Saba vs. SMU

[Freeky Zeeky]

Of all the schools in the West Indies, I'm most impressed by Saba. However, St. Matthews' joint degree program, where you get shipped to Maine to study, seems attractive. I wanted to know everyones opinions on each school.

[wolfvgang22]

I think that Saba has the edge right now because of CA approval and because it is a little older and so has a longer track record. On the other hand, SMU claims that you can get staffords to help out with med school tuition if you get the masters they offer at St. Joes in Maine, which would be nice if true. Grand Cayman is an easier place to live, with more entertainment and shopping, and a nice beach available. SMU uses plastinated cadavers, whereas Saba uses traditionally preserved cadaver, if that makes a difference to you. Saba and SMU clinicals are pretty much the same. The recent CA inspection team wrote that they felt Saba students were more mature than SMU students, and speculated perhaps because Saba requires that students pass the step 1 before starting clinicals.
I've heard a lot of grumbling by SMU students lately about overcrowding.
On Saba you have to conserve water, I don't know about Grand Cayman.

[scoobz1981]

Personally, even though I may not be on board with everything Saba does, I still think its a better school than St. Matts (no offence to anyone, and feel free to despute this with me all you want - I am open). The only school which is really "better" in my opinion than SABA is St. Georges University... many people would argue that, so hence its my opinion!

Val

[Freeky Zeeky]

Thanks for the replies... I'm not trying to start a flame war, I just want opinions on the pros/cons of each school.

I'm a big fan of Saba right now, but SMU's Maine-option is looking really attractive right now. However, I read that SMU's USMLE pass rate is around 80% (http://www.valuemd.com/ftopic25806.html&highlight=usmle+pass+rates). In my opinion, that's not too impressive when compared to Saba's 90-something percent.

Both schools currently don't require the MCAT, but with Saba's California acquisition, that may change. Word is that St. Matthews would have already obtained accreditation in California if it didn't get blasted by hurricanes.