Should I Consider Caribbean Schools Considering My Statistics/Chances? Are They a Viable Option?

[MintChocolateChip94]

Hi guys,

I am in the need of some advice, particularly regarding medical schools in the Caribbean. I have currently applied to about 10 medical schools and received one interview from my state medical school. I think the reason I haven't heard back from many schools is because I was a late applicant. I am planning on graduating in three years which I didn't know if it would work out initially or not and hence I waited to finish courses such as biochem and molecular bio before taking my MCAT. My gpa is 3.8 and my MCAT score is 28. I have heard that Caribbean medical schools have rolling admissions and I am seriously considering applying to them just in case my interview doesn't work out or I don't hear back from other schools. However, I have some serious concerns. First off, I am not extremely familiar with Spanish. Is this necessary for these schools? The last time that I took a language was in high school for three years. I never learned more than basic conjugation. However, I am bilingual. Second, I have heard from many that safety is a concern regarding these medical schools because most of these schools are located in underprivileged neighborhoods. As a result, I am wondering, are you confined to your campus? If anyone has any advice regarding my application status or could provide me with some help regarding the application process to Caribbean schools or tell me their experiences at such schools, it will be greatly appreciated.

Please do not encourage me to apply to DO schools because I need a reference from a DO Doctor which I do not have and I am too late for this cycle. I want to take advantage of my early graduation and do not want to wait any longer. Secondly, of the 10 medical schools that I applied to, 3 have turned me down but the rest of them still say that my application is under review or consideration. Do I still have a chance for those schools?

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[NicMouse64]

Hi guys,

I am in the need of some advice, particularly regarding medical schools in the Caribbean. I have currently applied to about 10 medical schools and received one interview from my state medical school. I think the reason I haven't heard back from many schools is because I was a late applicant. I am planning on graduating in three years which I didn't know if it would work out initially or not and hence I waited to finish courses such as biochem and molecular bio before taking my MCAT. My gpa is 3.8 and my MCAT score is 28. I have heard that Caribbean medical schools have rolling admissions and I am seriously considering applying to them just in case my interview doesn't work out or I don't hear back from other schools. However, I have some serious concerns. First off, I am not extremely familiar with Spanish. Is this necessary for these schools? The last time that I took a language was in high school for three years. I never learned more than basic conjugation. However, I am bilingual. Second, I have heard from many that safety is a concern regarding these medical schools because most of these schools are located in underprivileged neighborhoods. As a result, I am wondering, are you confined to your campus? If anyone has any advice regarding my application status or could provide me with some help regarding the application process to Caribbean schools or tell me their experiences at such schools, it will be greatly appreciated.

Please do not encourage me to apply to DO schools because I need a reference from a DO Doctor which I do not have and I am too late for this cycle. I want to take advantage of my early graduation and do not want to wait any longer. Secondly, of the 10 medical schools that I applied to, 3 have turned me down but the rest of them still say that my application is under review or consideration. Do I still have a chance for those schools?

I think you should wait until next year to apply if this cycle doesn't work out. Apply broadly and maybe DO, but again if you have that much bias against DO and decide you will only do MD or Caribbean that's a serious judgement error in my opinion. My sister got accepted the second time she applied to an MD school so a lot of people have to apply more than once. Better to try again than go to the Caribbean in my opinion. But what do I know, I am only a premed too .

 

[MintChocolateChip94]

I wouldn't say I have a bias against DO. Had I shadowed a DO, I would have seriously considered DO schools. But because I didn't have a DO reference, I didn't apply this cycle. I just want to save money and a year and enter medical school. It's a long and expensive process so to save a little bit would mean a lot. I want to make my early graduation worthwhile, and I know that I want to be a doctor in the end, so why delay?

