Any chance at SGU?

[tothemoon1]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to ask if anyone knows if I have any chance at acceptance at SGU? Thank you!
-grades-
undergrad
cGPA: 3.35
sGPA:3.0

1st semester graduate GPA: 4.0
expected approximately cGPA after 2nd semester grad: 3.7-3.8

MCAT 1st attempt: 19
2nd attempt: will be taking it soon but current practice exams are at 498/500

-extracurriculars-
- >400 hours undergrad research w/ letter of rec from research advisor
- >150 hours gradschool research
- held many leadership positions throughout undergrad
- shadowed a gynecologist- 25 hours
- ER medical scribe for 8 months (and currently still working) w/ letter of rec from a physician I work with.

I also have letters from gradschool professors.

I know the most practical thing to do would be to take my MCAT once more and try at a DO school, but I would like to see if I have any chance at SGU (if you have heard of someone who has got accepted w/ similar stats etc)

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Mwooster]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to ask if anyone knows if I have any chance at acceptance at SGU? Thank you!
-grades-
undergrad
cGPA: 3.35
sGPA:3.0

1st semester graduate GPA: 4.0
expected approximately cGPA after 2nd semester grad: 3.7-3.8

MCAT 1st attempt: 19
2nd attempt: will be taking it soon but current practice exams are at 498/500

-extracurriculars-
- >400 hours undergrad research w/ letter of rec from research advisor
- >150 hours gradschool research
- held many leadership positions throughout undergrad
- shadowed a gynecologist- 25 hours
- ER medical scribe for 8 months (and currently still working) w/ letter of rec from a physician I work with.

I also have letters from gradschool professors.

I know the most practical thing to do would be to take my MCAT once more and try at a DO school, but I would like to see if I have any chance at SGU (if you have heard of someone who has got accepted w/ similar stats etc)

Well, do you and/or family members have a check book? Willing to take out a lot of loans?
If so, then the answer to your question is an emphatic yes.

With your solid GPA for a school like SGU, and a 19 on the MCAT, SGU will take you straight in, and at worst put you in their Medical Education Readiness Program (MERP, what Ross calls it, but SGU has something similar) first.

 

[bedevilled ben]

Hello everyone

They might accept you, but that shouldn't be your concern right now. Before taking the calculated risk of going to SGU (or any medical school for that matter) you need to figure out why your GPA and your MCAT scores are incongruent. Getting in and slogging through 2 years of basic sciences does nothing for you if you can't perform on the Step exams. You're trying to run a marathon before you've figured out how to walk.

If you're continuing to study and not improving your score dramatically I would highly encourage you to make an appointment with your educational services department or find a study counselor to work with you to develop a study plan. Worst case scenario, pay a for a test prep course through Kaplan or Princeton Review. It makes no sense to retake the MCAT if you're still scoring below average on practice tests, as that will only hurt your chances and potentially cost you acceptance into any medical school.

Well, do you and/or family members have a check book? Willing to take out a lot of loans?
If so, then the answer to your question is an emphatic yes.

With your solid GPA for a school like SGU, and a 19 on the MCAT, SGU will take you straight in, and at worst put you in their Medical Education Readiness Program (MERP, what Ross calls it, but SGU has something similar) first.

I don't have a lot of contact with current students in MS1 or MS2, but when I started at SGU 4 years ago this was not the case and a 19 probably wouldn't cut it. I have a couple of classmates graduating with me that did the Foundations course at SGU. We've discussed this at some length over the years and the lowest MCAT we know of was a 21. A 19 would be significantly below average.

 

[Skip Intro]

Read this.

-Skip

 

[laricb]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to ask if anyone knows if I have any chance at acceptance at SGU? Thank you!
-grades-
undergrad
cGPA: 3.35
sGPA:3.0

1st semester graduate GPA: 4.0
expected approximately cGPA after 2nd semester grad: 3.7-3.8

MCAT 1st attempt: 19
2nd attempt: will be taking it soon but current practice exams are at 498/500

-extracurriculars-
- >400 hours undergrad research w/ letter of rec from research advisor
- >150 hours gradschool research
- held many leadership positions throughout undergrad
- shadowed a gynecologist- 25 hours
- ER medical scribe for 8 months (and currently still working) w/ letter of rec from a physician I work with.

