Hey Guys

[futureped]

I recently got accepted into both SABA and AUC and I have an interview for Ross on Tuesday....and one for St. George's later on.....I know that if I get into all of these, I should prolly go to St. George since it is number 1, according to my understanding. But if was in between AUC and SABA, which would u guys choose and why?? I really dont know which is better...thanks so much:)

[psychMajor]

congrats

do a search, 80% of the posts here, answer your questions.

In one sentence it can be summarized: it depends on you!

I did interview at ROSS, SGU and SABA, i quickly came to conclusion that its all the same.

good luck!

(i want to also become a ped!)

[futureped]

Thanks a lot...so ur a student at SABA already?? Thats great. Yeah I really dont know...I feel like everytime I do research a different skool is ranked number one....haha....so what year r u?? I cant wait to become a pediatrician:) see ya

[bhs2a]

I chose Saba over all of the others (including SGU) for several reasons.
1. very little distractions
2. small class sizes
3. affordable tuition
4. low attrition rate
5. low crime rate, friendly small island
I think they are all about the same when it comes to usmle scores, residency placement, and facilities.
I believe the only thing SGU has on Saba is a little more well known and more clinical sites. But the tuition and classes sizes turned me away.

[sweetpeapotts]

i chose saba for the same reasons: lower tuition, smaller class sizes, safer island....etc...i have lived in the caribbean for a while and crime is a problem on many islands and saba has NO crime. i didn't want to have to worry for my saftey or the safety of my daughter while trying to keep my head in the books...but it is ulitmately up to you. there may be more to do on greneda than on saba (like west indian cricket matches) but from what i have seen and heard we won,t have time for much recreation. i was accepted to all of the schools you had applied to and i was more impressed with the interviewers at saba. at a few of the schools i really felt as though they were only trying to "sell me" their school and were interested in the money that i had to spend rather than interested in me. saba actually read my file and asked me specific questions about it. they knew that i lived a long time in trinidad and the student even "quizzed" me on a particular literary figure from there. you will read bad stuff about each school and take it with a grain of salt. the caribbean is not a place for everyone. it takes lots of patience, willingness to adapt to a different environment, openmindedness, etc... each island is going to present it's own "problems". go with your gut feeling.... hope this helps...:rolleyes:

[islandhopper]

I recently got accepted into both SABA and AUC and I have an interview for Ross on Tuesday....and one for St. George's later on.....I know that if I get into all of these, I should prolly go to St. George since it is number 1, according to my understanding. But if was in between AUC and SABA, which would u guys choose and why?? I really dont know which is better...thanks so much:)

I agree with previous posters. Whether one school is better than the other depends on you.

I would prefer AUC over Saba because distraction isn't a problem -- Saba is actually too quiet for me. Class size doesn't bother me either -- though I heard that May semester class at AUC is about the same size as Saba. AUC does have better campus and facility, which may or may not be important to some people...

Do a search on this forum. There are plenty of opinions out there...

Good luck with your decision.

[islandhopper]

i chose saba for the same reasons: lower tuition, smaller class sizes, safer island....etc...i have lived in the caribbean for a while and crime is a problem on many islands and saba has NO crime. i didn't want to have to worry for my saftey or the safety of my daughter while trying to keep my head in the books...but it is ulitmately up to you. there may be more to do on greneda than on saba (like west indian cricket matches) but from what i have seen and heard we won,t have time for much recreation. i was accepted to all of the schools you had applied to and i was more impressed with the interviewers at saba. at a few of the schools i really felt as though they were only trying to "sell me" their school and were interested in the money that i had to spend rather than interested in me. saba actually read my file and asked me specific questions about it. they knew that i lived a long time in trinidad and the student even "quizzed" me on a particular literary figure from there. you will read bad stuff about each school and take it with a grain of salt. the caribbean is not a place for everyone. it takes lots of patience, willingness to adapt to a different environment, openmindedness, etc... each island is going to present it's own "problems". go with your gut feeling.... hope this helps...:rolleyes:

Well, a few of my buddies at Saba has had problem with theft and was putting down by the "influential people" on Saba, including the police because of the so called no crime notion "believes" by everyone one on the island.

I do agree that Saba is safer than most of other Caribbean islands, if you don't include groping female students from behind by some native driver -- did happen to a couple of my female colleages...

[sweetpeapotts]

I agree with previous posters. Whether one school is better than the other depends on you.

I would prefer AUC over Saba because distraction isn't a problem -- Saba is actually too quiet for me. Class size doesn't bother me either -- though I heard that May semester class at AUC is about the same size as Saba. AUC does have better campus and facility, which may or may not be important to some people...

Do a search on this forum. There are plenty of opinions out there...

Good luck with your decision.


yeah..groping...well it is still located in the caribbean after all!! (i am in NO WAY saying this is appropriate!!)...and yes i can imagine theft can be a problem but i guess i was speaking of crime as more along the lines of murder and muggings and rapists....i did live in TnT, after all, where there are more murders in a year than there are days!! and when someone gets raped the police seem to turn the other cheek...

[rokshana]

yeah..groping...well it is still located in the caribbean after all!! (i am in NO WAY saying this is appropriate!!)...and yes i can imagine theft can be a problem but i guess i was speaking of crime as more along the lines of murder and muggings and rapists....i did live in TnT, after all, where there are more murders in a year than there are days!! and when someone gets raped the police seem to turn the other cheek...

i think it is a little misleading to say that when you think of crime you think of mugging, murder, and rape and make people think that all that is running amuck on the other islands with med schools. While I was in GND I don't recall any students being murdered or raped and when I visited SXM I felt pretty safe (though recent events make it sound a little different). Robberies do occur- think that is more of a problem of money differences between the students and the locals- my house was broken into while i was in GND, but I'll have to admit, the police response time was fantastic- they were there in less than 30 minutes - fingerprinted the mess out of my house, found my car within an hour and caught the guy within a week!
Common sense goes a long way on ant of these islands.

as for picking which school - its been said over and over, you need to pick what suits you. If you are easily distracted, then maybe AUC isn't the place to be, if you need a small class, then saba would be a better fit, if you are looking for a more competitive residency or want to specialize, then maybe Ross or SGU are better choices.

