thousands of $$$ later...

[saki0005]

and i've got zero interviews, 9 rejections (haven't checked mail today so that number could be inaccurate), and i am still waiting to hear back from 17 schools.
it just dawned upon me that the freakin' april mcat is just around the corner and, shortly after that, the 2006 application cycle.
unless baby jesus shines his love down on me and a sweet, sweet miracle occurs, i'm looking at another buttload of mcat test prep books, AMCAS, and secondaries.
my question is this...if you were me - with a less than stellar mcat and gpa, and you were accepted at st. georges, would you:

(a) go to st. georges
(b) retake mcat, improve on gpa, etc.

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[Doc Martins]

If you're willing to leave the states for a few years, I would go to St. George's. I don't think it's worth the time and money to still not be guaranteed entrance into an American med school after retaking the MCAT and reapplying. In the end you'll be practicing here anyway. That's just my opinion.

 

[stinkycheese]

Not me, I would for sure reapply to American schools at least once or twice before going Caribbean. It's just a matter of what I feel I can do, and where I want to train, and the fact that I would want to be here. And it's not a waste of a year to apply again if you find something cool to do. The prevailing mentality of pre-meds is, "go go go, faster faster faster!" What's so wrong with slowing down for a bit and finding a cool job, enjoying your time before starting a grueling education, and reapplying to American schools?

 

[Reckoning]

Not me, I would for sure reapply to American schools at least once or twice before going Caribbean. It's just a matter of what I feel I can do, and where I want to train, and the fact that I would want to be here. And it's not a waste of a year to apply again if you find something cool to do. The prevailing mentality of pre-meds is, "go go go, faster faster faster!" What's so wrong with slowing down for a bit and finding a cool job, enjoying your time before starting a grueling education, and reapplying to American schools?

Ditto. Think seriously about whether ten years down the road you are going to be happy having gotten your MD outside the US. If so, GO FOR IT. That is after you managed to squeak into your third choice US residency program. Unless you are an old man like me I would hang out for a year and really beef up your app so you can go to a US school. Be sure to enjoy it though!

Once you are in med school you won't have this option, so take it now.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

I would re-apply to a wide range of schools, including osteopathic schools. There is a constant debate between applying DO and Island schools, and If I had to make the choice, it would be DO, hands down.

Is there any chance for you to improve your application (besides the MCAT)? Do you have clinical experience? That's always something you can get in the next few months. Good luck

 

[sdnstud]

Saki, I was in the same situation two years ago and I chose to take time off to work and enjoy life. Looking back, I couldn't be happier with my decision. My advice to you is, find the holes in your application and seek ways to address these holes. If MCAT is your weakness, re-take the exam using different strategies. If clinical experience is your weakness, go work as an EMT, ER tech, or something.

My persistancy paid off. Two years ago, I applied to 20 schools and was rejected by all 20 (I had one interview). This time around, I have 13 interviews, 1 acceptance (so far).

PM me if you wanna talk.

and i've got zero interviews, 9 rejections (haven't checked mail today so that number could be inaccurate), and i am still waiting to hear back from 17 schools.
it just dawned upon me that the freakin' april mcat is just around the corner and, shortly after that, the 2006 application cycle.
unless baby jesus shines his love down on me and a sweet, sweet miracle occurs, i'm looking at another buttload of mcat test prep books, AMCAS, and secondaries.
my question is this...if you were me - with a less than stellar mcat and gpa, and you were accepted at st. georges, would you:

(a) go to st. georges
(b) retake mcat, improve on gpa, etc.

 

[Law2Doc]

and i've got zero interviews, 9 rejections (haven't checked mail today so that number could be inaccurate), and i am still waiting to hear back from 17 schools.
it just dawned upon me that the freakin' april mcat is just around the corner and, shortly after that, the 2006 application cycle.
unless baby jesus shines his love down on me and a sweet, sweet miracle occurs, i'm looking at another buttload of mcat test prep books, AMCAS, and secondaries.
my question is this...if you were me - with a less than stellar mcat and gpa, and you were accepted at st. georges, would you:

(a) go to st. georges
(b) retake mcat, improve on gpa, etc.

What you should do really depends on your numbers. If your numbers were really low and it was objectively unrealistic to get them up with a postbacc and a second MCAT to those acceptable for MD (or DO) programs then the carribean may be your best/only shot. But I certainly echo the previous posters who indicated that working for a few years and applying down the road as a nontraditional candidate might not be a bad option -- for some reason sometimes the added maturity of a couple of years makes those science courses come much easier.

 

[virilep]

and i've got zero interviews, 9 rejections (haven't checked mail today so that number could be inaccurate), and i am still waiting to hear back from 17 schools.
it just dawned upon me that the freakin' april mcat is just around the corner and, shortly after that, the 2006 application cycle.
unless baby jesus shines his love down on me and a sweet, sweet miracle occurs, i'm looking at another buttload of mcat test prep books, AMCAS, and secondaries.
my question is this...if you were me - with a less than stellar mcat and gpa, and you were accepted at st. georges, would you:

(a) go to st. georges
(b) retake mcat, improve on gpa, etc.

ok, so last year, I was in the same position. I decided I didn't want to go out for my MD. so i made my life the MCAT for 3 months. my life meaning my whole life. 8 hrs a day.... crazy i know, but hey, it paid off. i've got an acceptance and I'm happy. but I do admit that I wish I was doing something more productive right now. I'm teaching as a substitute and doin some side stuff. I know plenty of people that went abroad and did well on the steps and got a good residency. my friend is doin his endocrinology fellowship at Vanderbilt. He went to SGU and is all for it. so I mean, i feel like the end product is going to be the same as long as you put in the work. if you're going to re-apply here, i'd strongly suggest you find something that you can do fulltime while you're waiting around. you can look at my profile for my stats. aight. gluck.