Social Life in Caribbean Medical Schools

[ChasenPune]

I am a second year Pre-Med student in the US. I have a decent GPA at this point and haven't failed any of my prereqs yet.

Anyways, I still have a decent amount of classes yet to go and I could see myself not getting into US medical school just because I am prepared for how selective they are. That being said, Med School in the Caribbean sounds kind of fun. I have mainly been looking at the Big 4, (Ross, Saba, American, and St. George's).

I was wondering what the social life is like at locations like these. (Parties, food, nightlife) Considering these are tiny islands I know it could be hit or miss.

Don't respond telling me that I shouldn't party in Medical School, I honestly don't care what anybody says, it is very possible to party every weekend and still pass. I am not a boring person that sits inside all day and studies.

I am also open to other med schools on other islands, these are just the main ones that became apparent to me from limited google searching.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Weirdy]

Possible to do both in Carrib or USMD. Won't question your thinking or legitimacy in bringing up Carrib.

That being said, I can't wait for real life to humble you.

 

[787593]

I am a second year Pre-Med student in the US. I have a decent GPA at this point and haven't failed any of my prereqs yet.

Anyways, I still have a decent amount of classes yet to go and I could see myself not getting into US medical school just because I am prepared for how selective they are. That being said, Med School in the Caribbean sounds kind of fun. I have mainly been looking at the Big 4, (Ross, Saba, American, and St. George's).

I was wondering what the social life is like at locations like these. (Parties, food, nightlife) Considering these are tiny islands I know it could be hit or miss.

Don't respond telling me that I shouldn't party in Medical School, I honestly don't care what anybody says, it is very possible to party every weekend and still pass. I am not a boring person that sits inside all day and studies.

I am also open to other med schools on other islands, these are just the main ones that became apparent to me from limited google searching.

 

[Saifa]

That being said, Med School in the Caribbean sounds kind of fun

What sort of p.r. witchcraft actually puts this in people's heads?

You're a sophomore. Start volunteering and becoming a solid applicant.

This post might as well say "I'm well on my way to becoming a doctor but think I might screw it up for some reason. Is plunging into debt for a <50% chance of becoming a doctor fun?"

 

[ChasenPune]

What sort of p.r. witchcraft actually puts this in people's heads?

You're a sophomore. Start volunteering and becoming a solid applicant.

This post might as well say "I'm well on my way to becoming a doctor but think I might screw it up for some reason. Is plunging into debt for a <50% chance of becoming a doctor fun?"

I don't need you to act like my mother. I have good enough grades and extracurriculars at this point to be competitive in the US. I am curious about this as a backup option.

Also, I fail to see how I would have less than a 50% chance of graduating Caribbean medical school if I got accepted.
I also fail to see how partying will automatically guarantee you fail. If you can't have fun in life what is the point of living?

If someone could actually objectively answer my question as to which Caribbean Medical Schools would be best for a social life, it would be most appreciated.

 

[Saifa]

I also fail to see how partying will automatically guarantee you fail. If you can't have fun in life what is the point of living?

Not one person anywhere is saying this, read about going to a Caribbean school for like 5 minutes instead of pulling a "yeah I vape, so what?"

To loosely quote one user:

"the best thing that happened on that island was when my banana tree was ripe"

 

[ChasenPune]

Not one person anywhere is saying this, read about going to a Caribbean school for like 5 minutes instead of pulling a "yeah I vape, so what?"

To loosely quote one user:

"the best thing that happened on that island was when my banana tree was ripe"

So basically what you are telling me is not one of the English speaking Caribbean medical schools is fun? Not even one of them?

Or at the very least, is there a school on an island with a popular resort area nearby?

 

[787593]

:troll:

 

[Luka75]

I am a second year Pre-Med student in the US. I have a decent GPA at this point and haven't failed any of my prereqs yet.

Anyways, I still have a decent amount of classes yet to go and I could see myself not getting into US medical school just because I am prepared for how selective they are. That being said, Med School in the Caribbean sounds kind of fun. I have mainly been looking at the Big 4, (Ross, Saba, American, and St. George's).

