Hello Everyone.
I am a U.S. citizen and recently began school at SGU Medical, I have been searching for a forum about transferring back to the states but could not find one which answered my specific questions and was hoping someone could help. I am looking to transfer back state side from SGU and was wondering whats the earliest you can transfer to american medical schools? I am only in my first year but was wondering if i would be able to transfer after completing this first year? I have heard its very difficult but not impossible. Also would anyone happen to have or know of a list of american medical schools that accept transfer students from SGU? Any help or information on this topic would be greatly appreciated thank you.
EDIT: Ok I didn't realize this thread was a gigantic necro. I'll leave my comment in place and hopefully it'll be of some help to future transfer hopefuls.
I'm a Carib transfer who's currently applying for residency in IM. I received interview offers from some highly ranked IM programs. I'll try to distill my experience down to the important bits and give you some perspective on my peers who have successfully transferred so you can see where you stand.
I messed around in undergrad and didn't have the GPA to get into a US Med school. I understand why US schools wouldn't want to take a risk on an applicant like me when there is a sea of qualified applicants to choose from. I decided to go to a Carib school with the goal of transferring back to a US program. I transferred at the end of my 2nd year to a low-tier US MD program. I'd like to think I redeemed myself in med school the past 4 years (260+ on both Step 1 & Step 2, AOA, tons of ECs, sadly no research). I'm skipping a few details here to remain anonymous, but those are irrelevant details for your purposes.
Basic science grades: Just like residency application, your basic science grades don't matter that much. However, higher grades have a direct correlation with higher board scores.
Step 1: You don't need a stellar score to transfer. 50th+ percentile is often enough. I think my school's cutoff was 235 on the Step 1. Obviously, the higher the better.
List of schools that accept transfers: This is probably the most challenging part. Most US MD programs don't accept non-LCME accredited transfers. The schools that won't advertise it. The policy also changes year-to-year depending on the attrition rate of each program. You will have to call each program you're interested in and ask if they are accepting transfer students from the Caribbean. There isn't a shortcut around this. I think this step is what actually limits most Caribbean students from successfully transferring. I know some friends with stellar scores who didn't transfer simply because they didn't want to do the leg work to research schools that accept transfers.
Timing: Most schools that accept transfers will accept you as an incoming 3rd year. Most programs require your Step 1 score prior to interviewing you for a 3rd year spot, and they will often require the score before you have completed the second year (you can't sit for the Step 1 until you have finished your second year). This means you either take the gamble (and the loan repayments) and take your would be MS-3 year off to hope for a successful transfer, or rack up an additional year worth of loans and apply for a transfer as you complete your MS-3. The best case scenario is that the school offer you a spot contingent upon your Step 1 score meeting their minimum requirement. I was lucky and found a school that fit the best case scenario.
I've also had some friends who successfully transferred from Carib programs and I can tell you a little bit about them
- Transferred to Drexel at the end of the first year. This person had connection(s) with the school.
- Transferred at the end of his third year and had to repeat MS-3. He matched into plastics.
- Another friend matched into a top ranked OB/Gyn program. She transferred at the end of her second year.
- Transferred at the end of his second year, scores are very similar to mine, applying for Ortho and is likely to get a spot somewhere.
- One friend barely made the score contingency cutoff but successfully transferred. I think he's applying for general surgery.
- This is not really a transfer, but one friend reapplied to US programs after spending a year in the Carib and was accepted into a DO program as an incoming MS-1. He's currently an MS-4 and is applying to FM.
Stigma: Medical education is a cutthroat business. I think you already realized that after reading many of the inflammatory and/or unhelpful remarks in this thread. However, you should take what most people say with a grain of salt as they have no actual experience dealing with this issue. Maybe we'll get lucky and aProgDirector will chime in on his/her perspective on how he perceives transfers. Regardless, it's important to be realistic about your goals and realize that there are limitations. There will always be a stigma even if you transfer. It's listed in my MSPE (dean's letter) that I transferred from a Carib program. However, I think my lack of research and my school being a low tier program has hurt me more than my two years in the Carib. At the end of the day, I still show up as a US MD for stats purposes. You should realize that if you are applying for competitive residencies, you will be competing against many people with the same or better scores as you without any red flags, and this puts you at a distinct disadvantage when all things are equal (though they rarely are).
Would I have rather started this journey at a US MD school? Of course! However, looking back, I don't regret my decision to start at a Caribbean program. But maybe that's because my story is turning out well (and hopefully ends well). It taught me many important lessons, many of which were hard learned, and shaped me into who I am today as a medical student. I'd be happy to share them in another thread when the occasion arises.
I wish you the best of luck!
TL;DR - Transferring back to the US is hard but is definitely doable. Have a game plan and know that you are in it for the long haul. 
