Have any of your friends gone Caribbean Med?

[RogueBanana]

So today I found out a good friend of mine, also a pre-med, applied to the Caribbean medical schools and is planning on attending St.George's.

The pre-med "group" we have from my alma mater is relatively close, and she surprised all of us by telling us this today. We all knew she was struggling with the MCAT (couldn't hit over a 500) but we figured she would try a 3rd re-take or at least apply DO. But she is bent on the MD title.

We're all pretty worried for her since the MCAT is a good predictor of Step scores and the Carib has atrocious residency matches as it is. I understand its her dream to be a doc, we all share that passion, but we're concerned she may be setting down a path that ends in severe debt and no license to practice. Given her MCAT scores we are worried she won't have the academic support to pass the licensing exams that she needs.

Has anyone else been through a similar situation? How did you handle it?

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[625233]

I know a couple family friends that did it and it worked out. Both are practicing OBGYNs. Still don't recommend.

It's my opinion that if you can't cut it for medical school in the states (MD & DO) then you should find a different career or passion.


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[studentdocftw]

I have a couple of friends that are going down the Caribbean route as well. They vehemently deny it's for the "MD Title" but when presented with the facts, they usually resort to some BS reasoning. I have accepted that I tried and whatever comes of it, will happen. I just hope none of them want to specialize (they all claim to want primary care in a rural town). I'm not a fan of limiting one's options so early in the game, but that's just me.

 

[DocJuan]

So today I found out a good friend of mine, also a pre-med, applied to the Caribbean medical schools and is planning on attending St.George's.

The pre-med "group" we have from my alma mater is relatively close, and she surprised all of us by telling us this today. We all knew she was struggling with the MCAT (couldn't hit over a 500) but we figured she would try a 3rd re-take or at least apply DO. But she is bent on the MD title.

We're all pretty worried for her since the MCAT is a good predictor of Step scores and the Carib has atrocious residency matches as it is. I understand its her dream to be a doc, we all share that passion, but we're concerned she may be setting down a path that ends in severe debt and no license to practice. Given her MCAT scores we are worried she won't have the academic support to pass the licensing exams that she needs.

Has anyone else been through a similar situation? How did you handle it?

DO >> Caribbean MD.

I know quite a few people who went to the Careibean and are either trying to match now or do a fellowship. ALL of them say they think they'd have a lot more interviews if they'd went DO, even the guy applying for a GI fellowship.

Having said that, if she is bent on a risky Caribbean route, she should study her ass off for the next two years (as we all should), do better than her classmates and try to kill her Step 1. Does she have any particular residencies in mind?

 

[holycrap]

yes, my friend got a 16 on the old mcat now hes at a carrib school but havent spoken to him in a few months. He never studied for the mcat but had a 4.0 gpa . I really hope hes one of the exceptions to the rule

 

[RogueBanana]

DO >> Caribbean MD.

I know quite a few people who went to the Careibean and are either trying to match now or do a fellowship. ALL of them say they think they'd have a lot more interviews if they'd went DO, even the guy applying for a GI fellowship.

Having said that, if she is bent on a risky Caribbean route, she should study her ass off for the next two years (as we all should), do better than her classmates and try to kill her Step 1. Does she have any particular residencies in mind?

I think she wants peds...

My concern is she isn't a great standardized test taker. A US school would be much better equipped to help her with this than a Caribbean school. I really worry that she won't be able to pull her performance up enough to PASS step one, much less get a score high enough to match somewhere decent...

 

[Holmwood]

If she understands the risks, knows how to work around it, and is passionate/motivated to pursue this MD degree in the carribeans, than the least I can do as a friend is to provide whatever support I can to ensure she is successful. Studying the USMLE together and plugging any holes is one step towards that, I think, given that test taking is not her strong suit.

But there is still a possibility that she might still be open to reapplication or might have doubts about the carribeans. Continue to talk to her. Be very non-judgemental when talking about the Carribeans. The more she opens up to you, the more info you have to work with. Plus, talking it through with you would involve her reevaluating her thoughts and feelings in a more objective light, and she might lead herself to the conclusion that the carribeans isn't the only option that's appropriate or that DO isn't so bad.

