US MD vs. DO vs. Caribbean MD- International student

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Hello All,

I'm an international student applying to US medical schools. I have got my Bachelor's degree from a foreign school in Biomedical engineering and Master's in BME as well from a US school. I'm currently working in research in the US.

My AMCAS GPA: undergrad- 3.66,(16 credits only coz the foreign classes were only regarded as P/F)
BCPM- 3.50, graduate- 3.31
AACOMAS GPA: undergrad- 3.71(129 credits), sGPA- 3.71, graduate- 3.35, overall- sGPA- 3.65, cGPA-3.64

MCAT- I have taken three times, the best score was 2nd time- 24(10,6,8).

Research- I have been working in research for 2.5 years now (1.5 as a student and 1 yr full-time) and have 3-4 research publications.

I applied to a approx. 13 DO schools and got only one interview and wasn't accepted. I have been waiting for response from 7 more schools but, starting loose hope as the cycle is about to end.

I have been thinking about a few options and not sure which is best for me:

1. Retake the MCAT this May and try harder and get 30+ score to have better chances at US MD or even DO schools.

2. Go to a caribbean med school and graduate in 2018 than waiting one more year and possibly graduate from a US school in 2019 if I get admitted next cycle.

I have a lot of others factors to consider as I m not a regular US student applying to med school.
1. I will be considered OSS for ALL med schools in US as I'm not a US citizen. and I will have to apply for a private loan as I'm not eligible for federal loans or any govt. funding. So, whether I go to a US school or caribbean, I will have to get a private loan.
2. After I graduate from a US med school, I'm not sure in which category I will fall under as I'm not a US citizen as far as the residency goes so, I have no idea about the stats of US graduate who is not a US citizen. Also I will need a sponsorship for my residency like IMGs.
3. I'm torn between US DO and Caribbean MD school, as I feel both of them have quite comparable residency match stats as long as allopathic match is concerned. None gets into top residency programs even for primary care residency like US MD grads.

I'm leaning towards Saba Med school coz of their relatively low tuition than most of US MD and DO school. and I feel it will eliminate the whole DO vs. MD dogma which to some extent still observed.

Any suggestions from above or beyond are welcomed!!

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Retake the MCAT and make yourself competitive for US MD and DO schools. Doing anything else isn't very smart. Don't think of it as having to wait another year. Think of it as adequately setting yourself up for a long career. US DO and Caribbean schools DO NOT have comparable match lists or outcomes. Not by a long shot, and the gap will only widen.
 
Retake the MCAT and make yourself competitive for US MD and DO schools. Doing anything else isn't very smart. Don't think of it as having to wait another year. Think of it as adequately setting yourself up for a long career. US DO and Caribbean schools DO NOT have comparable match lists or outcomes. Not by a long shot, and the gap will only widen.

Agree 100% with this post.
Don't compare us DO to img ever. Oranges and apples.
 
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U.S. medical schools defer and prefer. That is generally, due to limited availability of spots, they want U.S. citizens. This may be an obstacle for you.

My advice? Marry American.

-Skip
 
Retake the MCAT and make yourself competitive for US MD and DO schools. Doing anything else isn't very smart. Don't think of it as having to wait another year. Think of it as adequately setting yourself up for a long career. US DO and Caribbean schools DO NOT have comparable match lists or outcomes. Not by a long shot, and the gap will only widen.

The person has retaken MCAT 3 times already, it won't get any better likely and besides unless there is a major improvement the 4th time, it will look bad that he has taken the MCAT 4 times. I recommend just going abroad. Your international status hurts you more when applying to US med schools than when you apply to US residencies.

Again, this doesn't mean you will be successful in getting residency, but its probably your best shot.
 
+1

I'm a student in the similar circumstance with you. To be honest I think if the age and family are not the problems to you, to re-apply next year is optimal. However like what Medstart108 said, it's doubtful for you to be able to raise the MCAT score after three times trying.

