Obviously being a nontrad with a "eh" GPA, I was just curious if anyone was thinking about going to med school on a sunny beach? I have a friend of a friend who I connected with on Facebook who is in her first year at St. George's in Granada. She loves it there.
I know there are threads about Caribbean schools, and I have seen them get pretty heated, lol, its acutally pretty entertaining. I just see that the pass rates are good, the tuition is less (= less debt) and it would be kind of cool to live some place warm and pretty for 2 years, lol, if I got the chance to go outside - ever. I do, of course, plan to apply to schools stateside, Im just leaving all options open.
Just wondering if I was crazy.
I would seriously consider this if I could, and I couldn't care less about any supposed stigma assigned to it. I'd just make sure I went to a place like St. George in Grenada. But to me it is more expense, and my spouse is not apt to go for it. It really isn't practical for me. You can have a great GPA and so forth and consider this route. Everyone just assumes it's a last resort for people and that's just not true.
Yes, you are studying and working in that sense, but what a place to study and work!!!!!!
I have nurse traveler friends that have taken assignments in some of these places. Although the hospitals are much slower and way more backward compared to the states, they all still loved their Caribbean travel assignments.
And part of what makes work and school such a PIA to me is all the commuting into the city with traffic and pollution, etc. (I think I've done it for so long now, it is starting to annoy me somewhat. I could use a break from it. But of course, at least around when I live, if you don't go into the inner city university type centers, well, your growth and ability to practice more on the cutting edge is compromised. Some of the community hospitals around here are. . .well. . .)
But the Caribbean, well, I'd think
some of these places would be good places to learn, especially for the first two years--before your feet are thrown into the real fire--like in clerkships and residency.
If I could make St George's work for my life, I'd do it regardless of who else offered me a spot in their program. My feet have already been in the fire a lot in terms of working with incredibly sick patients in the busy, inner city university hospital settings. I'd take a break from that for a couple of years to knucle down and study before having to be thrown back into it.
And I know it will make absolutely NO difference in the kind of physician I will be.
But I would use the caveat that the professors at the medical school must be easy to understand and generally quite knowledgeable and into what they are doing--able to teach. I mean I know most of the learning is up to the individual learner, but a good teacher can make a significant difference too.
As long as I had effective Internet access and the database access I have now, I'd be good!
Sign. . .but I'm just dreaming. LOL, my husband would never go for it, and he flies for work a lot. So, it's not just that he'd have to fly to see me or vice versa. I think I've spoiled him.
