Foreign Medical Schools

[xxx2012]

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Some look cheaper and have lower admissions requirments. Anyone here ever think about attending one, or know anyone who did?

 

[MedPR]

Some look cheaper and have lower admissions requirments. Anyone here ever think about attending one, or know anyone who did?

You should go to SGU. You'd fit right in.

 

[xxx2012]

You should go to SGU. You'd fit right in.

have a link?

 

[Law2Doc]

Some look cheaper and have lower admissions requirments. Anyone here ever think about attending one, or know anyone who did?

I know plenty who did. Ended up costing about twice as much and pretty much halved their chance of landing a US residency on the other end. What a bargain.

 

[xxx2012]

I know plenty who did. Ended up costing about twice as much and pretty much halved their chance of landing a US residency on the other end. What a bargain.

then what made them decide to do it?

 

[Law2Doc]

then what made them decide to do it?

If you dig too big a hole for yourself, but still want a hail Mary chance to become a doctor, it might be worth a shot. Odds are bad, but bad odds are better than zero odds for some. It's not something I would recommend if you have ANY other option, but I certainly tip my hat to those who can actually pull it off.

 

[jsp132]

not sure what happened to him though

http://2medschool.blogspot.com/

 

[gumbyj]

...http://6medschool.blogspot.com/

 

[Abider]

If you dig too big a hole for yourself, but still want a hail Mary chance to become a doctor, it might be worth a shot. Odds are bad, but bad odds are better than zero odds for some. It's not something I would recommend if you have ANY other option, but I certainly tip my hat to those who can actually pull it off.

This might be sound enough advice to serve as a warning but I don't think it's that bad of a gamble. The problem with estimating what you can do with this route is first deciding how confident you are in your abilities. Many people who go this route truly lack the aptitude for medical school. Sometimes though, a person could be perfectly capable but just has a crap gpa for any number of reasons.

It's definitely a last resort.

I looked at the Irish and Israeli schools along with Ross and SGU. But that was a last ditch plan if I didn't accepted to any American MD or DO schools.

 

[theseeker4]

This might be sound enough advice to serve as a warning but I don't think it's that bad of a gamble. The problem with estimating what you can do with this route is first deciding how confident you are in your abilities. Many people who go this route truly lack the aptitude for medical school. Sometimes though, a person could be perfectly capable but just has a crap gpa for any number of reasons.

It's definitely a last resort.

I looked at the Irish and Israeli schools along with Ross and SGU. But that was a last ditch plan if I didn't accepted to any American MD or DO schools.

The biggest problem is, the chances of landing a residency are getting worse every year. US MD and DO schools are increasing seats while residency slots are not increasing (nearly as quickly). The first to be squeezed out are FMG's and IMG's. This means the chances of someone applying now to match are going to be much worse than the chances of people who just matched, or matched a few years ago, which is what all the numbers and anecdotes bandied about by people defending offshore schools are basing their opinions on. The fact is, it will be much more difficult going forward to match in the US from an offshore school than it has been in the past, and it hasn't been a great way to become a US doctor for years.

 

[Abider]

The biggest problem is, the chances of landing a residency are getting worse every year. US MD and DO schools are increasing seats while residency slots are not increasing (nearly as quickly). The first to be squeezed out are FMG's and IMG's. This means the chances of someone applying now to match are going to be much worse than the chances of people who just matched, or matched a few years ago, which is what all the numbers and anecdotes bandied about by people defending offshore schools are basing their opinions on. The fact is, it will be much more difficult going forward to match in the US from an offshore school than it has been in the past, and it hasn't been a great way to become a US doctor for years.

Well, I agree, but as American grads we forget the raw statistics about how many of our spots go to IMG's. Look at the numbers. The fact is most of us would consider a match to some program in the Ozarks or some forgotten corner of the Blue Ridge a failure. But there's some Sikh doc out there taking care of our rural poor that will take that spot and be ecstatic about the ability to move his/her family to the US for their children's sake. Or...a USIMG that has to make good on their investment.

