Will Becoming an EMT Secure My Chances For Admission Into Saba? Please Help!!!

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I am very much interested in attending Saba, however, I feel that I may not have enough of the necessary requirements. I hope to apply this summer without having taken Organic Chemistry II. Do you feel that my chances of admission will be secured if I become an EMT given my statistics shown below? Will I most likely be granted admission with the stipulation that I pass or earn a certain grade in Organic Chemistry II? What do you feel my chances are? Do you feel that it is necessary that I earn an EMT license and work as an EMT to gain admission or are my 854.5 hours of volunteering in Same Day Surgery enough? It is a big decision for me to earn an EMT license and apply so any input will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any input.



Overall GPA: 3.826
Science GPA: 3.759
Solid extracurriculars

Clinical Experience: Volunteering in Same Day Surgery 854.5 hours
Solid LORs
No Physics or MCAT
2 classes shy of a Political Science degree

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why don't you take the MCAT and try for a school in the US or Canada (assuming you reside in one of those countries)? Just curious.
 
Thank you for your reply. The reason I do not wish to take Physics and the MCAT is because my current age (I am a great deal older than a traditional applicant). Furthermore, I am not very confident that I can earn a 30 on the MCAT. I have been told that the MCAT is a tremendously difficult examination and I am sure an individual of average intelligence such as I will find it an impossibility to score a 30. I very much wish to attempt medical school as soon as possible and I feel that the Caribbean in my only realistic option.

Any input on whether I will be able to gain admittance into Saba will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for anyone who replies.
 
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Becoming an EMT will not increase your chances of med school admission. You can check out the Prehospital Medicine thread on the SDN for more info.

Actually duiring my interview for a Carribean med school I had to convince one of the interviewers that even though I was a paramedic I did not believe that I already knew everything, and that I was not under the assumption that I could put a chest tube in a patient faster than he could (this was specifically asked of me).

Volunteering in a hospital or in a lab is one thing, but getting into an related profession which has its own way to do things, and different measures of competency is another. In the medical field, stepping stones are not categorically frowned upon, as they are in other fields so we don't always know what the admissions committee will think. Though in Law, for example, I have found in "how to get into law school" books in black and white that being a paralegal will not help you get into law school at all. Similarly, one can argue that just because you are a good EMT, that doesnt mean that you will be a good medical student. These are actually two separate fields with different knowledge-base, skills, and ability demands. That has apparently been shown many times, at least to the person who interviewed me... a former bigshot in one of the Big4 schools.

About the physics, if the issue is to avoid lowering your GPA prior to applying to med school.... think against that plan. Something else I learned on my interview trail is that for some "its not going to be my fault" reason, schools want to be sure that you have the prerequisite classes straightened out. When you eventually apply for your state licence, your prerequisites will be looked at. Even if you do fine on your boards, when they find out that you lacked prereqs, they are going to questions the schools admission standards. Why? I dont know... but it happens. In ony of my interviews to transfer between schools they told me that I might not get admission because I got a low grade on Org Chem I.... even though I rocked USMLE Step1.

hope this helps...
 
Thank you for your reply. The reason I do not wish to take Physics and the MCAT is because my current age (I am a great deal older than a traditional applicant). Furthermore, I am not very confident that I can earn a 30 on the MCAT. I have been told that the MCAT is a tremendously difficult examination and I am sure an individual of average intelligence such as I will find it an impossibility to score a 30. I very much wish to attempt medical school as soon as possible and I feel that the Caribbean in my only realistic option.

Any input on whether I will be able to gain admittance into Saba will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for anyone who replies.

if you're scared of the mcat, then how will you feel when you have to take step1 or 2? the number one thing is you have to be confident in yourself. You have a good gpa and thus if you take a prep course and study you'll do well on the mcat. the mcat is a very easy exam when comparing to some of the exams that i had to take while in medical school. No matter how you look at it the whole medical education is a very hard and long processes. Don't look for short cuts, it will only cost you more time in the end. If you really want to go to medical school you should take the physics classes and the mcat and apply to US schools. taking a short cut and going to saba will only cost you more time and cause you more hardship in the end. it will be much harder to pass the steps and much more difficult getting a residency coming from a school like saba than from a US medical school. If time is such an issue then look for a different profession.
 
Agree with RussianJoo.
I can sympathize with not wanting to wait more, but waiting x 1 more year would be well worth it if you could get in to a US school. Your GPA is definitely competitive. Don't assume that you can't do well enough on the MCAT. I disagree that it's an easy exam, but it's definitely a "studyable" exam. You can definitely memorize a lot of the stuff on the physics/chem. part and to some extent the bio, and you can study for the essay part by memorizing the way they want you to write the essay, unless they've radically changed the test in the past few years. Also, there are schools that will cut you a little slack on the MCAT score if your GPA is high and they think you have the proper background and motivation for med school.

