TouroCOM Montana vs SGU

[squigglyshana]

Touro Montana
Pros

• Associated research opportunities - McLaughlin (actually interested in neuro so this will be amazing)
• Monday and Friday flex schedules - more time outside class
• New school, so possibly more leadership opportunities?
• Follows established curriculum from NY campuses
• All the hiking, skiing I could do!

Cons

• Brand new school, no upperclassmen that can actually talk to the experience
• Will be the first cohort that is trying everything out, classrooms, clinical rotations etc.
• Never have been to Montana, not sure how I'd fit in
  

SGU
Pros

• More established program, friends who have been there have reported a good experience
• At this stage, has better match rate than Touro Montana
• Only 2 years in Grenada, I could spend the rest of the time in California or NY at decent rotation sites
• Offered a 75k scholarship
• Tropical weather?
• Maybe I'll finally learn to swim?

Cons

• Lots of negative reputation, worried about being able to match into the US
• Huge class size, I'm used to smaller groups and don't know how big their administrative infrastructure is to be able to help each student
• Brand new location, culture, language, currency - feels like a bigger culture shock

In Summary - I think what matters to me the most is community/ opportunity. Either way, I'm thrilled to start med school!

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[chilly_md]

Absolutely do not go to a Caribbean school. Go to Touro MT, I guarantee the true match rate will be far better when the first class reaches that stage.

 

[squigglyshana]

Absolutely do not go to a Caribbean school. Go to Touro MT, I guarantee the true match rate will be far better when the first class reaches that stage.

Thank you for sharing! I do feel inclined to agree with you - the attrition rates and large class sizes at SGU does make me nervous and skeptical

 

[tzuyu&yuqi]

Touro Montana hands down, DO >>>>>> Carribean

 

[AstroSidekick]

If it makes this decision easier, I would bet money that lots of SGU students would rather go to Touro Montana if they were in your shoes as they know your odds of matching are so much better

 

[theoceanman]

This is the first time I’ve seen someone ask for a well-known establish DO school versus a Caribbean school out of all things…..go Touro and don’t look back. You’ll have more than a 75K scholarship to worry about at SGU.

 

[Just D.O. it]

At this stage, has better match rate than Touro Montana

You're not serious are you? Maybe the official match rate SGU claims to have is higher than Touro-Montana.

But you need to keep in mind that unlike Touro, SGU doesn't answer to the strict regulatory bodies that protect US med students.
SGU exists to make money and they will harm their students to inflate their match rate to advertise to gullible customers such as yourself.

Unlike US based schools, SGU can inflate the "success" of their "graduates" by

1. Denying the ability to sit for STEP exams to students they aren't impressed with

2. Denying clinical rotations to students they aren't impressed with

3. Holding students back 1 or more years from graduation so they don't drag down their years match % (these extra years of course still must be paid for in full)

Touro Montana hands down, DO >>>>>> Carribean

Just for the sake of anyone else reading this thread with a similar conundrum.

ANY US MED SCHOOL MD OR DO, Brand new or otherwise IS STILL LEAGUES ABOVE the Caribbean.

Caribbean outcomes are significantly worse than even the worst performing US school. If they show you numbers that suggest otherwise, they are lying to/misleading you.

 

[chilly_md]

This is the first time I’ve seen someone ask for a well-known establish DO school versus a Caribbean school out of all things…..go Touro and don’t look back. You’ll have more than a 75K scholarship to worry about at SGU.

It is a brand new campus that is supposed to use existing curriculum from Touro NY I believe. You are right that there would be a lot more to worry about though at SGU.