Need Advice Please...SGU Medical Student looking to get into DO school

[jojoflex]

Hey everyone,
My apologies if similar posts have been addressed previously. I am currently enrolled as a 2nd term medical student at SGU in the Caribbean (I know, I should have listened to everyone and NOT have attended from the beginning), however, I took a leave of absence with the option of returning in January. However, I prefer not to attend this institution and would rather attend a D.O. school in the States. At present, I am unsure of what to do next and would welcome any advice. I have applied to D.O. schools once before, and was denied, most likely due to my low MCAT which was in the mid 20s. I am considering pursuing a SMP and retaking the MCAT, but all advice is welcome. Thanks in advance!

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[AMEHigh]

Contact all of the schools you want to apply to and ask them their policy on transfer or new students from Caribbean medical schools.

 

[jojoflex]

Hey AMEhigh, thanks for the quick response. From my understanding, medical students are unable to transfer between schools until their 3rd year of medical school, subsequent to taking the USMLE Step 1, and only a select few accept international transfers.

 

[Wawes]

Hello,
I dropped out from Ross during my second term, and got into a DO school. But I had to reapply and start from the beginning as a first year. Message me if you have any specific questions. The whole process can seem overwhelming but its very doable and will only make you a stronger physician overall

 

[hallowmann]

Hello,
I dropped out from Ross during my second term, and got into a DO school. But I had to reapply and start from the beginning as a first year. Message me if you have any specific questions. The whole process can seem overwhelming but its very doable and will only make you a stronger physician overall

This.

I know a few people that have done this. Its good that you took a leave and were not dismissed, that would make things harder. How were your grades in SGU?

Anyways, you can reapply. I wouldn't do an SMP, I would just do a post-bac with retakes if your grades are an issue (mainly to save the money). If the issue is your MCAT, retake that and do better. You can definitely just try reapplying and seeing what happens. If that doesn't work out, you could do what I mentioned (grades and MCAT) or apply to a post-bac/SMP with linkage if you really want to.

 

[jojoflex]

Thanks Hallowmann for the quick response. My grades at SGU were mediocre, nothing less than a B but that is simply based on 1 term. As far as undergrad GPA, its around 3.3 for both science and overall, so would you still recommend doing a post bac over a SMP? and you mentioned a SMP-linkage program? What is that exactly, and do you know specific programs that offer that? Thanks in advance!

 

[Instatewaiter]

Thanks Hallowmann for the quick response. My grades at SGU were mediocre, nothing less than a B but that is simply based on 1 term. As far as undergrad GPA, its around 3.3 for both science and overall, so would you still recommend doing a post bac over a SMP? and you mentioned a SMP-linkage program? What is that exactly, and do you know specific programs that offer that? Thanks in advance!

Your MCAT is too low for an SMP. Retake the MCAT. Do 5 points higher. Reapply.

 

[Mehd School]

Your MCAT is too low for an SMP. Retake the MCAT. Do 5 points higher. Reapply.

I disagree, he said his MCAT was mid-20's (I assume 24-26). He's a prime candidate for an SMP.

 

[235009]

I disagree, he said his MCAT was mid-20's (I assume 24-26). He's a prime candidate for an SMP.

Wrong. SMPs are designed for candidates with high MCAT and low GPA.

I think your best bet is to retake the MCAT and apply. Problem is you'll probably have to decide whether or not to go back to sgu before your score comes out. That being said the match list at sgu is very comparable to most DO schools. The only difference is that there's less support along the way and a higher chance of failing out.

 

[Mehd School]

Wrong. SMPs are designed for candidates with high MCAT and low GPA.

I think your best bet is to retake the MCAT and apply. Problem is you'll probably have to decide whether or not to go back to sgu before your score comes out. That being said the match list at sgu is very comparable to most DO schools. The only difference is that there's less support along the way and a higher chance of failing out.

You're right, I apologize. I was confusing an SMP with a post-bacc tied to a med school. Chalk it up to post block exam hangover.

 

[Goro]

Why would they take you now?

I can't sugar coat this, but based upon the experiences at my school, you had your chance, and DO schools, even if they grant you IIs, are very unlikely to accept you.

If you're not failing, and think you can ace USMLE, then I'd try for the >50% chance that you can land a residency.

Hey everyone,
My apologies if similar posts have been addressed previously. I am currently enrolled as a 2nd term medical student at SGU in the Caribbean (I know, I should have listened to everyone and NOT have attended from the beginning), however, I took a leave of absence with the option of returning in January. However, I prefer not to attend this institution and would rather attend a D.O. school in the States. At present, I am unsure of what to do next and would welcome any advice. I have applied to D.O. schools once before, and was denied, most likely due to my low MCAT which was in the mid 20s. I am considering pursuing a SMP and retaking the MCAT, but all advice is welcome. Thanks in advance!

