Okay okay, I was just blogging a while ago that I would spend the rest of the afternoon studying Chemistry and Physics. Oh well, I lied. I just could not take the volume of things that I have to brush up. I am super brain-fucked right now. In all reality, I can say that if I am going to take the NMAT now, I am sure that I am not even gonna reach the median score. In all fairness, it was almost 16 years ago since I last studied Chemistry and Physics in an academic environment.
So I just decided to hit my mac, updated my facebook and twitter status and wrote this blog. Earlier in the afternoon I had a long distance chat (cough, expensive, cough, expensive ) with Artchell to ask some tips about how to ace the NMAT but the conversation did not push thru as planned. We just had a casual conversation of how's life yadah yadah yadah. And so an hour passed...
After updating my facebook profile, I came into the idea of bumping and comparing two of the best medical schools in the Philippines and enumerating the pros and cons of going to either. I came to a conclusion that UERM is a better fit for me compared to UST simply because of the things listed below:
1. UERM holds applicant interview here in the US versus UST which does not. This in a way will save me thousands of dollars in expenses of just going back home and attending a 30 minute interview wherein the only things they will ask you are: Are you married? How will you support you education? Do you have a car? Where will you live? Do you have relatives that were alumnus of this school? I mean, why would these questions even matter?
2. UERM has definitely lived up to its ideals as a non-profit school instead of a money-making institution. The tuition fee is way low compared to UST. Currently, UERM charges students approximately 85 to 90 thousand pesos a semester while UST charges a hefty 110 to 120 thousand a semester. Come on, for a school run by a Catholic religious order? The Pope will not be so pleased if he knows about this. Education should be for all and not for those who can afford.
3. IPBL versus Traditional Curriculum. The controversy sets in here. For me, who has been a nurse for almost ten years and have practiced my profession in the Middle East and the United States, an IPBL would suit me best. It teaches students integration and clinical management of disease process in a problem based approach. In this set up, you get to learn a bunch of things from Anatomy and Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Nutrition and Biochemistry, Rehabilitation as well as Pathopsychology of the disease process. It is well fit for an independent learner like me. USTs Traditional curriculum on the other hand tackles basic medical sciences subjects and later on integrates things during the clinical clerkship and JI level. In the long run, I cannot afford to loose whatever clinical skills that I have right now and brush it up again later on. So I choose UERM.
4. Lastly, UERM holds US clerkship rotations in New York and Chicago while UST have none. If I decide to apply for US matching program for clinical residency, I believe the US clerkship will prove beneficial. No questions asked.
So, summarizing the points I have tackled above, UERM takes a 4/4 score while UST is 0/4 based on my own criteria. I just wish I will be able to get in UERMMMC. It is now my 'dream school'. I know they raised their standards for next year's incoming freshman. I will just have to hope and trust in God's infinite mercy!
Way to go UERM!!!
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