Caribbean med student to derm resident.

[Dr.LX]

So there's quite a bit of talk about the negatives of "Caribbean schools". I hate that phrase because each school has its' own identity, and they shouldn't all be grouped together. When I hear people say that Caribbean M.D grads fight for residencies, and when they do they get primary care in the worst parts of the country, I feel annoyed because pre-meds take that to heart. With that said: I'm in my last year of Med School at Ross University. I recently accepted a position as a dermatology resident starting this summer in a wonderful program. I wasn't the best in my class. I didn't have the best USMLE score. But surprise! I actually have a residency that's not in "boondock America" as someone said in another post. If any pre-meds out there have questions or concerns, I'd be happy to answer!

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[eteshoe]

You're an outlier, not the norm.

 

[WedgeDawg]

How do you feel about being the exception that proves the rule?

 

[Mansamusa]

Would you encourage future students to take the risk you did rather than reapply? How did your other classmates who wanted to match competitively fare?

I'm glad things worked out for you, but using your story to encourage others students without offering a clear pictures of the risks you took is a little unconscionable.

 

[Dr.LX]

How do you feel about being the exception that proves the rule?

I don't feel like I'm the exception. I can't speak for every single student, but our match rate was extremely high. My entire lab group, of 12 people matched into excellent programs, only 3 into primary care.

 

[Dr.LX]

Would you encourage future students to take the risk you did rather than reapply? How did your other classmates who wanted to match competitively fare?

I'm glad things worked out for you, but using your story to encourage others students without offering a clear pictures of the risks you took is a little unconscionable.

On Studentdoc the Caribbean poses a "risk". In real life, it doesn't. I was actually accepted to 2 M.D schools, but because money wasn't a factor for me, and I wanted a different experience, I chose Ross. It wasn't a "second choice" for me. I studied hard like all med students, and most of my close friends got into competitive residencies. I lived in paradise for 2 years, and had a world class education for 4. I would advise premeds to do what they feel like they should.

 

[Goro]

How many classmates started with you, and how many have graduated. How many have matched into a categorical residency? How many into preliminaries? How many have to go back into the match???

 

[WedgeDawg]

For anyone interested, here is Ross's self reported match list for this year:

http://medical.rossu.edu/medical-school/2016residencyappointments.cfm

 

[Goro]

OK, now I'm getting a whiff of troll so bad it's making my sinuses melt and leak out of my nose.

On Studentdoc the Caribbean poses a "risk". In real life, it doesn't. I was actually accepted to 2 M.D schools, but because money wasn't a factor for me, and I wanted a different experience, I chose Ross. It wasn't a "second choice" for me. I studied hard like all med students, and most of my close friends got into competitive residencies. I lived in paradise for 2 years, and had a world class education for 4. I would advise premeds to do what they feel like they should.

 

[Wolfpack93]

http://medical.rossu.edu/medical-school/2016residencyappointments.cfm

According to Ross' website, two people matched derm out of what I have to assume was about a 300 person class. Congrats on being part of the 0.6%, but that's clearly not representative of the rest of your class.

 

[Dr.LX]

OK, now I'm getting a whiff of troll so bad it's making my sinuses melt and leak out of my nose.

I don't get how my success makes you feel like i'm a troll? That's kind of the wrong attitude as a future physician to have.

 

[Dr.LX]

http://medical.rossu.edu/medical-school/2016residencyappointments.cfm

According to Ross' website, two people matched derm out of what I have to assume was about a 300 person class. Congrats on being part of the 0.6%, but that's clearly not representative of the rest of your class.

I'm not saying matching in derm is representative of my class. Hell, many people matching in derm is not the norm for most medical schools.

 

[Dr.LX]

How many classmates started with you, and how many have graduated. How many have matched into a categorical residency? How many into preliminaries? How many have to go back into the match???

I believe over 90% graduated- which honestly I can expect. People are moving to a different country, and add to that the stress of starting med school....
I don't have the match data currently, but I heard through the grapevine (grain of salt obviously) that over 95% of the class matched initially, and obviously some will match during the scramble.

 

[summergirl]

http://medical.rossu.edu/medical-school/2016residencyappointments.cfm

According to Ross' website, two people matched derm out of what I have to assume was about a 300 person class. Congrats on being part of the 0.6%, but that's clearly not representative of the rest of your class.

Their 2015 class had ~850 people who matched (http://medical.rossu.edu/medical-school/Facts-and-Figures.cfm). So it's actually even lower, about 0.24%. Of course that's also not taking into consideration of the people who didn't match successfully.

 

[Dr.LX]

May I ask why people are against others going to the Caribbean? It doesn't affect you in any way. In fact, it gives you a greater chance to get into the med school of your choice. So many people talk about the horror stories, yet so many physicians in America graduated from there, and are practicing and earning the same amount as US grads!

