I’ve been researching Caribbean med schools and keep getting mixed responses. Can anyone give me an honest comparison academically? Considering Ross or SGU but not sure if I’m setting myself up for a harder path.
Honest answer from someone currently at SGU — the first two years are surprisingly rigorous. Basic sciences are covered at the same depth as US schools, sometimes more intensively because we have to pass the same USMLE Steps. Our professors are largely US-trained and the program is accredited. Where it genuinely differs is the clinical years, you’re placed at affiliated US hospitals but you don’t always get your first choice of location or specialty exposure. If you’re self-disciplined and can handle the pressure, academically you can absolutely keep up.
Originally posted by Scarlett “the first two years are surprisingly rigorous”
This. I came from Canada where I was rejected twice from Canadian schools. The curriculum at AUC genuinely prepared me well for USMLE Step 1. I scored a 242 which got me into a solid IM residency in New York. People write off Caribbean schools without realising it comes down to the individual student. That said — attrition rates are real. A significant percentage of students don’t make it past the basic sciences. Go in with eyes open.
I respect both of your experiences but let’s be balanced here. Match rates tell a different story. SGU and Ross publish overall match rates but when you look at the number of students whostartedversus those who actuallymatchedinto residency, the numbers are considerably lower than US MD or even DO programs. Academically the coursework may be comparable but the outcomes pipeline — research opportunities, professor mentorship, ERAS competitiveness — is structurally different. Not impossible, just statistically harder.