I also have letters from gradschool professors.

I know the most practical thing to do would be to take my MCAT once more and try at a DO school, but I would like to see if I have any chance at SGU (if you have heard of someone who has got accepted w/ similar stats etc)

Don't listen to the idiot reply's. They are just jealous DO Students, that can't stand the fact that SGU graduates optain many residences and still get to keep the MD logo. You won't get into SGU with a 19.

 

[UBC2014]

Don't listen to the idiot reply's. They are just jealous DO Students, that can't stand the fact that SGU graduates optain many residences and still get to keep the MD logo. You won't get into SGU with a 19.

Fun fact, a guy at my school got into SGU for this next intake with a 20. 19 isn't far off.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Don't listen to the idiot reply's. They are just jealous DO Students, that can't stand the fact that SGU graduates optain many residences and still get to keep the MD logo. You won't get into SGU with a 19.

 

[laricb]

Fun fact, a guy at my school got into SGU for this next intake with a 20. 19 isn't far off.

Easy to quote lie's

 

[laricb]

I guess I was right hit a nerve buddy

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I guess I was right hit a nerve buddy

No, I'm a US MD grad. DO is still a better option than the Caribbean...

 

[el_duderino]

A 19 MCAT is not predictive of success on Step 1. An sGPA of 3.0 is not predictive of success in the medical school curriculum.

Whether SGU accepts you or not is irrelevant.

 

[tothemoon1]

Thank you everyone for the input.

And in regards to the 3.0 sGPA...I thought maybe a 3.7 in only upper level science classes would be able to dictate success in the medical school curriculum? Would my gradschool GPA not be weighed as heavily as the undergrad GPA?

 

[el_duderino]

The common wisdom is that people don't really care much about grad school grades unless it's part of an SMP or other specialized program. They tend to be inflated compared to undergrad GPA.

Caribbean schools don't care how many people they graduate, because they don't have accreditation riding on it. So the great irony of places like SGU is that they admit the students who need the most help, and then provide the least amount of support. They're predatory in that regard.

 

[tothemoon1]

The common wisdom is that people don't really care much about grad school grades unless it's part of an SMP or other specialized program. They tend to be inflated compared to undergrad GPA.

Caribbean schools don't care how many people they graduate, because they don't have accreditation riding on it. So the great irony of places like SGU is that they admit the students who need the most help, and then provide the least amount of support. They're predatory in that regard.

hmm well actually it is part of a special Masters of Biomedical Sciences program..Sorry I had forgotten to mention that.

Regardless thank you!

 

[IslandStyle808]

hmm well actually it is part of a special Masters of Biomedical Sciences program..Sorry I had forgotten to mention that.

Regardless thank you!

As long as your ugGPA is past 3.0, you will avoid a lot of filters. It is best to get it as high as possible (ugGPA of 3.2 would be a good range) coupled with a higher MCAT. This should help you a lot.

 

[NewHorizons]

Don't listen to the idiot reply's. They are just jealous DO Students, that can't stand the fact that SGU graduates optain many residences and still get to keep the MD logo. You won't get into SGU with a 19.

I don't quite understand the logic...... why would any domestic medical student, MD or DO... be jealous of students going to SGU or other Caribbean schools? (regardless of how large a proportion of them obtain residencies) I'm all for second chances and people fighting hard for their dreams but I wouldn't exactly try to take the high ground when you're the one who had to resort to this final option to make your dreams a reality at a significant financial and emotional cost (a dream that doesn't come true for a significant proportion of people in the Caribbean).

