American like Caribbean schools

[lsuhockeyplayer]

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Well as some of you might know I am a little more than apprehensive about going to a Caribbean medical school. This may be kind of a strange question but what Caribbean medical school is the most "Americanized". I mean if I do go there I want this to be the least traumatic as it possibly can be and if it was more like home than I think I could adapt faster. As you could probably tell I have never gone away, like out of the country or more than a couple hours away, for school. So frankly this is a terrifying prospect to me. The schools I am looking at right now are SGU, Ross, and AUC. Thanks for your input.

 

[McGillGrad]

AUC is on a tourist island that is as close to the US as it gets in the Caribbean.

The others would freak out people who have not left the US or Canada.

 

[jays2cool4u]

AUC is on a tourist island that is as close to the US as it gets in the Caribbean.

The one thing McGillGrad and I can agree on.

Jays2cool4u 😎

 

[blueoval]

Oh yeah, St Maarten is the place to go if you want "Americanized"! Nothing like restuarnt on top of resturant, movie theaters, sports bars, alcohol cheaper than milk, 110 electricity, a mall, and just about anything else you could want is here. You name it you can get it. The only problem is the crowds. They are slowly building and the drive is getting a little worse. Just learn the traffic and that can be avoided too.

 

[erichaj]

There may be a reason why you did not get to go to a US school.

For Example: Poor study habits. Like going to movies, dancing, drinking etc. when you should have been looking at those books. If this is you, and I'm not saying it is, but if it is then AUC is not the school for you. Way too many distraction. I mean all the topless beaches, great bars with half naked women.

I'm goin on vacation. yeah baby.

Wait lets get back to the topic.
SGU may be better.

Good luck.

 

[lsuhockeyplayer]

There may be a reason why you did not get to go to a US school.

For Example: Poor study habits. Like going to movies, dancing, drinking etc. when you should have been looking at those books. If this is you, and I'm not saying it is, but if it is then AUC is not the school for you. Way too many distraction. I mean all the topless beaches, great bars with half naked women.

I don’t know if you were trying to be cute or something with that remark however I will have you know that that could not be further from the truth!! I studied my A$$ off in college and as far as I am concerned I deserve to be in a US medial school. If you would like to know my stats ask b/c I guarantee you that I did not screw around in college. like I said when I posted the question I asked this due to the fact that I would like to get more adept to my surroundings if I have to go there so I can do well and not have a distraction like home sickness to deal with. And if you can’t tell by my tangent I take offense to your comment joking or otherwise.

 

[blueoval]

when I posted the question I asked this due to the fact that I would like to get more adept to my surroundings if I have to go there so I can do well and not have a distraction like home sickness to deal with.

I am not sure what you are looking for, but if you are looking for a comfort zone St. Martin is a nice place. Yes there are distractions, but there are the same distractions in the states as well. It sounds like you wouldn't have a problem here. From time to time it feels like I am not even on an island cause I am in the lab or in front of a book. Dealing with home sickness may not be a problem here either since pretty much everyone here knows each other. Our class is only ~160 so I know most of the people and always have someone to hang out with when I need it. I looked at the other schools as well, but based on living conditions and "niceties" St. Maarten worked out for me. Now if you are adventurous I would say go for the other schools and which ever one takes you do your best. That's just my opinion.

 

[Brian Pavlovitz]

I would like to get more adept to my surroundings if I have to go there so I can do well and not have a distraction like home sickness to deal with.

I think no matter where you go, you'll have that to deal with. Trust me on this--because I went through it! So much so that I delayed my education for nearly 2 years. I doubt that it will really matter how Americanized an island is; it's still not home. Your family still isn't there. Your significant other isn't there. The surroundings are still different. Plus, you have the added stress of being in medical school.

Some people find that being that far away just isn't for them. Others (like me) realize that the situation is temporary, and end up making the best of it. It was difficult for me, but after a few weeks (and making friends), school takes over.

Feel free to PM me with any other questions; I know how stressful this can be!

