SGU isn't so condescending to rank students by "terms", they are ranked by years. Each year SGU has about 600 students, AUC has about 300 students per year, with more than half of that entering in August and the rest in January and May. AUC also has a fair level of attrition, nothing like Ross which is a slaughterhouse, even checked with one of the faculty members, that said about 15 percent are dismissed from AUC vs. 3 percent at SGU. I did my homework on both schools, AUC has slightly lower tuition but that is irrelevant since St. Maarten is highly gentrified, and the cost of living is exhorbitant. MEAS estimated my living costs at nearly 4,000US per month!!! Grenada is not cheap either but the cost of living is nowhere near as bad as St. Maarten. St. Maarten might be more "Americanized" with casinos, tourist beaches, strip clubs, etc. but we are not on the island for these things, were are there as students(Personally I rather go to Europe during my summer breaks that I get at SGU).
If given the choice between AUC and SGU, SGU is better. Between Ross and AUC, AUC.
i'm currently looking into apartments on st. maarten...one bedrooms are about 900 a month, with super nice ones 1000-1200 a month...most of them have utilities and such included. i was just wondering where the rest of the 3000 for the 'estimated' cost of living goes..maybe you have a really high standard of living, but 3000 a month for food and random expenses seems like a stretch. thats also assuming you live alone..a roomate would cut the cost of rent to 500-600. its by no means cheap, but it does not offset the fact that SGU is much more expensive.
right now i've interviewed at both st. george and AUC, done tons of research, and it seems like SGU does offer a SLIGHT edge in the overall ''legitimacy" category (e.g. many more options for clinical rotation sites, just signed the deal with the new york hospitals, bigger campus, etc.). even my general impression from the admissions process leads me to believe that SGU is more efficient and probably a better-run school. i don't believe, however, that these facts put SGU far enough ahead of AUC to warrant the extra tuition, especially when i just want to come back and rotate at bakersfield (offered by both AUC and SGU).
Finally, after talking to some friends who are residents out of the caribbean, they advise me that the school doesnt matter, only your scores on the boards (mainly USMLE step one). If you score low on your boards coming out of SGU, SGU's "reputation" wont do anything for you. once you are a resident, your med school becomes as relevant as your undergrad: it may be a conversation piece, but thats about it. So it pretty much comes down to the fact that, regardless of your school, you must perform well on step 1.
thats just my two cents, please correct me if i'm being misleading in any way.
P.S.
for those who believe that style of life does not matter, thats just your opinion. i hate the notion that 'you are down there to study and hole up in the library' mentality. for many of us, it matters. that is the primary reason i prefer AUC..i've done the whole education-in-a-podunk-place bit before, and i went insane. i need a sports bar on friday night to drink a beer and stare at sportscenter on a plasma. i need to unwind with a dirty martini at a nice restaurant after exams. i need to throw caution into the wind and put a bill on red or a hand of blackjack every once in a while. burning out is the one thing you don't want happening in a career that DOES NOT STOP once you start.
