Can you get into top Caribbean med schools with a D in one pre-req class?
Started by CHCOOH
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You can get into some off shore schools with a pulse and an adequate source of tuition payment.
A single D isn't going to keep you out of a US medical school. Apply broadly, including DO, and if that is the only serious flaw in your application, you'll find a seat more likely than not. Don't shoot yourself in the foot so early in your career by going off shore unless it is really, truly, your last and only hope. And if you are that bad off, seriously reconsider whether you want to do this at all. Going Caribbean is like paying $300k for a lottery ticket that gives you a 1 in 4 chance of graduating and being able to practice in the US. Yes, everyone who makes it through and gets where they wanted to go still gets to be a doctor and some of those are every bit as excellent physicians as those who graduated from US schools. But for every one of them, there are 3 others who either failed out, or maybe worse... made it through but couldn't find a residency and so are stuck with a useless title and degree.
You don't have to settle for those odds. Put in the effort, even if it takes an extra year or two, to make yourself competitive for a US school. And you may be already. Don't talk yourself out of trying, especially not over a single poor grade.
A single D isn't going to keep you out of a US medical school. Apply broadly, including DO, and if that is the only serious flaw in your application, you'll find a seat more likely than not. Don't shoot yourself in the foot so early in your career by going off shore unless it is really, truly, your last and only hope. And if you are that bad off, seriously reconsider whether you want to do this at all. Going Caribbean is like paying $300k for a lottery ticket that gives you a 1 in 4 chance of graduating and being able to practice in the US. Yes, everyone who makes it through and gets where they wanted to go still gets to be a doctor and some of those are every bit as excellent physicians as those who graduated from US schools. But for every one of them, there are 3 others who either failed out, or maybe worse... made it through but couldn't find a residency and so are stuck with a useless title and degree.
You don't have to settle for those odds. Put in the effort, even if it takes an extra year or two, to make yourself competitive for a US school. And you may be already. Don't talk yourself out of trying, especially not over a single poor grade.
Continually amazed by posters who throw around numbers on this website with such certainty. 1 out of 4, huh? And this comes from where, your magical super-insider knowledge of matriculation stats for all the Caribbean schools as well as their subsequent placement rates? Awesome! I'd love to see your sources. The truth is, the above poster (3rd year DO student) has absolutely no idea what number of Caribbean matriculants eventually make it into residency. It's less than USMD/DO no doubt, but a 3rd year DO student definitively saying it's 25% is absurd.
That being said, I agree the OP should try for USMD/DO acceptance for multiple cycles before considering the Caribbean. And no, a D in a prereq will not prevent you from being accepted to Ross or SGU.
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You could probably have multiple Fs and Ds and still find an acceptance in the Caribbean. On this forum you will find a plethora of people saying different things, I have a few personal experiences with this:
1. I have a friend at work who's cousin went to AUA and failed out after 2 years...she is stuck with I believe 100k in loans (including undergrad I believe) and looking for a job as a lab tech
2. A counselor who worked at a summer camp I used to work at, his girlfriend went to St. James (Yes I know bad choice overall but hear me out), busted her butt for 4 years doing rotations in NJ and everything, she's two years since graduating and she hasn't placed for residency.
3. Another friend of mine in college went to Ross, then came back and finished his bachelors....he wouldn't say why he had to come back.....I think he's in pharm school now
While these aren't MY experiences I will say this much, hearing these I was cautious....fortunately it paid off for me but OP needs to make the choice no one else
Good Luck to you
1. I have a friend at work who's cousin went to AUA and failed out after 2 years...she is stuck with I believe 100k in loans (including undergrad I believe) and looking for a job as a lab tech
2. A counselor who worked at a summer camp I used to work at, his girlfriend went to St. James (Yes I know bad choice overall but hear me out), busted her butt for 4 years doing rotations in NJ and everything, she's two years since graduating and she hasn't placed for residency.
3. Another friend of mine in college went to Ross, then came back and finished his bachelors....he wouldn't say why he had to come back.....I think he's in pharm school now
While these aren't MY experiences I will say this much, hearing these I was cautious....fortunately it paid off for me but OP needs to make the choice no one else
Good Luck to you
Thanks for the advice, however I'm aware of the risks of the Caribbean and don't plan to go. This is purely a hypothetical question.
What I'm asking is what if someone has a D in a pre-req and NEVER retook it (or retook it and failed it again). Can they still get into a Caribbean school? Some of the top schools list pre-reqs on their site, but are they strictly enforced?
What I'm asking is what if someone has a D in a pre-req and NEVER retook it (or retook it and failed it again). Can they still get into a Caribbean school? Some of the top schools list pre-reqs on their site, but are they strictly enforced?
They can get in.
Depending on on how far off they are, a "pre-matriculation" program will be offered/required.
And I can tell you stories of US MD Students failing out with high loans
They don't represent 20-50% of the matriculating students at any school in the US, unlike the predatory Carib schools.
Such a school would be shut down by the LCME or COCA.
Caribbean med schools are arranged in tiers. If you're trying for SGU, then you're competing with around six or so other people for one spot so if you have a D and they have at minimum C's you might actually risk getting rejected.
Are you asking if you can get in with the D or a D with a repeat? Most schools clearly say you need to pass the pre-req's with at least a C.
Are you asking if you can get in with the D or a D with a repeat? Most schools clearly say you need to pass the pre-req's with at least a C.
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