Carribean Experiences??

[Mister Significant]

So I'm at my last year of College. I'm sitting around a 3.3ish GPA. (I was a transfer so I haven't done the math on all my courses combined). I am currently taking Organic Chemistry 1 and plan on taking Organic Chemistry 2 in the Winter semester to finish it my pre-med requirements. I have spent my undergraduate career working at least 20 hours a week (Financial issues). I therefore don't have the most impressive EC's.

So the issue is. I'm not ready yet to apply to the upcoming DO/MD application pool. This therefore would put me 2 years out from entering allopathic/osteopathic school. From what I have read, Carribean Medical Schools such as St.george, and especially American University of the Carribean (they have 3 clinical sites within 20 minutes of my hometown) have 3 incoming classes a year, so that I would not have to wait the 2 years for admission. By the time I got into an American DO/MD school, I'd already be doing clinicals if I had gone to AUC for example. On top of it I feel that once clinical's begin it's a students ability to perform that determines his residency verse what school someone came from.

Any thoughts??
I'm new to this so I could be completely wrong about everything I'm saying.

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[AnatomyGrey12]

On top of it I feel that once clinical's begin it's a students ability to perform that determines his residency verse what school someone came from.

You would feel wrong.

I could be completely wrong

You are.

Long story short, don’t do it.

 

[Lawpy]

Don't go to the Caribbean. Read the following.

@gonnif statement on Caribbean schools:

"as I've said often, before considering any offshore school, the applicant must go through at least two application cycles for both MD and DO with at least a year break in between (ie skip a cycle) for application repair and/or enhancement. the break is necessary to analyze and understand the weaknesses in an application. Repair may be as simple as reorganizing rewriting application or it may require postbacc, SMP, MCAT, or additional extracurricular such as clinical volunteering and other items. I strongly advise that no student should consider off shore schools until the above has been done."

gonnif's Analysis of the Caribbean Route (read this carefully and in detail to know why going to the Caribbean is a very bad idea)

WedgeDawg's Argument Against Going to Medical School in the Caribbean (see also: Caribbean Cycle Theory)

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Do you wanna be on a ship with no wifi, running water, minimal food and four people per room?

 

[tiramisucheese]

Do you wanna be on a ship with no wifi, running water, minimal food and four people per room?

"Room" is generous. More like a closet.

 

[Goro]

So I'm at my last year of College. I'm sitting around a 3.3ish GPA. (I was a transfer so I haven't done the math on all my courses combined). I am currently taking Organic Chemistry 1 and plan on taking Organic Chemistry 2 in the Winter semester to finish it my pre-med requirements. I have spent my undergraduate career working at least 20 hours a week (Financial issues). I therefore don't have the most impressive EC's.

So the issue is. I'm not ready yet to apply to the upcoming DO/MD application pool. This therefore would put me 2 years out from entering allopathic/osteopathic school. From what I have read, Carribean Medical Schools such as St.george, and especially American University of the Carribean (they have 3 clinical sites within 20 minutes of my hometown) have 3 incoming classes a year, so that I would not have to wait the 2 years for admission. By the time I got into an American DO/MD school, I'd already be doing clinicals if I had gone to AUC for example. On top of it I feel that once clinical's begin it's a students ability to perform that determines his residency verse what school someone came from.

Any thoughts??
I'm new to this so I could be completely wrong about everything I'm saying.

By the time you would get into an American medical school, but decided to attend a Carib school, the odds are that you'll have been dismissed, since this is the business model the Carib predators use to prey upon gullible, desperate, and impatient marks like you.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

So I'm at my last year of College. I'm sitting around a 3.3ish GPA. (I was a transfer so I haven't done the math on all my courses combined). I am currently taking Organic Chemistry 1 and plan on taking Organic Chemistry 2 in the Winter semester to finish it my pre-med requirements. I have spent my undergraduate career working at least 20 hours a week (Financial issues). I therefore don't have the most impressive EC's.