 

[sliceofbread136]

On Studentdoc the Caribbean poses a "risk". In real life, it doesn't. I was actually accepted to 2 M.D schools, but because money wasn't a factor for me, and I wanted a different experience, I chose Ross. It wasn't a "second choice" for me. I studied hard like all med students, and most of my close friends got into competitive residencies. I lived in paradise for 2 years, and had a world class education for 4. I would advise premeds to do what they feel like they should.

Terrible advice. Based on pure numbers any U.S. accreddited md school will offer you more opportunities to match into your residency of choice than any Caribbean school. "The experience" and "living in paradise" no where near justify the limitations you will be imposing on yourself starting day #1. Your decision was foolish, simple as that

 

[LuluLovesMe]

This guy is either a troll or a Ross shill.

 

[Mansamusa]

On Studentdoc the Caribbean poses a "risk". In real life, it doesn't. I was actually accepted to 2 M.D schools, but because money wasn't a factor for me, and I wanted a different experience, I chose Ross. It wasn't a "second choice" for me. I studied hard like all med students, and most of my close friends got into competitive residencies. I lived in paradise for 2 years, and had a world class education for 4. I would advise premeds to do what they feel like they should.

If you ~truly~ were accepted to schools and chose Ross, than you are not the typical Ross student. Most of the Carib students I personally know are low-income students who had no one to advise them. And as for competitive matches, I would say the Cornell and Northwestern general surgeries, the 2 derm matches, and then neurosurg at Upstate are probably the competitive matches. 254 family medicine matches. 239 IM. 20 EM, which was a very popular choice this past match. 48 prelims. Many unmatched.

No ENT, uro, ortho (one of the most competitive stateside), or ophto. So out of ~600-700 people, no one wanted those? Only 0.45% wanted to go into a competitive specialty?

I just said on a different thread this morning that I do not think UQ-Ochsner is a horrible choice for someone who cannot get in stateside and they have a 93% match rate in a good variety of specialties. If someone wants 2 yrs of paradise, head to Australia and then New Orleans. No need to go to the Carib.

 

[Dr.LX]

If you ~truly~ were accepted to schools and chose Ross, than you are not the typical Ross student. Most of the Carib students I personally know are low-income students who had no one to advise them. And as for competitive matches, I would say the Cornell and Northwestern general surgeries, the 2 derm matches, and then neurosurg at Upstate are probably the competitive matches. 254 family medicine matches. 239 IM. 20 EM, which was a very popular choice this past match. 48 prelims. Many unmatched.

No ENT, uro, ortho (one of the most competitive stateside), or ophto. So out of ~600-700 people, no one wanted those? Only 0.45% wanted to go into a competitive specialty?

I just said on a different thread this morning that I do not think UQ-Ochsner is a horrible choice for someone who cannot get in stateside and they have a 93% match rate in a good variety of specialties. If someone wants 2 yrs of paradise, head to Australia and then New Orleans. No need to go to the Carib.

"Most of the Carib students I personally know are low-income students who had no one to advise them"- I get that you know Carib students. Yet I went to school with hundreds of them. So I'm pretty sure I know a bit more.

 

[Dr.LX]

This guy is either a troll or a Ross shill.

As one future doctor to another, you need to seriously work on your attitude.

 

[Dr.LX]

Terrible advice. Based on pure numbers any U.S. accreddited md school will offer you more opportunities to match into your residency of choice than any Caribbean school. "The experience" and "living in paradise" no where near justify the limitations you will be imposing on yourself starting day #1. Your decision was foolish, simple as that

That really is your opinion that it was foolish! My classmates and I beg to differ

 

[Mansamusa]

May I ask why people are against others going to the Caribbean? It doesn't affect you in any way. In fact, it gives you a greater chance to get into the med school of your choice. So many people talk about the horror stories, yet so many physicians in America graduated from there, and are practicing and earning the same amount as US grads!

Because amongst that group are people who do not understand the full picture of what they are getting into. I would not wish $300K and limited opportunities on anyone. No one is physically stopping those students, but are giving them a chance to understand the risks.

And like I said, there are many low-income students who are vulnerable to misinformation and don't realize that Carib is not the best option for them. Plus federal loans may not even be available to Carib grads in the future. That is an additional unnecessary risk

 

[Med Ed]

I recently accepted a position as a dermatology resident starting this summer in a wonderful program. I wasn't the best in my class. I didn't have the best USMLE score. But surprise! I actually have a residency that's not in "boondock America" as someone said in another post. If any pre-meds out there have questions or concerns, I'd be happy to answer!

