HELP please, SGU vs Ross ?

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Which medical school should I attend?

  • St. Georges

    Votes: 34 68.0%
  • Ross

    Votes: 7 14.0%
  • AUC

    Votes: 3 6.0%
  • UMHS

    Votes: 6 12.0%

  • Total voters
    50
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Royaldoctor

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I am trying to decide which Caribbean medical school is the better option and why? All the other threads are so old and things have changed. Please don't comment if you are just going to tell me not to attend any of them, any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. I am aware of the risks associated with Caribbean schools. I have been accepted to SGU, Ross, AUC, UMHS. The difference in tuition isn't a deciding factor.
 
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The Caribbean is a risky investment for a medical education, especially in light of US medical school expansion and a limited residency expansion. It will only be worse in 5 years when you are getting out.
Consider grade replacement and/or retaking your MCAT and applying to DO school.
If you want to gamble your money in the Caribbean, I recommend the following places, the casino at Atlantis in the Bahamas, the Hard Rock Punta Cana in the DR, and the ever elegant El San Juan in PR.
 
I live in Michigan and am trying to decide which Caribbean medical school is the better option and why? All the other threads are so old and things have changed. Please don't comment if you are just going to tell me not to attend any of them, any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. I am aware of the risks associated with Caribbean schools. I have been accepted to SGU, Ross, AUC, UMHS. The difference in tuition isn't a deciding factor.

If you were aware of the true risks, this would not be a discussion. You would go to neither. If you are aware of the risks and do not patiently seek the alternative options listed above, then you're an idiot.
 
I live in Michigan and am trying to decide which Caribbean medical school is the better option and why? All the other threads are so old and things have changed. Please don't comment if you are just going to tell me not to attend any of them, any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. I am aware of the risks associated with Caribbean schools. I have been accepted to SGU, Ross, AUC, UMHS. The difference in tuition isn't a deciding factor.

You seem pretty set on this. You'll get more sound advice positing on the Caribbean portion if the SDN forum.
 
I live in Michigan and am trying to decide which Caribbean medical school is the better option and why? All the other threads are so old and things have changed. Please don't comment if you are just going to tell me not to attend any of them, any thoughts or advice would be appreciated. I am aware of the risks associated with Caribbean schools. I have been accepted to SGU, Ross, AUC, UMHS. The difference in tuition isn't a deciding factor.

If you must go carribean (bad idea) you are taking a massive gamble. I advise sgu since you have the best shot of making it
 
Isn't SGU-Ross like Harvard v Stanford of the carribeans lol? You're probably gonna be OK with either option provided you work EXTREMELY hard. I hear Ross's reputation has taken a hit in recent years. That said, I do know 4 different Ross graduates that are successfully practicing medicine in America. But if I had to choose for myself, I'd go SGU.

EDIT: I say the above assuming it is THE ONLY option. I would recommend 2 cycles trying US DO/MD before settling for SGU/Ross. But my opinion is that the Carrib schools can still be viable options for motivated smart individuals. And I say this based on the fact that I personally know dozens of successful Carrib grads. I get that that's not scientific, but what can you do.
 
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Isn't SGU-Ross like Harvard v Stanford of the carribeans lol? You're probably gonna be OK with either option provided you work EXTREMELY hard. I hear Ross's reputation has taken a hit in recent years. That said, I do know 4 different Ross graduates that are successfully practicing medicine in America. But if I had to choose for myself, I'd go SGU

No they are not
 
Thanks guys. I hear good things about Ross now that they have decreased their class size. Many Caribbean graduates go on to become great doctors and as long as I have the slightest chance I'm willing to take that risk. This is my dream. Back to the question which would you attend and why? Any help is greatly appreciated, THANKS.
 
I've seen more success at SGU than Ross, so I would advise picking SGU. But if Ross is significantly cheaper, then I would choose Ross.

Completely avoid UMHS and AUC. Had a friend go to UMHS who claimed to be doing well throughout the 2 years he was there but did poorly on Step 1 because he felt they didn't accurately prepare him. I believe SGU's curriculum is closest to a US school's and teaches to Step 1 as well as giving you a lot of dedicated step studying time.
 
Thanks guys. I hear good things about Ross now that they have decreased their class size. Many Caribbean graduates go on to become great doctors and as long as I have the slightest chance I'm willing to take that risk. This is my dream. Back to the question which would you attend and why? Any help is greatly appreciated, THANKS.

Have you considered osteopathic medical schools? You have a far greater chance of being a doctor if you go there. What's your GPA/mcat?
 
Everyone who is not commenting something productive is just sitting on their high horse because they are in/trying to get into a US medical school. Yes there are increasing medical students and limiting the increase in residency, but I've been hearing this for 5-10 years now when I've known family friends going over to the Caribbean and with my small, anecdotal sample size, they have been successful because they worked their butt off.

