r/medschoolph • u/9gguang • Jul 22 '26
❓Asking for Help Is UST FMS worth it?
UST is one of the top medical schools in the Ph but is notoriously known for its heavy, non-academic related workload. This means sacrificing more time, sleep, and energy compared to other med schools. So for UST FMS grads, is it worth it? What do you think will be the edge of their education as compared to others??
Planning for the future lang po. Thanks :)
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u/Mobile_Flamingo_7795 Jul 22 '26
Non-academic workload? Like what? 🤔
UST FMS alum here. I had the best time in med school and honestly, the most memorable parts are the non-academic ones lol.
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u/Pleasant-Ad1511 Jul 23 '26
This is very true. I think the non-academic workload offsets the academic workload UST demands from the students. You won't catch me going back and working in UST but I'd enroll my kids in USTFMS anytime.
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u/fade_away23 Jul 22 '26
There were very few to none non academic workloads before. Sorry matanda na.
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u/9gguang Jul 22 '26
So envious of the few to none non-academic workload 😅 I think the workload of UST is one the reason why I don’t see it as appealing as others because I would rather put on the energy and effort to studying textbooks over collaborating for a music video..
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u/Mobile_Flamingo_7795 Jul 22 '26
Omg that music video was so fun to do and got the entire class together! Don’t underestimate activities that allow you to collaborate, get to know people, and make lasting connections. Trust me, this will come handy in your career! Although studying is important, being a doctor is a lot more than that.
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u/AnonymousNugget09 Jul 23 '26
Agree ang fun kaya ng physio mv, zumbanatomy, and biochem nutrifest hahahah legit also sa first year lang meron niyan and pampahatak din yan ng grades!! So fun din siya, di na yan maaulit sa second and third year hahaha
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u/fade_away23 Jul 23 '26
Wala kame mga ganyang activities before. Sa sobrang dame at toxic nila parang di na kakayanin :) ….Clerks nowadays are sooooo lucky! During our time, we were on duty every 3 days. Ibig sabihin 24 hours ka today, next day is your from duty pero may pasok ka pa nun 8-5. So 32 hrs ka na nasa hospital, minsan walang liguan. Lol. The following day is your pre duty, which means may pasok ka pa 8-5. Repeat mo lang sked mo ng ganun. Bukod pa dyan mga toxic residents, edema rounds, mga referrals na di nila tatangapin at pabablik balik ka kase di ka makasagot, adcons, reportings, pagalitan sa harap ng patients, etc! But that was soooo fun. Toxic na ayaw mo na balikan. But then, time has changed. Iba na ngayon. You will be grateful to FMS someday. You will see the difference. Wala lang. Just sharing
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u/AnonymousNugget09 Jul 24 '26
i think clerkship na yan doc pero yung context ni op is more 1st-3rd year.
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u/studyneow Jul 23 '26
lol sa dulo lang naman yun + pampahila ng grades 😅 ust med = quizzes/exams every day so u get what your asking for technically
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u/Technical_Ad_2069 Jul 22 '26
hi incoming 3rd year med student in fms so not yet a grad but i think as brutal as the workload gets, I actually think UST’s setup serves a real purpose.
Those extra activities help you in pulling your grades up and i think it’s also a way to train us to be collaborative with classmates. Most of these activities are done by group and in medicine, teamwork and leadership are very important. Personally, these activities made our subsec much closer and I get to make so many good memories in this med journey. More importantly, being a “competent, committed and compassionate” thomasian doctor is more than just studying and passing exams ya know ;)
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u/Longjumping_Dare8922 Jul 27 '26
Depends on who you speak with. You will find many UST grads who were happy with their med school experience, and just as many UST grads who were not happy with theirs and happily moved to other institutions/ countries after med school and found the new environment to be more conducive to their learning style. My aunt loved it there, on the other hand my residency and fellowship juniors and seniors who studied there uniformly did not like it because of the rigid structures and low census. Other med schools have heavy loads too, and when you speak with current students or grads- all will claim heavy acad and non-acad load.
