Confused, lost, and scared

[monsoon338]

Hey all,

I am new to this board but it seems that the Carribean is my last hope of becoming a doctor. I have been trying to get into med school in the states for the past 3 years now and I have failed every time. After all the Fedex-ing of transcripts, all the money spent, all the essays written, I am ready to give up.

I am really devestated right now. After having tried so hard and having nothing to show for it. But I won't give up and am going to try to go to the Carribean.

Honestly, it seems from all the horror stories that the Carribean is not that great a place to live. Hurricanes, earthquakes, bad water, no electricity, etc are all making me think twice.

Do any of you have any recommendations or any advice that you could offer me? I am looking at Ross as you only have to be on the island for 16 months and then you are back here.

1) Is 16 months the shortest amount of time that you can spend in the Carribean or are there schools that can do it in 12 months? I know that Ross guarantees that all students get a rotation site at a site in the US, do the other schools do the same?

2) Is Ross considered one of the good schools or are there better schools?

3) Can you qualify for Stafford Loans, US loans while in the Carribean?

4) Is life in the Carribean really that bad?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[anomorato]

what were your stats if you dont mind sharing ?

 

[dr aaron]

I was in the same boat you are in so trust me i know how you feel....yes, the caribbean should be second choice behind u.s. allopathis schools but it doesnt have to be all bad. If you are concerned about practicing in California, then your best bet is to go to either Ross, AUC, SABA or SGU. Now if cali isnt an issue for you but living conditions are, i would consider st. matthews on grand cayman(good in about 48 states), Cayman is a first world country so you dont need to worry about living conditions. For me personally, it came down to Ross, MUA or st. matthews. I have a family, so i picked St. Matthews due to living conditions...bottom line, the caribbean will get you where you want to go, just be sure you pick the school that fits your circumstances...best of luck to you

 

[oldpro]

Hey all,

I am new to this board but it seems that the Carribean is my last hope of becoming a doctor. I have been trying to get into med school in the states for the past 3 years now and I have failed every time. After all the Fedex-ing of transcripts, all the money spent, all the essays written, I am ready to give up.

I am really devestated right now. After having tried so hard and having nothing to show for it. But I won't give up and am going to try to go to the Carribean.

Honestly, it seems from all the horror stories that the Carribean is not that great a place to live. Hurricanes, earthquakes, bad water, no electricity, etc are all making me think twice.

Do any of you have any recommendations or any advice that you could offer me? I am looking at Ross as you only have to be on the island for 16 months and then you are back here.

1) Is 16 months the shortest amount of time that you can spend in the Carribean or are there schools that can do it in 12 months? I know that Ross guarantees that all students get a rotation site at a site in the US, do the other schools do the same?

2) Is Ross considered one of the good schools or are there better schools?

3) Can you qualify for Stafford Loans, US loans while in the Carribean?

4) Is life in the Carribean really that bad?

Welcome and yes do not give up, you can do very well from the Caribbean some of the Docs from Caribbean schools are now program Directors for Residencies and others head of programs like the Emory Pain Clinic for example


The better Caribbean schools:

SGU
AUC
ROSS
SABA

the first three you can get Federal student loans for but they cost more $$ to attend then the last one SABA.

They are the big 4 and are California approved

You can go to other schools but make sure they have a charter and WHO listing.

Life on my island is awesome really I just miss my family while here so there's the rub.

No such thing a s 12 month Basic Sci program, SGU is 2 full years, SABA is 20 months and the rest I think are 16 months on the islands with the rest in the USA, ALL the schools the clinicals are in the USA. Hopes this helps.

 

[monsoon338]

Sure, I don't mind telling my stats.

My GPA is what didn't get me in (2.9 overall, 2.67 science). The GPA is so low because I am a Chemical Engineering major in undergrad and the AACOMAS service calculates engineering as a science.

My MCAT is a 31.

I'm personally leaning towards Ross because it is only 16 months down there. I don't want to be in the Carribean any longer than I have to.

I have heard things from my advisor that it is really hard to get a good residency once you graduate from these schools. Sometimes you get your last choice and end up working in a place you don't like.

What is AUC? What is St. Matthews? How long do you have to stay in the Carribean if you go to St. Matthews?

Basically, the first thing I am looking for is I get a good education with good rotation sites and an opportunity for a good residency. The second thing that matters most to me is the amount of time I am in the Carribean. I would prefer to be out of there as quick as possible.

So now my question is this. Is there really THAT much of a difference in the 16 months I am at Ross versus the 24 months I am at SGU? I mean, will those 8 extra months help me get into a better residency?

 

[SabaMed]

I'm not going to be a huge cheerleader for Saba but take a look at it. It isn't bad at all and in fact I kinda missed it when I went home this last break. Yes its 20 months but it goes by really quick, seems like I just popped off the boat yesterday. The real advantages to Saba are:

Ultra low tuition: In fact I'm paying alot less than my buddy at a state side school.
Great Board scores: I heard we are now averaging 95% 1st time pass rate which is the best in the Caribbean and beats alot of state schools.
Quiet place to learn: Theres no distractions here, some islands have casinos, tons of tourists and other things that can take time away from studying.
50 State approval: Yes you will hear this over and over again but Saba is approved in all states where some school aren't. Doesn't really matter to me but its nice to have.

