SGU vs. Ross

[oachaudh]

Hey all, so I've been accepted at Ross and St George's for the coming year and I'm having a hard time deciding which one to pick.
Anyone could offer some input pros and cons?

For my own two cents, I've been trying to make travel arrangements to get to Dominica and it is the most miserable activity since studying for the MCATs.
One daily flight from San Juan and a maximum of 70 pounds total for both bags.

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[AngryBaby]

Hey all, so I've been accepted at Ross and St George's for the coming year and I'm having a hard time deciding which one to pick.
Anyone could offer some input pros and cons?

For my own two cents, I've been trying to make travel arrangements to get to Dominica and it is the most miserable activity since studying for the MCATs.
One daily flight from San Juan and a maximum of 70 pounds total for both bags.

I highly recommend you check out that other med student website (the one with all the overseas schools...) and do a search about Ross clinicals to answer that question. From what I've read (I'm not a student at either) Ross has SERIOUS issues with rotations.

 

[vett9d1]

SGU...other website is valuemd.com

 

[peppy6]

SGU...but I'm biased b/c that's where I'm going, haha. I've been "tracking" SGU for a few years now and each year their match list improves. I have also spoken with several current and former SGU students and have not heard a single bad thing about the school, professors, rotations, or general preparedness for the usmle or the profession itself. I'm sure there are some negatives but I just haven't come across anything that stands out. I would compare Ross and SGU matchlists (you can find them on their websites) and maybe contact some of the alumns from SGU who are available to answer your questions- on their website you can find a list of people to contact and ask questions. I've gotten most of my questions answered by talking to a current student from there and she has been GREAT and really helped me make my decision. Anyway, that's my two cents, I know people who have gone to both schools and they're all doing well now...but look into it. And if you choose SGU, see you on campus! Good luck!

 

[McGillGrad]

At this point, SGU is your best choice. Ross is having a hard time adjusting to larger class sizes and a smaller number of clinical spots (amongts other issues).

I would consider AUC or SGU over Ross for the next fews years.

 

[Top Gun]

Check out the survey results for both SGU and Ross on value MD. You'll find each school has its pros and cons. Both are good schools, though, with excellent match rates.

 

[bulletproof]

SGU...but I'm biased b/c that's where I'm going, haha... I have also spoken with several current and former SGU students and have not heard a single bad thing about the school, professors, rotations, or general preparedness for the usmle or the profession itself...

I agree that St. Georges is an excellent choice. It produces good match lists every year, as does Ross. When I was deciding between the two, it came down to the difference in time spent on the islands, and the difference in tuition. I ended up choosing Ross,and don't regret it. From SGU students I've worked with, it seems as though they have a better clinical set up than Ross. With that said, I've had a pretty smooth experience in Ross clinicals, and can't complain. Basically I wanted to get done ASAP with less debt. Both schools had 4500+ graduates, with similar match lists. OP, if timeline and more money are less important to you, I hear life on Grenada is pretty sweet...

Good luck.

Btw, there are plenty of negatives about the "profession", which will become astoundingly clear once you hit an inner city hospital. Go to the residency forum, and read the thread entitled "Would you do it all over again?" IMO its worth it, but there are many, many dissenting opinions. I am surprised to hear that you had not heard any negatives about the profession from SGU students. Glad to hear they're all 'Glass half full'...
Fu*kin' optimists ...

 

[peppy6]

Yeah well I guess I got lucky and talked to the few optimists out there haha...there are always mixed responses...some say DO IT and others tell you to stay far far away haha. Anyway, both schools are great, I only applied to SGU and therefore only talked to students about it...but like I said before, I have some friends at Ross and things have worked out very well for them. Staying on the island for a shorter amount of time is also an added plus! Glad to hear you had a good experience there!

 

[McGillGrad]

Ross will be great again, but issues have to be resolved first.

Having 400+ people in a semester makes ZERO sense. How do you expect to learn with that many people in a classroom?

There is a reason why almost all LCME medical schools have 100-150 people per year. We are learning medicine, not first year biology.

 

[bulletproof]

Ross will be great again, but issues have to be resolved first.

Having 400+ people in a semester makes ZERO sense. How do you expect to learn with that many people in a classroom?

