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This is for my Pre-Meds and Non-Traditional students considering a Caribbean medical school. Fair warning, this is going to be a long post, but it will be my personal unbiased journey. I have no secret agenda; I am not trying to convince you to do one thing or another. I will be keeping it 100% real. This is NOT going to be a post completely bashing Caribbean schools like I’ve seen a few other toxic posts/comments. But this also won’t be sugar coated, “everything is just fine” post either. But this post will end on a positive note, trust me 🙂
This is mostly just therapeutic for me, but if that means I’ll be able to help a fellow student with my story, that’s even better. So get out your popcorn and join this roller-coaster of a ride I call my medical school journey lol (if y’all have read my previous comments, you might see some similarities. I just wanted to put all those ideas into one cohesive post)
I just want to start with the fact that no one forced me to do medicine. No family pressure or anything. I didn’t do it for the prestige or money--because let me tell you, those things are NOT worth it for all the struggles and sacrifices I’ve made lol. This becomes important later.
My stats while applying to medical schools were 3.52 GPA and 494 MCAT (sheesh, I know). I had a gut feeling that things may not play out well for me, so I made sure I applied broadly--25 MD schools and 34 DO schools to be exact. My results? I got one interview, for which I was then waitlisted and eventually rejected. At this point, I was getting desperate and I was thinking about Caribbean medical schools. My sdn peeps made it known what their stance was on that (side note: I feel like the harshness around Caribbean medical schools have gone up 10fold since my first ever sdn post years ago; everyone is brutal nowadays lol). I even had some of the OGs like @Lawper @Goro @gyngyn comment on my post saying not to do Caribbean. But like a rebellious teenager, I still did it.............….whoops lol and I had to learn from my mistakes
Here’s where I’m going to get personal and vulnerable with you, and it’s the dumb and unimportant reasons why I chose to go to to a Caribbean medical school. I can only speak for myself but I feel like this might resonate with lots of other students considering the caribbean. It was my impatience and my life timeline. I was so mentally frustrated of having to go to classes and learning about topics that had nothing to do with medicine. I was so hungry to start learning real medicine and I didn't want to delay it any further. But looking back, I could have waited. It would have been a better option.
Along with this impatience, it was my timeline. I just felt myself being more and more "delayed" from my other pre-med peers. Everyone around me was getting accepted to US med schools left and right, and here I am being rejected left and right. It also didn't help that no one would talk about rejections either. Everyone would only talk about all the positive news and it made me feel even more isolated and delayed. Like "am I the only one being rejected?" (When in reality, there were so many others that also did not get accepted but continued with their other non-Carib school options) I had this whole mental checklist of all the things I would do before I turned X years old and it was off to an awful start. So I told myself "why am I delaying medical school when I have an opportunity to start it right away?" And so here I am lol 🙂 And a big reason why I was obsessed with a timeline was because I want to start a family, I want to have kids, I basically want to start my life sooner rather than later. I was comparing my life to other people. I should have realized that each person has a different timeline and I shouldn’t compare myself to my peers.
So adding those pressures on myself, I decided to go to one of the Big 4 schools. I was just an average student once I got there. I struggled in the beginning of medical school because I had NO clue how to study for such a massive amount of material in a relatively short amount of time. So there was a big learning curve I had to get over before I ever felt comfortable with the material. But this is not exclusively a Caribbean Med Student problem; this is an issue for any medical student. Now that I look back, my GPA and MCAT were some good academic red flags I should have heeded. So during my time at this school, I repeated a semester and failed my NBME CBSE exam twice. Yes, it was a struggle. And believe me, I can’t even begin to describe the physical and mental toll that this journey has taken on me. My sense of self-worth has definitely gone through the troughs throughout this whole time.
But while leaning on my faith, family, and friends, I was able to get through it. I am done with my basic sciences on the island, I passed my NBME CBSE exam, and I will be taking my Step 1 exam in the upcoming months🤓
This is where I become self-reflective. DocHopeful1, if you could go back, would you change anything? I’ve been asked this so many times in my life, and it’s a yes and no:
-->Yes I regret it because I've always imagined myself in primary care (FM, Peds). And now I realize that in the every day aspect of primary medicine, PAs and even DNPs basically do the same thing MDs or DOs do. Obviously there are differences, but in terms of helping the average patient, it's the same. I realize how similar the day-to-day schedule is for a regular FM/Peds doc vs a PA. And whatever minutiae of a difference they do have, I know (for me personally) it did not matter. If I had known this before my Caribbean medical school journey, I would have 100% have chosen this route.
