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Inside Out: Far Eastern University - Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation Institute of Medicine (FEU -NRMF)

Inside Out: Far Eastern University - Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation (FEU -NRMF)


ad Astra per aspera
To the stars, through the difficulties
Written by: Alician Kate Gopez


Application Process

▪︎ You have to pass all the requirements to the Admissions office then they'll give you a permit to pay, 500 php (I think). Then after payment, they'll give you a card with your ID pic and a schedule of your interview. Here are the requirements needed:



▪︎ Before the interview, you'll take psychological tests, then after that, straight to interview. In the interview, basically, they'll ask you "why do you want to become a doctor", achievements during undergrad, "why did you choose FEU NRMF" and other personal questions like "do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend" that could possibly affect your studies. The questions also depend on your interviewer, but I know they are all doctors. 


▪︎ Based on my experience, it's not hassle but not really super convenient. Sakto lang! The interview was fast; roughly 10-15 minutes. From what I remember, they have a timer since they need to interview a lot of applicants. But overall, okay naman siya. It was fast and not super hassle! After that, may orientation na agad! O ‘di ba, hindi ka pa sure if accepted ka na but you’re oriented agad about the school, history, admins, staff, facilities, scholarship, and campus life. Basically, they’ll tell you why you have to choose FEU-NRMF as your med school. Tamang sales talk lang! Hahaha. 


Here's the link for FEU-NRMF Medicine admissions: http://www.feu-nrmf.ph/im/admissions.php


Tuition fee

150k - 160k per semester for 1st year - 3rd yr I think hehe. Not sure for 4th yr. I think around 300k for the whole year na.

NMAT Score 
45 or 60 (?). But aim higher!

School Address
FEU NRMF
19 Regalado Ave, Novaliches, Quezon City, 1118 Metro Manila Far Eastern University – Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation
Email Address: admissions@feu-nrmf.ph
Contact No.: (+63) (2) 983-83-38 local 1144
Website: http://www.feu-nrmf.ph/

Scholarships available that you know of

  • Entrance Scholarship for incoming 1st year  - here, graduates with Latin honor receive a discount on tuition fee. For Summa cum laude - 100%; Magna cum laude - 75%; Cum laude - 50% (I was able to avail this scholarship! I got 50% off on tuition fee since I graduated Cum Laude in UST. From what I remember, we only paid 75,000 php for the 1st semester SY 2019-2020 instead of 146,000 php)


Another entrance scholarship (this is funded by alumni) has 3 criteria:


  1. NMAT PR of 90 or above

  2. Latin Honor, at least cum laude

  3. Board placement (topping the boards)


Basically, you can apply for this type of scholarship that is funded by alumni if you satisfy one of the criteria above. Take note, it’s a full scholarship! So if you’re qualified, go & try! It’ll be a big help since studying medicine’s really expensive. 


  • Academic Scholarships:


Full scholarship - GWA of 1.00 - 1.49 (per semester)

Half scholarship - GWA of 1.50 - 1.75 (per semester)


What's good with FEU-NRMF's scholarship is even if you failed subjects before, you can still get this academic scholarship for the next semester, as long as you’re taking an exact load of units and pasok yung grade mo. So basically, per semester, everyone still has a chance for a scholarship. I’m really happy about this when I heard this during freshmen’s orientation because they still give chance to those who failed. This can help students to boost their self-esteem and be motivated to do well since they have a chance every semester to excel. 


  • Lastly, I know they also have scholarship for those who are less fortunate. I'm not sure with this but I think this is also funded by alumni. I think there’s a certain NMAT grade needed and parang proof na you are financially unstable.



Scholarship processing


Just a sharing! Luckily, I was able to avail the academic scholarship for this semester (2nd semester, SY 2019-2020). My GWA is 1.35, so basically, that would qualify for a full scholarship for the next semester. Our tuition fee for the next sem costs 154,000 php for 33 units. Good thing is, when you qualify for a full scholarship, you only need to pay for miscellaneous fee which costs 12,000 php. However, this is not applicable pa since the registrar doesn’t have the final list of those who have scholarship. They said na they will release it probably late August of the next semester so basically you still have to pay full. Then, once nalabas na yung list, you can refund your tuition fee na, usually daw this will take 3 weeks. However, on my case, before enrolling, we made a letter addressing the accounting office if we can pay for miscellaneous fee only since we checked na sa registrar if my GWA’s really qualified for the scholarship, and yes, they confirmed it naman so we made an appeal if we can pay for the miscellaneous fee only since that’s the whole point naman of having scholarship ‘di ba? Para makatipid and to help your parents with gastusin hehe. Thankfully, they approved it naman so we paid 12,000 php lang muna for the next semester then they’ll confirm and call us na lang daw once na-release na yung list. 