 

[Jabbed]

Hi guys,

I am in the need of some advice, particularly regarding medical schools in the Caribbean. I have currently applied to about 10 medical schools and received one interview from my state medical school. I think the reason I haven't heard back from many schools is because I was a late applicant. I am planning on graduating in three years which I didn't know if it would work out initially or not and hence I waited to finish courses such as biochem and molecular bio before taking my MCAT. My gpa is 3.8 and my MCAT score is 28. I have heard that Caribbean medical schools have rolling admissions and I am seriously considering applying to them just in case my interview doesn't work out or I don't hear back from other schools. However, I have some serious concerns. First off, I am not extremely familiar with Spanish. Is this necessary for these schools? The last time that I took a language was in high school for three years. I never learned more than basic conjugation. However, I am bilingual. Second, I have heard from many that safety is a concern regarding these medical schools because most of these schools are located in underprivileged neighborhoods. As a result, I am wondering, are you confined to your campus? If anyone has any advice regarding my application status or could provide me with some help regarding the application process to Caribbean schools or tell me their experiences at such schools, it will be greatly appreciated.

Please do not encourage me to apply to DO schools because I need a reference from a DO Doctor which I do not have and I am too late for this cycle. I want to take advantage of my early graduation and do not want to wait any longer. Secondly, of the 10 medical schools that I applied to, 3 have turned me down but the rest of them still say that my application is under review or consideration. Do I still have a chance for those schools?

I would reevaluate your situation and consider sitting out a year and re applying rather than going Caribbean. The main issue with a Caribbean education will be the added difficulty that you will face in matching a residency, not to mention the effective limitations that you're placing on yourself in terms of what specialities you can match into in the first place. This is much more damaging than a year off.

 

[Jabbed]

And yes, you do still have a shot this cycle.

 

[Xene106]

I
I would wait till next cycle and reapply MD. But send your applications the day it opens. At least give another try before Caribbean schools. Also only attend SGU or other big three if thinking. Since residency outlook is getting worse since congress isn't expanding funding.

If you want to improve application a lot think of retaking Mcat since you have now till may to prepare since 28 is very low end of percentile for matriculants.

 

[Doc4Underserved]

What schools did you apply to? Maybe consider applying more broadly next cycle. Also for some DO schools, an MD LOR will suffice. Look into which ones are willing to substitute MD LOR for a DO LOR.

Congrats on graduating early but taking another year off won't hurt you if you use that year to improve your application even more. Focus on what will be the best for you in the long run.

 

[MintChocolateChip94]

I have applied to OU, Baylor, Arizona, Miami Miller, Maryland, Iowa-Carver, Tulane, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia and I have an interview in two weeks from OU. I have been rejected from Iowa, WV, and Tulane.

What schools did you apply to? Maybe consider applying more broadly next cycle. Also for some DO schools, an MD LOR will suffice. Look into which ones are willing to substitute MD LOR for a DO LOR.

Congrats on graduating early but taking another year off won't hurt you if you use that year to improve your application even more. Focus on what will be the best for you in the long run.

 

[Storph]

I didn't read the other responses here, but I assume there will be some overlap in what I say.

According to AMCAS, students who had and MCAT score 27-29 and a GPA 3.7-3.8 had a 60% chance of being admitted to medical school. I would wait out this cycle, state school have a tendency to take there own (both of my acceptances this cycle are from my state schools). If that doesn't work out, I think your stats are fine if you apply to more schools. I applied to 23 schools for example.

I honestly think that going to a carib school is a terrible choice. They don't have good match rates, and the students that do match will likely not match into as competitive a program as they could have had they attended a US med school.

Good luck.

 

[Pacna]

Please do not encourage me to apply to DO schools because I need a reference from a DO Doctor which I do not have and I am too late for this cycle.

This is not true. I applied and was accepted to 2 DO schools which "required" a reference from a DO. There are ways around it. One of the schools had me interview separately with one of their faculty. The other had me write a short essay.

 

[alpinism]

Do not throw away your money on a Caribbean school. By the time you graduate (even if 1 year earlier) it will be extremely hard to even get a rural family medicine or internal medicine residency. There are tons of new US MD and DO schools opening up and the number of residency slots has stayed relatively constant over the past 5 years.

If you don't get in this cycle reapply next year to both MD and DO in June.

In addition, you don't need a DO LOR for many DO schools.

 

[midweststudent1]

How many of these "should I consider Caribbean" threads must there be?