You think you are saving time by going to the Carib, and I myself almost made the same mistake, but I urge you to rethink this. Being able to pass standardized tests is going to be even more important in your future if you go to a Carib school vs. a DO or MD one in the US. You WILL have to pass the US medical licensing exam in order to get back into the US for a residency, and if you can't get a decent MCAT score (I'm not talking about 30's, I'm just talking about mid to high 20's) I would worry that you won't pass the USMLE's after spending several years in the Carib school, and that would be a total disaster for you.

Go for it. I bet you can do it.
 
Hi there,

The EMT certification won't help at all. It never hurts but it won't increase your chances. Ultimately, you need an MCAT score and physics. Also, your pre-med classes need to have come from a 4 year university. A high gpa, with a large number of classes from a community college is frowned upon.

I was set on Saba a few years ago as I'd heard nothing but positive things about the school. I, perhaps like you, was both afraid of the MCAT and felt it was a fairly ridiculous measurement of my ability (as I'm older, nontraditional and my pre-med courses have been scattered over several years). I thought I had enough to get into Saba, and according to the criteria posted on their webpage, and all forums, I had the necessary requirements. I had a gpa of 3.5, 5 years of research experience, some publications, volunteer work in the ER, good LORs, an EMT certification. I didn't know what else I could do....other than the MCAT. I sent in my application and a mere 3 days after posting my application, I got a rejection. An auto-rejection - there wasn't even time to look at my application. So I called Ms. Vander..can't remember her name. And basically, Saba needs the MCAT and doesn't want students who have taken some of their coursework from community colleges. I think this policy must change depending on their need and the application cycle. I also think all schools have an agenda to profit from application fees with no real intent to examine an actual application. I've since heard Saba has drastically increased the number of students they take in each cycle so attrition rates have gone up. But i'm sure they are profiting. Yes, this probably does sound bitter. But actually, I'm not. Saba, from what i've heard, is a good school. Definitely apply, but take the MCAT. And with a gpa like that, why don't you just take the MCAT, wipe out physics over an intensive summer course and apply to a state school? It's much easier all-around.
 
I am very much interested in attending Saba, however, I feel that I may not have enough of the necessary requirements. I hope to apply this summer without having taken Organic Chemistry II. Do you feel that my chances of admission will be secured if I become an EMT given my statistics shown below? Will I most likely be granted admission with the stipulation that I pass or earn a certain grade in Organic Chemistry II? What do you feel my chances are? Do you feel that it is necessary that I earn an EMT license and work as an EMT to gain admission or are my 854.5 hours of volunteering in Same Day Surgery enough? It is a big decision for me to earn an EMT license and apply so any input will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any input.



Overall GPA: 3.826
Science GPA: 3.759
Solid extracurriculars

Clinical Experience: Volunteering in Same Day Surgery 854.5 hours
Solid LORs
No Physics or MCAT
2 classes shy of a Political Science degree


this does not make a lick of sense. No big 4-6 carib schools will take this guy without O. cHM 2, physics, and a mcat right. I know that mcat is recommened in some shcools to see where the student is at, but I thought you still needed to complete the sciences. ALso, what does completing EMT training have to do with anything. Last time i checked, EMT training was not a requirement. To sum this all up, the OP has <5% change getting into any good carib school with the current stats, including SABA. However, the OP may qualify for a premedical track at St. G. I"m not evern sure Ross will MERP you with no MCAT, and missing science grades. I change my value to <1% now!

PS: You mentioned your age as a rason not to look at US schools. Did you know that you have greater chances of being delayed in school and getting residency from some carib schools. Some schools like Ross have < clinical sites and students can't get in in time to grad uate on time. Also, it takes time to get all foreign paperwork and credentials approved in time to start residency or eny match.

PS: Personally, it seems to me that you are very scared of MCAT, physics, and O. cHM 2. These are the only hard parts to premedical track and you are looking to avoid them. There is a reason that premeds have to go through these classes. Biochemistry is a class that kicks MS1's butts and how can you be successful in biochem w/o some O. CHM II knowledge. Physics is not important to medical school, but it is a screener. If you were as legit as your GPA, you would be taking those classes and applying to a US school. Lots of read flags are going off about you. To quote hullk Hogan,"What are you going to do once you get into SABA and the COMP & steps come looking for you?"
 
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As a 3rd year Saba student I say don't waste your time and just go right with the MD. If you cant get into Saba you could always go to MUA-N.
 
Take the MCAT and Stay in AMERICA (DO or allopathic!)
 
You need to take the MCAT. You can take physics at a community college and get it done.

One year will make no difference, unless you're 50-60 years old.
 
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