Brian
MS-IV, St. George's University School of Medicine

 

[Mehrdad1]

Well as some of you might know I am a little more than apprehensive about going to a Caribbean medical school. This may be kind of a strange question but what Caribbean medical school is the most "Americanized". I mean if I do go there I want this to be the least traumatic as it possibly can be and if it was more like home than I think I could adapt faster. As you could probably tell I have never gone away, like out of the country or more than a couple hours away, for school. So frankly this is a terrifying prospect to me. The schools I am looking at right now are SGU, Ross, and AUC. Thanks for your input.

Hey lsuhockeyplayer, I have attended both AUC and St. Matthew's. Both of these schools are on the most Americanized islands in the Caribbean. SMU is in Grand Cayman, which is the best island as it is not a third world country. It is actually one of the wealthiest countries in the world due to their international banking system. AUC is on the ever-fun touristy island of Sint Maarten (yes, I spelled it correctly). Which is also very Americanized as well, but not quite as Americanized as Cayman, since they are not quite as wealthy an island. Both schools have quite a few students from LSU (Geaux Tigers!), so you should make friends easily. However, SMU does not have California approval, and does not have government loans (private loans only). Although, if you join their joint masters program MD/MHSA, you will not only be eligible for government loans, but you can also do your 4th and 5th semesters in the US (Maine, since the MHSA is from St. Joseph's College in Standish, ME). Hope this helped. If you have anymore questions on Carib med schools visit www.valuemd.com
Also, please note what the previous poster mentioned about no matter how good the island, it's still not home. This is VERY true, you'll still get homesick irregardless.

 

[lsuhockeyplayer]

thanks guys i appriciate all of the input

 

[daelroy]

I don’t know if you were trying to be cute or something with that remark however I will have you know that that could not be further from the truth!! I studied my A$$ off in college and as far as I am concerned I deserve to be in a US medial school. If you would like to know my stats ask b/c I guarantee you that I did not screw around in college. like I said when I posted the question I asked this due to the fact that I would like to get more adept to my surroundings if I have to go there so I can do well and not have a distraction like home sickness to deal with. And if you can’t tell by my tangent I take offense to your comment joking or otherwise.

If you studied your butt off in college and you still had to attend a foreign school then I would reconsider another career because you lack the aptitude to become a physician. Eric is right. The people who go to the Caribbean are bright people who were lazy in college. It's not for dumb people who tried really hard and couldn't make it. If you studied your butt off and you took the MCAT 3 times never to surpass a 23 then you probably wouldn't fare much better on the boards or medical school because medical school exams are very MCAT-like in the way they ask questions. The boards make the MCAT look easy. It's not like undergrad where questions are asked in a direct manner.

 

[hotdocmitch]

Let's clarify this a little bit. Both bright but lazy people and dumb but hard-working people go to the Caribbean for med school. However, the ones that actually make it through basic sciences, pass the boards and get a residency are the bright/lazy people. I knew plenty of Ross students who studied 24/7 and still didn't do well. I never studied more than a couple hours a day and never had a problem. If you need to study that much then it's due to either of two reasons: you aren't smart enough or you aren't studying correctly. I wouldn't be too harsh on people that don't do well on the MCAT, though. I did very well on the boards and I think that they were easier than the MCAT. Maybe I was just so traumatized by the MCAT that it's difficulty has grown in my mind over the years. Anyway, Caribbean med school is great for the bright but lazy students because it teaches you to work hard. I know that I've done a complete 180 and now I work my a** off in the hospital...it helps to bury the negative stigma of having gone to a Carib med school.
I agree with daelroy, don't waste your time and money in the Caribbean if you can't cut it. Not everyone who wants to go to med school should. Be realistic. I know it sounds harsh but it's the truth.

