SGU, ROSS, SABA or AUC (maybe MUA)

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jimmer2374

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. thanks for the replies!

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I believe Ross and AUC have a MERP program that can get you into their medical program. Apply and see, with your very solid post bacc you may get direction admission with your MCAT that I believe is about average for acceptance
 
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I seen a lot of older topics regarding this but they are mostly outdated.

Your credit isn't really a factor when it comes to federal student loans, assuming you don't have any outstanding loans unpaid (medical bills are the exception, I believe).

2.5 cumulative GPA (3.4 in science pre-req post bacc) and a 26 on the MCAT?

Your GPA is below average and your MCAT is below average. You will probably get accepted anyway.

I am from disadvantaged background

Doesn't matter.

I also had ADHD diagnosed till I was 20

Doesn't matter.

I do have a lot of unique kind of experiences...

Doesn't matter.

I truly believe I have what IT takes to not only pass but kill step 1.

Doesn't matter what you believe, it matters what you can show evidence for. If you have so dramatically turned your life around, you should prove it by studying your ass off for the next 6 weeks, retaking the MCAT, and getting a 30+ on it. Then you should apply for grade replacement DO programs in the US. What makes you so sure you can "kill" the Step? You didn't exactly "kill" the MCAT, and the Step is like an 8 hour version of the MCAT on steroids. It's tough, and getting tougher every year. You're going to be competing against people that are, on average, better students than you. What makes you think you're going to do so much better on the Step? When you get to medical school, you are self-selected into a group of highly competitive, aggressive, and intelligent people. Excelling in medical school is orders of magnitude harder than excelling in undergrad, especially in the Caribbean where you will be without any social/psychological support that you probably had in undergrad.
 
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I believe Ross and AUC have a MERP program that can get you into their medical program. Apply and see, with your very solid post bacc you may get direction admission with your MCAT that I believe is about average for acceptance

Thanks for the response KyleV. Do you think MERP is my only chance? would MERP at any of the big 4 be a better option than MUA? I know MUA has no CA but that also makes there tuition cheaper..and if they do get CA in the future it seems like I get my moneys worth as MUA tuition would likely increase tons.
 
Doesn't matter what you believe, it matters what you can show evidence for. If you have so dramatically turned your life around, you should prove it by studying your ass off for the next 6 weeks, retaking the MCAT, and getting a 30+ on it. Then you should apply for grade replacement DO programs in the US. What makes you so sure you can "kill" the Step? You didn't exactly "kill" the MCAT, and the Step is like an 8 hour version of the MCAT on steroids. It's tough, and getting tougher every year. You're going to be competing against people that are, on average, better students than you. What makes you think you're going to do so much better on the Step? When you get to medical school, you are self-selected into a group of highly competitive, aggressive, and intelligent people. Excelling in medical school is orders of magnitude harder than excelling in undergrad, especially in the Caribbean where you will be without any social/psychological support that you probably had in undergrad.

I do understand where you are coming from. I have two close friends that are currently in the Caribbean IMG route. I merely was trying to say that I have some understanding of how difficult step 1 is and that has not deterred me from considering the Caribbean route. I believe what limited me in the past was not test taking skills, rather distractions and time management issues. I have stated that I believe to have addressed these issues by now. Thanks for your reply, I do hope I get in somewhere despite my low stats!
 
I swear I must be taking crazy pills. I don't know how many threads need to be posted, how many statistics need to be quoted, before people realize they need to stay as far away from MUA as possible. This is not a school that will maximize your chances at residency. If you don't fully grasp the importance of that statement, then you are not sufficiently informed on Caribbean medical education.

I do understand where you are coming from. I have two close friends that are currently in the Caribbean IMG route. I merely was trying to say that I have some understanding of how difficult step 1 is and that has not deterred me from considering the Caribbean route. I believe what limited me in the past was not test taking skills, rather distractions and time management issues. I have stated that I believe to have addressed these issues by now. Thanks for your reply, I do hope I get in somewhere despite my low stats!

You believe it, but you've yet to really demonstrate it. If you're okay with taking a $400k bet on yourself, that's between you and your bank account. However, I urge you in the strongest possible terms to spend some time reading these forums and listening to the advice of those that have gone before you. There is a wealth of information here for those that are willing to put in the effort to look for it.

Incidentally, you shouldn't worry about your applications. I have no doubt that you will get into a Caribbean medical school. My concern is whether you will successfully make it out of one.
 
I swear I must be taking crazy pills. I don't know how many threads need to be posted, how many statistics need to be quoted, before people realize they need to stay as far away from MUA as possible. This is not a school that will maximize your chances at residency. If you don't fully grasp the importance of that statement, then you are not sufficiently informed on Caribbean medical education.