I suppose the match rates are higher to the US, but for those wanting to return to Canada the match rate for IMGs is around 25-30% and has been slightly decreasing over the last few years (assuming they made it to 4th year and overcame attrition up to this point). One thing I really like about the CaRMs data is that they really help break it down and are transparent about the numbers. At least among Canadian schools, Carribean student success rate isn't even as high as those from Europe or the Oceanic regions. Not much to boast about, setting aside the accusation of jealousy.

Even if the match rate was significantly higher (and by all means it could be)... still not something to really boast about.

http://www.carms.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2016-CaRMS-Forum-Data-Deck_FINAL_EN.pdf
Slides 17, 44-46

 

[Mwooster]

Don't listen to the idiot reply's. They are just jealous DO Students, that can't stand the fact that SGU graduates optain many residences and still get to keep the MD logo. You won't get into SGU with a 19.

Easy to quote lie's

I am quite intrigued by people who label others as idiots while they cannot properly use/differentiate between plural and possessive nouns themselves

 

[el_duderino]

hmm well actually it is part of a special Masters of Biomedical Sciences program..Sorry I had forgotten to mention that.

Regardless thank you!

If you're doing well in an SMP, get your MCAT score up and go to a US school. That plus a 505+ should be good enough to get into a DO program.

Don't bomb the test a second time. Take the time to make sure you do well.

 

[laricb]

I am quite intrigued by people who label others as idiots while they cannot properly use/differentiate between plural and possessive nouns themselves

I don't quite understand the logic...... why would any domestic medical student, MD or DO... be jealous of students going to SGU or other Caribbean schools? (regardless of how large a proportion of them obtain residencies) I'm all for second chances and people fighting hard for their dreams but I wouldn't exactly try to take the high ground when you're the one who had to resort to this final option to make your dreams a reality at a significant financial and emotional cost (a dream that doesn't come true for a significant proportion of people in the Caribbean).

I suppose the match rates are higher to the US, but for those wanting to return to Canada the match rate for IMGs is around 25-30% and has been slightly decreasing over the last few years (assuming they made it to 4th year and overcame attrition up to this point). One thing I really like about the CaRMs data is that they really help break it down and are transparent about the numbers. At least among Canadian schools, Carribean student success rate isn't even as high as those from Europe or the Oceanic regions. Not much to boast about, setting aside the accusation of jealousy.

Even if the match rate was significantly higher (and by all means it could be)... still not something to really boast about.

http://www.carms.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2016-CaRMS-Forum-Data-Deck_FINAL_EN.pdf
Slides 17, 44-46

I agree, but did you actually read some of the earlier responses. Jokers trying to say SGU will accept you with a 19 mcat, which is totally false.

 

[UBC2014]

Easy to quote lie's

Sure thing boss.

It is what it is, had a 3.5 from UBC Biochem, so a respectable GPA. Just flopped the MCAT (

I agree, but did you actually read some of the earlier responses. Jokers trying to say SGU will accept you with a 19 mcat, which is totally false.

I will agree, I do not know anyone with a 19, but you have to admit a 20 isn't vastly different than a 19, and that for SURE i know a Canadian entering with a 20 MCAT. Decent GPA in a biochem degree, but a 20 nonetheless. If it helps, they're esl and bombed VR.

 

[laricb]

Sure thing boss.

It is what it is, had a 3.5 from UBC Biochem, so a respectable GPA. Just flopped the MCAT (

I will agree, I do not know anyone with a 19, but you have to admit a 20 isn't vastly different than a 19, and that for SURE i know a Canadian entering with a 20 MCAT. Decent GPA in a biochem degree, but a 20 nonetheless. If it helps, they're esl and bombed VR.

Kind of crazy I new someone with a 29 who didn't get accepted, low GPA 2.1. I haven't heard of anyone these days getting accepted with a 20...

 

[W19]

If you can bring up your sGPA a little by retaking a few undergrad classes and got a 25+ on the mcat, you should be good for DO... My friend becomes a primary care physician after taking the mcat multiple times and his highest score was 17 (yes 17). So it's possible, but you got to be prepared to study your butt off.

