Should I go Caribbean?

[arclegend09]

Long story short, I applied for the 2019-2020 cycle to MD and DO programs and failed to get into any. Only had 1 DO interview, which turned into a waitlist which eventually turned into nothing. I know the reason that I failed is because of my crap 3.2 sGPA with way too many W's and a downward trend. I don't want to spend time or money trying to fix that, because it would take way too much of both. I still think that I would be successful in med school, because I got a 509 on the MCAT and I had great clinical & non-clinical extracurriculars.

I'm 26 and I'm looking to start med school now or never. If I do it now, my only option is going Caribbean. If I don't go Caribbean, I will probably get an MHA or MBA and at least be done in 2 years. I probably wouldn't be as happy, but at least I will be done.

I've heard both horror stories and saving grace stories about Caribbean med schools, so I want people's advice. I'm not a 2.0/498 student and I know that I will have to work twice as hard as a MD or DO student, but will it be worth it? I am so scared about not matching into a residency and accumulating a tremendous amount of debt with nothing to show for it. I'm not looking to match into a super competitive residency, so maybe going Caribbean would be the right move for me? Any advice is appreciated.

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[GreenDuck12]

Nope, do a 1 year SMP to offset your downward trend and reapply. Surely one year is worth it to not attend a school with dismal prospects...

 

[Damson]

Agreed with above, 3.7+ GPA in a 1-y SMP will open lots of doors.

Better alternative than Caribs, but you still risk not matching in the US. If you're willing to staying in Australia if you don't match - List of medical schools in Australia - Wikipedia

 

[calivianya]

Why do you think you will do well in med school? I’m not asking in a mean way - couldn’t think of a better way to phrase the question.

The MCAT is not reflective of how you’re going to do in med school. According to this data, someone entering in your 506-509 MCAT range is only 5% more likely to pass step 1 the first time (97%) than someone scoring 498-501 (92%). The MCAT is just a screening tool and doesn’t have much utility as far as predictions of success once you’re accepted.

Also, ECs can hurt you as much as they help you once you‘re in med school proper. One of my classmates spent so much time volunteering and doing ECs during our first year of DO school that he failed enough courses to have to repeat the first year. So a bunch of ECs is something that looks good for adcoms but also has nothing to do with how you’re going to do in med school. Might mean you could potentially do well your clinical years - but you have to get through your preclinical years first to get there, so that’s a wash.

You can always go get your MBA/MHA now, work for a few years and save up, and reapply later if you still want to be a physician if you don’t want to put the time in to improve your GPA now. I would recommend that over going Caribbean just because those degrees are cheaper and you will have a better chance of getting a job afterwards.

It’s never now-or-never unless you want it to be. You’re only 26 and we have people in their 40s in my class. I matriculated at 30, so I am speaking from experience there.

 

[lumya]

I don't want to spend time or money trying to fix that, because it would take way too much of both.

It’s better to spend the time and money now instead of risking not matching and having 300k+ debt and having spent 2 years living on an island and 2 years moving every 12 weeks for clinical rotations.

 

[Goro]

Long story short, I applied for the 2019-2020 cycle to MD and DO programs and failed to get into any. Only had 1 DO interview, which turned into a waitlist which eventually turned into nothing. I know the reason that I failed is because of my crap 3.2 sGPA with way too many W's and a downward trend. I don't want to spend time or money trying to fix that, because it would take way too much of both. I still think that I would be successful in med school, because I got a 509 on the MCAT and I had great clinical & non-clinical extracurriculars.

I'm 26 and I'm looking to start med school now or never. If I do it now, my only option is going Caribbean. If I don't go Caribbean, I will probably get an MHA or MBA and at least be done in 2 years. I probably wouldn't be as happy, but at least I will be done.

I've heard both horror stories and saving grace stories about Caribbean med schools, so I want people's advice. I'm not a 2.0/498 student and I know that I will have to work twice as hard as a MD or DO student, but will it be worth it? I am so scared about not matching into a residency and accumulating a tremendous amount of debt with nothing to show for it. I'm not looking to match into a super competitive residency, so maybe going Caribbean would be the right move for me? Any advice is appreciated.

my crap 3.2 sGPA with way too many W's and a downward trend.

This is a red flag that you will fail out of a Carib school. That is, in fact, their business model. The fact that you got a 509 means nothing.

