved with a lot of debates on a lot of topics, on SDN and all the people you argue with, seem to question the depth of your knowledge.
To expound so poorly on a program that you know nothing about, is pretty lame, and just makes your notes lack credibility.
First you said there's an agent fee... wrong.
Now you say the program is european and wont prepare you for the usmles...wrong again.
Their whole 4 yr program is based on the US LCME curriculum, and yes, the entire focus of the program is the USMLE. Nothing personal, but your notes are totally inaccurate, and display a lack of knowledge on your part.
Oh, and another thing.. My sister is a Ross Grad, and doesnt quite share any of your opinions about how awesome Ross is, as an educational institution. Her opinion is that the people who passed the USMLE's pretty much did it through hard work, Kaplan, and relying on notes from friends in US med schools, with very little input from the folks at ross, except for meisenberg the biochem guy... Not to say that Ross is bad. It isnt. But to say that it's the best thing, this side of sliced bread, is a little preposterous.
Nothing personal Miklos, but atleast do your research, before slapping up notes that display a total lack of credibility.
 
Originally posted by ebaydove
Hi Miklos, it seems that youre involved with a lot of debates on a lot of topics, on SDN and all the people you argue with, seem to question the depth of your knowledge.
To expound so poorly on a program that you know nothing about, is pretty lame, and just makes your notes lack credibility.
First you said there's an agent fee... wrong.
Now you say the program is european and wont prepare you for the usmles...wrong again.
Their whole 4 yr program is based on the US LCME curriculum, and yes, the entire focus of the program is the USMLE. Nothing personal, but your notes are totally inaccurate, and display a lack of knowledge on your part.
Oh, and another thing.. My sister is a Ross Grad, and doesnt quite share any of your opinions about how awesome Ross is, as an educational institution. Her opinion is that the people who passed the USMLE's pretty much did it through hard work, Kaplan, and relying on notes from friends in US med schools, with very little input from the folks at ross, except for meisenberg the biochem guy... Not to say that Ross is bad. It isnt. But to say that it's the best thing, this side of sliced bread, is a little preposterous.
Nothing personal Miklos, but atleast do your research, before slapping up notes that display a total lack of credibility.
Click to expand...

i gotta stand up for my man miklos here.
1. the agents are getting paid "directly or indirectly"...unless these folks are doing this out of the goodness of thier heart, than that is a true statement. the way to verify whether there are additional fees is to find out what the tuition is if you go to the school directly. if you cannot do that, you are paying more than you should.
2. no matter what anyone tells you, eastern european schools do not know how to teach to the usmle. those types of exams are virtually unheard of here. anybody can build a four-year program and say it is tailored to the usmle. but, just ask how many profs have taken it, or how many faculty have been licensed in the states. in fact, i think that this is a huge weakness of all the four year eastern european programs. they try to build a 4 year program, when they already have a perfectly good 6 year program. to tinker with something that they know to attract more students is just messing with a proven formula. if you want a 4 year american style education, go to the carib.
3. nobody claims that ross is perfect, or even desireable. but, it has a proven track record of getting folks to a US residency. that is what we all want, so doesn't it make sense fo follow the path that has been built already?

the fact is that all the schools in eastern europe are an option, but usually not the top choice. simply put, they do not teach to the USMLE (trust me on this), there are shady agents affiliated with lots of the schools (notably the polish 4 years), you need to learn a new language, etc...there are some people who fit in pretty well here (i am one of them), but it takes a special person to match with the circumstances. and, there are many better options in europe than the polish programs...

anyhow, miklos is exceptionally well informed. he has helped lots of folks out. really, look into the polish schools. there are a LOT more unhappy folks than happy ones. you can get what you want from these schools, but there are certainly more user-freindly ways to do it.
 
Originally posted by ebaydove
... every body seems to think that theyre agents. Not quite, theyre the us wing of the school itself, similar to the way ross and auc have US offices. I asked why they dont carry the university's name, and their response was that they represent a number of european universities, and it didnt make sense to open an office for each one, when they could all work under one name.
Click to expand...

well, it is not too similar to a school having a US office. i don't know of any non-agent office that represents more than one school. again, they may not charge you a direct fee, but they do get thier money from somewhere. likely, it is in the form of expensive tuition.

this is a quote from the website:
"ALL STUDENTS CAN GAIN ADMISSION ONLY THROUGH THE ALLIANCE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE. DIRECT APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED."
that should give you a hint where they get the money...

and again, be wary of the european based clinical sciences. miklos and i live here, and study with many, many transfers from the polish schools. trust us when they say that teaching to the USMLE does not exist.

if they use the same hospitals as ross/auc/etc...and ross/auc/etc have better track records, and make you eligible for a license in all 50 states...what would be your reason not to go to ross or auc?
 