[psychMajor]

Thanks a lot...so ur a student at SABA already?? Thats great. Yeah I really dont know...I feel like everytime I do research a different skool is ranked number one....haha....so what year r u?? I cant wait to become a pediatrician:) see ya

haha, not yet

i start jan 07. Just finished my degree!

i went through that period of uncertainty already. There is no such thing as number 1. You will realize this soon enough.

Which univ did you graduate from?

[bhs2a]

if you are looking for a more competitive residency or want to specialize, then maybe Ross or SGU are better choices

Do you think that Ross and SGU grads really get better residencies?
Taking into the account that the curriculum vitae is the same for the students?

[sweetpeapotts]

i think it is a little misleading to say that when you think of crime you think of mugging, murder, and rape and make people think that all that is running amuck on the other islands with med schools. While I was in GND I don't recall any students being murdered or raped and when I visited SXM I felt pretty safe (though recent events make it sound a little different). Robberies do occur- think that is more of a problem of money differences between the students and the locals- my house was broken into while i was in GND, but I'll have to admit, the police response time was fantastic- they were there in less than 30 minutes - fingerprinted the mess out of my house, found my car within an hour and caught the guy within a week!
Common sense goes a long way on ant of these islands.

as for picking which school - its been said over and over, you need to pick what suits you. If you are easily distracted, then maybe AUC isn't the place to be, if you need a small class, then saba would be a better fit, if you are looking for a more competitive residency or want to specialize, then maybe Ross or SGU are better choices.

sorry it wasn't my intention to make the med school islands look bad. i lived in TnT and crime (serious crime) is a harsh reality and the crimes ARE murder, rape, etc...it is a fact not an opinion. as far as the other islands that you speak of i cannot speak for as i haven't lived there. the fact that saba has a low crime rate just makes me feel better b/c i am bringing a child. hope that i didn't offend you. wasn't my intention. pardon...por favor....

[islandhopper]

Do you think that Ross and SGU grads really get better residencies?
Taking into the account that the curriculum vitae is the same for the students?

Ross and SGU are definitely more reputable in the States...whether it translates into better residency placement is always a subject of debate..

[lawdawg]

...if you are looking for a more competitive residency or want to specialize, then maybe Ross or SGU are better choices.
I've been accepted to all of the "big 4" and need to make a decision soon. Residency placement is one of the first things I looked at, but I haven't been able to find much, if any, difference between these schools at all. I've painstakingly broken down each of Saba's placements and added the info to SGU's and Ross' breakdowns. The file is attached.

As far as primary care positions go (IM, FM, and Peds), here's a summary of the past 2 years:
2006
SGU 56.4%
Ross 63.4%
Saba 65.2%

2005
SGU 62.6%
Ross 62.5%
Saba 64.9%
AUC 63.1%

[bhs2a]

Awesome breakdown. I was about to do that exact thing. Yeah, I am really not thinking there is a difference and if there is a small one by the time I graduate in 4-5 yrs. the gap should be even smaller.

thanks

[lawdawg]

No problem. I think it's better to nip these rumors in the bud with hard data so prospective students (like me!) can make better decisions. And I'll have to say that from the research I've done so far, Saba really seems to be a much better choice for me on a number of fronts.

[islandhopper]

No problem. I think it's better to nip these rumors in the bud with hard data so prospective students (like me!) can make better decisions. And I'll have to say that from the research I've done so far, Saba really seems to be a much better choice for me on a number of fronts.

Strickly speaking, these aren't hard stats either. It is not just what kind of residency people get, but where. I won't be surprised if these break down of stats are similar to the schools in US...But the real question is, where did they do their residency. I think this info is very hard to come by if it were possible....

[lawdawg]

...But the real question is, where did they do their residency. I think this info is very hard to come by if it were possible....
Why do you find this info "hard to come by?" The location is listed next to each person's name:
http://www.sgu.edu/website/sguwebsite.nsf/home/2006PostgraduateResidencyAppointments.htm
http://www.saba.edu/residency_match.php
http://www.rossu.edu/med/whyross/recordachieve_041.cfm

[islandhopper]

Why do you find this info "hard to come by?" The location is listed next to each person's name:
http://www.sgu.edu/website/sguwebsite.nsf/home/2006PostgraduateResidencyAppointments.htm
http://www.saba.edu/residency_match.php
http://www.rossu.edu/med/whyross/recordachieve_041.cfm

Can you make a qualitative comparison between all the residences obtain by the students in these schools? Besides, I doubt these are comprehensive lists since more students are graduated than what's listed here...

[lawdawg]

Islandhopper, you seem to be implying there's a difference in residency placements between these schools. But then in the next breath you claim there is no way to compare the quality of the placements. Am I missing something here? I think we're in agreement, but I'm not quite sure. If you're also saying there's no difference, then we agree because I can't see any difference between these placements either. Most are in IMG-friendly hospitals, some are not. That seems to be the case across the board.

But if you (or rokshana) are implying there's an identifiable difference between these placements, then please do tell. There's no reason to be coy here. We're all after the same information, and we all want to make informed decisions.

[psychMajor]

Islandhopper just wants to make a point that Saba is not good, simple as that.

Its nothing new.

[islandhopper]

Islandhopper just wants to make a point that Saba is not good, simple as that.

Its nothing new.

This is an overstatement and I've said it over and over.

This is nothing new.

[islandhopper]

Islandhopper, you seem to be implying there's a difference in residency placements between these schools. But then in the next breath you claim there is no way to compare the quality of the placements. Am I missing something here? I think we're in agreement, but I'm not quite sure. If you're also saying there's no difference, then we agree because I can't see any difference between these placements either. Most are in IMG-friendly hospitals, some are not. That seems to be the case across the board.

