SGU vs Ross

Started by Rhino5000
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Rhino5000

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Hey guys, so I’ve been recently accepted to SGU charter program (MD) and Ross MD program. I’m trying to decide which one to go with. Any recommendations from anyone that’s attended either one? I would’ve preferred SGU at first, but because of that charter program, I’m slightly leaning towards Ross. Feel like it’s a waste of a semester and $28 K.

Thanks in advance guys
 
This should be in the Caribbean thread.

If you have exhausted all US options, I would take SGU just due to the people I know that got residencies after graduating. NONE of them recommended the Caribbean route and said they would try for MD/DO in US if they had to do it again. Besides that, both are last ditch options and you will be miserable at either, but at least you have like a 50/50 shot at getting a residency in the US.
 
You won't get any feedback on SDN for Caribbean aside from don't go. It isn't a route for everyone and you have to do your own research. I spent quite a bit of time trying to find as much unbiased info about all the schools and Carib in general. I ended up choosing Ross and am beginning this semester but don't be oblivious to the facts of any school. If you can, apply multiple cycles to US MD/DO and then self-reflect on whether a post-bacc or MCAT retake would make a difference. Also think about what happened in undergrad that didn't make you competitive for US schools. IF after all that, and doing your research on their real numbers behind it all you are okay with a school. then Ross or SGU are your best bets.

I personally picked Ross over SGU due to the cost being marginally better and how the pre-clinicals worked. SGU has(or had?) mandatory lectures while Ross has Panopto, though SGU just recently switched to P/F for their pre-clinicals as opposed to Ross which only has P/F the first semester then goes to a letter grade system. Most people quote the 50-56% US-IMG match rate and while it is true, these two schools are slightly better in their matches according to graduates I've talked to, and they've pegged it at 60-70%. This number is not quite true in and of itself due to the amount of people that fail/drop out, which seems to hover around 20-30% for these two schools.

Only go if you are 1). Aware of the true numbers behind it all and 2). don't plan on being a "gunner" in Carib school thinking you'll get into ortho, derm, ENT, plastics, etc. if you just work at it hard enough. If you can't see yourself in FM/IM/peds then don't go. EM, gen surg, anesthesiology, and diagnostic rads are more of the higher end that you can aim for.

TLDR: The difference between the schools are not massive and if you want to go Carib, then just pick the one you like better. Feel free to message me if you have more questions.
 
Current SGU student here. I havent done the charter program myself but I have colleagues who have finished it. All of them have said it is extremely difficult and strenuous. That being said, most of what you learn in charter is repeated during term 1 and 2 so getting high GPA should be cakewalk. In terms of going to ROSS MD vs SGU CFP, if you think you could survive SGU charter you might as well go to ROSS and finish that much quicker (and cheaper). If you're not sure whether or not you're capable of handling the amount of work they throw at you, then SGU CFP, so you dont drown in debt only to end up at a dead end. That's just my $0.02.
 
I went to SGU and did the charter program 6-7 years ago (wow its been so long...) and I know it has changed some since then... It definitely is another business money grab but it will give you a running start so I think it could help some people who would otherwise struggle in 1st term. SGU has more "reputation" than ross but both are virtually equal in my opinion. I think Ross and SGU have better track records at getting their graduates into certain schools (my residency has a couple SGUs every year but no other carib's and there are some places with only Ross). I would look at the clinical rotation sites (SGU many sites in NYC/Jersey) , the course curriculum / schedule (differs at each) and factor in that 28K to make your decision. If you know what specialty you want you can also look at residency rosters at schools of your interest to see the proportion or Ross vs SGU. Also if you do the charter course in august remember that you wont start 1st term until January which means you will apply for residency with the class behind you... aka lose a year.

The Charter program probably doesn't do much for most students (those who do well would have done well in 1st term regardless) but it definitely will instill confidence. You learn the island, get used to the pace of med school, learn the school / etc.