How did I manage to get a GWA of 1.35


    To be honest, I never expected na I can have this kind of GWA in medicine. I’m not sharing this to brag, I’m sharing this to inspire others who are doubtful about themselves. Okay, so back then, during 1st year 1st semester, hehe my grades were not that good. I’m near naman in qualifying for half scholarship but then I wasn’t able to get it. Kulang. Sayang diba, kasi malapit na sana but I justified it na lang din na kasi I’m adjusting pa and all, also, mahirap talaga medicine, baka I can’t afford talaga to get high grades. So many doubts. 3 of my friends were scholars that time so I really doubted myself. I know naman na I did my best din but I think na nag-aadjust pa din ako that time but ‘di mo maaalis isipin na “bakit yung friends ko, kinaya naman? Bakit ako hindi?”  and that motivates me to excel and push myself talaga to do well next semester so that I’ll have no regrets. I realized na maybe kulang pa yung efforts ko and the other side of me thinking na maybe hindi ko talaga kaya. 


    But, I really tried my best this 2nd semester. I studied hard talaga! Wala akong inaalay, I make sure to balance all my subjects and tip lang, as much as possible get high grades na during Prelims period kasi medyo hard na yung mga topics for Midterms and Finals period so need na talaga mag-ipon ng grades early pa lang haha! Basically, that’s what I did. And you really need to allot time talaga in studying. Almost whole day talaga, aral lang if major exams na. Time management is a must talaga and understanding what you’re reading. You have to understand and familiarize yourself sa topic, not memorize. For me kasi, just memorizing won’t help you retain the information for long-term eh kaya it’s really good if you understand the topic wholeheartedly. Yes, there are parts na you need to memorize talaga, but I assure you, focus on understanding, if may time ka pa, then doon ka lang mag-memorize. Also, never procrastinate! You’ll never understand fully what you’re reading if you lack time. Understanding topics in med will require you a lot of time and energy talaga so you need to rest in between. How will you do that if you’re cramming ‘di ba? Soooo, kailangan talaga buong puso and oras ibigay when you’re entering med. You have to be dedicated and passionate about it talaga para maka-survive. You also need to feel na you’re having fun, satisfaction, and enjoyment in studying med. Those feelings keep me going. I really enjoyed studying and knowing things about the human body. Yes, nakakapagod and all, very exhausting talaga physically, emotionally, and mentally, may time talaga na paulit ulit ka magsasawa and mapapagod but you gotta learn to love and embrace everything about med in your life (your school, lessons, professors, etc) so that you’ll enjoy the journey and become a better & resilient doctor in the future. :)



What is it like in your school? The culture, socials...

    Honestly, the environment and aura in FEU-NRMF is very hospital vibes na siya. Hahaha. The main building kasi is connected with the tower wherein the hospital resides. We have classes rin sa tower so mapapadaan ka talaga most of the time sa hospital. You’ll see a lot of doctors and residents na around the campus, for others, they may feel pressured, but for me, it helps. Glimpsing on them kasi motivates me talaga to keep going especially when I see them wearing white coat kasi someday I want to wear one also. Another thing that I love there is that the professors will call you “ Doctor/Doctora” na huhu. Super sarap sa feeling! It really motivates us every time especially when they’re commending you for doing well in exams. They’ll say something like this, “ayan si Doktora (insert surname), perfect sa practicals”  Wala lang, it really felt nice and you’ll be inspired to do well talaga hearing those compliments. Around the hallways naman,  you'll see people studying most of the time talaga. You'll see serious, focused and stressed faces hahaha. Unlike in UST, ang happy ng vibes and you'll see people doing extracurricular activities outside the campus (I graduated BS Psychology in UST for my undergrad!). Socially, people are friendly and kind naman especially upperclassmen, they help us by giving advices, link of drives for transes, do’s and dont’s around the professors, type of exams, etc. Basically, tips on how to survive med school! Important din na you’re tight/close with your batch, you really need to help each other and share resources. Huwag mag-damutan!  Our main goal naman is to save lives ‘di ba? Tayo tayo rin magkikita at magtutulungan in the future sa hospitals kaya share what you know and have sa batchmates mo kasi it will reflect din naman sa future patients niyo. :) 



What’s the system of teaching in your school, your school's forte? 
  
