Transfer from Ross to SGU

[MedSchoolParent]

Would there be any negativity associated with transferring from Ross to SGU given the current situation with Ross after Hurricane Maria? The transfer could easily be explained due to the current living conditions on the cruise ship and the still uncertain fate of the January semester. Please no comments about how worthless caribbean med schools are generally, the carib bashers have made their feelings very clear and no need to rehash that in this post (the past six weeks have been stressful enough, thank you). This is strictly about whether a transfer mid-way through basic sciences would reflect poorly. Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

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[Shams al Deen]

I don't see why it would be looked at negatively. SGU has a better track record in the match than Ross anyway, so it's not like you'd be going from a big 4 Carribean school to a no-name. If anything you'd be transferring up.

 

[MedSchoolParent]

Thank you. That was my thought as well and it makes the W slightly more palatable, withdrew to regroup and then transfer to St. George's. There is the "running from adversity" angle but I see it more as running toward more stability. I am just not sure if those in the medical profession would view it in the same way.

 

[IlDestriero]

I’d be running from adversity also if the adversity was no power, destroyed infrastructure, and no classes.


--
Il Destriero

 

[Goro]

Frying pan to fire.

 

[MedSchoolParent]

Goro, if there is substance behind that comment that would be helpful to know in making a decision I would appreciate your insights; however, as mentioned above, Caribbean-bashing generally is not helpful to this situation. We are where we are based on advice given by a highly-regarded university during undergrad and US is not an option. SGU may be depending upon what they are willing to do after their review of the Ross curriculum which is in process. Thank you.

 

[Peach Newport]

Frying pan to fire.

I’d actually go with fire to frying pan

 

[ChrisMack390]

Goro, if there is substance behind that comment that would be helpful to know in making a decision I would appreciate your insights; however, as mentioned above, Caribbean-bashing generally is not helpful to this situation. We are where we are based on advice given by a highly-regarded university during undergrad and US is not an option. SGU may be depending upon what they are willing to do after their review of the Ross curriculum which is in process. Thank you.

Do you also study and take exams for your child?

 

[MedSchoolParent]

ChrisMack390, I do not think that would be a good idea. The medical profession is definitely not for me and I have never had any interest in being a doctor but I am here to support my child's dream.

 

[libertyyne]

Maybe you would have better luck at valuemd. This is a very specific circumstance, although in theory it seems to be transferring upwards or at the bare minimum sideways. I dont think this would be an additional scarlet letter if the boat situation would be explained to PDs if the why transfer question comes up. But once again this is a very specific / unusual circumstance and normal rules may not apply.

 

[sliceofbread136]

Maybe you would have better luck at valuemd. This is a very specific circumstance, although in theory it seems to be transferring upwards or at the bare minimum sideways. I dont think this would be an additional scarlet letter if the boat situation would be explained to PDs if the why transfer question comes up. But once again this is a very specific / unusual circumstance and normal rules may not apply.

Ya I don't think anyone here will really know the answer to the question. It does seem like it would be a good thing since SGU has better match rates than Ross and you have a very legit reason for wanting to transfer, but we'll be able to give the OP an answer with any substantial basis to it

 

[DexterMorganSK]

Would there be any negativity associated with transferring from Ross to SGU given the current situation with Ross after Hurricane Maria? The transfer could easily be explained due to the current living conditions on the cruise ship and the still uncertain fate of the January semester. Please no comments about how worthless caribbean med schools are generally, the carib bashers have made their feelings very clear and no need to rehash that in this post (the past six weeks have been stressful enough, thank you). This is strictly about whether a transfer mid-way through basic sciences would reflect poorly. Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

No, the transfer will not create any additional obstacles for the match (other than all the risks of being an IMG, but this status stays). I hope you have contacted SGU already and they are ok with the transfer.

Like Libertyyne said above, you should ask this ques on this site: Medical Schools Caribbean | Caribbean Med School – ValueMD

 

[MedSchoolParent]

Thanks to all for your responses. I was hoping this forum would stay more on topic than ValueMD. I have searched the forums here and at ValueMD for transfers generally and the threads out there suggest that SGU does not accept transfer students. Those who do "transfer" seem to be starting over. We have no doctors in our family, nor do we have any doctors who are close friends so I really was just interested in how this type of transfer would be viewed in the medical community. The answer may be that it will not even come up since there seems to be more focus on Step scores than basic sciences grades.