 

[Lollygag]

That type of situation just sucks I know a person who went the Caribbean route as well, but he was

1. Very smart, scored a 39 on the MCAT and was an excellent test taker, he just had *multiple* recent IA's which is why I think he couldn't get in the U.S.

2. Had parents pulling in a net income of over a million a year, so even if he did end up not being able to practice, at least his parents were paying the bill.

It worked out for him because he truly is brilliant, but I would only recommend going Caribbean to people in very unique situations like my friend. And even despite performing very well in medical school, he could only match FM when I know for a fact he'd always wanted something surgical.

Your friend tho, OP seems like a very high risk applicant for the Carib route. But you already said/did everything you could do.


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[Asiago]

Honestly, the MD/DO gap is getting smaller and smaller every year and is nonexistent for certain specialties. I don't understand why people rule it out so quickly, especially when looking at Caribbean schools.

A family friend went to St. George and graduated in 5 or 6 years. From talking to her, she said most of her classmates have had to retake atleast 1 year of school from failing a course. Last time I spoke to her she had just graduated and was back home studying for Step 1. I have no clue if that's typical for Caribbean schools but it made me not even consider applying. I always advocate for taking a gap year, getting additional experiences/studying for the MCAT like it's your job (because it is), and reapplying to MD/DO schools the following cycle. Though I can understand her frustration since she already retook it once. On the plus side, IMO St. George is by far the least sketchy of the Caribbean schools.

 

[RogueBanana]

If she understands the risks, knows how to work around it, and is passionate/motivated to pursue this MD degree in the carribeans, than the least I can do as a friend is to provide whatever support I can to ensure she is successful. Studying the USMLE together and plugging any holes is one step towards that, I think, given that test taking is not her strong suit.

But there is still a possibility that she might still be open to reapplication or might have doubts about the carribeans. Continue to talk to her. Be very non-judgemental when talking about the Carribeans. The more she opens up to you, the more info you have to work with. Plus, talking it through with you would involve her reevaluating her thoughts and feelings in a more objective light, and she might lead herself to the conclusion that the carribeans isn't the only option that's appropriate or that DO isn't so bad.

She's already paid her deposit and made plans to move. She didn't tell any of us because she knew we'd try to talk her out of it unfortunately

 

[Goro]

I met one of my neighbors walking our dog recently. He informed me that his daughter was going to SGU, because "she wanted to go into surgery".

I didn't have the heart to tell him what a world of hurt she's in, so just chatted about our dogs. You can only do so much.

 

[edawgmd]

I have a couple of FB friends that are currently at St. George. We aren't close, but sometimes it's very hard for me not to judge their posts. My SO is currently a second year at a US MD school. She's doing very well and probably close to top of her class however, the amount of work she puts in is crazy. Studying constantly and working very hard. Sometimes I think she's not giving herself enough of a break. The FB friends at St. George are completely the opposite. Multiple partying posts along with beach photos every week. If I showed their pictures to a random person, I think most would say they're on a vacation rather than med school.

There are some success stories with Caribbean graduates, so I would advise your friend to choose her friends and study groups wisely. Keep gunning and working for great board scores. She's fighting an uphill battle and it sucks that it's too late. Unfortunately, I know a good amount of Caribbean graduates working in my research building for a little above minimum wage. They are sorting paper work or making sample deliveries like a glorified taxi driver with an MD next to their name. Rumor has it they failed to match more than twice and are praying for good LORs or residency slots to open up. Some just end up trying to apply for a PhD program after gaining research experience.

 

[Mad Jack]

My friends weren't foolish.

 

[Holmwood]

She's already paid her deposit and made plans to move. She didn't tell any of us because she knew we'd try to talk her out of it unfortunately

Ah, sorry for misunderstanding.

Sure, you had every reason to be concerned; you care about her and you guys really did want what was best for her. Had you guys known early on that her applying to the carribeans was a possibility, yeah, maybe you would have been able to help her change her mind. Its easy to blame yourself for this.