Don't apply Caribbean--unless you want your odds to be 30% that you have a mountain of debt with no residency/degree

You don't need a DO letter for many schools

If you wait til next year, you can have acquired a DO letter anyway. You'll be a re applicant, so MD is going to be difficult unless you apply very strategically.

Good luck

 

[tellmemore2020]

To add to what has already been said, start working on making DO contacts after your interview. This seems like an annoying thing to do and you don't know what that entails and don't have the motivation, etc. I have been there. Even though I finally got an MD acceptance, the DO acceptances were worth the piece of mind. So, I will break it down for you. A. Google search, create a list, cold call. Follow up repeatedly. B. Speak to your pre-health office if they have any shadowing opportunities C. Go to your career center and see if they have any shadowing opportunities. Pursue all avenues until you get a contact.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Moving to Pre Allo

 

[Mad Jack]

I used an MD letter for all of my DO apps but 2. You don't need a DO letter. A few schools don't require any physician letter. You didn't apply to enough schools for a realistic shot at MD and you are so late in the cycle that your app is likely sunk. So the choice is yours- apply DO next year and broaden your MD app, or go to the Carib and waste 350k to not match this year. Choose wisely.

 

[MintChocolateChip94]

I used an MD letter for all of my DO apps but 2. You don't need a DO letter. A few schools don't require any physician letter. You didn't apply to enough schools for a realistic shot at MD and you are so late in the cycle that your app is likely sunk. So the choice is yours- apply DO next year and broaden your MD app, or go to the Carib and waste 350k to not match this year. Choose wisely.

I'm still very much new to the whole application process. What do you mean by not matching this year? Are you meaning residencies? How does matching residencies apply to me currently? I don't mean to be ignorant, I'm just confused.

 

[MintChocolateChip94]

How many of these "should I consider Caribbean" threads must there be?

Don't apply Caribbean--unless you want your odds to be 30% that you have a mountain of debt with no residency/degree

You don't need a DO letter for many schools

If you wait til next year, you can have acquired a DO letter anyway. You'll be a re applicant, so MD is going to be difficult unless you apply very strategically.

Good luck

Also, I apologize for being repetitive, I am new to this website.

 

[MintChocolateChip94]

I didn't read the other responses here, but I assume there will be some overlap in what I say.

According to AMCAS, students who had and MCAT score 27-29 and a GPA 3.7-3.8 had a 60% chance of being admitted to medical school. I would wait out this cycle, state school have a tendency to take there own (both of my acceptances this cycle are from my state schools). If that doesn't work out, I think your stats are fine if you apply to more schools. I applied to 23 schools for example.

I honestly think that going to a carib school is a terrible choice. They don't have good match rates, and the students that do match will likely not match into as competitive a program as they could have had they attended a US med school.

Good luck.

I hope it all works out this year so I don't have to consider alternative options.

 

[mehc012]

What state are you a resident of? Both WV and Iowa have low OOS acceptance rates, and you cannot be a resident of both. I'm not sure on the IS ratios of the rest of your list, as I am at work without my usual resources, but there were a lot of state names in there. How did you make your list?

That being said, do not be too disheartened if you are rejected from schools with an IS preference if you're not from their state...that's a reflection of your school choices, not your app. If you still have some good lines running, you may yet have a decent shot.

 

[IlDestriero]

You would be a fool to apply to the Caribbean and become a foreign graduate when you can just take a year off, continue to improve your application, and reapply.
If I were you, I would retake my MCAT.

 

[gyngyn]

Depending on your state of residence, you had one or maybe two chances at an interview. Are you from OK?

 

[Reinvented_Virginian]

I wouldn't say I have a bias against DO. Had I shadowed a DO, I would have seriously considered DO schools. But because I didn't have a DO reference, I didn't apply this cycle. I just want to save money and a year and enter medical school. It's a long and expensive process so to save a little bit would mean a lot. I want to make my early graduation worthwhile, and I know that I want to be a doctor in the end, so why delay?