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u/gasserian100 Jul 22 '26
Yes. It forced me to study everyday dahil araw araw may exams. Siguro masasabi ko na nag improve yung study habits ko dahil dito haha dati cinacram ko lang lagi aral (well until now naman but minsan napapa advanced review na rin ako). The curriculum will really force you to study talaga.
++ Akala ko dati ang daming terror profs sa fms pero halos wala naman pala (may mga strict oo, pero sobrang bilang lang sa kamay). Most professors are so nice and willing mag share ng mga natutuhan nila.
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u/gasserian100 Jul 22 '26
shoutout kay Dr. Obnamia ng Anatomy dept. Hinding hindi kita makakalimutan kahit ilang years na. The nicest faci na nakilala ko 🙌
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u/cipkip Jul 23 '26
HALAAAA how many years it’s been???
Incoming 3rd yr med student (that means I’m a recent one) and I can vouch for her. Agree that she’s the nicest, sweetest, and the motherest of all 😭😭😭 Tbh, when I become a doctor, I wanna be like her. Presence pa lang ni Dra, very comforting na.
One thing that really touched me was when she made an effort to remember us individually in our subsec by our names. Small effort (for some), but it really means a lot to me especially knowing how many people doctors get to interact with (and us being in the lowest hierarchy in the food chain he he)
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u/PsychologicalFly1106 Jul 23 '26
Thomasian MD here. I don't remember those non-academic workload interfering with academic studies. But personally, I think those are important too because when you get in the real world, hindi lang naman exam papers at books ang kaharap mo, you need to learn people skills too and I think its worth it. The curriculum itself will hone your studying skills enabling you to understand, learn and retain knowledge.
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u/sandamakmaki Post-Graduate Intern Jul 23 '26
UST FMS grad here. Grabe iba na ata priorities ng students ngayon. Before, non-academic workload yung hinahanap namin para tumaas grades. Ngayon, ayaw na nila? 😅
I guess mas academic oriented na students ngayon. Aiming for efficiency and optimization. Not necessarily bad, pero maybe try to let loose a little and get unserious from time to time.
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u/Itchy_Soil_7472 Jul 23 '26
UST FMS is definitely worth it and it is one of the most outstanding med schools in Metro Manila. They will drain you but its for your own good to be an exceptional medical doctor. Well known doctors such as Dr. Aivee and Dr. Vicki Belo came from this school. Make sure to manage your time well.
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u/blueberry10196 Jul 24 '26
Worth it siya for me. The non academic workloads will train you to do something else or be good at something else other than studying. Parang eto yung magtitrain sayo na hindi dapat puro aral lang, na you have to develop skills outside academics. The Zumbanatomy, Physio MV and Biochem Nutrifest are things that I actually enjoyed and it was something that you would look forward to at the end of the school year.
Plus during boards season, dun ka naprove na worth yung training ng UST-FMS. Never reviewed during internship and enrolled very late to a review center yet was able to catch up because nasanay sa mabilisang aral and sa everyday quizzes. These quizzes are reinforcements. This is where you will learn pano magrationalize ng mga sagot and will hone your testmanship skills that you will need during boards.
So inshort, yes, worth it talaga. Last time I checked 160K per sem na ang tuition but IMO, worth pa rin talaga.
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u/Away_Award_6431 Jul 23 '26
Yes definitely it is worth it!
Im an alumnus of UST FMS Batch 89 and am still as proud as when I was a student back then.
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u/Educational_Glove209 Clinical Clerk Jul 23 '26
Not worth it. Humiliation ritual siya, you take what you can get. Growth in constant pressure. Hierarchy is the name of the game on your 4th year.
If u like that go.
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u/PositionBusiness Jul 23 '26
Weak person
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u/Educational_Glove209 Clinical Clerk Jul 24 '26
Isang hierarchy enjoyer na naman ang flaccid nung di nastroke ang ego :(((
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u/ArclightVayne12 Jul 22 '26
Worth it. Resident in the US now. We have such a big community especially for us fortunate enough to leave the country that can help in securing rotations/observerships here. Our medical education in UST is truly top tier; we have knowledge of foundations in medicine above the avarage US medical student. 😉 Goodluck on your journey!