decisions....

[pk]

Hey everyone,
I recognize that everyone has done a great job about explaining the pros and cons among AUC, Ross, and St. George's. I am planning to attend one of these schools this fall, but I have yet to decide which one. Obviously, I need to make this decision soon, but it's becoming increasingly difficult. I would like to go to AUC, but at the same time I heard excellent things about St. George's and Ross. I'm leaning towards eliminating Ross though for certain reasons. In my case, I am fortunate enough to have parental financial support, so money isn't so much an issue for me--in the case of St. George's. Does anyone have some last minute advice about which school might be a better choice overall?

Forever confused--pk :?

[microphage]

If money isn't an issue and Grenada isn't an issue, then goto SGU. :D And in the end, it probably doesn't matter all that much where you graduated. Good luck 8)

[JokerABC]

I am in your situation.......as I have also *almost* eliminated Ross as one of my choices for various reasons. I'm trying to decide which to place first and 2nd, AUC or SGU? pretty difficult to decide outright.

[tRmedic21]

Congrats to both of you on being accepted to all of the 'Big Three.'

I wish I could help you make your decision, but ultimately, that is up to you and you alone. All of the Three will afford you an opportunity to earn your MD, have all US clinicals (if you so desire) and be competitive in any residency field you choose, provided you work hard and do well on the boards. Without this last, it doesn't matter WHAT school you go to. Remember that.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide or if there is any way we can help you out! :D

[lynseystew]

I am leaving for St. Maarten to attend AUC on August 1st. I am sooo excited to start school! I think that whatever decision that you make, you will be happy. I don't know a lot about SGU, but I must say that I have never met such unbelievably nice people on AUC's website. Everyone that I have had the pleasure of talking to is so helpful and excited about AUC. At the very least, I feel assured that I will have tons of friends here that will help me on my journey. In the end, you must make your own decision and I am sure that depending on who you ask, you may get very different answers, so that just proves that you should research both schools and make the best decision that you can.

Good Luck and maybe I'll see ya in St. Maarten!

Lynsey
:wink:

[AUCMD2006]

i have always heard nothing but good things about sgu including residency placement, facilities and professors there. if money wasn't an issue i would have probably picked SGU. that being said it is an exiting time to here and i'm glad i picked it. the new dean is unbeleivable. he is making all sorts of faculty/program changes that can do nothing but improve our opportunity for better scores. he was a pediatric oncologist for decades at a teaching hospital so he brings a totally american dimension to the way the school should be run. things aren't perfect or great some bad but it is all around ok. i see no reason not to stay here, or not to make this a viable choice.

if you already narrowed down to two why don't you take a two day trip to each school and talk to "real" students face to face and see the places for yourself.

peace out...


wish money was no object for me...think your parents wil contribute to my scholarship fund....

[IQ]

Joker ABC, why did you eliminate Ross? I'm in a similar situation. I've been accepted to AUC and SABA and I'm supposed to find out pretty soon about a Ross acceptance. I've been doing a lot of research on all of these schools and I immediately eliminated SGU do to its cost. I've heard a lot of good things about Ross. The only bad thing about the school is probable the living environment, but that's only for 16 months. Then, you move on to Miami for the 5th semester. I liked SABAs cost and class sizes, but they're fairly new compared to the Big 3. AUC seems to have the best living situation but it seemed as if they accept just about anybody. That's fine but I wished that they atleast had an interview process to weed out the unqualified candidates. Let me know what school you decide on cuz it's been very hard for me to make a decision also.

Thanks,

IQ

[AUCMD2006]

you guys alwways make such a big deal of the interview. i got in all three and the sgu and ross interviews weren't really interviews, they were more like sales pitches. i felt like i was at a used car dealer not an interview. sgu is still sending packages to my house. anyway all these schools have one basic requirement: cash or charge so unlike the states where the weed out process is the application, here the weedout process are the classes. the sooner you realize that the sooner you realize that not all of the 200 or so people that will be in your class are "qualified" to be here. start taking the attitute that you are coming to the caribbean for a reason which means that you are getting into a school because their standards are lower, otherwise we'd all be in the US, so lower your standards as well. trust me it will make the transition to the caribbean a lot easier specially if you are going to ross, basically you should have no standards in food, and living conditions...hehe but at least they use a curve man i wish i had gone there...