There is a reason why almost all LCME medical schools have 100-150 people per year. We are learning medicine, not first year biology.

Are there seriously 400 students per starting class? My class had about 250 starting, and the auditoriums were pretty full.

 

[ODorDO]

it came down to the difference in time spent on the islands QUOTE]

so its true that ppl NEED to spend 4 years at st. georges...

 

[McGillGrad]

Are there seriously 400 students per starting class? My class had about 250 starting, and the auditoriums were pretty full.

The last that I heard from a current student is in the 430 range. They supposedly have another building plus those who watch the lectures at their own pace.

 

[McGillGrad]

it came down to the difference in time spent on the islands QUOTE]

so its true that ppl NEED to spend 4 years at st. georges...

No, that is false.

You NEED to spend 2 years doing basic sciences. The other two years are spent in the US or UK/Ireland doing rotations.

 

[SabaMed]

you can't go wrong with SGU

 

[Skip Intro]

When I was deciding between the two, it came down to the difference in time spent on the islands, and the difference in tuition.

I'm in a program that has a St. George's grad (year ahead of me) who told me that he would've gone to Ross instead had he realized the difference in tuition. He and I, needless to say, ended up in the same program.

Go to the residency forum, and read the thread entitled "Would you do it all over again?" IMO its worth it, but there are many, many dissenting opinions.

Yes, this is something I wrestle with on occassion too. Having chosen a great field with a lot of benefits, we still have our struggles (namely the attempt of midlevels to overtake our field). Things are changing drastically in medicine, and we will hit a crisis point, in my opinion, by as early as 2010. There are many issues facing doctors in the future. I think we will survive, but the reimbursements are going to be lower, you will be competing with midlevels for patients (who have literally half our training), and you will continue to spend less and less time with patients while struggling more and more with ridiculous regulations put forth by groups like JCAHO and CMS resulting in increasing amounts of paperwork and less time actually spent with the patient.

I'm not sure I'd do it all over again. My friend in my program, though, is about $60,000 more in debt than I am after choosing SGU over Ross. He just had a baby too. I'm hoping that both of us will get nice jobs in a couple of years that will afford us a decent lifestyle while still trying to climb out of this mountain of debt.

So, you can succeed if you go to either school. Just, caveat emptor. You can have your dream, but it might be more than you bargained for...

-Skip Intro
Ross Graduate, with Honors 2005
CA-2 Anesthesiology
University-Based Program in the NE

 

[SadPanda]

can anyone compare the curriculum of both schools? is it true that Ross if 4 years and SGU is 5 years? what's the difference? i've also heard Ross doesnt have any research opportunities compared to SGU. if anyone can clarify these that would be great. ty

 

[McGillGrad]

can anyone compare the curriculum of both schools? is it true that Ross if 4 years and SGU is 5 years? what's the difference? i've also heard Ross doesnt have any research opportunities compared to SGU. if anyone can clarify these that would be great. ty

They are both 4 calendar years. The 5 year aspect is on paper in order to qualify for 5 years of student aid.

Neither Ross nor SGU have any type of traditional research. The only major differences between Ross and SGU are:

Ross is 16 months on the island and SGU is 2 years on the island
Ross has 3 semesters per year and SGU has 2 semesters per year.
Ross has big problems with securing their students with ACGME rotations and SGU has all ACGME rotations and plenty of them.

 

[bulletproof]

I'm in a program that has a St. George's grad (year ahead of me) who told me that he would've gone to Ross instead had he realized the difference in tuition. He and I, needless to say, ended up in the same program.



Yes, this is something I wrestle with on occassion too. Having chosen a great field with a lot of benefits, we still have our struggles (namely the attempt of midlevels to overtake our field). Things are changing drastically in medicine, and we will hit a crisis point, in my opinion, by as early as 2010. There are many issues facing doctors in the future. I think we will survive, but the reimbursements are going to be lower, you will be competing with midlevels for patients (who have literally half our training), and you will continue to spend less and less time with patients while struggling more and more with ridiculous regulations put forth by groups like JCAHO and CMS resulting in increasing amounts of paperwork and less time actually spent with the patient.

