Funding for SGU

[waitingforever]

I was just wondering if someone knows the best way of funding the education at the caribean school

[Prothrombin]

I was just wondering if someone knows the best way of funding the education at the caribean school

 

Bank loan. Most banks don't care where you go to professional school, as long as you are doing something that has the potential to bring them more money in the future.

[Rayven]

The drawback to going to SGU of course is the high attrition rates and possibility that you might not get back into the States (or Canada) as a doctor and be like $300,000 in debt....

 

But of course you knew that.

 

In the end, banks always win. Even after the sub-prime and CDO mortgage collapse. Banks.. always.. win.

[pimpmyride]

The drawback to going to SGU of course is the high attrition rates and possibility that you might not get back into the States (or Canada) as a doctor and be like $300,000 in debt....

 

But of course you knew that.

 

In the end, banks always win. Even after the sub-prime and CDO mortgage collapse. Banks.. always.. win.

moral of the story... forget med school and become a banker lol

[magiman]

The drawback to going to SGU of course is the high attrition rates and possibility that you might not get back into the States (or Canada) as a doctor and be like $300,000 in debt....

 

But of course you knew that.

 

In the end, banks always win. Even after the sub-prime and CDO mortgage collapse. Banks.. always.. win.

 

where did you hear about the high attrition rate?

is it because the students weren't prepared?

and i just got a call and they said that over 90% find placements in the US after graduation... was that a lie?

[bnface]

where did you hear about the high attrition rate?

is it because the students weren't prepared?

and i just got a call and they said that over 90% find placements in the US after graduation... was that a lie?

 

The attrition rates are well known, and probably have to do with the fact that the admission standards are lower (i.e. most people can get in), as these are for-profit schools, remember.

 

For the second question, did they say 90% of students, or 90% of graduates find placements in the US? Because these two populations would differ, of course.

[token]

where did you hear about the high attrition rate?

is it because the students weren't prepared?

and i just got a call and they said that over 90% find placements in the US after graduation... was that a lie?

I think that's pretty suspect. Even if that were true, that's 90% of people who manage to get through all 4 years.

 

I think it's a combination of a bunch of people who probably shouldn't be in med school at all, being expected to learn the same material American students do but in a non-supportive environment.

 

They start out with massive classes, pretty much accepting everyone, but then they weed out people each semester who can't keep up.

 

If you're absolutely sure you can handle a med school curriculum, you should be able to do what it takes to get into a real, accredited school. If there's something in your record you just can't get over, then consider the Carribean, but it really should be your last resort.

 

edit: oh, too slow

[Rayven]

It's common knowledge. But it'll be hard to find actually stats since SGU and the other Carib schools are highly unlikely to post them. You could just do the simple math of how many students they claim to take in vs how many graduate 4 years later.

 

But just taking that quote of what they told you over the phone, I would question how many people from the original starting class actually made it to graduation (as mentioned above) and of those who graduated when and where did they get placements. When as in how far after graduation (ie immediately, 6 months later, a year.. 2.. 3.. etc).

[magiman]

no i totally understand

when she called.. i just gave them my info because i wanted a package from them but never really looked into it very thoroughly.

from my understanding st. george is one of the best in the caribbean... and when i asked for the average marks for acceptances.. they said osmetnig like... 3.3 or a 3.4 an MCAT score of roughly 26 or 27

[Rayven]

You can get into pretty much any overseas med school with a 3.0 (Caribbean, Ireland, Australia). The real challenge as an international student is the money and likelihood of getting a placement and for some people the ability to come back to Canada.

 

Seriously, I admit I called SGU too before to inquire. Now 3 years later I'm still getting hefty packages of beautifully fully-coloured books and guides to applying to SGU...

[bnface]

You can get into pretty much any overseas med school with a 3.0 (Caribbean, Ireland, Australia). The real challenge as an international student is the money and likelihood of getting a placement and for some people the ability to come back to Canada.

 

Seriously, I admit I called SGU too before to inquire. Now 3 years later I'm still getting hefty packages of beautifully fully-coloured books and guides to applying to SGU...

 

if you're a hard worker, weren't able to squeeze into the cdn med school system, can't afford to go to ireland (approx. 60-70,000 tuition per year), and are dead-set on becoming a doctor, SGU is the place to go. if you're not too intelligent (i.e. struggled to pass undergrad in spite of trying very hard), i'd caution against it though--you only get 3 chances to write the usmle before your 4 years of med school go to waste. getting into Canadian residency program is a whole 'nother story (but possible). good luck.