So the issue is. I'm not ready yet to apply to the upcoming DO/MD application pool. This therefore would put me 2 years out from entering allopathic/osteopathic school. From what I have read, Carribean Medical Schools such as St.george, and especially American University of the Carribean (they have 3 clinical sites within 20 minutes of my hometown) have 3 incoming classes a year, so that I would not have to wait the 2 years for admission. By the time I got into an American DO/MD school, I'd already be doing clinicals if I had gone to AUC for example. On top of it I feel that once clinical's begin it's a students ability to perform that determines his residency verse what school someone came from.

Any thoughts??
I'm new to this so I could be completely wrong about everything I'm saying.

Take a gap year and get your application as good as it’s going to get for US. Apply broadly to MD/DO, but keep the list reasonable (don’t be applying to HMS with a 3.3 unless you win a Nobel in your gap year). You will be so happy later on that you were patient now.

 

[Kpw101]

Don't do it. If you can't get into a U.S MD/DO school time would be better spent exploring other career areas. Going to a caribbean school is a big gamble even if you're at the top of your graduating class. You could very well set yourself years behind with nothing to show for it.

Be patient because repairing your application/GPA, getting a strong MCAT score, and setting yourself up for success will be the best decision you'll make. Keep in mind that average matriculation age to medical school is now 25/26 (someone correct me if i'm wrong) and considering you're just finishing your last year of college you have an abundance of time.

 

[de Ribas]

I'm sitting around a 3.3ish GPA.

Is your sGPA also 3.3?

 

[Mister Significant]

Is your sGPA also 3.3?

Just calculated my sGPA, and I'm at a 3.25 (34 credits), however I only have Organic Chemistry left to take.

 

[Mister Significant]

You would feel wrong.


You are.

Long story short, don’t do it.

I'm from the Detroit area and The American University of the Caribbean has 3 clinical locations that are 20 minutes or less from my hometown. My buddy is an RN for Providence (hospital) in Southfield, Michigan and told me that a lot of the residents went to AUC and loved it. Being off away from distractions while you build a base for clinical medicine sounds like a good choice. If a Caribbean school promises a 3rd year in United States Hospitals if you pass the USLME, then what would be the challenges of getting a residency in primary care (what I aspire to do). I have read numerous accounts where graduates are angry that they couldn't land the anesthesiology residency or such. I believe that hard work pays off, but if your only option is the Caribbean then a top-end specialty is kind of far-fetched. However, I would like to hear some detail about landing residencies in primary care because I was under the impression that there is a shortage of primary care physicians in the United States.

 

[seren1051]

If a Caribbean school promises a 3rd year in United States Hospitals if you pass the USLME, then what would be the challenges of getting a residency in primary care (what I aspire to do).

Friend, go and search up 'sdn SOAP' on google. It's not like getting top-end speciality is difficult for IMGs. Getting any residency is difficult for IMG.

 

[Mister Significant]

Don't do it. If you can't get into a U.S MD/DO school time would be better spent exploring other career areas. Going to a caribbean school is a big gamble even if you're at the top of your graduating class. You could very well set yourself years behind with nothing to show for it.

Be patient because repairing your application/GPA, getting a strong MCAT score, and setting yourself up for success will be the best decision you'll make. Keep in mind that average matriculation age to medical school is now 25/26 (someone correct me if i'm wrong) and considering you're just finishing your last year of college you have an abundance of time.

That's my other option. I'm not worried about my GPA because I feel like a 3.3 for a DO program isn't too bad. I'm more worried about getting clinical experience (preferably as a CNA) if I do decide to take a gap year and stay in the states.
However, I have had to take off a year of school before to pay my way through it. My GPA was at a 3.7 then after my year off I got kind of bogged down from working. I want to continue the roll I'm on.
Additionally, I would work everyday for free in a hospital as a volunteer then make 70 k a year doing some 'job'. I'm a highly competitive individual (I know my grades don't show it), and I have a thirst for learning about the human body. I've had an awesome relationship with my primary care physician for the past 7 years. I'll take as many years as it takes to get an acceptance. It's not something I'm ever going to give up.