I'm not sure I'd do it all over again. My friend in my program, though, is about $60,000 more in debt than I am after choosing SGU over Ross. He just had a baby too. I'm hoping that both of us will get nice jobs in a couple of years that will afford us a decent lifestyle while still trying to climb out of this mountain of debt.

So, you can succeed if you go to either school. Just, caveat emptor. You can have your dream, but it might be more than you bargained for...

-Skip Intro
Ross Graduate, with Honors 2005
CA-2 Anesthesiology
University-Based Program in the NE

I know of a couple of SGU students who feel the same way.

The encroachment of CRNAs on the field of Anesthesiology is a major deterrant from entering the field imho. That is not to say that there is not midlevels in most every speciality but the AANA seem particularly militant with the advancement of their agenda. How many states participate in the Opt-out currently? I think its 13? A dangerous precedent has been establihed here. Something like 60% of all hospitalizations in the U.S. are for the medicaid/medicare patient population, and the payor of that bill is more than happy to pay a midlevel half of what it pays the doc to be a functional equivalent for a large amount of the cases. It is something med. students should be aware of, along with declining reimbursements across most fields,the looming spectre of socialised medicine, and an ever more litigious society. No, the sky may not be falling, but it is imperative that the next generation of physicians act as advocates for their fields, if only by joining and supporting their respective specialty assosciations etc.

As for anesthesia itself, I think the role of the anesthesiologist will evolve to that of "peri-operative physician", with more anesthesiologists trained in TEE etc., and hopefully more docs with fellowships, to distinguish them even further from the midlevel camp.

Disclaimer: I am not "anti-midlevel"and think that they fulfill a certain niche but their scope of practice etc. should be monitered.

Hope all is going well in residency Skip.

 

[SadPanda]

They are both 4 calendar years. The 5 year aspect is on paper in order to qualify for 5 years of student aid.

Neither Ross nor SGU have any type of traditional research. The only major differences between Ross and SGU are:

Ross is 16 months on the island and SGU is 2 years on the island
Ross has 3 semesters per year and SGU has 2 semesters per year.
Ross has big problems with securing their students with ACGME rotations and SGU has all ACGME rotations and plenty of them.

oh ty. do you know why Ross is having problems with their ACGE rotations?

 

[McGillGrad]

oh ty. do you know why Ross is having problems with their ACGE rotations?

Not all Ross rotations are ACGME approved, although that is not necessarily the problem.

An increasing number of students have been admitted in the last few terms without a reciprocal increase in clinical spots. Worst of all, there is a lack of Peds and OBGYN rotation spots and that is causing many students to delay their graduation (which delays their ability to enter the match).

In essence, they are losing one year because Ross will not fix the problem. That is unacceptable.

 

[durlinga]

So would it be safe to say that if I attended SGU I would have a good chance at getting an OB/GYN rotation in California? This is my preference ultimately.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

SGU definitely, Ross has been known to take ridiculously large numbers of students. A friend of mine went there said nearly half of his class left the school by the time they went to clinicals. Attrition at SGU and AUC tend to be much less.

Ross is incredibly disorganized when it comes to clinical rotations. A friend of mine did some non ACGME rotations when he was a student at Ross, he got an offer to work in Texas, and now TX won't license him because he of the non ACGME rotations.

 

[bulletproof]

it came down to the difference in time spent on the islands QUOTE]

so its true that ppl NEED to spend 4 years at st. georges...

No, I never said SGU students need to spend 4 years on Grenada. I believe its 2 years of coursework on the islands.

 

[Hershi]

with ross having 3 semesters on the island. does this mean no winter, spring, summer breaks?

 

[bulletproof]

with ross having 3 semesters on the island. does this mean no winter, spring, summer breaks?

3 weeks between each respectively. Most students either fly home to the states or island hop.

 

[PeepsLove]

SGU does 18 months in Grenada and then 6 months on St. Vincents then the rotations are n the states. You can also do the global scholars program at SGU and do your first year in England. I was accepted for that but then was accepted to AZCOM and am now going there.

 

[bulletproof]

SGU does 18 months in Grenada and then 6 months on St. Vincents then the rotations are n the states. You can also do the global scholars program at SGU and do your first year in England. I was accepted for that but then was accepted to AZCOM and am now going there.

