sgu? saba? ross? auc? $$$$$

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

challenger81

Junior Member
15+ Year Member
20+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2002
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Hi everyone,

I know that SGU and Ross are presumably the best med schools in the carribean but my concern is the price tag. I'm debating b/w
SABA and Ross/SGU reason being is that SABA costs half as much as the other two.

Basic sciences at SABA: $6900+ each semester
ROSS: 9000+ " "
SGU: 12000+ " "

I'm wondering if its really worth shelling out nearly 30,000+ (including fees etc) per year for Foreign Medical Schools such as sgu/ross when i can spend much less on SABA which has its graduates in residencies across the US also and also does their clinicals in the US. After all they're both Foreign med schools and graduates from both are gonna have a tough time with residency placements, board exams, stigma, etc. (why do these schools have such different tuition rates anyway?) Am i missing something?

I'm very unsure of what to do. On the one hand I want to go to sgu/ross for their reputation and 'good' education on the other hand I do have to worry about the $$ and am wondering how much worse off i'd be if i went to a lesser 'brand name' school still in the carribeans.

I would greatly appreciate any input/advice that you guys 'n gals may have to help me get a better idea or perspective on this issue.

In adddition if there are any SABA sudents/graduates out there I would love to hear your opinions and experiences about this school.

Also, how different is the quality of instruction b/w ross and sgu? where does auc fall on this spectrum?

Thanks - any input is appreciated. :)

Members don't see this ad.
 
just curious, have you already applied to these four schools and received acceptance from all of them?
 
SABA seems to be a great school for US placement. The price is a concern for me as my savings can cover SABA/MUA (they are sister schools) but NOT SGU or Ross. Also look into AUC they have a great rep and are a little less expensive and they have enough stafford loans to cover tuition. I am narrowed down to SABA/MUA
and AUC. Hope this helps

Erika
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I would advise anyone that is planning to attend a caribbean school not to worry about price. Loans are very easy to get for both Ross and SGU. In fact, Ross is cheaper than most US private schools. You should be worrying about the type of education that you get on the island, where you will do your clinicals, and look at the match list for the prospective school. If you are going to attend a caribbean school, I would highly suggest that you go to either Ross or SGU. The most important thing to look for other than USMLE pass rates is where you do your clinicals and in which hospitals. Ross and SGU have many of the same hospitals and they are all in the united states. I am currently doing a clerkship with a student from AUC and he said that only the top 10% of each class rotates in the United States. The rest, according to this student, go to Ireland or UK.
This decision could be the most important of your life so make sure that you do the research about the program and talk to someone in that school. You must be very careful about which program you attend in the caribbean. If you have any questions about any of the caribbean schools feel free to email me. Hope this helps.
 
I wowuld advice you to look at the whole picture. For example, if you will be fine with a mid-tier FP residency and reduced cost up against a slightly increased chance of a "better" residency for the increased price...then I suppose it makes no difference.
 
Originally posted by chesspro_md
. I am currently doing a clerkship with a student from AUC and he said that only the top 10% of each class rotates in the United States. The rest, according to this student, go to Ireland or UK.


Only 10% do US rotations? wow. I think SABA is much higher than that. And don't most all people in SGU and Ross classes get to do US clinicals?
 
At Ross, 100% of the students rotate in U.S. hospitals. That is, if you make it past Step I... (which, you should).

-Skip
MS2 Ross University
Portsmouth, Dominica
 
Ross only has clinical spots in the US. Before you make a decision of going to a school other than ross or sgu, you should have a very good reason. Just because a school rotates in the US doesn't mean the rotations are good. Find out exactly which hospitals the school has and which universities those hospitals are affiliated with.
Two things that you need to know before choosing a caribbean school are:
1) step one pass rates (don't accept any school <90%)
2) exactly where you will be doing you rotations
3) the past year match list from your prospective school

Hope this helps.
 
"I am currently doing a clerkship with a student from AUC and he said that only the top 10% of each class rotates in the United States. The rest, according to this student, go to Ireland or UK."


AUC claims the top 70% do clinicals in the US and it all depends on your USMLE score.
 
Money can be a big concern. But I would like to present an alternate view.

I ask you this question:

Suppose if you are accepted at an expensive but not highly ranked private medical school in the US, say for argument's sake, Chicago Med or NY Med (easily $40-50k of expenditure/year), and they denied to give you anything but institutional loans. Would you have accept their acceptance over say, a carribean school that might have costed less?

Wouldn't the same argument apply for SGU or Ross vs SABA? Higher quality sometimes costs more. In this situation, I think every bit of reputation counts because you are at a point of throwing down your hard cash for a prayer that you're going to get back to the US for residency. The more proven track-history, the more likelihood for you coming back to the US. This is the truth. SABA isn't terrible, but I think SGU or Ross is at least marginally but noticibly better. The pressure of needing to stand-out at SABA maybe higher. And that's bad news, as you will learn in medical school (ie everyone feeling the pressure of needing to standout-->competition-->more stress--->cycle).

If your choice is truly limited by your means, then by all means go to the one that you can afford. But if you are worried about taking too much loans, my answer is dont worry. Worry about getting back to the US first - that should be your first and foremost worry, everything else is secondary.

Renovar
MSIII
 
How does the loan repayment scheme at saba work, since they only offer private loans, and not US government subsidized loans.

Can you defer these loans while in training?

What type of flexibility do you get with repayment?