[Rayven]

if you're a hard worker, weren't able to squeeze into the cdn med school system, can't afford to go to ireland (approx. 60-70,000 tuition per year), and are dead-set on becoming a doctor, SGU is the place to go. if you're not too intelligent (i.e. struggled to pass undergrad in spite of trying very hard), i'd caution against it though--you only get 3 chances to write the usmle before your 4 years of med school go to waste. getting into Canadian residency program is a whole 'nother story (but possible). good luck.

For the same price I'd much rather go to Australia... at least you can practice there after you graduate even if you can't get back into Canada or the States. Who are you going to treat if you can't get into the States after graduating in SGU?

[leviathan]

We started with 85 at my school and now in 3rd semester are already down to 55. Even my own roommate was almost expelled but he managed to appeal it, but will now be repeating the last semester. SGU is pretty expensive though, so if you're gona spend that much I'd recommend Australia instead.

[Rayven]

Repeating a semester at SGU I imagine must cost around 10 to 15 thousand...

 

Ouch.

[token]

if you're a hard worker, weren't able to squeeze into the cdn med school system, can't afford to go to ireland (approx. 60-70,000 tuition per year), and are dead-set on becoming a doctor, SGU is the place to go. if you're not too intelligent (i.e. struggled to pass undergrad in spite of trying very hard), i'd caution against it though--you only get 3 chances to write the usmle before your 4 years of med school go to waste. getting into Canadian residency program is a whole 'nother story (but possible). good luck.

The problem is everyone who resorts to the Carribean thinks they're one of those really smart people who just slipped through the cracks in undergrad. I doubt anyone who would self-describe themselves as being a slacker or non-intelligent would even bother with med school.

[Rayven]

Agreed. I think even the kids from the richest families still flinch at the sight of losing $30,000+ a year.

[Rayven]

Man, are there ever some uninformed comments on this board.

 

If you are seriously considering the Carib, this is not the place to do your research.

Care to actually expand on what comments were uninformed? Hopefully not the person who actually goes to SGU.

 

I found it funny that some less reputable Caribbean med schools actually respected premed101.com enough to send us recruiting admission trolls. http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25866&page=3

[leviathan]

The problem is everyone who resorts to the Carribean thinks they're one of those really smart people who just slipped through the cracks in undergrad. I doubt anyone who would self-describe themselves as being a slacker or non-intelligent would even bother with med school.

Of the 30/85 students who have already had to repeat a semester or drop out completely, about 25 of them were American. That's close to every single American we had in our program. Not gona lie, I think it has to do with our universities having much more rigorous programs and higher expectations that prepared us well. It also has to do with the fact that the Canadian students here come in with higher GPAs than the Americans because it is much harder to get a spot in Canada.

 

If you've done a challenging major at a reputable Canadian university, and your GPA is at least 3.3, you should have a decent chance at finishing medical school in the Caribbean. Still scary as hell, though.

[VanMD]

Man, are there ever some uninformed comments on this board.

 

If you are seriously considering the Carib, this is not the place to do your research.

 

That is very true. That is why I don't bother coming here anymore.

People just talk out of their back side without knowing what is really going on.

 

The attrition rate at SGU is not HIGH. Not even MEDIUM. Canadians do very well at SGU.

 

1. You have a chance to decell (withdraw from classes and get to repeat the class you withdrew from.

 

2. You don't re-pay for the classes, but you do pay student fees (~4-5K a term).

 

3. You can decell twice, but that is rare. There is counsellings and learning services to help you learn better.

 

I am now 3rd year doing my rotations in the US, along side US med students and with previous Canadian SGU grads who are doing just fine in residency and fellowship. Having rotations in the US is huge compared to Irish or Australian medical schools. In my research into residency programs to apply to every 2nd program said US clinical experience preferred or required. But I am not going to argue with you if you disagree. Of course I go to SGU and you don't.

 

If you are interested in knowing more, you should check out valuemd.com

[VanMD]

Oh btw..

 

http://www.sgu.edu/news-events/news-archives09-sgusom-canadian-clinical-affiliation.html

 

After many months of negotiations, St. George’s University has secured a formal affiliation agreement for a clinical program in Canada.

 

Beginning January 2010, St. George’s University School of Medicine will officially add University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) to its impressive list of clinical affiliates. A pilot program has been established and approved by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC), the licensing and regulatory body for all physicians and surgeons in the province. Each year the program will allow up to 32 SGUSOM students in their senior year to continue their medical training in the UBC hospital system by rotating through psychiatry for a six week elective.

[VanMD]

We started with 85 at my school and now in 3rd semester are already down to 55. Even my own roommate was almost expelled but he managed to appeal it, but will now be repeating the last semester. SGU is pretty expensive though, so if you're gona spend that much I'd recommend Australia instead.

 

Where do you go? Saba or Ross. Prob Saba.