The option to study in england for a year sounds pretty cool. I know this is a bit of a departure from the main discussion, but for those interested, I believe AUC offers clinicals in Ireland, while with Ross I know of students who have done electives from England to Costa Rica. Getting to live in and see a different part of the world while studying medicine....brilliant!

 

[JoeNamaMD]

SGU is the most well known Caribbean medical school. After that AUC and Ross are about equal but AUC students tend to have an easier time getting ACGME clinicals than Ross students.

I thought Anesthesiology is starting to become a highly competitive residency, its been getting harder to match into the field these days. Neurology has become less so over the past few years. Pain Management can be insanely lucrative, with 75 percent of the US population to become overweight by 2015, I would expect more related pain problems with people carrying along a lot of extra weight.

I think Radiologists will have it the hardest, its the field that will most likely get outsourced, along with Pathology.

 

[pavel_freidman]

4 semesters over 16 months on Dominica at Ross. No summer break- September, January, May, September start dates.

 

[Nae614]

So is it even possible to get ACGME clinicals for Ross students?
Can someone clarify this----what do u mean Ross has problems with the clinical rotations? Are students not able to get them in the US? or are they only able to do them in a few states?

 

[AngryBaby]

So is it even possible to get ACGME clinicals for Ross students?
Can someone clarify this----what do u mean Ross has problems with the clinical rotations? Are students not able to get them in the US? or are they only able to do them in a few states?

Apparently not all of Ross' rotations are ACGME accredited. But, as McGillGrad intimated, their real problem is that they don't have enough clinical spots for their 3rd and 4th year students and apparently what's happening is students are either not graduating on time because they can't get their rotations in a timely manner or they have to spend more time on Dominica in order to do a few ACGME rotations on schedule. Their clinical administrators don't seem to be interested in helping either.

Again, do a search and you should find tons of info on this.
I'm not a student at Ross and this is just what I've picked up from reading online. Certainly current/recent Ross students would be better sources of info.

 

[oldpro]

Hey all, so I've been accepted at Ross and St George's for the coming year and I'm having a hard time deciding which one to pick.
Anyone could offer some input pros and cons?

For my own two cents, I've been trying to make travel arrangements to get to Dominica and it is the most miserable activity since studying for the MCATs.
One daily flight from San Juan and a maximum of 70 pounds total for both bags.

Flip a Coin, doesn't matter

 

[JoeNamaMD]

pick whatever school, who really cares.

 

[GujuMD]

I am a first term SGU student. Don't know much about Ross...but SGU is a great school. Profs (so far) are very helpful, the island is great except for customer service or the lack of, the living conditions are good, and just recently they signed some sort of a contract to have the med students rotate in NYC hospital systems.
if you need specific q's answered...feel free to PM!

 

[JoeNamaMD]

If you are having trouble picking a between the two you obviously have not done any research, maybe mommy and daddy is paying for it, so you could care less. SGU is the best of the Caribbean programs, its the most well known, and has the lowest attrition of the schools.

 

[McGillGrad]

You people crack me up.

There is no BEST in the Caribbean. There is only 50-state schools and non-50-state schools.

Where is your proof of SGU being "the best," " the lowest attrition," and "most well known?"

If you are having trouble picking a between the two you obviously have not done any research, maybe mommy and daddy is paying for it, so you could care less. SGU is the best of the Caribbean programs, its the most well known, and has the lowest attrition of the schools.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

I know a large number of students at Ross fail out of the program, Ross has the highest fail out rates of the big 3 schools, compare this with SGU, their attrition due to failing academically is small, between 3 to 5 percent. AUC has higher attrition than SGU but lower than Ross. Their USMLE pass rate varies heavily from class to class but is not as high as SGU, and look SGU's residency placement list compared to AUC, a lot of people at SGU get into some pretty top programs. SGU's first time USMLE pass rate has been nearly 90 percent for the last few years, the number is fairly reliable since most students get to that phase of the program. If I was going to pay 250K for an education, I would try to get into SGU over Ross and AUC any day of the week.