Did you match or did you take a categorical position outside the match?

 

[Dr.LX]

Because amongst that group are people who do not understand the full picture of what they are getting into. I would not wish $300K and limited opportunities on anyone. No one is physically stopping those students, but are giving them a chance to understand the risks.

Anyone is more than welcome to share why they personally chose American med schools instead of Caribbean ones, but many of those people have not experienced it. It would be like me giving my impression on a certain American med school without me having been there. And unless you're attending a state school, you're probably going to have massive student debt.

 

[Dr.LX]

Did you match or did you take a categorical position outside the match?

I matched!

 

[BeaverLover]

I rather take a 400k+ debt from Touro (inaugural class) than to go Caribbean dental school

 

[sliceofbread136]

May I ask why people are against others going to the Caribbean? It doesn't affect you in any way. In fact, it gives you a greater chance to get into the med school of your choice. So many people talk about the horror stories, yet so many physicians in America graduated from there, and are practicing and earning the same amount as US grads!

High attritution rate, lower match rates and high tuition make it a risky and expensive gamble. In most cases the better option is to utilize DO grade replacement.

 

[Mansamusa]

"Most of the Carib students I personally know are low-income students who had no one to advise them"- I get that you know Carib students. Yet I went to school with hundreds of them. So I'm pretty sure I know a bit more.

You said you know a bit more, yet didn't put what you know....? So are you refuting what I said or no? And it doesn't matter if you refute because I personally know a sizeable amount of low-income students there and I still want to protect those students before they make a potential mistake.

 

[Mansamusa]

Anyone is more than welcome to share why they personally chose American med schools instead of Caribbean ones, but many of those people have not experienced it. It would be like me giving my impression on a certain American med school without me having been there. And unless you're attending a state school, you're probably going to have massive student debt.

You'll have massive debt even going to a state school, but massive debt with a way to pay it off is better than a massive debt with limited or no residency options.

 

[torontopharm]

May I ask why people are against others going to the Caribbean? It doesn't affect you in any way. In fact, it gives you a greater chance to get into the med school of your choice. So many people talk about the horror stories, yet so many physicians in America graduated from there, and are practicing and earning the same amount as US grads!

People are against students becoming an IMG without trying state-side for 2-3 cycles. Even going abroad, there are better International options than the Caribbean..UQ-O and Sackler comes to mind.
Caribbean schools pry on low GPA + low MCAT applicants. Ultimately most posters here are trying to dissuade students from falling right into their trap and encouraging them to try the safest route first.

 

[Dr.LX]

You said you know a bit more, yet didn't put what you know....? So are you refuting what I said or no? And it doesn't matter if you refute because I personally know a sizeable amount of low-income students there and I still want to protect those students before they make a potential mistake.

I know the people at the med school?? You know a few student's situations. I know a lot more than you in that regard?

 

[Dr.LX]

You'll have massive debt even going to a state school, but massive debt with a way to pay it off is better than a massive debt with limited or no residency options.

It's hard to take that fact at face value, when over 95% of my class has matched before the scramble.

 

[JustAPhD]

Troll, misinformed, or just a gluten for life-ruining risks. Not sure which to place OP under.

How did you exactly expect this thread to go over? Encouraging people to go to the carribean is generally frowned upon here.

 

[Dr.LX]

I rather take a 400k+ debt from Touro (inaugural class) than to go Caribbean dental school

And that's your opinion! The great thing is that we all get our own

 

[sliceofbread136]

That really is your opinion that it was foolish! My classmates and I beg to differ

The objective data does not support your viewpoint, in fact it goes strongly against it. You can have whatever opinion/anecdotes you want, it means very little

 

[Dr.LX]

Troll, misinformed, or just a gluten for life-ruining risks. Not sure which to place OP under.

How did you exactly expect this thread to go over? Encouraging people to go to the carribean is generally frowned upon here.

Yes, the 95%+ students who matched are crying over their life ruining match....

 

[Dr.LX]

High attritution rate, lower match rates and high tuition make it a risky and expensive gamble. In most cases the better option is to utilize DO grade replacement.

Several members of my class received offers from US medical schools, and didn't need DO replacement. This number is only going up.

 

[JustAPhD]

Yes, the 95%+ students who matched are crying over their life ruining match....

How many students never even make it to the match at your school?

Go ahead and count, I'll wait.

 

[heybubbaa]

Congrats - that is quite the accomplishment. It is seemingly difficult for anyone who is not at the top of their class, and doesn't have a great step score, to match into derm. What did you do differently to set yourself apart?

 

[Dr.LX]

How many students never even make it to the match at your school?

Go ahead and count, I'll wait.

