This is an email I received from the Assistant Dean of Basic Sciences (Dr. Brenda Kirkby) who answered some questions pretty unbiasedly and nicely.
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Hi,

I will try to be as candid as I can with your questions.

1. How is the quality of education in your opinion?

Overall, I'm impressed with the quality of the education we provide. The vast majority of our faculty get tremendous evaluations by the students (e.g., an average of over 4 on a 5 point scale). But, admittedly, we do have a few professors (e.g., 3 out of 23) who are considered not as strong. I hope to think that these profs will and have improved over time with the feedback they receive. And, in fact, this has been the trend.

2. How safe is the Island and what is there to do socially. (movies, restaraunts, clubs, anything?)

The island is VERY safe. As a relatively young woman, I am comfortable walking alone, anytime day or night. I have never been afraid for my safety or well being (other than an occasional cow in the road). Petty theft occurs once in a while, but violent crime is virtually non-existent. We've never locked our car or house doors. However, a student's house was robbed this semester (doors were unlocked).

3. How many people are attending the school and about how many students per class?

There are about 120 students in total on the island (including premed). Class size varies between about 10 and 35 students.

4. How many faculty? There are about 23 on island.

5. How are the facilities? are they all run down or brand new... and are they adequate?

I think the facilities are really good. All the building have been rennovated, so they look fairly new. They are equipped with the best teaching equipment I could hope for (big screen projector and computer, flex camera, VCR, etc.). The library lacks books (one of our biggest drawbacks), but it does provide a study area for students. The internet lab is a great feature, but we do need more computers to satisfy demand. We have been assured that more computers are on their way. The computer test center is wonderful, and I think we're still the only Caribbean school to implement the USMLE-style computer testing.

6. Are you really guaranteed clinicals in the US? and do you know people who have graduated and gotton clinicals in the US?

Yes, our Clinical Dept. does guarantee (in writing) clinicals in the US. Yes, all students who wanted to return to the US (and have passed Step I) have gotten clinicals in the US. (to my knowledge).

7. Do GSM cell phones work on the island?

No, cell phones do not work on the island.

8. I head of the 18 month basic sciences program.. whats that all about? is it healthy to complete all the courses in that short of a time period?

Actually, the basic sciences program is a minimum of 16 months long (4 semesters of 4 months each). It is quite rigorous, and most students are finding it TOO much of a load. I strongly encourage students to slow down and complete the curriculum in 5 semesters (20 months).

Please let me know if you have any more questions!

Kind regards.

After more than 7 months of surfing for information, it is finally here !!

Thanks Imran !!