I was wondering what the social life is like at locations like these. (Parties, food, nightlife) Considering these are tiny islands I know it could be hit or miss.

Don't respond telling me that I shouldn't party in Medical School, I honestly don't care what anybody says, it is very possible to party every weekend and still pass. I am not a boring person that sits inside all day and studies.

I am also open to other med schools on other islands, these are just the main ones that became apparent to me from limited google searching.

So, not only do you wanna go for schools that significantly reduce your chances at becoming a practicing physician in the US but you wanna further jeopardizE your future by wanting to party every weekend? If you're looking to party that bad and that often, you should probably check some other careers out cause medicine is not it.

 

[Luka75]

I don't need you to act like my mother. I have good enough grades and extracurriculars at this point to be competitive in the US. I am curious about this as a backup option.

Also, I fail to see how I would have less than a 50% chance of graduating Caribbean medical school if I got accepted.
I also fail to see how partying will automatically guarantee you fail. If you can't have fun in life what is the point of living?

If someone could actually objectively answer my question as to which Caribbean Medical Schools would be best for a social life, it would be most appreciated.

 

[787593]

 

[mcat_taker]

So basically what you are telling me is not one of the English speaking Caribbean medical schools is fun? Not even one of them?

Or at the very least, is there a school on an island with a popular resort area nearby?

@ChasenPune Hey man, you're not gonna get the responses you are looking for here. Don't get upset young gun. A few things:

1) The reality is that no one chooses a medical school based on how fun it is, sure after exams and all that people party but that will be true anywhere you go. There are so many more important things to worry about when choosing a school.

2) Despite the glamorous location, most likely Caribbean will be LESS FUN than anywhere in the U.S. you might go to because everyone is going to be stressed all the time about being disadvantaged about being an IMG/working harder than everyone else/last chance at a medical career/under resourced islands/too many students blah blah blah (this is just my opinion from following these boards for a long time, I'm not a carib student)

3) You don't know yet how hard medical school is because you're just a sophomore. The firehose of information thrown at you is real.

4) If you really want to party go to med school in the U.S. not carib, even then you really won't be partying as much as you think, unless you're a genius.

5) Med students, overall, with exceptions, are generally a self selecting group that are more studious, more serious, less fun, high achieving, hardo personalities-- so asking them about social life will not get you anywhere

6) AUC being on the most developed island is probably the answer you are looking for in terms of most social things to do (more distractions not always a good thing though take it from me, I have a hard time turning down invites to party, prob why my grades suck in med school)

7) YOU ARE A SOPHOMORE, no one is gonna respond to you about carib business because you should be worrying right now about having fun in college, getting good grades, and killing the MCAT, not about hypothetical backup med school options. You can always take a year off after college to sort that business out. Much harder to fix a ****ty college transcript once you are out. In fact, you have years to worry about hypothetical med schools because frankly under 27 years old is a young MS1 these days.

 

[the argus]

Gotta love the premeds coming in and schooling everyone ...

What sort of p.r. witchcraft actually puts this in people's heads?

You're a sophomore. Start volunteering and becoming a solid applicant.

This post might as well say "I'm well on my way to becoming a doctor but think I might screw it up for some reason. Is plunging into debt for a <50% chance of becoming a doctor fun?"

I won't even go into the factual inaccuracies. There's a bigger problem here with statistical and logical concepts.

You can't use population statistics to deduce an individual's likelihood of success. It's called ecological fallacy. Even if it were true that <50% of people that start at the big 4 schools gets a residency (it's not), you can't then say that the OP's chance of becoming a doctor from the Caribbean is <50%. That's not how statistics works.

 

[Saifa]

itt "big 4" used unironically

 

[Skip Intro]

I was wondering what the social life is like at locations like these. (Parties, food, nightlife) Considering these are tiny islands I know it could be hit or miss.

They're all awesome!! I mean, hey, it's the Caribbean after all. AMIRIGHT?!?? Just pick any of the schools down there on the coolest island. You'll do fine.