But if you (or rokshana) are implying there's an identifiable difference between these placements, then please do tell. There's no reason to be coy here. We're all after the same information, and we all want to make informed decisions.

I'm saying there are more to consider when looking at these residency lists.

It is difficult to say all the schools are the same but you people seem to suggest otherwise.

Bottom line -- whether one school is the same/better than the other is subjective at best.

[lawdawg]

OK, ok, calm down Islandhopper. No one is out to get you. We're all just trying to figure out what you're referring to when you imply that SGU and/or Ross residencies are better than Saba's. I think the problem is you can only continue along these lines for so long before you have to eventually either produce some data to support your position or give up. What gives? Why not reveal what you're referring to?

As I've outlined above, quantitatively these schools are virtually identical with regard to specialization vs. primary care. Your latest claim that there is a qualitative or subjective difference doesn't seem to hold water either.

But just to make sure you weren't just trying to rag on Saba, I took a closer look at the 2006 Anesthesia and EM placements (2 areas I'm most interested in). As you can see below, almost all positions are at low-ranked university programs and community programs. What I found most suprising was not only were these programs comparable, quite a few were identical! For example:
Saba EM & Anesthesia: Wayne State <==> SGU EM: Wayne State (2)
Saba Anesthesia: Mount Sinai <==> SGU Anesthesia: Mount Sinai (3)
Saba Anesthesia: Western Pennsylvania Hospital <==> SGU Anesthesia: Western Pennsylvania Hospital (2)
Saba Anesthesia: Univ of Florida <==> SGU Anesthesia: Univ of Florida (2)
Saba Anesthesia: Medical Center Program, Brooklyn, NY SGU EM: Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY

And the closer I look at these comparative matches the more I realize that Saba actually seems to be qualitatively better!, not equal. Fewer community programs. More university-based matches. An Ivy league EM match (Brown) to boot? Does it get any better than this?

Islandhopper, if you have any data of any sort to support any of your assertions that SGU and/or Ross is quantitative or qualitative superior in any way, please reveal them now. I'll only have an opportunity to pay $150K more for my medical school education for a limited time. Thank you.

[desai29]

I chose Saba over all of the others (including SGU) for several reasons.
1. very little distractions
2. small class sizes
3. affordable tuition
4. low attrition rate
5. low crime rate, friendly small island
I think they are all about the same when it comes to usmle scores, residency placement, and facilities.
I believe the only thing SGU has on Saba is a little more well known and more clinical sites. But the tuition and classes sizes turned me away.


also, saba is non-profit medical school.

[islandhopper]

OK, ok, calm down Islandhopper. No one is out to get you. We're all just trying to figure out what you're referring to when you imply that SGU and/or Ross residencies are better than Saba's. I think the problem is you can only continue along these lines for so long before you have to eventually either produce some data to support your position or give up. What gives? Why not reveal what you're referring to?

As I've outlined above, quantitatively these schools are virtually identical with regard to specialization vs. primary care. Your latest claim that there is a qualitative or subjective difference doesn't seem to hold water either.

But just to make sure you weren't just trying to rag on Saba, I took a closer look at the 2006 Anesthesia and EM placements (2 areas I'm most interested in). As you can see below, almost all positions are at low-ranked university programs and community programs. What I found most suprising was not only were these programs comparable, quite a few were identical! For example:
Saba EM & Anesthesia: Wayne State <==> SGU EM: Wayne State (2)
Saba Anesthesia: Mount Sinai <==> SGU Anesthesia: Mount Sinai (3)
Saba Anesthesia: Western Pennsylvania Hospital <==> SGU Anesthesia: Western Pennsylvania Hospital (2)
Saba Anesthesia: Univ of Florida <==> SGU Anesthesia: Univ of Florida (2)
Saba Anesthesia: Medical Center Program, Brooklyn, NY SGU EM: Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY

And the closer I look at these comparative matches the more I realize that Saba actually seems to be qualitatively better!, not equal. Fewer community programs. More university-based matches. An Ivy league EM match (Brown) to boot? Does it get any better than this?

Islandhopper, if you have any data of any sort to support any of your assertions that SGU and/or Ross is quantitative or qualitative superior in any way, please reveal them now. I'll only have an opportunity to pay $150K more for my medical school education for a limited time. Thank you.

Ok people, you all need to STOP reading between the lines. And thank you, I am always calm until you people brought up something totally different.

I never said anything about the residencies from SGU and Ross are qualitative better than Saba. What I've being said ALL ALONG was that those schools do have better reputation in the States and do offer better quality education in terms of their curriculum.

As I said before over and over, whether one school is better than the other depends entirely on the individual's expectation and needs. Residency match depends on the individual's effort and not the school's. School is important only in terms of eligibility/convenience of licensure.

[bluejay]

I took a closer look at the 2006 Anesthesia and EM placements (2 areas I'm most interested in). As you can see below, almost all positions are at low-ranked university programs and community programs. What I found most suprising was not only were these programs comparable, quite a few were identical! For example:
Saba EM & Anesthesia: Wayne State <==> SGU EM: Wayne State (2)
Saba Anesthesia: Mount Sinai <==> SGU Anesthesia: Mount Sinai (3)
Saba Anesthesia: Western Pennsylvania Hospital <==> SGU Anesthesia: Western Pennsylvania Hospital (2)
Saba Anesthesia: Univ of Florida <==> SGU Anesthesia: Univ of Florida (2)
Saba Anesthesia: Medical Center Program, Brooklyn, NY SGU EM: Brooklyn Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY

And the closer I look at these comparative matches the more I realize that Saba actually seems to be qualitatively better!, not equal. Fewer community programs. More university-based matches. An Ivy league EM match (Brown) to boot? Does it get any better than this?

