Saba vs. Big Three

[EuroPhysician]

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Hello I am interested in applying to a Caribbean medical school, I heard about a school called Saba in N.A. which is supposed to be the only school outside the Big 3 that has California approval. I was interested in this school because it seems to be fairly small, they say they take about 75 students per intake which is smaller than other schools. Does anyone know about Saba? I heard this school is also less expensive than the other programs.

 

[McGillGrad]

I have only heard good things about Saba. It is smaller and does not have extensive hospital connections or affiliated centers, but it produces quality students. No federal loans, though.

 

[jraces]

SABA is most commonly known as one of the big four now.... You should go to : http://www.studentdoc.com/phpBB2/ and look in the international & caribbean forum .... They seem to be more up to date and have more information

SABA is an excellent choice if you can get in.....

 

[McGillGrad]

SABA is most commonly known as one of the big four now.... You should go to : http://www.studentdoc.com/phpBB2/ and look in the international & caribbean forum .... They seem to be more up to date and have more information

SABA is an excellent choice if you can get in.....

Actually valuemd.com has more information.

 

[jraces]

Well ... I don't prefer valuemd.com because there seems to be more opinions then facts, and it seems to be disorganized. Studentdoc.com has great moderators who answer questions really well...

 

[McGillGrad]

Well ... I don't prefer valuemd.com because there seems to be more opinions then facts, and it seems to be disorganized. Studentdoc.com has great moderators who answer questions really well...

You mean to say "more opinion than facts."

I do not like valuemd, but it has a dedicated saba board. That is all I wanted to convey.

 

[EuroPhysician]

valuemd is a horrible site, its nearly impossible to get any objective info. does anyone know how well students perform at Saba, attrition rates? USMLE pass rates?

 

[AlleghenyPOD]

Information is information, just know that there are biases in every forum. Its better than not having one at all. 😉

 

[Sundarban1]

valuemd is a horrible site, its nearly impossible to get any objective info.

This is true for the AUC and Ross boards because their students tend to have the most time on their hands. However the SGU and SABA boards usually have 2 or 3 dedicated students and mod's who answer questions regularly.

does anyone know how well students perform at Saba, attrition rates? USMLE pass rates?

From online admissions seminar 11/1:

Attrition rate for last 10 years: 5%
2007 USMLE 1st time pass rate: 90%
Overall USMLE pass rate: 98%

They have more online admissions seminars planned, I suggest you go to their website to get more info.

 

[oldpro]

valuemd is a horrible site, its nearly impossible to get any objective info. does anyone know how well students perform at Saba, attrition rates? USMLE pass rates?

SABA is a very good school and students from there do very well at residencies.

A new problem that has occured is that Health Loans express has pulled out of the Caribbean so now Saba has only one lender for US students TERI.

The others SGU,ROSS and AUC have federal student aid as well as TERI for loans

I caution Americans to consider financing the education as well as where to go and pass rates. My school does not have loans and I was able to get a loan to get me through but this is not an easy thing.

 

[oldpro]

valuemd is a horrible site, its nearly impossible to get any objective info. does anyone know how well students perform at Saba, attrition rates? USMLE pass rates?

Speaking of this in the Saint James forum there is a user who is a professor at another school that had taught at SJSM years ago and left on bad terms it seems now harassing another poster for posting anything positive and questioning anything negative about the school, they maintain that the school is the worst and only negative things are true LOL yea thats VMD today, other schools tear down other schools I agree it has become useless because it is so one sided. Students like me who attend cannot tell anything that is positive only if there is negative, yes of course SJSM has problems and needs to improve, a lot I know after 2 years but not everything is bad.

 

[EuroPhysician]

This is true for the AUC and Ross boards because their students tend to have the most time on their hands. However the SGU and SABA boards usually have 2 or 3 dedicated students and mod's who answer questions regularly.



From online admissions seminar 11/1:

Attrition rate for last 10 years: 5%
2007 USMLE 1st time pass rate: 90%
Overall USMLE pass rate: 98%

They have more online admissions seminars planned, I suggest you go to their website to get more info.

How come Saba does not have Federal loans? With low attrition and high pass rate on the USMLE they should be qualified.

How much does it cost to attend Saba for four years including room, board, supplies, and transport? I was thinking of AUC and SGU, but they are much bigger schools, and I actually like the idea that Saba is very small and quiet island.

What kind of GPA and MCAT do you need to be competitive for Saba? Also are they biased against students over the age of 30?

 

[oldpro]

How come Saba does not have Federal loans? With low attrition and high pass rate on the USMLE they should be qualified.

How much does it cost to attend Saba for four years including room, board, supplies, and transport? I was thinking of AUC and SGU, but they are much bigger schools, and I actually like the idea that Saba is very small and quiet island.

What kind of GPA and MCAT do you need to be competitive for Saba? Also are they biased against students over the age of 30?