 

[hallowmann]

Hello everyone,

I wanted to ask if anyone knows if I have any chance at acceptance at SGU? Thank you!
-grades-
undergrad
cGPA: 3.35
sGPA:3.0

1st semester graduate GPA: 4.0
expected approximately cGPA after 2nd semester grad: 3.7-3.8

MCAT 1st attempt: 19
2nd attempt: will be taking it soon but current practice exams are at 498/500

-extracurriculars-
- >400 hours undergrad research w/ letter of rec from research advisor
- >150 hours gradschool research
- held many leadership positions throughout undergrad
- shadowed a gynecologist- 25 hours
- ER medical scribe for 8 months (and currently still working) w/ letter of rec from a physician I work with.

I also have letters from gradschool professors.

I know the most practical thing to do would be to take my MCAT once more and try at a DO school, but I would like to see if I have any chance at SGU (if you have heard of someone who has got accepted w/ similar stats etc)

I would hold off on taking the MCAT until you're hitting at or above your target (which I'm guessing is like 505?? no idea what that really means). Spend a little extra time and effort and get it done. Take a course if your have to. After that, reapply US MD (depending on score), DO, and carib.

I don't know how things have changed, but a few years ago, a bunch of people with 19, 20, 21 were getting into SGU's FOM program without issue. I'd expect you'd get that. I don't know about getting in outright, but I suppose its been done.

Kind of crazy I new someone with a 29 who didn't get accepted, low GPA 2.1. I haven't heard of anyone these days getting accepted with a 20...

A GPA over 2 standard deviations from the average and you're wondering how they could possibly not get in with a 29 MCAT? Come on man. Even OP with a 20 and his GPA has better stats than a guy with basically a 2 GPA and a 29. At least with OP it shows he can perform well on the long term. I mean you're talking a LizzyM of 50 compared to 53-57.

 

[bedevilled ben]

Caribbean schools don't care how many people they graduate, because they don't have accreditation riding on it. So the great irony of places like SGU is that they admit the students who need the most help, and then provide the least amount of support. They're predatory in that regard.

Lumping all Caribbean schools together is part of the problem. I can give you first-hand evidence that SGU gives excellent student support, so that is simply false. Students that fail out at SGU have multiple opportunities to address their deficiencies, whether that involves improving study strategy, stress management, educational support, independent DES study groups, class-specific small groups, extra lab hours, 1-on-1's with professors and learning coordinators, tailored study schedules, etc. Their ability to make money is directly tied to their ability to successfully move students through the program, so it is in fact strongly in their best interest to maintain a good reputation vis a vis good average Step scores and residency placement rates. If it didn't their business strategy would collapse in a handful of admission cycles.

I'm not for a moment going to tell anyone that SGU's motives are egalitarian or that they haven't factored the attrition rate into their balance sheet. Indeed, I agree with you to a large extent that the school is predatory and I have criticized it openly for being such in the past, but not in the manner that you're portraying it. They want empty seats filled with tuition dollar signs whether federal loans or not, and they will do so however they can. Insightful prospective students (or mommy and daddy if they control the academic purse strings) should choose the school with the highest (apparent) chance of success. SGU wants to make sure prospective students always believe that it is in that position, and they have an excellent marketing network working to ensure precisely that.

 

[Robynee]

Hi guys
I was sgu pre med and I was dismissed,because my gpa was too low and I failed the PMSCE twice
and I went back to do the biology program
I have an Associate Degree in Natural Science with a gpa of 3.34
I have a Bsc in Biology, cumulative gpa of 3.33, science gpa 3.2
I have three years of experience as a lab technician at a hospital
What are my chances of getting into the SGU MD Program

 

[W19]

Hi guys
I was sgu pre med and I was dismissed,because my gpa was too low and I failed the PMSCE twice
and I went back to do the biology program
I have an Associate Degree in Natural Science with a gpa of 3.34
I have a Bsc in Biology, cumulative gpa of 3.33, science gpa 3.2
I have three years of experience as a lab technician at a hospital
What are my chances of getting into the SGU MD Program

Seriously!

