How to transfer to US school?
Started by Alwaysbehopeful
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yes they reapply, or develop connections during the summer/winter breaks by doing research there and then reapply. many reapply after taking step1. most if not all of these students are students that were waitlisted to multiple schools in the past. and all of them have 4.0 gpa's. it's extrremely diffiecult to transfer someone has to drop out of the US school for you to transfer in thus many just start all over in a US med school, but even starting all over is well worth it.
In other words its very hard and based on a lot of luck. I kind of wanted to go to SGU but SDN has sort of turned me off against it. I already did my interview with them. I don't like the fact that SGU students won't be able to get residencies in the near future, that kind of scares me. On the other hand, I don't really have an interest in the DO programs. I have 1 US MD interview in Jan and 10 more schools to hear back from. I think my chances are kind of slim but who knows. I know hear that DO is better in many ways than SGU but you also have to take the Allo boards if you want to match into an allo residency.
Thanks for the input! Hope all works out.
Thanks for the input! Hope all works out.
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I transferred from the Caribbean into an LCME school. I outlined the entire process here: caribbeantransfer.blogspot.com
If you have any specific questions, post a comment and I will answer your question to the best of my ability.
Good luck!
If you have any specific questions, post a comment and I will answer your question to the best of my ability.
Good luck!
Wow great blog! That was very helpful!
I guess I have 2 questions:
1. So you have to take step 1 in 3rd year to transfer? Do you transfer as a MS3 or MS2 or MS1?
2. Do you have to be wait listed at the school you are trying to transfer to? Or just wait listed at any US school?
Thanks!
I guess I have 2 questions:
1. So you have to take step 1 in 3rd year to transfer? Do you transfer as a MS3 or MS2 or MS1?
2. Do you have to be wait listed at the school you are trying to transfer to? Or just wait listed at any US school?
Thanks!
You do? You'll have to tell all those DOs that matched into an allo program with COMLEX only that they forgot to do that.
Glad you liked it.
1) You have to take step 1 before you start clinical rotations (by the time you start your third year). There were students who transferred out during their MS1/MS2 years and they did not have to take their steps before transferring. I transferred into an MS3 spot so I had taken USMLE Step 1 by the time I applied.
2) I was flat out rejected by the school that accepted me as a transfer. I was however waitlisted at another school which subsequently rejected me when I applied for transfer.
You don't have to be waitlisted at any school to get in, but if you were waitlisted in the first place, you were probably a borderline applicant. Hope this makes sense-I am a little groggy...getting sick.
Good luck to you!
Hi,
I'm thinking of applying to a US med school after completing the basic sciences in a Caribbean med school and also after having written the usmle. I don't necessarily won't to transfer into 3rd year because I'm pretty sure that is very difficult to do. I wouldn't mind however starting all over in a US med school from year 1. If I take this route will I have good chance of being accepted? And will US med schools accept students for year 1 even after writing the usmle and passing it?
Thanks.
I'm thinking of applying to a US med school after completing the basic sciences in a Caribbean med school and also after having written the usmle. I don't necessarily won't to transfer into 3rd year because I'm pretty sure that is very difficult to do. I wouldn't mind however starting all over in a US med school from year 1. If I take this route will I have good chance of being accepted? And will US med schools accept students for year 1 even after writing the usmle and passing it?
Thanks.
^if you are willing to spend 2 years abroad, why not just finish @ SGU or start off at a DO school. Two years is a huge sacrifice, especially as a med student. I highly recommend against starting in the caribbean-->trying to transfer as an MS1-->redoing the first two years. You will suffer from immense burnout.
If your GPA/MCAT is borderline, you are better off enrolling in a postbacc program or doing something to help gain entry into an lcme school.
It might seem easier to 'repeat a year' but you have to understand that the material taught by med school profs is highly variable, meaning the second time you take biochem at a US school, the material will be different.
If your GPA/MCAT is borderline, you are better off enrolling in a postbacc program or doing something to help gain entry into an lcme school.
It might seem easier to 'repeat a year' but you have to understand that the material taught by med school profs is highly variable, meaning the second time you take biochem at a US school, the material will be different.