There's just a whole lot of ****-to-mediocre spots out there in the match for the taking to say it's a no go for what the OP is proposing.

 

[Law2Doc]

Well, I agree, but as American grads we forget the raw statistics about how many of our spots go to IMG's. Look at the numbers. The fact is most of us would consider a match to some program in the Ozarks or some forgotten corner of the Blue Ridge a failure. But there's some Sikh doc out there taking care of our rural poor that will take that spot and be ecstatic about the ability to move his/her family to the US for their children's sake. Or...a USIMG that has to make good on their investment.

There's just a whole lot of ****-to-mediocre spots out there in the match for the taking to say it's a no go for what the OP is proposing.

Only 40% of the non-US grad folks who enter the match match. So there's simply not enough "sht to mediocre" spots for most who want them. And those numbers get worse every year. And this is 40% after already surviving high attrition (sometimes exceeding 50%) and much lower board passage rates. Real odds of a spot are likely closer to single digits. That Sikh is likely a superstar.

 

[Abider]

Only 40% of the non-US grad folks who enter the match match. So there's simply not enough "sht to mediocre" spots for most who want them. And those numbers get worse every year. And this is 40% after already surviving high attrition (sometimes exceeding 50%) and much lower board passage rates. Real odds of a spot are likely closer to single digits. That Sikh is likely a superstar.

Right, but I'd guess that if you throw in US citizenship, command of English, decent board scores, and decent LOR's from US clinical sites then that percentage gets much stronger.

So, again I'd say if you're going to wager on this last ditch course AND your confident in your ability to pass courses, boards, and do well in person with supervising docs, then I think you have a good shot at making good. Despite the worsening trend.

What I'm not saying is that you SHOULD do this. If I couldn't get in a US MD or DO school I would have likely kept trying until I could. The financing made me nervous for overseas options.

 

[Law2Doc]

... AND your confident in your ability to pass courses, boards, and do well in person with supervising docs, then I think you have a good shot at making good. Despite the worsening trend....

The problem is that most who have to go offshore have no reasonable basis to be "confident in their abilities" to do well in courses and boards. And "passing" won't be good enough. If you had such trouble in college that you have to go offshore, the odds that you can turn things around are pretty lousy, actually. Some do, and that's why it's not zero odds, merely a very longshot.

 

[Abider]

The problem is that most who have to go offshore have no reasonable basis to be "confident in their abilities" to do well in courses and boards. And "passing" won't be good enough. If you had such trouble in college that you have to go offshore, the odds that you can turn things around are pretty lousy, actually. Some do, and that's why it's not zero odds, merely a very longshot.

Look lawyer, let's not blow kisses back and forth all day. I had a low cum gpa. But I aced every single premed class in front of me for 2-3 years straight when I got serious. I could have easily been out of the running for US schools. I passed all of my first year classes even though I was as interested and motivated as I would be trying to shag the queen of England.

You can be self-confident without the confidence of others. It's not a long shot. It's just not a great shot given the hugeness of the investment. I'm risk averse. So it's not for me.

But beyond warning the OP let's not make this into campaign against foreign medical education.

 

[Law2Doc]

Look lawyer, let's not blow kisses back and forth all day. I had a low cum gpa. But I aced every single premed class in front of me for 2-3 years straight when I got serious. I could have easily been out of the running for US schools. I passed all of my first year classes even though I was as interested and motivated as I would be trying to shag the queen of England.

You can be self-confident without the confidence of others. It's not a long shot. It's just not a great shot given the hugeness of the investment. I'm risk averse. So it's not for me.

But beyond warning the OP let's not make this into campaign against foreign medical education.

The high attrition at these places attests to the fact that most people don't make good on their self confidence. It's a hail Mary last ditch effort, and is low yield. I tip my hat to folks who pull it off, but the vast vast majority won't. I don't really see how that's a campaign against foreign schools, just the statistical facts. It's pretty much Vegas table odds of becoming a doctor.