 

[McGillGrad]

I know a large number of students at Ross fail out of the program, Ross has the highest fail out rates of the big 3 schools, compare this with SGU, their attrition due to failing academically is small, between 3 to 5 percent. AUC has higher attrition than SGU but lower than Ross. Their USMLE pass rate varies heavily from class to class but is not as high as SGU, and look SGU's residency placement list compared to AUC, a lot of people at SGU get into some pretty top programs. SGU's first time USMLE pass rate has been nearly 90 percent for the last few years, the number is fairly reliable since most students get to that phase of the program. If I was going to pay 250K for an education, I would try to get into SGU over Ross and AUC any day of the week.

Where do you get your information besides the people you know?

You can't just make up stats and expect people to believe you.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

Check around, its a known fact that Ross is a weed out program, they take many subpar students(I visited Ross and AUC and frankly I would not want some of their students to treat my dog), and fail them out. You can get the stats from the schools. AUC kicks out about 15 percent of the students that they admit, they decel 35 percent of the rest. Ross even puts on their website that their attrition ranges between 20 to 30 percent. You can email the dean at SGU, and he will give you the answers. SGU seems to be the most professional and well organized school of the Caribbean programs, they are also the only school that is known to reject the vast majority of applicants, they admit about 20 percent of the people that apply, their average MCAT scores range 26-27 range. If I was forced into the prospect of going to the Caribbean I would look at SGU over all the Caribbean schools.
Also look at the residency placement lists of all three schools. SGU fares the best, some of their grads have made it to very respectable programs like Duke and even Stanford.

When it comes to repatriating students to life in a foreign country SGU requires students to live on campus for the first semester, whereas in the other two programs, you are on your own. For most people, life in a third world country is going to be a big adjustment in addition to the pressure of medical school. There are a lot of support programs for students at SGU as well, hence their much lower rates of attrition.

 

[McGillGrad]

Check around, its a known fact that Ross is a weed out program, they take many subpar students(I visited Ross and AUC and frankly I would not want some of their students to treat my dog), and fail them out.

I am not saying that I disagree with you about Ross, but you cannot throw around facts without citing some sort of evidence.

Ross would be my last choice in the Carib.

You can get the stats from the schools. AUC kicks out about 15 percent of the students that they admit, they decel 35 percent of the rest. Ross even puts on their website that their attrition ranges between 20 to 30 percent.

This is where you are wrong. Ross and AUC do not do anything to their students. People fail or decel on their own. It has little to do with the school and a lot to do with the people that are admitted.

You can email the dean at SGU, and he will give you the answers. SGU seems to be the most professional and well organized school of the Caribbean programs, they are also the only school that is known to reject the vast majority of applicants, they admit about 20 percent of the people that apply, their average MCAT scores range 26-27 range. If I was forced into the prospect of going to the Caribbean I would look at SGU over all the Caribbean schools.

There you go making up stats, again, about how many people are rejected. You just made up that 20% number.

You have created an image of SGU in your mind in order to make yourself feel better when you get rejected from the US for being utterly inferior and have to go to SGU to get your MD. That's fine, but stop lying to people.

Also look at the residency placement lists of all three schools. SGU fares the best, some of their grads have made it to very respectable programs like Duke and even Stanford.

AUC has the same number of excellent residencies. AUC grads have scored derm, ortho, optho and others. SGU has 300-400 per class and AUC has 80-160. of course SGU will have more matches, because they have more students.

When it comes to repatriating students to life in a foreign country SGU requires students to live on campus for the first semester, whereas in the other two programs, you are on your own.

AUC has 100 dorms for first semester students. Do you research before spouting false info.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

I am not saying that I disagree with you about Ross, but you cannot throw around facts without citing some sort of evidence.

Ross would be my last choice in the Carib.




This is where you are wrong. Ross and AUC do not do anything to their students. People fail or decel on their own. It has little to do with the school and a lot to do with the people that are admitted. I looked at AUC's match list for the last three years, many people who matched into IM, got into community based programs. A lot of SGU graduates got into more prestigious university based programs.


There you go making up stats, again, about how many people are rejected. You just made up that 20% number.

You have created an image of SGU in your mind in order to make yourself feel better when you get rejected from the US for being utterly inferior and have to go to SGU to get your MD. That's fine, but stop lying to people.





