Admissions into Caribbean Schools

[Prospective Doctor]

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I am planning to apply to Caribbean Schools-Ross, SGU, AUC this fall. My gpa is 3.84. However, I have not taken MCATs yet (not even once). I had always thought of going into Medical School. But senior year in college I changed my mind and so never took MCATs. But now I have definitely decided that I want to go to Medical School. If I apply to US Medicals schools, I would have to wait one year before I could take classes. So I'm planning to go to Caribbean Medical School.

Does anyone know how competitive it is to go to Caribbean Medical Schools. How hard is the interview?
Any info will be appreciated. Thanks

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[mpp]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Prospective Doctor:
•Hello everyone,
If I apply to US Medicals schools, I would have to wait one year before I could take classes. •••••Do not let a wait of one year or the MCAT dissuade you from applying to U.S. Medical Schools. My advice is to take the MCAT and apply to U.S. schools before you consider the Carribean schools.

 

[ApacheIndian]

DO NOT go to a Caribbean school. I've said it before and I'll say it again. DO NOT go to a Caribbean (or worse, any other foriegn) med school. I'm a 3rd year Caribbean med stud myself... trust me.

 

[Skip Intro]

To the best of my knowledge, all of the Caribbean schools (and UAG) - at least the ones you'd want to go to - now require an MCAT score. So, you'll have to take it no matter what. Also, science GPA is probably more important than overall GPA.

I agree with Cuts: the Caribbean is the LAST resort...

 

[redleft123]

ONLY, ONLY, ONLY as a last resort.

The common thought is that the Carib schools are only for those who can not make it in the US. Even if you go to a good Carib school (one of the big three), you will always have the stigma attached. Even the best Carib school is, at most, equal to the lower level US schools.

There is another train of thought...albeit a small minority. The students who go to the Carib schools have a lot of determination! They could not get into a US school (or a good foreign school [England, Germany, Israel, France, Aust]), but they wanted to be a doctor so badly that that they went to a foreign country, possibly even had to learn a foreign language, to reach their goal. That is to be commended. (As I said...a minority opinion.)

Don't even think of applying to a Carib school unless you are certain you can not get into a US school.

cheers

 

[Khalid]

Short of going to a US school, dollar for dollar, Saba is the best school in the Caribbean IMHO. SGU, Ross and AUC are more established (but who can afford them?), but Saba is every bit as good, if not superior.

My wife just graduated and begins her residency at a Univ. based Anes. program next month. In large part you get what you put into it, but the opportunity is certainly there. Along with many of her classmates, she achieved excellent USMLE scores (231 & 234) and got a great educ. in Univ based teaching hospitals all in one location (although that is usually reserved for top students).

Hang in there--it can be done--my wife is proof.

 

[The Pill Counter]

Guy sounds like a troll - 3.84 gpa, don't make my heart bleed

 

[WaZoBia]

Originally posted by Prospective Doctor
•••quote:•••I am planning to apply to Caribbean Schools-Ross, SGU, AUC this fall. My gpa is 3.84. However, I have not taken MCATs yet (not even once). ••••well most carib schools require the MCAT so you should probably take them but with your GPA i think it would be better for you to give the US institutions a shot. people have made it into med school with less, and i'm sure that if you hang in there for one more year and take the mcat's you'll find a school in the US.
however if you are bent on studying in the caribbean, remember that it will be tougher for you to get into a residency program when you get back than it would be for a US grad. On the other hand you would have experienced studying in a foreign country and may even enjoy the temporary cultural change.
good luck

 

[ApacheIndian]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by WaZoBia:
•. On the other hand you would have experienced studying in a foreign country and may even enjoy the temporary cultural change.
good luck•••••So you're saying that he should potentially screw up the rest of his oh... say 40 YEAR career so he can "enjoy the temporary cultural change" for 2 years? Word of advice Prospective Doctor: The residency/specialty you get IS your life, IS your identity, and IS your very being. Should you choose the Caribbean route now, I would estimate that you can essentially forget about 70% of the best programs out there. Listen to SkipIntro and redleft... make sure the Caribbean is indeed your LAST resort. Good luck.

