I have few questions for the married SABA students. I will be applying for the September 2009 batch. At present I am not married and I have to decided whether I should get engaged before or after the application. Does relationship status affect your interview/admission. My gpa is borderline but I have really good MCAT, volunteering and a year of research in pharmacology ( I was a co op student ). My not yet fiance and I have been beating our head on the wall over this. At present he is with me in Canada but he is very supportive about my medical school dream.
Will I abe able to take break between semesters ?
Can he come and join me as a tourist ?
Is there any husbands who came along with their wives?.
Neither of us are in a rush to start family and all that, we just want to spend as much as time togther. Any thoughts ?????Worse come to worse I may have to defer my sep and marry. I really dont know what to do with this.

Dear Maryjude,

First let me say I am not married, however, I can give shed some light on your situation as I have friends who are married that went through the SABA program.

SABA is 20 months of basic sciences followed by the USMLE Step 1 exam. Once you obtain a passing Step 1 score, will be returning back to the states for clinical rotations. The 20 months are divided into 5 semesters, each one 15 weeks long WITH A 2 WEEK BREAK APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN EACH SEMESTER.

Maryjude,

The last post that I was typing somehow went through without my option to finish....so here is the later half of my last response to your situation.

The 20 month basic science portion is divided into 5 semesters of 15 weeks each. You do get a break of about 2 weeks between each semester. This will give you an opportunity to fly back to Canada.

SABA does have a policy (or did a few years back) where you could take one semester off. They prefer you finish the semesters consecutively without taking an entire semester off, but the option should be there. Check with Gardner, MA to be sure on this option!

Both of my friends were married and their spouses literally sacrificed taking 20 months off from a job to be with them on the island. Your situation is a bit different. Also, of course your fiance is welcome to visit you on the island! For older, mature students there are options to live outside the dorms. Check with Gardner, MA office for details as well.

One final point to keep in mind, you do need to pass the "mock" USMLE Step 1 practice exam with a satisfactory score (185 minimum) to be able to leave the island and take the actual USMLE Step 1. SABA's current policy is that if you fail the "mock" exam, you must return to the island for another 6th semester to do the review course!

Hope this helps! Go ahead and apply for September before delaying too much longer. I know many have interviewed already. With a marginal GPA but strong MCAT you have a wonderful shot! Each candidate is reviewed on a case-by-case basis; and you seem to pose strong volunteer experience which will help.

curious, aren't you suppose to be studying?

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Posterior Fornix!

ValueMD Moderator

There have been husbands accompany wives who are students. Its a bit more rare than the other way around, but "it's a man's world" as the song goes.

I'm male, married and have children. My family spent every other semester (every other three months) with me on the island, as my wife started to feel like Gilligan after two months. No Target on Saba...no particularly good jobs, etc. for spouses.

It was not difficult for them to be on the island government wise, they just had to have passports and register with the island government in the bottom just like students do, and they were more welcome than I was for the most part on the island I think.
I never stayed in the dorms at all, always lived in off campus housing, of course.

Relationship status doesn't matter for admissions, though they might ask you how much you've thought about having a significant other on the island and how he would deal with being on tiny Saba, if you have a notion of what few employment opportunities there are, and so on. They just want to save students any heart ache and wasted time/money if you haven't. Obviously, you are doing your research even now.

Nobody can tell you to get married now or later. I was married 7 years before med school. It depends on you and your own relationship, values, and needs. Obviously, a marriage or relationship must be very strong to survive medical school and later residency due to the sacrifices made by both student and spouse. Communication about the risks and benefits of med school has to be clear.
EDIT: just to be more positive, Saba is a beautiful place, and if your fiance likes to dive, he can do so to his hearts content. Also, there are the surrounding islands to visit. Many of the people on Saba are wonderful folks if you take the time to know them, in retrospect I wish I had a done so a bit more. good luck!

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PGY-1 Psychiatry

wow, i have respect for all those attending medical school and married, perhaps some even with children, kudos!

Hello MaryJude
I am married and will be attending Saba Sept 2009 and am bringing along my baby with me. The interview decision is definitely not affected by your relationship status. It is just understanding that you will be putting in a lot of time inclass and studying so you may not have as much time as you would like to have with your spouse.

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knew of any spouses on the island that have been able to find employment? If so, where?

Thanks!