You can stick up for whoever you wish, Neil, but the point remains that you are groping in the dark. Your friend miklos said there's an agent fee... there isnt.
Oh. by the way, the reason, that you'd choose against ross and auc, is that these guys charge half..
but i'm sure you'll find more reasons to attack this post too.
Good luck on part 2
 
oh, another thing Neil,
my reason for not going to Ross, as i had already \mentioned previously, is that my sister graduated from Ross, and is very anti-Ross, anti AUC.
So you see, while you're trying to convince people to head to a school you've probably never even visited, i've got 4 years worth of experience guiding me.
And to be honest, you work with Charles university now...
conflict of interest maybe??
 
You really should consider that others can carry a wholly different opinion from yours Neil. You seem to know everything about every school in the world, and I think you need to be a little more introspective, before you lash out at other schools.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
hey, go wherever you want! i am just giving you input from my experience....i go to school with lots of folks that went to poland, and i know lots that considered it before they came here.

my personal opinion is that there are better options. i am the first to admit that my opinion is not the be all and end all of anything.

as for working for charles....please. i have never been one to recruit. i get paid a portion of the application fee for students that i assist with application, preparation and proctoring of the entrance exam. i am very open about my opinions on this school. and if the conflict of interest is there, why am i not telling you to go to charles? am i working for ross or auc too?

and as far as no agent fee...please. the fee is the tuition. it is not listed on the website. how much is it? do you think that AIM is doing this for free? do you think the school pays them if no students come? either you pay directly (which means a straight agent fee) or indirectly (where it comes out of an inflated tuition).

i am sorry that your sister is anti-ross and auc. but, ross got her where she is today, and auc has done the same for thousands of grads.

do your research. go where you want. but, be prepared to learn things from many different sources. you take your sisters advice based on her experiences, so why should you blow off other folks advice?

miklos and i have nothing to gain or lose, no matter where you go. i wish you the best of luck in your decision. don't know why you are so bitter with me, but sorry for it.
 
Maybe I am a bit slow, but I don't understand something. If you really want good US clinicals and are anti-ross and AUC (b/c your sister told u they suck), then why are you not trying to go to SGU? I don't know if you have the pre-req's or whatever, but SGU also has a premed curriculum.

Seriously, why go to european programs that do not care wheither u pass the USMLE or not and pay high tuition just so shady agents get paid? Why not pay high tuition to get USMLE focused training and relative US prestige? If I could do it all over again, and still didn't get into a US school, I would go to SGU. No question.
 
good point, bts...

also, why not australia? or ireland?

there are too many good options out there! that is all i am saying...
 
the only thing that sucks about ireland and australia is that you can not do clinicals in the US. Now, that is a small price to pay to be an MD, but some people are not willing to pay that price. To each their own.
 
thanks for the comments. It really is appreciated, despite the fact that i sound negative. My sister's and the majority of her class' experiences at ross were nightmarish, and they didnt come close to the usmle pass rates they were claiming at that time, so i'm leery of the caribbean schools' claims of 90+ percent pass rates, and here's why...
My sister attended ross a few years ago. She kept tabs on every of her classmates, and 3 other semesters, as well as she could..
Her numbers showed a pass rate of about 56 % first time takers for part1, at the same time, Ross was claiming 80+%. The catch is this... ross was claiming total pass rates, as its first time pass rates. They have apparently been doing this for quite some time, and they arent the only carib school to use total pass rates, as their "first time" pass rate. There is a lot of slippery slimy activity at these schools that I've been made aware of, that you guys are maybe, totally naeve about...
One simple example.. Ross has microbiology and biochemistry laboratories, as part of their "facilities". The dirty little secret that only ross grads ( atleast those in the 90's) know about, is that these "labs" are never, ever opened to students. There are no "labs" for these courses... the rumor is that they were constructed to gain state licensure in one of the states... i dont know which state.
Maybe this has changed in the recent past, but i'd rather stay away from schools with such dubious practices. I've met maybe 20-25 of her classmates, some from auc, and some from st.g she met during clinicals, and they almost unanimously dont recommend their experiences. The one exception seem to be st georges. the st g students seem content at the education, but said that it was quite expensive, and they felt ripped off after the fact. They did say that st g education was decent.
So, the reason St.G isnt an option for me, is purely the price. I just cannot put in 40k per year.
 