 

[cg2a93]

Being a doctor is not who you are it is what you do. I agree that you should excel at what you do, but dont lose sight of who you are. Dont let a Profession define who you are.
Going to a US med school will make things easier for you, but trust me if you treat your patient with respect and take some of their suffering away you will get respect all the other elitist can go jump in a creek. (Who really knows or cares what med school a doctor went to besides some snotty nosed premed or a nosey doc). Anyway good luck with you journey

 

[ApacheIndian]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by cg2a93:
•Who really knows or cares what med school a doctor went to besides some snotty nosed premed or a nosey doc).•••••Ummm... I don't know what planet you live on bro, but the answer to your question is... EVERYONE. Don't be misguided by the naive & foolish like this guy ProspectiveDoc...

 

[cg2a93]

you are right,only respected doctors are American trained doctors. patient care has nothing to do with respect, how naive of me.

 

[ApacheIndian]

Where do you go to med school? U.S. or Caribbean or foreign? I'm not trying to set you up here... I'm just trying to undertand your perspective. I'm a Caribbean loser myself.

 

[WaZoBia]

Originally posted by Dr. Cuts
•••quote:•••So you're saying that he should potentially screw up the rest of his oh... say 40 YEAR career so he can "enjoy the temporary cultural change" for 2 years? ••••c'mon dr. cuts i never said that, you are totally inferring something i had no intention of implying. what i meant was some people choose not to study in the US because they would rather have a change of culture. some of them could have easily made it into a US med school (i think Pro. Doc has a good shot) but they have chosen to go foreign instead.
•••quote:•••Word of advice Prospective Doctor: The residency/specialty you get IS your life, IS your identity, and IS your very being. Should you choose the Caribbean route now, I would estimate that you can essentially forget about 70% of the best programs out there. Listen to SkipIntro and redleft... make sure the Caribbean is indeed your LAST resort. ••••look i agree with you that the carribean should be Pro Doc's last choice and that by going caribbean you are saying bye-bye to a lot of the good and some not so good programs out there but the fact is that carribbean grads do make it into some very competitive spots.
and dr. cuts if you don't agree with the views you see here then post your own, there's no need to attack anyone in this forum. after all we are just trying to help Pro Doc out and this isn't a battle of "who has the best advise"

 

[ApacheIndian]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by WaZoBia:
•Originally posted by Dr. Cuts
•••quote:•••So you're saying that he should potentially screw up the rest of his oh... say 40 YEAR career so he can "enjoy the temporary cultural change" for 2 years? ••••c'mon dr. cuts i never said that, you are totally inferring something i had no intention of implying. what i meant was some people choose not to study in the US because they would rather have a change of culture. some of them could have easily made it into a US med school (i think Pro. Doc has a good shot) but they have chosen to go foreign instead.
•••quote:•••Word of advice Prospective Doctor: The residency/specialty you get IS your life, IS your identity, and IS your very being. Should you choose the Caribbean route now, I would estimate that you can essentially forget about 70% of the best programs out there. Listen to SkipIntro and redleft... make sure the Caribbean is indeed your LAST resort. ••••look i agree with you that the carribean should be Pro Doc's last choice and that by going caribbean you are saying bye-bye to a lot of the good and some not so good programs out there but the fact is that carribbean grads do make it into some very competitive spots.
and dr. cuts if you don't agree with the views you see here then post your own, there's no need to attack anyone in this forum. after all we are just trying to help Pro Doc out and this isn't a battle of "who has the best advise"•••••Point well taken... I didn't mean any hostility towards you. I would like to comment on a few things though. Your first point... "some people choose not to study in the US because they would rather have a change of culture. some of them could have easily made it into a US med school" I have a very hard time accepting that. The students who could indeed "very easily make it into a US med school" would be far too intelligent to make the mistake of going foreign (they would know in advance how this would affect their future) simply to "enjoy a cultural change for a few years." I'd say that although this might happen occasionally, it would be exceedingly rare. I know what you might be thinking... when questioned as to why they went the foreign route (Caribbean or otherwise), many US-IMGs will actually tell you this... but do you REALLY think that that's the real reason behind them leaving? C'mon man... you know as well as I do that that's just denial.
About your second point, while it is true that there are some Caribbean "success stories," these too are very, very rare. Just look at the #s... off the top of my head I'd venture to say that 90% of Caribbean grads end up in crappy IM/FP/Peds programs at Mt. Ghetto Memorial hospitals around the nation. Why would one want to start med school with the cards already stacked against him like that? About your last point, I'm not trying to "win" anything here... in no way do I benefit regardless of what ProspDoc or anyone else decides to do. I just offer my honest, sincere advice & opinions here as I would to my little brother... sometimes it might sound a little "Boot Camp Drill Instructor" style, but I, like the drill instructor, really do have only good intentions in mind. Happy Memorial Day everyone...

