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Well to sum up , I'm really confused. My first choice was LAU since it's associated with Harvard plus it offers more scholarships and aids and I've been told that it has a friendly environment.I'm currently preparing my applications for both universities (I contacted AUB they said that they're extending the deadlines , so my application (AUB) will be submitted by Monday. Thing is , in my high school (well known and reputable) I've been the first in my class for the past 2 years and the current year , with an average grade of 17.xx which means that I have a better chance of getting accepted for a merit scholarship.
Today after writing the letter of recommendation for AUB , my biology teacher insisted on the fact that LU is way better than LAU and AUB , that it's not corrupted like private universities , that only the elite can succeed etc...and that based on my performance/grades , I do have an improved chance of succeeding in LU.
By the way , like I said , I did a lot of researches about LAU medical school and contacted someone who succeeded in the MCAT exam and is willing to continue studying in LAU's medical school. Furthermore , concerning LAU's scholarships/financial aid , last year when we had the university fair , the LAU employee who was present said that I could easily get the merit scholarship and if I get a good score in the SAT i would get a 100% scholarship. I actually got 560 in the writing section (they care about this section and specifically , a score equal to/higher than 560 means that there's no need for english proficiency exams).And of course I will contact LAU 's office to get more info about this subject.
Finally I really wanted to enroll in a university which is based on the American system although I'm french educated since I think that french will become a language on the brink of extinction during the upcoming years.
Now , let's suppose that I get accepted in AUB /LAU , what should I choose?Or maybe LU? I'm really confused and I really want to have the best available education.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Best Regards.
xAzarian wrote Today after writing the letter of recommendation for AUB , my biology teacher insisted on the fact that LU is way better than LAU and AUB , that it's not corrupted like private universities , that only the elite can succeed etc...and that based on my performance/grades , I do have an improved chance of succeeding in LU.
First of all congratulations on such high marks and hopefully a bright future.

Can you get a scholarship to a foreign university? Or is it too late now? Like USA...

"Only the elite can succeed"... I doubt that; It is more on the line of "Only the elite can get in". I have no experience with LU except what I hear, that it's hard to get into. Once inside, I never hear from them doing anything extraordinary or ending up somewhere important. (That's my own experience, if someone else has had different experiences, please share).

It's the first time I hear that AUB is a corrupted private university, your biology teacher must know something no one else knows.
In the gulf countries, all the universities in Lebanon are equal and meh, except for AUB (this information is from 2003 to 2006, I'm not sure if anything changed concerning NDU or LAU since then).

Seriously try foreign first (they even give you monthly salary to live off I think if your financial situation is not awesome).
rtwo2008 wrote
xAzarian wrote Today after writing the letter of recommendation for AUB , my biology teacher insisted on the fact that LU is way better than LAU and AUB , that it's not corrupted like private universities , that only the elite can succeed etc...and that based on my performance/grades , I do have an improved chance of succeeding in LU.
First of all congratulations on such high marks and hopefully a bright future.

Can you get a scholarship to a foreign university? Or is it too late now? Like USA...

"Only the elite can succeed"... I doubt that; It is more on the line of "Only the elite can get in". I have no experience with LU except what I hear, that it's hard to get into. Once inside, I never hear from them doing anything extraordinary or ending up somewhere important. (That's my own experience, if someone else has had different experiences, please share).

It's the first time I hear that AUB is a corrupted private university, your biology teacher must know something no one else knows.
In the gulf countries, all the universities in Lebanon are equal and meh, except for AUB (this information is from 2003 to 2006, I'm not sure if anything changed concerning NDU or LAU since then).

Seriously try foreign first (they even give you monthly salary to live off I think if your financial situation is not awesome).
Many thanks for you reply. I always wanted to apply to a foreign university , I've been also working on this thing since like the grade 6.
I did all the British Council exams (Cambridge related exams which may affect your entrance to the Cambridge university in case you have good grades) (KET , PET , FCE , CAE) , still got CPE left , I even got pass with merit on KET , PET , grade A on FCE but unfortunately 78/100 on CAE (80 = grade A).
The main issue is that I can't leave my family behind.But anyway , do you recommend any specific foreign universities? I'll make sure to get more info about them in case you do.
Thanks again!
Don't go into LU. Because if you do, you will have 0 chances of continuing your education in any country other than France. While LAU and AUB keep your options open.

Also, since money is an issue, just pick the university that gives you the better scholarship. LAU as that new fancy Medical school in Byblos and is rumoured to be harder than AUB in pre-med (higher number of questions in exams). Never heard anything about the actual med school though. Anyway, you can always apply to AUB's medschool after you finish pre-med at LAU. I have a friend that finished pre-med at LAU and is now doing Forensics in the US. Depends on what path you want to take.