GOOD question, I can tell you this

SABA is newer then the other Big 3 who have the loans, they did not have the Federal Student aid by the time Congress did the biggest "Stick it to ya" they have ever done, and that is make a new rule back then that Private schools or other schools outside the USA cannot have Federal Student Aid if they do not have at least 60% of the students from the Country of charter. SO that means the Private medical schools (The real target for this) in the Caribbean could not have federal Loan money and the Big three lobbied and won a "Grandfather Clause" that allows students that attend SGU,ROSS and AUC to have these loans. Unless congress changes the law ( this is not written in stone forever but the US schools want it to be) then a new school can never get the approval for the loans, this is separate from the US DOE approval, they do approve schools. Why do I know this? I researched it to understand why I continue to get the shaft from the US gov. thats why! LOL

 

[Clash Army]

SABA is a good school. Most people apply to this school along with the other three. Though, as oldpro has mentioned, the loan issue is also something to consider. Hopefully, the school will come up with other options soon.

 

[AlleghenyPOD]

Personal loan from a bank. My friend did that..😎

 

[oldpro]

SABA is a good school. Most people apply to this school along with the other three. Though, as oldpro has mentioned, the loan issue is also something to consider. Hopefully, the school will come up with other options soon.

Hey I really hope so, because of predatory lending in the USA, home mortagage companies making loans that people cannot possibly pay, like some stories

"I was paying 520 a month mortgage and now it's 1275 a month and I do not even own my House" this crises is not our fault its greed and scams again.

And people worry about FMG medical grads LOL! How about real issues like scamming people out of their house!

 

[Clash Army]

I recently had an interview with them and I was really impressed with the school. I asked about the loan issues and they told me that it was blown out of proportion. The numbers (estimated COA) that have been circling around the net were not accurate. We talked about this and I think I got my answers regarding the issue. I would suggest that anyone who's concerned about this contact the school directly. They were pretty straightforward about this when I asked them. It's a great school in my opinion.

 

[oldpro]

Marketing

 

[Clash Army]

Marketing

Who? Me? Nah.....I haven't even made a decision as to what school I will attend yet.

 

[oldpro]

Who? Me? Nah.....I haven't even made a decision as to what school I will attend yet.

Noooooooo I meant SABA saying

I asked about the loan issues and they told me that it was blown out of proportion.

It is not "blown out of proportion", what would happen to you if you are Get a health loan express loan they pull out in April 2008 ( this is the date they will stop lending) then TERI rejects you for a loan, you have no other way to pay for school......this has happened to others ( Me in the past for one), I do not see it blown out of proportion to question and be cautious.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

California approval is key to the value of a foreign medical degree, even if you have no intention of practicing in that state, many other states use California as a guideline for licensing physicians.

 

[oldpro]

California approval is key to the value of a foreign medical degree, even if you have no intention of practicing in that state, many other states use California as a guideline for licensing physicians.

Joe I agree with you, I have no idea why you posted this though? SABA is Cali approved. But they have only one loan TERI after April 2008, the school is down playing a significant issue that will affect many. That is my point.

Cali has also listed disapproved schools which I think is important, a school not approved nor disapproved has a chance with the states that look at the list for guidance, since these states are "Case by Case" I agree it is tougher without the approval but not impossible at the other states.

 

[McGillGrad]

Joe I agree with you, I have no idea why you posted this though? SABA is Cali approved. But they have only one loan TERI after April 2008, the school is down playing a significant issue that will affect many. That is my point.

Cali has also listed disapproved schools which I think is important, a school not approved nor disapproved has a chance with the states that look at the list for guidance, since these states are "Case by Case" I agree it is tougher without the approval but not impossible at the other states.

The reason why Saba is still okay without all of the loans is because it costs less to go there. It would be a huge deal if the other 3 schools lost all types of loans because you need more than one if you are not rich enough to afford to pay some of it with cash.

 

[JoeNamaMD]

Saba is the smallest of the big four schools, it only takes 75 students per intake.
The tuition is the cheapest of the California approved schools too.

 

[oldpro]

The reason why Saba is still okay without all of the loans is because it costs less to go there. It would be a huge deal if the other 3 schools lost all types of loans because you need more than one if you are not rich enough to afford to pay some of it with cash.

Yea I agree but without Loans many cannot go to school in the USA, I'm one, I think I can make it but it's tough!

 

[Clash Army]

I see what oldpro is saying. That is something that I'm thinking about as well. They said that it would actually cost a lot less than the estimate (hence, even though TERI gives less than Health Xpress, it's still plenty according to them). But I guess if you don't qualify for TERI (the only loan available as of now) in the first place, then it doesn't really matter what it costs cause you won't be able to pay anyway.

Sigh....I don't know. I really like the small class size and all, but I'm scared about the loan situation. I have also been accepted to Ross too, but with everything I've heard about the school, I really want to go with SABA.

 

[oldpro]

I see what oldpro is saying. That is something that I'm thinking about as well. They said that it would actually cost a lot less than the estimate (hence, even though TERI gives less than Health Xpress, it's still plenty according to them). But I guess if you don't qualify for TERI (the only loan available as of now) in the first place, then it doesn't really matter what it costs cause you won't be able to pay anyway.

Sigh....I don't know. I really like the small class size and all, but I'm scared about the loan situation. I have also been accepted to Ross too, but with everything I've heard about the school, I really want to go with SABA.

Well...... SABA is a good school, I just want to caution anyone to not believe a school 100%, I think if you can get TERI loans and such you should be fine, I think if you are accepted at AUC then you can always transfer if thing happen but really just be aware. If you like SABA I think it will be OK.