well, ebaydove, i do understand your situation. it is tough when you know somebody that had a bad experience....the thing is, i would be very surprised if ross participated in more "dubious practices" then poland.

it may actually be a disadvantage to know someone at ross in this case. i would just say be careful. eastern europe can be a great opportunity. but, it certainly is not the shortest distance between two points. and there are whole sets of problems unique to these systems.

again, my advice is typically stay with the big 3, ireland/australia/uag, then eastern europe (but only the 3 CA approved schools) in that order. different situations (such as cost, which made my decision for me) can move these choices around on the list, but these seem to be the best options. you will get a job from any of these places if you do reasonably well on the boards, and you will be able to work anywhere.

best of luck with the decision
 
Originally posted by ebaydove
Hi Miklos, it seems that youre involved with a lot of debates on a lot of topics, on SDN and all the people you argue with, seem to question the depth of your knowledge.
To expound so poorly on a program that you know nothing about, is pretty lame, and just makes your notes lack credibility.
First you said there's an agent fee... wrong.
Now you say the program is european and wont prepare you for the usmles...wrong again.
Their whole 4 yr program is based on the US LCME curriculum, and yes, the entire focus of the program is the USMLE. Nothing personal, but your notes are totally inaccurate, and display a lack of knowledge on your part.
Oh, and another thing.. My sister is a Ross Grad, and doesnt quite share any of your opinions about how awesome Ross is, as an educational institution. Her opinion is that the people who passed the USMLE's pretty much did it through hard work, Kaplan, and relying on notes from friends in US med schools, with very little input from the folks at ross, except for meisenberg the biochem guy... Not to say that Ross is bad. It isnt. But to say that it's the best thing, this side of sliced bread, is a little preposterous.
Nothing personal Miklos, but atleast do your research, before slapping up notes that display a total lack of credibility.
Click to expand...

Ebaydove,

I think that NeilC covered most of the topics you brought up.

Very quickly;

Re: agents. I will reiterate my and his points. The office, the marketing, salaries, other expenses and profits all need to be paid for. Who do you think pays for them? The fact that they represent multiple schools and claim exclusivity is a red flag.

Re: LCME curriculum. No school in Europe can claim to teach toward the LCME curriculum, period. As NeilC points out, European professors are precisely that. This has advantages and disadvantages; however, their experience with the LCME curriculum is minimal. It is not in their tradition, as they themselves are products of the European one. Believe me, there is a huge difference. Claiming that it is, is merely a marketing tool to make the school more attractive to prospective students like you. Take a look at the posts on the ValueMD fora to see how many have fallen for this.

Unlike most others on this forum, I have lived in Eastern Europe for a good number of years (and speak one of its languages). I have travelled extensively throughout the region and have a number of classmates who have studied in Poland. I do not claim to know everything about the region, nor do I claim to know everything about every medical school. However, I do know about the fundamental deceptions used by a fair number of these schools from first hand experience and second hand knowledge.

My advice is free and pretty simple (see my post above). If you think that the school or agent has your best interest at heart, you are sure to be disappointed. The bottom line is that med schools (especially those abroad) are businesses. Like businesses in other services and industries, there are good ones and there are bad ones. My advice may help you or someone else make their own mind up to what sort of business relationship they choose to enter. This business relationship has a tremendous impact on your/their future. Many people only see the glossy side that the schools and agents sell them. I try to present a much more balanced view. In addition, I do not make a penny from your decision one way or the other. You might keep that in mind.

Best of luck to you.

Miklos
 
Hi Miklos BTS & Neil,

Thanks for you guys' input. I read your listings almost weekly..
It's almost a summary of the latest news in medical schools.
Neil.. I should especially commend you for doing as much on this site as anyone, to set the record straight.
Also which faculty were you at... It seems that there are a bunch of charles' universities.
Miklos, where are you at? europe? Carib? i dont recall..

thx guys
 
thanks ebay! as for me, i am in the first faculty. there are 3 faculties of charles in prague, and several more ( in think another 3 or 4) in other cities in the CR.

any more luck with your decision? i hope all works out for you, and in the end, if you work your butt off, you will get where you want to be.
 
ebaydove,

Thanks.

I attend med school in Hungary.

I don't disclose which one, because I am critical of Hungarian med schools and do not believe that Hungarian med school administrators understand the value of constructive criticism.

Good luck on your decision.

Miklos
 
Hey Mik, no big deal that you'd wanna be anonymous. You're one of the few anonymous guys that seems pretty much on the up n up. I say this, because there seems like there's a lot of people who use these forums to spread nonsensical rumors, innuendo, etc and etc..
I would however like to know more about sote..
seems like a decent place..?
 
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