Can you support my cousin's dreams of becoming a doctor?

[paid_influencer]

them foreign dollars might not even be available at the bank, even if you have millions and millions of TT$ to spend.

[Redress10]

Ya cousin plan on coming back to TT to live and practice?

Tell ya cousin a couple of things. First off that money may be better off investing in house/land than in a uk university. Remember, those universities are for profit. The british students who are going there are there because mummy and daddy can afford it. The international students who attend there tend to come from their country's wealthier citizens. The british citizens who require some sort of scholarship get scholarships/bursuaries via private means and not the gov't . Is only in TT those sort of scholarships exists.

Tell her that she is better off staying close to home or the caribbean and getting the degree. Most likely it will be similar curriculum and teaching. If she wants to travel and experience the world then she should consider doing a masters there etc. It may only be a year or two and be cheaper. Also tell her that if she is coming back here then she would be facing the same low wages and working conditions as UWI students. Might as well get used to the system now. If she has already decided that this is her opportunity to migrate then she should be soliciting donations from uk citizens seeing that it is them she will be treating in the future


All in all. This is just too much money for a degree that is widely available here and the rest of the caribbean. That money could be put to better use somewhere than to give away to a uk university for 5 years. Those universities are all about the money. That's why international students pay larger fees than UK/EU students. Don't fall for the hype.

[widdyphuck]

Who in they right mind going and spend 2.5 million on a medicine degree in this hard banga season.
My plan.
Keep $500 000 in cash.
Open a decent small business with 1 million.
Put the next million in ANSA Merchant and let tuner Tarzan manage it for you.
Simple living.
Way better than working for the rest of your life in Trinidad's failed health care system.

[WhiteAnalyst]

Who in they right mind going and spend 2.5 million on a medicine degree in this hard banga season.
My plan.
Keep $500 000 in cash.
Open a decent small business with 1 million.
Put the next million in ANSA Merchant and let tuner Tarzan manage it for you.
Simple living.
Way better than working for the rest of your life in Trinidad's failed health care system.

Sounds like a plan. What kind of small business you thinking of?

[Gladiator]

So UWI not good enough? Lots of brilliant doctors study at UWI. Why go after such an expensive medical degree especially if you cannot afford it.

[RedVEVO]

^^

OP there is another way .

ALL progressive young peeps should explore .

Do some research on the internet.

She has ANY special skills ? - e.g. sports - dance - etc., apply for a USA scholarship.

[Dohplaydat]

^^

OP there is another way .

ALL progressive young peeps should explore .

Do some research on the internet.

She has ANY special skills ? - e.g. sports - dance - etc., apply for a USA scholarship.

Scholarships in the US are insanely hard to get if you're not black.

The top US universities are amazing, but UK is by far a better value for money.

Hell Germany is free. I know a sweet Trini red girl who is currently studying med there and she's loving it.

The UK has 4 Unis in the world top 10, all their Russel Group Unis are incredible.

[Redress10]

^^

OP there is another way .

ALL progressive young peeps should explore .

Do some research on the internet.

She has ANY special skills ? - e.g. sports - dance - etc., apply for a USA scholarship.

Scholarships in the US are insanely hard to get if you're not black.

The top US universities are amazing, but UK is by far a better value for money.

Hell Germany is free. I know a sweet Trini red girl who is currently studying med there and she's loving it.

The UK has 4 Unis in the world top 10, all their Russel Group Unis are incredible.

And Leicester aint no Russel Group so she getting fleeced by going there. Essentially wasting her time and money.

Might as well stay in TT. Let that 5 years pass quick and then reassess her options. At the end of the day, a med degree is a med degree. The only difference is the "brand" and if she coming back TT she still gonna be working side by side with UWI grads.

Should save her money for specialisation.

[Penguin]

^^

OP there is another way .

ALL progressive young peeps should explore .

Do some research on the internet.

She has ANY special skills ? - e.g. sports - dance - etc., apply for a USA scholarship.

Scholarships in the US are insanely hard to get if you're not black.

