I think the more important question is do you want to study @a place like Xavier or St James...even as a premed. My answer would be no. It would be better to do some premed classes, etc. in the US at some sort of reputable university or college. This way, the credits are useful/transferable for other things (like to get a biology degree, or to help get a job like in a research lab, etc. temporarily). I don't see the point in giving these Caribbean schools more money before you are even in a formal medicine program. The only way it would ever make ANY sense is if it guaranteed admission to one of the top 1-3 Carib schools, but even then I wouldn't do it. My rationale is the following: if you study @some US college or university for a year or so and do well, your stats would probably improve to the point that one of the better Caribbean schools would take you, or that you could consider a US school (if you can't get your numbers up another for a US allopathic school, some DO schools might take you, or you could do PA school, optometry school, something else that will make you essentially into a doctor type medical professional).
I'm not saying Carib schools are NEVER an option, since I once considered one, but I think they are the absolute LAST option, and only for people with OK MCAT and GPA, who just missed @US schools. If the problem is such an abysmal GPA and MCAT score that they can't be brought up, then I don't think the person has the wherewithal to get through med school and actually pass the USMLE exams...these are 3 VERY HARD exams, and if you aren't academically and socially prepared and prepared well in the hospital (this means teaching with standardized patients, and good 3rd and 4th year med school hospital rotations, which many many of the Carib schools don't provide) you won't pass.
Also, schools like Xavier and St James have abysmal rates of getting students into residency or passing the USMLE.