-->No I don’t regret it because this school is the only reason why I'm able to take my step 1 exam in the upcoming months and keep pursuing my dream (I know there are shortcomings even in that statement alone). But there’s a saying like “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” and I feel like I am in that situation. I remember a time in my life when I was hoping that I could be where I am now--preparing for step 1. I am truly grateful. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, and so I can't say I truly regret anything. It's all a part of growing up, and I know I'll be the best doctor I can be.
And this is where I turn to you and ask:
-->Why you are pursuing medicine? If family pressure, prestige, and/or money enter your brain as one of your top three reasons, I would get out now. Believe me. Those things will NOT be your motivators during those stressful times when you’re so overwhelmed that you feel like you can’t eat or sleep. This is the first question you need to get out of the way because the mental and physical toll that medical school in general will cause you requires you to have a strong motivator to get through it.
-->Why are you considering a Caribbean medical school? For me, it was a combination of my poor numbers and the pressure of my timeline. If these are your reasons as well, may I suggest to you that those reasons may not be enough. If I were to go back to my application days, I would tell myself that choosing to do one of these options is completely okay:
-------Option 1) Retaking the MCAT (I know it sucks but trust me, in the long run, it's the better decision)
-------Option 2)Doing a post-bacc or something along those lines (I remember when some people suggested that to me and I hated it so much. I just wanted to start medical school so badly because I was so worried about my "life's timeline" that I made up in my head. But in hindsight, a post-bacc would have been a smart decision)
--------Option 3) Doing something other than medical school. If you're anything like me, I know this is painful to hear especially if being a doctor is what you've wanted for the majority of your life. But if I were to go back in time, this is actually the path I would have taken. I would have gone the PA route and I wish I had done more research on the topic. But if you really want to do a highly specialized aspect of medicine, this may not be your route.
And after all that and you’re still thinking about a caribbean medical school, well then dang, y’all are persistent lol. But I get it. I know that I am no one to you; I’m just an anonymous post to you. So if you have your heart and mind set on going to caribbean school, I can’t stop you. BUT that doesn’t mean I’ll let you go high and dry. Here’s my advice:
-->Try to go to a Big 4 school. I know money is a big issue, but I was lucky that I was able to qualify for federal loans. So if you do decide caribbean, go Big 4.
-->be prepared to ADAPT! I have friends in many different caribbean medical schools, and we’ve all learned to adapt to many situations. A compilation of a few complaints I have heard from these friends including some of my own: bugs and little critters in the house, water shut off, electricity shut off, extreme heat with no AC, bad wifi, severe storms and/or hurricanes, etc etc. You get the idea. You won’t have the same luxuries as compared to America. Your school may be on an island, but it ain’t no paradise all the time lol
-->Try to figure out your learning style as quickly as possible. That’s what threw me off during my time in basic sciences. What type of learner are you? Audio, visual, tactile, etc. Learn to be independent. Don’t expect the school to hold your hand through anything. Remember at the end of the day, caribbean med schools are still like a huge doctor mill. So make sure you are self-sufficient in that aspect
-->Finally make sure you surround yourself with good people. Friends that are supportive and have the same goals as you. Especially since caribbean schools accept almost anyone, there will be all sorts of people there. In order to succeed, you must be part of the group that is in medical school for the right reasons. Not to party all the time, not to goof off, not because their parents said so. You must be there because YOU want it and you must be willing to go against the peer pressure at times. As long as you are 100% focused and surround yourself with a strong group of people, it’s possible to succeed! (and let’s be real, I am hoping I can end up being one of these success stories too 🙂 )
If you’re still reading after that long post, thank you 🙂 Hopefully I was able to help you in somehow, some way. I tried my best to give my perspective from my own personal experience on this whole issue, and I tried to be as vulnerable and transparent as I could be. No matter what YOU end up choosing for yourself (whether that be to go to a caribbean school or to try out some of the options mentioned above), just remember to not to compare yourself to others. Each person’s journey to their careers and/or passions is different. Don’t let any one aspect of it define you. Wishing you all the very best of luck! And don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you have about my experience/any clarifications you need 🙂
This is mostly just therapeutic for me, but if that means I’ll be able to help a fellow student with my story, that’s even better. So get out your popcorn and join this roller-coaster of a ride I call my medical school journey lol (if y’all have read my previous comments, you might see some similarities. I just wanted to put all those ideas into one cohesive post)
I just want to start with the fact that no one forced me to do medicine. No family pressure or anything. I didn’t do it for the prestige or money--because let me tell you, those things are NOT worth it for all the struggles and sacrifices I’ve made lol. This becomes important later.
