Is there any truth to this about the Caribbeans...

[Mr Doc Turr]

First of all, when I say Caribbean schools I mean ONLY SGU and Ross. Only these two.

I know that with my grades so far (I haven't taken the MCAT yet), getting into a US MD program will be difficult. I am a junior right now, with a 3.03 GPA, and I know that whatever I do senior year won't even count towards my AMCAS. Would you suggest a apply after my senior year, when I'll have time/credits to raise my GPA?

Also, DO programs are a a maybe, depending on my MCAT score.

I've been told by my uncle, who is a doctor, that SGU and Ross (again, ONLY these two schools in the Caribbeans) are a great option for me if the US plan doesn't work out. He says that if I go to these 2 schools, I'll have little to no problem matching into a residency program. I can't find any concrete data to support this, but I know that Ross University had more students match into US residencies than any other Medical school. But I can't find percentages.

So without further ado, is there any truth to this?

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[medic86]

Ugh.

Man, the Caribbean should be an absolutely last resort. Even then, I'd rather be a PA or an AA before I went to the Caribbean. There are always exceptions to the rule, but the vast majority have a difficult time matching into even a mediocre residency.

I'd suggest taking a gap year to retake some classes (GPA repair/grade replacement) and apply DO before even considering the Caribbean.

Good luck.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

First of all, when I say Caribbean schools I mean ONLY SGU and Ross. Only these two.

I know that with my grades so far (I haven't taken the MCAT yet), getting into a US MD program will be difficult. I am a junior right now, with a 3.03 GPA, and I know that whatever I do senior year won't even count towards my AMCAS. Would you suggest a apply after my senior year, when I'll have time/credits to raise my GPA?

Also, DO programs are a a maybe, depending on my MCAT score.

I've been told by my uncle, who is a doctor, that SGU and Ross (again, ONLY these two schools in the Caribbeans) are a great option for me if the US plan doesn't work out. He says that if I go to these 2 schools, I'll have little to no problem matching into a residency program. I can't find any concrete data to support this, but I know that Ross University had more students match into US residencies than any other Medical school. But I can't find percentages.

So without further ado, is there any truth to this?

2 Cousins did SGU, and did have trouble matching. Took 2 cycles to match, and ended up matching in Suny-Downstate (look at their residents, lots from Ross/SGU), but not in the specialities they wanted. It could be that they take a look at where folks ultimately end up, not where they wanted to go, or the fact that they didn't match on the first try. And it was very expensive per their parents!! Try to do US med school if possible.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

Ugh.

Man, the Caribbean should be an absolutely last resort. Even then, I'd rather be a PA or an AA before I went to the Caribbean. There are always exceptions to the rule, but the vast majority have a difficult time matching into even a mediocre residency.

I'd suggest taking a gap year to retake some classes (GPA repair/grade replacement) and apply DO before even considering the Caribbean.

Good luck.[/QUOTE

Thanks for the reply. But it would be great to get some percentages on those two schools. I know that In my family, for some reason, they look at a gap year as a death sentence unfortunately. I'll just have to follow my own heart and head.

What's an AA, anyway?

 

[iniquus]

Would you suggest a apply after my senior year, when I'll have time/credits to raise my GPA?
Also, DO programs are a a maybe, depending on my MCAT score.

Obviously you will not be applying now with that GPA. Even after senior year, how much will your GPA increase realistically? If you consistently get 3.0s, then what makes this year any different? If you have an upward trend, and you get a 4.0 both semesters--you'll still be <3.3 and your sGPA is probably even lower. On top of this, you don't even have an MCAT score yet to give us a complete picture of your competitiveness. In short, seriously think if this career path is cut out for you as I wouldn't want you to waste money on countless reapplication cycles, grasping for straws. As the above person mentioned, your best bet is to apply DO depending on your MCAT score and pending grade replacement.

I've been told by my uncle, who is a doctor, that SGU and Ross (again, ONLY these two schools in the Caribbeans) are a great option for me if the US plan doesn't work out. He says that if I go to these 2 schools, I'll have little to no problem matching into a residency program. I can't find any concrete data to support this, but I know that Ross University had more students match into US residencies than any other Medical school. But I can't find percentages.

So without further ado, is there any truth to this?

Tell your uncle he's giving you bad advice and doesn't understand the current climate of residency applications. They are not a great option, in fact, they are the worst option available. You will have little to no support and you will get weeded out left with tremendous debt. If you happen to be a lucky person to make it to the application process, you probably won't get interviews, let alone match, as medical school enrollment increases but the residency bottleneck remains the same.