AUC has the same number of excellent residencies. AUC grads have scored derm, ortho, optho and others. SGU has 300-400 per class and AUC has 80-160. of course SGU will have more matches, because they have more students.



AUC has 100 dorms for first semester students. Do you research before spouting false info.

Many students at AUC do not get on campus accommodation. Only SGU requires that students stay on campus for at least the first semester. Its awfully stupid of you to insult me for being at SGU when you are also a Caribbean student, from an lower ranked program too.

AUC has a statue of Dr. Paul Tien in front of the building, who is not even a physician.

Honestly, if you cannot get into SGU, a DO school, or a medical school in the UK/Ireland, you are making a big gamble.

 

[AlleghenyPOD]

Okay. Why dont you stop downgrading other schools just because you clearly like SGU. In the end, all schools in the caribbean are allopathic medical schools. The curriculum is the same as in any stateside allopathic school. The fate of the students (pass or fail) is all dependent on the students ability to absorb the information and reiterate it during assessments. All schools in the caribbean are great medical schools. Eustatius, MUA, Spartan, St James, SGU, Ross, AUC, SMU, UAG, etc.

We are future medical professionals, and we should start by respecting each other. Like it or not, we will have to work with a diverse population in the states. And what McGill said has some truth to it. Stop spitting 'stats' that are unfounded. You like SGU. Fine. Keep it to yourself.

 

[McGillGrad]

Honestly, if you cannot get into SGU, a DO school, or a medical school in the UK/Ireland, you are making a big gamble.

Sure you are.

Keep telling yourself that. It is good to know that you have no confidence in your abilities, only in the school that makes the mistake of accepting you.

 

[Meatwad]

All schools in the caribbean are great medical schools. Eustatius, MUA, Spartan, St James, SGU, Ross, AUC, SMU, UAG, etc.

All schools in the Caribbean? No, I don't agree; not unless you and I have a vastly different definition of the word "great." Spartan, for example, is essentially black listed in a few states. SMU fares no better in California, but seem to have been able to recover to a decent extent in damage control elsewhere, so I won't comment much about them. What about CMU? Northern Medical School? UHSA? IUHS? Saying all Caribbean medical schools are great is something you'd say if you either worked for a couple of the schools or you've been drinking too much of their Kool-Aid. Going to the Caribbean is a gamble on your future, and going to one outside of the four most established ones is an even bigger one. Doesn't mean there aren't great schools outside of the Big 4, but they are the exception to the rule.

 

[McGillGrad]

All schools in the Caribbean? No, I don't agree; not unless you and I have a vastly different definition of the word "great."

CLASSIC!!

 

[AlleghenyPOD]

All schools in the Caribbean? No, I don't agree; not unless you and I have a vastly different definition of the word "great." Spartan, for example, is essentially black listed in a few states. SMU fares no better in California, but seem to have been able to recover to a decent extent in damage control elsewhere, so I won't comment much about them. What about CMU? Northern Medical School? UHSA? IUHS? Saying all Caribbean medical schools are great is something you'd say if you either worked for a couple of the schools or you've been drinking too much of their Kool-Aid. Going to the Caribbean is a gamble on your future, and going to one outside of the four most established ones is an even bigger one. Doesn't mean there aren't great schools outside of the Big 4, but they are the exception to the rule.

I work with alot of residents who are graduates of medical school 'outside of the big four' or however you call it. Many of them are in their 3rd year (ER residents, IM residents, and one in cardiology). Respect, that should be mandated here. I dont go around talking about other schools in a negative way, why should others talk badly about other schools (when clearly they dont attend that particular school?) [rhetorical question, dont answer]

So what if theres no California clinical rotations or residencies for some carib schools? Its not like everyone is rushing to go to that one state, LOL. I for one am from the east coast, and would never dream doing doing a residency out west.

Case in point.

 

[Meatwad]

I work with alot of residents who are graduates of medical school 'outside of the big four' or however you call it. Many of them are in their 3rd year (ER residents, IM residents, and one in cardiology). Respect, that should be mandated here. I dont go around talking about other schools in a negative way, why should others talk badly about other schools (when clearly they dont attend that particular school?) [rhetorical question, dont answer]

So what if theres no California clinical rotations or residencies for some carib schools? Its not like everyone is rushing to go to that one state, LOL. I for one am from the east coast, and would never dream doing doing a residency out west.