Wow, that's awesome information to have, Lawdawg. I was also hoping to finally get around to doing that type of comparison, but haven't found the time. If you compare any of the other specialties before I do please PM me the results. This discussion has definitely convinced me to apply to Saba. And it's good to see someone finally firing back at the SGU students who post these false claims on this forum about better residencies, more specialties, etc. :rolleyes: Keep up the good work!:)

[islandhopper]

This discussion has definitely convinced me to apply to Saba. And it's good to see someone finally firing back at the SGU students who post these false claims on this forum about better residencies, more specialties, etc. :rolleyes: Keep up the good work!:)

People, flaming posts are not permitted and will be reported.

For the record, no one ever made a definitive claim about getting better residencies by going to SGU. It is simply a speculation. AGAIN, you people fail to read carefully. Go back and reread rokshana's post -- he/she said MAYBE.

[bhs2a]

It is not just what kind of residency people get, but where. I won't be surprised if these break down of stats are similar to the schools in US...But the real question is, where did they do their residency. I think this info is very hard to come by if it were possible....



I think everyone is replying to this post. It sounded like you were saying that eventhough Saba vs. (other school) might have the same percentage of residencies in primary care the other school's residencies are at better programs.
We are trying to find the data to support or not support your claim since these schools don't release any kind of accurate information.

[islandhopper]

I think everyone is replying to this post. It sounded like you were saying that eventhough Saba vs. (other school) might have the same percentage of residencies in primary care the other school's residencies are at better programs.
We are trying to find the data to support or not support your claim since these schools don't release any kind of accurate information.

I didn't claim anything other than stating the fact the one must not jump into conclusion by comparing these incomplete data. This apply not only Saba, but Ross and SGU as well. Yes I said SGU as well so people don't get any wrong idea that I am a "all SGU" cheerleader -- which most of you think so.

There are no solid data available to make any claim, which is what I said in this tread. Any comparison base on these lists is therefore not accurate.

[psychMajor]

I am a "all SGU" cheerleader -- which most of you think so

but you are against Saba becayse of your experience. thats ok.

But, it gets tiring to see the same posts just different ways of saying it.

[rokshana]

wow! lot of discussion sparked here!
i certainly wasn't trying to say sgu or ross have the ability to get better or more competitive residencies and saba and auc doesn't- the quality of the student is going to be the biggest factor - lets face it if a student has a 3.5, 230, and great LoR- (s)he is going to be a competitive candidate. period. whether the come from sgu, ross, auc, or saba(or any other school for that matter).
however sgu, ross, and auc do have age - all these schools are ~30 years old and have been churning out grads for almost as long. Guess what? this allows these schools(for good or bad) to have a reputation - and have put students in residencies- if the program had a good relationship with thse students they will be more apt to take students from these schools because the reputation was set. Only time will allow saba the same- it not better or worse - just a fact. Many places sgu, or ross, or auc grads are the PDs- saba just hasn't had the time to develop this.
For example - anesthesia - was at an all time low in the mid 90s- many, many positions were filled with imgs- imgs from sgu and ross and auc. Now that anesthesia is competitive its getting harder and harder for imgs to get these slots- having had sgu/ross/auc grads(and now attendings, PDs, etc) there helps give thse schools a leg up over youger schools like saba.

My take was from looking at the residency lists posted by the respective schools(i'll leave the hard numbers to DrB and emt) and it seemed that the reported (this is key) residencies of the schools showed more specialties listed in the ross and sgu list over that of the auc and saba lists.

the bottomline is that you have to go to the school that best suits YOU- whether it be island life, class size, facilities, or clinical sites available.

I personally have heard nothing but good about saba- classes sizes aren't huge, facilities are decent, step I pass rate is high, decent clinical sites, good residency placement.

I didn't apply to saba - but i chose to apply to the schools that were older and had federal loans- they were important issues with me (but that's just me).

[bluejay]

My take was from looking at the residency lists posted by the respective schools(i'll leave the hard numbers to DrB and emt) and it seemed that the reported (this is key) residencies of the schools showed more specialties listed in the ross and sgu list over that of the auc and saba lists.

Isn't this precisely what Lawdawg just successfully refuted? But I guess there's no reason to let the facts get in the way of your "take."

But I'll have to give you this much, rokshana: at least you didn't go with Islandhopper's strategy -- completely deny that you understand English, and claim that what you wrote really meant just the opposite. That guy is just one strange character...:rolleyes:

[bluejay]

For example - anesthesia - was at an all time low in the mid 90s- many, many positions were filled with imgs- imgs from sgu and ross and auc. Now that anesthesia is competitive its getting harder and harder for imgs to get these slots- having had sgu/ross/auc grads(and now attendings, PDs, etc) there helps give thse schools a leg up over youger schools like saba.

Looking at the PDF file that Lawdawg attached above, Saba matched a higher percentage of grads into Anesthesiology than SGU in both 2005 and 2006. I'm not too sure I'd call that a "leg up."
2006
Saba 7.6%
SGU 4.6%

2005
Saba 5.2%
SGU 3.0%

Rokshana, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like you and Islandhopper have been beat down pretty good on this subject. It's hard to ignore the numbers when their staring us right in the face.

[islandhopper]

Looking at the PDF file that Lawdawg attached above, Saba matched a higher percentage of grads into Anesthesiology than SGU in both 2005 and 2006. I'm not too sure I'd call that a "leg up."
2006
Saba 7.6%
SGU 4.6%

2005
Saba 5.2%
SGU 3.0%

Rokshana, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like you and Islandhopper have been beat down pretty good on this subject. It's hard to ignore the numbers when their staring us right in the face.

Re-read my post and quit wasting my time!

[islandhopper]

but you are against Saba becayse of your experience. thats ok.

But, it gets tiring to see the same posts just different ways of saying it.

It's getting tiring to hear you grumbling over the same old issue again and again that doesn't/shouldn't exist.

For the record, I did not leave Saba for "my experience" but my expectation. Go back and re-read my old posts. The issues is old and pointless. I won't repeat it again.