  It’s more of an outcome-based style. Basically, they'll teach us theoreticals during lecture period then they'll let us demonstrate our skills during lab hours. Like for example, for Gross Anatomy, during lecture they’ll teach you all the things you need to know about that specific part of the body assigned for the week then during lab hours, you have to dissect the cadaver to study the bones and muscles. The professors will guide you but they’ll expect din somehow na you have knowledge na since you had your lecture already. But, you can ask questions anytime naman.  Here, independent style of learning talaga. They won’t spoon-feed you unlike in undergrad. It’s a postgraduate degree so don’t expect more but expect less! They’ll see you as grown-up na talaga in med school doing things on your own, and they will expect you to cope up and adapt well. 


    I guess, what's unique in our school, sabi ng mga residents from different hospitals, graduates of FEU NRMF are really good in applying what they've learned. They are good in actually doing the skills that are taught. Here kasi, 1st year pa lang, we have this subject IPD A & B - Introduction to Physical Diagnosis wherein you are taught on how to do things in a clinical setting like for example doing physical exams, getting patient’s history, etc. Our major exam here is purely practicals, there are 11 stations with 2 questions or sometimes you’ll be asked to demonstrate a skill like for example inspecting, palpating and percussing the liver and kidney,  getting the patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, etc. It's a good foundation to hone our skills as physicians. With this, we were trained early on how to handle patients. 


    In studying, tip lang, it’s better na every after lecture, listen to recordings agad while following it sa trans! Huwag hayaan matambakan, hirap maka-recover sis. (Btw, okay lang pala mag-record ng lectures ng professors, but meron ding ayaw nag-rerecord, puslit niyo na lang, char! But, bihira lang yung bawal mag-record) Also, the culture in FEU-NRMF is you will choose what’s the best trans for the topic. Ikaw bahala! Dito, very independent and ma-diskarte ka dapat. How to find the best transes? You can ask upperclassmen what trans did they use before for this specific topic, or you can make your own based on lecture and recording, or you can wait for your other batchmates to do, or you can find here sa One more trans drive. (this is what we’re using most of the time! Naka-arranged kasi yung transes here per topic na kaya it’s really helpful! Here’s the link! Check this out. This is really a big help super!!:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18AssHAcKVHVUDslQoQcOf4KfhoP4qqjV?fbclid=IwAR2hjU95BldWW_OI_DuF5EO7p3VY6i_ymidCRtQZbXBGeDGU_29aujUty2c )


    I don’t know if effective sa inyo listening to recordings after lecture, but for me, it’s very effective kasi what I do, nakikinig lang talaga ako during lecture sa class, I don’t take down notes. Focus lang talaga ako sa professor and his/her powerpoint presentation. Then, pag-uwi ko sa dorm, I’ll find the best trans first then print it, then I’ll take down notes na nabanggit ng professor from the recording na wala sa trans. After that, that’s the time pa lang I will read and understand fully the trans. There! That’s my study habit. 




What do you like most about your school?

      To be honest, the difficulty, hardships, struggles and the stress. Almost everyday, we have shiftings, practicals, reportings and mini quizzes. As in. No rest. But I guess that's a good thing also, kasi we're being trained sa hirap nang maaga. You’ll get used to it na lang. At first, yes, mahirap. Nakakaiyak, nakaka-breakdown, nakaka-tantrums. Lahat na!!!!! Lahat na nang sama ng loob mabubuhos mo hahaha. But eventually, you'll adapt na lang and become stronger. You just have to look at the bright side na lang na it is for you din naman. Parang I see it na lang as an early training for residency. It’s a good training especially if you’re planning to apply in a government hospital for a residency in the future, FEU-NRMF is the answer sis! Here, mate-test talaga pagkatao and patience mo hahaha. 