If you arrend SGU and become an invasive cardiologist making 300K/yr, then no problem.

250K debt is quite a crunch for an FP or pediatrician. ( but doable)

Medicine is still a very good investment.

Think about taking a small business loan for 250K to open a pet shop or snack bar.

Then you work 5 or 6 days a week, struggle with a lot of hassle, etc. Maybe the business falls on hard times, like some guy trips on spilled coffee and sues you, or the economy tuens south.

Now take out 250K in loans to become an MD.
You will most certainly be in the top 5% of wage earners, and job security is fantastic. When the economy goes bad, more people get sick!
Not to mention slightly higher prestige in society than the guy that irons your shirts ( not that there is ANYTHING wrong with good honest work....but you get my "dreft" ( oh, I crack myself up sometimes)

Medical education is nothing to get cheap about.

Still, I am repaying loans in the ballpark of 140K in debt.
The less you owe the better.
If you are certain that you want primary care, the nSaba is probably an excellent school.
Your residency chances are what you make of them, so if you attend Saba and do very well on USMLE and are a great person and hard worker, then there is still no reason why you can't get a more competative residency ( still, harder than if you were from SGU though! )
 
I think you better go through your analysis once more. Majority of people attending Ross and SGU go into primary care. Primary Care salaries these days are barely 150K as a seasoned doc. Many start below six figures. If you want to do Cardio or GI you better go to a good residency. From what I heard it's tough matching into a top program from Ross or SGU. I hope you do well and everything works out.
 
It would be great if people could address whether there is a difference in what US States you can (or rather can't) practice in whether you go to Saba, SGU, Ross or AUC... I believe there is a difference in their accredidations.....
 
Members don't see this ad :)
You can practice in all 50 states if you go to SGU or Ross.

Saba will allow you to practice in every state but California or New Mexico. You also will not be able to do a residency in New York if you go to Saba but you will be able to practice there.
 
Dr. Cuts, whats the downside of Saba? What about AUC?
 
The salaries quoted for US doctors are considerably higher than those in the UK. Most doctors here work for many years on salaries of less than $US 40 - 50k. As a doctor I will probably be earning much less than I earned previously but with a large loan to repay and hence a very much lower disposable income. There is also 4 years whilst training, with no income, to consider. We can't hope to start our careers with a $US 200k debt to repay (even assuming such loans were available to UK students) and hence have to live on the bare minimum whilst studying.

My feelings are that here in the UK, being a doctor is more about personal commitment, dedication and fulfilment than being an opportunity to achieve a high income or socio-economic status, neither of which are likely aspects of working for the NHS (National Health Service). The way to become wealthy in Britain is not to become a doctor but to opt for a career in the business sector where salaries outstrip those of doctors by a large margin.
 
Tevelin,
I heard that docs working outsode of NHS do very well in Britain. The ones that have a big name and are in private practice have excelent incomes. Also, don't surgeons who run their own practice have excellent incomes in the UK?
 
Volvulus

This may be the case for those tempted by the lure of greater financial rewards but people overwhelmingly seek treatment from the NHS to which there is a great commitment from both the public and medical staff. In the UK everyone is entitled to health care when they present to a Family Practice or NHS hospital, which is free at the point of delivery. Many people feel private health care is based on a privilege principle where those who can pay are able to receive quicker or better treatment.

It depends on your political point of view whether you support the NHS approach or not but in the UK it is something the British population (and most other Western European countries) hold in high regard and are quite defensive about - it does mean we all have access to good medical services including less fortunate (poorer) members of society who may otherwise be denied the care they need. This is surely an important characteristic of a a caring and civilised society. I personally know many NHS staff who choose not to work for the private sector and perhaps earn less because of their dedication to the NHS ethic. I don't believe pay is the overiding attraction for becoming a doctor (or nurse) in the UK.
 
I know that SGU and Ross are presumably the best med schools in the carribean but my concern is the price tag. I'm debating b/w
SABA and Ross/SGU reason being is that SABA costs half as much as the other two.

Basic sciences at SABA: $6900+ each semester
ROSS: 9000+
SGU: 12000+

Anyone know tuition of AUC? I can't find the info on their website.
 
SGU = your best bet, worth every penny..
if they refuse you,
then
AUC = ROSS = same $$
if they refuse you,
your last choice is SABA
and if they refuse you,
consider to be RN

Cheers
 
Originally posted by andreg
SGU = your best bet, worth every penny..
if they refuse you,
then
AUC = ROSS = same $$
if they refuse you,
your last choice is SABA
and if they refuse you,
consider to be RN

Cheers

Ross tuition is creeping up. But, personally going to AUC was never an option for me and, aside from perhaps the cost of education, I wouldn't currently equate the two reputation-wise. However, AUC recently acquired some very good professors from Ross, so things may improve in the near future in that regard.

For me, I narrowed it down to SGU, Ross, and UAG in Guadalajara, MX. SGU and UAG wanted me to retake the MCAT. Ross accepted my slightly-outside-the-three-year-window scores. If I'd have had to take the MCAT again, I probably would have applied U.S. too. But, for me, time was of the essence.

I'm attending Ross and doing extremely well, by the way. We get transfers from AUC all the time. The only students I know of who transfer the other way are students who dropped from Ross for whatever reason. That's not an indictment of AUC, just the facts.
 
my cousin goes to SABA........... if u want to contact him, just e-mail me and I'll hook you guys up
 
Top