But she did surprise you all by sharing this news suddenly and she cut off any room for compromise on this matter. You couldn't have done much at that point with this news coming so suddenly, even if you wanted to, as you were no longer in the position for compromise.

So it is terrifying, thinking about what might happen to her and the fact that you can't do alot about it. It doesn't change the fact that you guys did support her on this whole path and kept that dream alive for her. She's lucky to have had great friends that want to look out for her to this extent. I certainly hope she'll look back on her premed days with you guys as she is fighting to earn top marks in the carribeans.

 

[RogueBanana]

Ah, sorry for misunderstanding.

Sure, you had every reason to be concerned; you care about her and you guys really did want what was best for her. Had you guys known early on that her applying to the carribeans was a possibility, yeah, maybe you would have been able to help her change her mind. Its easy to blame yourself for this.

But she did surprise you all by sharing this news suddenly and she cut off any room for compromise on this matter. You couldn't have done much at that point with this news coming so suddenly, even if you wanted to, as you were no longer in the position for compromise.

So it is terrifying, thinking about what might happen to her and the fact that you can't do alot about it. It doesn't change the fact that you guys did support her on this whole path and kept that dream alive for her. She's lucky to have had great friends that want to look out for her to this extent. I certainly hope she'll look back on her premed days with you guys as she is fighting to earn top marks in the carribeans.

Unfortunately this has been a long time coming. She had a lot of problems with the MCAT and needed constant help studying for it. We did our best but we were all studying for our own MCATs and couldn't afford to tutor her one-on-one constantly. I think the dean of our pre-med program had "the talk" with her. The one where the starry eyed kid leaves in tears because their dream has been crushed. It's happened more than a few times at my school that a pre-med has been told they should "consider other options" She kind of fell off the earth after her most recent MCAT results came out. (she didn't share them with us, so we assumed they weren't great).
I tried to convince her to go DO, but she wouldn't listen unfortunately....

Then this happened.

 

[QuentinT88]

I know 5 people who work at my scribing company who all graduated from Caribbean MD schools, some of them the big schools.

Out of the 5, 1 recently matched into a community IM position somewhere in the Midwest. The other 4 are working for $12/ hour while applying/reapplying for residency matches. I know that if that were me, I would not be happy in the least

One friend of mine from undergrad originally started at SGU, but somehow transferred to a US medschool. He's a smart kid. Ended up finishing top of his class, AOA, killer step scores, and just started his Orthopedic Surgery residency.

 

[Holmwood]

Unfortunately this has been a long time coming. She had a lot of problems with the MCAT and needed constant help studying for it. We did our best but we were all studying for our own MCATs and couldn't afford to tutor her one-on-one constantly. I think the dean of our pre-med program had "the talk" with her. The one where the starry eyed kid leaves in tears because their dream has been crushed. It's happened more than a few times at my school that a pre-med has been told they should "consider other options" She kind of fell off the earth after her most recent MCAT results came out. (she didn't share them with us, so we assumed they weren't great).
I tried to convince her to go DO, but she wouldn't listen unfortunately....

Then this happened.

Yeah, you guys tried to help as best as you could given the constraints. MCAT was super tough and everyone was sort of on their wits end already. It was unfair for her to ask this much of you without considering your own struggles. Her needs exceeded what you guys could have offered her.

Plenty of people tried to help her out with this too... even the dean. Maybe the things that the dean said may have shocked her to the point that she shut everyone out and went solo. So by the time you wanted to suggest DO again, it was kind of too late? Who really knows... (maybe her mcat scores were too low for even DO)

She certainly does not give up easily, even when consistently disappointed. Perhaps that tenacity will help her succeed in the carribeans. One can only hope now.

 

[Mad Jack]

I have a couple of FB friends that are currently at St. George. We aren't close, but sometimes it's very hard for me not to judge their posts. My SO is currently a second year at a US MD school. She's doing very well and probably close to top of her class however, the amount of work she puts in is crazy. Studying constantly and working very hard. Sometimes I think she's not giving herself enough of a break. The FB friends at St. George are completely the opposite. Multiple partying posts along with beach photos every week. If I showed their pictures to a random person, I think most would say they're on a vacation rather than med school.