 

[theseeker4]

The high attrition at these places attests to the fact that most people don't make good on their self confidence. It's a hail Mary last ditch effort, and is low yield. I tip my hat to folks who pull it off, but the vast vast majority won't. I don't really see how that's a campaign against foreign schools, just the statistical facts. It's pretty much Vegas table odds of becoming a doctor.

With debt you can't ever get rid of, even through bankruptcy, if you don't beat the odds........

 

[xxx2012]

Thanks for the replies. It's good food for thought. As for the debt by itself, that is true of any degree at any location. The attrition rates do sound alarming though.

 

[Xorthos]

I'll be honest...I'm actually attending Ross University, and know several successful physicians in the US that are alumni of Ross/SGU/Saba.

It wasn't my first choice, but unfortunately it was about the only option I have.

I'm 30 years old now, but when I was 18 I was extremely irresponsible, and didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. I ended up slacking through college and finished with a GPA of 2.7. I decided, after working at a hospital with patients for 7 years, that I wanted to be a physician. So I went back to college to get a degree in Chemistry, and made straight A's for my entire second degree, due to being more focused.

Unfortunately even straight A's didn't pull my GPA up excessively, and it remains around 3.24. I made a 32 on my MCAT, and applied to numerous US MD/DO schools, and was rejected from them all due to my low GPA (I actually called a few and asked).

Then I went the route of applying to Carribean schools.

Is it optimal? No.

Do I regret my decision? No

Do I believe I can be just as successful of a physician as a US grad if I put forth the same amount of hard work and dedication? Absolutely.



And for those who are saying almost nobody matches from carribean schools....look at the list for 2012.

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

Yeah, you're not going to see many Neurosurgery or Plastic Surgery matches, but if you're going for Internal Medicine or Family Practice (which I am), then it's definitely obtainable.

 

[Abider]

I'll be honest...I'm actually attending Ross University, and know several successful physicians in the US that are alumni of Ross/SGU/Saba.

It wasn't my first choice, but unfortunately it was about the only option I have.

I'm 30 years old now, but when I was 18 I was extremely irresponsible, and didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. I ended up slacking through college and finished with a GPA of 2.7. I decided, after working at a hospital with patients for 7 years, that I wanted to be a physician. So I went back to college to get a degree in Chemistry, and made straight A's for my entire second degree, due to being more focused.

Unfortunately even straight A's didn't pull my GPA up excessively, and it remains around 3.24. I made a 32 on my MCAT, and applied to numerous US MD/DO schools, and was rejected from them all due to my low GPA (I actually called a few and asked).

Then I went the route of applying to Carribean schools.

Is it optimal? No.

Do I regret my decision? No

Do I believe I can be just as successful of a physician as a US grad if I put forth the same amount of hard work and dedication? Absolutely.



And for those who are saying almost nobody matches from carribean schools....look at the list for 2012.

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

Yeah, you're not going to see many Neurosurgery or Plastic Surgery matches, but if you're going for Internal Medicine or Family Practice (which I am), then it's definitely obtainable.

Good, thanks for posting. Certain of us make a career of self-certainty, buffeted by the the long habit of gobbling up whole the decrees of our masters.

The OP needed the counterpoint fleshed out. And for whoever else who would consider unorthodoxy of any sort against this perpetual battering of hierachical unimaginativeness.

 

[Law2Doc]

...

And for those who are saying almost nobody matches from carribean schools....look at the list for 2012.
...

that list misses the point. Nobody is saying nobody matches. We are saying a very low percentage of those who enroll at offshore schools match. The top offshore schools have enormous classes each year which dwarf the number of people they graduate each year. A match list of, say, 200 people may not mean much if that's only 200 out of the 850 that started four years ago. Many offshore places also have internal hurdles which prevent many from finishing in 4 years. Odds for those who start are Vegas table odds of actually matching. But yes there will be a percentage who match, and you will meet some of them -- nobody denies that. Just that it's more of a hail Mary pass than a safe screen pass. 95% of folks who START at a US allo schools ultimately match, with about 80% generally landing in one of their top three choices. If an offshore school presents half those odds, they are top of the heap.

