Hygienist considering admission into Caribbean med school (SGU, AUC, Ross, Saba)

[Hygiene chick11]

Hi all!
Here are my Stats
3 bachelor of sciences in order w/ gpa:
Bio- 2.5
Dental Lab sciences- 3.3
Dental hygiene- 3.0

total gpa: 2.83
total science gpa: 2.76

Total of 262 credit hours

Have been a dental hygienist for 4 years & want to switch careers. Lots of Extracurricular activities, hygiene volunteer and great LORs.
Basically, I worked a lot to pay for undergrad and did not take school seriously.
I'm currently shadowing a family practice physician (my goal is to go into family). I 'm studying for the mcat & shooting for at least a 24
Basically I want to know how hard is it to get into one of the 4 Caribbean med schools, how hard is it to land a residency spot in family medicine w possible avg or a bit more avg step scores (trying to be realistic here), any thoughts? The Caribbean med is really my only chance.
Any recommendations/advice?
Thank YOU!!

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[Heresthedoc]

Don't shoot for a 24. Shoot for a 30. You'll land above 24 with room to spare for admission to a Caribbean school. I got into SGU with a 2.5 GPA and an MCAT of 29. The MCAT is your friend! (...well... tool. Friend is a strong word!)

That being said, I start school in August, so I can't tell you anything about how hard it is to land a residency in a given profession, but if you have questions about getting in I'll do my best to help!

 

[ewax]

If you want to go in to family med, why not just retake the UG classes you didn't do so hot in the first time around and apply DO? DO schools (most, if not all) do grade replacement so you can drastically improve your GPA in a year or less. A lot of people are opposed to going DO because of lack of prestige etc. but I honestly think that going to the Caribbean right now is a huge risk (with regards to time and finances) and you would probably be better served going DO in the long run.

 

[bedevilled ben]

Hi all!
Basically I want to know how hard is it to get into one of the 4 Caribbean med schools, how hard is it to land a residency spot in family medicine w possible avg or a bit more avg step scores (trying to be realistic here), any thoughts? The Caribbean med is really my only chance.
Any recommendations/advice?
Thank YOU!!

Not hard. You should aim for a higher MCAT score. For SGU you can get in with a 24 but with a low GPA also they may force you to take Foundations courses which adds an extra term or AEP which is sort of like academic watch for the first term.

Family and Peds have some of the lowest requirements for Step 1 scores, so unless you want to do a prestigious residency, you shouldn't have much problem landing a residency assuming you get through a program. There are tons of incentives available for primary care right now. Even a slightly-below average score will probably still get you a residency.

 

[Skip Intro]

Any recommendations/advice?

Consider your lifestyle/pay now.

Next, factor in loss of that income for the next 7+ years.

Factor in student loans, which will have to be paid back starting immediately after you graduate.

Now figure out: [(planned retirement age) - (current age)] * [current income x (annual COLA * yrs to retirement)]= X (i.e., lifetime income at current job level)

Then figure out: [(cost of medical school) + (doctor income * (yrs to retirement - (current age +7))] - (current income * 7) = Y (i.e., adjusted lifetime income as a doctor)

If Y > X, then this might be the right decision.

If X > Y, then I would think long and hard before choosing this route.

And consider the changes to lifestyle, which are probably currently intangible to you.

-Skip

 

[meowmeow7]

Don't shoot for a 24. Shoot for a 30. You'll land above 24 with room to spare for admission to a Caribbean school. I got into SGU with a 2.5 GPA and an MCAT of 29. The MCAT is your friend! (...well... tool. Friend is a strong word!)

That being said, I start school in August, so I can't tell you anything about how hard it is to land a residency in a given profession, but if you have questions about getting in I'll do my best to help!