Time to consider NP...

 

[el_duderino]

Hi guys
I was sgu pre med and I was dismissed,because my gpa was too low and I failed the PMSCE twice
and I went back to do the biology program
I have an Associate Degree in Natural Science with a gpa of 3.34
I have a Bsc in Biology, cumulative gpa of 3.33, science gpa 3.2
I have three years of experience as a lab technician at a hospital
What are my chances of getting into the SGU MD Program

Time to pick a different career.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

NP, PA, RN are all solid options. Forget the MD man. Make a killing doing those other fields and don't worry about the liability.

 

[sa113093]

Hi there,

I'm a 2015 US graduate with a B.S. in Biology with a 3.5 GPA overall and 3.2 science GPA. I retook the 2015 MCAT and got a 507. I have a lot of extracurricular activities ranging from shadowing in internal medicine and volunteering at several hospitals and in the ER. I have also contributed a lot of my free time during undergrad to humanitarian efforts in terms of building hospitals and charities. What are my chances of getting into SGU this cycle?

 

[gyngyn]

What are my chances of getting into SGU this cycle?

100%. Don't do it.

 

[W19]

Hi there,

I'm a 2015 US graduate with a B.S. in Biology with a 3.5 GPA overall and 3.2 science GPA. I retook the 2015 MCAT and got a 507. I have a lot of extracurricular activities ranging from shadowing in internal medicine and volunteering at several hospitals and in the ER. I have also contributed a lot of my free time during undergrad to humanitarian efforts in terms of building hospitals and charities. What are my chances of getting into SGU this cycle?

You should be able to get into DO with your stats... Why...SGU?

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

Hi there,

I'm a 2015 US graduate with a B.S. in Biology with a 3.5 GPA overall and 3.2 science GPA. I retook the 2015 MCAT and got a 507. I have a lot of extracurricular activities ranging from shadowing in internal medicine and volunteering at several hospitals and in the ER. I have also contributed a lot of my free time during undergrad to humanitarian efforts in terms of building hospitals and charities. What are my chances of getting into SGU this cycle?

Do you know how to write out a check to somebody...?

If you do, you are a damn near shoe-in!

 

[IslandStyle808]

Hi there,

I'm a 2015 US graduate with a B.S. in Biology with a 3.5 GPA overall and 3.2 science GPA. I retook the 2015 MCAT and got a 507. I have a lot of extracurricular activities ranging from shadowing in internal medicine and volunteering at several hospitals and in the ER. I have also contributed a lot of my free time during undergrad to humanitarian efforts in terms of building hospitals and charities. What are my chances of getting into SGU this cycle?

Read up on osteopathic schools. Get into an osteopathic school. Thank us later.

 

[sa113093]

You should be able to get into DO with your stats... Why...SGU?

Read up on osteopathic schools. Get into an osteopathic school. Thank us later.

I applied this cycle to literally every single DO school in the states. I got a few secondaries and no interview calls. Do I have a chance this cycle?

 

[W19]

I applied this cycle to literally every single DO school in the states. I got a few secondaries and no interview calls. Do I have a chance this cycle?

You mean c/o 2o21... If so, you will at least got 3 acceptances.

 

[IslandStyle808]

I applied this cycle to literally every single DO school in the states. I got a few secondaries and no interview calls. Do I have a chance this cycle?

When did you apply initially (i.e. when did you send your primaries)? Apply early this cycle and you should get interviews easily.

 

[Goro]

As long as you have a pulse and can write an up-front tuition check, chances are excellent.

The point here isn't that there are successful Carib grads. The point is how many additional obstacles to success you face by going to a Carib school.


The pool of US applicants from the Caribbean is viewed differently by Program Directors. The DDx for a Caribbean grad is pretty off-putting: bad judgment, bad advice, egotism, gullibility, overbearing parents, inability to delay gratification, IA's, legal problems, weak research skills, high risk behavior. This is not to say that all of them still have the quality that drew them into this situation. There is just no way to know which ones they are. Some PD's are in a position where they need to, or can afford to take risks too! So, some do get interviews.