 

[Mister Significant]

Friend, go and search up 'sdn SOAP' on google. It's not like getting top-end speciality is difficult for IMGs. Getting any residency is difficult for IMG.

I appreciate it. I am weighing out all of my options. I can take any advice that I can get.
Is getting into a residency purely a number game? or is it performance during clinical years as well as connections made?
Also, if you don't land a residency on the first try, then the gig is up? There is no-reapplying?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

No residency is not just a numbers game. The school you come from, grades, board scores, letters, connections, it al goes into it. The Caribbean is a terrible option for someone in your shoes for multiple reasons. The percentage of individuals who start in the Carib and wind up making it into residency is around 50% or lower. Let that sink in. You are paying 300k at a 50% chance to be a doctor. Why would you take such a risk when the placement rate for all DO schools is around 99%? It’s just dumb.

As a DO you are essentially guaranteed to at least do FM unless you literally just don’t study. And what if you decide you don’t want to do PC? Then what? Even the most rural DO schools place people into specialties at the bare minimum at the same rate as the Carib schools without all the risk of not making it.

Don’t do something stupid.

 

[Mister Significant]

Do you wanna be on a ship with no wifi, running water, minimal food and four people per room?

Lol I'm not a type A personality.

 

[Mister Significant]

No residency is not just a numbers game. The school you come from, grades, board scores, letters, connections, it al goes into it. The Caribbean is a terrible option for someone in your shoes for multiple reasons. The percentage of individuals who start in the Carib and wind up making it into residency is around 50% or lower. Let that sink in. You are paying 300k at a 50% chance to be a doctor. Why would you take such a risk when the placement rate for all DO schools is around 99%? It’s just dumb.

As a DO you are essentially guaranteed to at least do FM unless you literally just don’t study. And what if you decide you don’t want to do PC? Then what? Even the most rural DO schools place people into specialties at the bare minimum at the same rate as the Carib schools without all the risk of not making it.

Don’t do something stupid.

Thank you, I really appreciate all the input.
The school that has 3 (full-time) clinical sites within 10 miles of my hometown is American University of the Caribbean, and they have a 84% residency placement for first time-eligible students. They say that there is a 90% residency match overall (some peeps must give up). However, they weed people out so that the original sample size was already reduced by the time they even took the USLME step 1. If you look at Caribbean Schools as a whole then they look like ****, which would account for a 50% match rate. However, the only ones worth considering would be St.George or AUC. They both compare to DO schools GPA-wise and MCAT wise (3.3-3.4 GPA, and 26 old-MCAT). Just exploring options, not jumping any guns. Need to objectively decide if taking 2 year to get into a DO school is better than AUC or St.George.

 

[seren1051]

I'm sure you'll do your research, but I believe that DO school is better than AUC or SGU.

Also, if you don't land a residency on the first try, then the gig is up? There is no-reapplying?

Just like med school - if you don't match, you try again the next year, while doing something in the gap year (ie. research). But from what I hear, not matching in the first attempt will drastically reduce the rate of matching in the next year, and subsequently. And Caribbean schools don't have the best reputation in continuously supporting their students.

 

[Beargryllz]

You're probably a good DO candidate.

Apply to every DO program and you'll almost definitely get interviews and matriculate somewhere

Also, *actual work experience* is far more valuable than people realize. This is amplified x3 if the work is related to healthcare. My class is relatively heavy with EMTs, phlebotomists, nurses, etc.

