Thread: Why go to Spartan?

Why do people still go to Spartan other than its low tuition? I mean, it is not that hard to get loans. And the difficulty of paying back medical school loans has been exaggerated way too much -it is easily doable. It seems it would be much better to go to an established school with a reputation....I could name 4 of them right now.

What else is there with this school? Not to mention the administration is completely apathetic and oblivious to what needs to be done. It is as if the school officials just go to work for the hell of it and could care less what people say about it. Spartan was started at the same time as the big 3 and look at where it is: way behind.

like u said, lower tuition.
any carib school will get you where u want to, if u want it bad enough.
so, "where do you want to go today?"

TaxiDriver,

It sounds like you've already made your mind up about attending one of the Big Three, so I'm not sure why your asking, but I'll amuse you with an answer anyway.

Like most others I went to Spartan to save money. I know lots of people who went to the Big Three at around the same time. Some made it after some set backs (repeating semesters), few made it straight through, a some didn't make it at all. Of the ones who made it straight through and are in Residency like me, they have the same Resident salary (pretty low) and the same level I'm at. The main difference is that I paid 1/3 of what they paid for the same M.D. degree. I literally owe 100,000 to 150,000 less than any one of them and it's an ongoing joke I tease them about. So I guess they might have had it easier during medical school (except the ones in Dominica because living conditions are not as good there), but I'll have it better for more years afterwards when we're making the same money, but I'll have monthly payments that are 1/3 of theirs.

The ones that decelled are just finishing medical school and will be a year behind, so add another $150,000 to the tab since I'll be working as an Attending a year sooner than them. But the most ironic part of it is that I've had a few students from the Big Three rotate through my program, which means I actually teach them, along with the U.S. medical students that rotate here. One of the friends I was talking about who started at the Big Three at around the same time even did a rotation as a student while I was the Resident a couple of months ago (needless to say he got a good grade ). But I bother him all the time since he pays 3 times as much as I did for the same exact rotation.

So what are you going to say? I can't practice in California? I knew that going in and never wanted to go there anyway. I know where I want to practice and confirmed that I'll be eligible once I take Step III and finish Residency. So for someone like me that doesn't really matter. What else can you tell me? I've heard all the rumors and bashers over the years and didn't let them phase me. Every school seems to have them anyway, even the Big Three. According to the rumors, Spartan was supposed to be shut down years ago . Then again, so were the Big Three at different times. I ignored all the gossip, hit the books hard and did my time. Sure Spartan had it's problems and I'm sure it still does. There's always been plenty of room for improvements. But it gave me the opportunity to reach my goal and that's all I needed.

I haven't been around the forums for awhile, but it seems like the same old whiners that don't even attend medical school are the ones doing most of the complaining. If I'm right, the current students are too busy studying their tails off to prove these losers wrong. So y'all can say what you want, but it won't make any difference to someone like me who knows that, although the path isn't easy, the goal is very attainable, regardless of which school you decide to attend. And even though you might be on a different path depending on the school, you'll end up in the same destination when everything is said and done. Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!

Probably one reason why students on site do not answer is because the school's internet connection is so darn unreliable, and has been so for quite a few months. Probably intentional 'cause it should not take THAT long to resolve.

(Look at past posts to see why a chat did not happened.)

As for their studying, they better.

Not everyone is going to succeed at Spartan; the rate is among the lowest of any school. Do all the people going there know this? Half of your long message deals with the very low cost. Looks like that is the main reason for choosing Spartan.

However, putting Step 1 score aside, I doubt Spartan offers the same range range of residencies that other established schools do. Residency directors are more familiar with grads from those schools, not to mention the financial resources and political clout these schools have. What kind of residencies do Spartan grads get?

TaxiDriver,

Just like I thought, you weren't really seeking an answer, but were just trying to say negative things. Somehow I don't think my answers again will satisfy you. Why do all these negative things about the school keep coming from people who aren't even in medical school? Here goes again, but I won't have time for a rebuttal for awhile.