The reason you couldn't find concrete data to support Ross's match is that they're incredibly inflated and marketed for-profit. Do not go Caribbean.

 

[miamiheatfan]

I would definitely apply after senior year so there is a chance to increase GPA. You should definitely do a post-bac or SMP, and if you can manage to get what a >34 on the new MCAT will be, you will be able to apply to every DO school and possibly some US-MD.

I'm not an expert with the Caribbean numbers and whatnot, but it is pretty clear on SDN that you do NOT go under any means, so you should not even consider this as an option.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

2 Cousins did SGU, and did have trouble matching. Took 2 cycles to match, and ended up matching in Suny-Downstate (look at their residents, lots from Ross/SGU), but not in the specialities they wanted. could be that they take a look at where folks ultimately end up, not where they wanted to go, or the fact that they didn't match on the first try. And it was very expensive per their parents!! Try to do US med school if possible.

Thanks for the reply. What year was this?

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

I would definitely apply after senior year so there is a chance to increase GPA. You should definitely do a post-bac or SMP, and if you can manage to get what a >34 on the new MCAT will be, you will be able to apply to every DO school and possibly some US-MD.

I'm not an expert with the Caribbean numbers and whatnot, but it is pretty clear on SDN that you do NOT go under any means, so you should not even consider this as an option.

Good, informative answer. Do DO students have any problems matching into the residencies that they want?

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

Thanks for the reply. What year was this?

one was 3 years ago, and one finally got a residency last year. They were brother/sister, both did St. Georges.
Their dad is my uncle, and he regrets sending them to SGU. They did not do well on the boards either.

 

[medic86]

Good, informative answer. Do DO students have any problems matching into the residencies that they want?

They have some barriers to some hypercompetitive specialties and high-end ACGME programs, but it's nowhere near as bad as a Caribbean MD.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

Obviously you will not be applying now with that GPA. Even after senior year, how much will your GPA increase realistically? If you consistently get 3.0s, then what makes this year any different? If you have an upward trend, and you get a 4.0 both semesters--you'll still be <3.3 and your sGPA is probably even lower. On top of this, you don't even have an MCAT score yet to give us a complete picture of your competitiveness. In short, seriously think if this career path is cut out for you as I wouldn't want you to waste money on countless reapplication cycles, grasping for straws. As the above person mentioned, your best bet is to apply DO depending on your MCAT score and pending grade replacement.



Tell your uncle he's giving you bad advice and doesn't understand the current climate of residency applications. They are not a great option, in fact, they are the worst option available. You will have little to no support and you will get weeded out left with tremendous debt. If you happen to be a lucky person to make it to the application process, you probably won't get interviews, let alone match, as medical school enrollment increases but the residency bottleneck remains the same.

The reason you couldn't find concrete data to support Ross's match is that they're incredibly inflated and marketed for-profit. Do not go Caribbean.

Great answer, thank you. Its my dream to be a doctor and really can't imagine not being one. I asked somebody else already, but do DO students have any difficulties matching into an MD program? My uncle is very knowledgeable and persuasive but the numbers don't lie, am I right?

I just wish I could get some concrete, definitive percentages on match rates for SGU and Ross.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

one was 3 years ago, and one finally got a residency last year. They were brother/sister, both did St. Georges.
Their dad is my uncle, and he regrets sending them to SGU. They did not do well on the boards either.

Do you think if they had done better on the boards, things would have been different?

 

[hushcom]

So without further ado, is there any truth to this?

Some light reading for you:

http://www.2medschool.com/
http://www.4medschool.com/
http://www.6medschool.com/

 

[ridethecliche]

You won't because those numbers are going to be inflated or just outright bs.

It's not a smart option so do it if you're interested in wasting your money and essentially going to a for profit school that has little incentive to make you reach any sort of goal.

DO is a far better option, however at your low gpa you need to do a bunch of repair before you even think about med school. There are no shortcuts in this process so if you want to take one, you're likely going to pay for it more than with just cold hard cash.

 

[miamiheatfan]

Good, informative answer. Do DO students have any problems matching into the residencies that they want?

What @medic86 said basically. Would like to add that as a DO student you have to take an additional exam, the COMLEX. Keep in mind that these hyper-competitive specialties are really hard for US-MDs to get anyway because of the scarcity of seats. But in terms of matching normally, as a US-DO you will match with nearly equal ease as US-MDs.