I know a couple of LAU pre-med students that went to AUB for medschool, and some AUB pre-med and medschool students. If you want me to put you in contact with them (maybe through email or something, I wouldn't mind to. And I am sure they'd have a lot more to tell about their experiences.

Also, as far as I've heard about LU. A lot of their equipment are stolen from the lab. It's pretty unorganised in its curriculums sometimes.
Obviously wroteDon't go into LU. Because if you do, you will have 0 chances of continuing your education in any country other than France. While LAU and AUB keep your options open.

Also, since money is an issue, just pick the university that gives you the better scholarship. LAU as that new fancy Medical school in Byblos and is rumoured to be harder than AUB in pre-med (higher number of questions in exams). Never heard anything about the actual med school though. Anyway, you can always apply to AUB's medschool after you finish pre-med at LAU. I have a friend that finished pre-med at LAU and is now doing Forensics in the US. Depends on what path you want to take.

I know a couple of LAU pre-med students that went to AUB for medschool, and some AUB pre-med and medschool students. If you want me to put you in contact with them (maybe through email or something, I wouldn't mind to. And I am sure they'd have a lot more to tell about their experiences.

Also, as far as I've heard about LU. A lot of their equipment are stolen from the lab. It's pretty unorganised in its curriculums sometimes.
Thanks for the reply! I would really appreciate it if you put me in contact with them!
Thanks again :)
hey man ,
as for the LU choice . first of all , its true , only the elite can get in , (example : last year ~450 did the medicine entrance exam, the last one got in got a ~15/20 grade.,which is high..) and don't worry about the later years , once you're in , you're good. as for the equipment , labs , .. they are fine , (as i remember , there is a law in the university just for the medical/engineering faculties to keep everything updated.) and you need to know that you're going to find your self alone there , you can only count on your self ...finally yes its true , once you finish general medicine , your best choice will be France , its not the only , but the best for an LU student, and if you keep that high marks , you will be able to continue your education from the 5th year in france (part of exchanging program).
my advice to you is just get in the one it suits you the most , in medicine the education you will be using in the work field is the one you get in the specialization , seek your best university when you done with the general medicine .
good luck mate :)
If I were you, I would choose AUB, hands down. I won't even talk about LU because it's really the most corrupt university in Lebanon. You may have to study harder than you would in AUB and LAU, but you'd get no where really in the future. With AUB and LAU, you can work in a wide range of countries.

All those things about LAU being associated with Harvard would really do you no good. Try applying to Harvard if you were an LAU undergrad, and they wouldn't really care. AUB is associated with John Hopkins, but who cares anyways?

Second of all, LAU exams may contain more questions, but the questions are really easy. They even get a bonus in their exams! It's medicine not kindergarten!

I believe that AUB medical school would really be best. If you get the opportunity to enroll at AUB, go for it. You might not have to study 24/7, but it's worth it. AUB medical students are GENERALLY toughest and strongest in the field of medicine because of how rigorous the program is. It's really survival of the fittest, and it will push you to your limits. Only the best make it through.

However, if you get the chance to study in a top university outside of Lebanon (USA or Canada), I would definitely recommend it over any Lebanese university.
Genuine feedback: Doesn't matter
Reason: What matters is not where you get your BS degree in biology for the first 3 years, nor the first two years at med school. What matters is the third and fourth year of med school where you get to be trained at a genuine hospital. So, where do you go? To the university which is affiliated with the hospital with the toughest training program you can find. This includes Hotel Dieu, Saint George Hospital, Makassed Hospital, and Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital (definitely the best if you plan on becoming a cardiologist). Which one do you choose? The one that allows you to be the best in your desired field of emphasis. You plan on being a cardiologist? Get to know how you can wind up training at Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital. Nephrology? Labib Medical Center. Gastro? Saint George Hospital. And the list goes on. So I advise you to start considering exactly what field of medicine you're planning to major in, then work your way to choosing the appropriate university which will lead you there.

[Edit]: By the way, if you intend on becoming a surgeon, please check first if you're allergic to anesthetics and if you can tolerate the smell of sevoflurane, desflurane or isoflurane and NO2 (you're not going to inhale it for long, but if there's a leak in the anesthesia machine for whatsoever reason, the smell will hit you for a while). There was a guy who was in his third year medical school, top notch grades, had a bright future according to his professors, went on to train at Hammoud Hospital, fainted right at the door of the OR as soon as he smelled the sevoflurane vapor when the nurse was filling the canister on the anesthesia machine. That ruled out a lot of options for him. So my advice is plain and simple: figure out what kind of doctor you can and want to be. [/Edit]
Oh and just remembered if you don't study med In LU and plan to work in Lebanon you need to do some kind of really tough exam called collocium or something. I'm not sure though. Any help or confirmation from an expert in the field would be appreciated :)
Edit: the right name is colloquium.
Thank you so much for the helpful replies!