Bad grades and scores are the least of the deficits from a PD's standpoint. A strong academic showing in a Caribbean medical school does not erase this stigma. It fact it increases the perception that the reason for the choice was on the above-mentioned list!

Just about everyone from a Caribbean school has one or more of these problems and PDs know it. That's why their grads are the last choice even with a high Step 1 score.

There was a time when folks whose only flaw was being a late bloomer went Carib, but those days are gone. There are a number of spots at US schools with grade replacement for these candidates.

It's likely you'll be in the bottom half or two thirds of the class that gets dismissed before Step 1. The business plan of a Carib school depends on the majority of the class not needing to be supported in clinical rotations. They literally can't place all 250+ of the starting class at clinical sites (educational malpractice, really. If this happened at a US school, they be shut down by LCME or COCA, and sued.


The Carib (and other offshore) schools have very tenuous, very expensive, very controversial relationships with a very small number of US clinical sites. You may think you can just ask to do your clinical rotations at a site near home. Nope. You may think you don't have to worry about this stuff. Wrong.

And let's say you get through med school in the Carib and get what you need out of the various clinical rotation scenarios. Then you are in the match gamble. I don't need to say a word about this - you can find everything you need to know at nrmp.org.

You really need to talk to people who made it through Carib into residency, and hear the story from them. How many people were in their class at the start, how many are in it now? How long did it take to get a residency, and how did they handle the gap year(s) and their student loans? How many residencies did they apply to, how many interviews did they get, and were any of the programs on their match list anything like what they wanted?

A little light reading:

https://milliondollarmistake.wordpress.com/

http://www.tameersiddiqui.com/medical-school-at-sgu

 

[raizen91]

As long as you have a pulse and can write an up-front tuition check, chances are excellent.

The point here isn't that there are successful Carib grads. The point is how many additional obstacles to success you face by going to a Carib school.


The pool of US applicants from the Caribbean is viewed differently by Program Directors. The DDx for a Caribbean grad is pretty off-putting: bad judgment, bad advice, egotism, gullibility, overbearing parents, inability to delay gratification, IA's, legal problems, weak research skills, high risk behavior. This is not to say that all of them still have the quality that drew them into this situation. There is just no way to know which ones they are. Some PD's are in a position where they need to, or can afford to take risks too! So, some do get interviews.


Bad grades and scores are the least of the deficits from a PD's standpoint. A strong academic showing in a Caribbean medical school does not erase this stigma. It fact it increases the perception that the reason for the choice was on the above-mentioned list!

Just about everyone from a Caribbean school has one or more of these problems and PDs know it. That's why their grads are the last choice even with a high Step 1 score.

There was a time when folks whose only flaw was being a late bloomer went Carib, but those days are gone. There are a number of spots at US schools with grade replacement for these candidates.

It's likely you'll be in the bottom half or two thirds of the class that gets dismissed before Step 1. The business plan of a Carib school depends on the majority of the class not needing to be supported in clinical rotations. They literally can't place all 250+ of the starting class at clinical sites (educational malpractice, really. If this happened at a US school, they be shut down by LCME or COCA, and sued.


The Carib (and other offshore) schools have very tenuous, very expensive, very controversial relationships with a very small number of US clinical sites. You may think you can just ask to do your clinical rotations at a site near home. Nope. You may think you don't have to worry about this stuff. Wrong.

And let's say you get through med school in the Carib and get what you need out of the various clinical rotation scenarios. Then you are in the match gamble. I don't need to say a word about this - you can find everything you need to know at nrmp.org.

You really need to talk to people who made it through Carib into residency, and hear the story from them. How many people were in their class at the start, how many are in it now? How long did it take to get a residency, and how did they handle the gap year(s) and their student loans? How many residencies did they apply to, how many interviews did they get, and were any of the programs on their match list anything like what they wanted?