There are some success stories with Caribbean graduates, so I would advise your friend to choose her friends and study groups wisely. Keep gunning and working for great board scores. She's fighting an uphill battle and it sucks that it's too late. Unfortunately, I know a good amount of Caribbean graduates working in my research building for a little above minimum wage. They are sorting paper work or making sample deliveries like a glorified taxi driver with an MD next to their name. Rumor has it they failed to match more than twice and are praying for good LORs or residency slots to open up. Some just end up trying to apply for a PhD program after gaining research experience.

People who work that hard do it to themselves- I had plenty of classmates that were going out every weekend, partying all the time, etc that had 240+ and even 250+ board scores. Medical school is only hell If you make it hell. Or if you're on OB.

 

[YayPudding]

Worked with a guy who graduated from St. George's and was working as a research tech. Still is, as far as I know.

 

[LutGholein]

Before I deactivated my fb I had a fb friend(didn't know him very well but nice guy from our brief interactions) that was consistently posting about how excited he was to begin his med school journey. One of the last posts I saw was him talking about how excited he was for his future as he landed at JFK in New York and people began to comment "congratulations!" and "where in NY will you be going to med school?". He responded that this was just a leg of the journey in route to SGU.

I think if I knew him more I'd be willing to say something but I think it's not my place to warn a guy about the Caribbean in the middle of his flight to SGU. It's freaky to see a guy from our "prestigious" university head to the Caribbean--but I wish him the best.

Edit: the guy came from a family of Caribbean grads who look like they matched so maybe that was his mindset coming in---if they made it so can I.

 

[ciestar]

My one friend was hell bent on going to SGU because they HAD to be an md. Thankfully I managed to talk my friend out of it and they're currently at a DO school getting honors is everything.

My mother in law's neighbor brags that their kid went Carib (Ross, I think?). She asked me if I was considering it and I basically said no, I want to be able to practice medicine when I finish school. *cue deer in headlights look*

If you want to be a doctor, it's simple: apply smart, know your own application limitations, and take whatever US acceptance you get. The letters after your name mean absolutely nothing if you can't practice. "Ciestar, MD - store manager"

 

[edawgmd]

People who work that hard do it to themselves- I had plenty of classmates that were going out every weekend, partying all the time, etc that had 240+ and even 250+ board scores. Medical school is only hell If you make it hell. Or if you're on OB.

I agree it's definitely possible to have a lot of fun while studying productively for high board scores for US MD/DO students. Your classmates were probably people who were well informed, had their priorities set, great with time management, and displayed strong academic track records. Barring those with extraordinary circumstances in which Caribbean med schools were the only option left, if most of the Caribbean students demonstrated these characteristics previously, they wouldn't have ended up there in the first place. It's just me, but if I was forced to go there, you bet the last thing on my mind would be planning when I can party my a$$ off. Full gunner mode until I obtain great board scores and secure my residency spot back in the US.

 

[Goro]

You made me bellow out loud with laughter on this one, Jack!

My friends weren't foolish.

 

[OathTaker]

Many people assume Carribean medical students turned their noses up at DO schools. And these students themselves may say they went Carribean because they wanted the MD instead of the [inferior] DO degree. But in reality, many of these students may have numbers too low for DO school as well as MD school. Getting into DO school is not a cake walk, and if you read the profiles of applicants who are being accepted and rejected from DO schools you will realize that many Carribean students couldn't have gotten into US DO or MD schools. They use the excuse of wanting the MD letters instead of the DO when in reality, they couldn't get either within the US system.

 

[BombsAway]

I met one of my neighbors walking our dog recently. He informed me that his daughter was going to SGU, because "she wanted to go into surgery".

I didn't have the heart to tell him what a world of hurt she's in, so just chatted about our dogs. You can only do so much.

Had you pegged for a cat guy

 

[ciestar]

Many people assume Carribean medical students turned their noses up at DO schools. And these students themselves may say they went Carribean because they wanted the MD instead of the [inferior] DO degree. But in reality, many of these students may have numbers too low for DO school as well as MD school. Getting into DO school is not a cake walk, and if you read the profiles of applicants who are being accepted and rejected from DO schools you will realize that many Carribean students couldn't have gotten into US DO or MD schools. They use the excuse of wanting the MD letters instead of the DO when in reality, they couldn't get either within the US system.

