New Student Orientation

The new student orientation lasts from about 8-12:30 every weekday.  Various staff or professors address different topics that we were encounter during our trip.  We were welcomed by Dr. Weaver, the Associate Dean of Student Affairs; he was funny and seemed very down to earth.  Dr. Weaver was a widely respected surgeon before decided to focus on developing the next generation of surgeons and doctors in general.

One thing that stood out was the huge class that nearly filled the large classroom at the St. James Academic Center.  The official count hasn't been released yet, but it is at least 450+ students.  However, Ross provides lots of resources and staff in the Center of Learning and Developing to try to provide personalized attention to this huge class.  The staff took time to explain the differences between "The Curriculum" and the accelerated curriculum, as this is the first year we are given an option.  The non-accelerated program seems more appealing to me, because of the scheduled study breaks before the examinations.  However, doing this track means four more months on the island.

On Tuesday we were greeted by dean Joseph Flaherty via videoconference.  He was once the dean of the University of Illinois School of Medicine, at one time the biggest medical school in the U.S.  He assured us that we are receiving a top notch education and that rigorous preparation has been taken to provide us with the best chance of success.

Other orientation topics included:

• study strategies
• time management
• pass/fail system
• Ross only assigns high pass, pass, or fail grades for the first semester.  Letter grades are given for the other semesters.
• clinical education
• campus life
• There are many opportunities to get involved in different clubs/ organizations.
• history of Dominica
• semester one schedule
• foods of Dominica