SGU Interview in DC

[eeostrander1]

I am interviewing for SGU’s 4 year medical school in a couple of weeks. Everyone hates on the Caribbean schools, and to be 100% honest I would rather stay in the US. But my top three specialties that I am interested in are peds, family med, and IM. So I am wondering if going to SGU in January is a good option?

Also I am reapplying for DO schools in the meantime... hopefully will know before December if I got in anywhere.

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[deleted888443]

I am interviewing for SGU’s 4 year medical school in a couple of weeks. Everyone hates on the Caribbean schools, and to be 100% honest I would rather stay in the US. But my top three specialties that I am interested in are peds, family med, and IM. So I am wondering if going to SGU in January is a good option?

Also I am reapplying for DO schools in the meantime... hopefully will know before December if I got in anywhere.

I would try DO first. What are your stats?

 

[eeostrander1]

I would try DO first. What are your stats?

494 mcat and 3.4 gpa in my post-bac program. I took the mcat multiple times. The last time I took it me practice test was averaging a 508 but I ended up with a 494. I am planning to apply DO this time around for the newer schools like NOVA-Clearwater and PCOM-South Georgia.

 

[deleted888443]

494 mcat and 3.4 gpa in my post-bac program. I took the mcat multiple times. The last time I took it me practice test was averaging a 508 but I ended up with a 494. I am planning to apply DO this time around for the newer schools like NOVA-Clearwater and PCOM-South Georgia.

Ok but what's your overall gpa? 494 most likely is not good enough for DO, I would retake it and aim for 500+

 

[Dr. Smurph]

Going to SGU or any Caribbean school is still a viable option for non traditional med school applicants. Just make sure you are aware that you will be working harder than your US school counterparts to get the same opportunities as them.

 

[Chondroclast]

Current SGU student here. I love it. Ignore the carib haters. Just realize you need to work extremely hard here and stay above the 80% mark on exams (not as easy as it sounds) and you'll do fine with step and residency. Getting into a DO school with a 494 and 3.4 is going to be tough- you should be fine getting into SGU as long as you do well in your interview. It's not easy here in Grenada, but it is very doable. Good luck on your interview! Be prepared for the typical questions, search the forum there's lots of posts on questions.

 

[eeostrander1]

Just an update. I got into SGU and just interviewed at AUC. I am leaning toward AUC just because SGU's classes are so big and Sint Maarten is an easier island to get to. Anyone have any inputs on this? Everyone on this site is carib haters but hopefully someone can put some input into the SGU vs AUC debate in my head.

 

[UserUnidentified420]

Just an update. I got into SGU and just interviewed at AUC. I am leaning toward AUC just because SGU's classes are so big and Sint Maarten is an easier island to get to. Anyone have any inputs on this? Everyone on this site is carib haters but hopefully someone can put some input into the SGU vs AUC debate in my head.

I have friends who recently graduated from AUC and are in first year of residency. They said the AUC island is very well established and they had good amenities. Their classes were manageable and they enjoyed the experience.

 

[LebronManning]

1) SGU vs AUC isn’t even a question. SGU is the only Caribbean school one should ever even think about if they have to go Caribbean.

2) While I don’t consider myself a Caribbean hater, especially of SGU, I’d be wary of going to Carib with a 494. MCAT is supposed to be a good indicator of testing ability and if that translates to a USMLE score you are going to be in trouble. For poor test takers, I think you should retake MCAT and get near a 500 and try to get to a DO school.

 

[hmania]

Just an update. I got into SGU and just interviewed at AUC. I am leaning toward AUC just because SGU's classes are so big and Sint Maarten is an easier island to get to. Anyone have any inputs on this? Everyone on this site is carib haters but hopefully someone can put some input into the SGU vs AUC debate in my head.

Good choice. At least you chose one of the 4 big Caribbean schools. Sint maarten is easy to get to and is a beautiful island with many amenities that are similar to the US. Study hard and you will reach your goals.

 

[Chondroclast]

Just an update. I got into SGU and just interviewed at AUC. I am leaning toward AUC just because SGU's classes are so big and Sint Maarten is an easier island to get to. Anyone have any inputs on this? Everyone on this site is carib haters but hopefully someone can put some input into the SGU vs AUC debate in my head.

Congrats on your acceptance to SGU! I'm a current student and the big classes aren't a huge deal. If you don't like big classes, SGU has something called ITI, where you learn in small groups instead of the big lecture (I personally love it). Even if you're in the big lecture group at SGU, everyone has small groups each week, and small group lab times, so it doesn't feel that big. The ease of getting to Grenada all depends where you live. If you're in NY or FL, it's super easy to get to Grenada (direct flights), otherwise it can be a pain with layovers and bags, but I wouldn't decide on your 4 years of medical education on ease of getting to, as Grenada isn't that difficult to get to, and in the grand scheme of things isn't a huge deal.