man you are way off! first off tafka did not get into a "hot and easy residency" the residency is competitive though reacheable with great scores but it is about as far from easy as you can get. i have seen people in that residency who are brilliant be on the border of failing out that is why tafkas transition to third year will be a much bigger accomplishment than the 'easy' first year

the things you listed as reasons why you want a MD will make you a bad doctor because there are much better and, as you put it "hot and easy" ways to make much mor "coin" than most pf what we do

chances are if you are alreadyt looking at the foreign route "nepotism" is not a sure thing and you will wind up at a forteign school to be one of DK Sampson's foreign med student characters. i am sure every school has them, my initial class had about 5 people with "connections" that they were waiting to come through getting in a US med school. we actually also had royalty in our class.... a "nigerian prince" who wanted to study abroad, and 2 people with program director connections for residency...all very funny

good luck

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OBGYN PGY II
I see light at the end of the tunnel!!!...wait a minute its just another freakin tunnel!

thanks for the good luck there bro, I actually believe you mean it.
I'm not too worried. I hear what you are saying, but I am playing out all of my options and I will call in the old string pulling if needed.
I'll keep an eye on this school, officially British or not, I still think it's better than the caribbean and as long as states are cool with the degree, as they are in the state where TAFKA is working, then it's all cool. sign me up

Yes, you better do that, just keep an eye on the school because there are much better option out there for someone like you. Have you tried to check on Charles, Prague? Neilc a guy who was banned for multiple accounts studied there and his degree is pretty much ok in all 50 states and dreadful California and Texas. Check that one out.

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...."Beyond jealosy and betrayal; beyond hate and desire; beyond pain and death; lies the ultimate revelation; the final choice; the end; because the fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth" Neon Genesis Evangelion

I'm a former SC student who transferred out during the scare with the ECFMG and GMC. The education via the instructors was always top notch, of course the charter problems and owners/administrators were the problem and their greed almost sunk the entire operation. As a note on the quality of the education, most of my classmates (who are now ahead of me in the game) are in clinical rotations. One scored 450 on the Step 1 and is now in rotations in New York. Others are here in Chicago, having passed the Step 1 the first time, and are doing rotations here. I have to say I was part of a fantastic class, but the instructors were always there for us. Will the revised admin get it together for those still at SC so that can graduate? I hope so. I met some very special and intelligent people there who will make good doctors. A further note on the article about Arkansas: I agree that for board members to make a decision based on California or New York is assinine. There is already a shortage of primary care physicians in the US, with all the mostly younger "whiz kid" types reaching for the big dollar specialties. USMLE scores are what tell the big picture, and if these off shore students are passing them, and impressing their mentors in rotations, only a fool would make an across the board decision to ban them from practicing in a state. BTW..for the record, suckers, I am an Arkansas native, so back off.

Umm is it possible to get 450?

no it is not. probably meant 250.
300 is the theoretical maximum
very few hit 280.

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

I'm frequently asked for advice on "off-shore" schools... my advice is always the same and is predicated on education, location, and perceived (by me) student/graduate satisfaction:
1) Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin - 6-year curriculum; poor currency exchange rate
2) Semmelweis, Budapest - some instruction is conducted in Hungarian language; 6-year curriculum
3) Charles, Prague - some instruction is conducted in Czech language; 6-year curriculum
4) SCIMD - presently deferring accepted applicants until "issues" are resolved; poor currency exchange rate
5) AUC - best location in Caribbean; basic sciences are self-taught; relatively weak clerkships
6) SGU - second best location in Caribbean after AUC; very strong clerkships; almost prohibitively expensive
For English-speaking students, the clear choice is 1) and after that they're all relatively equivalent with the temporary exception of SCIMD, pending resolution of "issues." The notable omission is Ross, which I tend not to recommend based on location and perceived dissatisfaction of its students.

How many graduates and residencies do you know of beyond anecdotal evidence?
Do they post the match results on their website? If they are good wouldn't they post them?
Do they post their clinical affiliations?
Do they post any of the info that Ross, AUC, Saba, SGU, MUA, AUA, SMU, etc...post about their programs or is it a hunt to find what should be made apparent by a website?
Just questions you may want to ask b/c if you go to their website it's not very informative.
.

All i have to say is...WOW. SCIMD is equivalent to AUC, Saba, Ross and SGU (once the issues are resolved, of course....)?? After having attended AUC, although years ago, I found the basic sciences to be well taught, and the clinical rotations to be just fine. Same for Saba, which you don't mention. For you to "recommend" SCIMD about the very well established schools in the Caribbean is just astounding. I could go on, but I don't think you want me to. G

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AUC Class of '99
Bored certified
I may be a jerk, but I'm a Jedi jerk like my father.

Some say I look like Buzz Lightyear....
(They're right)

DISCLAIMER: I have no financial stake in ValueMD, or any medical school.

I am baffled!

You are sure you are not confusing Ross with AUC? I have heard folks from Ross complaining about their basic sciences . To put SCIMD over AUC and SGU is a stretch.

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...."Beyond jealosy and betrayal; beyond hate and desire; beyond pain and death; lies the ultimate revelation; the final choice; the end; because the fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth" Neon Genesis Evangelion