[islandhopper]

wow! lot of discussion sparked here!
i certainly wasn't trying to say sgu or ross have the ability to get better or more competitive residencies and saba and auc doesn't- the quality of the student is going to be the biggest factor - lets face it if a student has a 3.5, 230, and great LoR- (s)he is going to be a competitive candidate. period. whether the come from sgu, ross, auc, or saba(or any other school for that matter).
however sgu, ross, and auc do have age - all these schools are ~30 years old and have been churning out grads for almost as long. Guess what? this allows these schools(for good or bad) to have a reputation - and have put students in residencies- if the program had a good relationship with thse students they will be more apt to take students from these schools because the reputation was set. Only time will allow saba the same- it not better or worse - just a fact. Many places sgu, or ross, or auc grads are the PDs- saba just hasn't had the time to develop this.
For example - anesthesia - was at an all time low in the mid 90s- many, many positions were filled with imgs- imgs from sgu and ross and auc. Now that anesthesia is competitive its getting harder and harder for imgs to get these slots- having had sgu/ross/auc grads(and now attendings, PDs, etc) there helps give thse schools a leg up over youger schools like saba.

My take was from looking at the residency lists posted by the respective schools(i'll leave the hard numbers to DrB and emt) and it seemed that the reported (this is key) residencies of the schools showed more specialties listed in the ross and sgu list over that of the auc and saba lists.

the bottomline is that you have to go to the school that best suits YOU- whether it be island life, class size, facilities, or clinical sites available.

I personally have heard nothing but good about saba- classes sizes aren't huge, facilities are decent, step I pass rate is high, decent clinical sites, good residency placement.

I didn't apply to saba - but i chose to apply to the schools that were older and had federal loans- they were important issues with me (but that's just me).

I tend to believe that reputation can make a difference in getting competitive residencies, although I don't have the hard stats to prove it. Therefore I can't and won't make that claim. But, I was told by a colleague of mine that her friend who's at Harvard were told not to worry about residency placement no matter how well they do in school. There are lots of bias in the States in admitting students into competitive schools and what not. Frankly, I don't see how it's different in this case.

Of course SGU is no where near to Harvard, but I think I made my point.

[stephew]

ok boys and girls. aside from sounding ridiculous, some of you are getting close to tos violations. This is your only free warning before the real ones come in.

[stephew]

and fyi anesthesiology is not a competitive field nor has it been for a few years. nor is any med school or residency "ivy league". Because a place is ivy undergrad that means absolutely nothing about the quality of their medical residency program. Using limp arguements to argue rationalize your points really looks bad and its a bad habit for when you actually have to have real answers as a doctor. Making stuff up with weak inference will get you shot down.

If youre going to misuse statistics at least have a basic understanding of medical education issues or I'll have to send in Dr B

[bluejay]

and fyi anesthesiology is not a competitive field nor has it been for a few years.
Steph, now you're just embarrassing yourself and SGU. Even Rokshana (not one of SGU's best advocates, to say the least as we've seen above) got this one right. Anesthesia is far more competitive now than say Radiation Oncology was in the '90s when they were begging for even IMG's to take a residency and everyone was absolutely certain it was going to die. Better enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Islandhopper, complaining to mommy, just because she's an SGU grad and wants SGU to stay on top as bad as you want to be able to articulate a logical argument, isn't going to save your a$$ for long. Eventually, as we've seen here, you get pwn3d!

[Bad_Dobby]

Think it is time to close this thread - it looks like another muck chucking contest to me.

[rokshana]

Looking at the PDF file that Lawdawg attached above, Saba matched a higher percentage of grads into Anesthesiology than SGU in both 2005 and 2006. I'm not too sure I'd call that a "leg up."
2006
Saba 7.6%
SGU 4.6%

2005
Saba 5.2%
SGU 3.0%

Rokshana, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like you and Islandhopper have been beat down pretty good on this subject. It's hard to ignore the numbers when their staring us right in the face.

well anesthesia is an example - but really the number thing is a little misleading (after all you can makes stats say anything you want!) after all sgu(and ross and auc) all have what 600 grads a year to saba? Plus to make it really worthwhile you really need to compare how many people want that particular residency - numbers, that AFAIK are not available, and how many people actually get the residency. I mean say 10 people out of saba's class interviewed for anesthesia and 10 people got anesthesia residencies and sgu had 100 people interview and only 10 people got it, well then it would seem that saba would have the better track record even though them matched the same number of people in to programs( and BTW, I just pulled those numbers out of my head as an example). You are assuming with those percentages that everyone in the respective classes tried for anesthesia and only that % got it.

Its not all about where you go - its what you do there when you get there!! But I 'll bet you you could go into a hospital and ask people if they have heard of sgu or saba and while most people will probably say they haven't heard of either, more will probably say sgu over saba.

Hey - I'm not here to make someone chose one school over the other - if someone wants to go to saba - great!- ross - great! sgu - great!- but i think i have been a fair advocate for the school i've picked - i say the good and the bad about the school and since i'm still at sgu - i am biased and am happy with my choice.

[homerbrave]

and fyi anesthesiology is not a competitive field nor has it been for a few years. nor is any med school or residency "ivy league". Because a place is ivy undergrad that means absolutely nothing about the quality of their medical residency program. Using limp arguements to argue rationalize your points really looks bad and its a bad habit for when you actually have to have real answers as a doctor. Making stuff up with weak inference will get you shot down.

If youre going to misuse statistics at least have a basic understanding of medical education issues or I'll have to send in Dr B

Incredible! I've read lots of outrageous claims from this poster in the past few years but this one is by far the outrageous.

I wonder what all the Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Stanford, etc. residents/program directors would say should they find out their residency programs aren't prestigious based on the opinion of a supermoderator on Valuemd!