Waiting a year, working, re-taking the MCAT isn't a waste of money. What is a waste of money is moving to an Island in the Caribbean, entering a foreign medical school, maybe graduating, have an unacceptable amount of loans, and then having the possibility of not matching (which is actually much more likely than matching).

The Caribbean is no longer a viable option for those who intend to learn through an American residency.

If you don't want to retake the MCAT, DO sounds perfect. DO Match statistics are pretty similar, if not the same, as MD stats. Doing a DO is a safe way to become a physician in the United States. Carib is not.

 

[Afford]

I would just reapply. Your school list has a ton of public schools that favor in-state residents and even though Baylor is private, it favors in-state residents as well and has a 35 MCAT average.

Your GPA is high and you can always retake your MCAT. However, your MCAT and GPA are very good for DO schools and are ok for some MD schools. The main problem with the Caribbean is that even though you will have an MD degree, you might not get a residency, so you will not be able to practice medicine in the U.S. Even if you get a residency, it will probably be limited to the uncompetitive specialties that no US graduate wants.

 

[Mad Jack]

I'm still very much new to the whole application process. What do you mean by not matching this year? Are you meaning residencies? How does matching residencies apply to me currently? I don't mean to be ignorant, I'm just confused.

That was in reference to you not matching down the road if you choose to go to the Caribbean this year. Your decision now will substantially affect whether and how you match in the distant future.

 

[cidem2065]

I wouldn't say I have a bias against DO. Had I shadowed a DO, I would have seriously considered DO schools. But because I didn't have a DO reference, I didn't apply this cycle. I just want to save money and a year and enter medical school. It's a long and expensive process so to save a little bit would mean a lot. I want to make my early graduation worthwhile, and I know that I want to be a doctor in the end, so why delay?

Based on your writing style and what you've told us so far it seems like you rush through things, the most damaging of which appear to be applying too early (making you late in the cycle, among other things) and possibly your MCAT score.

 

[Goro]

Pennywise and pound foolish. It will be even longer and more expensive when you're an unemployed MD and have some huge debts to pay.

Not all DO schools require a DO LOR.

I wouldn't say I have a bias against DO. Had I shadowed a DO, I would have seriously considered DO schools. But because I didn't have a DO reference, I didn't apply this cycle. I just want to save money and a year and enter medical school. It's a long and expensive process so to save a little bit would mean a lot. I want to make my early graduation worthwhile, and I know that I want to be a doctor in the end, so why delay?

 

[Doug Underhill]

Your list of schools is why you weren't accepted. You applied to 8 state schools- 7 of which you were OOS at, one reach, and one private school you had a reasonable shot at (even though you got rejected).

Apply again with some DO experience. Apply to like 15 MDs- all of your in-state schools and fill in the rest with low-tier MDs from the list below and also 5 DO schools.

Temple
Drexel
Jefferson
Rosalind Franklin
Quinnipiac
Oakland
NYMC
Albany
Medical College of Wisconsin
Tufts
Rush
Loyola Chicago
Hofstra
Georgetown
George Washington

 

[rodmichael82]

Please do not encourage me to apply to DO schools because I need a reference from a DO Doctor which I do not have and I am too late for this cycle. I want to take advantage of my early graduation and do not want to wait any longer. Secondly, of the 10 medical schools that I applied to, 3 have turned me down but the rest of them still say that my application is under review or consideration. Do I still have a chance for those schools?

I wouldn't say I have a bias against DO. Had I shadowed a DO, I would have seriously considered DO schools. But because I didn't have a DO reference, I didn't apply this cycle. I just want to save money and a year and enter medical school. It's a long and expensive process so to save a little bit would mean a lot.

I want to make my early graduation worthwhile, and I know that I want to be a doctor in the end, so why delay?

Don't be an idiot. Going to a Caribbean medical school will mean hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of loans with the realistic possibility of NEVER being a doctor.

What are you going to do when you graduate from a Caribbean medical school, don't get matched into residency and now have 300k in loans to pay off. Will you work at Mcdonalds your whole life to pay off an imaginary mortgage and think about how you were an idiot and couldn't be patient for 1 year!!?