 

    A little sharing lang, during my first few weeks sa med, iyak lang ako ng iyak kasi I'm super tired and drained then bumabagsak pa. I have no time for myself. Study lang talaga. Mapapaisip ka na lang lagi "ano ba 'tong pinasok ko? I’m not happy anymore, I’m just tired. No other feelings, just exhausted" pero, eventually, you'll accept the fact na you entered med school and it is expected to be this hard, and masasanay ka na lang din sa hirap. You'll see din na it's for your own good din in the future. FEU NRMF made me tough. Incoming 2nd year pa lang ako but I think I've grown significantly within 1 year in med school and that's what I like about it. 

 

It's ironic but I love how challenging and how tough it is to stay in FEU.



How is the lifestyle in your school? Food, utilities, accessibility of transpo

    Uhh, very boring lifestyle. Hahaha. Super limited lang choices of foods. Better to bring baon or cook na lang sa dorm. Super nakakasawa foods kasi you have limited choices talaga. 'Yung cafeteria din medyo pricey mga tinda and same menu everyday. Nakakasawa. Paglabas naman ng campus, super limited lang din choices ng restaurants. Limited lang din mga establishments for fun like inuman. Nearest place to go na lang talaga if you want to unwind is SM Fairview. For the utilities naman ng school, okay naman. They have new materials but marami pa rin yung old. But they're upgrading naman yearly. This year we had anatomage table sa gross lab and it's very helpful if you don't want to use actual cadavers. For the transpo, medyo mahirap sumakay kasi you have to take tricycle pa before makapunta sa highway na may mga bus, jeeps, and SUVs. Kinda hassle so better if naka-dorm talaga.



 
How bearable is your med school?

    At first, it wasn't bearable talaga for me but eventually, you'll adapt and it's important to have solid barkada/friends that will really help you grow. It's true na you have to choose your friends wisely kasi they will help you thrive in med school talaga. Sila yung kakapitan mo and karamay mo sa lahat. As in lahat. Also, full support ng family is very important for med school to be bearable. FEU NRMF will really test you. You'll doubt yourself most of the time but you just have to be strong talaga. If madali ka ma-discourage, mahirap tumagal sa school na 'to. And very important talaga na you have a good support system. Always remember na medicine is not easy and it will never be easy, patagal nang patagal, pahirap nang pahirap. That’s the reality. Kaya, dapat wholeheartedly mong ginusto ang pagmemedisina. Think twice, thrice, or how many times (ikaw bahala!) if you’re really sure you know what you’re getting into. This is not to discourage anyone ha, I just want na sure kayo and you won’t regret getting into this med school hahaha. I’m giving a heads up lang na iba talaga yung pagpapahirap sa FEU NRMF hahaha.  Ang alam ko from 700 sa batch namin, ngayon almost 400 na lang ata kami. Matira matibay talaga!! But if you’re really passionate and determined, no doubt, you’ll survive this school! 



Do you regret choosing your school?

    At first, yes. Sobrang hirap and draining kasi talaga. I asked my friends sa ibang med schools, and they're okay and doing fine. Unlike me, I feel exhausted all the time and I don’t have time for other things talaga noon. Maybe because I’m new to this kind of environment and set-up din. I wasn't able to adjust easily pa back then. Med was my life back then and it’s okay kasi I realized na ni-reready lang ako ng FEU NRMF sa real world. But now, I’m okay and I can do other things naman na, I think I’ve adjusted already and I’m used to this kind of life na, you just have to manage your time lang talaga and have a schedule. And I feel like I'm tougher now and I'm looking forward pa to the skills and lessons that I can learn. Now, I can say na nakapag-adjust na ako and I like where I am right now. 

 

Here’s a photo of me and my roommate on our 1st day. Thank you Maggie for making my 1st year med journey bearable 😭


Yes, I had regrets before but then I'm starting to love and embrace the challenges and difficulties that I am experiencing right now kasi I'll know na those challenges and experiences will make me a fine doctor in the future. 






Read the other features on this medical school series:


and also a feature on how to ace NMAT:


Hi to all! My friend, Caryl, who I recently featured about her self-studying journey for NMAT here in my blog is selling cookies to help pay her lolo's hospital bill who is currently in the ICU at Providence Hospital. If you are interested in buying, just send her a message on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cstllcryl) All your help would be appreciated! ( ◜‿◝ )♡



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