SGU for master/post bacc? or wait?

[tickaticka]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello my stats are:

BS in Biology
2.91 GPA
21 MCAT
1000+ hours volunteering
200+ hours shadowing
1 yr EMT experience.

I am considering getting my Master/Post bacc work done at St. Georges University in the Carribean, then applying to medical school in the US. I keep getting rejected by US master programs because my 2.91 GPA when there are requirements for a 3.0. Should I go to SGU to get my masters and then plan on applying to US medical schools afterwards? Or, should I wait a year and reapply to US master programs and retake a few classes to raise my GPA? Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you

 

[deleted248403]

Hello my stats are:

BS in Biology
2.91 GPA
21 MCAT
1000+ hours volunteering
200+ hours shadowing
1 yr EMT experience.

I am considering getting my Master/Post bacc work done at St. Georges University in the Carribean, then applying to medical school in the US. I keep getting rejected by US master programs because my 2.91 GPA when there are requirements for a 3.0. Should I go to SGU to get my masters and then plan on applying to US medical schools afterwards? Or, should I wait a year and reapply to US master programs and retake a few classes to raise my GPA? Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you

You should not go to SGU for a masters (or for med school if you can help it).

A low GPA and a super-low MCAT (i.e. lower than most people's diagnostic scores) should be an indication to really ask if this is for you. You have neither the GPA nor the MCAT to indicate you can handle med school level classes and until you can prove it in a year of upper level sciences or getting a meaningful MCAT, then a trip to the Carib is a waste of time

 

[tickaticka]

Yes I understand your point, but I would be going to SGU to get my Masters while retaking classes I did not get As in the first time around, I know that I can really bust my butt and do well and I'm ready for the challenge, my question is AFTER completing my Masters and retaking classes during my admissions to SGU would medical schools in the US look down upon me going abroad for my masters. I know its hard for medical school students at SGU to find residency in the U.S but I'm just wondering if it is as difficult to get into medschool back in the states after doing my masters at SGU.

 

[deleted248403]

Yes I understand your point, but I would be going to SGU to get my Masters while retaking classes I did not get As in the first time around, I know that I can really bust my butt and do well and I'm ready for the challenge, my question is AFTER completing my Masters and retaking classes during my admissions to SGU would medical schools in the US look down upon me going abroad for my masters. I know its hard for medical school students at SGU to find residency in the U.S but I'm just wondering if it is as difficult to get into medschool back in the states after doing my masters at SGU.

Most coursework outside the US is looked down upon.

And a master at SGU is def not going to impress a US medical school.

You shouldnt go to SGU for a masters.

 

[tickaticka]

Okay thank you for your help! Any other thoughts out there?

 

[chartero]

Yes I understand your point, but I would be going to SGU to get my Masters while retaking classes I did not get As in the first time around, I know that I can really bust my butt and do well and I'm ready for the challenge, my question is AFTER completing my Masters and retaking classes during my admissions to SGU would medical schools in the US look down upon me going abroad for my masters. I know its hard for medical school students at SGU to find residency in the U.S but I'm just wondering if it is as difficult to get into medschool back in the states after doing my masters at SGU.

From the 2015 AMCAS Instruction Manual:

Independent Attendance, Credits Not Transferred

Courses (other than M.D. coursework) attempted independently at a foreign institution are not required to be listed if credit has not been transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution, EXCEPT to meet medical school prerequisites unduplicated by other listed coursework.

If you include this coursework on your application: […]
The coursework will not be verified by AMCAS and will not be included in your AMCAS GPAs.

Under this scenario, your SGU work will have no effect whatsoever on your AMCAS GPA. What about the possibility of credit being transferred to a U.S. or Canadian institution? I could list all sorts of complications if that was the plan, but this might be the biggest: Credits transferred from a foreign school will almost never have a GPA assigned by the receiving school.

For AMCAS GPA recovery, it appears that taking coursework outside of a U.S. or Canadian institution is literally useless. You could write a "but but, my GPA in undergraduate and master's courses at SGU" thing into a personal statement. I don't think that would add much value.

 

[TyrKinase]

I had a poor GPA out of college and a sub-par MCAT. It took years (years!) to be ready for med school. Please, don't go to SGU unless you feel like making a charitable financial contribution to a corporation.

1) they're for-profit. That should be enough to help you know they care more about your check clearing than your academic success.

2) as outlined above, it won't help you meaningfully improve your med school application, unless you're fired up about going to SGU for med school

3) put in some time retaking premed courses and taking new upper-level science courses. Work hard on improving your MCAT.

4) this is not a race to see how quickly you can finish. It's better to go where you have the support you need so you can attain your long-term goals. I don't mean this as a put-down, but you're not ready for med school. It's better to improve your study skills and test-taking abilities now than to burn a bunch of time and money at an off-shore school where you're likely to wash out at this point in the game.

In short, I've been there. Sadly, there aren't any shortcuts but the good news is that when you get into med school/pass your classes/do well on your Steps/match well/graduate, it'll totally be worth the effort.

Good luck!

 

[tickaticka]

I had a poor GPA out of college and a sub-par MCAT. It took years (years!) to be ready for med school. Please, don't go to SGU unless you feel like making a charitable financial contribution to a corporation.

1) they're for-profit. That should be enough to help you know they care more about your check clearing than your academic success.

2) as outlined above, it won't help you meaningfully improve your med school application, unless you're fired up about going to SGU for med school

3) put in some time retaking premed courses and taking new upper-level science courses. Work hard on improving your MCAT.

4) this is not a race to see how quickly you can finish. It's better to go where you have the support you need so you can attain your long-term goals. I don't mean this as a put-down, but you're not ready for med school. It's better to improve your study skills and test-taking abilities now than to burn a bunch of time and money at an off-shore school where you're likely to wash out at this point in the game.

In short, I've been there. Sadly, there aren't any shortcuts but the good news is that when you get into med school/pass your classes/do well on your Steps/match well/graduate, it'll totally be worth the effort.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for answering my question! It's true I think I was just trying to find out a easy way to get into a program regardless of what the program would do, I signed up for retaking the MCAT in Jan and I am planning on registering for classes at the end of this month 🙂 Thanks again for your insight!