Caribbean med school after high school? Yay or nay-
Save a few years that could instead be allocated to USMLE to get MD degree
@TTV2018, I knew someone who graduated from Northeastern (health science major?) with 3.9 GPA who is applying to med school this cycle and got several interviews, so I’d think Northeastern pre-med is not that harsh. On the other hand, I heard Bing pre-med is pretty intense.
@sophie10000 I say nay. Do not go to Caribbean med school program after high school. I remember reading how students felt the education was a lot worse. In addition, American medical residency programs give preference to US medical students for residency spots, so Caribbean students are unfortunately not given spots to American residency programs… and if Caribbean students are given spots, it is almost never to the competitive specialities. I would highly urge you to stay in the US if you want to practice medicine in the US. If your grades/MCAT aren’t high after 4 years of undergraduate college, I’m pretty sure you can still apply to US osteopathic medical schools(D.O degree). Definitely do more research into the topic before deciding
@sophie10000 I agree with bayreppin00. Do not consider any out of country medical school. It is very hard to land a good residency after that unless you have very good USMLE scores. If you want some type of guarantee at this stage apply for a BS/DO program. LECOM is pretty much rolling admission and you can pick a college from a big list of associated colleges. You can even apply during freshman year. If you change your mind later to instead go for something else or an MD program you can always withdraw from the program. They have 4+4, 3+4 or even 2+4? programs with some colleges.
Thank you @Andorvw.
@sophie10000 why an intelligent Dr wants to get a sub-par education to serve society?
@mouse2
Getting a D is a sure red-flag. Calc AB is not that difficult.
You should aim for high Bs (if possible mathematically) as well as a 4/5 on the AP exam.
I would suggest you take external help (e.g. coaching/ tuition) and work hard to bump up your score.
Also, speak to your teacher and see if you can get additional “exams” / bonus (e.g. by doing additional project or something similar) which can improve your grade.
@GoldenRock @srk2017 and other experienced parents (and students)…how would rank MSU BSDO vs. SLU Med Scholars (w pres scholarship)…cost not a factor…it is the DO versus early assurance factor we are trying to mentally rank…tx.
Is it better to go BS/DO rather than a pre-med fist? (My BS/MD journey ended)
@NoviceDad @bearchichi thanks. Our school does send out final year reports - I’ll be sure to triple the effort I put in.
Here is one student describing their negative experience with Caribbean schools and why they are really bad decisions in general:
http://www.idealmedicalcare.org/blog/ugly-truth-caribbean-medical-schools/
@shine27 I don’t know much about the programs you are seeking info. In general if the student is so clear and have got exposure towards what is medicine career then DO option is better choice than SLU EAP. But as a parent and knowing the students age is around 17-18, I always wonder how do they know for sure medicine is their career.
It is not a simple answer to say yes or no. At least your child has gone thru some real volunteer experience in free clinic or hospital which allowed to interact with clinicians.
Coming to EAP, unless the undergrad school is the right choice (even if the EAP is not there), I would think twice. But if among your choice SLU is the best available option then go for it.
Would like to go to Caribbean for vacation!
Kidding aside, that option can be explored after UG, if the student is not strong for US MD school applicant pool.
But now as a HS student, should aim to go for the traditional route. 95+% students go thru this path.
If you can not challenge yourself at this age to fulfill your dream, medicine is a hard and long path and think twice.
If there is a WILL there is a WAY. GL.
@ScholarGuy and @shine27. In ScholarGuy case I would say BS/DO is a better choice than regular undergraduate. Regular undergraduate really means that you are postponing you decision for at least 3-4 years. With BS/DO you have a guarantee that as long as you maintain you grades you will become a doctor one day. It also will help you concentrate on your studies and enjoy undergraduate school because the goal is very clear in terms of GPA requirements etc. You have already learned that getting into medical school is hard and like someone said a crapshoot. If you can have that dangling over your head for another 4 years go for traditional route. Also remember that if at the end of undergraduate part you decide to go for another MD program you can always opt-out. Shine27 situation is slightly different. For him/her the decision is between MSU BS/DO vs SLU Medscholars (I do not think they have EAP). None of these programs is guaranteed. At SLU you apply during your 2nd year and it requires to maintain 3.65 GPA but no specific MCAT score. MSU program requires 3.5 GPA but no MCAT. Both require additional interviews etc for medical school. SLU medical school is also currently on probation. Based on the above information I will probably choose MSU. As far as the difference in MD and DO degrees is concerned, the difference is getting narrow and narrow by the day. In two years all their residencies will completely merge leaving essentially no difference between the two degrees except an added advantage of learning OMM.
What is the consensus of the NYIT BSDO program, because that is my most viable and closest BS DO option.
@shine27 - I concur with @GoldenRock. I also don’t know much about MSU DO, but took a quick glance and seems like it’s a strong program. Unless he really likes SLU I also won’t for an early assurance program.
State of residence and ethnicity are biggest factors for traditional MD admissions. So not knowing those I can’t give a recommendation. If you or your child are really apprehensive about traditional path then go for MSU BSDO. Some kids (like my son) wants to target top tier medical schools and willing to take risk and all the kids I know got into MD immediately after UG or after gap year.
If anyone has missed, WUSTL admission profile for 2022 is released. So decisions are definitely today for WUSTL.
Nyit bs do is not bad- they accept students without interview and the majority of the class is Indian #balleballe
*Balle Balle is a phrase used in many Panjabi songs to depict a feeling of happiness. It is used in the same way as the English expressions, “Hooray!” or “Hurrah!”
@sophie10000 I really cant tell if your sarcastic or not. It was a serious question.
@ScholarGuy I do not know much about the program first hand but have heard positive things about it. The following forum thread may help.
https://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/threads/nyit-bs-do-program-student-here-ask-questions.1183988/
Also it’s structured compared to the other bsdo