Some Info on AUC Housing and Dorm Pictures

The dorms, or I should say apartments since that is really what they are, are reserved for first semester and fifth semester medical students. Although, I have read recent accounts that because AUC has been increasing its class sizes, the school has been accommodating most of its first semester students and leaving the fifth semies out in the cold.

It cost $5400/semester for a single bedroom
and $4600/semester for a double

All rooms come with kitchen, bathroom, furnished living space, and bedroom. If you're interested in the floor plans you can go ahead and click here.

Going to med school is stressful enough, but going to med school in another country? Whoa. So the fact that you can have some piece of mind about where you're living more than justifies the price-tag of the dorms. Not to mention you can get to know the people you will be spending time with for the next two years. Other perks of the dorms include:
–24-hour power because the school has backup generators (the island sometime loses power)
–The school itself was built to withstand category-5 hurricanes (safe)
–The rooms are already wired for internet and cable tv (yay)
– And of course you have the ability to keep that AC on alllll day without having to worry about paying an expensive electric bill.

I'll be living on the first floor and I hear there are may be a couple problems. I've read that sometimes ants can invade so buying bug poison is a must and a simple solution to deal with this problem. Also, when it rains excessively, apparently dorms can have water seep in through the crack between the floor and the door.... so I may also need to invest in a stopper to go under my door. We'll see if this is an actual issue first.

I found some pictures. Courtesy of Benji Ho's Blog Diary of a Caribbean Med Student

Related articles

• Pictures of my AUC Dorm Room (medschoolcaribstyle.com)

I got a spot in the DORMS for first semester! And it's a single ;)

Disaster averted. There's nothing quite as nerve-wracking as thinking you have a place to live in a foreign country during medical school to only find out that may not actually be true.

Considering I was probably the first student accepted for the Jan 2011 class (I got accepted way back in July) I KNEW I was going to get a dorm and I figured might as well go all out and try to secure one of the few singles available to incoming students.  After I sent my housing request form in the beginning of August, I contented myself with the thought of having a nice, cool, ocean-view single room for my first semester of medical school.

Month after month passed and I soon realized I hadn't heard a word about my rooming situation on the island. So I called one of the AUC enrollment managers and asked when I would find out about housing and he told me I would hear back a month before classes begin. Alrighty then. I felt better and put the subject out of my mind.... but then I got the call two weeks ago.

A man from AUC called asking if I planned on living in the dorms.
"Uh...yes... I sent in my housing request form all they way back in August." Dread building.
"Oh, we never received your housing deposit of $1650."
WHAT?!?!?! (I didn't actually yell this) "I didn't even know I was supposed to send in a deposit."
"Did you ever get the email?"
Obviously hell no I didn't, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation, mister! And I get all my damn emails on my phone and I will not have my housing situation jeopardized because of the incompetency of you admissions people!!! "No I'm sorry, but I never got an email."
"Well we had sent you an email."
Well f-you, no you didn't because it would have been on my phone like every other email I've received from AUC! "Yeah, sorry, I never got an email."
"There are about 20 spots left so we will send you the email now and you need to try and send us your housing deposit as soon as possible."

With that I hung up the phone and I got the email one second later. I printed out the forms, filled them out and sent them out by the next day. Feeling angry about this situation I quickly took to my email and sent a message to the housing coordinator explaining that I applied for a single 4 months ago and no one ever sent me ANYTHING asking for ANYTHING.  She replied saying she understood and would wait for my deposit.

And yesterday I got an email from her. I got a room, and not only that.... it's a single,  room 110!!!!! wooooooo!!!! Back in paradise.

And again, disaster averted.

I'm going to AUC

After a three week trip to Portugal and Lebanon, I'm back and with good news. I've been accepted to the American University of the Caribbean in St. Maarten! yay!

I was also offered an interview at St. George's University in Grenada, however at SGU they wanted me to go into the Charter Program. I considered it for about 4 seconds and respectfully declined their offer. I just sent out my $1600 deposit yesterday to hold a seat for AUC's Jan 2011 class  and I cannot be more excited to begin this long road to becoming a doctor.

Along with the deposit, I sent a housing request form to live on campus. Apparently it is slightly difficult to get a room on campus, but if you apply and get in early, you probably won't have too much trouble securing a room. Another thing to consider is that the January class is much smaller than the September class. Around 200 students begin in September and perhaps 100 or less begin in January and I think it's even less for the May start date. Anyway, I'm hoping I can get a single dorm room to minimize distractions... but if it turns out I do get a double, it will still be nice to have a roommate to go through all the hardships with. Maybe I'll be more inclined to study long hours if I have a roommate who is ready to study her ass off. I'll see what happens in the coming weeks.