You got in with a 2.5? That's awesome congrats. I'm sure that gives a lot of med school hopefuls with lower GPAs some confidence. I was just wondering besides the GPA and MCAT, what else did you have that really stood out? Volunteer hours, LORS? Because from what I know SGU is tough to get into esp with a sub 3.0 gpa so I was just curious

 

[KyleV]

Would the OP be interested in podiatry? I don't know a ton about their admission process, but I have read here on SDN of a substantial amount of Applicants getting accepted with sub 3.0 gpa and low 20s on their mcat.

 

[bedevilled ben]

You got in with a 2.5? That's awesome congrats. I'm sure that gives a lot of med school hopefuls with lower GPAs some confidence. I was just wondering besides the GPA and MCAT, what else did you have that really stood out? Volunteer hours, LORS? Because from what I know SGU is tough to get into esp with a sub 3.0 gpa so I was just curious

I'm not the person you replied to, but I am an SGU student. In general, they will overlook either a poor MCAT score or a poor GPA, assuming you have everything else going for your application. Volunteer hours, LoRs, shadowing experience, publications, etc. are all good things to have on your application, but in general their quality is largely unimportant, you just need to have them. I think (and this is speculation on my part, but I've seen it anecdotally) that they are more willing to overlook a low GPA than a low MCAT score. There is so much institutional variation in how GPAs are calculated that it's really becoming a useless metric. P/F courses, grade inflation, etc. can all distort a GPA, but the MCAT scores are standardized. Statistical studies have shown that the MCAT is the best metric for predicting success. SGU has had a recent upswing in applications the last few years and has started placing more emphasis on the student interview and professionalism, so expect the average entrance stats to continue to rise.

 

[xBODOMx]

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[bedevilled ben]

In a study paid for by the AAMC, who also administers the MCAT exam.

Fine, I'll spoon-feed you. Here's a meta-analysis of 23 studies showing the same thing. It's not a strong correlation, but it's the best we've got. If you've got something better to add I'll gladly listen and incorporate it into future counsel I give on the subject. If you're going to flippantly dismiss my advice, at least offer something of substance in return.

 

[W19]

Fine, I'll spoon-feed you. Here's a meta-analysis of 23 studies showing the same thing. It's not a strong correlation, but it's the best we've got. If you've got something better to add I'll gladly listen and incorporate it into future counsel I give on the subject. If you're going to flippantly dismiss my advice, at least offer something of substance in return.

One D.O. adcom told me that the best correlation they have is the BS section... He told me that is why they usually accept applicants who score 10+ in that section...

 

[bedevilled ben]

One D.O. adcom told me that the best correlation they have is the BS section... He told me that is why they usually accept applicants who score 10+ in that section...

Correct. The Biological Sciences subsection of the MCAT is basically tied with the overall MCAT score for best predictive power. They mention this isn the meta-analysis I linked above. As much as we all hated taking it, and with all of the problems that go along with standardized test-taking, there is good evidence that it does a relatively good job at predicting success.

 

[W19]

Correct. The Biological Sciences subsection of the MCAT is basically tied with the overall MCAT score for best predictive power. They mention this isn the meta-analysis I linked above. As much as we all hated taking it, and with all of the problems that go along with standardized test-taking, there is good evidence that it does a relatively good job at predicting success.

I know, but no more MCAT for me though... My next standardized exam will be step1.

 

[CaptainAZ]

There is no correlation between the MCAT and Step 1. I got a 21 on the MCAT and a 230 on Step 1. My friend (who went to school in the US) got a 35 on the MCAT and 225 on Step 1.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

There is no correlation between the MCAT and Step 1. I got a 21 on the MCAT and a 230 on Step 1. My friend (who went to school in the US) got a 35 on the MCAT and 225 on Step 1.

Yes because two peoples personal results reflects as a whole that there is no correlation.

 

[W19]

There is no correlation between the MCAT and Step 1. I got a 21 on the MCAT and a 230 on Step 1. My friend (who went to school in the US) got a 35 on the MCAT and 225 on Step 1.

The correlation is weak, but there is one... I was told that the highest correlation is b/t the BS subsection and step 1... I am at US school and I think the materials are not terribly difficult, but the volume is a lot...