My stats while applying to medical schools were 3.52 GPA and 494 MCAT (sheesh, I know). I had a gut feeling that things may not play out well for me, so I made sure I applied broadly--25 MD schools and 34 DO schools to be exact. My results? I got one interview, for which I was then waitlisted and eventually rejected. At this point, I was getting desperate and I was thinking about Caribbean medical schools. My sdn peeps made it known what their stance was on that (side note: I feel like the harshness around Caribbean medical schools have gone up 10fold since my first ever sdn post years ago; everyone is brutal nowadays lol). I even had some of the OGs like @Lawper @Goro @gyngyn comment on my post saying not to do Caribbean. But like a rebellious teenager, I still did it.............….whoops lol and I had to learn from my mistakes
Here’s where I’m going to get personal and vulnerable with you, and it’s the dumb and unimportant reasons why I chose to go to to a Caribbean medical school. I can only speak for myself but I feel like this might resonate with lots of other students considering the caribbean. It was my impatience and my life timeline. I was so mentally frustrated of having to go to classes and learning about topics that had nothing to do with medicine. I was so hungry to start learning real medicine and I didn't want to delay it any further. But looking back, I could have waited. It would have been a better option.
Along with this impatience, it was my timeline. I just felt myself being more and more "delayed" from my other pre-med peers. Everyone around me was getting accepted to US med schools left and right, and here I am being rejected left and right. It also didn't help that no one would talk about rejections either. Everyone would only talk about all the positive news and it made me feel even more isolated and delayed. Like "am I the only one being rejected?" (When in reality, there were so many others that also did not get accepted but continued with their other non-Carib school options) I had this whole mental checklist of all the things I would do before I turned X years old and it was off to an awful start. So I told myself "why am I delaying medical school when I have an opportunity to start it right away?" And so here I am lol 🙂 And a big reason why I was obsessed with a timeline was because I want to start a family, I want to have kids, I basically want to start my life sooner rather than later. I was comparing my life to other people. I should have realized that each person has a different timeline and I shouldn’t compare myself to my peers.
So adding those pressures on myself, I decided to go to one of the Big 4 schools. I was just an average student once I got there. I struggled in the beginning of medical school because I had NO clue how to study for such a massive amount of material in a relatively short amount of time. So there was a big learning curve I had to get over before I ever felt comfortable with the material. But this is not exclusively a Caribbean Med Student problem; this is an issue for any medical student. Now that I look back, my GPA and MCAT were some good academic red flags I should have heeded. So during my time at this school, I repeated a semester and failed my NBME CBSE exam twice. Yes, it was a struggle. And believe me, I can’t even begin to describe the physical and mental toll that this journey has taken on me. My sense of self-worth has definitely gone through the troughs throughout this whole time.
But while leaning on my faith, family, and friends, I was able to get through it. I am done with my basic sciences on the island, I passed my NBME CBSE exam, and I will be taking my Step 1 exam in the upcoming months🤓
This is where I become self-reflective. DocHopeful1, if you could go back, would you change anything? I’ve been asked this so many times in my life, and it’s a yes and no:
-->Yes I regret it because I've always imagined myself in primary care (FM, Peds). And now I realize that in the every day aspect of primary medicine, PAs and even DNPs basically do the same thing MDs or DOs do. Obviously there are differences, but in terms of helping the average patient, it's the same. I realize how similar the day-to-day schedule is for a regular FM/Peds doc vs a PA. And whatever minutiae of a difference they do have, I know (for me personally) it did not matter. If I had known this before my Caribbean medical school journey, I would have 100% have chosen this route.