I don't want to spend time or money trying to fix that, because it would take way too much of both.
Going to be blunt here, this is also a issue.

The point here isn't that there are successful Carib grads. The point is how many additional obstacles to success you face by going to a Carib school.

The pool of US applicants from the Caribbean is viewed differently by Program Directors. The DDx for a Caribbean grad is pretty off-putting: bad judgment, bad advice, egotism, gullibility, overbearing parents, inability to delay gratification, IA's, legal problems, weak research skills, high risk behavior. This is not to say that all of them still have the quality that drew them into this situation. There is just no way to know which ones they are. Some PD's are in a position where they need to, or can afford to take risks too! So, some do get interviews.
Bad grades and scores are the least of the deficits from a PD's standpoint. A strong academic showing in a Caribbean medical school does not erase this stigma. It fact it increases the perception that the reason for the choice was on the above-mentioned list!

Just about everyone from a Caribbean school has one or more of these problems and PDs know it. That's why their grads are the last choice even with a high Step 1 score.

There was a time when folks whose only flaw was being a late bloomer went Carib, but those days are gone. There are a number of US med schools that will reward reinvention.

It's likely you'll be in the bottom half or two thirds of the class that gets dismissed before Step 1. The business plan of a Carib school depends on the majority of the class not needing to be supported in clinical rotations. They literally can't place all 250+ of the starting class at clinical sites (educational malpractice, really. If this happened at a US school, they be shut down by LCME or COCA, and sued.

The Carib (and other offshore) schools have very tenuous, very expensive, very controversial relationships with a very small number of US clinical sites. You may think you can just ask to do your clinical rotations at a site near home. Nope. You may think you don't have to worry about this stuff. Wrong.

And let's say you get through med school in the Carib and get what you need out of the various clinical rotation scenarios. Then you are in the match gamble. I don't need to say a word about this - you can find everything you need to know at nrmp.org.

 

[arclegend09]

Thanks for the advice everyone

 

[Faha]

Which schools did you apply to this past cycle and where were you interviewed ? Where is your state of residence ?

 

[arclegend09]

My state of residence is FL, so I applied to all MD and DO programs in FL. I also applied to other schools in the south and midwest because that's where my stats matched most according to the MSAR. Total of around 30 schools. Only got invited to interview at LECOM-Bradenton, but it was a late interview so I was probably interviewing for a waitlist position anyways.

After doing some basic research and following the advice in this thread, I am thinking about doing a 1 year SMP and then applying for the subsequent cycle. It sucks that it will take 2 years, or half of a med school education, so I am still contemplating just getting a masters in something else and not going to med school.

 

[Faha]

My state of residence is FL, so I applied to all MD and DO programs in FL. I also applied to other schools in the south and midwest because that's where my stats matched most according to the MSAR. Total of around 30 schools. Only got invited to interview at LECOM-Bradenton, but it was a late interview so I was probably interviewing for a waitlist position anyways.

After doing some basic research and following the advice in this thread, I am thinking about doing a 1 year SMP and then applying for the subsequent cycle. It sucks that it will take 2 years, or half of a med school education, so I am still contemplating just getting a masters in something else and not going to med school.

You could receive interviews at certain DO schools with your stats and all of these are better options than any Caribbean school. I suggest these schools with your current stats:
ACOM
ARCOM
NYIT-AR
UIWSOM
WCU-COM
ATSU-SOMA
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
PCOM Georgia and South Georgia
Noorda-COM (new school)
ICOM
BCOM
LMU-DCOM
LUCOM
LECOM (all schools)
A SMP or DIY post bacc during the coming year is also a good idea if you want to wait another year and have more DO options.

 

[GreenDuck12]

so I am still contemplating just getting a masters in something else and not going to med school.

Perfectly valid course of action. You’ve got to decide what you want and what you’re willing to sacrifice. Best of luck to you.

 

[deleted1066189]

I'm 26 and I'm looking to start med school now or never. If I do it now, my only option is going Caribbean.

Nah, shoot for podiatry. It's an awesome field, and with your MCAT, you're practically a shoo in. Keep in mind though, you'll only be working with feet...this alone turns off so many people, despite the immense variety the foot and ankle can provide at times.

 

[deleted966837]

Please don't rush it because of your age. You are young with plenty of time! I started at 27. Several people in my class are 40+.