*Most* applicants are fresh out of college and have never worked a day in their life, but actual work experience might as well be a powerful EC all on it's own

 

[Goro]

Thank you, I really appreciate all the input.
The school that has 3 (full-time) clinical sites within 10 miles of my hometown is American University of the Caribbean, and they have a 84% residency placement for first time-eligible students. They say that there is a 90% residency match overall (some peeps must give up). However, they weed people out so that the original sample size was already reduced by the time they even took the USLME step 1. If you look at Caribbean Schools as a whole then they look like ****, which would account for a 50% match rate. However, the only ones worth considering would be St.George or AUC. They both compare to DO schools GPA-wise and MCAT wise (3.3-3.4 GPA, and 26 old-MCAT). Just exploring options, not jumping any guns. Need to objectively decide if taking 2 year to get into a DO school is better than AUC or St.George.

There are more residency program directors who will refuse to interview or rank IMGs than there are those who refuse to take DOs. Conversely there are more PDs who will take DOs than IMGs.

The success rates you quote for AUA are their numbers and they are under no legal obligation to tell the truth.

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 US med schools that will reward reinvention.

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 threshing machine (like Skip Intro or mikkus, who are open about the risks entailed above and do not try to justify risky choices) 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:

Million $ Mistake

Medical School at SGU

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

and they have a 84% residency placement for first time-eligible students. They say that there is a 90% residency match overall (some peeps must give up). However, they weed people out so that the original sample size was already reduced by the time they even took the USLME step 1.

However, the only ones worth considering would be St.George or AUC.

I highly suggest you search for Gonnif’s posts on the matter. In short, those numbers are very inflated.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

American University of the Caribbean, and they have a 84% residency placement

@gonnif is a bit of an expert on this, but that number is very misleading. The qualifier “eligible students” should tell you something. The actual match rate for Carib schools for students who start is around half. That 84% doesn’t take into account those who fail out or get kicked out for not performing as well, etc.

 

[Mister Significant]

You're probably a good DO candidate.

Apply to every DO program and you'll almost definitely get interviews and matriculate somewhere

Also, *actual work experience* is far more valuable than people realize. This is amplified x3 if the work is related to healthcare. My class is relatively heavy with EMTs, phlebotomists, nurses, etc.

*Most* applicants are fresh out of college and have never worked a day in their life, but actual work experience might as well be a powerful EC all on it's own

I am with you on that one. I've been working since I've been 15 and have had jobs in so many different areas (none medical...) However, being a server has to be a job that I would say is closest to how a hospital might be (fast paced, communicate quickly and efficiently, be friendly under stress). I know what it's like to be disliked by the boss, and how it feels to be on the bad part of work-place politics. I wouldn't give up my work experience for a 3.7 GPA with some volunteering. Every job I've attained since my first I've become better and better as a worker. I wouldn't want to be learning what I've learned thus far in the workforce, for the first time as a resident. Thanks for the input, that was something I was thinking about the other day.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I wouldn't give up my work experience for a 3.7 GPA with some volunteering.

I am a big proponent of work experience as I worked my way through undergrad. However, you sbouldn’t be working to the extent that it hurts your grades. Trust me, I speak from experience.

 

[Mister Significant]

@gonnif is a bit of an expert on this, but that number is very misleading. The qualifier “eligible students” should tell you something. The actual match rate for Carib schools for students who start is around half. That 84% doesn’t take into account those who fail out or get kicked out for not performing as well, etc.

That is explained in the paragraph that you extracted that 84% statistic from. It is painfully evident that a lot are weeded out before they can even take the USLME step 1. In theory this would be to keep their pass rates to a certain standard.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

That is explained in the paragraph that you extracted that 84% statistic from. It is painfully evident that a lot are weeded out before they can even take the USLME step 1. In theory this would be to keep their pass rates to a certain standard.

Exactly. My point though is that to say they have an 84% match rate is misleading. It’s likely not even close to that when you count all the students who didn’t even make it to graduation, which you obviously know because you said so lol. I mostly was just agreeing that it’s atrocious that they skew their numbers that way.

