Answers to most of your Questions!

Sorry it took me so long to answer your questions, but we had exams. I've tried to answer a few other student questions as well. Good luck

Banking - it is better to keep your US account and just change your US check with one of the government approved money changers. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't open a Belize account it just means that you want to keep as much of your funds in US dollars as possible. It is very difficult to get US dollars down here. Therefore, have your US checking account (which you can have your financial aid wired into) then just write a US check as you need it. You will be given Belize cash in exchange for the US check immediately. Then you can either carry the cash around (not recommended) or deposit it into your Belize Bank account. Now to get a Belize Bank account, you will need a 'letter of good standing' from your current bank. You will also need a letter from the school which they will provide to you when you get to the island - at least they did me.
Names of Banks: There are currently two banks on the island - Belize Bank (opens M - Th from 8am to 1pm and Fri 8am to 4pm) and Atlantic Bank (opens M - F 8am to 2pm and Sat 8am to noon it also has an ATM machine specific for customers who have an account with them) There are two more banks being built - Provident Bank (which word has will be allowing US dollar accounts but I have not verified it yet) and Alliance Bank. All of these banks are in the city as well as Nova Scotia Bank and Barclays Bank. But it's a hassle to have to go to the city so I'd recommend getting an account at either Belize Bank or Atlantic Bank.

Insurance - Your PPO should be fine however, you may want to get an" International Student ID card" from Council Travel which gives you emergency medical evacuation insurance (as well as other discounts). The card only costs $20 USD per year and the information can obtain off the internet or I think they have the info in the US office. There is not a hospital on the island so if you have something serious you would need to fly to Belize City (15 min. flight). The private hospitals do require payment up front so you might want to have a credit card that has a couple 1000 $ available. On of our faculty members mother fell and broke her hip. It cost him about $5000 USD for the flight, surgery, hospital stay (2 weeks) so the cost is not bad.

Laptop with zip drive - It would be good to have a laptop and actually it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a zip as many of the lecture notes have a lot of pictures so it's difficult to get them all one floppy.

Tickets - This is 'down season' right now so the tickets are less expensive. If you book at least two weeks in advance, you should be able to get a ticket from around $500 - $600 USD. Make sure you get a Round Trip ticket as Immigratin will check that when you arrive. Then you will need to get your ticket from the International Airport to the island of Ambergris Caye (aka San Pedro). This ticket will be around $95 USD Round Trip. Make sure to tell them you are an MUA student so that you get the 10% discount.

Library - There is a small library on campus; about 200 books. You can check books out for two days at a time with a one time 2 day renewal option. Make sure you get all of your required textbooks and bring them with you. Carry them on the plane with you so that you are sure to have them, in case your luggage gets lost. Don't send them as they also sometimes gets delayed and it's costly to ship heavy things.

Social, night life - You won't have a lot of time but when you do there is enough to do. There are three night clubs to go dancing, and SEVERAL other beach bars. It's a tourist island so just about anything you can do when you go to a tropical island is here. The second largest barrier reef in the world is here so the scuba diving and snorkeling are great. You can also go fishing. Then if you want to make a trip to the mainland there is hiking, caving, tubing, canoeing, rafting, many Mayan ruins, rainforest, savana, Jaguar reserve, Monkey reserve and Money river, fabulous bird watching (if your into that type of thing), lots of different plants, the list goes on and on. If you want to do something, you can. Also, a group of us went up to Cancun for a weekend. It's a short flight away or you can fly to the mainland (15 minutes) and drive up there. The SGA is getting more social activites together as well, i.e. movie night, bbqs etc.

Recreation- Most people have a bike as their main form of transportation. This helps some with the exercise need. There is also a good gym on the island as well. It's not air conditioned but it's good and you definitately get a good workout. There is a basketball court in town. There is one of the apartment complexes that has a basketball court, tennis court, and swimming pool - Paz Villas. I strongly recommend it.

Internet - There are four computers hooked up with internet on campus which can be used from 7am to 8pm M - F and Sat 8am to noon. On the island there are three different internet cafe's. The internet is not cheap though as they charge by the minute!

Crime & Safety: There is practically no crime on the island. Probably because it is an island and everyone knows everything that happens. However, you still take care so people are not tempted.

Professors: They are very helpful and student oriented. If you need personal attention, they will give it. One is kind of hard to understand, but most are from the US, so they are familiar with what we need to know.

Clinical Rotations: I don't know much about this because I'm only in Basic Sciences. The clincal department will send someone down here to interview the 4th & 5th semester students about their preference (or so I'm told)... right now there are about 35 students in clinical rotations, but they are ones that transferred from St. Matthews.

Class Size: My class has 18 students. The next semester has 22. I understand they plan to keep the enrollment down to 30 students per semester just like they did on Saba.

cost of Housing: My apartment cost $525 per month, but everything is included. I split the cost with my room mate.

Is it Worth It: I want to be a doctor. I was given a chance by this school. I see the list of hundreds of students graduating from Saba and Nevis each year and getting good residencies. I wanted Saba but could not get in. This is worth it for me. It is not the US, and not "home", but after 20 months I will be back in the US and half way to my goal. I've got some other friends that are still in their daily jobs, still thinking about medical school, and will still be thinking about medical schools when I'm a doctor. Is it worth it? What do you think. I'd go to medical school if it was on a rubber raft in the middle of the ocean as long as I knew it was a credible program and allowed me to practice in the US.

Hope this helps!