 

[Rainbow Zebra]

Do you think if they had done better on the boards, things would have been different?

Maybe not, but the level of education probably didn't help with the board preparation. Hard to say, but just getting interviews from SGU seemed to be difficult

 

[hushcom]

I just wish I could get some concrete, definitive percentages on match rates for SGU and Ross.

As mentioned above, there is a very good reason why those numbers are not easily found: they would harm recruitment efforts.

 

[The Buff OP]

I rather be a medical assistant than go Caribbean.

 

[FutureOncologist]

Great answer, thank you. Its my dream to be a doctor and really can't imagine not being one. I asked somebody else already, but do DO students have any difficulties matching into an MD program? My uncle is very knowledgeable and persuasive but the numbers don't lie, am I right?

I just wish I could get some concrete, definitive percentages on match rates for SGU and Ross.

The DO and MD match programs are merging (sometime this year, I believe), which will make matching for DO's easier. You'll be hard pressed, as a DO, to get into a great Derm/RadOnc program. However, @Goro is a DO adcom and has had students get into prestigious programs. If you get in for fall of 2016, by 2020, DO's will most likely be as equivalent as an MD.

 

[iniquus]

Great answer, thank you. Its my dream to be a doctor and really can't imagine not being one. I asked somebody else already, but do DO students have any difficulties matching into an MD program? My uncle is very knowledgeable and persuasive but the numbers don't lie, am I right?

I just wish I could get some concrete, definitive percentages on match rates for SGU and Ross.

The actual numbers for SGU/Ross match rates are hard to find, you can't believe what you read. The attrition rate is high enough at these schools to fudge the numbers. If your dream is to be a doctor, kill the MCAT and redo that premed coursework to get into a DO school.

You will have some minor, but nontrivial difficulties matching as a DO into competitive or academic specialties, but nowhere as bad as the Caribbean students.

 

[medic86]

The DO and MD match programs are merging (sometime this year, I believe), which will make matching for DO's easier. You'll be hard pressed, as a DO, to get into a great Derm/RadOnc program. However, @Goro is a DO adcom and has had students get into prestigious programs. If you get in for fall of 2016, by 2020, DO's will most likely be as equivalent as an MD.

It might take a little longer. I speculate that it'll take some time for the old-guard program directors to get on-board (or retire).

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

Sigh. Why do we have to do this on a weekly basis?

The percentages are readily available from the NRMP.

http://www.ecfmg.org/resources/NRMP...atch-International-Medical-Graduates-2014.pdf

*Note that this does not take into account attrition, but only applicants who actually make it to the match stage. These matches also include prelim spots.

So that's 67 percent match for SGU and 55 for Ross. Based on this data, these schools are not nearly as bad as you guys are making them seem. (of course, these people may be reapplicants to the match)

 

[medic86]

So that's 67 percent match for SGU and 55 for Ross. Based on this data, these schools are not nearly as bad as you guys are making them seem. (of course, these people may be reapplicants to the match)

That's actually very bad, given match rates for US MD and DO are virtually 100%.

As @SouthernSurgeon stated: those numbers count prelim spots and don't count the high attrition of the school.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

That's actually very bad, given match rates for US MD and DO are virtually 100%.

As @SouthernSurgeon stated: those numbers count prelim spots and don't count the high attrition of the school.

Very good point. I want to be clear, SGU and Ross are my absolute last resort. The other Caribbean schools can go to hell.

Could someone post some data on DO students match rates for all to see?

 

[FutureOncologist]

So that's 67 percent match for SGU and 55 for Ross. Based on this data, these schools are not nearly as bad as you guys are making them seem. (of course, these people may be reapplicants to the match)

SGU takes like 900 kids a year? These numbers don't account for the entire class population, only those that made it to 4th year and applied for the match.

If any US MD/DO school had those numbers, they'd get shut down.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

That's actually very bad, given match rates for US MD and DO are virtually 100%.

As @SouthernSurgeon stated: those numbers count prelim spots and don't count the high attrition of the school.

Could you explain what you mean by how they don't count preliminary spots?

 

[Psai]

Some light reading for you:

http://www.2medschool.com/
http://www.4medschool.com/
http://www.6medschool.com/

rofl this kid is such a beta

When people ask, I always say something like this, "I'm not married and I don't have kids. I don't have a girlfriend and I'm not even looking."