 

[lsuhockeyplayer]

If you studied your butt off in college and you still had to attend a foreign school then I would reconsider another career because you lack the aptitude to become a physician. Eric is right. The people who go to the Caribbean are bright people who were lazy in college. It's not for dumb people who tried really hard and couldn't make it. If you studied your butt off and you took the MCAT 3 times never to surpass a 23 then you probably wouldn't fare much better on the boards or medical school because medical school exams are very MCAT-like in the way they ask questions. The boards make the MCAT look easy. It's not like undergrad where questions are asked in a direct manner.

Well then I guess you must be the type of person who has never worked hard for something in their entire life. And I promise you that I do have the aptitude to become a physician regardless if I have to go to the Caribbean or not. You know I should actually thank you a$$ holes for telling me that I will not make it. Because when I do and I am in the top of my class and end up with a stellar residence I will be back on this board to let every one of you know. I know a ton of people love to say the MCAT is a bench mark for intelligence and how well you will do in medical school however what do you say to the thousands of physicians who make 20's, 21's, and 22's who are now well respected doctors? Oh yea they to had to go to the Caribbean because they were unable to get in to medical school in the states. Well the majority of them any way. Are you really that blind to think that essentially an IQ test can tell some one that they will not make it in professional school? Oh and I know what the rebuttal will be the "boards is just like the MCAT or harder” the huge difference is the boards is not a weed out point they don’t try to screw you up with little tricks of the trade. They are there to make sure you learned something in medical school. It is an essentially exit exam! Like I said earlier I will see all of you soon until then kiss my a$$.

 

[daelroy]

Are you really that blind to think that essentially an IQ test can tell some one that they will not make it in professional school?

So now the MCAT is IQ test simply because you didn't do well on it? Typical excuse from a guy who scored poorly on it. So are you telling us you are dumb? For a person with a lot of pride, it shocks me that you will settle on explaining to everyone that your low MCAT score was due to your IQ as opposed to your preparation. Did it ever cross your mind that you probably didn't study as much as you should have for the exam? Do you actually count the number of hours you study for the exam or do you just assume you studied a given amount. Try actually counting your hours and you will probably find the 6 hours you thought you studied in a given day turned out to be 2 or 3 hours with a lot breaks thrown in between. I personally know a lot of people who cry :"Woe is me, I studied and I still did bad." When you actually sit down with them and ask them to write down their day's events, you discover they waste a lot of time and are not aware of it. They also don't study "everyday" like they say they do. Just like you have people who downplay how much they study, there are those who hype how much they study. You are one of those people.

And no, I earned over a 30 on the MCAT and I studied far more than you did. When I said I put in 8 hours a day studying, I literally put in 8 hours per day including the weekends for 3 months in the summer. Some days, I put in 12-15 hours.

Oh and I know what the rebuttal will be the "boards is just like the MCAT or harder” the huge difference is the boards is not a weed out point they don’t try to screw you up with little tricks of the trade.

What are you basing this on, your intuition? How the hell would you know since you have never taken the boards. Are you that naive to make an opinion based on no first hand knowledge whatsoever? Take it from someone who has taken Step I, and scored over a 30 on the MCAT, Step I is much more of a weed out exam than you could ever imagine. How do you think residency programs distinguish between medical students especially since every medical school has their own grading criteria. Some are pass/fail with no class rank. Some are letter grade. Some are percentages. Some are Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail. Grades are subjective and ambiguous which is why programs rely so heavily on Step I scores. So when everyone wants derm, radiology, emergency medicine, orthopedic surgery, peds at Boston Childrens, Medicine at Hopkins or Mayo, how do you think they distinguish among candidates with similar grades?

And before you chime in with another lousy excuse, keep in mind the type of people that are taking the boards. These are people who have been successfully admitted to medical school. You are competing with the best of the best so the exam is that much harder. You will find that out in medical school too. Your professors will deliberately make questions difficult to weed out the best students in the class since everyone in medical school is fairly intelligent.

Yes, I know people who got 20,21 and 22 on the MCAT and became successfull doctors. I also know they were admittedly lazy and didn't put in the time to study for the MCAT. They were not students who studied really hard and had to take the exam three times to get a mediocre score. Likewise, I just think you are unaware of how much preparation is required to achieve a competitive score on the MCAT which is why I don't think you are dumb. I just think you are naive.

