red flags - Carib

[LostInParadise7]

Thank you for all the advice

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[NotAProgDirector]

This is a crazy situation. You're pretty clear about it, but it's crazy enough that I need to confirm:

The school accepted you as-is, which is fine. They decided to take a risk on you.
You then took your 2 years of MD basic sciences. The usual stuff you'd do in medical school for S1.
Then, for reasons that make no sense at all, they made you go back and take the prereq's you would have usually taken to get into medical school in the first place - Organic chem, basic Biochem, physics, etc. They changed their rules so that you no longer qualified to be at their medical school, and rather than just grandfathering you they made you do all of this prereq stuff even though you'd already done fine in medical school curriculum?

Assuming that's the case here, I don't think it's a huge problem. Not having a bachelor's is atypical for US/Canadian applicants, although is routine for some IMG's where medical school is entered immediately after primary education. I would favor being extremely transparent about the situation and documenting your time clearly. Empty space in your timeline is going to raise some concerns of where you were and what you were doing.

You ABSOLUTELY list your incomplete work in Canada. It is often considered fraud to not list incomplete degrees. You'll need to document why you ended your education -- whether you just decided to stop and start working, or whether you were expelled. Be honest -- at this point any inconsistency could be catastrophic if discovered later down the road.

I expect most residency programs will look at your medical school performance, step scores, rotations, and LOR's as the primary drivers. Very few will care that you don't have a BS/BA. In my years of experience we've had a few residents with a similar issue and it hasn't been a problem. One resident without an undergrad degree applied for some research program -- I can;t remember the details, maybe it was something to help fund their attendance at a meeting with a poster. Turned out that the program required a BS/BA to qualify, so they didn't get it. Small potatoes.

As you've already mentioned, your school's rep will likely be the bigger issue here. And if you'll need a visa, that will also impact your options. Lack of an undergrad degree will unlikely be a major issue.

 

[LostInParadise7]

This is a crazy situation. You're pretty clear about it, but it's crazy enough that I need to confirm:

The school accepted you as-is, which is fine. They decided to take a risk on you.
You then took your 2 years of MD basic sciences. The usual stuff you'd do in medical school for S1.
Then, for reasons that make no sense at all, they made you go back and take the prereq's you would have usually taken to get into medical school in the first place - Organic chem, basic Biochem, physics, etc. They changed their rules so that you no longer qualified to be at their medical school, and rather than just grandfathering you they made you do all of this prereq stuff even though you'd already done fine in medical school curriculum?

Assuming that's the case here, I don't think it's a huge problem. Not having a bachelor's is atypical for US/Canadian applicants, although is routine for some IMG's where medical school is entered immediately after primary education. I would favor being extremely transparent about the situation and documenting your time clearly. Empty space in your timeline is going to raise some concerns of where you were and what you were doing.

You ABSOLUTELY list your incomplete work in Canada. It is often considered fraud to not list incomplete degrees. You'll need to document why you ended your education -- whether you just decided to stop and start working, or whether you were expelled. Be honest -- at this point any inconsistency could be catastrophic if discovered later down the road.

I expect most residency programs will look at your medical school performance, step scores, rotations, and LOR's as the primary drivers. Very few will care that you don't have a BS/BA. In my years of experience we've had a few residents with a similar issue and it hasn't been a problem. One resident without an undergrad degree applied for some research program -- I can;t remember the details, maybe it was something to help fund their attendance at a meeting with a poster. Turned out that the program required a BS/BA to qualify, so they didn't get it. Small potatoes.

As you've already mentioned, your school's rep will likely be the bigger issue here. And if you'll need a visa, that will also impact your options. Lack of an undergrad degree will unlikely be a major issue.

Appreciate the help!

 

[NotAProgDirector]

DM is fine.

Just state the facts. Document the extra year in the experiences section. In the explanation, state "after completing 2 years of basic science and passing the CBSE, my school informed me that I needed to complete medical school prereq courses. I completed these during this year with XXX GPA, returned to complete S1 and start clinical rotations" Or something like that. Doesn't disparage your school, and it's almost certainly going to come up in interviews because it's so weird.