A Whole New World

In less than 13 days, I will be boarding a 6:25 AM flight from my home in Miami, to my new home in Portsmouth, Dominica. I will be moving 1,400 miles from home to study medicine at Ross University. And I won't see home for approximately 16 months. And so it begins...

My name is Melissa and I went to the University of Miami for my undergrad. I did well and my GPA was very competitive alongside research, volunteer, and work experience. However, I took the MCAT the first time and my score was less than earth shattering. Regardless, I applied to Ross University and surprisingly got in along with my cousin and boyfriend of two and a half years. So, that pretty much catches you up to where I am - 13 days and counting.

I can't even begin to describe the torment of getting ready to go to school in a different country. With every new errand or shopping excursion, I can't help but ask myself in a panic, "what have I gotten myself into!?" To give you an idea, these are a few things that I have found myself doing in the past few weeks to prepare for Dominica:

1) Ross requires proof of a round trip ticket. They wanna make sure your butt gets in and gets out in 16 months. Cost of round trip ticket to Dominica = $730 (and that's a GOOD price).

2) The Visa application - You need to submit a chest x-ray radiology report , a copy of your HIV results, proof of your Hep A and B immunizations, 6 forms to be filled out by your doctor (basically saying you're healthy, STD-free, and not insane or mentally retarded), 2 visa applications, 2 very flattering passport photos, a letter of good conduct from your local police department, a copy of your passport, and a $40 international money order. Super fun...

UPDATE: In case you were wondering, vaccines cost.. A LOT! My Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccine cost my mom a whopping $240. And the doctor was kind enough not to charge his usual $60.00 office visit. My boyfriend's doctor charged him $547.00 for the whole works including the chest x-ray, immunizations, lab work-up (the full spectrum, from cholesterol to STD's), and consultation. However, the only glitter of hope is if you go to your local county's health department. Vaccines there are MUCH cheaper and you can do your HIV and STD tests there. Definitely call them and ask about prices before you shell out hundreds of dollars at a private practice.

3) Financial Aid - if you're on your way to medical school or thinking about going, GET READY for the raping that comes with paying for medical school. Tuition alone for first semester at Ross is $12, 950. Then add another few thousand for your flight, housing, and the cost of living. As you read this, I currently sit $22,944.39 in debt for my FIRST semester (I repeat, semester, not year). Of course, this money comes from a combination of Stafford and Grad Plus loans. Therefore, I took out the maximum for the first year. In my opinion, better to have lots of money left over than to underestimate and end up living with random island person in a shack. Enough of the debt-talk... it's too depressing.

4) Housing - where do I even start? While searching for housing in Dominica, you quickly come to appreciate how comfortable we have it in the United States. First off, there is no central A/C. Many places don't even have A/C. One landlady I spoke to said, "students here just crack a window and the breeze is enough." Yea, right. I imagine this is if you live right on the water or in a mountain somewhere. Then, you may be lucky to find a place with a washer. But scoring an apartment with a dryer is like finding liquor in a dry town. You have to dry your clothes outside on a rope or drying rack. Good luck ever getting it to dry in the humid air. Also, there are no street numbers. Everything is located on Moo Cow Trail, Banana Trail, Lizard Trail, Other-ridiculous-name trail, etc. I am so not even kidding about this. And then if you think you have found a nice place (by searching on the Ross Housing website) then you're forced to send a deposit without seeing it. As you can imagine, that is a HUGE gamble. And that is exactly what I had to do. Luckily, I have a pretty good idea of where I'll be living thanks to a very kind landlord who sent me about 50 pictures of the place. Yes, this tri-colored house is where I'll call home. And believe it or not, it's actually one of the top places to live around the school. These are the Coco Mango Apartments. Try not to laugh too hard but feel free to pity at any time...




5) In my next post, I'll share with you my packing list, costs, and general information about the adventure that is getting your stuff shipped to the island. I'll leave you with a picture of the barrels you ship your things in.


I hope I've given you an idea of what it is like to head out to Ross. You may be thinking alongside me "what did she get herself into?!" But I promise, it gets much worse (which I'll detail more later). However, it also gets much better. Despite all the headaches and money-hemorrhage, every now and then I stop to think of the incredible opportunity lying before me. This school and this place will give me the opportunity to be an incredible doctor and to meet other people that are genuinely passionate about helping others. In the end, I hope it was all worth it. But, I guess that is something you and I will find out little by little.