Carribean or US ??

[Kilerfornia]

Hey Guyzz ....

I have a question for the people that can help me out or are in the same situation as me ..

I am an acceptd student for the september semster in st george medical school in the carribean the island of greneda and i have some financial problems that i can solve if i go to extreme measeures ..

So now i am debating on weather to stay in the US and try to reapply for dental school or should i just go to the carribean and forget about dental school in the states ..

my stats

GPA general = 3.2 Science 3.4
DAT = 19 (planing on doing a retake)
I have enunff volunteer work and shadowing under my belt

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[rose786]

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[allenmarchallo]

Hey Guyzz ....

I have a question for the people that can help me out or are in the same situation as me ..

I am an acceptd student for the september semster in st george medical school in the carribean the island of greneda and i have some financial problems that i can solve if i go to extreme measeures ..

So now i am debating on weather to stay in the US and try to reapply for dental school or should i just go to the carribean and forget about dental school in the states ..

my stats

GPA general = 3.2 Science 3.4
DAT = 19 (planing on doing a retake)
I have enunff volunteer work and shadowing under my belt

Do you wanna be a physician or a dentist more?---Being a IMG will present harder chances of securing the more competitive residences...Not impossible but harder...Attrition is HIGH, so you better study your ass off over there....But you are accepted and it is a SURE THING for this Sept, and thats good...
Just curious here......With your stats, did you apply to D.O schools...It is slightly lower than avg. but you could still have a shot

If you are having financial problems, you may want to rethink your decision..$19k per term ($180k+) isn't necessarily cheap in my book...Only 16 dental schools are higher than $180k (out of state,that is)..
Dental school admissions now is pretty competitive.....It's almost like if you're not 3.5+/20+ DAT you could still not make the cut & get interviews.....How bad do you want to be a dentist?? Are you willing to give up (1) year of your life for a dream?

I don't think anyone can really help you make this decision...You gotta re-evaluate what you see yourself doing 20 years down the road...Not only that, but this plays a big part of how u define happiness..Negative career attitudes can equal POOR care for your patients..This is one
of the BIGGEST decisions of your life, so sit down, COMPARE pros/cons to each field, and choose wisely.....Good luck to you man in whatever your decide

-HM2

 

[pistolpete007]

can u even go to dental school in the caribbeans and come back in the states?

 

[allenmarchallo]

can u even go to dental school in the caribbeans and come back in the states?

He is talking about Caribbean Med school (M.D) vs. U.S dental school...There AREN'T Caribbean dental schools, but plenty of Caribbean Med schools..and yes, you CAN come back and practice in U.S as FMG (M.D)....

There are also foreign dental schools (Europe, etc), but they don't transfer very well at all here in the U.S..(U have to take U.S Boards, even extra years of school....I've even read IMG specialists that had to repeat some parts of US dental school...(Ouch)...You CAN'T be a FMG (dentist) and just open up a practice just like that, if thats what you want to know....

-HM2

 

[Kilerfornia]

heyy allenmarchallo

thanks alot for the info you gave me and what you say makes sense. I guess its not about giving up a yr or 2 if someone can guarantee me entry into dental school i would do it but the only thing that would kill me is if i wait for 2 yrs and i still dont get in ... anywayz i guess its a risk i gota take ...

 

[allenmarchallo]

heyy allenmarchallo

thanks alot for the info you gave me and what you say makes sense. I guess its not about giving up a yr or 2 if someone can guarantee me entry into dental school i would do it but the only thing that would kill me is if i wait for 2 yrs and i still dont get in ... anywayz i guess its a risk i gota take ...

Don't worry.....I'm kinda in the similar boat, except I'm looking into podiatry instead of a carrib. med school like you....They are both great professions, but I'm applying to both dent/pod, and I'm starting to lean towards podiatry now..A lot of my military/medical career has been focused in both med/dent...So, I choose dent. and have been devoted to it...This will be my first year applying..
I considered both D.O and Carrib M.D in the past, since I've done Search & Rescue, saved a Marine's life, EMT, BLS-Instructor, etc... but stayed committed to Dentistry, that is, until podiatry totally ROCKED my world.....
I have the stats for both, but I'm still narrowing down which I'd like to be more...Perhaps fate will decide for us both!!!
I'm not above my own advice though, like in my earlier post...haha...So, I am forced to choose aswell...

Good luck to you though !!!