I would make the right choice for you rather than worry about the 28K which really is nothing in the big scheme of things. Pick the place that will give you the best chance to succeed.
 
shouldigomd said:
I went to SGU and did the charter program 6-7 years ago (wow its been so long...) and I know it has changed some since then... It definitely is another business money grab but it will give you a running start so I think it could help some people who would otherwise struggle in 1st term. SGU has more "reputation" than ross but both are virtually equal in my opinion. I think Ross and SGU have better track records at getting their graduates into certain schools (my residency has a couple SGUs every year but no other carib's and there are some places with only Ross). I would look at the clinical rotation sites (SGU many sites in NYC/Jersey) , the course curriculum / schedule (differs at each) and factor in that 28K to make your decision. If you know what specialty you want you can also look at residency rosters at schools of your interest to see the proportion or Ross vs SGU. Also if you do the charter course in august remember that you wont start 1st term until January which means you will apply for residency with the class behind you... aka lose a year.

The Charter program probably doesn't do much for most students (those who do well would have done well in 1st term regardless) but it definitely will instill confidence. You learn the island, get used to the pace of med school, learn the school / etc.

I would make the right choice for you rather than worry about the 28K which really is nothing in the big scheme of things. Pick the place that will give you the best chance to succeed.
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I want to do internal medicine, then maybe specialize. So I’m pretty sure both school will get me there. The thing is I’ve known people that went to SGU and succeeded but I don’t know anybody from Ross. I’ve read that Ross doesn’t prepare you for boards that well (I don’t if that’s true or not). While my first choice would have been SGU, I really really don’t want to waste a semester in a charter program, so I’m slightly leaning towards Ross right now.
 
Rhino5000 said:
I want to do internal medicine, then maybe specialize. So I’m pretty sure both school will get me there. The thing is I’ve known people that went to SGU and succeeded but I don’t know anybody from Ross. I’ve read that Ross doesn’t prepare you for boards that well (I don’t if that’s true or not). While my first choice would have been SGU, I really really don’t want to waste a semester in a charter program, so I’m slightly leaning towards Ross right now.
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I know people from Ross who are doing fine in internal medicine. Both schools can get you there and both set you up to take the boards. Studying is on you so the best thing the school can give you is the time to study for the boards (many US schools don't give that much time to prep). In the grand scheme of things 1 semester or even a year is nothing... just food for thought. The quality of your residency (which in your case is very important if you want to specialize into a competitive IM specialty) depends on your GPA and Step scores. I would choose the place you think you will succeed / be happy at.
 
Rhino5000 said:
Hey guys, so I’ve been recently accepted to SGU charter program (MD) and Ross MD program. I’m trying to decide which one to go with. Any recommendations from anyone that’s attended either one? I would’ve preferred SGU at first, but because of that charter program, I’m slightly leaning towards Ross. Feel like it’s a waste of a semester and $28 K.

Thanks in advance guys
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I didn't do CFP at SGU but a few of my friends did and they are happy they did it (we are all currently in the Match process). I would reach out to students that actually did it recently and ask them. Ask whoever your admissions counselor is to connect you to someone
 
I did my undergrad at SGU, and shared many classes with the CFP students. It is a ridiculously large course load. I think it's Abnormal Psych, Biochem, Molecular Biology, Human Anatomy, and Physiology (most of these include lab components), and like some BS Learning Strategies class. You have exams in all of these class every 4 weeks and it's a LOT. CFP is great though, because if you can do CFP you can definitely make it through Terms 1 and 2. If you don't pass CFP then you aren't out too much money and you can be honest with yourself about the whole med school thing. Also, compared to SGU Ross has a pretty weak match list. I would strongly recommend SGU if you have no other options besides SGU and Ross. The whole Step 1 change is going to kill us IMGs anyway, so just stay stateside by any means possible. Unless you are a brilliant self-studier and don't mind community programs in Peds, IM, Psych, Family Med, or General Surgery (all great specialties, but ROAD specialties and similar residencies are VERY few and far between here)
 
ScreamingEagle68W said:
Unless you are a brilliant self-studier and don't mind community programs in Peds, IM, Psych, Family Med, or General Surgery (all great specialties, but ROAD specialties and similar residencies are VERY few and far between here)
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Psych is rapidly falling out of that list of options for IMG's, community programs or otherwise. Our program is large, in an IMG-friendly place, and historically has recruited heavily/primarily from IMG's and FMG's. This year we had fewer than ever and most of our applicants were DO or lower-tier LCME. The Step 1 change was a big topic of discussion at AADPRT this week.
 