With that said, the Caribbean schools give you a SHOT to becoming a resident. That means you need to make most of it and really work your butt off. Knowing that these schools are going to give you a shot, you want to maximize those chances. I've heard great things about SGU's schooling, resources, and clinical rotation sites. I would probably go there if money wasn't an issue.

US MD/DO is a more safe route but if you aren't willing/able to boost your application or spend the time, then maximize your chances at a Caribbean school and go to SGU if money isn't a factor. Remember that you really have to invest your heart and soul to give yourself the best shot at being a competitive applicant come match time.
 
I know that we all have our biases, but the OP did not ask for those opinions. If you do not have anything of substance to offer the poster, then you should not post on this particular discussion.
Don't throw your life away is pretty substantial advice. Rejecting that advice from the getgo is being totally unrealistic. If you could hack it in (american) medicine then you could've made it into a DO or MD school. Some people succeed through the Carib pathway and I admire them but it was a bad bet. Just because you win a bad bet doesn't make it a good bet. If you want more reassuring advice go to a Carib grad who succeeded who can talk you through exactly how to survive the process or go ask your mom.
 
Don't throw your life away is pretty substantial advice. Rejecting that advice from the getgo is being totally unrealistic. If you could hack it in (american) medicine then you could've made it into a DO or MD school. Some people succeed through the Carib pathway and I admire them but Twas a bad bet. Just because you win a bad bet doesn't make it a good bet. If you want more reassuring advice go to a Carib grad who succeeded who can talk you through exactly how to survive the process or go ask your mom.
I understand that, and I agree with you. Maybe more beneficial advice would come from those who have taken the road that the OP is soon to take.

If someone gave me the advice that they'd rather work at Walmart... I don't know if that would encourage me to consider an alternative route. There's ALWAYS a good, better and best way to deal with things.
 
I understand that, and I agree with you. Maybe more beneficial advice would come from those who have taken the road that the OP is soon to take.

If someone gave me the advice that they'd rather work at Walmart... I don't know if that would encourage me to consider an alternative route. There's ALWAYS a good, better and best way to deal with things.
I stand by what I said. I'm not trying to be encouraging, because being encouraging is not what someone thinking of going Caribbean needs. They need to understand the reality of the decision they're about to make, and if they've already ignored dozens of threads and people telling them it's a bad idea, it clearly must take something more extreme to make an impression.
 
I understand that, and I agree with you. Maybe more beneficial advice would come from those who have taken the road that the OP is soon to take.

If someone gave me the advice that they'd rather work at Walmart... I don't know if that would encourage me to consider an alternative route. There's ALWAYS a good, better and best way to deal with things.

I agree that we shouldn't be aggressive either and I'm not trying to come off that way. But I'm not going to sugarcoat what I see as a pretty bad decision to make.
 
My question is WHICH would you pick and why if you had to chose between those schools. If I do great on my step one I'm sure Ill have no problems after proving myself in rotations. I don't care to be a rich doctor I am not in the profession for that. At least I have a chance this route.
 
My question is WHICH would you pick and why if you had to chose between those schools. If I do great on my step one I'm sure Ill have no problems after proving myself in rotations. I don't care to be a rich doctor I am not in the profession for that. At least I have a chance this route.

Do you still have a chance for DO? Doing well on your steps is no guarantee of matching out of the Carib anymore. Please look at the thread I linked earlier.
 
Have you considered osteopathic medical schools? You have a far greater chance of being a doctor if you go there. What's your GPA/mcat?
GPA: 3.6 science GPA: 3.45 MCAT: 22 didnt study much. I feel like I wont have distractions on the island and be able to do great.
 
GPA: 3.6 science GPA: 3.45 MCAT: 22 didnt study much. I feel like I wont have distractions on the island and be able to do great.
Why didn't you study for what is the biggest test of your life to date? Honestly you have a decently competitive GPA, all you need to do is actually study and retake the MCAT. Step 1 will take 1000 times the effort the MCAT did, are you sure you will do great on Step 1? Because your MCAT score is in the danger zone for having trouble passing Step 1. My personal advice would be to retake the MCAT then apply to MD and DO next year assuming you have covered your ECs.

But if you decide to do Caribbean, I would say to go to SGU. SGU is probably the best of the Caribbean schools and will give you the best shot to get you where you want to go. Most of my friends who went to the Caribbean went there too.
 
GPA: 3.6 science GPA: 3.45 MCAT: 22 didnt study much. I feel like I wont have distractions on the island and be able to do great.

