AmeliaReed (Student)
been researching caribbean med schools for a while now and keep getting completely different answers depending on who i ask. some people say its basically the same as US schools, others say its a totally different experience. can anyone whos actually there give me a real comparison? looking at Ross and SGU specifically. just dont want to go in blind
Scarlett (Student)
honest answer from someone whos actually at SGU right now
first 2 years are no joke. Genuinely harder than i expected. Basic sciences go just as deep as US schools, sometimes more because we have to pass the same USMLEs as everyone else. most professors trained in the US too
where it gets different is clinicals. You get placed at US hospitals but dont always get to pick where or what specialty. if youre disciplined you can keep up. but nobody holds your hand here
Ethan89 (Alumni)
came from canada, got rejected from canadian schools twice. AUC prep got me a 242 on step 1 and i matched internal medicine in new york. people who write off caribbean schools havent seen what happens when the right student goes through it
that said attrition is real. A lot of people dont make it through basic sciences. not trying to scare anyone, just be honest going in
CalebHughes (Alumni)
i respect both of you but lets look at the actual numbers
SGU and Ross publish match rates but they dont show you how many students started vs how many actually matched. When you do that math its way lower than US MD or even DO programs. research opportunities, mentorship, eras competitiveness. Structurally its just different. not saying impossible. just statistically harder and people should know that going in
Scarlett (Student)
Fair, wont argue that. derm and ortho from a caribbean school is genuinely very hard. not gonna pretend otherwise
but the comparison isnt always caribbean vs harvard. for a lot of us it was caribbean or no medical school at all. compared to that the path here is absolutely worth it
Charlotte14 (Student)
taught at both a US allopathic school and Ross so maybe i can add something here
basic sciences and board prep at the major caribbean schools are genuinely comparable. thats not marketing thats just what i see in the classroom
where US schools still have the edge is integrated learning, problem based learning, early clinical exposure, research tracks. caribbean schools are catching up but not there yet
i will say though i have seen caribbean grads outperform US grads in clinical rotations. the work ethic built here is real. both paths produce good doctors
LillianStone (Aspiring student)
can confirm. matched from SGU into internal medicine at a competitive NY program. during orientation nobody asked where i went to school or treated me differently
your step scores, your letters, how you perform on rotations. thats what matters once youre in. the gap people talk about is mostly a preclinical thing. in the wards it evens out fast
LillianStone (Aspiring student)
this part is true though. if you have a real shot at a US MD program take it. caribbean should be a choice you make with eyes open, not a default
AmeliaReed (Student)
this thread is exactly what i needed. sounds like the actual coursework is comparable but the match pipeline is where the real gap is
i have a 510 mcat and 3.4 gpa so gonna apply DO first and keep caribbean as a serious backup. thanks everyone
BenjaminWard (Student)
coming at this from a slightly different angle. applied to DO schools same cycle as SGU and ended up going DO
the step overlap is real, DO students do comlex and a lot sit usmle too. but the environment matters a lot. at my DO school we have sim labs, standardized patients from year 1, very group oriented culture. from what my SGU friends say first year there is much more sink or swim. know which environment youre gonna thrive in before you decide
AmeliaReed (Student)
BenjaminWard (Student) thats really useful actually. what made you pick DO over caribbean when you had both as options? was it cost, the environment thing, or something else?
BenjaminWard (Student)
honestly a few things. cost was part of it, my DO school is roughly half the total cost of 4 years at SGU when you factor in clinical year living expenses
but the bigger thing was match data. DO programs are now in the unified nrmp match with md, acgme doesnt distinguish between the two anymore. caribbean grads still have a separate pathway in a lot of programs eyes. not impossible but i didnt want to fight that battle if i had another option
MiaRoss (Student)
i want to push back on the DO vs caribbean framing because it misses the point for a lot of us
many caribbean students didnt get into DO schools either. my gpa was 3.2 and mcat 499 when i applied. sent apps to 12 DO programs, zero interviews. SGU took a chance on me. im now ms2 with a 238 on step 1 and have a real shot at internal medicine or family medicine
asking which path is academically better is kind of theoretical when one of those paths wasnt even available to you
Jason00 (Student)
MiaRoss (Student) this is exactly what i needed to read. everyone in these threads talks about caribbean as a backup to DO but for a lot of people its not a backup to anything, its the only door that opened
3.1 and 497 here. been told to retake twice already. at what point does keeping the door closed for another 2 years become worse than walking through the caribbean door thats open right now
MiaRoss (Student)
Jason00 (Student) thats a really personal call and i cant make it for you
what i can say is if you go caribbean the academic prep at accredited schools will get you ready for your steps. just go in knowing the match pipeline reality, grind harder than you think you need to on boards, and pick your school based on accreditation and match data. not tuition. not weather
Zachary (Alumni)
faculty at SGU here. one thing that gets missed in this conversation a lot
the curriculum at the major caribbean schools has changed a lot in the last decade. we use the same organ system integrated curriculum most US MD schools moved to years ago. problem based learning, clinical correlations in year 1, early patient interaction. the gap from 15 years ago has genuinely narrowed at the accredited schools
match pipeline reality hasnt changed as much but thats a separate issue from whether the academic prep is solid. it is