^if you are willing to spend 2 years abroad, why not just finish @ SGU or start off at a DO school. Two years is a huge sacrifice, especially as a med student. I highly recommend against starting in the caribbean-->trying to transfer as an MS1-->redoing the first two years. You will suffer from immense burnout.
If your GPA/MCAT is borderline, you are better off enrolling in a postbacc program or doing something to help gain entry into an lcme school.
It might seem easier to 'repeat a year' but you have to understand that the material taught by med school profs is highly variable, meaning the second time you take biochem at a US school, the material will be different.
If your GPA/MCAT is borderline, you are better off enrolling in a postbacc program or doing something to help gain entry into an lcme school.
It might seem easier to 'repeat a year' but you have to understand that the material taught by med school profs is highly variable, meaning the second time you take biochem at a US school, the material will be different.
I agree, and repeat the Q why would you want to repeat two years? If you finish M2 in SGU, and begin as M1 in US School, then you spend 6 years as med student, + 4 years of college, that means paying for 10 years of school. That's 10 years of you life right there.
Will you have much much better chance of getting residency if you start all over again as M1? if accepted as transfer from the Carribean?
There's no way the percentage is this high, and generally transfers to US schools require a bona fide reason to transfer (spouse got relocated, have ill family member you need to be near, etc) beyond simply wanting to attend a US school. And you have to beat out the US students who want to transfer. It's so low percentage a play that most people don't bother thinking about it. Only go to an offshore school if you will be content graduating from there, because in all probability that's going to be what happens. Never go offshore thinking, well I'll just transfer to the US in two years. Generally won't happen. It's the same bad logic as the person who goes to a US allo med school he doesn't really like and figures, I'll just transfer to Harvard. Transfers are realistic in undergrad. In med school, not so much. And from offshore to US even less.
yes you'll have a 1,000 times easier time getting the residency of your choice if you transfer to a US school. my friend and classmate transfered to Drexel after doing 1 year at SGU and he was able to match into a university program for Orthopedic surgery with low 90's on his steps. this would be virtually impossible as an SGU student especially with such low Step scores.
on average i would guess that about 3 or 4 people transfer per term, that's 6 to 8 people per year, or at least that's how it used to be when i was on the island. each term would have 250 to 300 students, so 1 to 2% of the class would transfer.
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Off the top of my head, there are about 700 people per year at SGU meaning 2800 people are eligible for transfer at a given time. Theoretically, an MS4 can transfer in to an MS2 spot, an MS4 into a 3, etc... Ross has about 800/yr (?*) so ~3200/yr are eligible.
*I have heard that ~300 students start during each trimester but significantly fewer make it. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
Approximately 15 people transferred out of the Caribbean during my 4 years there (out of an eligible 2800). I have personally spoken to about 8 people who transferred. In short, it is probably less than 2%...maybe closer to 0.5% if you consider the number of caribbean students in total. A more important question is how many people actually try- this number is exceedingly low. When I was doing research on SGU, I remember reading a statistic that ~5-10% transfer out. I am not sure where this statistic was derived from, but it may be accurate if people who started as an MS1 at SGU transferred as a new medical student at an LCME school count. 2 members of my class started fresh as an LCME MS1.
The people that transferred had varying board scores- the range that I have encountered has been 232-258 on USMLE Step 1.
Actually, off the top of my head, these are some of the scores of people that I know
have transferred
Score, n
<235 =2
240-250=3
>250=1
*I have heard that ~300 students start during each trimester but significantly fewer make it. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
Approximately 15 people transferred out of the Caribbean during my 4 years there (out of an eligible 2800). I have personally spoken to about 8 people who transferred. In short, it is probably less than 2%...maybe closer to 0.5% if you consider the number of caribbean students in total. A more important question is how many people actually try- this number is exceedingly low. When I was doing research on SGU, I remember reading a statistic that ~5-10% transfer out. I am not sure where this statistic was derived from, but it may be accurate if people who started as an MS1 at SGU transferred as a new medical student at an LCME school count. 2 members of my class started fresh as an LCME MS1.
The people that transferred had varying board scores- the range that I have encountered has been 232-258 on USMLE Step 1.
Actually, off the top of my head, these are some of the scores of people that I know
have transferred
Score, n
<235 =2
240-250=3
>250=1
Last edited:
What are the names of these institutions that the students transfered into?
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