 

[BigEinstein]

Hey everyone,
My apologies if similar posts have been addressed previously. I am currently enrolled as a 2nd term medical student at SGU in the Caribbean (I know, I should have listened to everyone and NOT have attended from the beginning), however, I took a leave of absence with the option of returning in January. However, I prefer not to attend this institution and would rather attend a D.O. school in the States. At present, I am unsure of what to do next and would welcome any advice. I have applied to D.O. schools once before, and was denied, most likely due to my low MCAT which was in the mid 20s. I am considering pursuing a SMP and retaking the MCAT, but all advice is welcome. Thanks in advance!

I do not believe this excuse of troll. Were you kicked out or something? I do not believe you

 

[Dharma]

Just keep riding it out at SGU dude.

 

[jojoflex]

Thanks everyone for all of the responses. And no, Big Einstein, I did not fail or get kicked out, if I had, I would have disclosed that information in my initial post. Thank you all for the advice nonetheless.

 

[BigEinstein]

Thanks everyone for all of the responses. And no, Big Einstein, I did not fail or get kicked out, if I had, I would have disclosed that information in my initial post. Thank you all for the advice nonetheless.

i still do not believe you. What is the reason then? Or you want to paint SGU black?

 

[Jamie561]

i still do not believe you. What is the reason then? Or you want to paint SGU black?

Carib sucks, that's why

 

[BigEinstein]

Carib sucks, that's why

Not every Carib school sucks. Your face sucks

 

[hallowmann]

Thanks Hallowmann for the quick response. My grades at SGU were mediocre, nothing less than a B but that is simply based on 1 term. As far as undergrad GPA, its around 3.3 for both science and overall, so would you still recommend doing a post bac over a SMP? and you mentioned a SMP-linkage program? What is that exactly, and do you know specific programs that offer that? Thanks in advance!

With that GPA, I'd try a MCAT retake. You could always just defer continuing at SGU and try applying DO. If it doesn't work out, you can continue a bit later. It's crazy easy to defer with SGU, just make a case for why you need to stay stateside for a bit.

I do not believe this excuse of troll. Were you kicked out or something? I do not believe you

Not every Carib school sucks. Your face sucks

Wow. Someone's a little sensitive. Calm down buddy.

 

[jojoflex]

thanks Hallowmann, that seems like the route that I will take. Thanks again for all the advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[Jamie561]

Not every Carib school sucks. Your face sucks

lol (laugh out loud)

 

[BigEinstein]

lol (laugh out loud)

 

[Bancrofti]

OP, I know of 2 people with your stats that ended up DO from SGU. 1 person who dropped out that applied while at SGU and decided to start year 1 over and another who didn't pass some first term classes, but applied DO afterwards and got in. I don't know much about the application process anymore so this is just to give you anecdotal evidence, but it would seem you should be ok to apply. That being said, I think the person who didn't pass the class had a GPA ~3.6-3.7 so that could be a contributing factor.

 

[padfoot777]

grass is always greener, how do you know you wont hate DO school as much?

 

[Apoplexy__]

Not every Carib school sucks. Your face sucks

 

[BigEinstein]

WTF is that?

 

[Apoplexy__]

A picture of the application of cold water to a burn.

You know, like the one you gave Jamie561.

 

[Psyche Estrelle]

Just curious, but what makes you unwilling to ride it out at SGU?

 

[reapplicanthelpme2014]

Not every Carib school sucks. Your face sucks

Literally LOLing

 

[Jamie561]

A picture of the application of cold water to a burn.

You know, like the one you gave Jamie561.

My jimmies are 20% rustled

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Wrong. SMPs are designed for candidates with high MCAT and low GPA.

I think your best bet is to retake the MCAT and apply. Problem is you'll probably have to decide whether or not to go back to sgu before your score comes out. That being said the match list at sgu is very comparable to most DO schools. The only difference is that there's less support along the way and a higher chance of failing out.

You're thinking about MD schools. WesternU and AZCOM SMP programs have pretty average MCAT (24-26).

 

[BDUS]

OP, I know of 2 people with your stats that ended up DO from SGU. 1 person who dropped out that applied while at SGU and decided to start year 1 over and another who didn't pass some first term classes, but applied DO afterwards and got in. I don't know much about the application process anymore so this is just to give you anecdotal evidence, but it would seem you should be ok to apply. That being said, I think the person who didn't pass the class had a GPA ~3.6-3.7 so that could be a contributing factor.

Also anecdotal...I also knew a couple of people that ended up at DO schools in the US. One had great scores while down there while the other had failed courses and was dismissed.