The top US universities are amazing, but UK is by far a better value for money.

Hell Germany is free. I know a sweet Trini red girl who is currently studying med there and she's loving it.

The UK has 4 Unis in the world top 10, all their Russel Group Unis are incredible.

And Leicester aint no Russel Group so she getting fleeced by going there. Essentially wasting her time and money.

Might as well stay in TT. Let that 5 years pass quick and then reassess her options. At the end of the day, a med degree is a med degree. The only difference is the "brand" and if she coming back TT she still gonna be working side by side with UWI grads.

Should save her money for specialisation.

Wait is Leicester she wha go? Might as well save that money for specialisation and go UWI for the MBBS

[MikeyRTT]

Christin is my cousin. Very bright, first in a lot of things as you can read in the article but can't afford the tuition for her to do a medical degree. Gov't only gave her a partial scholarship which is not enough to cover all expenses.

A Go Fund Me page has been setup for her as even employment or other fundraising has been affected by the pandemic. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. If you are unable to support please share the link so others can support as well.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/x259d-help-christin-become-a-doctor

Here's her story:

"My name is Christin-Lee Maharaj. I am 19 years old and a graduate of St Joseph Convent Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. I am a dedicated, well-rounded student who has been committed to voluntary community service while constantly pursuing academic excellence, and I have many wonderful people in my life who would attest to this on my behalf.

For most of my childhood, I have been a medical patient due to my asthma and endometriosis, and it is my sincere hope I will have the privilege of becoming Dr. Christin-Lee Maharaj. I hope to care for others as I was cared for, and to serve my patients in the way that dedicated frontline health workers have been doing throughout this pandemic.

Last year, I was accepted by Leicester Medical School in the UK, securing 1 of under 20 places offered to international students by this competitive and prestigious institution...

...Then COVID-19 hit. Due to the economic fallout of the pandemic, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago reduced the number of National Scholarships from 180 to 50, only 5 of which were available for students in my course of study. Every one of my fellow students who had been working hard toward earning a 2020 scholarship was caught off guard.

Thankfully, I had been preparing for years. I had dreamt of studying medicine for as long as I could remember, and with the help of my family, had made some outstanding academic achievements (see below) which ensured I was in the running. Earning a place in the top 5 in the Caribbean region for three consecutive years would surely have meant I would be awarded the full scholarship I desperately needed.

Despite my persistence and hard work, and against my family’s reasonable expectations, I was disappointed to learn I had not been awarded the scholarship that would have covered the cost of my studies, as were dozens of other deserving students who had consistently performed at the top in other fields. However, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago awarded me a partial Scholarship, despite the economic challenges Covid-19 brought, and for that, I am so very thankful.

But the dream of pursuing my calling, and of helping the people of my country through advanced medicine, is now in jeopardy. Without the scholarship I had been working towards since I was 13 years old, financing my medical education has become very tenuous. The partial scholarship can only cover 16% of my medical school expenses, and I have searched for and applied to every other grant for which I am eligible.

My amazing parents, who have supported me in all my academic efforts while diligently serving Trinidad’s youth as teachers for over 23 years, are simply unable to undertake this cost alone.

It is for this reason I am humbly asking for your generous assistance in funding my 5-year medical degree, which amounts to approximately 354,000 USD, with a starting goal of 60,000 USD. I ask for your assistance in any way possible, by sharing my story and/or making a donation.


Anything helps. Everything counts. I am truly grateful for your kindness and humanity.

Yours sincerely,

Christin-Lee Maharaj

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/lack-of-fundraisers-leave-scholarship-students-grounded-6.2.1343712.e4201bfc6c

First of all, I'm sure most Trinidadians would faster make a donation for a life-threatening situation or for the poor and homeless. If Christin is asking the entire country to contribute to her personal education for "helping the people of my country through advanced medicine", the whole country is going to have alot of high expectations on her. Imagine the psychological rebuffal she can be exposed to if she does not meet these expectations in her career?