Our "international student" identity hurts too much, especially in these years. I personally had decided to go to AUC, as they have a smaller class size. The professor will just pay more attention to individual, though SGU is said to be better. And I don't need to waste more time.
 
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The OP has probably maxed out as far as MCAT scores go. So if s/he can't get into a DO school, s/he might be a prime candidate for one of the big 4 schools. But make sure you work hard and do well in classes and kick a$$ on the USMLE, so you can maximize your chances of getting a good residency in the specialty you desire (within reason, of course. You probably won't get plastics or neurosurgery or ENT.)
 
Hello All,

I'm an international student applying to US medical schools. I have got my Bachelor's degree from a foreign school in Biomedical engineering and Master's in BME as well from a US school. I'm currently working in research in the US.

My AMCAS GPA: undergrad- 3.66,(16 credits only coz the foreign classes were only regarded as P/F)
BCPM- 3.50, graduate- 3.31
AACOMAS GPA: undergrad- 3.71(129 credits), sGPA- 3.71, graduate- 3.35, overall- sGPA- 3.65, cGPA-3.64

MCAT- I have taken three times, the best score was 2nd time- 24(10,6,8).

Research- I have been working in research for 2.5 years now (1.5 as a student and 1 yr full-time) and have 3-4 research publications.

I applied to a approx. 13 DO schools and got only one interview and wasn't accepted. I have been waiting for response from 7 more schools but, starting loose hope as the cycle is about to end.

I have been thinking about a few options and not sure which is best for me:

1. Retake the MCAT this May and try harder and get 30+ score to have better chances at US MD or even DO schools.

2. Go to a caribbean med school and graduate in 2018 than waiting one more year and possibly graduate from a US school in 2019 if I get admitted next cycle.

I have a lot of others factors to consider as I m not a regular US student applying to med school.
1. I will be considered OSS for ALL med schools in US as I'm not a US citizen. and I will have to apply for a private loan as I'm not eligible for federal loans or any govt. funding. So, whether I go to a US school or caribbean, I will have to get a private loan.
2. After I graduate from a US med school, I'm not sure in which category I will fall under as I'm not a US citizen as far as the residency goes so, I have no idea about the stats of US graduate who is not a US citizen. Also I will need a sponsorship for my residency like IMGs.
3. I'm torn between US DO and Caribbean MD school, as I feel both of them have quite comparable residency match stats as long as allopathic match is concerned. None gets into top residency programs even for primary care residency like US MD grads.

I'm leaning towards Saba Med school coz of their relatively low tuition than most of US MD and DO school. and I feel it will eliminate the whole DO vs. MD dogma which to some extent still observed.

Any suggestions from above or beyond are welcomed!!

Your best shot is carib schools... You will need a 28+ MCAT to have a realistic shot at DO since you are not a US citizen... I think AUC/SABA is the way to go since they have smaller class size. GL...
 
Redo MCAT
Nationality doesn't matter , most important factor for the match is medical school. If u graduate us medical school, ur match rate is close to 100%. One year is nothing compared to be sure that u definitely get hired and can re pay those loans .
 
Hello All,

I'm an international student applying to US medical schools. I have got my Bachelor's degree from a foreign school in Biomedical engineering and Master's in BME as well from a US school. I'm currently working in research in the US.

My AMCAS GPA: undergrad- 3.66,(16 credits only coz the foreign classes were only regarded as P/F)
BCPM- 3.50, graduate- 3.31
AACOMAS GPA: undergrad- 3.71(129 credits), sGPA- 3.71, graduate- 3.35, overall- sGPA- 3.65, cGPA-3.64

MCAT- I have taken three times, the best score was 2nd time- 24(10,6,8).

Research- I have been working in research for 2.5 years now (1.5 as a student and 1 yr full-time) and have 3-4 research publications.