All of that is true and it sucks. So what do you do with a cute optometrist is flirting with you before, during, and after you eye exam?

I'm usually really dense when it comes to girls and if they're interested. So when even I can pick it up, it would probably be completely obvious to anyone else in the room. She already knew a little about me from the patient information sheet you fill in and we actually had a few things in common. I made her laugh a couple times, she was telling some jokes, and her hands were all over my face during the exam itself.

Before I left, I could have asked for her number and she would have given it.

But I didn't do that.

Instead, I picked out some frames and completed the rest of the exam with one of the technicians. I then paid for everything and left.

Yeah he definitely could have gotten her number lol. Kid is totally unrealistic about his life, fantasizing about a girl liking him just because she was nice to him right before he purchased his glasses from her
kid got totally played and doesn't even know, thinks he's some sort of chick magnet lmao

 

[Lucca]

So that's 67 percent match for SGU and 55 for Ross. Based on this data, these schools are not nearly as bad as you guys are making them seem. (of course, these people may be reapplicants to the match)

as @medic86 mentioned those numbers simply count 'matching'. Matching into a desired specialty is another question. Moreover, the most important question is how many people dropped out before they were even given the opportunity to submit on ERAS?

You should read: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/where-are-all-the-caribean-failure-stories.1123211/

Or search "Caribbean" and see many other threads like it.

The current residency climate will only continue to get more competitive as more medical schools open up and residency slots stay where they are. Even if more residency slots are opened, there is no guarantee that they will keep pace with the number of medical school seats currently being added in the US on the MD and DO ends.

If your only choice is to go Caribbean then you should take two years doing a post-bacc, working on grade replacement, getting some life experience and exploring other opportunities in order to apply, with your best foot forward, to DO and lower tier MD schools.

If you are not willing to put in the extra time to get your application to where it needs to be while going through the difficulties of supporting yourself financially, working harder than you did undergrad to prove yourself, and getting your numbers to where they need to be then you should seriously consider another profession.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

The DO and MD match programs are merging (sometime this year, I believe), which will make matching for DO's easier. You'll be hard pressed, as a DO, to get into a great Derm/RadOnc program. However, @Goro is a DO adcom and has had students get into prestigious programs. If you get in for fall of 2016, by 2020, DO's will most likely be as equivalent as an MD.

Wow, this is pretty big news. But it seems unfair for MD's, since they typically had higher GPAs and MCAT scores.

My only problem with DO is that I have yet to shadow a DO (which is a requirement in most places) and they usually require a committee letter. I could be wrong, but my school requires that we have a 3.4 GPA to get one, which I don't have. I also missed the mandatory workshop for this year to get one, anyway. Is there any way around this?

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

as @medic86 mentioned those numbers simply count 'matching'. Matching into a desired specialty is another question. Moreover, the most important question is how many people dropped out before they were even given the opportunity to submit on ERAS?

You should read: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/where-are-all-the-caribean-failure-stories.1123211/

Or search "Caribbean" and see many other threads like it.

The current residency climate will only continue to get more competitive as more medical schools open up and residency slots stay where they are. Even if more residency slots are opened, there is no guarantee that they will keep pace with the number of medical school seats currently being added in the US on the MD and DO ends.

If your only choice is to go Caribbean then you should take two years doing a post-bacc, working on grade replacement, getting some life experience and exploring other opportunities in order to apply, with your best foot forward, to DO and lower tier MD schools.

If you are not willing to put in the extra time to get your application to where it needs to be while going through the difficulties of supporting yourself financially, working harder than you did undergrad to prove yourself, and getting your numbers to where they need to be then you should seriously consider another profession.

Thanks for that. Its my family that's been bugging me to become a doctor ASAP, and its ridiculous. My uncle even told me to go to Ross NEXT year, as they only require 90 credits. I don't want to settle for less.

They don't understand that it isn't the end of the world if you don't get into medical school right after college (Agree?). I'm in a unique situation and its going to take some time, hard work, more extracurriculars, and a little bit of luck to pull this off. I just wish they would shut up and listen to me for once.

 

[Dr Air Jordan]

Can this thread or another similar one be stickied? And why do we have a special carribean forum on SDN???

We should make a motion to have it removed

 

[hushcom]

Wow, this is pretty big news. But it seems unfair for MD's, since they typically had higher GPAs and MCAT scores.