Look, if you go to an offshore school and are one of the handful who turn things around and match, fantastic. But don't mislead others into thinking this is a high yield path. And with increasing enrollment in US programs without increased residency slots, odds are getting worse and worse each year.

 

[Law2Doc]

Good, thanks for posting. Certain of us make a career of self-certainty, buffeted by the the long habit of gobbling up whole the decrees of our masters.

The OP needed the counterpoint fleshed out. And for whoever else who would consider unorthodoxy of any sort against this perpetual battering of hierachical unimaginativeness.

Critical reading is important. A match list is less than half the story when the majority of folks who matriculate don't make it to that stage. It's not a question of being unorthodox any more than the guy who puts his life savings down on red at the roulette table is being unorthodox. Sometimes it works out but does that mean it was a good bet?

 

[Abider]

Critical reading is important. A match list is less than half the story when the majority of folks who matriculate don't make it to that stage. It's not a question of being unorthodox any more than the guy who puts his life savings down on red at the roulette table is being unorthodox. Sometimes it works out but does that mean it was a good bet?

Sometimes you have to try things that go against the grain to get where you want to be. If I had heeded the advice from people like you I wouldn't be where I'm at.

And we're grown folks here. Fully capable of looking at the information easily available to all and coming up with different conclusions based on where we sit.

The real danger here is that someone less immune to listening to the self-confidence of a yiping little ankle biter like you who's convinced that because his leash is attached to the hand of people who run this place that he's really intimidating and always right, would not make a move or take a risk to get somewhere.

 

[Jamie561]

Sometimes you have to try things that go against the grain to get where you want to be. If I had heeded the advice from people like you I wouldn't be where I'm at.

And we're grown folks here. Fully capable of looking at the information easily available to all and coming up with different conclusions based on where we sit.

The real danger here is that someone less immune to listening to the self-confidence of a yiping little ankle biter like you who's convinced that because his leash is attached to the hand of people who run this place that he's really intimidating and always right, would not make a move or take a risk to get somewhere.

Well I didn't realize I was reading a Spike Lee screenplay

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

 

[Xorthos]

Basically, this is what's going on.

The match rate for international students to residency in the US is around 47% or so, but that includes ALL international medical schools. While some lesser schools may only match a few percent of their students, others (including the big 4), match a much higher percentage of their graduates.

Now, as for the overall attrition rate. These schools do accept a much higher volume of students. But the attrition rate is not because of the quality of the school. It's due to the fact that your average 2.6 gpa 22 MCAT student isn't always going to be qualified to make it through medical school. Plus the fact that living on an underdeveloped island is a huge challenge for some people.

These schools will give those people with lower scores a chance, but won't hesitate to flunk them out if they don't cut it.

Many students also transfer (a handful each year transfer to US schools), or leave for various other reasons, which also accounts for attrition rate statistics of the school.

The fact of the matter is though, that almost all medical schools offer the same potential for learning medicine. I've seen physicians in the residency where I worked come out of SGU and other Carribean schools that blew Loma Linda and Emory graduates out of the water.

Med School is entirely what YOU want to put into it, and what YOU want to get out of it.

That doesn't mean it's going to be easy to be a Carribean graduate...it's going to be extremely difficult and i'm going to have to jump through numerous more hoops. But people with the intelligence and the drive to do it, will.

 

[Xorthos]

And unfortunately it's the opinion of people who despise Carribean graduates and schools for no real reason that hurts Carribean schools that much more.

I was speaking with a Saba alumni, who is a successful ER physician, the other day...and asked him about that attitude...