-HM2

 

[Kkae]

Lol, btw there is a Caribbean Dental School...in Trinidad & Tobago (University of the West Indies, School of Dental Medicine)

 

[Californian]

dont go to carribean MD school man.... i heard it sucks crap.... bad residencey chance etc. reapply MD and DDS next year

 

[allenmarchallo]

Lol, btw there is a Caribbean Dental School...in Trinidad & Tobago (University of the West Indies, School of Dental Medicine)

I stand corrected....I didn't assume it, but when I google'd it the first time I didn't get any results.....The 2nd time, I got a unusable link...3rd time I got it..
Thanks 4 the info...(however, I'd never apply to it)..lol..

dont go to carribean MD school man.... i heard it sucks crap.... bad residencey chance etc. reapply MD and DDS next year

I wouldn't go as far as saying that..It is a matter of personal opinion though (only students who go there can say such a thing..)..lol....My uncle is Jamaican and is a FMG...Now, he's an OB/GYN physician in Orlando....He loved his time there...He doesn't think it sucked... So, you may not wanna start a flame war w/ the Carrib M.D students if they see it...
They don't have a BAD chance at getting a residency....It's just they have a harder time getting into the more competitive ones (anesthesia, derm, opth,)...You can get it, but you gotta be top of your game, since you are competing with U.S M.D and D.O graduates....

But if you wanted to work FP or IM, then you could still easily do that...IM isn't competitive @ all...Once you do IM, you have a few more options (fellowships in Cardiology, Gastroent., etc)...Oh, and roughly 1 out of 4 physicians in the US are IMG (25.3%).......Also, not all of them are FP's either...So please, don't fill this guys head w/ crap....We all know that dental school stats is nearly on par with U.S M.D stats..Some very talented students just don't get in...For example, my cousin, went to Baylor for undergrad..Graduated with 3.6 GPA (Bio major)..Excellent stats, LOR's, and extra-curriculars..MCAT of 33O...She tried (2) years applying to U.S M.D...Now, she's in limbo on what she wants to do..(She's only 24, so she's got time to figure it out)...Some talented/overlooked people with subpar grades may look at Carrib. M.D as an attractive option..But b/c it's easier to get into, doesn't mean it's easier to get THROUGH...U still have USMLE's and additional hurdles--that U.S students don't...

IMG stats:
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/211.html

IM stats:
http://residency.wustl.edu/medadmin/resweb.nsf/f7d261b19325755a86256f900062b64f/212def64c36d7fa886256f8f0072f0b0?OpenDocument

-HM2

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

Lol, btw there is a Caribbean Dental School...in Trinidad & Tobago (University of the West Indies, School of Dental Medicine)

Although this UWI is located "in the Caribbean", it is not a "Caribbean dental school" if that makes any sense. I.E. it is not a for-profit school created to take US dental school rejects and retrain them to get back into the states.

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Hello,

The OP needs to look at himself to see what he truly wants to do with his career. There is nothing worse than investing hundreds of thousands to have the job that you hate. If medicine is TRULY what your heart desires, you should consider US D.O then foreign MD as last resort. That is because US med graduates have better chance of getting matched into more competitive residencies and less hurdles to jump through. Unfortunately some are preoccupied with the MD name sake and choose the off shore route. You should not consider dentistry at all if it is not what you want. With entering DO and off shore MD stats are lower than dentistry, it doesn't make sense to shoot for the second choice while it is harder to obtain than the first. DP

 

[Triniprincess]

I stand corrected....I didn't assume it, but when I google'd it the first time I didn't get any results.....The 2nd time, I got a unusable link...3rd time I got it..
Thanks 4 the info...(however, I'd never apply to it)..lol..


actually it is very hard for americans to get into UWI. and UWI is an excellent school, however, mostly caribbean students go there as acceptances are mainly based upon Cambridge A level results. so dont judge the school by its link.

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

Hello,

The OP needs to look at himself to see what he truly wants to do with his career. There is nothing worse than investing hundreds of thousands to have the job that you hate. If medicine is TRULY what your heart desires, you should consider US D.O then foreign MD as last resort. That is because US med graduates have better chance of getting matched into more competitive residencies and less hurdles to jump through. Unfortunately some are preoccupied with the MD name sake and choose the off shore route. You should not consider dentistry at all if it is not what you want. With entering DO and off shore MD stats are lower than dentistry, it doesn't make sense to shoot for the second choice while it is harder to obtain than the first. DP

I do agree with you that "if you want to practice in the US" that a US DO degree is better than a foreign MD/MBBS. However, if you want a more internationally recognized qualification. I.e. if the OP wants the option to work in Europe, All provinces of Canada, Australia, etc., then it may be better to obtain an "allopathic" (overseas MD) over a US DO degree because although you can work in lots of places with a US DO degree, it is still not as universally internationally recognized as an MD or MBBS.