A little light reading:

https://milliondollarmistake.wordpress.com/

http://www.tameersiddiqui.com/medical-school-at-sgu

Goro simply likes to repeat his posts from previous threads. SGU does not faily out 1/2 to 2/3 of their class before step 1...I'm at the school now the attrition rate is about 10%. SGU does not have a relationship with a small number of US clinical sites...they have a large number of relationships with many hospitals in the United States. Also those blog posts were made by students who were really, really dumb during their path through school.

 

[el_duderino]

Goro simply likes to repeat his posts from previous threads. SGU does not faily out 1/2 to 2/3 of their class before step 1...I'm at the school now the attrition rate is about 10%. SGU does not have a relationship with a small number of US clinical sites...they have a large number of relationships with many hospitals in the United States. Also those blog posts were made by students who were really, really dumb during their path through school.

How many started in your class, and how many have passed step 1?

 

[Goro]

Multiple SGU students have reported attrition rates if 40-50 %. Looking at numbers of matches as compared to starting class size also confirms these numbers.

This alone would get SGU shut down and sued by LCME if it were a US MD school.

Goro simply likes to repeat his posts from previous threads. SGU does not faily out 1/2 to 2/3 of their class before step 1...I'm at the school now the attrition rate is about 10%. SGU does not have a relationship with a small number of US clinical sites...they have a large number of relationships with many hospitals in the United States. Also those blog posts were made by students who were really, really dumb during their path through school.

 

[Mikkus]

Goro simply likes to repeat his posts from previous threads. SGU does not faily out 1/2 to 2/3 of their class before step 1...I'm at the school now the attrition rate is about 10%. SGU does not have a relationship with a small number of US clinical sites...they have a large number of relationships with many hospitals in the United States. Also those blog posts were made by students who were really, really dumb during their path through school.

10% might have dropped out of first term, but by the time step one comes around that number will be much higher. I have recently matched from SGU, and would not recommend the school unless it's a last resort and you don't mind potentially being kicked out with +100k in debt. When I did the statistics comparing my first term roster to 5th term, I found 66% of the same names.
Many of my classmates stayed positive about SGU, would have recommended the school to others, up until match time came around. Most of my friends would not repeat their experience. Moral of the story is I would take any propaganda from 1/2/3 year students with a grain of salt. One just cannot understand the handicap of matching from a carib school until you have attempted it.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

10% might have dropped out of first term, but by the time step one comes around that number will be much higher. I have recently matched from SGU, and would not recommend the school unless it's a last resort and you don't mind potentially being kicked out with +100k in debt. When I did the statistics comparing my first term roster to 5th term, I found 66% of the same names.
Many of my classmates stayed positive about SGU, would have recommended the school to others, up until match time came around. Most of my friends would not repeat their experience. Moral of the story is I would take any propaganda from 1/2/3 year students with a grain of salt. One just cannot understand the handicap of matching from a carib school until you have attempted it.

See? THIS is the type of Caribbean student that I love. You sir/maam are amazing and thank you for telling it like it is. Which residency/field are you going into?

Wish you much success and good fortune in your future endeavors Mikkus. If you could do it all over again, would you have taken a year off to improve your app and send out more apps to more MD programs and sprinkle in some DO schools too? Would love to hear/read your thoughts on your journey (PM would be great as well!)

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

Be careful...

The Argus may get pissed lol

 

[Mikkus]

See? THIS is the type of Caribbean student that I love. You sir/maam are amazing and thank you for telling it like it is. Which residency/field are you going into?

Wish you much success and good fortune in your future endeavors Mikkus. If you could do it all over again, would you have taken a year off to improve your app and send out more apps to more MD programs and sprinkle in some DO schools too? Would love to hear/read your thoughts on your journey (PM would be great as well!)

I'm going to quote my own response from my thread, so it doesn't look like I am ignoring your question here =)

I'm headed to IM, which was my field of choice. I think if I came from a US school I would have ended up in IM as well, it is just what I enjoyed.
If I could do it all over again I would take the year to retake classes and apply DO. I chose Carib over DO at the time, but it is not a mistake I would make again. I was told carib was equal to DO, and I could join the carib class now. I jumped at the chance without doing research.
Many were successful, but they are the type that would have been top of the class at US schools.

