St. Lucia, the second largest of the Windward Islands, gained independence from the UK in 1979. The capital of St. Lucia is Castries, and the government is that of a constitutional monarchy. It has some of the finest mountain scenery in the Caribbean, excellent beaches, and a friendly population.

An advantage of living in southern St. Lucia (in Vieux Fort, where the main campus is located) is that you can live very well for about US$700 per month. Living inexpensively in the Caribbean is thus a major benefit to completing your basic sciences in beautiful St. Lucia.

Students are expected to study hard in St. Lucia, however, when time permits the island is worth exploring. For the best and most current information about St. Lucia, please visit St. Lucia’s main tourist site: www.stlucia.org.

HOUSING IN ST. LUCIA
Most students live in off-campus apartments, usually with a roommate. All apartment buildings are constructed of concrete, fully furnished, and are supplied with cable television. New students need not worry when it comes to finding a great place to live.

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION
Students usually arrive in St. Lucia a day or two prior to the two-day orientation which occurs on the weekend before classes begin. In addition to being assisted with selecting the appropriate housing, students are supplied with a large amount of information from both IAU staff and local government officials. Orientation serves to help students become acquainted with, and acclimated to, living in St. Lucia and the study of medicine.

SPEAK WITH CURRENT STUDENTS
The best source to learn about living in St. Lucia is probably our New Student Committee, part of our Student Governent Association (whose new website will be available soon). Please contact any of them for more information:

Florence Black
florenceblackgordon at yahoo.com

Sacha Kumar
Sacha_Kumar at hotmail.com

Zia Uddin
Ziauddin8 at yahoo.com

Fahad Sahail
Fahad.sahail at gmail.com

Jawad Salim
jwizle at yahoo.com

Sheryar Khan
Shahk111 at yahoo.com