[sgustudent01]

http://www.valuemd.com/../images/heartb1.gif
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 22


Lets see...how many students saba have in radiology this year? hmmm
Sgu has 4
How many students does saba has in ER?
SGU has over 30
derm?
SGU has 2
Anesthesia?
i believe sgu has 11
ENT?
Sgu has 1
Neurosurgery?
sgu has 1
Urology
SGU has 1

[homerbrave]

more will probably say sgu over saba.

Hey - I'm not here to make someone chose one school over the other - if someone wants to go to saba - great!- ross - great! sgu - great!- but i think i have been a fair advocate for the school i've picked - i say the good and the bad about the school and since i'm still at sgu - i am biased and am happy with my choice.

ok, we get it. You looove SGU and wants everyone to agree with you.

good nightttttt!!!

[rokshana]

Incredible! I've read lots of outrageous claims from this poster in the past few years but this one is by far the outrageous.

I wonder what all the Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Stanford, etc. residents/program directors would say should they find out their residency programs aren't prestigious based on the opinion of a supermoderator on Valuemd!

umm...stanford isn't in the Ivy League.

[###]

.............

[stephew]

Steph, now you're just embarrassing yourself and SGU.
woah, kettle?

and one more time.
no insulting or flamming

that's youre last warning .

[stephew]

Incredible! I've read lots of outrageous claims from this poster in the past few years but this one is by far the outrageous.

I wonder what all the Harvard, Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Stanford, etc. residents/program directors would say should they find out their residency programs aren't prestigious based on the opinion of a supermoderator on Valuemd!since Im at harvard I can ask them for you if you'd really like to know. save for one thing: i didnt say that. I trust you are bright enough to understand the differentiation between saying "Yale isnt any good" and "the fact that yale is an ivy league undergrad means nothing with regard to the quality of any specific residency program" Which is quite true. I suspect you mis read my post above. Either that or dont know much about med ed on the graduate level which is fair enough. But in that case dont criticise what you dont understand.

here's an example: yale and orthopedics. Must be the best cos its ivy leage!!! well, not really and didnt i tell you "ivy league" wasnt the appropriate term here? from us news and world report- a reasonable standard of the "best" programs to train at. note yale: not in the top 50. Lancaster general is and I lived in lancaster for college and let me tell you: lancaster general being among the best isn't an intuitive thought.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/images/global/structure/spacer_pixel.gifhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/images/global/structure/spacer_pixel.gifhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/images/global/structure/spacer_pixel.gifhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/images/global/structure/spacer_pixel.gifhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/images/global/structure/spacer_pixel.gifhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/images/global/structure/spacer_pixel.gifhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/images/global/structure/spacer_pixel.gifhttp://www.usnews.com/usnews/images/global/structure/spacer_pixel.gif1. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6611490.htm) 100.058.20.6010,6652.5Yes4.07Yes2. Hospital for Special Surgery, New York (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6212900.htm) 87.447.30.039,3051.6Yes4.06Yes3. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6140430.htm) 66.634.11.114,2572.1Yes4.06Yes4. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6320180.htm) 55.822.70.732,1402.2Yes4.07Yes5. Cleveland Clinic (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6410670.htm) 48.217.30.704,4521.5Yes4.06No6. UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6931755.htm) 42.313.60.721,8612.1No4.05Yes7. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6620765.htm) 42.015.01.272,1911.5Yes4.07Yes8. Rush University Medical Center, Chicago (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6430985.htm) 40.57.80.253,5192.1Yes4.07Yes9. University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6910750.htm) 40.310.20.501,2242.3Yes4.06No10. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6360355.htm) 39.510.80.803,2091.8No4.06Yes11. Barnes - Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6630930.htm) 37.98.40.793,3771.5Yes4.06Yes12. Harborview Medical Center, Seattle (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6910610.htm) 36.08.90.751,1162.1No3.56Yes13. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6230029.htm) 35.77.60.843,3511.9No4.07Yes14. New York - Presbyterian Univ. Hosp. of Columbia and Cornell (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6210024.htm) 34.57.70.984,1611.5No4.07Yes15. University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6440110.htm) 33.94.20.441,7442.3No4.07Yes16. Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, Calif. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6932330.htm) 32.95.40.772,4542.7No4.06Yes17. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6230043.htm) 32.74.80.794,6401.6No4.07Yes18. Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6740950.htm) 32.66.50.706541.5No3.06Yes19. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6140215.htm) 32.23.70.652,9722.2No4.06Yes20. Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6740900.htm) 32.11.80.524,9221.5Yes4.06Yes21. University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minneapolis (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6610004.htm) 31.73.40.592,3021.8No4.06Yes22. Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopedic Institute, New York (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6212890.htm) 31.64.20.382,2761.3No3.06No23. New England Baptist Hospital, Boston (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6140460.htm) 31.13.40.414,5040.9No4.05No24. University of California, San Francisco Medical Center (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6930043.htm) 31.15.40.731,6422.7No4.05No25. University Hospitals of Cleveland (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6410920.htm) 30.83.30.793,0401.5No4.07Yes26. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6430545.htm) 30.64.60.993,2101.9No4.06Yes27. William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Mich. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6442245.htm) 30.30.40.607,1371.5Yes4.07Yes28. Ohio State University Hospital, Columbus (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6411100.htm) 30.11.70.657121.8Yes4.07Yes29. USC University Hospital, Los Angeles (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6930042.htm) 30.12.70.361,7222.0No4.05No30. Jewish Hospital, Louisville, Ky. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6510510.htm) 29.90.00.463,5661.3Yes4.05Yes31. University of Colorado Hospital, Denver (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6840430.htm) 29.70.50.488752.0Yes4.06Yes32. University of Chicago Hospitals (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6431210.htm) 29.62.90.721,4912.2No4.06Yes33. Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, Ill. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6430405.htm) 29.40.80.573,0421.7No3.57Yes34. University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6530304.htm) 29.32.60.972,4541.5Yes3.57Yes35. University Medical Center, Tucson, Ariz. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6860516.htm) 29.30.90.561,0192.1Yes3.56Yes36. Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Fla. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6390052.htm) 29.20.00.455,4371.3Yes4.06No37. Cedars - Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6930444.htm) 29.00.90.743,8841.5Yes4.05Yes38. LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6870260.htm) 29.00.00.532,7581.9No4.07Yes39. University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6932680.htm) 28.90.50.671,2703.0Yes4.07Yes40. University of California, San Diego Medical Center (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6932820.htm) 28.81.80.481,0971.9No3.05Yes41. St. Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6380200.htm) 28.80.00.392,6921.5Yes4.05No42. Poudre Valley Hospital, Fort *******, Colo. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6840018.htm) 28.70.00.513,0232.2Yes3.04Yes43. Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, Pa. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6230013.htm) 28.70.00.713,6111.7Yes4.06Yes44. Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6610815.htm) 28.70.00.565,0421.5No4.07Yes45. University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics, Salt Lake City (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6870315.htm) 28.42.60.792,1041.9No4.07No46. Tampa General Hospital (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6391060.htm) 28.30.80.452,9711.6No2.05Yes47. Lancaster General Hospital, Pa. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6231120.htm) 28.30.00.694,2471.4Yes3.56Yes48. Penrose - St. ******* Health Services, Colorado Springs, Colo. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6840002.htm) 28.30.00.482,3491.2No3.57Yes49. Summa Health System, Akron, Ohio (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6410012.htm) 28.30.00.394,3021.8No2.07Yes50. Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/glance_6610950.htm) 28.30.90.511,0402.1No3.07Yes