Omg your fine. Stay on the continent for god's sake. Study a lot harder and re-take that MCAT. Apply broadly and include DO and you will be golden as long as you hit 28-31 and that is definitely not impossible. I beg you.
 
My question is WHICH would you pick and why if you had to chose between those schools. If I do great on my step one I'm sure Ill have no problems after proving myself in rotations. I don't care to be a rich doctor I am not in the profession for that. At least I have a chance this route.

Don't be a fool. Your GPA is decent for US schools. Study for the MCAT and retake that 22. It's irresponsible to not "study much", take an exam and do poorly, then assume you will do well on a many times more difficult exam. The volume of information on Step 1 makes the MCAT look like a piece of cake, and the Caribbean is not known for its great preclinical curriculum.

In addition, clinical grades for a large part are highly variable. Depending on your school, it can rely heavily on the shelf, and other times, it depends on which side of the bed your evaluator woke up. You can bust your ass, answer every question right, be commended by your colleagues, and get a pass, then on the next rotation, do mediocre work and get an honors.

I've seen people fall in the Caribbean trap and a couple friends struggling during this match process. Do not throw your money away because you're impatient. You see the people that make it and think that will be you in 4 years, but that's a dangerous assumption. There's a large portion of people in tremendous debt, completely regretting their decision.
 
GPA: 3.6 science GPA: 3.45 MCAT: 22 didnt study much. I feel like I wont have distractions on the island and be able to do great.

As stated previously: you didn't study for the most important exam of your life up to this point? That reeks of lack of responsibility.
And the fact that you would rather risk going Carib over retaking the MCAT and applying DO with low tier MD reeks of lack of insight, lack of responsibility (again, because this is a HUGE financial, as well as professional, gamble), and stubbornness to seriously consider where you stand, and where you could stand with some work and patience.


Grow up, study for the MCAT de novo, apply to stateside DO/MD again.
 
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I am 25 yrs old and I don't know what the new MCAT brings and I wouldn't start till Sept 2016 by that time I could almost be in rotations if I go to SGU. If I was sure that I could make it into US schools I would delay again but its a slim chance. The scoring scale for the MCAT is changing so the med schools would probably be hung up on my 22.

You are 25? When did you take your MCAT? It is possible it might have already expired. It doesn't matter if you don't know whats on the new MCAT, just buy the books, buy a prep course and learn everything you don't know. Psych+Soc won't be hard to learn on your own, the Biochem might be more challenging but if your goal is to just get in somewhere I don't think you need to be gunning for a perfect score (moreover the middle of the curve is being emphasized more on this exam than the top 33%, whatever that means).

"By that time I could almost be in rotations if I go to SGU". That's nonsense. If you stay here, prepare well, and get into an MD/DO school (as many people older than you have done) you WILL become a doctor and have an almost certain chance at matching in the US. If you go Carib you might start clinicals a year earlier but you will probably never be a practicing physician in the US.
 
Everyone who is not commenting something productive is just sitting on their high horse because they are in/trying to get into a US medical school. Yes there are increasing medical students and limiting the increase in residency, but I've been hearing this for 5-10 years now when I've known family friends going over to the Caribbean and with my small, anecdotal sample size, they have been successful because they worked their butt off.

With that said, the Caribbean schools give you a SHOT to becoming a resident. That means you need to make most of it and really work your butt off. Knowing that these schools are going to give you a shot, you want to maximize those chances. I've heard great things about SGU's schooling, resources, and clinical rotation sites. I would probably go there if money wasn't an issue.

US MD/DO is a more safe route but if you aren't willing/able to boost your application or spend the time, then maximize your chances at a Caribbean school and go to SGU if money isn't a factor. Remember that you really have to invest your heart and soul to give yourself the best shot at being a competitive applicant come match time.

I'm quoting my earlier post to give you some more continuity to my advice.

OP: given your stated GPA and scoring a 22 without trying, I think with a few months of solid studying, you can def improve by 5-8 points which would put you in solid position to get accepted by a US DO school (maybe even MD if you rock the MCAT and have some research/other EC's). Now I know this may not be feasible for everyone, but its basically investing in yourself, both time to study/apply and financially, to guarantee you matching if you get into a DO school. If you might even be on the edge, get some clinical volunteering and shadowing in and pound the MCAT to apply to US medical schools.

It may seem like you're delaying your future right now, and technically you are since you could be going to the islands sooner, but if you put in the hard work now to improve your application, you just increase your security by that much more. Even if you put in an insane amount of effort on the islands and your boards, it's still less of a chance. Yes if you study for your boards and score like a 250+, I don't see much of a chance of you not getting a match. However, instead of putting yourself to that risk you can just try to aim for a 30 on the MCAT (prolly easier to obtain than a crazy high Step 1 score) and get into a school stateside.