I applied to a approx. 13 DO schools and got only one interview and wasn't accepted. I have been waiting for response from 7 more schools but, starting loose hope as the cycle is about to end.

I have been thinking about a few options and not sure which is best for me:

1. Retake the MCAT this May and try harder and get 30+ score to have better chances at US MD or even DO schools.

2. Go to a caribbean med school and graduate in 2018 than waiting one more year and possibly graduate from a US school in 2019 if I get admitted next cycle.

I have a lot of others factors to consider as I m not a regular US student applying to med school.
1. I will be considered OSS for ALL med schools in US as I'm not a US citizen. and I will have to apply for a private loan as I'm not eligible for federal loans or any govt. funding. So, whether I go to a US school or caribbean, I will have to get a private loan.
2. After I graduate from a US med school, I'm not sure in which category I will fall under as I'm not a US citizen as far as the residency goes so, I have no idea about the stats of US graduate who is not a US citizen. Also I will need a sponsorship for my residency like IMGs.
3. I'm torn between US DO and Caribbean MD school, as I feel both of them have quite comparable residency match stats as long as allopathic match is concerned. None gets into top residency programs even for primary care residency like US MD grads.

I'm leaning towards Saba Med school coz of their relatively low tuition than most of US MD and DO school. and I feel it will eliminate the whole DO vs. MD dogma which to some extent still observed.

Any suggestions from above or beyond are welcomed!!
I know this is old thread, but I wanted to chime in because I'm a Saba graduate and you mentioned Saba.
I was in a similar situation to you when I started med school and do not regret going to Saba. I ultimately went to Saba because I was an older student with a family and didn't want to wait to get into a U.S. med school. I'm a U.S. citizen. I'm now a board certified psychiatrist licensed in the U.S. So it can be done with hard work, single minded dedication, and close attention to every detail.

The advice you've been getting in this thread is good. I also think your thought process is sound. You need to eliminate every obstacle you can and be prepared to sacrifice whatever you need to.
I think you need to do anything you can to get U.S. citizenship if you want to go to a U.S. med school or a Caribbean med school.

Is going to medical school in your country of origin a possibility at all for you? Do you speak a language other than English? The reason I ask is that as a non-U.S. citizen you may have better chances getting into residency and getting a state license by going to medical school in another country than you would going to a Caribbean medical school. Maybe you could work on obtaining U.S. citizenship during med school.
Most state medical boards and many residency programs cling to the old, perhaps antiquated perception that nearly any foreign accredited medical school is better quality than Ross, SGU, AUC, or Saba.
 
@wolfvgang22 ... What is easy to find a job as a psychiatrist?
I'm not sure I understand your question. Do you mean "Is it easy to find a job as a psychiatrist?"
The answer is yes, it is easy to find a well compensated job with a good lifestyle as a psychiatrist once you are finished with residency. There is a significant shortage of psychiatrists in most areas of the U.S.

If you want to know if U.S. MD is better than U.S. DO or IMG:
Both U.S. MD and U.S. DO degrees are so much better than being an IMG MD for the purpose of securing a position in the Match they may as well be identical.

I was turned down for interviews at a handful of places when seeking a residency position in the Match because I'm a graduate of a Caribbean med school, but I got my top choice in the Match anyway. I did interview at several "top" programs. I did have to have better USMLE scores than most U.S. MD's to get those interviews. It did help that I'm a U.S. citizen. That's just the way it is for IMG's participating in the Match. Interestingly, some programs that would not consider me as an IMG for the adult psychiatry Match had no issues with interviewing me for fellowship.

Being an IMG / Caribbean graduate has not kept me from being able to do anything in psychiatry I've wanted to do if I'm willing to work hard for it. One or two states are harder to get a license in for me as a Saba graduate, but being board certified has resolved a lot of those issues so far.
 
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@wolfvgang22 ... Sorry ... auto-correct. I was asking if it was easy to find job(s) as a psychiatrist..
 
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