-->No I don’t regret it because this school is the only reason why I'm able to take my step 1 exam in the upcoming months and keep pursuing my dream (I know there are shortcomings even in that statement alone). But there’s a saying like “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” and I feel like I am in that situation. I remember a time in my life when I was hoping that I could be where I am now--preparing for step 1. I am truly grateful. I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason, and so I can't say I truly regret anything. It's all a part of growing up, and I know I'll be the best doctor I can be.
And this is where I turn to you and ask:
-->Why you are pursuing medicine? If family pressure, prestige, and/or money enter your brain as one of your top three reasons, I would get out now. Believe me. Those things will NOT be your motivators during those stressful times when you’re so overwhelmed that you feel like you can’t eat or sleep. This is the first question you need to get out of the way because the mental and physical toll that medical school in general will cause you requires you to have a strong motivator to get through it.
-->Why are you considering a Caribbean medical school? For me, it was a combination of my poor numbers and the pressure of my timeline. If these are your reasons as well, may I suggest to you that those reasons may not be enough. If I were to go back to my application days, I would tell myself that choosing to do one of these options is completely okay:
-------Option 1) Retaking the MCAT (I know it sucks but trust me, in the long run, it's the better decision)
-------Option 2)Doing a post-bacc or something along those lines (I remember when some people suggested that to me and I hated it so much. I just wanted to start medical school so badly because I was so worried about my "life's timeline" that I made up in my head. But in hindsight, a post-bacc would have been a smart decision)
--------Option 3) Doing something other than medical school. If you're anything like me, I know this is painful to hear especially if being a doctor is what you've wanted for the majority of your life. But if I were to go back in time, this is actually the path I would have taken. I would have gone the PA route and I wish I had done more research on the topic. But if you really want to do a highly specialized aspect of medicine, this may not be your route.
And after all that and you’re still thinking about a caribbean medical school, well then dang, y’all are persistent lol. But I get it. I know that I am no one to you; I’m just an anonymous post to you. So if you have your heart and mind set on going to caribbean school, I can’t stop you. BUT that doesn’t mean I’ll let you go high and dry. Here’s my advice:
-->Try to go to a Big 4 school. I know money is a big issue, but I was lucky that I was able to qualify for federal loans. So if you do decide caribbean, go Big 4.
-->be prepared to ADAPT! I have friends in many different caribbean medical schools, and we’ve all learned to adapt to many situations. A compilation of a few complaints I have heard from these friends including some of my own: bugs and little critters in the house, water shut off, electricity shut off, extreme heat with no AC, bad wifi, severe storms and/or hurricanes, etc etc. You get the idea. You won’t have the same luxuries as compared to America. Your school may be on an island, but it ain’t no paradise all the time lol
-->Try to figure out your learning style as quickly as possible. That’s what threw me off during my time in basic sciences. What type of learner are you? Audio, visual, tactile, etc. Learn to be independent. Don’t expect the school to hold your hand through anything. Remember at the end of the day, caribbean med schools are still like a huge doctor mill. So make sure you are self-sufficient in that aspect
-->Finally make sure you surround yourself with good people. Friends that are supportive and have the same goals as you. Especially since caribbean schools accept almost anyone, there will be all sorts of people there. In order to succeed, you must be part of the group that is in medical school for the right reasons. Not to party all the time, not to goof off, not because their parents said so. You must be there because YOU want it and you must be willing to go against the peer pressure at times. As long as you are 100% focused and surround yourself with a strong group of people, it’s possible to succeed! (and let’s be real, I am hoping I can end up being one of these success stories too 🙂 )
If you’re still reading after that long post, thank you 🙂 Hopefully I was able to help you in somehow, some way. I tried my best to give my perspective from my own personal experience on this whole issue, and I tried to be as vulnerable and transparent as I could be. No matter what YOU end up choosing for yourself (whether that be to go to a caribbean school or to try out some of the options mentioned above), just remember to not to compare yourself to others. Each person’s journey to their careers and/or passions is different. Don’t let any one aspect of it define you. Wishing you all the very best of luck! And don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you have about my experience/any clarifications you need 🙂
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It's like that old saying "Man Plans, God laughs"