Secondly, why not stay right here in Trinidad, make a second attempt at CAPE and try to get an open scholarship and do the MBBS right here at UWI STA and raise our local benchmark in medicinal practice? Then once she completes the MBBS with first class honors, she can apply for one of those Fulbright or other scholarships for her post-graduate degree?

I've worked with many people who got their degrees abroad and quite frankly, I'm not impressed - they were still way behind the Trinidadian graduates and they did not hit the ground running, nor are they making waves in their jobs. To me, the big difference between medical school abroad and right here, is that UWI does not foster the use of digital learning aides like iPad Pro and pencil with note taking software to organize and store information to prepare for exams, as well as medical learning software from 3DforMedical etc. Schools abroad focus on innovative thinking, technology and research while locally the focus is on time-tested medical and surgical theory and practices - how many doctors rely on innovative thinking in their daily jobs - not many.

You can buy an iPad right here in Trinidad (iWorldtt) and you can also buy all the software you need for medical school via App Store if you have a credit card. All medical books (print and digital), videos, manuals, procedures, practices, past papers etc are available for free right here in Trinidad. I also find that students like to gather information unnecessarily, they like copies of everything for their "personal library" - students needs to get into the habit of understanding information on first contact rather than making records (notes) - this is a form of procrastination and most students rather make a copy of something and come back to understanding it later on - if you really appreciate the limited time you have on earth, you'll try to understand information the first time you are exposed to it and if you understand it you'll automatically remember it and you won't have to record it somewhere else besides your memory or spend double or triple amount of time on that information. I've found that students who have struggled to get an education are the ones that make the most of every second and they dig deeper, learn more and come out on top.

When you study abroad, you don't know what quality of lectures you'll get and I'm sure people out there are not as willing to help as our own Trini brothers and sisters - remember, its a dog-eat-dog world out there. Here in Trinidad you can ask around as many past students of the medical alumni for guidance and I'm sure they'll be willing to give you pointers - just create a post in Trinituner.com and I'm sure there are doctors in our country who are willing to mentor younger persons. It's easier to make a mark and create a presence locally than it would be abroad. The best part is she'll always be close to her parents during these pandemics. Once she has access to internet, the world is hers.

[Gem_in_i]

Am sure there are SJC Alumni who can mentor her.

[daring dragoon]

the cheapest property in TT is over a million an the east / west corridor is more. parents can sell THEIR house and land and send THEIR child to uk as all other parents do. i know someone sold his house and land to send son to study law in england and now son has his own firm with other lawyers working for him in a 3 story building he owns, driving jaguar suv and built a nice home for his parents. so instead of going on news etc parents need to step up.

[kerwinishere]

the cheapest property in TT is over a million an the east / west corridor is more. parents can sell THEIR house and land and send THEIR child to uk as all other parents do. i know someone sold his house and land to send son to study law in england and now son has his own firm with other lawyers working for him in a 3 story building he owns, driving jaguar suv and built a nice home for his parents. so instead of going on news etc parents need to step up.

To each their own, parents aren't obligated to pay for her education and she has the option to do it locally for alot less....take a student loan like many of us had to

[Redress10]

the cheapest property in TT is over a million an the east / west corridor is more. parents can sell THEIR house and land and send THEIR child to uk as all other parents do. i know someone sold his house and land to send son to study law in england and now son has his own firm with other lawyers working for him in a 3 story building he owns, driving jaguar suv and built a nice home for his parents. so instead of going on news etc parents need to step up.

To each their own, parents aren't obligated to pay for her education and she has the option to do it locally for alot less....take a student loan like many of us had to

What you mean parents aren't obligated to psy for her education? So if it's not the parents' responsibility then whose is it?

[RedVEVO]

^^

OP there is another way .

ALL progressive young peeps should explore .

Do some research on the internet.

She has ANY special skills ? - e.g. sports - dance - etc., apply for a USA scholarship.

Scholarships in the US are insanely hard to get if you're not black.

The top US universities are amazing, but UK is by far a better value for money.

