*** HELP! What Carib MD to go to? ***

[Mr.TjFunbags]

With your grades and scores - waiting a year do more volunteer work - get in a top fifty US school and save yourself a boat load of trouble.

[kemper6036]

caribbean med schools are not through amcas. SGU, AUC, Ross, and Saba will allow you to practice in all 50 states. good luck

[ghaleon]

Looking at your numbers, it would be a travesty if you passed up on the opportunity to go to a US school and went to a Caribbean school instead.

I can virtually guarantee that you will get into a US school with those credentials, and I suggest that you put most of your efforts into accomplishing that.

If you MUST know about Caribbean schools, St. George and Ross are the two schools with the best residency match records. AUC is pretty decent too.

Take care.

[Mr.TjFunbags]

Looking at your numbers, it would be a travesty if you passed up on the opportunity to go to a US school and went to a Caribbean school instead.

I can virtually guarantee that you will get into a US school with those credentials, and I suggest that you put most of your efforts into accomplishing that.

If you MUST know about Caribbean schools, St. George and Ross are the two schools with the best residency match records. AUC is pretty decent too.

Take care.

ghaleon, thank you for your honesty but I question it in my case, as I am not hearing from anyone and I have applied very late in the competitive US m.d. cycle. It is no one's fault but my own. To paint a better picture, literally all my friends have gotten interviews and phone calls from Deans saying "welcome to so and so, come see us for an interview" and I have yet to receive anything. Also, I check SDN and I see people with lower mcats/gpas then mine getting interviews right and left; I'm not even verified by AAMC yet! :confused:

With my dire situation, I plan to apply to the suggested schools in St. George, Ross, Unibe, and AUC. As of now, if I'm accepted to these and they are a good fit, I would like to attend the schools that would allow me to matriculate this upcoming January, so I can begin school asap.

Do all carib schools allow this--the January matriculation--or just a select few? I ask only because I graduate in December and have nothing to do for the next semester, thus it makes sense to attend a med school that would allow me to continue my education beginning next semester.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Regards,
TJ

[jaysondeguzman]

i agree totally with the previous post dont go to carib with those numbers u will definitely get into a us school easy worst case just wait out 1 year and find a temporary job with ur bachelors degree man it would be such a waste to go to carib with those kind of credentials u would be compeitive at elite schools even

[AUCMD2006]

absolutely do not go to the carib if you can avoid it. obviously we don;t know your situation but unless there is a compelling reason that you absolutely need to start early, the carib should be your last option and with your stats you will get in but why only apply to those fe3w US med schools?

anyway, going to the carib will limit you in the type of medical student rotations you do, the number and location on residency interviews, and ultimately the location and residency you get regardless of usmle score you will have some doors automatically shut on you so avoid the carib if you can.

having said that the schools mentioned above will give you the closest experience and opportunities to a US school

[BTH]

Salutations "Mr.TjFunbags":

Wait out another year and then apply for a U.S. medical school. You can't think short-term. You have to think long-term. Don't be short-sighted and attend a caribbean medical school simply because you can "start getting your MD early" and waste a good opportunity to get into a U.S. medical school. Like you said, many people with worse credentials have gotten accepted so have some patience and reapply next year. Get a temporary job or something. But if you absolutely must then St. George, Ross, AUC, and Saba will allow you to get licensure at all the states. Good luck. Ciao.

[slevit1]

Unless there's something you're not telling us, there is NO reason for you to go to a caribbean school!!!!!! If you don't wait a year and wind up coming to the caribbean, you'll be making a HUGE mistake. Please trust me...I was in a huge rush to start asap also, but you DO NOT want to be here if you don't have to be! And with your stats, unless you're impatient, you don't have to be! don't come to the caribbean, don't come to the caribbean, don't come to the caribbean, unless you have to! I know exactly how you're feeling with wanting to get started as soon as possible and honestly, I probably would not have taken my advice if I were in your position. But please, just trust me. I'd even consider repeating a year if I could go back to the US!