I've heard all the silly rumors before. So you're now telling me that I have very little chance to pass the USMLE the first time, do clinicals in the U.S., and land a good Residency. Those rumors won't work on someone like me (or many others) because we've already done everything you said couldn't be done.

Comparing other schools (which I hate to do because I strongly believe that it's up to the person rather than the school) the "BIG" Three (not the "Top" Three like someone mistated earlier) has much more graduates because they accept much more students (hence the name "BIG" Three). They also have much more students who did not complete the programs. But the numbers are misleading and one should focus more on the percentages since the incoming class sizes are much different. Comparing percentages will show that Spartan can hold its own as far as incoming students vs Residency placements. But I really don't know these numbers and neither do you, so the point is moot. I've seen many very successful Spartan graduates in all types of fields, although the majority, like most other foreign medical schools, go into primary care.

But you'll learn when you get to that point, most programs will not even consider accepting foreign grads. It's one of their screening processes along with USMLE scores, grades, etc. From the ones who do, the school name should only make a difference if the PD happens to have come into contact with students or graduates from that school. Even then, depending on the interaction, this could be a good or bad thing. In my program's case, it turned out good because we're interviewing quite a few Spartan students for Residency positions next year because we've made a good impression here. But to most of them, "a foreign school is a foreign school". So they will look at other comparable factors such as USMLE scores, grades, letters of recommendation, etc. And regardless, we will almost always get pushed behind the U.S. medical graduates anyways because the PDs don't know any better and would rather "play it safe". Knowing that we're all competing for spots against a common entity (the U.S. medical graduates) would lead people to think that we should all be working together to help each other out. Although this happens at the clinical level, this board doesn't share that helpful attitude among the different schools as much because it's mostly basic science students. But that will change in clinicals when you're all on the "same team".

Financial resources and political clout? Well, if those things are important to you, than you should probably pay the extra money to attend one of the Big Three. I'm not going to argue over which path is better or worse because I think that's a personal decision. But I do believe that the path is insignicant in the end when we're all sharing the same success

And one more thing, the cost is the main reason for attending Spartan in my opinion and that's why it takes such a large part of my explanations.

Actually truthfinder, I never meant to say getting clinicals or a residency is impossible for Spartan. When I said "not everyone might succeed" I really mean the basic sciences. I am referring to the supposedly very low Step 1 pass rate and how the curriculum could be changed more towards Step 1. Step 1 pass rate would therefore, be the most important to improve.

All I'm saying in the residency app process is that you cannot deny a schools big reputation won't help you. Why does everyone, including some on valueMD, tell me to go to SGU if I'm considering competitive specialties? It will make a difference, but for primary care any school is fine. (I'm still not saying you cannot get into competitive fields from lesser known schools)

Truthfinder,
First let me preface what I am going to say by indicating my intention is not to bash Ross. I am using them as an example because I know somethings about my friends experiences there.

Spartan is my choice for the reasons that you mentioned. If you work you butt off, you can succeed at Spartan. Yes, the "big" three may have names that are more recognized, but they have problems just like any school. I have had friends who have attended Ross. One of the things that has been brought to my attention from all 10 of them is Ross' attrition rate. You may start the semester with 300 students and only 250 make it to the next semester and so it goes. Each semester the class size gets smaller and smaller as you progress. This is something that as a prospective student I would find disturbing. The living conditions are extremely rough. One student reported having to study by flashlight due to a power outage. Like I said every school has their specific set of problems, but if you hit the books and work hard you can acheive your dream of being a physician. Spartan even with its problems will help me to acheive my goals at 1/3 the cost .
It is important for Spartan Grads, like yourself, who are excelling to reach back and encourage future and current Spartan Students. Continue to be vocal especially on forums like this because Spartan has really been taking a beating lately. The bashers need to know that their are practicing Spartan grads out there. Also, Keep up the great work in your residency program. Your success helps current and future Spartan grads. Finally, as mentioned, ad nauseum, regardless of the Carib school you attend you are an IMG. We SHOULD be supporting one another and working together to support all IMG's. Do you really think that as an IMG you look superior to another IMG by bashing the school they attended

-Lady Doc