Can Anyone Help?

[ArunKhan]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi


Does anyone know of any british students in med school at any of the big 4 in the caribbean? Or any british students who have obtained residency in the US?

Do you know of any issues they are facing or did face to get to where they are. How was finding a residency as a british citizen?

Any Information Would Be Much Appreciated!

 

[deleted480308]

What are your stats......carrib is risky

 

[torontopharm]

You have a EU citizenship. Use it.
Go anywhere in Europe for med school. Spend a fraction in tuition (compared to the Caribbean) and go back to UK to practice.
With that citizenship, there's no reason why you should gamble by going to a Caribbean school.

 

[ArunKhan]

What are your stats......carrib is risky

I have had my degree translated by WES and have a GPA of 3.75

 

[ArunKhan]

You have a EU citizenship. Use it.
Go anywhere in Europe for med school. Spend a fraction in tuition (compared to the Caribbean) and go back to UK to practice.
With that citizenship, there's no reason why you should gamble by going to a Caribbean school.

Unfortunately there are a couple of factors which affect my application to European med schools.

I ideally would want to practice and live in the US or basically any other country apart from the UK. Hence my reason for choosing the caribbean med schools.

 

[deleted480308]

Mcat?

 

[ArunKhan]

Mcat?

Being a UK student I'm not required to take the MCAT at the schools I'm looking at.

 

[deleted480308]

The "big 4" carrib don't require an mcat for british students? Or are you also talking about british schools?

I'm asking because without that standarized metric for how you handle that type of exam you run a risk of not seeing a huge warning sign that you'll fail step exams and never end up in a residency

 

[torontopharm]

The "big 4" carrib don't require an mcat for british students? Or are you also talking about british schools?

I'm asking because without that standarized metric for how you handle that type of exam you run a risk of not seeing a huge warning sign that you'll fail step exams and never end up in a residency

Out of the reputable Caribbean schools, Saba doesn't require the MCAT from non-Americans and AUA doesn't require the MCAT from anyone at all. I'm assuming he/she is looking to attend one of the two.
OP check out this link:
http://www.ecfmg.org/resources/NRMP...atch-International-Medical-Graduates-2014.pdf
You'll find some raw data there and it'll help you make your own conclusion. There are lengthy discussions on sdn about interpretations of that pdf, and you can easily find it with a quick search. I'll tell you the big issue you'll face with those schools. Saba by far has the highest attrition rate out of the reputable schools i.e. there's a chance you won't make it to clinical. As for AUA, a lot of students are held back every year for not getting the threshold scores on their comp at the end of 4th year. I've heard of people trying to switch out of AUA during their 4th year just because they couldn't get the comp score needed.
In any case, good luck!

 

[ArunKhan]

Out of the reputable Caribbean schools, Saba doesn't require the MCAT from non-Americans and AUA doesn't require the MCAT from anyone at all. I'm assuming he/she is looking to attend one of the two.
OP check out this link:
http://www.ecfmg.org/resources/NRMP...atch-International-Medical-Graduates-2014.pdf
You'll find some raw data there and it'll help you make your own conclusion. There are lengthy discussions on sdn about interpretations of that pdf, and you can easily find it with a quick search. I'll tell you the big issue you'll face with those schools. Saba by far has the highest attrition rate out of the reputable schools i.e. there's a chance you won't make it to clinical. As for AUA, a lot of students are held back every year for not getting the threshold scores on their comp at the end of 4th year. I've heard of people trying to switch out of AUA during their 4th year just because they couldn't get the comp score needed.
In any case, good luck!

Thank you very much!!

 

[schmutz]

EU citizen here, went to SGU, matched into US.

As far as US is concerned, you're in the same boat as any other visa-applicant. That's a big disadvantage during the match, but not a complete death sentence (anything that you read about Canadians struggling in the match will pertain to you!). It also requires annoying paperwork and a hateful realtionship with US bureaucracy at times of travels for clinicals. If you match, you will require to get a "statement of need" from the UK in order to get a J1 visa (which is what most visa-residents have in the US, as H1B work visas are not sponsored by most residency programs). I am not from UK, so I am not sure what getting a SON entails there. A statement of need can be a simple paper you get from some pencil-pusher in a ministry in 30 minutes (most of Europe), a stressful first-come-first-served competition for a limited commodity (eg. Canada) or a deadly NO that ruins hopes and lives (eg. South Korea). Check it before you apply.

You will have some advantage over the hardcore IMGs like myself by the virtue of speaking proper English. I speak peasant English with a thick off-the-boat accent and can't broadcast Beowulf references right and left, so that didn't help at all.

So, in the end, coming to SGU as an EU citizen makes sense mostly if you're going for the US residency. If you plan on staying in the UK, there are cheaper options in continental Europe.

 

[ArunKhan]

EU citizen here, went to SGU, matched into US.

As far as US is concerned, you're in the same boat as any other visa-applicant. That's a big disadvantage during the match, but not a complete death sentence (anything that you read about Canadians struggling in the match will pertain to you!). It also requires annoying paperwork and a hateful realtionship with US bureaucracy at times of travels for clinicals. If you match, you will require to get a "statement of need" from the UK in order to get a J1 visa (which is what most visa-residents have in the US, as H1B work visas are not sponsored by most residency programs). I am not from UK, so I am not sure what getting a SON entails there. A statement of need can be a simple paper you get from some pencil-pusher in a ministry in 30 minutes (most of Europe), a stressful first-come-first-served competition for a limited commodity (eg. Canada) or a deadly NO that ruins hopes and lives (eg. South Korea). Check it before you apply.

You will have some advantage over the hardcore IMGs like myself by the virtue of speaking proper English. I speak peasant English with a thick off-the-boat accent and can't broadcast Beowulf references right and left, so that didn't help at all.

So, in the end, coming to SGU as an EU citizen makes sense mostly if you're going for the US residency. If you plan on staying in the UK, there are cheaper options in continental Europe.

Thank you so much for this info, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!

Did you find that you were looked down upon for attending a Caribbean med school? How did you find SGU?

 

[schmutz]

Thank you so much for this info, you have no idea how much I appreciate it!

Did you find that you were looked down upon for attending a Caribbean med school? How did you find SGU?

Not really looked down. If you're good at rounds or can answer questions meaningfully, nobody cares which school you went to. It affects you when you're looking for away electives and in the match.

I honestly liked SGU. Lots of peers in the exactly same situation as you, living on a tropical island. What's not to like? The exam times were stressful, but you realize early on if you are able to survive or not.