<p>I am asking this on behalf of someone else who went to a state school where premed advising is only available to the honors college which he is not in. </p>
<p>His only interview offer so far is Ross. If things go well should he go there or apply again next year? Is it too early to be worrying about this? He was a late applicant, app submitted in Sep. MCAT: 24 GPA: ~3.3. Does he have a chance at a DO school? He's a close friend of mine but I want to be better informed before I go talk to him. I am not even sure I should go talk to him since its not really my business.</p>
<p>Late application or not, he needs to retake that MCAT to have any shot at an MD school. But yes, he definitely has a chance at certain DO schools with his current stats.</p>
<p>But I would hold off on the Caribbean until at least your 2nd or 3rd try at the process. They really are a last resort, after both US MD and US DO schools. If you’ve spent a few years applying and improving your app and still aren’t getting in to US schools, then go to the Caribbean.</p>
<p>I’ll also add that DO schools almost invariably require a LOR from a current DO, so unless he’s already shadowing one, etc… On the other hand, DO schools tend to have much later application deadlines than MD schools, so it might be possible to get an AACOMAS app off this cycle.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. I had no idea that you should try at least twice for ms/do before Carib. Why exactly are Carib schools so bad though? I know you’re at somewhat of a disadvantage at competitive schools but is there more?</p>
<p>Well its certainly only my opinion. The advantage to going straight to the Caribbean right now is that you get an MD sooner. The disadvantages (which, IMO, are huge) are that you have the stigma of being a Carib graduate, and your options for residency and practice (if you don’t go to Ross, SGU, or AUC - the schools that are accepted by all 50 states) are reduced quite a lot. You’re definitely at a disadvantage at more than just the competitive schools. Sure there are Caribbean graduates who get into tough specialties, but these are definitely the exception. </p>
<p>Also, unlike US schools, where the graduation rate is in the high 90’s, the number of students who fail/drop out of Caribbean schools is huge. Ross starts with a massive class (300+), but nowhere near that number actually graduates.</p>
<p>Unless he is a URM he definitely needs to retake the MCAT and unless he is an engineering major at MIT that 3.3 is also on the low side…on their own each could potentially be offset by a strong MCAT/GPA however the combination is lethal IMO.</p>
<p>If he fits neither of the above categories and doesn’t retake the MCAT I would rethink applying to MD schools since there is little to no chance of admission with those stats.</p>
<p>there’s nothing wrong with Caribbean schools. St. George’s in W. Indies should also be considered (you interview in Bayshore, NY), also when I applied (I went to a US school), I also considered the Philippines. The app is a bit difficult, I remember needing to submit a photo with a thumb print stamped on the back. ? Background check. Also, McGill is the cream of the crop of Canadian schools, but I also applied there and got accepted. I would include that in your search. Cast a wide net. You never know.</p>
<p>there are other Canadian med schools to apply to as well I neglected to mention, Dalhousie?? and others. Also, Philippines is a good choice because they teach classes in English. I know students who went to Italy (U of Bologna), but unless you are fluent in another language, having gone thru med school, I think the grasp you would need of the language would prove too difficult.</p>
<p>Caribbean should be a last resort. If your friend goes to a D.O. school he/she can still get an M.D. residency (doesn’t happen a lot, but there is still a slim chance). I have seen a couple of people from the Caribbean come back and get A residency (most are family doctors, who did not get into the more competitive/lucrative specialties HOWEVER I have also seen a lot of kids from the Caribbean not get ANY residency in the United States. Most of the kids who did not get any residency were from St. George’s (which is considered the best medical school in the Caribbean.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone stated that a Canadian school should be a safety. </p>
<p>What was being conveyed is that if you are broadening your search and are willing to look outside the US for a medical education, in addition to the Carribean, one should also look at Europe if you are bilingual, the Phillipines, Canada, Mexico etc.</p>
<p>The only reason to “broaden your search” is if you don’t have the academic qualifications to get into a US med school. Canadian med schools have very similar stats to US schools and are actually accredited by the same body (the LCME) and are therefore not a whole lot different than going to a US school (aside from the fact that you’ll be in international student).</p>
<p>European schools - well, unless you’re in the UK, you’ll need to be bilingual, will likely need to have pretty good numbers anyway, and will still face the same problems as caribbean grads in terms of coming back to the US to practice. </p>
<p>Unless you go to an LCME-accredited school, you’ll be treated as a US FMG (foreign medical graduate), and thats not a good position to be in.</p>
<p>Broadening your search is a terrible idea. You want to practice in the US? Go to a US medical school. There is really no equally good option beyond the border, though obviously some are closer than others (Canada being the closest for sure).</p>