stolid82
04-10-2004, 07:17 PM
would it be better to enter ross or saba for med school if I am a us citizen?
WantMD
04-10-2004, 08:45 PM
Wow, I'm not sure where to begin. You left out other great schools. I'll briefly give you my opinion on this, you can PM me for more details. Also, please use the search tool on this site as your questions has been asked/answered many times before.
The consensus is that the "Top 3" schools are St. Georges, Ross & AUC.
St. Georges - Great school, most reputable, oldest & most expensive.
Ross - Great school, crumby island.
AUC - Great school, great island.
All 3 have Federal Stafford Loans & you can be lincensed in all 50 states upon complettion of your residency. (or yr 1 & 2 depending on the state).
In *MY* opinion, Saba is the best school after these three. It has been around for a while, has great USMLE scores, students have been getting competitive residencies. Highlights for this school are Good Academics, Safe Island, Lower Tuition & Small Class size.
When considering Saba VS Top Three, there are three disadvantages of Saba that May or may not matter to you.
- Saba has no Stafford Loans, But you can get Teri and MedAchiever loans. In my opinion, not a big deal since the lower tuition somewhat offsets the higher interest rates.
- Saba is not yet approved for licensure in CA. Most people at Saba and this forum tend to agree that CA approval for Saba is around the corner, but no one can commit to saying when. If CA is a live or die issue for you then this is important.
The island of Saba is considered the safest in the caribbean. Crime on St. Maarten is very low, but on Saba it is virtually non-existant. Also, Saba is a gorgeous, lush island and it is apparently beautiful. HOWEVER, it is very small and does not have much to do, many people have gotten really bored there. There are speculations that Saba's outstanding USMLE scores are due to the abundant "study time" you have when you live there.
You have to spend the next weeks/months researching the different schoos, getting the advice/opinions of different people and decide for yourself.
In my opinion I think Saba is an excellent school and they have treated me extremely well. I chose to go to AUC because of reasons related to my wife and kids, not the school. I had no interest in Ross or SGU.
Keep in mind that there are other schools that are newer but still serious schools. I considered going to St. Matthews on Grand Cayman & MUA, Saba's sister school.
Good Luck!
WantMD :-)