His response was this:

The downside is that if you ever screw up, which everyone does, people will say it is because you are a Carribean graduate. If a US graduate screws up, people will say it's just because he/she is an idiot.

 

[Law2Doc]

Sometimes you have to try things that go against the grain to get where you want to be. If I had heeded the advice from people like you I wouldn't be where I'm at.

And we're grown folks here. Fully capable of looking at the information easily available to all and coming up with different conclusions based on where we sit.

The real danger here is that someone less immune to listening to the self-confidence of a yiping little ankle biter like you who's convinced that because his leash is attached to the hand of people who run this place that he's really intimidating and always right, would not make a move or take a risk to get somewhere.

I'm not sure why you are getting insulting. You may have gone far ignoring good advice and statistics, and that's great for you, but that doesn't mean that most people would not be better off playing the odds. The real danger of boards like this is folks who use words like "unorthodox " and "going against the grain " as expressions to make their decisions sound better than simply saying "hey, I took a longshot and got lucky". When only a relatively small percentage of people who matriculate ultimately match, it's an extremely risky move. That's not attacking, that's just stating the facts. since this board is about giving advice, it's pretty important not to whitewash away the realities of the gamble, like you seem to want to.

 

[MedPR]

Basically, this is what's going on.

The match rate for international students to residency in the US is around 47% or so, but that includes ALL international medical schools. While some lesser schools may only match a few percent of their students, others (including the big 4), match a much higher percentage of their graduates.

Now, as for the overall attrition rate. These schools do accept a much higher volume of students. But the attrition rate is not because of the quality of the school. It's due to the fact that your average 2.6 gpa 22 MCAT student isn't always going to be qualified to make it through medical school. Plus the fact that living on an underdeveloped island is a huge challenge for some people.

These schools will give those people with lower scores a chance, but won't hesitate to flunk them out if they don't cut it.

Many students also transfer (a handful each year transfer to US schools), or leave for various other reasons, which also accounts for attrition rate statistics of the school.

The fact of the matter is though, that almost all medical schools offer the same potential for learning medicine. I've seen physicians in the residency where I worked come out of SGU and other Carribean schools that blew Loma Linda and Emory graduates out of the water.

Med School is entirely what YOU want to put into it, and what YOU want to get out of it.

That doesn't mean it's going to be easy to be a Carribean graduate...it's going to be extremely difficult and i'm going to have to jump through numerous more hoops. But people with the intelligence and the drive to do it, will.

I think everyone can agree that it is harder to match into a US program from the Caribbean than it is from a US MD or even a US DO. With that said, all arguments in support of the Caribbean are moot.

 

[Abider]

I'm not sure why you are getting insulting. You may have gone far ignoring good advice and statistics, and that's great for you, but that doesn't mean that most people would not be better off playing the odds. The real danger of boards like this is folks who use words like "unorthodox " and "going against the grain " as expressions to make their decisions sound better than simply saying "hey, I took a longshot and got lucky". When only a relatively small percentage of people who matriculate ultimately match, it's an extremely risky move. That's not attacking, that's just stating the facts. since this board is about giving advice, it's pretty important not to whitewash away the realities of the gamble, like you seem to want to.

The numbers don't reveal as much as you think, because they contain a lot of noise in them. I tried to agree with you, allow you're warning its proper space, but also indicate what I and an apparently most successful Caribbean grads think--that it can be done with reasonable odds if you're the right candidate, have the right expectations, and have ample resourcefulness and ability.

But you, as always, have to be right above all else. That, and I've read your posts enough to know you're not as unbiased towards Caribbean medical education as you're acting like here.

So rather, than just deal out incognizant condescension like you. I give my insults uncut and to the point. We clear? pm me if you have any questions, we've made our points for this discussion here.

 

[DrMidlife]

And for those who are saying almost nobody matches from carribean schools....look at the list for 2012.