[stephew]

oh and for anesthsia
Here's the anesthsia data fro m2002-2006. Note in none of these years did anethesia fill in the match. And each year nearly 100 spots left over after all US seniors had their fill (assuming, which would be incorrect, that all uS seniors were chosen above all imgs). If you find that senario overly competitive, well good luck to you. and finally I leave you with this: if it matters so much to you that the field you chose is competitive... consider first that perhaps you shouldnt advertise that fact outloud. And the maybe consider that you might be happier doing something you really like rather than something that you think sound impressive. Life is too short to waste on that sort of nonsence.

check for yourself here
http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/tables/table5_06.pdf

2002
392 offered
307 filled with US seniors
375 filled total

2003
431 offered
321 filled with US seniors
415 filled total

2004
443 offered
322 filled with US seniors
414 filled total

2005
463 offered
326 filled with US seniors
439 filled total

2002
552 offered
451 filled with US seniors
539 filled total

[bluejay]

Well there you have it folks. If the US Seniors don't fill 100% then it's officially "uncompetitive." I guess that's why only 3-4%/yr SGU grads are able to claw their way in.

Steph, you're so out of touch with reality it's starting to embarrass even me. Do you even read what you write? Why don't you try spending maybe even 10 seconds doing a little research before posting this . For example, go to the Anesthesia forum on student_remove_these_words_doctors.net and then come back and tell me how uncompetitive it is. It amazes me that an IMG can suddenly forget how easy it was to get RadOnc in the late '90s and now start ragging on legitimately competitive specialties she knows absolutely nothing about.

Or just ban me if that makes it easier for you to cope with your weak lack of knowledge in this area.

edited for language

[stephew]

hmm i thought hard data from the nrms was reseach. Kiddo, you dont need me to embarrass you. btw pleae edit your post to comply with the tos that you agreed to. thanks again.

[stephew]

i should add that multiple accounts are agaisnt terms of use. particularly when created to agree with youself. The admin is investigating this and users doing this will have all accounts permenantly banned. Again, tos folks. you agreed to them. this thread closed while that's looked into. Attempting to reopen this issue until that is completed isnt permitted. thread will be opened when completed..

[stephew]

i should add that multiple accounts are agaisnt terms of use. particularly when created to agree with youself. The admin is investigating this and users doing this will have all accounts permenantly banned. Again, tos folks. you agreed to them. this thread closed while that's looked into. Attempting to reopen this issue until that is completed isnt permitted. thread will be opened when completed..
I asked other mods/admin to deal with the tos violations for obvious reasons.

please keep it clean.

[sgustudent01]

I am curious as to what, exactly you think this data means.

Rokshana's point is spot on -- you have to make a boatload of questionable assumptions regarding the relative rates of applications, USMLE stats, etc., to say whether SGU has better placement stats relative to the others. While there are some plausible reasons why SGU might have better placement stats, there is really nothing in the data you present that supports this hypothesis. Even if you had good data (which is not available) using raw numbers is very misleading because the schools have very different sizes of graduating classes. Bluejay's approach is much better because it controls for class size -- but it is hardly convincing due to the poor quality of the data and all the questionable assumptions. Also, by choosing one specialty, you are dealing with small numbers so there would fluctuations from year to year. Thus, there are lots of questions as to whether this is a representative year and whether anesthesiology represents Sabas overall ability to place residents in competitve slots. If you were to do such an analysis you would probably want to lump a bunch of similar kinds of specialties together (competitive vs noncompetitive) and average the placement rate data over several years.

I did an analysis like that a year ago and found that SGU was slightly better than Saba overall in placing students in competitive (i.e. non primary care) residencies. Even assuming the data was complete and accurate (which it isn't) the p value was only about 0.3 which says there is a 30% chance that the difference could have been obtained by chance. Thus, if you had to bet, you would bet SGU has better placements -- but you wouldn't bet a lot on this wager because it is not a very strong result.

So, you can see that it is pretty difficult to establish that there is a real difference in placement rates. And, if there is, it is certainly not overwhelmingly obvious.

Now, supposing that a small difference exists. Let's say that 15% of SGU students place in competitive residencies vs 7% of Saba students. What does this mean? Does this imply that teaching at SGU is better? Does this mean that a particular student has a better chance of getting into a competitive residency if they go to SGU? It is possible, but I don't think there is any convincing evidence to suggest that SGU will vastly increase your chances. There are some plausible reasons to believe that SGU might give you a bit of a boost (longer history, bigger alumni network, PDs more familiar) but it doubtful that these overwhelm individual factors (USMLE scores, LOR, etc). Further, it is very hard to say that SGU has any signicant impact student outcomes (USMLE scores) relative to Saba.

