What Must I Do To Gain Admittance Into Saba? Please Help!

[Confused 20]

I am very much interested in gaining admission into Saba. I am a Political Science major at a 4-year university and I need two classes in Political Science to complete my degree. I have thus far taken the Biology and General Chemistry prerequisites. My current overall gpa is 3.795(3.826 with grade forgiveness) and my science gpa is 3.710(3.759 with grade forgiveness). Will Saba take into consideration grade forgiveness and look at my gpas of 3.826 and 3.759 or will they view my gpas as 3.759 and 3.710?

What should I do from here on to gain admission into Saba? If I decide to just take the Organic Chemistry prerequisites (and forgo taking Physics and the MCAT because they are not required) and keep my gpas constant, what will be my chances of gaining admittance into Saba?

What would be the best route to follow taking into consideration that I am very old to be pursuing medicine and wish to gain admittance as soon as possible?

Any input on the above questions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[aspiringmedstudent]

Your GPA is good, with or without the "forgiveness" you speak of. (I have no idea what that means, by the way)

You should have all the prereqs Saba _suggest_, including two semesters (each) of Organic and Physics, AND taking the MCAT. It seems from all the posts from other students who were rejected recently that it's becoming more difficult to get in. Do some searching on the forum - you'll find several posts with people who ask similar questions as you. There's great advice out there on the forum.

As far as your age, I am not sure how old "very old" is?
30? 40? 70? :P We've had students on Saba in their 50's so I don't think that age is too much of a factor these days. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but all you can do is try.

Good luck. Do a little leg work on the forum - you'll find valuable information.

[med etudiant]

OP: Apply to US MD and DO schools, first.

[mario345]

honestly dude, your numbers are pretty good...apply to U.S. or cdn schools first...

[BHood]

Well, how old are you????
What would be the best route to follow taking into consideration that I am very old to be pursuing medicine and wish to gain admittance as soon as possible?

I am very much interested in gaining admission into Saba. I am a Political Science major at a 4-year university and I need two classes in Political Science to complete my degree. I have thus far taken the Biology and General Chemistry prerequisites. My current overall gpa is 3.795(3.826 with grade forgiveness) and my science gpa is 3.710(3.759 with grade forgiveness). Will Saba take into consideration grade forgiveness and look at my gpas of 3.826 and 3.759 or will they view my gpas as 3.759 and 3.710?

What should I do from here on to gain admission into Saba? If I decide to just take the Organic Chemistry prerequisites (and forgo taking Physics and the MCAT because they are not required) and keep my gpas constant, what will be my chances of gaining admittance into Saba?

What would be the best route to follow taking into consideration that I am very old to be pursuing medicine and wish to gain admittance as soon as possible?

Any input on the above questions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[med etudiant]

I know I wanna hear too. OP I wouldnt worry if your an older adult, my undergrad institution had its fair share of adults returning to school. They all seemed to do very well in class. Best of luck bud!

[aspiringmedstudent]

US/Canadian schools, unfortunately, do discriminate against "older" students.

[Confused 20]

I regret to inform you that I am 26 years old. Although some may not view this as being old, I had always envisioned achieving a career at as young an age as possible. I thus far never had a real occupation like others who are my age and pursuing medicine. I also have a very long road ahead if I were to attempt to gain entrance into a United States school. I still have to take the Organic Chemistry and Physics prerequisites and the the MCAT. Furthermore I suffer from severe depression and am of average intelligence at very best. I am very confident that I do not possess the ability to pass Organic Chemistry and earn a 30 on the MCAT. The Caribbean is my only choice. I would really love to get into one of the big four because of the fact that they all have solid reputations and you can gain a license to practice in all 50 states. I wish to exacerbate the process of gaining entrance into Medical school and Saba is my best option since it does not require a degree, Physics or the MCAT.

Can anyone give me his or her opinion of whether I may gain entrance into Saba if I have a 3.826 overall gap, a 3.759 science gpa and solid extracurriculars (with no degree, no Physics, and no MCAT)? If not, do you believe I can gain entrance with the same gpas, a degree in Political Science, Physics, but no MCAT

Thanks in advance for anyone who is kind enough to reply.

[aspiringmedstudent]

I was 27 when I started on Saba, if that tells you anything....
Very old? My gosh.....

I am just a bit confused. I don't understand how you think you can't pass Organic if you have a good GPA? You've already shown that you can do well in your undergraduate studies, so why should Organic be any different? It's not rocket science, and I think anyone who has proven themselves in higher learning institution is capable of doing well, let alone passing Organic Chemistry (or any other course in the pre-med cirriculum) I

I can't be too closed minded about your opinions on Organic, though, because I attempted the MCAT twice and could do well with it. I must admit, though, I don't think I had thorough preparation either of the times. At any rate, I wasn't prepared to take it again and wait another 1-2 years to get into an American school. I really don't think I would have gotten in at my age and at my track record for the MCAT, regardless.

At this point, because there are so many people applying to US/Canadian schools, there are a lot of people applying for the Caribbean. Up to even a few years ago, going to the Caribbean is the "last resort" for many students. Now I think that's changing quite a bit because of the success of the schools, and as the applications are sky rocketting, it's getting more competitive to get admission - particularly with SGU, Ross, AUC and Saba.

If you want in to one of the four, _again_, I think you need all suggested requirements. There are people who get in without them, but they have a particular background that makes them more competitive. (RNs, EMTs, chiropractors, PAs, PhD's, researchers, etc.)

If you want to skimp on the pre-reqs, then try other schools like MUA, AUA, Statia, etc.

[medicboy]

I think you should just go ahead and apply and they will tell you what to work on etc ... chances are you will get accepted with a gpa that high ... just do lots of clinical volunteer work ... gluck :)

[jhf]

First of all, the difficulty of organic chem is vastly overrated. Hell, if you found general chem hard, you will probably find organic easier. I hated general chem but really liked organic, it's all conceptual and no math problems!

Second, if you are worried about undergrad classes what about medschool classes... it's a lot more info in a lot less time.

Third with your numbers you should be fine. Chill out and give yourself some credit.

[mdexplorer]

First of all, you are not old.
Few years ago when my husband was preparing to get in PA school we got a book, which helped him allot. Its name is "Getting Into the PA School of Your Choice" by Andrew Rodican. You are not applying for a PA school, but I strongly recommend this book. It will help you to understand how they made the selection, how you need to set goals and how to get to achieve them. My husband will be 35 years old soon and he will apply for May 09. And talking about this, I will really appreciate if I will get some inside info about the life on Saba Island. I tried SOS, but I did not get much info. We are a family with two small children, I am concern about the medical system in the island, I'd like to know if beside ethnic groups there are other groups like wives. I am curious if there are any romanian students, I saw one of professors is romanian. Thanks in advance.

[sasissy]

Hello,
I haven't talked to you but I am part of SOs and would be glaad to answer ny questions. PM me and I will send you my email

sasissy