KBTGSP vs Grenada MD Program at SGU

[treefriend]

Okay, so I'm Canadian. Finances/loans is not a deciding factor in my case at all.

So keeping that aside, if anyone here, also Canadian, or even a rich American, went for KBTGSP program at SGU, how was your experience? Was it much better than Grenada experience in year 2? Did you do better in UK or Grenada (grades and all)? Did having that international exposure help when it came to matching (I would reeeeeally like to match at UBC or somewhere in Washington or even Alberta, basically closer home, ie. Western Canada (very western Canada) and around.

I keep reading how students in the KBT UK program had time for Euro trips DURING their semesters, but then I also read that both students in Grenada and UK take the exact same exams??? How is it that students at UK are able to take days off while all the student experiences from Grenada program talk about how they barely had time for a beach day all year.

Any clarifications would be extremely helpful!

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[bedevilled ben]

Okay, so I'm Canadian. Finances/loans is not a deciding factor in my case at all.

So keeping that aside, if anyone here, also Canadian, or even a rich American, went for KBTGSP program at SGU, how was your experience? Was it much better than Grenada experience in year 2? Did you do better in UK or Grenada (grades and all)? Did having that international exposure help when it came to matching (I would reeeeeally like to match at UBC or somewhere in Washington or even Alberta, basically closer home, ie. Western Canada (very western Canada) and around.

I keep reading how students in the KBT UK program had time for Euro trips DURING their semesters, but then I also read that both students in Grenada and UK take the exact same exams??? How is it that students at UK are able to take days off while all the student experiences from Grenada program talk about how they barely had time for a beach day all year.

Any clarifications would be extremely helpful!

So full disclosure I didn't go to KBT, but I have a couple of close friends that did.

First of all, unless you want to do a residency in the UK, KBT isn't going to impact your Match rates really at all. The biggest determinant is always going to be your Step scores by far.

If quality of life is a big deal for you, then KBT wins hands down. Grenada is a 3rd world country. It has unreliable infrastructure, and just silly things like buying groceries every week or paying your electric bill can become huge annoyances. The power goes out. Your stuff gets moldy from the humidity. Your crappy Escudo breaks down for the 4th time this week because you hit a pothole in the pavement that just appeared after this morning's downpour, so you had to call the sketchy guy you rent it from and he's going to send some random worker to come fix it, and of course he's late because nobody in Grenada is ever on time, so now you're late to class and have to sit on the floor because there aren't enough desks, and oh great the AC is off because did I mention the power is out?

The issue isn't so much that KBT have more time off, it's just that they're able to use their time off more efficiently and they have MUCH easier access to a wider variety of fun things to do. In Grenada you're a minimum of a 3-4 hour flight to anywhere outside of the Caribbean, so weekend trips are mostly out of the question, whereas KBT folks can take a day off class and be just about anywhere in Western Europe in a few hours flight for significantly cheaper. They also have significantly easier access to daily amenities like groceries, coffee shops, movies, shows, shopping, etc. Some of these things exist in GND but your access is significantly limited.

The coursework and examination is identical between programs. The professors shuttle back and forth a few times per term so you get exposure to all of the faculty.

Grenada is a beautiful country with a lot of interesting things to do. Living there for 2 years is a definite challenge, though, and not something taken into lightly. It was a pretty fun and memorable adventure, though.

 

[treefriend]

@bedevilled ben Thank you, that is actually very helpful! Got accepted to the Grenada MD program so probably can't switch anymore, but that explains why the first year experiences from UK and Grenada sound so different lol.

 

[Unico]

@bedevilled ben Thank you, that is actually very helpful! Got accepted to the Grenada MD program so probably can't switch anymore, but that explains why the first year experiences from UK and Grenada sound so different lol.

If you want to switch to KBT it shouldn't be an issue. There are way more students trying to get to Grenada than to KBT so your chances are pretty descent to switch, just email your contact and they can make it happen


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[JodyBrittany]

Hey! I am in my second term at SGU and am currently in the KBT program (so I can't really speak to it helping in match or anything like that). So far I am very glad that I decided to do the KBT program. We currently have 86 students in our class and we are all very close with the professors we have here. Our test scores tend to be the same (if not better) than the Grenada scores. There have been a few hiccups with getting material from Grenada on time, but we always make up the IMCQs or lectures, and I think the delay is mainly because I am in the first term going through the new curriculum, so that should all be ironed out when you start. Newcastle is a great city and I really love living in the UK and being so close to Europe (we tend to travel after our exams when we don't have any new material to study). The current term ones (that will be here next august) are a super awesome group too! If you have the chance and the finances or New Jersey thing aren't an issue I would definitely recommend it!
PS. Most of the students in KBT are Canadian, I am one of the few Americans in my class currently.

 

[VSetty]

Hi Ben thanks for giving valuable insights on challenges of Grenada. Wonder how KBT students returning to Grenada cope ? Especially, given that 2nd year is very tough and won't adjustment to Grenada add burden and frustration ?

@JodyBrittany, I am wondering if you could comment on additional costs one has to provision. Also were you required to take any special prep courses (Eg. AEP)? What has been some of your seniors experiences have been with the transitions ?

 

[shouldigomd]

The material is virtually the same with a few exceptions. Some teachers from KBT I heard were better while some in Grenada were better. People often Euro tripped during holidays since going home from Europe is more difficult than from Grenada. Med school is tough but you have free time so on long weekends you can definitely take a trip.

Another con is that you have to move after a year to Grenada. It can be a big transition which can add some stress but 3rd term is very light so you have time to adjust. Most people that did KBT that I spoke to enjoyed their experience. Honestly comes down to if you want to live in England for a year which can be expensive.

Not to be pessimistic but matching in the Northwest (Washington / Oregon) is virtually impossible for most specialties. Really comes down to serious connections to get in there. Even for AMG's it is very competitive.