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

Please be aware that this info includes everybody out of Ross who matched in 2012. No idea if previous grads are included. No info on how many didn't match.

You can't compare this to a US MD match list. US MD schools lose their accreditation if they aren't graduating almost all the students they accept - not true in a Carib school. I'm pretty darned sure US MD match lists don't include students who don't match as M4s and have to wait a year (for research years or board score problems or whatever).

The match rate for international students to residency in the US is around 47% or so, but that includes ALL international medical schools.

NRMP breaks it down into US students at foreign schools vs. foreign students at foreign schools. The percentages from 2012:
US MD 4th years: 95% matched
DOs: 75%
Canadian 4th years: 71%
US-IMGs: 49%
Foreign IMGs: 41%

http://www.nrmp.org/data/resultsanddata2012.pdf, table 4.

Full disclosure: I'm related to a Carib grad who is a CT surgeon. I have no problem at all with Carib MDs. What I have a problem with is taking an unredeemed poor academic record into med school, or doing Carib because you can't "beat" the MCAT, or doing Carib because you think 24 is old.

Best of luck to you.

 

[mspeedwagon]

I hate that all these threads become about the Caribbean. There are a lot of great international schools that aren't in the Caribbean.

While I was at Brown, there were many Sackler students that matched at Brown. There are also reputable schools in Ireland and Australia. And, some decent ones in Eastern Europe (I know less about Eastern Europe as I've not know anyone to actually attend).

I think it really comes down to a few things:

1) Is the US an option? Many that end up at international schools (especially in the Caribbean) the answer is no. Then if you want to become a doctor, it's the only choice. Can you succeed, definitely! Is it optimal, no.

2) Do you want to go to an international school? I know a few people at Brown that turned down US M.D. schools to go to Sackler (in Israel). They were Jewish, wanted to spend time in Israel and study abroad. They are now doing residencies in NY.

3) Would you be happy if you could practice in country you go to school in, but not the US? Again, a few people loved studying in Australia so much, they decided to stay there.

There are a lot of factors to consider. You can be successful going anywhere, but going to a reputable US school definitely increases your chances of matching in the US (that point can't be argued... see post above).

 

[Xorthos]

I think everyone can agree that it is harder to match into a US program from the Caribbean than it is from a US MD or even a US DO. With that said, all arguments in support of the Caribbean are moot.

That's the problem, you guys are so set on slamming foreign schools that you don't actually read the entire posts.

I never once said Carribean schools are better, or that I would choose a Carribean school over a US school. If I had my way I would have been accepted to a DO school in the US. But sometimes things don't work out and you have to take a different avenue to get to the destination you want.

Carribean schools aren't optimal...but they're not all the doom and gloom that you guys portray them as.

 

[vc7777]

Let's keep things civil and on-topic folks.

Sent from my phone

 

[MedPR]

That's the problem, you guys are so set on slamming foreign schools that you don't actually read the entire posts.

I never once said Carribean schools are better, or that I would choose a Carribean school over a US school. If I had my way I would have been accepted to a DO school in the US. But sometimes things don't work out and you have to take a different avenue to get to the destination you want.

Carribean schools aren't optimal...but they're not all the doom and gloom that you guys portray them as.

My post was pretty short, and yet apparently you didn't read it in it's entirety. It was your choice to go the more difficult route because you were unwilling to reapply to US schools. Nobody has to go to the carib.

 

[Xorthos]

Shrug, you take your route, ill take mine, and ill meet you when we're both doctors practicing. We'll have to agree to disagree about things. I see no sense in wasting further effort trying to convince you that any way but your way is the only 'right' way.

 

[MedPR]

Shrug, you take your route, ill take mine, and ill meet you when we're both doctors practicing. We'll have to agree to disagree about things. I see no sense in wasting further effort trying to convince you that any way but your way is the only 'right' way.

