BASIC science at SABA vs. SMU.

[sagar0927]

I was looking at basic science model for SMU and SABA and I couldn't figure out which is better. Even though SABA has 50 state approval. So any thoughts on this matter will be really appreciated. And I also saw that SMU offers embreology and Saba does not yet they both offer the Kaplan board review. SO which is a better school if I didn't care about the 50 states. And finally how is the teaching and board prep besides Kaplan. How much cheaper is SABA compared to SMU??? How much better SABA is compared to SMU?

[sgMD]

you can answer half of your questions by simply taking ur time and going to schools websites....

[mario345]

there is no comparison between SMU and SABA.

saba students PWN other carib students hands down in every rotation in terms of their knowledge...infact, i would say that even during my internal medicine rotation, our 3rd year SABA students pwned the local U.S. univ. students who were on their electives...SMU, is no comparison...ROSS is up there and they have serious students, but SABA students comfortably hang in with them in terms of their knowledge. i have come across some students from smu and mua, and i wondered...'damn dude...what were you doing for the last two years?!'

i dont mean to be arrogant, but no other carib school has the workload that we do, none have the schedule we do, where you get your behind in class at 8 and write block exams every three weeks on a computer...none has the 'on the spot' kind of training that we go through, and no other school has the lack of distractions that we do.

please dont think of saba as some joke...you should be happy if you get in, and then prepare ahead...for the next 20 months or so, you will go through a gruelling transformation...you might hate how things are run, and how much info you have to comprehend in such a little time...but trust me, during rotations, you would realize why were you taught what you were taught. you would be doing yourself a favour if you go to SABA. its better to get PWND during your years as a student and come out learning a lot of stuff and be prepared for real medicine than try other avenues.

[ttwl]

ok... i would say there is not much difference in terms of basic science. Its very student dependent.... yea saba will prepare you well.. only if you study... but other schools can do the job as well if you study. Saba has embryology too by the way. The main difference are clinicals and approval of states. Dont say it doesnt matter ... it does a lot actually...

[mario345]

^dude, if you dont study at SABA...you will never pass...there is very little margin for error..fail a couple of block exams, and its over.
saba has very high standards, and after rotating with some SMU and MUA students, i can safely say that the quality of education is certainly better...

i have seen some of the ppt slides that MUA students are given and i found that there was a big time difference in the depth of info covered...one of my good friend attends MUA..
other schools focus just on high yield, where as saba does high yield, plus gives you a thorough understanding of material so you would actually learn...coz whats hi yield on the usmle today is not high yield tomorrow, and only a solid foundation in your sciences will get you through these exams comfortably...
not kaplan, not pass program coz those are review courses and not a replacement for classroom teaching.

[jonasp]

^dude, if you dont study at SABA...you will never pass...there is very little margin for error..fail a couple of block exams, and its over.
saba has very high standards, and after rotating with some SMU and MUA students, i can safely say that the quality of education is certainly better...

i have seen some of the ppt slides that MUA students are given and i found that there was a big time difference in the depth of info covered...one of my good friend attends MUA..
other schools focus just on high yield, where as saba does high yield, plus gives you a thorough understanding of material so you would actually learn...coz whats hi yield on the usmle today is not high yield tomorrow, and only a solid foundation in your sciences will get you through these exams comfortably...
not kaplan, not pass program coz those are review courses and not a replacement for classroom teaching.

There are strong and weak student at SMU, MUA and SABA. Rotating with a select group of students doesnt really tell you much about the level of education at the school. Saba currently is approved in all 50 states SMU and MUA are not. Thats the only real reason to attend Saba over the other 2. If you make the effort you will be a strong student no matter which school you attend.

[mario345]

^so, you are saying that the ONLY difference between the schools is whether they are accredited by a governing body? hmmm, that makes me ask you why is it that saba is approved by CA, and MUA and SMU are not?

why is it that the requirements to get into SABA are higher than to get into MUA ans SMU? saba would rarely accept any student with less than 90 credits and MCAT these days, yet at MUA offers an alterante where you can do some pre med courses and enter the school. Why is that the case?
Why does SABA flaunt its students USMLE step 1 pass rate when we rarely hear anything about SMUs and MUAs?
Why is it that SABA has better clinical sites than MUA? and p.s. the rotation i did with MUA and SMU kids, had apparently 'strong' students from those schools as its one of their key sites.
why is it that students who are unsuccessful at saba can easily find a place at MUA, SMU and even St. Eustatia, but it doesnt work the other way. the only person i know who transferred to saba was this kid who had already graduated and murdered his step 1...but still he was asked to repeat 2 semesters on the island.
the answer to these questions is that, SABA's not only accepts more competitive applicants to begin with, but also has much higher standards. sure, a lot of what you learn you control yourself, but lets be clear, no matter how motivated you are, you need the help of a professor. that is why you attend class in first place...to save you time in getting the info, otherwise you will spend 3 times the same amount of time figuring it our yourself.

whatever, i am happy to be a SABA student; and i have my reasons. :evil:

[KingMo]

I can't believe you guys are wasting your time debating which Caribbean school is better. Caribbean medical students are scum of the earth regardless of which school we went to.

[mario345]

^ i am not sure if i completely agree with that...
infact, its definitely not true for st. george's and ross...as many hospitals have programs directors that graduated from St. George's and Ross.

AUC and Saba are not that far behind, and residency directors are fully aware of their existence and mantle - heck, its their job to know as much as possible about the applicant and the school the applicant went to.

i know for sure that in canada, SABA is growing in reputation day by day...and they have much much much much stricter policies and standards when it comes to medical education...

[sgMD]

^ i am not sure if i completely agree with that...
infact, its definitely not true for st. george's and ross...as many hospitals have programs directors that graduated from St. George's and Ross.

AUC and Saba are not that far behind, and residency directors are fully aware of their existence and mantle - heck, its their job to know as much as possible about the applicant and the school the applicant went to.

i know for sure that in canada, SABA is growing in reputation day by day...and they have much much much much stricter policies and standards when it comes to medical education...

very true...

[KingMo]

Scum of the earth, I say.