 

[MSERMAN]

Hey Dr. Cuts, when did you start at Ross? I went to Ross the week before classes in August 98 with the intentions to start classes there. I was told when I got there that approx. 280 people would be in our class. There was not enough seats in the lecture hall for that many. Anyway, the housing was deplorable and the food awful. My wife and I mutually decided to leave Dominica and come back to the US. Maybe we left too early and did not give the school "a chance." I never met many of my future potential classmates. Who knows, I may have liked it once I started class. Like they say, hind sight is 20/20. I never applied to med school again & have the itch to go to med school. Iam going to take the MCAT over in August and may look at the DO school route if I cannot get into my state school. Just out of curiosity, about how many of the 280 I would have started with actually finished. I have been thinking about med school a lot lately due to the fact I would be finishing med school this month if I had stayed at Ross (fingers crossed). Anyway, my advice to anyone considering Carib. schools, go if it is the last resort for you. Also, if you are single with no ties it is a lot easier to make the transition. If you have a significant other, you have to take their happiness into account in making your decision. I'm sure it is a long four years of hard work, but also passes by quickly if you stick to your goals --- To become a Physician!!

 

[ApacheIndian]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by MSERMAN:
•Hey Dr. Cuts, when did you start at Ross? Just out of curiosity, about how many of the 280 I would have started with actually finished Anyway, my advice to anyone considering Carib. schools, go if it is the last resort for you. I'm sure it is a long four years of hard work, but also passes by quickly if you stick to your goals --- To become a Physician!!•••••Hmmm... I don't go to Ross... wonder what made you think that??? I go to another Caribbean school... PM or e-mail me if you wanna know more. I do know lots of guys from Ross and AUC though, and from what they tell me, I'd estimate that probably about 60-70%% of the starting class actually finishes... if somebody knows better--please do correct me. I agree wholehearedly with your advice about going Caribbean--last resort ONLY. As for going to med school--I say GO FOR IT! I'm sure I come off as being negative and cynical sometimes on these boards, but I actually truly love medicine and feel genuinely blessed to be given the opportunity to study it and pursue it as a career... it's the politics of practicing medicine that bother me sometimes. Anway, my older sis who's 27 has just recently shocked our whole family by declaring that she's decided on going to med school too! We're all really happy for her and fully support and encourage her decision. So, again, I say GO FOR IT... and don't look back. Good luck!

 

[MSERMAN]

I must have meant Skip Intro about the Ross class size and drop-out rate. How many did you start with at Ross & how many remain with you now at Ross? Good luck. Like I said before hind sight is 20/20 & sometimes I wish I would have sucked it up and stayed at Ross and busted my ass and finished. But I did not, so now I must attempt to get into a US school four years after I should have started at Ross. Oh well, you live and you learn. I feel confident I will one day obtain my goal!

 

[PharmD2b]

hi im graduating from rutgers pharmacy i already asked with a dismal 2.55 i did good in my pre pharmacy stuff i had a 3.5 but when i got into pharmacy sch i had to work like full time and i slacked off and my grades dropped i was wondering with a 2.55 could i get into ross or saba ? if not then which carribean sch is worth going to ? do u gus think doin PharmD will help etc?

 

[med student]

The thing that is funny about "studying in another culture" is it is a flawed idea if you go to one of the caribbean schools because who do you think makes up the entire class. I would be willing to bet that it is not people who are from the caribbean. Also from what I hear the schools tend to be very competitive so you are not going to have much time to leave the school and travel around. So in essence what you are doing is going to the caribbean to experience the culture of other american students.
Also the whole thing about whether the school you go to matters, of course it does. In most cases your patients will not know or care but the people who really matter for determining your future ie residency directors will care very much. Now I am sure that every year a couple caribbean graduates get top spots but it is nothing compared to even the worst US schools. Also if you graduate from a US school you will get a residency spot somewhere, there is not this guarentee for foreign graduates(I realize that their is nothing that says all US grads get a residency spot but it is unheard of for a US grad to not find a spot somewhere). So all these things I listed are not reasons to pass on caribbean schools but they should instead be your last choice after applying to US MD/DO schools.