Thus, at the end of the day you are left with the following:

There is some weak evidence that SGU might give you a bit of a boost. How much are you willing to pay for this?


Dr. B you are absulutely correct. Yes you cant really say for sure that SABA education is much better then SGU. You cant really say for sure that if you go to SGU you'll get your dream orthopedics residency choice. You cant even say for sure that you will graduate. But i am willing to pay because SGU has been around for 20 years and will be around for another 20+ years. Other medicals schools besides Ross and AUC i dont really know (looking at Kigenzi and St. Cris). So yes i am paying for the security and i think it is worth more then being able to attain that supercompetetive specialty.

[###]

..............

[###]

.............

[sweetpeapotts]

[quote=DrB]Closing a thread because of bad behavior of a few users is like closing a highway because there are some speeders. Best to deal with the offenders rather than to close the highway. The rest of us would like to politely carry on the discussion.
quote]

!Excellente! Your maturity and intellect is appreciated because this has been very helpful to me and to others I am sure.:-miner :-miner

[Bad_Dobby]

Closing a thread because of bad behavior ... The rest of us would like to politely carry on the discussion. it would sad to close this thread because it is one of the most informative discussions of residency placement I have seen on valueMD.

I was basing that on several previous threads on the Saba forum where certaned unnamed posters kept it blasting each other until the moderators closed them and banned or warned the users. These broke down into slug fests with put downs and snide remarks. The reason has been school infighting and not a serious search for the facts. You can go on gut feels for some things but....hard numbers and facts are hard to dispute.

What I am seeing here is people who have done some good number crunching and serious comparisons on the website with matches and looking at other sites at the match data. This has been one of the best threads. Post the numbers and let the facts speack for themselves.

[###]

..............

[islandhopper]

Nor is any med school or residency "ivy league". Because a place is ivy undergrad that means absolutely nothing about the quality of their medical residency program. Using limp arguements to argue rationalize your points really looks bad and its a bad habit for when you actually have to have real answer

I don't think you understand my point clearly. I use the "Harvard analogy" to make the point that people are biased towards you if you graduated from a reputable med school. I don't think it's wrong in saying Harvard med school is the top notch in the nation, as least most of us agrees. The comment I heard about this harvard grad backs up just that -- graduating from a reputable school does give you an edge. I wasn't interested in showing/knowing whether Harvard med/residency program actually live up to its expectation. You sounded like I used the argument without knowing anything about the school, which is irrelevant to the point I tried to make.

btw, I gave the reason to explain why I tend to believe SGU gives that little extra boost in getting residency. It was by no mean an objective statement nor was it intended to be so.

Thanks Dr. B. You're interpretion of the existing data should put some positive spin on people who are undecisive about which school to choose from.

[stephew]

there are some realities out there. here are a few.
1) it doesnt matter where you graduate from in a general sense. its easier in life coming from h arvard than state school and coming from a us sate school compared to offshore, and coming from some offshore schools compared to others.
2) a "brand name" medical school does not make for a top notch residency. Yale ortho is not a top notch place? Is it bad; actually i dont know. my guess is its not. But if youre in ortho you'll be less impressed by the yale name thana bunch of med students (particularly offshore ones) will be. Youd be surpised to hear where the top radonc is.

[psychMajor]

I am impressed with alot of the posts, it shows high degree of maturity and understanding. stephew's posts are no exception.

In life, you are given opportunities. You must make the best of it. I know in my case and in most of yours, Caribbean will be my second chance of becoming a good doctor. Without it, I wouldnt have been a doctor; be it IMG or whatever.

Personality, I am very confident of my choice. I know the experience will be even better than schools here in Canada.

I hope that, years after, I will prove my self correct. I think that I will!

[DashingMD]

haha, not yet

i start jan 07. Just finished my degree!

i went through that period of uncertainty already. There is no such thing as number 1. You will realize this soon enough.

Which univ did you graduate from?


Which med school are u going to or accepted to?

[Gigi25]

Thanks a lot...so ur a student at SABA already?? Thats great. Yeah I really dont know...I feel like everytime I do research a different skool is ranked number one....haha....so what year r u?? I cant wait to become a pediatrician:) see ya

Hi, if you don't mind me asking where are you reading this "ranking" and who writes them. If you pick amongst the schools that are well known, Saba, SGU, Ross, AUC you should be fine. the rest is up to you. Everyone will be partial to there own school. Why? because we picked it for a reason.. for example I'm going to say: to me Saba is number one because its small, safe island, GREAT price and I just took the step I and felt very well prepared by the school for the exam. Plus, the instructors know your name, how you are doing, they ask for your opinion about the lecture. On one exam, I got a lower mark than usual because I was going through a difficult time. My instructor not only noticed this, but asked me what he could do to help me understand the material better. This was just one simple one exam, that shows that the instructors care enough to follow up on individuals not just when they failed the class but when they demonstrate a change in their usual performance. Well, dont wanna bore u.. just my 2 cents. good luck with your decision

:bored:

[Gigi25]

This is an overstatement and I've said it over and over.

This is nothing new.

That's not so nice, but I guess we can all have our opinions..

[Gigi25]

It's getting tiring to hear you grumbling over the same old issue again and again that doesn't/shouldn't exist.

For the record, I did not leave Saba for "my experience" but my expectation. Go back and re-read my old posts. The issues is old and pointless. I won't repeat it again.

what happened to you on Saba?? If you don't mind me asking?? I don't really know how to search the posts, I'm not that computer savy. I don't want to sound like I'm attacking you and I don't know you at all so why would I, but it seems as if you have a personal vendetta (s??) against Saba. I also think your opinion may be jaded d/t what happened to you there. I don't think its fair for you to be putting down our school, we don't do that to yours!! But wutever