St. George's - Yes or No?

[JediMaster]

Hey guys,

 

I have been accepted into the August 2010 class for St. George's. Just wondering if anyone has any insight into what life is like at St. George's and what prospects a St. George's alumni has in hopes of coming back to Canada?

[nosuperman]

Congratulations! And welcome to the boards

 

Try a search first - there's quite a bit of info on SGU and IMGs from the Caribbean and CaRMS matching rates for various countries and where to do electives and how to maximize chances and all that jazz - tons of info that really would be a ton to rehash.

 

The standard answer to you question is that coming back as an IMG is hard but possible. People who go to the Carib generally try to match a residency in the states (as a non-American from the Carib it probably won't be a competitive match) and then come back to Canada when they're finished residency.

 

Sandra Banner was at University of Queensland recently and she said something like about a quarter of Caribbean Canadians who tried to match back to Canada were successful in doing so (this was relayed to me via med students who attended it who I e-stalked and e-cornered into answering my questions). If you check out the CaRMS portion of this site you'll get a ton of info on how to make yourself a competitive match.

[leviathan]

The 25% rate for Caribbean schools probably includes all the shady ones that have not been approved for practice in all 50 US states, so it brings the numbers down. Saba + SGU have both had site visits and accreditation by California, NY, Texas medical boards to allow them to get 50 state licensure. Over the past few years, Saba has been getting 10-15 matches per year in Canada, and now SGU is getting up there too. I don't know how many in total apply, but talking to alumni at Saba who are in touch with their classmates it seems like it's more around 40-50% are matching through CaRMS

 

However, hugeeee problem: there's been rumors of an upcoming huge decrease in funding for IMG spots in Canada, and coupled with the tsunami of Australian grads coming out in the next few years, the climate could be very different by the time you finish. So nobody knows what's going to happen. It's a VERY volatile environment, and you really are taking a risk to study abroad.

 

Also, the United States is having the same problem with residency spots, so your chances are going to be dwindling off pretty quickly as not only an IMG but someone who also needs a visa sponsorship to work there. Maybe coming from SGU, which is probably the most regarded in the US, you might still be able to get a spot.

[Handsome88]

Ok. I got into SGU too for this september. but I am NOT going because I have gotten into Trinity in Dublin (Ireland). Match rates of Irish schools in the US are near 100% and 67% in Canada (as compared to ~20% in Carib or 40% in Aussie). Why don't you try your luck there?

[leviathan]

Ok. I got into SGU too for this september. but I am NOT going because I have gotten into Trinity in Dublin (Ireland). Match rates of Irish schools in the US are near 100% and 67% in Canada (as compared to ~20% in Carib or 40% in Aussie). Why don't you try your luck there?

In the past any of the top Carib schools, Ireland, AUS probably all had 100% match rates for low-competitive spots in the US like family. However I don't know how true that's going to be 4 years from now. You might have trouble getting into the US without doing your clinical training there, and even WITH doing it there...or maybe not. Nobody knows.

[JediMaster]

hey! thanks for the feedback people. as the poster above mentioned, i like the idea that clinical rotations are done in the US if you attend a Carib school whereas that is not really the case with Irish schools. doing your clinical rotations in the US provides the opportunity to make connections which can definately help when applying for residency.

 

Currently I'm also on a waitlist for an ontario school...hoping that will work out, otherwise not much choice other than St. George's!

[ontariostudent]

hey! thanks for the feedback people. as the poster above mentioned, i like the idea that clinical rotations are done in the US if you attend a Carib school whereas that is not really the case with Irish schools. doing your clinical rotations in the US provides the opportunity to make connections which can definately help when applying for residency.

 

Currently I'm also on a waitlist for an ontario school...hoping that will work out, otherwise not much choice other than St. George's!

 

I don't think you should do it. If you're on the waitlist for an ON school, take a year off to improve your application and reapply. Getting on the waitlist is a good sign and you shouldn't give up so soon. If you don't get in next year, maybe then you should give St. George's a thought.

[JediMaster]

i actually looked into the option of doing a 5th year...i did a minor along with my honours degree which is now complete and so am in a position to confer another degree in a 5th year. however, 99% of schools wont take my 5th year into consideration and my 4th year marks wont make much of a difference to my application for re-applying. the idea of reapplying without accomplishing anything huge in that extra year pains me.

[ontariostudent]

i actually looked into the option of doing a 5th year...i did a minor along with my honours degree which is now complete and so am in a position to confer another degree in a 5th year. however, 99% of schools wont take my 5th year into consideration and my 4th year marks wont make much of a difference to my application for re-applying. the idea of reapplying without accomplishing anything huge in that extra year pains me.

 

There are many things to do in a year off. You can do more research, volunteering, and other stuff that will make you stand out. Many people have done it successfully.

[shannn]

I took a year off to work in a clinical research environment, and it was great. I feel without it, I wouldn't have gotten into medicine.

 

I gained a lot of experience, worked intimately with surgeons, interacted with many residents/medical students. All of these them also helped me with my interviews.

[leviathan]

I would re-apply even if you're getting interviews. Heck, even if you'e *close* to getting an interview that would make me want to reapply in Canada. A waitlist is the closest you can get and although it sucks, you'll probably thank yourself for having the patience once you're in a Canadian school. Trust me, it's an unbelievable amount of stress to go to an international school where you're gambling with 150-300+k of money.

[CD8]

I also support taking a year off to improve your application. Not only can you improve your credentials, you can reprioritize yourself and truly ask yourself why you want to go into Medicine. After so much momentum in undergrad, I found myself wondering why am I really pursuing this? When you can answer it honestly, it'll also show in your interviews.

 

I was accepted to SGU and Australia for last year's class and chose not to attend. This year, I applied and was accepted to the US and Canada (as a Canadian.) If it hasn't been for the year off to "regroup" myself, I can guarantee my interview would not have been as solid as it was. In the end, it paid off. Hope that helps!

[JediMaster]

thanks for all the advice guys.

 

Im not sure if you any of you saw my post in the UWO thread, but I did end up being conditionally accepted to Schulich based on my final 4th year gpa however my acceptance was revoked because I didn't make the cutoff (I had made a mistake initially when calculating my 3rd year's gpa). Knowing that I was *technically* accepted this year and after having spoken with an admissions reps, a 5th year at Western and reapplying is probably my best bet.