If you MUST know about Caribbean schools, St. George and Ross are the two schools with the best residency match records. AUC is pretty decent too. Take care.
A little off here...AUC's matches are at least as good as SGU and Ross and there is little reason to put either of the two (especially Ross) above AUC. Further, Ross and SGU both have HUGE classes and are on islands that I would never consider living on.

[ghaleon]

A little off here...AUC's matches are at least as good as SGU and Ross and there is little reason to put either of the two (especially Ross) above AUC. Further, Ross and SGU both have HUGE classes and are on islands that I would never consider living on.

I don't know why I am even responding to this comment. But AUC's matches are not "at least as good." I said they were decent.

Anyway, the match lists are available on all three schools websites anyone can see for themselves. I am referring NOT to the sheer number of matches, but to the proportion of placements in more competitive specialties.

[AUCMD2006]

I don't know why I am even responding to this comment. But AUC's matches are not "at least as good." I said they were decent.

Anyway, the match lists are available on all three schools websites anyone can see for themselves. I am referring NOT to the sheer number of matches, but to the proportion of placements in more competitive specialties.


porportionally they are the same. someone actually did a statistical analysis last year and i did a half **** one this year..there is no real difference. what makes sgu better in my opinion is the student support you get from start to the end even help with defferment paperwork but as far as matches they are the same..no one in rads or ortho is going to throw the door open any wider for sgu than ross or auc for that matter.

[Mr.TjFunbags]

Thank you all for your posts and advice--I truly appreciate it. After reading what people posted, I decided to talk to my pre-med advisor who mentioned similar things as you all, that I should just be patient and good things will come. She went as far as to call me a moron for what I was planning and suggested to hold tight. She also mentioned one of the reasons I may not be hearing anything is because I applied late, and that my application isn't verified yet. She said that upon verification, schools will have full access to my app and will most likely grant an interview if they chose, but only until verification.

However, she said despite my stats and ECs, that I should still be concerned because I received a minor in possession when I was 19 while at school. I hope schools don't hold this against me, as I was given an MIP not for consuming alcohol, but for driving a 23yr old friend to the liquor store and since liquor was in my car, I was written up :(

In any event, thank you very much for your advice. I will sit tight and wait for what I hope will be interviews and acceptances. If I am not accepted, move over fellow Caribs, TJ is coming down for some fun n the sun :cool: (note: I usually don't refer to myself in 3rd person, not arrogant, just did it as a joke hehe)

[Mr.TjFunbags]

but why only apply to those fe3w US med schools?

I applied mainly to the schools that I thought would give me the best shot to get in. So I applied to my state schools in Michigan and a few just in case I didn't get in those.

Also, I would've liked to apply to more, but I was afraid that I'd be wasting money since I am a late applicant and I had heard that only special out of state applicants are allowed admission to schools outside their home state (e.g. if school X has a median of a 32 mcat, that an OOS applicant would need a 37 to be competitive etc.)

In retrospect, I should have done my research better and seen a pre-med advisor much sooner. I probably royally screwed up this application cycle for myself. Oh well, too late now; it's already October.

[jameslynton]

I applied mainly to the schools that I thought would give me the best shot to get in. So I applied to my state schools in Michigan and a few just in case I didn't get in those.

Also, I would've liked to apply to more, but I was afraid that I'd be wasting money since I am a late applicant and I had heard that only special out of state applicants are allowed admission to schools outside their home state (e.g. if school X has a median of a 32 mcat, that an OOS applicant would need a 37 to be competitive etc.)

In retrospect, I should have done my research better and seen a pre-med advisor much sooner. I probably royally screwed up this application cycle for myself. Oh well, too late now; it's already October.Even late - you still have a good chance of getting in a US school. Many schools have deadlines till October 15 and November 30th. I would apply to at least 25 schools and top ones at that with your grades and score. Get busy!