So, what to expect... chill on the beach, hang with the locals (tons of hotties), and party it up. all. the. time. And don't worry, there's time for class too. And maybe do some scuba. The beaches are awesome, the food is great, everything is super cheap, and totally everyone is helpful and will make sure you succeed. It's chill, fun, and a piece of cake.

Just go down there and after four years, roll out with your degree, and then just pick what kind of doc you want to be. E-A-S-Y. Perfect back-up if you don't go U.S. fo' sho'. (I only wish you'd made this post this last Saturday. That would have been even more perfect.)

Going to the Carrib is awesome. It rules!!!!!!

-Skip

 

[ChasenPune]

They're all awesome!! I mean, hey, it's the Caribbean after all. AMIRIGHT?!?? Just pick any of the schools down there on the coolest island. You'll do fine.

So, what to expect... chill on the beach, hang with the locals (tons of hotties), and party it up. all. the. time. And don't worry, there's time for class too. And maybe do some scuba. The beaches are awesome, the food is great, everything is super cheap, and totally everyone is helpful and will make sure you succeed. It's chill, fun, and a piece of cake.

Just go down there and after four years, roll out with your degree, and then just pick what kind of doc you want to be. E-A-S-Y. Perfect back-up if you don't go U.S. fo' sho'. (I only wish you'd made this post this last Saturday. That would have been even more perfect.)

Going to the Carrib is awesome. It rules!!!!!!

-Skip

To be honest I am convinced you guys are all full of it. In 6 years I will reply to this thread after I have winged my way through med school and am preparing to enter my residency.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

There's an incredible amount of sarcasm in many of these posts, which you're not reacting well to.

As several people have mentioned, you'll probably discover that there won't be anywhere near as much time to party in medical school than you have in college, whether US or Carib. As an example, I did quite well in undergrad, worked hard but had plenty of time to have fun with friends, hardly ever didn't go out because of "too much work" (although, to be fair, my friend circle was relatively serious about working, so when exams / finals / projects were due, no one was partying).

Then went to medical school. Still did well, but life totally changed. After every day in class, I was studying 3-5 hours a night. Then all day on Saturday or Sunday, the other one I took off for some relaxation. Unless there was an exam upcoming -- then only 1/2 a day. And sadly, there always seemed to be an exam in something. There was no time to be "hung over". Sure, you can work less hard and do less well -- but then you won't get your pick of fields / programs / location.

In any case, the "party" scene is likely to be better in a US school. In the Carib, your clinical rotations will be scattered, you'll be separated from friends, etc.

Last, just "passing" in the Carib may be a problem. You'll only have the least competitive fields to pick from, and the least competitive locations. That won't be a party.

So, if you want to go to medical school, you need to focus on your performance. If your performance can be better by partying less, then that's what you need to do. Every 1/100th of a GPA point counts, as does every MCAT point.

I would be great to have you come back to this thread in 6 years. I expect you may find that your outlook has changed. And there's nothing wrong with that -- we all grow and change as our lives and careers develop. Best of luck.

 

[whatsmysystolicdoc]

I'm thinking a lot of tinder on the islands?

 

[Skip Intro]

To be honest I am convinced you guys are all full of it. In 6 years I will reply to this thread after I have winged my way through med school and am preparing to enter my residency.

Agree fully with aProgDirector despite throwing the wet blanket on our sarcasm party...

In the meantime (and I still hope you were mostly joking too), you might be interested to know that, yes, there are still a disturbing number of physicians out there who try to "wing it". Most of them (eventually) get sued out of existence. The others? They get found out sooner or later... in other ways... with disastrous consequences to their careers.

Never say you haven't been forewarned, joking aside.

-Skip

 

[sammiesings]

Gotta love the premeds coming in and schooling everyone ...


I won't even go into the factual inaccuracies. There's a bigger problem here with statistical and logical concepts.

You can't use population statistics to deduce an individual's likelihood of success. It's called ecological fallacy. Even if it were true that <50% of people that start at the big 4 schools gets a residency (it's not), you can't then say that the OP's chance of becoming a doctor from the Caribbean is <50%. That's not how statistics works.

I've seen quite a few of your posts on here and you seem pretty butthurt at how the Caribbean is perceived.