You believe it, but you've yet to really demonstrate it. If you're okay with taking a $400k bet on yourself, that's between you and your bank account. However, I urge you in the strongest possible terms to spend some time reading these forums and listening to the advice of those that have gone before you. There is a wealth of information here for those that are willing to put in the effort to look for it.

Incidentally, you shouldn't worry about your applications. I have no doubt that you will get into a Caribbean medical school. My concern is whether you will successfully make it out of one.


Buddy I hear you, but I really need those federal loans. Obviously I would more than love to get into one of the big 4 but sadly with my stats I probably will not. From what I am reading MUA is the only other school with title 4 and hence my only other real option. Beggars can't be choosers. Now MERP vs MUA is something I'm leaning towards MERP, but ultimately MUA must be doing something right to get title 4 funding right?
 
Buddy I hear you, but I really need those federal loans. Obviously I would more than love to get into one of the big 4 but sadly with my stats I probably will not. From what I am reading MUA is the only other school with title 4 and hence my only other real option. Beggars can't be choosers. Now MERP vs MUA is something I'm leaning towards MERP, but ultimately MUA must be doing something right to get title 4 funding right?

You might be hearing me but I don't think you're listening to me. If you don't have the stats to get into either SGU or Ross then you should really reconsider your career choice, or pause for a year and shore up your academics. This is not a decision you want to make lightly. Starting from your MS1 year at MUA, you have about a 25% chance of becoming a practicing physician in the US. Those are not odds that I would bet on in Vegas, let alone in medical education. I'm not just blowing smoke up your ass, I'm a MS3 at SGU going through the residency application process now.

This is not something you want to gamble on. You will NOT be a special and unique snowflake regardless of where you go to medical school. Strong will and determination are not enough. You will become a sad statistic.
 
You might be hearing me but I don't think you're listening to me. If you don't have the stats to get into either SGU or Ross then you should really reconsider your career choice, or pause for a year and shore up your academics. This is not a decision you want to make lightly. Starting from your MS1 year at MUA, you have about a 25% chance of becoming a practicing physician in the US. Those are not odds that I would bet on in Vegas, let alone in medical education. I'm not just blowing smoke up your ass, I'm a MS3 at SGU going through the residency application process now.

This is not something you want to gamble on. You will NOT be a special and unique snowflake regardless of where you go to medical school. Strong will and determination are not enough. You will become a sad statistic.

So you would advise towards a MERP over MUA? If MUA only places 25% into residency wouldn't they have trouble obtaining title 4? I am not leaning in any particular direction here. But obtaining title 4 is a pretty serious matter considering only four other Carib schools have succeeded in doing that. Also I do know that MERP isn't free, something at least consider. Is MERP a better option than retaking the mcat with proper studying and reapplying (strong possibility of getting MERP'd anyway)? I'm just picking at your brain because this is a very serious life decision I'm dealing with here.
 
you have a 26....retake enough classes to get into a 3.2ish range and apply DO
 
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So from my understanding the above are the only Caribbean off-shore medical schools with title 4 federal funding. This is absolutely necessary for me, because I have no cosigner for a private loan and I do not have the best credit. What are my chances for the upcoming cycles? I seen a lot of older topics regarding this but they are mostly outdated.

2.5 cumulative GPA (3.4 in science pre-req post bacc) and a 26 on the MCAT? I am 26 years old and have an irrelevant bachelors degree (2.2 cumm gpa) where I did not do too well simply because I was stupid and lazy. I refocused myself for the med school prereqs and scored A's in most of the classes. MCAT is balanced at 8, 9, 9 - No prep course or studying.

With these stats I am worried about not getting into any of the listed programs, leaving me with little to no options at all. Many would say that I should pick a different career route, but I have already looked down podiatry and PT and decided against both. Both professionals I shadowed in those fields told me that they wished they would have gone to medical school!!!

I am from disadvantaged background and I also had ADHD diagnosed till I was 20...actually it was diagnosed when I was 7, but my dad had cultural differences and never told me. I was able to skate by in high school and scored high on standardized tests...this landed me into a very competitive private undergrad in which I was blindsided by the work. When it one questions ability, I truly believe I have what IT takes to not only pass but kill step 1. The questions of laziness and immaturity have been addressed by giving up partying, aging and meeting my fiance...now I just need A chance!!!

I do have a lot of unique kind of experiences...having lived in other countries and done all sorts of odd end jobs. Believe it or not some of these remote Caribbean islands aren't even the remotest places I have lived. To anybody that says please retake UG classes, this isn't possible I do not have the funds and I am getting older.