In my profession grades and class rank matter even years after graduation and transcripts are requested. If a transfer student's resume came across my desk I would at least ask about the transfer as that can be a red flag depending upon the circumstances. I do appreciate that there are very good reasons for this potential transfer with these truly unusual circumstances.

As for the status, SGU called yesterday in response to an email and after reviewing an unofficial transcript and requested a formal transfer application by tomorrow. They said they are evaluating how much transfer credit they can offer given the Ross curriculum. I have not been involved in these communications so that is all I know. We will see where it goes. Thank you all again for taking the time to read this thread and offer feedback.

 

[theonlytycrane]

caribbean med school

 

[Azete]

There's a lot of Carib bashing on SDN, and certainly the match statistics are poor -- relative to any U.S. MD/DO school, anyway. That said, if you're a gifted student that for whatever reason ended up in the Caribbean, the odds of matching a quality residency are actually quite good for those at/near the top of their class. There's also more than a handful of programs that have taken high scoring Caribbean students and still shut the doors completely to DOs (which, as a DO student, is a bit frustrating).

To your question, the circumstances certainly justify a transfer and I don't see how it could possibly reflect negatively on a residency application.

 

[Donald Juan]

I thought the idea of med school on a cruise sounded pretty sweet. Guess not.

 

[Stagg737]

I thought the idea of med school on a cruise sounded pretty sweet. Guess not.

Cruise ship med school does sound pretty awesome until you get to become part of micro class. I'd rather just study the Norwalk Virus than get it...

 

[mehc012]

Goro, if there is substance behind that comment that would be helpful to know in making a decision I would appreciate your insights; however, as mentioned above, Caribbean-bashing generally is not helpful to this situation. We are where we are based on advice given by a highly-regarded university during undergrad and US is not an option. SGU may be depending upon what they are willing to do after their review of the Ross curriculum which is in process. Thank you.

I mean, the substance behind that comment is that whoever gave you the advice to go Carib, no matter how highly-regard a university they worked at, did you a grave disservice. Though to be frank, the bigger issue in my book is why a medical student has their parent researching their options for them. It's very generous of you to be involved, but it does seem highly unusual to me that they would not be fairly autonomous by the time they're considering graduate schools. Perhaps my family is the odd one out here, but by this point they were willing to be my sounding board and give advice for big decisions, but it was expected that the legwork for figuring out the options and their pros/cons would be my own responsibility; you have to be the primary agent in your own life at some point, and preferably before you become the primary actor in other people's life/death decisions.

As far as Ross vs SGU goes, the bad Carib rap is relevant, because the fact that your kid is in the Carib boat at all will greatly outweigh the nuances of which Big 4 Carib school they graduate from. Which at least means that you have less to worry about when comparing the two.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I mean, the substance behind that comment is that whoever gave you the advice to go Carib, no matter how highly-regard a university they worked at, did you a grave disservice. Though to be frank, the bigger issue in my book is why a medical student has their parent researching their options for them. It's very generous of you to be involved, but it does seem highly unusual to me that they would not be fairly autonomous by the time they're considering graduate schools. Perhaps my family is the odd one out here, but by this point they were willing to be my sounding board and give advice for big decisions, but it was expected that the legwork for figuring out the options and their pros/cons would be my own responsibility; you have to be the primary agent in your own life at some point, and preferably before you become the primary actor in other people's life/death decisions.

As far as Ross vs SGU goes, the bad Carib rap is relevant, because the fact that your kid is in the Carib boat at all will greatly outweigh the nuances of which Big 4 Carib school they graduate from. Which at least means that you have less to worry about when comparing the two.

If the student is currently at Ross, apparently the Internet is available for classwork only. Maybe they can’t get on to do it themselves.

 

[mehc012]

If the student is currently at Ross, apparently the Internet is available for classwork only. Maybe they can’t get on to do it themselves.

That's...simultaneously the most reasonable explanation and a way to make me really understand how dire/difficult trying to continue med school 'on a cruise ship' would be in practice, thanks.