Can you honestly say you would have gone to the Caribbean if you'd had a shot anywhere else? Can you honestly say you would recommend the Caribbean to a student who has a shot at a US MD/DO school?

 

[the argus]

I've seen quite a few of your posts on here and you seem pretty butthurt at how the Caribbean is perceived.

Can you honestly say you would have gone to the Caribbean if you'd had a shot anywhere else? Can you honestly say you would recommend the Caribbean to a student who has a shot at a US MD/DO school?

I couldn't care less how the Caribbean is perceived on this forum. I post here so people trying to decide whether to go to the Caribbean can have accurate information to make an informed choice, not the worthless ramblings of random premeds who only know what they've read on SDN (often from other uninformed premeds). I would have appreciated this info when I was trying to make the choice.

I could have gone to basically any DO school, for better or worse I chose the Caribbean. I certainly has worked out for me so far. And you apparently haven't seen that many of my posts because I repeatedly say people should exhaust all US options for 2 cycles before considering the Caribbean.

EDIT: couldn't (thanks Skip)

 

[Skip Intro]

I will expand on this from my viewpoint:

I could care less how the Caribbean is perceived on this forum.

The Caribbean is a means to an end. It provides a pathway for those who may have run out of options. It is fraught with financial and regulatory perils that most of you cannot possibly fathom. And, many of the schools are not exactly forthright with critical information regarding such things as attrition rate, mean/median board scores (that are published and verifiable), and a host of other issues (e.g., ease of clinical rotation placement, financial aid hurdles and challenges, etc.) where they could clearly do better.

However, it is not all doom-and-gloom. The reputable schools do provide a pathway for the motivated and hard-working matriculant who doesn't start with the notion that they are (1) going to "game" the system and get their degree and (2) everything will be spoon-fed to them.

So, when the argus says he "could care less", I think he means he couldn't care less because it's not his problem. If he could care less, he would. It is not my problem how the Caribbean is perceived. As stated, it is a way to earn the title "M.D." and a medical education that is, in large part, up to how much effort you put in. There are, literally, thousands of us out there who are living proof that this has been - and remains - a viable pathway.

The "image" of being a Caribbean grad... well, as I said before a long time ago on this forum, I don't walk around with "Caribbean M.D." emblazoned on my labcoat. Just "Skip Intro, M.D." And, people rarely ask where I went to medical school. You know why? Because I'm a compassionate and competent doctor.

-Skip

 

[piotrkol1]

I've been accepted at SGU for Fall 2017, but I might go to Drexel if I get into their linked master's program. My interviewer was a recent graduate and he told me that people do indeed go out and have a good time following exams. Apparently there's a Sandals resort on the island and a popular thing to do is get a day pass for all you can eat/drink. A co-worker at my EMT job visited one of his friend's down at SGU and he also said that there's quite a bit of partying.

 

[aformerstudent]

I think the OP is just joking around but I will add to this just in case another prospective student might be interested. This is based on what I saw while down on the island.

Everybody tried to be the most social during the first term and that's when you usually develop your circle of friends. After the first term, you see who made it and who didn't and that kinda gives you a wakeup call that this is for real. The partying slowly dies down during the second term as the term is usually more difficult than the first term and people have to make major adjustments. After the second term, the partying dies down considerably. You don't necessarily make new friends but you become closer to your class since you have been with them for about a year now. After third term, you see how many more people left or failed out and you start to get even more serious. By fourth and fifth term, everybody that is still around is hyper-focused and is usually doing their own thing to survive. The group studying from the first term is no more and everybody now studies by themselves for the most part. People at this stage don't take the risk of partying. By fifth term, everybody is looking to get off the island. Once you are off the island, the reality is that you will only keep in touch with that close circle of friends that you made in the first term; and that close circle is usually a few people.

Medical school has a lot of time constraints which you will not understand until you experience it for yourself.

 

[veebo]

Honestly amazed that this got this far with no one seeing that the OPs name is basically Chasing Poon and they're asking about partying in med school. I don't think you have to wonder if this is a troll or not lol.