Hell Germany is free. I know a sweet Trini red girl who is currently studying med there and she's loving it.

The UK has 4 Unis in the world top 10, all their Russel Group Unis are incredible.

Germany is excellent and there are lots scholarships .

But USA is better and easier .

[paid_influencer]

What you mean parents aren't obligated to psy for her education? So if it's not the parents' responsibility then whose is it?

she is an adult, not so

bank thinks so. loan collection agency think so

[paid_influencer]

bank loan is babylon system

[Dmodisahbullah]

the cheapest property in TT is over a million an the east / west corridor is more. parents can sell THEIR house and land and send THEIR child to uk as all other parents do. i know someone sold his house and land to send son to study law in england and now son has his own firm with other lawyers working for him in a 3 story building he owns, driving jaguar suv and built a nice home for his parents. so instead of going on news etc parents need to step up.

To each their own, parents aren't obligated to pay for her education and she has the option to do it locally for alot less....take a student loan like many of us had to

What you mean parents aren't obligated to psy for her education? So if it's not the parents' responsibility then whose is it?

She's over 18 so it's primarily her responsibility and not her parents' anymore.

[RedVEVO]

the cheapest property in TT is over a million an the east / west corridor is more. parents can sell THEIR house and land and send THEIR child to uk as all other parents do. i know someone sold his house and land to send son to study law in england and now son has his own firm with other lawyers working for him in a 3 story building he owns, driving jaguar suv and built a nice home for his parents. so instead of going on news etc parents need to step up.

To each their own, parents aren't obligated to pay for her education and she has the option to do it locally for alot less....take a student loan like many of us had to

What you mean parents aren't obligated to psy for her education? So if it's not the parents' responsibility then whose is it?

She's over 18 so it's primarily her responsibility and not her parents' anymore.

^^

In some cultures/countries parents are responsible their children ALWAYS and forever.

In China the children are responsible by LAW for their elder parents - hence no homeless on street.


And you can go to jail for leaving your parents or child on the street


In T&T you can go jail for walking on the street after 7 pm on a Friday

[Redress10]

What you mean parents aren't obligated to psy for her education? So if it's not the parents' responsibility then whose is it?

she is an adult, not so

bank thinks so. loan collection agency think so

Well that I can agree with. Was just hoping it wasn't the "government" he was thinking about.

[Sissy]

^^

OP there is another way .

ALL progressive young peeps should explore .

Do some research on the internet.

She has ANY special skills ? - e.g. sports - dance - etc., apply for a USA scholarship.

Scholarships in the US are insanely hard to get if you're not black.

The top US universities are amazing, but UK is by far a better value for money.

Hell Germany is free. I know a sweet Trini red girl who is currently studying med there and she's loving it.

The UK has 4 Unis in the world top 10, all their Russel Group Unis are incredible.

Germany is excellent and there are lots scholarships .

But USA is better and easier .

Totally agreed. USA is much better.

[Chimera]

the cheapest property in TT is over a million an the east / west corridor is more. parents can sell THEIR house and land and send THEIR child to uk as all other parents do. i know someone sold his house and land to send son to study law in england and now son has his own firm with other lawyers working for him in a 3 story building he owns, driving jaguar suv and built a nice home for his parents. so instead of going on news etc parents need to step up.

To each their own, parents aren't obligated to pay for her education and she has the option to do it locally for alot less....take a student loan like many of us had to

they shouldnt be asking the public to donate to pay though,
while many of the public is suffering and starving for the past year

[RedVEVO]

the cheapest property in TT is over a million an the east / west corridor is more. parents can sell THEIR house and land and send THEIR child to uk as all other parents do. i know someone sold his house and land to send son to study law in england and now son has his own firm with other lawyers working for him in a 3 story building he owns, driving jaguar suv and built a nice home for his parents. so instead of going on news etc parents need to step up.