 

[treefriend]

Thank you everyone for your replies! I decided to switch over to the KBT program last week, and recently sent my initial deposit. I got the Legacy of Excellence scholarship (60k$) so that should definitely help!

I'm excited for this, it sounds like an amazing opportunity, but ofcourse, I want to realistic about chances for matching back and where. I am pretty good test-taker, but that alone won't get me residencies in North-West. I sucks finding out SGU has virtually never placed anyone in Oregon. UBC is probably my best bet (funny because that was my dream med school all along) for west coast.
But once again, thank you for helping me out here! I was actually really confused and swinging back and forth between the two options. But I've heard about Canadians who did it and matched into amazing residency programs back in Canada, so imma keep my hopes alive for Canada. Adjustment shouldn't be much of a problem, since I've moved around throughout my life and have had to adjust to different schools, universities and what not.

 

[coda4451]

Hey! I am in my second term at SGU and am currently in the KBT program (so I can't really speak to it helping in match or anything like that). So far I am very glad that I decided to do the KBT program. We currently have 86 students in our class and we are all very close with the professors we have here. Our test scores tend to be the same (if not better) than the Grenada scores. There have been a few hiccups with getting material from Grenada on time, but we always make up the IMCQs or lectures, and I think the delay is mainly because I am in the first term going through the new curriculum, so that should all be ironed out when you start. Newcastle is a great city and I really love living in the UK and being so close to Europe (we tend to travel after our exams when we don't have any new material to study). The current term ones (that will be here next august) are a super awesome group too! If you have the chance and the finances or New Jersey thing aren't an issue I would definitely recommend it!
PS. Most of the students in KBT are Canadian, I am one of the few Americans in my class currently.

What New Jersey issue are you referring to?

 

[bedevilled ben]

What New Jersey issue are you referring to?

If you attend the KBT program you cannot do MS3 and MS4 clerkships or obtain residency in New Jersey because they require that your first two years of medical school be completed within the same medical school in the same country.

 

[treefriend]

Hi guys,
I have a new issue. I got into a medical school in Ireland and paid my deposit too. But now I'm really nervous about moving to Europe for 4 years. I am interested in Psvchiatry or Family Medicine, so nothing too fancy. Which is why, I'm probably gonna decline the Irish University soon and pay my SGU deposit by Monday.

But before I do that, I have a question regarding clinical rotations in Canada. University of Saskatchewan is affiliated with SGU, and SGU students can do almost any core rotation there (I think). How many SGU students does USask accept for each rotation? Any Canadian SGU grads/current students who've done any rotations at USask? Any help would be really appreciated!

 

[738177]

Hi guys,
I have a new issue. I got into a medical school in Ireland and paid my deposit too. But now I'm really nervous about moving to Europe for 4 years. I am interested in Psvchiatry or Family Medicine, so nothing too fancy. Which is why, I'm probably gonna decline the Irish University soon and pay my SGU deposit by Monday.

But before I do that, I have a question regarding clinical rotations in Canada. University of Saskatchewan is affiliated with SGU, and SGU students can do almost any core rotation there (I think). How many SGU students does USask accept for each rotation? Any Canadian SGU grads/current students who've done any rotations at USask? Any help would be really appreciated!

Go to Ireland.
They have high match rates back to Canada (as well as in USA) whereas SGU has decent match rates in USA only.
Match rate for Caribbean grads back to Canada is ~15-20%. Why take the risk?

Ideally, i'd choose neither considering the recent restriction on Statement of Need for Canadians. But i guess you heard about all of that already.

 

[Money4MyHoney]

Go to Ireland.
They have high match rates back to Canada (as well as in USA) whereas SGU has decent match rates in USA only.
Match rate for Caribbean grads back to Canada is ~15-20%. Why take the risk?

Ideally, i'd choose neither considering the recent restriction on Statement of Need for Canadians. But i guess you heard about all of that already.

I second going to Ireland.

Both are IMG route but Ireland have better match rates especially to Canada

 

[Danio710]

Hey! I am in my second term at SGU and am currently in the KBT program (so I can't really speak to it helping in match or anything like that). So far I am very glad that I decided to do the KBT program. We currently have 86 students in our class and we are all very close with the professors we have here. Our test scores tend to be the same (if not better) than the Grenada scores. There have been a few hiccups with getting material from Grenada on time, but we always make up the IMCQs or lectures, and I think the delay is mainly because I am in the first term going through the new curriculum, so that should all be ironed out when you start. Newcastle is a great city and I really love living in the UK and being so close to Europe (we tend to travel after our exams when we don't have any new material to study). The current term ones (that will be here next august) are a super awesome group too! If you have the chance and the finances or New Jersey thing aren't an issue I would definitely recommend it!
PS. Most of the students in KBT are Canadian, I am one of the few Americans in my class currently.

Hey Jody!
I’m also from the states and looking into KBT, and wanted to know what your pros and cons were given the financial stipulations that arise when starting in the UK if you are from the states. Any thoughts would be helpful.

Thanks,
Daniela

 

[Dr. Smurph]

Hey Jody!
I’m also from the states and looking into KBT, and wanted to know what your pros and cons were given the financial stipulations that arise when starting in the UK if you are from the states. Any thoughts would be helpful.

Thanks,
Daniela

Wasn't KBT but many of my friends were. It's a smaller program with more intimate numbers, meaning better face time with instructors. It's also in a much more developed location, which is less stressful. The largest Con for me would be exactly what ben said earlier. If you go the KBT route then you cannot apply for residency in New Jersey, which is a huge employer of IMG's. While you may not think you have any desire to work in Jersey, just understand it's very early in your career to already be limiting your future prospects more than is necessary. But that's just my two cents.