It's all up to you and you need to evaluate your opportunities and see what risks you're willing to make
 
I am 25 yrs old and I don't know what the new MCAT brings and I wouldn't start till Sept 2016 by that time I could almost be in rotations if I go to SGU. If I was sure that I could make it into US schools I would delay again but its a slim chance. The scoring scale for the MCAT is changing so the med schools would probably be hung up on my 22.

Hey OP don't go to the Caribbean thinking you'll save time. Caribbean schools are notorious for long wait times between clinical rotations, so while you're thinking you're saving time now, ultimately you might not. I don't know first hand how the rotations are in SGU/ROSS, but i'd suggest you talk to SGU/ROSS grads first before you make the decision.

Also, if you got a 22 without much studying...you can probably get a score around 26 if you study hardcore and take the January 23rd MCAT. You'll probably find a January 23rd spot once the December 6th kids get their scores back (on January 6th i believe). You're really not THAT far off from being a competitive DO applicant.
 
I am 25 yrs old and I don't know what the new MCAT brings and I wouldn't start till Sept 2016 by that time I could almost be in rotations if I go to SGU. If I was sure that I could make it into US schools I would delay again but its a slim chance. The scoring scale for the MCAT is changing so the med schools would probably be hung up on my 22.

Sounds like you don't have the patience and resilience to do what it takes to become a doctor, so maybe Caribbean is the right choice.
 
Honey, I say this because I feel you deserve to know it.

You really need to consider DO. Even if your GPA is crap, you can retake classes to raise your GPA (and it replaces your old grade for application purposes). Even with the lower retake, it's still a decent score for DO. The only hurdle you'll have is having a lower retake score than your original test.

Caribbean schools are hard-knock places. They get really good Step scores at the expense of the majority of people that enroll, who fail out. After that, because of the number of residencies and the availability of US graduates, the likelihood that you would have a residency after that is incredibly slim.

If you're going to go through medical school, make it so you can be a board-certified physician. I remember @SkipJunior was a Caribbean grad- he's trying to get into a US medical school so that he can finally get into a residency.

You're the only one who can make this choice- but I urge you, please think about retaking some classes and getting into a US institution.
 
Back to studying MCAT ill try my best again to raise my score in a January MCAT before they change it. BTW MCAT score doesn't really predict success on usmle. I don't have time where do I start lol. Oh and rotations are really smooth nowadays just matching into a residency is competitive.

Study your weak sections/topics. What was your score breakdown?
 
BTW MCAT score doesn't really predict success on usmle.

Yeah, it kind of does to an extent. <24 has a correlation with poorer step 1 success.
 
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Okay, from what I skimmed, people are seriously recommending carib schools. What the hell
 
Back to studying MCAT ill try my best again to raise my score in a January MCAT before they change it. BTW MCAT score doesn't really predict success on usmle. I don't have time where do I start lol. Oh and rotations are really smooth nowadays just matching into a residency is competitive.

MCAT score doesn't accurately predict success on USMLE, but I don't need evidence to know that good standardized exam takers will be good standardized exam takers (whether it be intrinsic skill or work ethic).

How would you as a premed know rotations are smooth nowadays? Or have you PERSONALLY rotated with Caribbean students? You understand that you going to a DO/MD school automatically gives you a huge advantage over the Caribbean students. As a Caribbean student, you're held to higher standards during the match. Although you're given an obscene amount of time to study for the boards, you better outscore your mainland counterpart. And even if you do, you still won't be as competitive as he/she is. Nevermind that going Caribbean automatically locks you out of certain programs (many programs won't interview you as advertised on their website) and definitely certain specialties. So when you're a third year and stumble upon a cool specialty field that clicks and inspires you, realize that you can't do it or your school lacks the advising to even get you there.
 
I'm working as a scribe, and there are 4 Caribbean medical school graduates who are working as scribes with me. 3 are from SGU, 1 from Ross. 1 is graduated 4 years ago, 2 graduated 2 years ago, and 1 graduated this past year. All are working as scribes because they have failed to match. Just a word of caution that you may end up in a similar situation - unmatched after 4 attempts, with interest from loans piling up, and working for $10/hour as a scribe.
 
It's balanced so if you just put in the effort you didn't put in last time you should see at least a fair amount of improvement. Keep checking the MCAT registration website for a seat.
 
Back to studying MCAT ill try my best again to raise my score in a January MCAT before they change it. BTW MCAT score doesn't really predict success on usmle. I don't have time where do I start lol. Oh and rotations are really smooth nowadays just matching into a residency is competitive.
Wise; study hard.
 
My partner and i hear Ross's status has taken successful nowadays.
Ip7OZO
Get out of here with the anecdotes pre-opt.
 
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