I still have to recommend SGU has #1 choice because of better final placement but Saba isn't a bad second.

 

[Inkabellous]

I believe you can learn more about Caribb schools in www.valuemd.com All Caribb schools are listed there and the current students also hang out there as well. So, they should be able to answer your questions.

PS: When it comes to choosing a Caribb school, there's more to it than just the time spent on the island. You should definitely consider other factors.

 

[oldpro]

I'm not going to be a huge cheerleader for Saba but take a look at it. It isn't bad at all and in fact I kinda missed it when I went home this last break. Yes its 20 months but it goes by really quick, seems like I just popped off the boat yesterday. The real advantages to Saba are:

Ultra low tuition: In fact I'm paying alot less than my buddy at a state side school.
Great Board scores: I heard we are now averaging 95% 1st time pass rate which is the best in the Caribbean and beats alot of state schools.
Quiet place to learn: Theres no distractions here, some islands have casinos, tons of tourists and other things that can take time away from studying.
50 State approval: Yes you will hear this over and over again but Saba is approved in all states where some school aren't. Doesn't really matter to me but its nice to have.

I still have to recommend SGU has #1 choice because of better final placement but Saba isn't a bad second.

So now my question is this. Is there really THAT much of a difference in the 16 months I am at Ross versus the 24 months I am at SGU? I mean, will those 8 extra months help me get into a better residency?
Yesterday 04:46 PM

SABAMED is cheerleading...............lol It's fine (Noticed I didn't recommend SJSM)

I agree with SABAMED BTW

This other comment, well time means nothing, your best bet for a prematch is during clinicals not out there on your own. USMLE score.

Good Luck.

 

[monsoon338]

I have a few more questions about the living conditions at Ross.

Is there a gym or pool there to work out at?

How do you make phone calls back to the US? Is there some plan that you can place cell phone calls back to the US on a daily basis or do you guys basically stop all communication back to the US?

How long are the holidays/breaks? I was told that the only real opportunity we'd have to go back to the states was after each 4 months and that the duration would be about 2 weeks. Is that right? Or is it more like a 1 week duration?

Lastly, to those who have already been to Ross, if you had to make that same decision again, would you choose the same? Would you choose the Carribean or try to do whatever you could to get into a med school in the US? I am currently in the first year of a post-bacc at Drexel and am contemplating whether to quit the program and just finish up the first year of med school at Ross, or just stick it out for the possibility of maybe getting in for 2008.

If you choose to do the Carribean again, would you choose Ross or another school?

EDIT: One last question: Is it likely to transfer from Ross to a different school? If my grades are high after the first year, can I transfer? If I do transfer, do I have to start the first year over again at the med school or can I go directly to the 2nd year?

 

[dr aaron]

St. Matthews is located on grand cayman, you are on cayman for 16 months, the rest is in the u.s...St. matts will get you licensed in about 48 states but not in california...so i agree with old pro, if you want california then you need to go to one of the big 4, however for me personally i couldnt have taken my family with me to ross because of living conditions, and SGU is almost twice as expensive as the other carib schools..i don't know much about saba but it seems like a good school...really, take a close look at st. james, i have a friend applying there, they seem like a really good up and coming school........bottom line, counselors are clueless when it comes to studying medicine in the caribbean, yes it is harder to get some specialties but if you really do good on your boards and have connections then nothing is really out of reach... when i told my counselor i was turning down D.O. school to pursue an M.D. in the caribbean she went nuts,,,,,,,do what you want to do but remember the caribbean is really what you make out of it, i am personally very happy with my decision.

 

[peppy6]

Monsoon, you can go to the SGU website and find the names of people you can contact to ask questions about the school. I think the names are either listed or there's a number you can call to get connected with current students and/or alumns to ask questions. I myself have been in contact w/ students from there and have learned A LOT from them. I am not sure if you can do the same for the other schools but definitely do it for SGU, I think you'll get a lot out of it.

 

[Booter008]

I see

 

[lala83]

Welcome and yes do not give up, you can do very well from the Caribbean some of the Docs from Caribbean schools are now program Directors for Residencies and others head of programs like the Emory Pain Clinic for example


The better Caribbean schools:

SGU
AUC
ROSS
SABA

the first three you can get Federal student loans for but they cost more $$ to attend then the last one SABA.

They are the big 4 and are California approved

You can go to other schools but make sure they have a charter and WHO listing.

Life on my island is awesome really I just miss my family while here so there's the rub.

No such thing a s 12 month Basic Sci program, SGU is 2 full years, SABA is 20 months and the rest I think are 16 months on the islands with the rest in the USA, ALL the schools the clinicals are in the USA. Hopes this helps.

which school are you at? i'd like to know since you like it so much there
and monsoon338, thanks for asking all of these questions! i've had the same questions for some of the caribbean grads as i'm considering it as an option for the fall also.