Thread: Should I wait?

Hi there,

I have been accepted into Saba. I scored 13 in both physical and biological sciences, R in writing, but a 6 in verbal. My GPA is 3.9 on a 4.0 scale.

I was not accepted into any of the Canadian schools that I have applied for this year due to my MCATs.

In your opinion, would you wait, or would you go to Saba?

Thank you so much in advance.

In your place, I would pay the deposit and I’d pratice the MCAT like hell and take the test in july or august so I receive the scores before SABA starts. If the scores are good I would reapply in Canada and US. If the scores are bad I'd go to SABA.

It would be wise that care which bird in your hand, then try to catch another from sky.

Originally Posted by jennaopa

Hi there,

I have been accepted into Saba. I scored 13 in both physical and biological sciences, R in writing, but a 6 in verbal. My GPA is 3.9 on a 4.0 scale.

I was not accepted into any of the Canadian schools that I have applied for this year due to my MCATs.

In your opinion, would you wait, or would you go to Saba?

Thank you so much in advance.

I agree with MD201x. You should apply to a DO school. You should definitely be able to get in if you can shadow a DO physician. Still apply again to US medical schools.

Canadian schools are getting competitive and you need at least an 11 in VS to be considered at most schools nowadays. Your GPA is good, but being a Canadian does hurt your chances when applying to the States ... so it definetly isnt that easy either. Also there are only a limited "true" Canadian-friendly schools down south.

Also to keep in mind that if you do end up going to Saba or any other carribbean school, just make sure you dont delay that process... each year its getting tougher to land residency, which means starting even 1 year later could make a huge difference whether you match or not.

I think your best plan of action is what MD201 said: re-do your MCAT and if you score well in the MCAT (10 or higher in verbal) you definitely have a shot at the Canadian schools (even a 9 is a good shot at UofT but for the rest of them very unlikely, as cutoffs are 10/11). However, if you just cant get your verbal score any higher I would advise starting the Caribbean route ASAP. You should also look into SGU, I understand SABA is cheaper b/c tuition is 110,000 or so for the 4 years. But with your grades SGU would automatically give you a 1/3 reduction in your tuition ($74,000) which makes it roughly 140,000 or so in tuition expenses. The extra 30 grand in my opinion is well spent at SGU because it has better clinical rotations, more established, and the ISLAND is way way better.

Lastly, being a canadian i assume that you would want to practice in Canada (DO's arent that known in canada), so depending on your preference you should look up some of the bagillion DO vs MD threads. I myself chose to go to SGU b/c the vast majority of the people in canada dont even know that DO's are doctors.

Again comes down to your preferences, but be sure to plan accordingly.

Don't even think of Saba with 13s on your ** and PS and a 3.9 GPA. Rewrite the MCAT, apply to the US MD and DO schools and get your MCAT up no matter what it takes. Going to Saba instead of waiting an extra year would be the biggest mistake of your life.

I agree with benevolo. Your scores should at LEAST get you into a D.O. school in the states. Retake the MCAT after doing a review course or some sort of prep for the verbal section and apply again to Canadian and US schools. With a GPA like that and an MCAT score that is so close to being really good, you should not be looking into the Caribbean. Even if it means waiting another year to start school, you are way better off starting a year later in schools that are almost guarantee successful completion versus looking at the Caribbean where you will be gambling all of your hard work from undergrad for no guarantee of a residency when you finish.

Retake the MCAT. Saba doesn't deserve you.

That is a lot coming from a student at Saba. How did you find your experience there?

Originally Posted by jennaopa

That is a lot coming from a student at Saba. How did you find your experience there?

I'm satisfied with my experience so far, but that's not the point. I think most people here generally think you haven't explored all your options yet. No one in good conscience would try to convince someone with a 3.9/32R to go to a Caribbean school.