[emerson24]

AUC seems to have the best living situation but it seemed as if they accept just about anybody. That's fine but I wished that they atleast had an interview process to weed out the unqualified candidates. Let me know what school you decide on cuz it's been very hard for me to make a decision also.

Welcome to the caribbean. Everyone gets in. Sorry. Unless you have a 2.0 and yell at the guy for putting you on hold when you call up, I don't think it's hard to get in, if you meet the schools requirements. They all want to talk about how you MUST have this or that requirement, now granted, I haven't dealt with all of them, but the ones I did, they ALL cut some corner and bent the "requirement" to enable me to apply. Probably not ROSS or SGU. But asl for the rest...I mean, hey, whatever. But I just can't jump up and down because I got into a medical school in the caribbean. If you're lookig to feel special and that you beat out a bunch of qualified applicants, it's not going to happen. That's why you are here and not the US.

I should add, because you are here, doesn't mean that you aren't good enough to be in the US, it's just that life dealt you other cards.

As for me, I'll jump up and down when 1) I pass the Step 1, 2, and 3.
2) When I get licensed. 3) I pay off my loans. Everything else is essentialy trivial. :roll:

[microphage]

...but at least they use a curve man i wish i had gone there...

Am I sensing some regret? Do tell.... :roll:

[tRmedic21]

But I just can't jump up and down because I got into a medical school in the caribbean. If you're lookig to feel special and that you beat out a bunch of qualified applicants, it's not going to happen. That's why you are here and not the US.

Well, I sorta agree with the fact that it isn't particularly difficult to get in most Carib schools, but I do think it is something to be happy about. In fact, I was ecstatic, thought I was gonna explode, even!

Not because I felt like I had accomplished something extraordinary or difficult to do, but just because at that moment I really knew that my dreams were going to work out. I knew it was going to happen. Even though they prolly woulda accepted me with much lower stats, it didn't matter. I was happy because all I had been working for was finally paying off. And I still feel that way. 8)

Actually, it IS a bit of an accomplishment. I know literally dozens (if not hundreds) of people I worked with in the medical field who could do the exact thing I am doing, pass the classes, do the time, get the license, etc.... but the fact is... none of them did. Only me. And my wife. That does make us special, in a way. That means we are/were willing to make the sacrifices necessary that so many others aren't willing to make. That in itself is something to be proud of. :D

So, put that feather in your cap and smoke it! :lol:

(don't worry, I'm not chastising you, just saying there is more than one way to look at things)

[AUCMD2006]

the freakin rumors you hear just take you on a roller coaster every day and i have to make a better effort not to listen to all the rumors. i am glad i came here but like any school you hear horror stories about professors. here it is for phys I. everyone says it sucks that the prof doesn't test your knowledge of the material he tests how you understand the answers to the questions, basically they are all right or wrong it's a question of which is most right or most wrong and that 40% of the class fails, then upper semester complain about the time you put in to study just to pass b/c there is no curve and yes sometimes it gets to the point where i say i should have gone to ross. then you get the flip side since people at ross have say that some only study 1 hour a day and pass with a low 60 but that doesn't help in the end. then the new one is how old man ross is supposedly opening another school in antigua and is "taking" the clinical site spots, contracts, contacts or whatver along with staffords away from ross in dominica for his new venture along with staff from auc and ross. then you get into thinking that how can that be when it is along process to get staffords etc. i just need to stop listening to people and spend more than my usual 7 hours a day in histo lab. as long as i am passing it's all good right?

[###]

.............

[emerson24]

(don't worry, I'm not chastising you, just saying there is more than one way to look at things)

Yeah, in retrospect...I must admit, my refection on the "woo woo :roll: " I got in was at a time when things were not "chipper", so being a PA I had already been thru this kinda. Plus, not really knowing whether I was going to medical school or a death camp :lol: with all the rumors and me being a "newbie" to all this stuff, I didn't know which was up, but only I was going in some direction.

I certainly don't want to take away from anyone elses joy. I think all the people who got accepted SHOULD feel joyous, because it is a chance and opportunity to achieve dreams.. And I congradulate each and every one. Unfortunately, my post was one of blah.

I do think there was a small part of me that let out a silent YEAH BABY!!! but with all the stuff you hear, esp when new to this, you are kind of afraid to tell people what's going on and then fear coming back saying you got scammed, or couldn't hack it.

Peace