Thread: Which school to choose?

Originally Posted by sneha_09

Hello everyone,
I have been a silent reader of this forum for quite some time and this is my first post. Well, I am planning on applying to Caribbean med schools this year for the class of Sep,08. I have thought of applying to St.george, Saba and Ross. I have a GPA of 3.72 and MCAT 25P. So I think most likely I'll get in. But I am confused as to which school is better in terms of getting in a competitive residency programs. And also I have noticed that the tuition fees for Ross and Saba is quite less than St.George. So does anyone know the reason for such discrepancy. And if I get accepted in all three, which one should I choose. If I choose Ross or Saba, I'll be better off financially.

So, all in all, I am confused about the above issue.
Please, let me know what you all think since you have better knowledge and experience than me.

Thanks

the best school? the US school that will probably take you if you retake the MCAT and get a 30.

please do a search for more detailed ans
but in short,
all 3 will get you a MD and if you worked hard and do well on step 1, you can get whatever resideny you want, however, some schools do have "better" rep than others. but that doesnt mean you cant apply for a competitive residency from others. as far as the price/tuition, you get what you paid. why is wal-mart clothe so much cheaper compared to the higher-end brand? sgu costs more b/c it offers more services, been around the longest, etc...

Originally Posted by rokshana

the best school? the US school that will probably take you if you retake the MCAT and get a 30.

Thanks for the reply......25P was my second try and I don't think I can do a lot better than that to achieve a score of 30.....

Originally Posted by jaywalk81

please do a search for more detailed ans
but in short,
all 3 will get you a MD and if you worked hard and do well on step 1, you can get whatever resideny you want, however, some schools do have "better" rep than others. but that doesnt mean you cant apply for a competitive residency from others. as far as the price/tuition, you get what you paid. why is wal-mart clothe so much cheaper compared to the higher-end brand? sgu costs more b/c it offers more services, been around the longest, etc...

Thanks......and ur residency talk was very encouraging......after reading and interacting with different people about the caribbean universities, I was kind of depressed since I got many negative replies......

where did u go to school?

Well since you're asking in the SGU forum, I'll say SGU.

As mentioned, all will get you an MD. Saba is a very small school, thats either good or bad I guess, really haven't met anyone who went there. I met a few Ross and AUC students and they get about the same education as we do, and seem to do well on step 1.

Do you want to do primary care or some surgical specialty? I know it's pretty early to be thinking about that (although I'm sure everyone asks you, 'what kind of doctor do you want to be?') but it is useful to know, as if you do primary care you won't ever have a problem getting a residency at all but the most competitive programs coming with a Caribbean background. Whereas if you want to do orthopedics you may find yourself hard pressed to get a spot unless you are top of your class and destroy steps 1 and 2, but if you were in a US school it might be easier.

Since your grades are good, if you have your heart set on being a dermatologist retake the mcat and get into a US school. Otherwise come to de Caribbean, mon.

Originally Posted by sneha_09

Thanks for the reply......25P was my second try and I don't think I can do a lot better than that to achieve a score of 30.....

pity- GPA is usually harder to up than MCAT- and your GPA is definitely within the competitive range...

i did take that stupid test 3x and while my lowest was a 26, my 3rd one was a 30 (however my UG GPA was still dismal- even though my graduate one was really good- oh well).

Originally Posted by sneha_09

Thanks for the reply......25P was my second try and I don't think I can do a lot better than that to achieve a score of 30.....

I'd still say, retake.

I took the MCAT 3X, 27, 25, 31 respectively so, it's doable. Your GPA is better than mine was so, definitely think about retaking.

Apply to offshore schools after exhausting all your resources. Luck.

Originally Posted by sneha_09

Thanks for the reply......25P was my second try and I don't think I can do a lot better than that to achieve a score of 30.....

If you are still young try the MCAT one more time and see what happens. Aim for at least a 10 in each section. In the meantime, strengthen your application by doing research in an area of medicine that interests you. If you can get a position in clinical research, that is even better.

Good Luck!