Rhino5000 said:
Hey guys, so I’ve been recently accepted to SGU charter program (MD) and Ross MD program. I’m trying to decide which one to go with. Any recommendations from anyone that’s attended either one? I would’ve preferred SGU at first, but because of that charter program, I’m slightly leaning towards Ross. Feel like it’s a waste of a semester and $28 K.

Thanks in advance guys
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Charter Foundations program will prepare you well for the med program. I had classmates from CFP who matched EM and Anesthesia so I would say the program will help you out in the long run.

The downside is obviously you don't start med school right away and the program does not qualify for loans which can be a major issue for some.

I personally feel that SGU is a better program than Ross so if you were to look at this long-term then I would go with SGU.

What's your MCAT and GPA?
 
hey guys I’m new here I just applied to Ross. I just had an interview and currently waiting for a decision. I have a 2.7 Gpa and A 480 MCAT. What are my chances of getting accepted to Ross. Also SGU, AUA, SABA would I get accepted to any of these maybe? Im also planning on a doing my own post bac this semester and increase my gpa as well as retake my MCAT to increase my chances.
 
nickcladerone said:
hey guys I’m new here I just applied to Ross. I just had an interview and currently waiting for a decision. I have a 2.7 Gpa and A 480 MCAT. What are my chances of getting accepted to Ross. Also SGU, AUA, SABA would I get accepted to any of these maybe? Im also planning on a doing my own post bac this semester and increase my gpa as well as retake my MCAT to increase my chances.
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Do a post-bacc (or a special masters program --> higher risk) increase your overall GPA to 3.0+ (Or have a post-bacc GPA of 3.7-4.0), then retake the MCAT and get a minimum of 505, and you'll have a fair chance at many DO schools. Right now you're running a huge risk of ending up failing out of medical school and be in huge debt because your MCAT score says that you have a serious lack of basic science knowledge, and that's a recipe for disaster. Many Caribbean schools will accept you with your current low stats (maybe not SGU or ROSS), but statistics have you at a serious risk of even making it out of there (I'm not even gonna mention the fact that even if you make it to 4th year, it's still a 50/50 shot at residency).
 
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nickcladerone said:
hey guys I’m new here I just applied to Ross. I just had an interview and currently waiting for a decision. I have a 2.7 Gpa and A 480 MCAT. What are my chances of getting accepted to Ross. Also SGU, AUA, SABA would I get accepted to any of these maybe? Im also planning on a doing my own post bac this semester and increase my gpa as well as retake my MCAT to increase my chances.
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Even for a carib school your scores seem too low for big 3. I don't think they'd even MERP/charter you because they'd just eat the cost of it when you don't pass it since they refund failures.

That MCAT is dangerously low even for going to a carib and I have yet to meet anyone even in first semester with one as low as that. Do what Strange said, go with a post-bacc/SMP and retake the MCAT. This will take a bit of time but it's the only way. Don't take it the wrong way but a 480 is the 3rd percentile, meaning out of 100 people, almost every single one did better than you. You might have to reevaluate some things because it isn't even a case of being borderline and just not making it into a MD/DO at that point.
 
nickcladerone said:
Thanks guys for the advice. What smp programs should I look into that would accept me?
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That'll be something you'll have to research to see what'll fit for you. There's some prominent users in the pre-med section of the forums with more knowledge than us that could help you.
 
Rhino5000 said:
Hey guys, so I’ve been recently accepted to SGU charter program (MD) and Ross MD program. I’m trying to decide which one to go with. Any recommendations from anyone that’s attended either one? I would’ve preferred SGU at first, but because of that charter program, I’m slightly leaning towards Ross. Feel like it’s a waste of a semester and $28 K.

Thanks in advance guys
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Hey just applied to Ross as well...may I ask what was your GPA and MCAT score?
 
@nickcladerone

Hey nick! Despite the broad advice given on SDN, you should evaluate your academic skills - do you think that your GPA and MCAT are poor indicators of your capabilities? Also think about the risks and costs of going carib vs. doing something else in the states.
 
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