 

Out of ~500 students who started in my term, by the end of year 1 maybe 5-10% decelled (had to repeat a course cause they failed or because they withdrew from it). I would say less than 2-5% actually left medical school or were kicked out for poor performance.

[VanMD]

I was just wondering if someone knows the best way of funding the education at the caribean school

 

SGU gives Canadians a little break on tuition. It is called a peace scholarship (now they have other scholarships for those with really good stats). It works to about 40-50K less over the 4 years depending on your financial situation.

 

It is still very difficult to fund medical school at SGU or in the USA, the costs are comparable). Most of us get line of credit and parents co-sign or help out. I still don't know where I will get the money for the last year.. but will worry about that later.

 

Irish medical schools are expensive as well. More so if you ask me. RCSI is 74K per year, just for tuition. Plus another 15 to 20 K for living.

[leviathan]

Where do you go? Saba or Ross. Prob Saba.

 

Out of ~500 students who started in my term, by the end of year 1 maybe 5-10% decelled (had to repeat a course cause they failed or because they withdrew from it). I would say less than 2-5% actually left medical school or were kicked out for poor performance.

That's impressive. I am at Saba. I wouldn't consider attending a school like Ross, to be honest. I don't know how many people were actually expelled from this program, because the majority of them were offered decelled programs as well but refused and left on their own accord. Nobody wants to be stuck here in a decel program! Others failed 1 course or none at all and just decided it wasn't for them and left. Finally even more have failed a course or two and are just repeating a semester. The bottom line is that at this point, only 55/85 of us remain taking the full courseload in 3rd semester, but many others are repeating courses and are thus not with the original group. For some reason Canadians do really well here, and it's rare that any Canadian students fail out.

 

If what you're saying about SGU is true, then I am happy to hear that. Despite what others say, at least most Caribbean schools are accepting too many applicants than they have clinical rotations for, with the understanding that many of them won't make it through. The minimum pass here is a 75%, and the exams are NOT easy. That said, we are prepared well for the shelf exams and usually the class average is much higher than the US med school average. I don't have stats but I believe the same is true for the USMLE.

[VanMD]

Saba is the other place I considered. The only problem with Saba was the location and the rotations sites. I did not want to move around and all. I wanted to stay in one place for at least 3rd year and have the option of staying there for 4th year too. That is what I have now. Much better than moving around.

 

Canadian students are usually well prepared for med school cause most of us did not make it into a Canadian med school with a GPA of 3.5 to 4.0 and not 3.0 like most US citizens. Also if you look at SGU stats... 200 of the current students come from UofT, ~175 come from UWO, ~100 from McGill and McMasterU, so you can imagine these are difficult programs.

 

To each their own. I am thrilled to be doing medicine and enjoying it. Glad I did not waste another year trying to apply and re-apply.

 

That's impressive. I am at Saba. I wouldn't consider attending a school like Ross, to be honest. I don't know how many people were actually expelled from this program, because the majority of them were offered decelled programs as well but refused and left on their own accord. Nobody wants to be stuck here in a decel program! Others failed 1 course or none at all and just decided it wasn't for them and left. Finally even more have failed a course or two and are just repeating a semester. The bottom line is that at this point, only 55/85 of us remain taking the full courseload in 3rd semester, but many others are repeating courses and are thus not with the original group. For some reason Canadians do really well here, and it's rare that any Canadian students fail out.

 

If what you're saying about SGU is true, then I am happy to hear that. Despite what others say, at least most Caribbean schools are accepting too many applicants than they have clinical rotations for, with the understanding that many of them won't make it through. The minimum pass here is a 75%, and the exams are NOT easy. That said, we are prepared well for the shelf exams and usually the class average is much higher than the US med school average. I don't have stats but I believe the same is true for the USMLE.

[leviathan]

Saba is the other place I considered. The only problem with Saba was the location and the rotations sites. I did not want to move around and all. I wanted to stay in one place for at least 3rd year and have the option of staying there for 4th year too. That is what I have now. Much better than moving around.

 

Canadian students are usually well prepared for med school cause most of us did not make it into a Canadian med school with a GPA of 3.5 to 4.0 and not 3.0 like most US citizens. Also if you look at SGU stats... 200 of the current students come from UofT, ~175 come from UWO, ~100 from McGill and McMasterU, so you can imagine these are difficult programs.

 

To each their own. I am thrilled to be doing medicine and enjoying it. Glad I did not waste another year trying to apply and re-apply.

I know some students do have to move around, but I know a lot of students who did all of their cores in one spot. Personally I will probably want to try 2 places just for the variety of teaching environments. Anyway, good luck with your clerkship. Have you wrote the Step 1 yet?