Case in point.

When you are an IMG, the system is against you from day one. Sometimes, just getting a residency position anywhere is a blessing. Given that California has a large number of residency positions, why would you want to rule out that avenue from day one? Regardless of wanting to practice there, if I wanted to be a [insert specialty here], I'd pretty much go anywhere in the country that I could match in; if it's California, so be it.

Plus, schools like Spartan cannot practice in more states than just California. Plus, we don't know which states will follow California's lead in the future. California approval is a figurehead type of thing, signifying more than just the ability to practice there. It shows that a school is at least somewhat established. Like I said, any school can produce a good doctor, but that is because of the student. I don't think the school itself intrinsically is "great," or even mildly impressive, unless they have a lengthy track record of doing such.

 

[AlleghenyPOD]

Point taken.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

All Caribbean schools are not equal, there are only four programs that will allow you to work in all 50 States, they include SGU, AUC, Saba, and Ross. Overall you will wind up spending over 250K+ to get your education. I got into all of the first three programs, and after doing my research speaking to graduates and residency PDs SGU turned out to be the best choice, it has the highest graduation rate and USMLE pass rate of all these four programs. I would say Saba would be number two, followed by AUC, and then Ross would be last.
SGU's program is the most organized of the four, we recently got a lot of new clinical spots in New York, so rotations won't be hard to get. I have friend that is in AUC, its nearly a month into his first semester and his anatomy lab does not even have cadavers yet. Registration was also a mess, he had to carry nearly $1000 cash with him to buy health insurance for the year, SGU organizes all of this bureaucratic nonsense better. On campus housing is mandatory for all first semester SGU students, you are going to be in a third world country, I can't emphasize how important it is to be able to have on campus accommodation for at least the first semester. AUC has it on first come first serve basis. Ross does not have any accommodation for their students on campus.
Some people say St. Maarten is more modern, there are some places that are more modern given that the island is a tourist destination. In fact a casino is located down the road from the campus. Honestly though I did not see a big difference in the livability of Grenada and St. Maarten, they are both third world countries.

 

[AllIn4Life]

Your post is degrading all 3 of the other med schools and pumping St. George's which isnt true at all. First off, SGU, Ross and AUC are pretty comparable with SABA a close 4th or even equal to the others. Now when you say Ross is the worst, why are some people choosing it over St. George's. If you go to ValueMD you will see. Plus, they just got a site in Michigan. Also, when you say you have a friend at AUC, so do I and I havent heard those types of complaints. Dont even try to say Grenada is as nice as St. Maarten cuzz thatz straight up bs. You keep living in ur fantasy but dont fabricate facts about USMLE pass rates/graduation rates when you cannot even provide ppl a link showing these facts. The way you sound makes ppl going to SGU seem like idiots. Why the hell did they let you into their school anyway. Bottom line, ur still in a Caribbean school so stop braggin about how great you are.

All Caribbean schools are not equal, there are only four programs that will allow you to work in all 50 States, they include SGU, AUC, Saba, and Ross. Overall you will wind up spending over 250K+ to get your education. I got into all of the first three programs, and after doing my research speaking to graduates and residency PDs SGU turned out to be the best choice, it has the highest graduation rate and USMLE pass rate of all these four programs. I would say Saba would be number two, followed by AUC, and then Ross would be last.
SGU's program is the most organized of the four, we recently got a lot of new clinical spots in New York, so rotations won't be hard to get. I have friend that is in AUC, its nearly a month into his first semester and his anatomy lab does not even have cadavers yet. Registration was also a mess, he had to carry nearly $1000 cash with him to buy health insurance for the year, SGU organizes all of this bureaucratic nonsense better. On campus housing is mandatory for all first semester SGU students, you are going to be in a third world country, I can't emphasize how important it is to be able to have on campus accommodation for at least the first semester. AUC has it on first come first serve basis. Ross does not have any accommodation for their students on campus.
Some people say St. Maarten is more modern, there are some places that are more modern given that the island is a tourist destination. In fact a casino is located down the road from the campus. Honestly though I did not see a big difference in the livability of Grenada and St. Maarten, they are both third world countries.