You just sound like a classic case of the guy who memorizes the Kaplan book but doesn't understand what he is memorizing. The MCAT is only an IQ test to those who don't understand the concepts well enough to apply them. Memorizing all of the lists in Kaplan is the easy part. Applying what you memorized is much more difficult. You have to do many passages and understand why you missed what you did. In my experience the difference between the low 20's and high 20' on up is the application aspect. I did literally thousands of questions and looked up answers.

 

[lsuhockeyplayer]

When I said I put in 8 hours a day studying, I literally put in 8 hours per day including the weekends for 3 months in the summer. Some days, I put in 12-15 hours.

Yea keep thinking that you just are so far superior to me simply because of the score you made. And no I do not say I studied X amount of hours including breaks, that was the time that I studied. If you are new to this thread you should have noticed that I have a 3.7 GPA so for no reason what so ever am I a lazy/ stupid person and if you are so inclined to believe that I am then well that is your opinion. Even though it is grossly wrong!!!! Oh and by the way I studied for 6 hours a day every day that is including weekends for about 4 to 5 months. And YES I equate the MCAT to have the legitimacy of an IQ test if you don’t believe that then well like I said that is you opinion and I cant help it even if you are grossly wrong! Have you ever heard of people cant take standardized tests however are intelligent non the less, apparently not. In your closed mind they are all stupid. So what you are saying is that if someone makes a 4.0 all through college in a curriculum like biological sciences and doesn't do well on the MCAT they don’t deserve to be in med school and will not make it. Well I have to say you have to be the biggest dumb A$$ I have ever met. Common sense will win out every time over book smarts. You obviously have book smarts and that is it!

Likewise, I just think you are unaware of how much preparation is required to achieve a competitive score on the MCAT which is why I don't think you are dumb. I just think you are naive.

I don’t really care how naïve you think I might be all I know is that I will do any thing that I need to become a doctor. I will rise to the challenge and only some so unhappy with his own life would shoot down some one inspiring to become a physician.

And this is the last thing I have to say to you. You can go about your life believing what ever you think might be right, but just know that there will always be people like me who will aspire to prove dicks like you wrong. You are obviously so displeased with yourself and your own life that you have to put down any one with any kind of hope or dream. Personally I find it pathetic. I don’t see you being a good doctor with that mentality, and I have to say it was very unpleasant talking to you. I no longer want your worthless opinion.

 

[Mom2five]

You have every right to have a dream and yes some people do beat the odds. I think he was just trying to say that it will be hard and you will most likely struggle with Step I, etc. I don't think that is arrogant but honest. Not to say that you can't do it. It'd be better to figure out why the MCAT is difficult for you and learn some stand. test taking strategies. I do believe that some are not good at test taking but can make good doctors. I know the tone was pretty harsh with the above posters but "generally" speaking it is true. Better for you to realize it and figure out how to beat the odds because Med. School IS a bunch of tests. Hopefully, things will come together for you and Good Luck!

 

[rahulazcom]

You do realize you will take a standardized "IQ" test in medical school; it's called the USMLE.

Most people who do poorly on the MCAT do so out of a lack of preparation. But if you genuinely put in the time, it just sounds like you need help developing test taking skills. You should get a tutor and read some books on test taking strategy. The most challenging part is understanding what the question is really asking. To some people this is intuitive and to others, they need practice before they can master this skill. And like Mom2Five said, you should really take this issue seriously because you will take many MCAT-like exams in medical school. If you are not good at taking tests, it will come back to haunt you. See if you can address those weaknesses now before you start medical school. I wish you all the best.

 

[Doc7777]

ISU Hockey player :You are absolutely correct. I know several physicians who either did not do well in MCATs or ended up as an IMG. Believe me : their competency and intelligence exceed many US med school graduates I know. These foreign medical graduates had one thing in common : a fiery determination,like you, to prove their detractors wrong . You have the right spirit. Good luck !