So here is what came to realize just the other day.
Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social is an entity that controls the health public sector here in CR. They are also responsible for assigning openings to all Medical schools, (private and public) a number of openings per year per school for clinical rotations.
How can a school scam you if everything is so crystal clear?
Well, easy, they accept all applicants. Usually there's between 3-5 groups with 27-35 students per group for a total of up 140 students by third block. Everything goes well up until they get to the "filter". This is at the fourth block (there's 3 quarters per year, you can refer to my post Semesters vs Quarters http://medicalstudentunite.blogspot.com/2015/01/quarters-vs-semesters-options-in-costa.html)
Fourth block consists of the following classes:
-Fisiologia (physiology) 6 credits
-Bioquimica (Biochemistry) 4 credits
-Histologia (Histology) 4 credits
-Embriologia (embriology) 3 credits
-Ingles (English) 2 credits
Even if your first language might be english you still have to take a costly proficiency exam.
Biochemistry and physiology are very hard to pass. When I say hard doesn't mean you must study hard, means no matter how hard you study, you won't pass. Passing rate for physiology is less than 6%. This past quarter, only 9 out of 74 people passed.
For biochemistry no one passed. I don't have the exact number for total students but must be about the same as physiology. However 28 people got to take an extraordinary exam.
(Here in CR, if your final grade is under 70 but above 60, you are allowed to take an extra exam called Amplicacion. It's all or nothing. If you pass this exam with at least a 70, you get to pass the class, if not you gotta retake it.
So out of this 28 people, none passed for a whopping 0% passing rate!!!!!
I used to wonder why the Dean did not take an action against the professors! It can't be the students!
The reason is because only two quarters after this fourth block students go on clinical rotations so the school must get rid of a third of their students before clinical rotations.
How do do they do it?
Picture yourself in a new country, during your first stages of adaptation, new language for many students. You take all chemestries, ride in the park...finally you get to anatomy and neuro-anatomy, most people fail their first try but pass the second time around, would you pack it up and go home? Of course not, you stay and try again!
Forgot to bring up for neuro-anatomy's passing rate is also ridiculous.
Basically you get stuck in the third block for up to a year per subject.(You are allowed to RETAKE a suject twice, 4 months first time, 8 moths second and third time, that makes 12 months) Most people fail anatomy and neuro-anatomy and decide to take them separately because the amount of material is out this world!
Fourth block is even worse. Most people pass biochemistry and physiology on their third try.
Up to this point, you have advance in your career a year and two blocks but have put in about 3 years of your life.
Fourth block is key for this school because they filter about 90% of the students and only about 25-30 people makes it to the fifth and sixth block that number is also about the same number of openings available for clinical rotations per University according to my source. Let's just say non official source because this information is sensitive. I won't get anybody in trouble.
Americans who study in CR with a loan use Sallie Mae only. However the administration uses the same guidelines as Federal loans which is really bad for the students because they apply the satisfactory progress card on you, make you sign letters left and right and is not up to this point that Unibe informs you're about to be dismissed from the program for exceeding 150% of the career length. options left: pay out of pocket or go home to pay the loan back approx $60.000 up to this point.
If you do the math, at the time you get kicked out of the program you have paid for at least three years worth of medical school (out of the 4 year 8 months lenght of the program)
You are sent home with three years of illusions crushed and at least $700 monthly payment to Sallie Mae for the next 14 years!
Fortunately enough, There's another 8 private Universities you can attend to and pay a third of the cost without loosing your mind or bankrupt your parents!
Costa Rica is a great place to be just stay away from Unibe!