You don't know what the future holds for American medicine, the US economy is falling very quickly. The world is getting smaller, etc. So, in the future.. having more options to work overseas in other 1st world nations may be something of value.

(just something to think about)

 

[allenmarchallo]

actually it is very hard for americans to get into UWI. and UWI is an excellent school, however, mostly caribbean students go there as acceptances are mainly based upon Cambridge A level results. so dont judge the school by its link.

lol...Where did I judge??? Did I say their dental program was subpar or anything, b/c I don't remember writing that...

Cambridge huh?

Also, do they have ADA accreditation? I can't find out b/c the UWI dental site is "not found."

here:
http://sta.uwi.edu/fms/prog_dds.php

-HM2

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

Cambridge huh?

Cambridge A levels info: http://www.cie.org.uk/

They are basically like SATs (I, II, III)

Also, do they have ADA accreditation? I can't find out b/c the UWI dental site is "not found."

No. I don't know if they are appling for it, but you could enquire.

 

[TOXOSIS]

dont go to carribean MD school man.... i heard it sucks crap.... bad residencey chance etc. reapply MD and DDS next year

There is obviously going to be misinformation like the one above when you are getting information from pre-dental or dental students about carribean medical schools. Not all caribbean med schools suck crap or have bad residency. Especially the school the OP is accepted to. In fact, their match list is VERY impressive. (Disclaimer: I'm not a student there and am not defending my own school). Now some of the other offshore schools do suck ass and some aren't even approved in every state when you move back here. The only school I'd consider overseas on the islands (if this was a MUST) is SGU after the nightmares I've heard about some other campuses and administrations.

To the OP: If you enjoy medicine, I think you will be quite happy with the limited time on the island... then you're off to the states for rotations. Medical school has been quite rewarding and the stress that comes with it has been worth it. I hear SGU students are quite a good crowd too so you'll be fine there. Just think about what you want to do for the next 40 years.

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

I do agree with you that "if you want to practice in the US" that a US DO degree is better than a foreign MD/MBBS. However, if you want a more internationally recognized qualification. I.e. if the OP wants the option to work in Europe, All provinces of Canada, Australia, etc., then it may be better to obtain an "allopathic" (overseas MD) over a US DO degree because although you can work in lots of places with a US DO degree, it is still not as universally internationally recognized as an MD or MBBS.

You don't know what the future holds for American medicine, the US economy is falling very quickly. The world is getting smaller, etc. So, in the future.. having more options to work overseas in other 1st world nations may be something of value.

(just something to think about)

Totally agree. DP

 

[futureOMS]

lol...Where did I judge??? Did I say their dental program was subpar or anything, b/c I don't remember writing that...

Cambridge huh?

Also, do they have ADA accreditation? I can't find out b/c the UWI dental site is "not found."

here:
http://sta.uwi.edu/fms/prog_dds.php

-HM2

http://sta.uwi.edu/fms/dentistry/
Welcome to the School of Dentistry!

We are a dynamic young Dental School; the only one in the English Speaking Caribbean. We offer excellent undergraduate training for the award of the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) and are in the process of developing our post-graduate degree programmes.


Our School is also a centre for the Membership Examinations of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Edinburgh (MFDS RCS Parts I, II and III). Our Internship programme is accredited by the Royal College and is up for accreditation for Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency Programme by the Lutheran Medical Center of the U.S. this academic year.

In Trinidad, you will learn dentistry in a modern facility that our website will describe. We have a healthy mix of students from Trinidad & Tobago and other Caribbean islands, and also from Botswana, U.K., U.S.A. and Canada.

Our graduates are successfully practicing in Trinidad, Barbados, St Vincent, St. Lucia, Jamaica, U.S.A., and the UK. Many have gone on to specialize in the U.S. and the U.K. at reputable post-graduate institutions. We are proud of all our graduates whom, we believe, are making a contribution to the improvement of the Oral Health of the populations in the regions they practice.