Generally the ones who make the top 10% were those who partied too hard in undergrad. A 3.0 gpa with a 30 mcat seems to be a much better indicator of success than the opposite. If you have the mcat score to show your a good test taker, that's 9/10ths of the battle of being a successful carib student. I do not know a single person who made it through all 4 years with a sub-par mcat score.

 

[Skip Intro]

I jumped at the chance without doing research.

Never advisable. Glad it worked out for you.

I do not know a single person who made it through all 4 years with a sub-par mcat score.

I've said this innumerable times on this forum: if you have trouble scoring well on standardized tests, you should strongly reconsider the field of medicine altogether... at least before getting better at them. The rest of your life will be filled with standardized tests from NBME shelf exams, to all parts of the USLME, to even your board-certification exams. It never ends. And, if English is your second language and you're not a rockstar at it, you are going to struggle.

-Skip

 

[kingkapoor]

Never advisable. Glad it worked out for you.



I've said this innumerable times on this forum: if you have trouble scoring well on standardized tests, you should strongly reconsider the field of medicine altogether... at least before getting better at them. The rest of your life will be filled with standardized tests from NBME shelf exams, to all parts of the USLME, to even your board-certification exams. It never ends. And, if English is your second language and you're not a rockstar at it, you are going to struggle.

-Skip

I partially disagree with the standardized testing portion, although the current MCAT biology section is literally a representation of what medical school classes and USMLE material is like, the questions though, a lot less.
The reason I disagree is: up until this year, DO schools were primarily taking students with MCATS between a 24-30 range. (Define subpar). And as far as I know MOST DO schools have a negligible drop out rate. Further, I believe most have a high rate of passing.

 

[kingkapoor]

Multiple SGU students have reported attrition rates if 40-50 %. Looking at numbers of matches as compared to starting class size also confirms these numbers.

This alone would get SGU shut down and sued by LCME if it were a US MD school.

I usually disagree with Goro, but during my time there, my class size started at literally 1070'ish students (the number just tilted over 1000), including new students, and students who decelerated from last semester. We had mandatory "clicker sessions" every week which were like participation quizzes. By week 4, the number was around 780 (you can see the number of responses), and the auditorium for mandatory sessions was a lot less full. That alone is a 22% drop out by September (For what ever reason).

The 10% statistic is blatantly false and probably only covers the students who literally stood until the very end of the semester and literally failed out, while the other numbers represent people who were "Advised " to leave.

I doubt this poster is an actual student. I have friends back on the island who started with me and said the current number after term 2 was around 500'ish

 

[PossibleDOC?]

I agree, but did you actually read some of the earlier responses. Jokers trying to say SGU will accept you with a 19 mcat, which is totally false.

I was admitted with a 3.0 and a 20......it happens more often then you think....I didn't go though I wanted to make sure I got a residency so I went to a DO school

 

[PossibleDOC?]

Hi there,

I'm a 2015 US graduate with a B.S. in Biology with a 3.5 GPA overall and 3.2 science GPA. I retook the 2015 MCAT and got a 507. I have a lot of extracurricular activities ranging from shadowing in internal medicine and volunteering at several hospitals and in the ER. I have also contributed a lot of my free time during undergrad to humanitarian efforts in terms of building hospitals and charities. What are my chances of getting into SGU this cycle?

Why would you go to SGU when you can go to a DO school with 2 retakes give or take in the sciences?

 

[kingkapoor]

I was admitted with a 3.0 and a 20......it happens more often then you think....I didn't go though I wanted to make sure I got a residency so I went to a DO school

Uh did you retake the MCAT and then get in (to DO schools)?

And yes I have friends at SGU with a 19 MCAT, I honestly feel they take anyone. People with super low GPAS are put into a -post bacc program which lasts a semester