No one wants to believe they’ll be just like the majority of people who go to the Carib. Everyone wants to believe they’ll be the rare success. This is no slight against you personally, but stats are stats. You can make it into a DO school if you put in the work now. You will be much better off.

 

[Mister Significant]

I am a big proponent of work experience as I worked my way through undergrad. However, you sbouldn’t be working to the extent that it hurts your grades. Trust me, I speak from experience.

Yeah there has to be a happy medium. Good grades show accountability just as readily as having a regular job does. Could definitely wish that I could unmet some of my dingus bosses though lol.

 

[Mister Significant]

The "success" rate of starting AUC medical school, earning a degree, and getting placed in any residency slot is certainly under 40% and may in fact be lower than 30%.

View attachment 225247[/QUOTE]
I'm a psychology major so I've done a lot of statistics work. I knew that their numbers didn't mean 84% of those admitted into their program received residency spots. However, I was under the impression that the rates of those who pass the USLME step 1 and go on to finish their 3rd clinical year are the ones in this statistic. I do understand that the Caribbean is notorious for accepting students that aren't ready for a medical school curriculum causing them to drop out. My decision to go to AUC (if I did decide) would be based on an assumption that I believe I could handle 18 credit hour semesters of medical school curriculum.
So the chart you show is students whom passed USLME Step 1, finished their third year and now cannot find a residency home?
That's scary.
Thank you for the figures!

 

[Mister Significant]

Exactly. My point though is that to say they have an 84% match rate is misleading. It’s likely not even close to that when you count all the students who didn’t even make it to graduation, which you obviously know because you said so lol. I mostly was just agreeing that it’s atrocious that they skew their numbers that way.

No one wants to believe they’ll be just like the majority of people who go to the Carib. Everyone wants to believe they’ll be the rare success. This is no slight against you personally, but stats are stats. You can make it into a DO school if you put in the work now. You will be much better off.

Yeah I know. They don't screen as well as American schools so they accept students who shouldn't be going to medical school in the first place. All of these figures are helping a lot.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

The "success" rate of starting AUC medical school, earning a degree, and getting placed in any residency slot is certainly under 40% and may in fact be lower than 30%.

View attachment 225247
I'm a psychology major so I've done a lot of statistics work. I knew that their numbers didn't mean 84% of those admitted into their program received residency spots. However, I was under the impression that the rates of those who pass the USLME step 1 and go on to finish their 3rd clinical year are the ones in this statistic. I do understand that the Caribbean is notorious for accepting students that aren't ready for a medical school curriculum causing them to drop out. My decision to go to AUC (if I did decide) would be based on an assumption that I believe I could handle 18 credit hour semesters of medical school curriculum.
So the chart you show is students whom passed USLME Step 1, finished their third year and now cannot find a residency home?
That's scary.
Thank you for the figures!

These schools have no reason to accurately report their numbers. It is easy to manipulate data to say what you want it to say while not outright lying. To answer your question that match percentage presents by gonnif only includes those who entered the match, so yes it is only those who passed step 1 and successfully finished their clinicals.

 

[Mister Significant]

These schools have no reason to accurately report their numbers. It is easy to manipulate data to say what you want it to say while not outright lying. To answer your question that match percentage presents by gonnif only includes those who entered the match, so yes it is only those who passed step 1 and successfully finished their clinicals.

Lets clarify that. the numbers shown in the previous chart show rates across only active applicants who rank residency programs. For US MD Seniors, about 8% of all residency applicants do not match, withdraw application or do not rank (with this number being cut to under 4% after post-match SOAP). For all off shore schools, over 60% of initial applicants do not match, withdraw application or rank a program with under 0.5% getting post match SOAP spots. So the non-match rate for off shore is 8-16 times higher than US MD senior

I'm glad I held this forum. I think I'm going to hurry up and at least get an application out for the upcoming year for DO schools. Anyone know anything about the biomedical masters that most DO schools have that fill an otherwise gap year and gives you an opportunity to take some medical school curriculum.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

I'm glad I held this forum. I think I'm going to hurry up and at least get an application out for the upcoming year for DO schools. Anyone know anything about the biomedical masters that most DO schools have that fill an otherwise gap year and gives you an opportunity to take some medical school curriculum.