Sorry about the long post...am applying to the above programs as we speak hopefully all apps should be under review by end of the month. Questions, comments, PMs, leads, recommendations, connections, etc are all welcome. Thank you for your time :)

Agreed with above post. You already have a decent science gpa. Just raise your cgpa with retakes to a 3.0 + to get a shot at Us DO. Either this or go to podiatry. You might have something of a chance though I would still recommend raising your gpa to a number approaching a 3.0 for max chances.
 
So you would advise towards a MERP over MUA? If MUA only places 25% into residency wouldn't they have trouble obtaining title 4? I am not leaning in any particular direction here. But obtaining title 4 is a pretty serious matter considering only four other Carib schools have succeeded in doing that. Also I do know that MERP isn't free, something at least consider. Is MERP a better option than retaking the mcat with proper studying and reapplying (strong possibility of getting MERP'd anyway)? I'm just picking at your brain because this is a very serious life decision I'm dealing with here.

Just based on the pushback I've gotten in the last few months, I don't personally advise anyone to go to the Caribbean right now. I'm an above-average student with competitive scores in an IMG-friendly city and I'm still encountering a lot of closed doors. If you're going to go this route, you need to know that you can perform on standardized tests and perform under pressure. You cannot afford to simply be average here. Everybody likes to think they can do that, but in reality it's a lot harder than it sounds. It is so, so, so much more preferable to take a few months and try to get into a US MD or DO program.

I can't speak to the difficulty of obtaining Title IV funding. To be honest I'm pretty shocked that MUA was able to obtain it, but that's neither here nor there. The fact of the matter remains that SGU & Ross remain your best options, and given their name recognition and proven track record of placing students into residency and their guaranteed placement in 3rd & 4th year rotations, I would highly recommend you focus on those programs exclusively, whether MERP, AEP, or otherwise. Doing otherwise will, based on currently available data, significantly reduce your ability to obtain a residency post medical school.
 
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What are the requirements for school in order to get Title IV funding? Does school needs to have certain USMLE passing rate and residency percentage?
 
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Ok wanted to update for those who care or are considering applying in the future.

So I ended applying to 3/4 top Caribbean schools with low stats (2.7/3.2 c/s GPA, 26 MCAT), average ECs. I worked extra diligently on my application and PS. Even shelling out $$ for professional editing and consultation services. I think I interview very well considering my highly social and friendly character. Anyway long story short, I was accepted into all 3 programs and will be attending one this August, c/o 2019.

The only real advise I would give to any prospective applicants is to simply apply and really nail the interview. They want to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into and maybe filter out any really toxic people. The only other reason you wouldn't get accepted is if you have an MCAT <24 coupled with a GPA <3.0

Those of you with a less than stellar GPA (mine was a <2.5 before I took my pre reqs) just don't apply with a super low MCAT. I mean you gotta have something to show for yourself right?

The fastest way to receive admissions is to just do 4 weeks of studying for the MCAT and get at least a >25 then you should get at least an interview (regardless of GPA).

Now...that I know I'm going to med school this fall my mom told me to refrain from posting any news on facebook lol. She knows it ain't mean nothing till at least step 1 score comes back. Does anybody else feel like it's ridiculous but true to feel slightly embarrassed to say, I'm going to medical school!!!


...in the Caribbean.


Jk jk of course. Have a good day!
 
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Ok wanted to update for those who care or are considering applying in the future.

So I ended applying to 3/4 top Caribbean schools with low stats (2.7/3.2 c/s GPA, 26 MCAT), average ECs. I worked extra diligently on my application and PS. Even shelling out $$ for professional editing and consultation services. I think I interview very well considering my highly social and friendly character. Anyway long story short, I was accepted into all 3 programs and will be attending one this August, c/o 2019.

The only real advise I would give to any prospective applicants is to simply apply and really nail the interview. They want to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into and maybe filter out any really toxic people. The only other reason you wouldn't get accepted is if you have an MCAT <24 coupled with a GPA <3.0

Those of you with a less than stellar GPA (mine was a <2.5 before I took my pre reqs) just don't apply with a super low MCAT. I mean you gotta have something to show for yourself right?

The fastest way to receive admissions is to just do 4 weeks of studying for the MCAT and get at least a >25 then you should get at least an interview (regardless of GPA).

Now...that I know I'm going to med school this fall my mom told me to refrain from posting any news on facebook lol. She knows it ain't mean nothing till at least step 1 score comes back. Does anybody else feel like it's ridiculous but true to feel slightly embarrassed to say, I'm going to medical school!!!


...in the Caribbean.


Jk jk of course. Have a good day!

Even with a <24 and <3.0 you could still get in.

$$$, even if the person failed out after term 1.
 
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