I'm not saying US MD/DO is the only right way. I'm saying that the only reason people go to carib is because they were in a rush to start med school and didn't want to take the time to improve their application and get into a US program which undoubtedly leads down an easier and more surefooted path to becoming a physician. Taking the easy way out now can lead to major problems in the future.

 

[Xorthos]

But see, I take offense to that. I originally graduated and took my MCAT in 2008, with a 28 and applied to US schools and a GPA of 3.14. I was rejected.

I then went back to school for several semesters and made straight A's and pulled my GPA up to 3.24 (I have almost 200 semester hours, so it's hard to pull a GPA up at that point), and retook the MCAT with a 32. This was taking 12 semester hours (3-4 classes) per semester, and working full time night shift 5 days a week.

When I reapplied last year, I applied to approximately 15 DO schools in the US. I was rejected outright again. I called a couple of these schools and asked them (for my understanding on how to improve my future applications) why I was rejected. They said that they were concerned because I only took 3-4 classes per semester, and they weren't sure I could handle the workload. I explained that I was also working 50+ hours night shift a week, while taking full time college courses, and still managed to pull straight A's. Unfortunately I never got a chance to explain that to them during an interview.

Sometimes situations kind of push you into a direction. I believe that 4 years of applying to US schools and being rejected for various reasons is justification.....and far from taking the easy road. Everyone says to "only consider Carribean schools as a last resort." This is exactly what I did. I can "improve my application" little by little over the next 10 years, then apply. But for someone in their 30's...it's not really practical...and student loans only go so far.

 

[Xenops]

But see, I take offense to that. I originally graduated and took my MCAT in 2008, with a 28 and applied to US schools and a GPA of 3.14. I was rejected.

I then went back to school for several semesters and made straight A's and pulled my GPA up to 3.24 (I have almost 200 semester hours, so it's hard to pull a GPA up at that point), and retook the MCAT with a 32. This was taking 12 semester hours (3-4 classes) per semester, and working full time night shift 5 days a week.

When I reapplied last year, I applied to approximately 15 DO schools in the US. I was rejected outright again. I called a couple of these schools and asked them (for my understanding on how to improve my future applications) why I was rejected. They said that they were concerned because I only took 3-4 classes per semester, and they weren't sure I could handle the workload. I explained that I was also working 50+ hours night shift a week, while taking full time college courses, and still managed to pull straight A's. Unfortunately I never got a chance to explain that to them during an interview.

Sometimes situations kind of push you into a direction. I believe that 4 years of applying to US schools and being rejected for various reasons is justification.....and far from taking the easy road. Everyone says to "only consider Carribean schools as a last resort." This is exactly what I did. I can "improve my application" little by little over the next 10 years, then apply. But for someone in their 30's...it's not really practical...and student loans only go so far.

👍 I think it is unfortunate, but that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes. Should I not get into a MD med school after applying for a few consecutive years, I'll decide whether to try the Caribbean or Ireland (I also have low stats).

 

[JESSFALLING]

if you're going for Internal Medicine or Family Practice (which I am), then it's definitely obtainable.

How difficult is it to match into psych from a foreign medical school?

 

[xxx2012]

I'm not sure why you are getting insulting. You may have gone far ignoring good advice and statistics, and that's great for you, but that doesn't mean that most people would not be better off playing the odds. The real danger of boards like this is folks who use words like "unorthodox " and "going against the grain " as expressions to make their decisions sound better than simply saying "hey, I took a longshot and got lucky". When only a relatively small percentage of people who matriculate ultimately match, it's an extremely risky move. That's not attacking, that's just stating the facts. since this board is about giving advice, it's pretty important not to whitewash away the realities of the gamble, like you seem to want to.

I'm the OP and I appreciate both sides giving their info. As a fellow JD (minus a term or two) I can get what you are saying Doc. It's best to know the cons before making a choice. It's easy to get tunnel vision when you see only the good parts you want to see.

I'm not sure yet what I'll do, but I appreciate all the opinions (from all involved)