This is a bad plan honestly, why the rush? Make sure you do this right, or you will find yourself with no acceptances. Give me a rundown of your whole application

 

[Mister Significant]

This is a bad plan honestly, why the rush? Make sure you do this right, or you will find yourself with no acceptances. Give me a rundown of your whole application

23 years old
Psychology Major
3.3 Cumulative overall 3.25 sGPA (I just did a overall GPA assessment). A's in most Biology. B+ Chemistry 1 and physics 1. C+ physics 2. C in Chemistry 2 but I'm retaking. B+ Organic Chemistry. I guess my most upward mobility would be graduating with a 3.35, if all goes well next semester.
I was a youth basketball coach,
Biology award from my Community College,
McCrest at my Church,
Project kidsight-measuring elementary school aged children for eyesight impairment
Baldwin soup kitchen
50 hours of job shadowing (oropedic, radiology, dermatology)


My Extraciriculars aren't strong because I've always held a 10-20 hr a week job throughout (can display teamwork, leadership, diversity through this). I've gotten 12 different employment positions since I was 15. I've never gone into an interview and not received the job.

***bottom line, I was a Junior when I finally went away to college. Had around a 3.6 at community college while taking professional courses (At my CC they had a very competitive Associate's RN program) such as Anatomy and Physiology, Parhegenic Microbiology, etc. I lost focus the last couple years so have had my GPA tumble down (going out too much, fooling around).
This semester (my 2nd to last) I'm goin to end up with a 3.6 (taking Organic Chemistry with 12 other credits).

 

[Mister Significant]

The success rates you quote for AUA are their numbers and they are under no legal obligation to tell the truth.



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 US med schools that will reward reinvention.

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

You really need to talk to people who made it through Carib threshing machine (like Skip Intro or mikkus, who are open about the risks entailed above and do not try to justify risky choices) 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?



Thank you for this post, I don't know why I didn't originally see this. However I do understand that going to the Carribean and becoming a doctor is like winning the lotto.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Yeah I know. They don't screen as well as American schools so they accept students who shouldn't be going to medical school in the first place. All of these figures are helping a lot.

They don’t screen as well because they make money on all those people who do one semester and fail out. They don’t care about producing quality doctors. They care about making money.

 

[Podstar]

Do well in class to help your GPA as much as possible. Your MCAT score will be most important, so concentrate on that after you have finished the pre-reqs. Also in your gap year look to volunteer in hospice, retirement home, hospital, memory care center, etc. I found some great hospital positions that were 4 hours twice a week, which I was able to fit in with work and studying for the MCAT. Good luck!

 

[getdown]

Reading that girl's experience with SGU was an eye opening experience and validates a lot of what we already knew about the state of that school. I can't believe anyone would go there knowing full well the pitfalls and challenges awaiting them there.

 

[DokterMom]

@Mister Significant - You don't mention an MCAT score. Is that because you don't have one yet? If that's the case, then you are simply NOT ready to apply now - even for DO with its later cycle times.

There are numerous schools that will factor in your 20-hours/week paid employment when evaluating your application. And actually, your GPA is not that bad as it is. It's good enough for many DO schools, and when they see your work history -- I think you'll be fine. Possibly even some US MD schools -- IF you apply wisely -- one time, when you're ready.

Don't be in a hurry to start. Yeah, going Caribbean will allow you to start sooner. What it won't do is allow you to finish sooner; and odds are scarily high that it won't allow you to finish successfully at all.

It's a consideration for the desperate -- But you've no need to be desperate yet. You're 23, not 53. Time is on your side. And honestly, it sounds like you've been paddling so hard for so long that a gap year might really do you some good. Folks who take one almost unanimously report that they're glad they did.