To each their own, parents aren't obligated to pay for her education and she has the option to do it locally for alot less....take a student loan like many of us had to

they shouldnt be asking the public to donate to pay though,
while many of the public is suffering and starving for the past year

Other people who NOT suffering and starving may want to help ..

[sam1978]

Hypothetical question. Suppose , for one reason or another , the target is not reached 100% and she is unable to attend, or she decides to go local. What becomes of the funds raised?

[kerwinishere]

Hypothetical question. Suppose , for one reason or another , the target is not reached 100% and she is unable to attend, or she decides to go local. What becomes of the funds raised?

Regardless of if the campaign reaches its goal or not all funds still go to the person/organization who started the campaign

[ProtonPowder]

An american opened a gofundme to support a trinidadian citizen studying in the uk, nice.

https://support.gofundme.com/hc/en-us/a ... 0001972748

What countries are supported on GoFundMe?
There are 19 countries currently supported by GoFundMe and our payment partners. This means that these are the countries that we can send funds to, and the person withdrawing the funds must meet the withdrawal requirements from that country to withdraw funds. The location of a fundraiser is dependent on which currency is selected during the fundraiser creation process, and once the currency has been selected, it cannot be changed.

We are working to expand our services to more countries in the future, but for now, your fundraiser must be created in one of the following countries :

Australia Luxembourg
Austria Netherlands
Belgium Norway
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Denmark Spain
Finland Sweden
France Switzerland
Germany United Kingdom
Ireland United States*
Italy
If you do not meet the withdrawal requirements for one of these supported countries, then please do not create an account and/or fundraiser. If a fundraiser is created by an organizer who does not meet supported country requirements, it is likely that all money raised will be refunded and the account will be removed from GoFundMe. You will need to ask someone in one of the supported countries above to raise money for you instead.

[Dohplaydat]

the cheapest property in TT is over a million an the east / west corridor is more. parents can sell THEIR house and land and send THEIR child to uk as all other parents do. i know someone sold his house and land to send son to study law in england and now son has his own firm with other lawyers working for him in a 3 story building he owns, driving jaguar suv and built a nice home for his parents. so instead of going on news etc parents need to step up.

To each their own, parents aren't obligated to pay for her education and she has the option to do it locally for alot less....take a student loan like many of us had to

they shouldnt be asking the public to donate to pay though,
while many of the public is suffering and starving for the past year

It's a free country, no body forcing you to give.

[Gladiator]

the cheapest property in TT is over a million an the east / west corridor is more. parents can sell THEIR house and land and send THEIR child to uk as all other parents do. i know someone sold his house and land to send son to study law in england and now son has his own firm with other lawyers working for him in a 3 story building he owns, driving jaguar suv and built a nice home for his parents. so instead of going on news etc parents need to step up.

To each their own, parents aren't obligated to pay for her education and she has the option to do it locally for alot less....take a student loan like many of us had to

What you mean parents aren't obligated to psy for her education? So if it's not the parents' responsibility then whose is it?

What kinda small island mentaliy is that Reddress... come on man you better than that.

[DMan7]

The optics of this student begging for money at this particular time in the country's history couldn't have been worse. There are tons of people who could do with that money she's begging for just to survive each day or even have a decent meal. Her family and friends should be the ones to help her cause privately at this time and not beg publicly at such a time.

Also there are tons of other students in her position as well and none of them seems to be doing this .This reeks of entitlement and spoilt behavior to me.

[Redress10]

the cheapest property in TT is over a million an the east / west corridor is more. parents can sell THEIR house and land and send THEIR child to uk as all other parents do. i know someone sold his house and land to send son to study law in england and now son has his own firm with other lawyers working for him in a 3 story building he owns, driving jaguar suv and built a nice home for his parents. so instead of going on news etc parents need to step up.

To each their own, parents aren't obligated to pay for her education and she has the option to do it locally for alot less....take a student loan like many of us had to

What you mean parents aren't obligated to psy for her education? So if it's not the parents' responsibility then whose is it?

What kinda small island mentaliy is that Reddress... come on man you better than that.

Thought you meant government bro.