So much of the negativity about Carib schools (in my opinion) can be broken down into 3 types:
1.) The first is "hear-say"- basically the 1 or 2 major horror stories out of 100 that get blown way out of proportion and then go through a game of "telephone operator". The end result is thousands upon thousands of already neurotic/ nail biting premeds (later turned into neurotic/ nail biting med students, residents, PDs, etc) spreading this information in an almost viral manner via regurgitation of this hear-say combined with their own potential unfounded (and inexperienced) fears.
2.) The second is information that is put out (i.e. published on a blog or forum) by a medical student that is frustrated by a certain situation that they hold the individual school responsible for. When the issue is resolved and potentially found out to be "no big deal" in the long run, their initial complaints remain (like old posts on a forum). Medical school is tough- as it should be because of the gravity of our responsibilities, and yes going through a that kind of a program you're going to have complaints along the way. The problem is when good students (like everyone here) do their research and find all these minor or one time moderate complaints and begin compiling them into this gargantuan nightmare. Having formed said nightmare, the next logical step is to attach a categorical identity (ie a particular medical school or group of schools), and that's how you get "Carib schools- the bastard children of medical education, hungry for your money, crushers of hopes, and destroyers of dreams". When in reality, it's highly likely that they may never encounter even one of their feared issues.
3.) Finally, the third are the actual major horror stories that spawned the hear-say I discussed in #1. These 1-2% of students can be broken down into 2 more categories: 1.) the "damn, that sucks" situation and 2.) the "you're an idiot for even applying to medical school" situation. The first one is completely excusable because we all know that it is certainly possible that something insanely wrong goes on in our lives that leaves us with major irreconcilable issues leading to quitting the medical profession. The second is of course the ridiculous one where you get people that don't belong in medical school- the only way I can think of this now is via examples. Like the student that wants to be a surgeon and knows that they are insanely disturbed by blood, thinking that they'll get over it (but in the mean time had be excused from every undergrad bio/ a&p lab dissection). Or the example situation (grossly invented btw lol) is the Psychology undergrad with a 2.1 GPA/ 12 MCAT score getting accepted into a medical school, not being able to cut it and getting kicked out, then proceeding to bad mouth the school for the rest of their lives for putting them into debt and crushing their dream. When in reality, they were never cut out for it- I know I sound like an a** right now but everyone reading knows people like this.
Soooooo..... *takes a moment to rest fingers, sip some water, and switch up iTunes playlist*... when we consider all of the above we wind up with things all of us already knew. 1.) Take everything you find out "with a grain of salt" and 2.) Medicine is the same everywhere (ie we all have vital organs that function pretty much the same and our bodies succumb to the same diseases in mostly stereotypical ways) and since we are practicing/plan to practice in the US, we are required to pass a standardized set of examinations to prove our knowledge and skills. It is therefore up to you (us) as the student to "bust your *****" to make sure you rock those exams (ie the MLEs), regardless of the school you attend. Everything else is secondary and the medical schools know this, so choosing which to attend is all about the subjective perception of "convenience" that is purported by each individual school.
Yes, I applied to many medical schools and got several interviews. Funny story- I was accepted to a US program but rejected by Ross (they instead accepted me to their post-bac premed program), 6 weeks later I got accepted to SGU. My choice? SGU 100% Why? Because the US program I got accepted to is part of a religiously denominated university and while not denominational themselves- I would only choose that type of school as a last resort. I would not feel comfortable living in that area (the middle of nowhere) as a gay male with my current long term boyfriend- if you don't understand my discomfort look up Leviticus 18:22 in the Christian Bible, the people that live in this area (not associated with the school of course) are the bigot over zealous type. I applied there because I'd rather risk being harassed by bigots then not go to medical school at all (bring 'em on). While I realize that the Carib also has a stigma, they have the benefit of experiencing many cultures and beliefs and therefore have a civil tolerance- much like Miami/Ft Lauderdale FL where I went to undergrad and lived my whole life.
Ok so I'm going to stop typing now lol, I would really enjoy your feedback on my thoughts- conversation enriches all parties involved. (I'm editing this by adding that I have nothing against anyone and their faiths so long as they practice civility and mutual tolerance).