Im sure this is true most of the time (hence the horrible admission statistics and attrition rates), but as for the friend I mentioned, had a 71 LizzyM and didn't want to go DO because of stats and wanted the MD. But, as a DO you'll still be a DOctor.

 

[Goro]

We have a dog. The cats keep him in line. He is the World's Stupidest Dog too.

Had you pegged for a cat guy

 

[----x----]

I haven't had a close friend go to Caribbean but 2 previous employees/colleagues.

One went because he couldn't get in anywhere else. He makes it seem like the dream life on facebook but we'll see what happens in a couple years when he tries to match residencies.

Another I was more comfortable mentioning the risks, stating that it was her decision but I just wanted to make sure she was making an informed decision. I gave her resources to read up on rather than speaking in depth like a lecture. She did end up going Carribean anyway, I think she could have likely gotten into a DO school if she was willing to wait another cycle but I think she'd had 1 or 2 failed cycles and didn't want to retake the MCAT so took it.

 

[FCMike11]

Yeah. The genius student who, while taking the class himself, tutored us and basically taught us physics chose to go to Ross. Had a 3.6ish GPA and 30+ MCAT. I asked him why and he said he didnt feel like dealing with the BS of a year long app cycle (and essays etc.).

Also a high school friend I knew. Her parents were physicians and wouldn't ever consider letting her be a DO. She goes to St. James

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[Lucca]

I have one friend from high school who went to med school in costa rica right out of high school. Graduated this year after about 6 years. Right now studying to take the Steps. Won't know how that will turn out...

 

[ritts]

1) Caribbean ads on SDN...

2) Caribbean ads on SDN...

I just made some quick number estimates on these schools. ignoring the attrition issue, the big 3/4 schools produce a large majority of graduates and have the better residency match/placement rates. That would mean the numerous, small schools must have astoundingly low match/placement rates, certainly way below the overall 50% match for all IMG that is reported

Forgive me if this is a dumb question but why do ~6% of US MD seniors go unmatched each yeah? Applying to the wrong programs?

 

[ritts]

Lets clarify that first. While about 6% go unmatched, virtually all those left over from US MD Seniors will get post-Match placement via SOAP or other mechanisms. In the end for both MD and DO, 99.5% seniors get a residency slot.

I would speculate (this really isnt my area) as to why 6% dont match
1) intense competition
2) applying for narrow/small number of programs (equivalent to a premed only applying to a few top schools)
3) applying for specialties with below median scores, lack of audition rotations, etc

Attached are the infographics for both MD & DO 2015 Match/Placements. These just do a really good job explaining how/where applicant's matched or placed

Ah, that makes a lot more sense. Thank you!

 

[Lawpy]

So today I found out a good friend of mine, also a pre-med, applied to the Caribbean medical schools and is planning on attending St.George's.

The pre-med "group" we have from my alma mater is relatively close, and she surprised all of us by telling us this today. We all knew she was struggling with the MCAT (couldn't hit over a 500) but we figured she would try a 3rd re-take or at least apply DO. But she is bent on the MD title.

We're all pretty worried for her since the MCAT is a good predictor of Step scores and the Carib has atrocious residency matches as it is. I understand its her dream to be a doc, we all share that passion, but we're concerned she may be setting down a path that ends in severe debt and no license to practice. Given her MCAT scores we are worried she won't have the academic support to pass the licensing exams that she needs.

Has anyone else been through a similar situation? How did you handle it?

None of my friends did. They all wanted to remain in US for medical education (whether MD or DO), and if they couldn't, they decided to switch careers and do something else (usually in BME or health policy).

 

[Goro]

4) health issues

Lets clarify that first. While about 6% go unmatched, virtually all those left over from US MD Seniors will get post-Match placement via SOAP or other mechanisms. In the end for both MD and DO, 99.5% seniors get a residency slot.

