5-Year MD Program at SGU

[sharikkkkhan]

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[RussianJoo]

I am an incoming eleventh grader at a public IB school in Chicago.
So far, I have a 4.05 GPA weighted, my class rank is 14/594, I am an officer of the chemistry club, president of the South Asian Society, and president of the International Sports Club at my school. Mainly I am interested in SGU because I will complete my MD degree in 5 years instead of 8, and second because I don't want to be another one of those kids who goes into undergraduate school wanting to be a doctor then getting a low GPA and bad MCAT score. I don't think it is worth the risk.

My IB classes are:
Bio HL
Chem HL
Hist. of Americas HL
English HL
Spanish SL
Mathematics SL
Physics SL

My questions are:
1. Is the SAT required
2. Would I be a good applicant for the 5-year program with my scores and activities listed above?
3. What would be a good score on my IB exams to shoot for?
4. Are my reasons valid for wanting to go to SGU?

Where did you see such a program? can you post a link? the one I know of is a combined BS/MD program and it's a 7 year program. and to be honest 1 year isn't worth the hassle and the risk of going to a foriegn school. besides plenty of US schools have 7 year combined programs. I say kick butt on the SAT's try to raise your GPA a little more and apply for those 7 year combined programs and also to top undergrad universities as back ups. it's really not worth the risk and the challenges you'll face as a foreign medical grad to save 1 year.

here's the link to the program I am talking about.. I would love to see a link to the program you're talking about. Just cause I don't think a program like that exists.

http://www.sgu.edu/sas/undergrad-dual-degrees.html

 

[sharikkkkhan]

asd

 

[RussianJoo]

I dont have a actual link but this is a copy of the email that an SGU admission officer sent me.

St George's University Information to me
Jun 16

If you complete the IB you may apply to our five year medical degree, the
first year is premed followed by four years of medicine., If you complete
premed with a B average you are guaranteed a seat in the four year program.

If you would like to receive our catalogue and application, please send us
your full name, address and phone number and we will post one to you.
If you are interested in studying medicine, we now offer the first year of
basic sciences in the UK. Check the School of Medicine home page "Keith
B. Taylor Global Scholars Program"

sorry i don't know what the IB is.. but the program you're offered is usually offered to those that completed undergrad but haven't completed all the pre-reqs..

I still think you should apply to US schools. no one wants to be a foreign MD, it makes getting a residency 1000 times harder.

 

[RussianJoo]

You seem like a pretty smart high school student and ahead of the game. Why waste time at a caribbean school when you could apply to a 6 year BS/MD program affilliated with a US med school like the ones at UMKC or NEOUCOM. Further, there are a pleothora 7 and 8 year programs in the US. With your extracurriculars and IB degree you would be in failry good shape.

By going to a US based BS/MD program you can finish earlier and not have to face the difficulties of being a Caribbean graduate. Regardless of what specialty you end up deciding on at the end of the road, your path will be significantly easier as an American grad than a US-IMG.

yep... i agree 100%

 

[Jersey]

I don't want to be another one of those kids who goes into undergraduate school wanting to be a doctor then getting a low GPA and bad MCAT score. I don't think it is worth the risk.

If you're thinking this now, what makes you think that this won't happen in the Caribbean? The Carib is NOT an easier route than staying in the US. There is no shortcut to becoming a Doc.

Go the US route first.

By the way, the pre-med to med program at SGU for someone with no college is 7 years. I believe that most states in the US require at least 90 undergraduate college credits along with the MD degree. Again, there is no easy way or shortcut.

 

[mmmcdowe]

There are some 6 year BA/MD programs in the US as well. That's one more year than this program, and one less major hassle when it comes to getting into residency.

 

[alexc]

Have you considered Ireland? You can go directly from High School, it would be a 6 yr program, but I have read of some getting into a 5 yr program, although I don't know how that would work from high school. Irish med schools are highly respected in the US, more that the Caribbean, true or not, that is the perception since Irish med schools have been around for a couple hundred years. I will be starting RCSI in September and got into their 5 yr program but I have done all my pre med work in university. Even if you go the 6 yr route, you save 2 years!

 

[RussianJoo]

becareful.. since they don't have US clinical experience you'll be at a huge disadvantage compared to carib students who do their 3rd and 4th year in the US. one of the current pgy1 in IM where i am rotating almost got fired after his first 2 weeks of residency because #1) he didn't know how to present a patient. #2) left for the day without putting in orders for his patients #3) didn't write progress notes on some of his patients. He went to med school in Israel and said that no one present patients there and everyone was very laid back so he had no clue he had to do any of this. US clinical experience and LORs from US MDs and residency directors means a lot when it comes to residency selection. it's great to save some time but would it really matter if you can't get a residency after you graduate? and Ireland isn't more respected in the US.. the US is an egotistical country, they think they're the best. only maybe if you went to Oxford or a Canadian school would they look at you as an equal but other wise everyone else will be an FMG or IMG it doesn't matter if you school is 1,000 years old or 5 years old, that's just how things work in the US, it might not be right but that's how it is.