 

[Mister Significant]

Do well in class to help your GPA as much as possible. Your MCAT score will be most important, so concentrate on that after you have finished the pre-reqs. Also in your gap year look to volunteer in hospice, retirement home, hospital, memory care center, etc. I found some great hospital positions that were 4 hours twice a week, which I was able to fit in with work and studying for the MCAT. Good luck!

With only 30 credits left to bring up my 3.3, I weighed my options. Taking rigorous upper-level science courses to prepare me for DO school and getting a 3.3 seems like a better option then trying to get a schedule I can 4.0. And yes I have yet to take the MCAT. I plan on taking next year to work as a CNA full-time, and to take a MCAT practice course.

 

[Mister Significant]

@Mister Significant - You don't mention an MCAT score. Is that because you don't have one yet? If that's the case, then you are simply NOT ready to apply now - even for DO with its later cycle times.

There are numerous schools that will factor in your 20-hours/week paid employment when evaluating your application. And actually, your GPA is not that bad as it is. It's good enough for many DO schools, and when they see your work history -- I think you'll be fine. Possibly even some US MD schools -- IF you apply wisely -- one time, when you're ready.

Don't be in a hurry to start. Yeah, going Caribbean will allow you to start sooner. What it won't do is allow you to finish sooner; and odds are scarily high that it won't allow you to finish successfully at all.

It's a consideration for the desperate -- But you've no need to be desperate yet. You're 23, not 53. Time is on your side. And honestly, it sounds like you've been paddling so hard for so long that a gap year might really do you some good. Folks who take one almost unanimously report that they're glad they did.

I have yet to take the MCAT. Your right, I plan on taking that gap year to work as a CNA and to prep for the MCAT. My family doctor is my motivation for pursuing medicine. It just so happens also that he is a DO, and an awesome guy. Thank you for your words of encouragement.

 

[FutureDoctor5000]

Don’t go to the carribean. Go to any DO school and if that’s not an option go do a postbac to improve grades. I would even look into podiatry, it’s a pretty lucrative career and you get to call yourself a doctor. Just looking at charting outcomes released by NRMP, you can see that in 2016 even with a step 1 of 240+(Really hard to get such a high score) there was only about a 70% chance an IMG would match into a FM residency. It’s not worth the gamble.

 

[de Ribas]

it’s a pretty lucrative career and you get to call yourself a doctor.

get a PhD and you can also call yourself a doctor.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

get a PhD and you can also call yourself a doctor.

And slave away as a post-doc for years. Oh the opportunities!

 

[The Dragon Slayer]

It's all relative. Your chances of matching by going abroad are not as good as they would be in this country, but you still have a higher chance of landing a job after graduating than you would in most other fields people go into after college (such as law or business).

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

get a PhD and you can also call yourself a doctor.

But it sure aint lucrative.

 

[mistafab]

I hope you do go carrib. Reap what you sow.

 

[de Ribas]

But it sure aint lucrative.

depends who is behind the initials

 

[altblue]

It's all relative. Your chances of matching by going abroad are not as good as they would be in this country, but you still have a higher chance of landing a job after graduating than you would in most other fields people go into after college (such as law or business).

Or you could you know think about fields with less debt and better employment prospects than any of those

 

[The Dragon Slayer]

Or you could you know think about fields with less debt and better employment prospects than any of those

Yeah no doubt about that. However, you don't see too many others bashing people saying they want to go to law or business school when a similar proportion of those who start will not end up getting jobs in those fields either.

 

[altblue]

Yeah no doubt about that. However, you don't see too many others bashing people saying they want to go to law or business school when a similar proportion of those who start will not end up getting jobs in those fields either.

Maybe not on this forum, but the word's out about law being a shaky choice. Popular blog: THIRD TIER REALITY...

Though OP is on the right track and is looking at DO schools