Advice on best Caribbean school?

[Roar87]

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I am considering between St George's, Ross, and Saba.

Saba seems to have the lowest tuition: http://www.doctorshadow.com/3-reasons-to-consider-caribbean-medical-schools/

However I am concerned about getting a residency as the openings are becoming more competitive. I was told to select St George's if I want the best chance for getting a residency.

Any thoughts or recommendation for me?

 

[Smurfette]

Moving to Caribbean forum where this is more appropriate.

 

[notbobtrustme]

none of them. go US MD or DO.

 

[mulberry]

If you are content with getting a primary care residency and don't care whether it is low-tier university or community, the Caribbean is a ticket for you to become a physician. You just have to work extra hard. You will not be spoon-fed like US allopathic and osteopathic schools. That said, SGU will give you the greatest chance at securing a residency of your choice as they have the most affiliations. Tuition may be the most expensive but in terms of education, island life, clinicals and residency placements, SGU is your best bet.

 

[bedevilled ben]

I am considering between St George's, Ross, and Saba.

Saba seems to have the lowest tuition: http://www.doctorshadow.com/3-reasons-to-consider-caribbean-medical-schools/

However I am concerned about getting a residency as the openings are becoming more competitive. I was told to select St George's if I want the best chance for getting a residency.

Any thoughts or recommendation for me?

There is much more to this decision than just the cost of tuition. You need to do some serious soul-searching before coming down here. Examine your motivations for becoming a physician, examine your financial situation, and then examine whether you've exhausted all possible routes for success in the US. Have you taken the MCAT multiple times, have you applied widely, have you exhausted all network'ed connections to secure a spot in one of the newly-opened US med schools? If you've exhausted all possible routes into a US school, and are still convinced medicine is your best shot, then this might be the only option left to you, but you should make sure that it really IS the last shot available to you, because it's not easy and it definitely ain't pretty and it's going to limit your options for the rest of your career. You better be convinced that this is the only course available to you that's going to make you happy and fulfilled.

Openings are becoming more scarce by the year, and nobody really knows what the future holds for foreign medical graduates. I firmly believe that SGU and Ross offer the best outcomes for residency placement, but there is still a lot of room for uncertainty. I can attest to the increasingly competitive nature of residencies, even for Caribbean schools, so you should really be firmly entrenched when it comes to this decision.

 

[Roar87]

I was accepted at a new DO school in the US however I had to withdraw for reasons concerning my safety (where I decided to live near the campus was not safe making it very difficult for me to focus while studying). I can attempt to apply to an SMP (Master's program) however if I go the Caribbean route I can finish more quickly and attempt to secure a residency with a competitive USMLE score. I believe that the top tier Caribbean schools will remain a viable option until the new US schools have become established, if not please point me in the direction of some low tier/new US schools which I may have a shot of getting accepted into.

 

[Skip Intro]

Plan -> Back-up Plan --> Back-up Plan to the Back-up Plan

That's everything I've been saying on this forum over the past 10+ years right there in a nutshell.

-Skip

 

[Roar87]

I also want to mention that while my MCAT score is competitive (above 32), my GPA is low at about a 3.0. Would it make sense to reapply for the upcoming year (this would be my second application since I applied for 2012)?

 

[bedevilled ben]

I also want to mention that while my MCAT score is competitive (above 32), my GPA is low at about a 3.0. Would it make sense to reapply for the upcoming year (this would be my second application since I applied for 2012)?

You should focus on getting into a DO program or taking the extra year and doing a post-bacc to get into a MD program. Both are better options than coming to the Caribbean unless there is some huge red flag on your application that you've not yet mentioned.

 

[misseskwee]

OP, your stats are pretty good for DO schools and some MD schools. If I were you, I would take initiative to reapply next year and improve your application by either continuing to volunteer/shadow/work/etc (ECs) as well as consider taking an SMP or some post bacc classes. If you're desparate and wanna start medschool soon, which is why you are lurking at Carib schools, just do some research.
Read every school's website, read the data from NRMP regarding IMG's and Match rates. Don't just ask on this forum, be proactive about it. Go to information sessions, try to find almuni from these schools and hear what they have to say. Overall, being a US graduate, you'd have a better chance matching into a residency you'd prefer, and you may not get the same chances going to the Carib. However, this does not mean that everyone who goes to a US medical school matches into their top ranked residency, and neither does it mean that you can't get into a competitive residency if you're coming from the Carib. I feel that matching is not just dependent on the school you go to, it would heavily depend on the student. Study habits, Step scores, recommendations, and other ECs matter.
Here's something I found very interesting and useful for those thinking of doing the offshore route.
http://b83c73bcf0e7ca356c80-e8560f4...atch-International-Medical-Graduates-2014.pdf

I'd consider AUC too! Is there a reason you've excluded it?
This is just my $0.02 tho, I'm only a pre-med. lol

 

[ChrisGriffen]

1) What DO school is in an area so dangerous that you had to withdraw?
2) what makes you think it will be any safer living in a 3rd world country?

 

[Skip Intro]

Kirksville, MO is about as fun of a place to live as Dominica.

-Skip