IMG - trying to transfer to US/Canadian med school

[DVT]

Hi there! I'm currently in my second year at a medical school in the Caribbean that is accredited by both Canada and the US. 

My GPA and class rank is competitive in medical school and so I am looking to transfer to a Canadian or US school so that it makes matching for residency a little bit easier over being an IMG. 

One of the many issues with this is that my MCAT score is not competitive for a lot of these schools and so I am hoping that I can boost my application with a good USMLE Step 1 score. However, many of the schools want a competitive MCAT to go along with this and so my question is: am I allowed to re-write the MCAT again even though I'm a medical student? (One of the reasons why I did not do so well on the MCAT is because I never took many of the core life sciences and social sciences courses in undergrad, but now that I've learned more than what I need to know for the MCAT in medical school, I feel like I can definitely bring my score up significantly). 

 

Let me know what you guys think! Thanks

[offmychestplease]

-

[JohnGrisham]

17 minutes ago, DVT said:

Hi there! I'm currently in my second year at a medical school in the Caribbean that is accredited by both Canada and the US. 

My GPA and class rank is competitive in medical school and so I am looking to transfer to a Canadian or US school so that it makes matching for residency a little bit easier over being an IMG. 

One of the many issues with this is that my MCAT score is not competitive for a lot of these schools and so I am hoping that I can boost my application with a good USMLE Step 1 score. However, many of the schools want a competitive MCAT to go along with this and so my question is: am I allowed to re-write the MCAT again even though I'm a medical student? (One of the reasons why I did not do so well on the MCAT is because I never took many of the core life sciences and social sciences courses in undergrad, but now that I've learned more than what I need to know for the MCAT in medical school, I feel like I can definitely bring my score up significantly). 

 

Let me know what you guys think! Thanks

Not happening in Canada and the majority of 99% US. There used to be a few US medical schools that would accept transfers after completion of the first two years of medical school, and strong board scores.  

Your best bet is to crush Step 1, and get your position the best possible to match well down the line.   

[frenchpress]

At least some Canadian medical schools (not sure if all) will still accept students that have previously attended an international medical school, provided they did not withdraw for academic reason. But you’d be starting from year 1. As the others have explained, a transfer isn’t an option in Canada.

[bearded frog]

6 hours ago, DVT said:

Hi there! I'm currently in my second year at a medical school in the Caribbean that is accredited by both Canada and the US. 

My GPA and class rank is competitive in medical school and so I am looking to transfer to a Canadian or US school so that it makes matching for residency a little bit easier over being an IMG. 

One of the many issues with this is that my MCAT score is not competitive for a lot of these schools and so I am hoping that I can boost my application with a good USMLE Step 1 score. However, many of the schools want a competitive MCAT to go along with this and so my question is: am I allowed to re-write the MCAT again even though I'm a medical student? (One of the reasons why I did not do so well on the MCAT is because I never took many of the core life sciences and social sciences courses in undergrad, but now that I've learned more than what I need to know for the MCAT in medical school, I feel like I can definitely bring my score up significantly). 

 

Let me know what you guys think! Thanks

The above posters are correct in that transferring really isn't an option anymore. However, you certainly can write the MCAT again and reapply to Canada/US. I have seen anecdotes on studentdoctor of carib students reapplying successfully. However it's unknown if you would have success even if you retake the MCAT. The 2021 application year in the US is essentially over and Canadian deadlines are coming up, so you would be applying to start after finishing 3rd year, which at that point you will be on clinicals in the US and might as well devote your time trying to match instead of risking it all by reapplying med school and taking away from actually doing medical school, because you're def gonna have to send in your carib transcripts with your applications.