psa for scholarship recipients

[Psychiatrist wannabe]

If you are offered a hefty scholarship to 1 of the Big 3, consider that you may be able to get into an American school. Give it a year, then reconsider.

Not saying this to start trouble. I am saying this because the stigmata are so pervasive that you may never accomplish anything beyond that MD title. No one will ever care that your gpa was 4 and all your MCAT categories were above the mean. No one will even know. You will be automatically classified as unworthy.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Shinken]

You have to do better than that. Too obvious.

 

[Psychiatrist wannabe]

I am n

You have to do better than that. Too obvious.

That's something about PSAs, if you already know the information you are welcome to ignore it. Someone else may still benefit.

I am not sure what you mean by I "have to do better than that." Maybe it is obvious for you, but it wasn't obvious for me. It's too late now. I already graduated. At the time I posted this I was feeling pretty low. I was hoping that if anyone ever searched this forum for scholarship information they would find this. I had a friend in my semester that was also there on scholarship. I know for sure it happens.

Since I posted that I actually got an interview. It was very late in the season and I had pretty much given up hope. Now that I have a SINGLE interview I have some hope. However, it's only a little bit, because it's not even a community program. It's a strong university program that has never taken a Caribbean IMG as far back on their site as I can go. If I were an AMG I would be happy without reservation. Instead, I know I am a bottom of the barrel just hoping that the cards fall my way.

If, at the end of this all, I match I am still not sure I would recommend this path to anyone. The emotional toll the match process has taken is very high. If you haven't been there you may not understand what it does to a person.

Again, I don't know what you were trying to say. You will have to be more specific. You might have to go a little slower. You should keep in mind that I am just an IMG.

 

[bedevilled ben]

I guess by way of explanation, you should know that these fora don't exist in a vacuum. Many of us have been posting here for years, and some folks, decades. It's easy for us to equate naivete with trolling. We have been answering the same droll questions for years. It's very easy to get jaded.

Many of us have direct experience with Caribbean medical education, and have been *quite* vocal about our experiences. Your initial post is a little bit... let's say 'reductive.' You're not wrong by any means. But this forum is ripe with people with unbelievably shortsighted perspectives who frequently come here expounding unfounded truths with the apparent intention of "educating" others on Caribbean med education when in reality they miss the mark by about a half-mile. Med school is tough. Caribbean med school is tough too. A happy medium exists, but your initial post comes off a bit patronizing, like you didn't even bother to read some of the myriad supporting threads on this very forum which echo your own sentiments.

 

[Psychiatrist wannabe]

Thank you for explaining. It never occurred to me that someone would think I was trolling, but I guess I can see how that conclusion was arrived at.

I do apologize for being patronizing. It wasn't my intention at all. In fact, I am pretty sure I was ugly crying trying to figure how to support my family another year- and panicked wondering if I will ever be able to afford the match. I know everyone here has their own story. I am just so angry with myself for promising my kids a better life. They have been so patient and I have delivered zero results.

 

[Psychiatrist wannabe]

For the record, I did bother reading first and found the topic wasn't really covered.

 

[bedevilled ben]

Thank you for explaining. It never occurred to me that someone would think I was trolling, but I guess I can see how that conclusion was arrived at.

I do apologize for being patronizing. It wasn't my intention at all. In fact, I am pretty sure I was ugly crying trying to figure how to support my family another year- and panicked wondering if I will ever be able to afford the match. I know everyone here has their own story. I am just so angry with myself for promising my kids a better life. They have been so patient and I have delivered zero results.

I hear and echo your concerns, and you needn't' apologize. I too am a Caribbean IMG and recall the harrowing experience that is the Match with uhhh let's say exquisite detail. It was quite literally one of the most stressful periods of my life, and I didn't have a family depending on me financially like you, and I had pretty great odds going in. I can't imagine what you're going through. Don't be angry at yourself for trying to provide a better like for your family, though. In reality, you'd be more angry at yourself for not having tried at all, no? Take heart in the psychological fortitude that the experience has provided you, and channel that anxiety into something positive. Your family won't view you in nearly the same harsh light that you view yourself. Not Matching in your first cycle, though not great, is not the end of your career as a physician or a psychiatrist. Step back, take stock, be realistic in your expectations, and come up with a rational strategy moving forward to position yourself for the next Match cycle.

I'm an IMG PGY3 psych resident with some (admittedly limited) experience in resident recruitment. If you need someone to bounce ideas off of (or just a shoulder to cry on) feel free to PM me.

 

[Psychiatrist wannabe]

Thank you bedevilled. It is definitely difficult--far more difficult than medical school. I really hope i make it. I feel like my one interview could not have gone any better than it did, but one is rarely enough. I also took too much time to mail thank you cards. It should have been less than 1 day but it took me a while to really word each one perfectly. I made sure each one was nit like another. It took 5 days to mail the last 2. As much as I felt that interview went really well, I know that nearly everyone comes away from interviews believing people from the program think highly of them. The feedback afterward is always positive. It is beneficial for them to make everyone feel they will be a valued resident. I hate this part so much. And on top of everything else, the program rarely takes Caribbean IMGs. I worry that perhaps I was only interviewed to meet a quota.

 

[Like]

Not quite sure what scholarships have to do with your current situation. Many American medical schools offer scholarships, too, as a way to entice students to attend their program.