You can still become a doctor in the US without an Ultra High GPA and MCAT scores

In my four years of college, I know so many people who simply gave up their hopes for med school because they either didn't think their grades were good enough or the premed advisor convinced them that they weren't good enough. Even my own premed advisor told me there was little chance of me getting in. He never even told me about the real possibilities of Caribbean med schools until I directly asked him on my very last visit with him. I'm not sure if all premed advisors are like mine, but I know if there were a more optimistic and helpful advisor at my school, more kids who sincerely want to be doctors would be inclined to go the Caribbean route.

It's very difficult to get into American medical schools and it's true that you need some pretty great grades to get in. It's important to try to get the best students possible for the medical field, but what about all the other people like me? This is something I have wanted to do my whole life and because I messed up physics (which literally has absolutely nothing to do with medicine) I can't be admitted to a medical school? Sometimes the whole process baffles me. To get into medical school you must take a year of Biology (makes sense), General Chemistry (no sense), Organic Chemistry (okay), Physics (maybe if I was interested in rocket science...), and a semester of calculus (what?) and somehow the grades in these courses determine if you are suited for medicine (along with the MCAT score which tests your knowledge in all these subjects).  I have always done well in biology and organic chemistry, but math and equations.... not a strong suit of mine.  For those who have a real passion to go into medicine, who are good people and really invested in helping others, shouldn't they be allowed to study as well? I realize not all people can cut it with the rigors of med school and the stress of the boards, but there are many people who can do it and just aren't given a chance. And I think it's a bit of a crime to rob people of what they want by simply not telling them all their options.

Food for thought: Getting Rid of the Hard Sciences and the MCAT


Going to a Caribbean medical school is a great and viable option for students who truly want to become good doctors. It's easier to get into Caribbean medical schools--I got in with a 3.2 GPA and at 28O MCAT. And there are usually three start dates: September, January, May with rolling admission. You should apply 4-5 months ahead of the semester you wish to start, but I've heard of people applying two months before and getting in that upcoming semester. I actually applied 6 months before the January 2011 start date and I think I'm one of the first to be admitted for that class. After sending in your application, you normally hear back from the school in 2-6 weeks of your acceptance, denial, or interview. AUC normally does not interview their applicants, unless there are inconsistencies in the application. St. George's, Ross, and Saba all do interviews to determine acceptance. I only had to wait two weeks before I was contacted via email that I had been accepted into AUC and that I was granted an interview at St. George's.

In the Caribbean, it's 4 years of medical school and all the classes/textbooks are in English. You take the USMLE Step 1 after your second year just like in the US. Unlike US students however, Caribbean med students do their clinical rotations (years 3 and 4 of med school) at different hospital sites across the US which are affiliated with the school. So you only actually live on the island for 2 years and you can spend your second 2 years in the US at one or few of these affiliated hospitals. Of the "Big 4" St. George's has the most clinical sites with AUC and Ross closely behind and Saba has the least with 15. Another thing that you need to consider is whether or not your rotations are "greenbook" I'll get more into that in another post because it is important for residency programs.

After completing the 4th year of medical school, students then take step 2 of the USMLE and apply to residency programs in the United States. The USMLE is the great equalizer for medical students everywhere who wish to practice in the United States. It provides a great opportunity for people to show all that they have learned and to measure them against US medical students. So if you work hard in med schools and ace those board exams, it doesn't really matter which med school you're coming from-- you will be able to match and get the residency program you want. However if you are vying for a program in an ultra-competitive field like plastic surgery or neurosurgery, even Harvard grads are fighting amongst themselves to secure residencies of that caliber. Getting very competitive residency programs is hard coming out of the Caribbean, but it has been done before.

If there's a will there's a way.
Nothing truer has ever been said.

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