I would speculate (this really isnt my area) as to why 6% dont match
1) intense competition
2) applying for narrow/small number of programs (equivalent to a premed only applying to a few top schools)
3) applying for specialties with below median scores, lack of audition rotations, etc

Attached are the infographics for both MD & DO 2015 Match/Placements. These just do a really good job explaining how/where applicant's matched or placed

 

[SydSing]

I had a cousin that I never spoke to until I was an adult. Anyway, met her for lunch while I was a freshman in college (my parents arranged it) because she was a medical student and said she could offer advice. Found out she was in the Caribbean (the school escapes me) and that it was great, minus the distance from her SO. Fast forward to my junior year... I saw her at the mall and she said that 'it just wasn't for her (she'd dropped out) and she was transferring to a US medical school.'

Last I heard, she was back in the Caribbean.

 

[jeep1010]

[deleted after using search function]

 

[GypsyHummus]

Not "friends" per se, but there were plenty of people in my undergrad who hopped on over to SGU or Ross. These people usually had Cs in general chemistry and Organic, got Bs in the upper level science classes, or failed miserably the MCAT like I did. Im not knocking them in the slightest, as I got those kind of grades as a freshmen, difference is, I knew when to cut my losses, swallow my pride, and apply for podiatry school. Not sure what happened to those people who left, 4 years is a long time to keep tabs on someone, and I have since deleted my Facebook. At least as a podiatrist, you have above 50% odds of practicing medicine as a physician.

I dated a girl that couldn't get into a DO school and ended up at one of the Caribbeans, at least that what Facebook said last year. Nice gal, but I dogged a financial bullet on that one.

 

[Nietzsche's Barber]

I know 3 people (none of them friends):

#1: Went to SGU and is now a radiologist at a nice hospital. However, both parents were physicians with crazy $$$ (wealth that had also been passed down) and the student transferred to the states (great lakes region) after rocking step 1. This was also 10+ years ago.
#2: Went to SGU and completed FM residency in the states (her father was the pd). This student now works in a clinic that should be surrounded by armored trucks.
#3: To switch it up, went to Poland and is now getting a PhD in some sort of post-med (think smp for college grads) program in an attempt to gain a residency.

So there you have it, folks. Come from crazy money, crazy connections, and/or go back in time to when transferring was much easier.

 

[WhittyPsyche]

Yes. And is technically family through marriage. Said person has a go fund me account going to raise for tuition and expenses and many of my friends and family members have donated. Said person had interviews and acceptances at a few DO schools. Tried leading the horse to water and forcing it to drink, but we all know how that goes.

Kicker, said medical school sent me an email a few weeks ago (got my email from Med-Mar) saying they will be near me next month, "click here to schedule an interview"...


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[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I know a couple family friends that did it and it worked out. Both are practicing OBGYNs. Still don't recommend.

It's my opinion that if you can't cut it for medical school in the states (MD & DO) then you should find a different career or passion.


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I know two OB/GYNs who went Carib. They both went to SGU and are partners now. Very successful and very good.

I also know a few who went to med school in London and one who went to school in Italy. All surgeons, all successful and very good. But that's not the same as the Carib, especially in their specific cases as they went like 30 years ago.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

and that's really the issue. what the schools were like 30 years ago and, more importantly, what the residency situation was like then is not like now. At times in the late 1970s thru early 1990s, there were a number of factors that made it much likely an off-shore school would lead to a successful medical career

1) limited US MD medical school seats making intense acceptance competition
2) much fewer DO medical seats and much less acceptance of DOs
3) few postbacc/SMP and little acceptance of "non-trad" students, reapplicants, and anyone more than a year or two from college
4) Many fewer education and job spots for PA, NP, CRNA, and other possible paths
5) With the 4 factors above, off-shore was only choice, and thus had a higher caliber of student
6) More open residencies (ie not all were controlled by NRMP)
7) physician shortage, especially in inner cities, thus hiring of both residents and docs in those

All those items led to more educational, residency, and job opportunities then.