Like I said over and over again: the less than 5% who haven't matched right now are looking for matches. Considering 94% of US students match the first time, i'll be counting over here

 

[Mad Jack]

For anyone interested, here is Ross's self reported match list for this year:

http://medical.rossu.edu/medical-school/2016residencyappointments.cfm

If you look at the list and sort by specialty, you had 256 matches into FM, 240 to IM out of 768 students (and we don't know how many additional students straight up didn't match or failed out in addition to that 768). Compare that to their two dermatology matches, whoop-de-****ing-do. A fraction of a percent of Carib grads go into derm. One made it into neurosurg. Zero made it into urology, ophthalmology, ortho, plastics, rad onc, or any of the other truly competitive specialties. Those odds speak for themselves. Yeah, you might get lucky like OP. But chances are, you're going to end up wherever the hell takes you in Oklahoma or NoDak. OP, congratulations on being the crab that escaped the pot, but I'd strongly encourage you to not try to send new crabs in, particularly when the match is getting more competitive than ever moving forward.

 

[Med Ed]

I was actually accepted to 2 M.D schools, but because money wasn't a factor for me, and I wanted a different experience, I chose Ross.

2/10.

 

[Mansamusa]

I know the people at the med school?? You know a few student's situations. I know a lot more than you in that regard?

No one is saying that you don't. What I am saying is that I know a sizeable number of low-income students who saw Carib schools as a viable option without really understanding what they were getting into and I would like to protect them from being preyed upon by misinformation.

And 95% match (if even correct) doesn't mean anything if students aren't getting into the specialties that they want (and if 95% includes preliminary spots). About 7-8% were preliminary spots. Matching family medicine is better than nothing, but isn't good if that isn't the field the student wanted to enter. Look up the wizard of the wards (ortho hopeful who is upset about how the Carib is setting her competitiveness back).

Please provide verified data showing how many Ross students were accepted to US MD schools. With an average BCPM GPA of 3, cGPA of 3.22, and MCAT of 24, I'm understandably a little skeptical of your claims.

 

[Dr.LX]

Congrats - that is quite the accomplishment. It is seemingly difficult for anyone who is not at the top of their class, and doesn't have a great step score, to match into derm. What did you do differently to set yourself apart?

Thank you for being sweet and polite! My step score was good, but not the best like what you would expect for derm. My class was very competitive, so even though I wasn't at the top, I still had a good academic record. I actually talked a lot about my decision to decline to go to a US medical school in my interviews. They were impressed that I enjoyed my time abroad, and I think that opened a lot of their minds to the fact that the Caribbean isn't a bad choice

 

[Dr.LX]

2/10.

Sorry?

 

[JustAPhD]

Like I said over and over again: the less than 5% who haven't matched right now are looking for matches. Considering 94% of US students match the first time, i'll be counting over here

You misunderstood. In your class, how many students failed out?

 

[Dr.LX]

No one is saying that you don't. What I am saying is that I know a sizeable number of low-income students who saw Carib schools as a viable option without really understanding what they were getting into and I would like to protect them from being preyed upon by misinformation.

And 95% match (if even correct) doesn't mean anything if students aren't getting into the specialties that they want (and if 95% includes preliminary spots). About 7-8% were preliminary spots. Matching family medicine is better than nothing, but isn't good if that isn't the field the student wanted to enter. Look up the wizard of the wards (ortho hopeful who is upset about how the Carib is setting her competitiveness back).

Please provide verified data showing how many Ross students were accepted to US MD schools. With an average BCPM GPA of 3, cGPA of 3.22, and MCAT of 24, I'm understandably a little skeptical of your claims.

There is no verified data. Just like there is no data showing whether students from one med school got admitted into another.
Also, there is a supposition that every med student wants to go into something other than primary care. A 95% match rate is something if most students get into what specialty they want to. Honestly you're coming across as someone that dismisses primary care as a useless match, which is rather offsetting.

 

[Mansamusa]

There is no verified data. Just like there is no data showing whether students from one med school got admitted into another.
Also, there is a supposition that every med student wants to go into something other than primary care. A 95% match rate is something if most students get into what specialty they want to. Honestly you're coming across as someone that dismisses primary care as a useless match, which is rather offsetting.

And you sound like someone who is trying to sell a product that we ain't buying

 

[Dr.LX]

You misunderstood. In your class, how many students failed out?

There is no record on how many fail out. I do know most people who don't make it to the match leave because going to another country is not for them. Over 90% of students graduate. One thing students who want to go to the Caribbean should know is that moving can always be stressful. Make sure you are the type of person to be okay with moving and med school!

 

[DoctorInVivo]

How many people actually made it to Match day is the real question. The numbers will be skewed if you're just counting the students who passed.


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