PROBLEM:-

1. My best friend since high school went to a top 3 Caribbean school. He had $300k in student loans and the first time he did not match into anything even though he wanted to go into Internal medicine. He waited another year and finally matched into Family medicine. Not only did he waste an entire year but all the stress he had to go through for matching again into the least competitive field.

2. My other friend in college picked a Caribbean school over a DO school. Top of his class, wanted to do General surgery and ended up in Internal medicine. Now he hates his life because he couldn't pursue his passion, he had to settle for scramble. Caribbean schools give you no hope but the least competitive fields.

3. Without a strong application you applied to just 10 schools. I don't know if you were just ignorant or you're an egotistical or narcissistic maniac but with a 28 and an application to only 10 schools hmmm what did you expect other than rejections?
The 60 % acceptance stat of people with your GPA/MCAT combination is of folks that most likely applied broadly.
You should have applied to 30 schools at the very least with your stats and you would already be sitting on a MD acceptance. A lot of people complain about finances when applying to medical school and it just doesn't make sense. You could have taken out loans to pay the applications, it costs a couple grand but saves you an entire year worth of rejections, stress and lost lifetime physician pay of (> 250 grand).

SOLUTION:-

1. Stop destroying your entire life over lack of patience for 1 year.

2. Shadow DO physicians from middle of January to middle of March and get a LOR. Some DO schools don't require DO letters, they accept MD letters. With your stats and applying early you would get into those DO schools even with just a MD letter. You have plenty of time right now, DO schools are a little delayed you could send your application in August and still easily get accepted to a DO school.

3. As a DO physician you will have the luxury of matching surely, reduced stress, much more respect and you could go into a very wide array of medical specialties without the fear of unmatching with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of loans.

4. Reapply next year to 30 MD schools with stronger ECs and possibly a retaken MCAT. if you don't want to retake the MCAT because of the new format/material well I understand just make sure to apply to DO schools too then.

 

[DokterMom]

Sure, a Caribbean medical school would allow you to start medical school earlier. But waiting another year to reapply smartly would almost certainly allow you to start your medical career as a practicing physician earlier. Of the Caribbean students who do manage to complete their coursework in four years (well under half) and pass the boards (shrink the pool again), an even smaller percentage of them are able to secure US Residencies at all, let alone securing a residency the first year they try. And without completing a US residency, you can't practice in the US as a physician.
And by all accounts, it's getting harder and harder for graduates of foreign medical schools (like the Caribbean) to secure residencies.

 

[Eppur Si Muove]

Absolutely do not go to the Caribbean. Apply again. As others have said, the reason you did not get in is because of where you applied. You need to apply more broadly. Your stats are very good for DO as well.

 

[IlDestriero]

How did you even come up with that list of schools?

 

[gyngyn]

Your list of schools is why you weren't accepted. You applied to 8 state schools- 7 of which you were OOS at, one reach, and one private school you had a reasonable shot at (even though you got rejected).

Apply again with some DO experience. Apply to like 15 MDs- all of your in-state schools and fill in the rest with low-tier MDs from the list below and also 5 DO schools.

Temple
Drexel
Jefferson
Rosalind Franklin
Quinnipiac
Oakland
NYMC
Albany
Medical College of Wisconsin
Tufts
Rush
Loyola Chicago
Hofstra
Georgetown
George Washington

OP is below the 10th% MCAT for Hofstra, GT and Tufts, but they make much better reaches than the ones on the original list! The others make an excellent beginning for his next application which, if he includes some DO schools is likely to be successful.

 

[jqueb29]

I have applied to OU, Baylor, Arizona, Miami Miller, Maryland, Iowa-Carver, Tulane, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia and I have an interview in two weeks from OU. I have been rejected from Iowa, WV, and Tulane.

That's a really random list of schools. If you're in-state you have a pretty good chance at OU, but probably no chance if you're OOS.

 

[WingedOx]

That's a really random list of schools. If you're in-state you have a pretty good chance at OU, but probably no chance if you're OOS.

To make matters worse, if OP is in state for OU, he/she also had a very good public DO school in-state.

 

[mounty104]

You don't need a DO letter for most DO schools. Out of the 7 I applied to only one required it. I would go DO over Caribbean any day.

