help plz

[emptyskull01]

hi,
Please help me. when i moved to the US i joined community college and graduated with honors with 3.56 gpa in biology. then i transferred to 4 year college where i also graduated with 3.56 gpa bachelors in biology. during college i drove cab almost full time and had no time for the volunteer work. When i transferred to 4 year college i came to know i should had taken Saba's required science courses in 4 year college but other science classes such microbiology, zoology, botany, bioinformatics, evolution, organic 2, cell biology were taken here and earned good grades. Please tell in your opinion what are the chances of getting admission at Saba and Mcat is needed. Please help me.
thanks

[Ayesha1]

Hello!
did u do any sort of volunteer work or any community work?....anything to put in your personal essay?

[gumby]

hi,
Please help me. when i moved to the US i joined community college and graduated with honors with 3.56 gpa in biology. then i transferred to 4 year college where i also graduated with 3.56 gpa bachelors in biology. during college i drove cab almost full time and had no time for the volunteer work. When i transferred to 4 year college i came to know i should had taken Saba's required science courses in 4 year college but other science classes such microbiology, zoology, botany, bioinformatics, evolution, organic 2, cell biology were taken here and earned good grades. Please tell in your opinion what are the chances of getting admission at Saba and Mcat is needed. Please help me.
thanks


Currently Saba wants you to take the MCAT if you did your required science courses from a community college. I really hope you aren't trying to avoid taking the MCAT. It would be a foolish mistake to come to Saba just because you didn't want to take the MCAT. Choosing a medical career means you are choosing a life of standardized tests, the easiest of which is the MCAT. My advice, since you have a decent GPA, is to study hard for the MCAT and see how you do. I know people that got into US med schools with lower gpa that yours. Don't think for a second that coming to Saba should be your first choice. So much better to get into a US school. Good luck.

[emptyskull01]

Thanks for your response Gumby. I am taking Mcat on August 26th but the only thing is that i called many times to Saba's admission office to inquire regarding the Mcat, they always tell the application is still pending or reviewing it. I just want to know from them if i need Mcat (if yes) then i will study very very hard or it is just a formality. I study better when i am under pressure. Thanks again you motivated me.

[gumby]

Thanks for your response Gumby. I am taking Mcat on August 26th but the only thing is that i called many times to Saba's admission office to inquire regarding the Mcat, they always tell the application is still pending or reviewing it. I just want to know from them if i need Mcat (if yes) then i will study very very hard or it is just a formality. I study better when i am under pressure. Thanks again you motivated me.


Well, if you operate better under pressure (a good trait to have for med school), let me put a little pressure on you. If you don't do well on the MCAT, then you may not get in to a US med school. You may still have a good chance to get into Saba with your gpa and a weak MCAT score, but that is not etched in stone. Plenty of people get turned down every semester, and the competition just keeps getting tougher.
In case you are liking the idea of coming to Saba, let me explain that whatever you are expecting to pay in tuition, books, fees, living expenses, and travel is going to be much more than what you are expecting. Saba is NOT cheaper, especially with the current loan situation.
If you are looking for an easy route to get your MD, think again about coming to Saba. The courses are tough and the pace is brutal. Unlike US schools, Saba is always measuring if you deserve to be in the program, right up until the last day on the island. I leave this Friday, and of my original class, 20% didn't make it and none of us left are guaranteed to pass. In all honesty I don't expect anyone to fail our final exam, but like I said, no guarantees. A great education if you can hang, but a marathon stress session lasting almost 2 years.
Clinical rotations are hard to come by for Caribbean medical schools and the spots are fought over. Some residencies are not available to IMGs, so carefully weigh your career choice here.
The only reason I'm posting here is to try and convince you that coming to Saba first before even attempting to apply to US schools is foolish and a waste of a solid gpa. I would give almost anything for a spot in a US school, especially now that I'm headed into clinical rotations. Good luck on your MCAT.... no pressure ;)