My only problem with DO is that I have yet to shadow a DO (which is a requirement in most places) and they usually require a committee letter. I could be wrong, but my school requires that we have a 3.4 GPA to get one, which I don't have. I also missed the mandatory workshop for this year to get one, anyway. Is there any way around this?

Let's sum things up thus far: you are a junior with a GPA that barely breaks 3.0, no MCAT score, and you missed the mandatory workshop to get a committee letter that you do not qualify for.

There is no way "around" any of this, other than go to the Caribbean and risk career suicide. In my opinion you will need at least two more years of maturation, with accompanying solid performance in a grad program/post-bacc/SMP.

 

[Dr Air Jordan]

This information needs to be promoted by SDN/US medical students and doctors

We need to try to end the Caribbean med schools

Or force them to start acting more responsibly

Maybe they need to shrink their class size down to 200 to have more respectability
Even if they adjust tuition/change facilities to have the same revenue stream, they at least would be more ethical in terms of their claimed match rates

 

[Law2Doc]

So that's 67 percent match for SGU and 55 for Ross. Based on this data, these schools are not nearly as bad as you guys are making them seem. (of course, these people may be reapplicants to the match)

Those are percentages of the people who survived internal hurdles and high attrition. If you look at the odds of matching of all those accepted (not those who survive four years) you'd have to at least halve those figures.

And as mentioned, paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for even a 50-60% chance is a foolish gamble. In US allo for example, attrition is about 3% and after that 94% match and most if the reminder get something through SOAP.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

Can this thread or another similar one be stickied? And why do we have a special carribean forum on SDN???

We should make a motion to have it removed

I think it's clear from SDN that Caribbean schools are not the way to go.

But what I don't understand is the response someone gets when they say they are going to SGU or Ross. Plenty of doctors have gone and been successful. Not as good as US students, obviously, but there have been many success stories.

 

[Dr Air Jordan]

Smp/post bacc or misc science classes to boost gpa >>>>>> carribean

 

[Dr Air Jordan]

I just think that carribean med schools need to be pressured by someone to shrink class sizes and have better filters for quality besides attrition rate

 

[hushcom]

But what I don't understand is the response someone gets when they say they are going to SGU or Ross. Plenty of doctors have gone and been successful. Not as good as US students, obviously, but there have been many success stories.

Throw enough fecal matter at a wall and some of it is bound to stick.

 

[Komorebi2]

Wow, this is pretty big news. But it seems unfair for MD's, since they typically had higher GPAs and MCAT scores.

My only problem with DO is that I have yet to shadow a DO (which is a requirement in most places) and they usually require a committee letter. I could be wrong, but my school requires that we have a 3.4 GPA to get one, which I don't have. I also missed the mandatory workshop for this year to get one, anyway. Is there any way around this?

MD schools also want to see that committee letter.

And there is plenty of time for you to shadow a DO, especially since I don't think you should be applying this year.

Take your senior year and a gap year to retake Cs/Ds/Fs. Take upperlevel science courses (and get As). Bring up that GPA as high as you possible can. Rock the MCAT (high 20s at least). And apply for DO in 2017.

Someone else said this. But there are no shortcuts when it comes to getting into med school.

SGU and Ross are not suitable alternatives for a US-MD or a DO.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

This is like the caribbean high-risk student personified.

-No demonstration of academic success at a high level, nor of standardized test success
-Intent to shortcut required steps (cut bait at 90 credits rather than graduate, haven't taken MCAT)
-Failure to meet basic requirements (committee letter) or even attend required meetings
-Family pressure rather than personal decision

Hopefully, I'll be able to avoid going to SGU or Ross. I should note that I didn't go to the meeting because I knew I was going to be taking a gap year for quite some time now.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

MD schools also want to see that committee letter.

And there is plenty of time for you to shadow a DO, especially since I don't think you should be applying this year.

Take your senior year and a gap year to retake Cs/Ds/Fs. Take upperlevel science courses (and get As). Bring up that GPA as high as you possible can. Rock the MCAT (high 20s at least). And apply for DO in 2017.

Someone else said this. But there are no shortcuts when it comes to getting into med school.

SGU and Ross are not suitable alternatives for a US-MD or a DO.

How important is it that your first time applying should be your best/strongest?

 

[FutureOncologist]

Wow, this is pretty big news. But it seems unfair for MD's, since they typically had higher GPAs and MCAT scores.