 

[zero0]

Don't go to the Caribbean. You may start a year earlier, but you'll also likely have to try matching multiple times and potentially wind up being many years behind that way, with compounding loans no less.

 

[Psai]

Retake mcat and reapply next year

 

[cyclopes93]

 

[NonTradJp]

Dear OP,

I would strongly encourage you to continue with this cycle, then apply again next cycle with large application pool. Your GPA is great. You can take this time to experience the working world and retake the MCAT. I do not know your age and ability, but I can attest that working, even a short time, adds perspective and lets you take things a lot more mellow. Plus, you mentioned money is a concern, those paychecks whether small or big will help cover application costs. Lastly, medical school is expensive, even if you are not paying it right away, so the cost of application is very small. You are graduating early, so you are not delaying yourself by reapplying next year. You are already ahead of the game in many ways, so do what you can this cycle and take this opportunity to do even better next cycle if needed. It's still only January, the cycle isn't over. But whether you get in now or not, you can use this time well.

As for the basic question of the thread, I would suggest you not consider Caribbean schools when you have such a strong GPA and you already saved a year.

 

[Doctor Strange]

The way I see it, you could delay being a doctor for 1) one year or 2) forever. It's your choice.

 

[JuanPabloCastel]

caribbean is never worth considering.

 

[JubalHarshaw]

Hi guys,

I am in the need of some advice, particularly regarding medical schools in the Caribbean. I have currently applied to about 10 medical schools and received one interview from my state medical school. I think the reason I haven't heard back from many schools is because I was a late applicant. I am planning on graduating in three years which I didn't know if it would work out initially or not and hence I waited to finish courses such as biochem and molecular bio before taking my MCAT. My gpa is 3.8 and my MCAT score is 28. I have heard that Caribbean medical schools have rolling admissions and I am seriously considering applying to them just in case my interview doesn't work out or I don't hear back from other schools. However, I have some serious concerns. First off, I am not extremely familiar with Spanish. Is this necessary for these schools? The last time that I took a language was in high school for three years. I never learned more than basic conjugation. However, I am bilingual. Second, I have heard from many that safety is a concern regarding these medical schools because most of these schools are located in underprivileged neighborhoods. As a result, I am wondering, are you confined to your campus? If anyone has any advice regarding my application status or could provide me with some help regarding the application process to Caribbean schools or tell me their experiences at such schools, it will be greatly appreciated.

Please do not encourage me to apply to DO schools because I need a reference from a DO Doctor which I do not have and I am too late for this cycle. I want to take advantage of my early graduation and do not want to wait any longer. Secondly, of the 10 medical schools that I applied to, 3 have turned me down but the rest of them still say that my application is under review or consideration. Do I still have a chance for those schools?

The Caribbean is almost never a viable option. You have good stats for DO and you could make it into your state MD school. If you don't get in there just take a gap year. This will probably take less time to match than the Caribbean.

 

[DokterMom]

The way I see it, you could delay being a doctor for 1) one year or 2) forever. It's your choice.

Succinct, yet comprehensive. Bravo!

 

[MintChocolateChip94]

That's a really random list of schools. If you're in-state you have a pretty good chance at OU, but probably no chance if you're OOS.

I applied based on where I have family so that I would have a support system nearby.

 

[gyngyn]

I applied based on where I have family so that I would have a support system nearby.

What is your state of residence?

 

[MintChocolateChip94]

I also considered the AMCAS website and applied to state schools that had a lot of out of state matriculants.

 

[MintChocolateChip94]

What is your state of residence?

Oklahoma

 

[gyngyn]

Oklahoma

Then OU was an excellent choice.

 

[gyngyn]

I also considered the AMCAS website and applied to state schools that had a lot of out of state matriculants.

Sadly, one also has to be a bit better than their IS candidates (for public schools) as an OOS applicant.

 

[MintChocolateChip94]

Then OU was an excellent choice.

I really hope so. I wish I had applied to DO schools this cycle or that I had consulted this website for help. It's intimidating to navigate options without any guidance to go off of.