Absolutely. And this is why the whole "well I know some docs who went to the Carib who are doing great" argument is misleading. Things were different even just 10 years ago.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I am always getting into arguments with advisors who still suggest it and who have no idea how residency works

I think it must a prereq to be an advisor that you have to be dumb as rocks.

 

[surgonc2017]

.

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[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

I'm - graduate of a "big 3" Caribbean program. I had a bad GPA coming out of undergrad and wanted to go straight to medical school. Did do US applications, got 1 interview. I definitely should've taken the time to work on grade repair, especially because DO schools allowed grade repair at the time. I was foolish and decided to go the Caribbean route despite advice that I shouldn't.

Once I arrived a studied HARD. After the first semester I had all As and let myself relax a little bit. I did go to parties and the beach etc. but focus was still on studies. Ended up doing well on Step 1/2 and applied to general surgery. I made a mistake and applied to 80 programs instead of all of them. Got 6 categorical interviews and a couple prelim interviews. Ended up matching prelim at a top tier program. Worked my ass off and started going on interviews for any categorical position that opened on the PD website. Ultimately, a co-intern was not renewed for PGY-2 and I slid into that spot as a categorical. Graduating in a year and a half and applying to fellowships now with good responses.

I got incredibly lucky. I ended up exactly where I hoped but it was a one in a million shot. In retrospect I should've buckled down and taken the more assured path. I hope your friend has a similar story, but the truth is half of people don't make it through Caribbean schools and have nothing to show but debt. The ones that do end up in primary care. There are a few crazy stories like mine - but they're a couple per school per year in a class of 400.


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I'm happy it worked out for you but the problem with stories like yours is that everyone wants to believe they will be the special snowflake.

 

[bigloley]

Know 3 people who went to carib, 1 matched urology and 2 matched IM, all in NYC. They also worked their ass off

 

[Gasman88]

Honestly, the MD/DO gap is getting smaller and smaller every year and is nonexistent for certain specialties. I don't understand why people rule it out so quickly, especially when looking at Caribbean schools.

A family friend went to St. George and graduated in 5 or 6 years. From talking to her, she said most of her classmates have had to retake atleast 1 year of school from failing a course. Last time I spoke to her she had just graduated and was back home studying for Step 1. I have no clue if that's typical for Caribbean schools but it made me not even consider applying. I always advocate for taking a gap year, getting additional experiences/studying for the MCAT like it's your job (because it is), and reapplying to MD/DO schools the following cycle. Though I can understand her frustration since she already retook it once. On the plus side, IMO St. George is by far the least sketchy of the Caribbean schools.

This is complete bs. Im a 4th yr SGU student, and you can't even begin clinical rotations without clearing step 1 first. Our average step 1 scores are mid 230's and the VAST majority of each class matches every year. If you come here and do well, you will match in most fields. Its not all doom and gloom and by the way, MCAT scores are in NO WAY an indication of steps scores. I should know.

 

[gyngyn]

This is complete bs. Im a 4th yr SGU student, and you can't even begin clinical rotations without clearing step 1 first. Our average step 1 scores are mid 230's and the VAST majority of each class matches every year. If you come here and do well, you will match in most fields. Its not all doom and gloom and by the way, MCAT scores are in NO WAY an indication of steps scores. I should know.

I'm sure you can understand the skepticism that their lack of transparency regarding attrition, scores and outcomes engenders.
It would be great if they posted these data (confirmed by a neutral third party) so your assertions could be validated.

 

[thestudiousmeathead]

I went to undergrad with two people that recently chose to attend a Carib school, both wanting to practice highly sought-after surgical specialties, chasing the MD, and with deplorable MCAT scores. "Hello my name is Dr. xxx and welcome to Texas Roadhouse, I'll be your server tonight."

 

[P0ke]

I know a guy who just graduated from Ross and matched into surgery. He wasn't a genius or anything. I don't know how that happened.

I've also seen some people on Facebook go to the Caribbean. One day their profile picture is them showing off their new white coat. A few months later there's no more white coat, and a sob story post about how "everything happens for a reason".

 

[workaholic181]

Look people from carib schools make it work.. but personally I wouldn't risk it, and with the merger coming up, I think the situation is only going to deteriorate for carib students in the match.