My only problem with DO is that I have yet to shadow a DO (which is a requirement in most places) and they usually require a committee letter. I could be wrong, but my school requires that we have a 3.4 GPA to get one, which I don't have. I also missed the mandatory workshop for this year to get one, anyway. Is there any way around this?

How is this unfair? Where you go for residency doesn't depend on how you did in undergrad. It's how well you did in medical school. The merger levels the playing field for MD and DO applicants.

 

[Law2Doc]

Thanks for that. Its my family that's been bugging me to become a doctor ASAP, and its ridiculous. My uncle even told me to go to Ross NEXT year, as they only require 90 credits. I don't want to settle for less...

It's definitely not the end of the world to go to med school later -- some of us had whole careers before doing it. Theres a whole nontrad community on here. I think your uncle is radically out if touch if hes painting the Caribbean option as a "great" one. That was more true in a prior generation, up to the 80s and 90s, than it is today. These days the window is closing and match rates have been dropping as US grads are moving to fill greater and greater percentages of residency spots. He is right on one count though --if you are actually going to do the Caribbean route (which we all agree is a bad idea) do it sooner rather than later, as that door is swinging closed pretty fast.

With a 3.0 there is really no reason you can't spend some time bringing up your grades, maybe do well on the MCAT, and maybe go through an SMP and eventually get into a US school. It's a longer path but medicine is a lifelong marathon, not a sprint, and this path would be much much higher yield and you won't get closed out of all the non-primary care specialties. Or worse, forced into that dead end surgery prelim where you get exploited for a year and then discarded, unlicensed, to your life as an uber car driver for real doctors.

 

[Komorebi2]

How important is it that your first time applying should be your best/strongest?

Extremely.

 

[Lucca]

Thanks for that. Its my family that's been bugging me to become a doctor ASAP, and its ridiculous. My uncle even told me to go to Ross NEXT year, as they only require 90 credits. I don't want to settle for less.

They don't understand that it isn't the end of the world if you don't get into medical school right after college (Agree?). I'm in a unique situation and its going to take some time, hard work, more extracurriculars, and a little bit of luck to pull this off. I just wish they would shut up and listen to me for once.

The timeline for you to become a doctor "as soon as possible" is by entering medical school around two to three years following graduation. If you were to go Caribbean you would not become a doctor. Do not paternalize your family members, treat them like rational adults and show them the hard data we have presented you here and they should be able to reason to exactly the same conclusion. Similarly, do not let your family members opinions influence your decision whatsoever.

 

[iniquus]

The DO and MD match programs are merging (sometime this year, I believe), which will make matching for DO's easier.

I don't see how the merger would make the DO match any easier--they can already apply for ACGME residencies. If anything, allopathic students will now have access to AOA spots in competitive specialties.

My understanding is the merger will bring all AOA residencies up to ACGME standards, leading to some serious revamping or closing of subpar ones. With MDs and DOs also on the same page, FMGs will find themselves less likely to secure positions.

 

[Mr Doc Turr]

The timeline for you to becoming a doctor "as soon as possible" is by entering medical school around two to three years following graduation. If you were to go Caribbean you would not become a doctor. Do not paternalize your family members, treat them like rational adults and show them the hard data we have presented you here and they should be able to reason to exactly the same conclusion. Similarly, do not let your family members opinions influence your decision whatsoever.

Thank you for that.

 

[Shams al Deen]

If you go to SGU and are a reasonably good student, then it is very likely that you will become a licensed physician in America. However, there is a significantly large chance that this will not happen. Additionally, if you can't even get into a DO school, then chances are that you are not a reasonably good student, and will have a lot of trouble keeping up academically. So I generally would not recommend Carribean schools.

However, if you possess that "switch" to turn it on academically, you are not risk averse, and you REALLY wanna be a doctor --then Carribs maybe for you, and it's not for me to decide.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Seriously dude, it's not that complicated. Accumulate at least 30 credits with a high gpa (3.7+) and do well on the MCAT. That'll give you better options in the long run.

Patience and maturity vs sending your future to Oblivion. The choice is clear.

 

[Womb Raider]

1. Consider post-bac program and getting a great MCAT
2. Consider UQ-Ochsner (University of Queensland - Ochsner program) It's a medical school in Australia (so you'll still be an IMG) but it is affiliated with Ochsner healthcare in Louisiana, so you'd do your 3rd and 4th year rotations in America. I don't know much about it but it seems to me this would be vastly superior to a Caribbean school. (Plus, maybe you'll find yourself a nice aussie babe).