What Are My Chances After Dropping Out at a Caribbean School?

Session 48

In today's episode, Ryan sheds light on a question related to getting into a US-based medical school when you previously went to a Caribbean school, failed the first semester, and then dropped out. What are the chances?

Your questions, answered here on the OldPreMeds Podcast. Ryan and Rich again dive into the forums over at OldPreMeds.org where they pull a question and deliver the answers right on to you. Sign up for an account to join the collaborative community of students.

OldPreMeds Question of the Week:

Poster applied to medical school after completing an MPH and didn't get into any US medical school. He then decided to forego reapplication and went to a Caribbean medical school; didn't pass the first semester and had to repeat the entire first semester but thinking through, found that they're not in a conducive environment for studying plus residency chances in the US wouldn't be great. So poster bailed and decided to work harder, get smarter, and reapply in the US. Is it worth taking a chance and reapply to medical schools? What else can be done and how can you address the fact that you started medical school and then dropped out?

Here are the insights from Ryan and Rich:

How MPH is viewed by medical schools:

MPH isn't that strong of a masters degree to hold a lot of water for medical schools

Why students go to Caribbean medical schools and then eventually decide to drop out:

Offshore schools are attractive to students being publicly traded companies.

Offshore medical schools have reasonably decent and rigorous medical education programs that people are not prepared for that.

Some questions to consider:

Is it worth the expense of going through a Special Master's Program (SMP) at this point?

Can you take higher level biomedical courses (high level undergraduate or beginning graduate courses) not for the degree but just to show them you can do well?

How to discuss your case of dropping out:

Getting allured in your desire to be a doctor and not thinking, you rushed in. Then you realized for many reasons that it was not going to be an environment that you were going to do well in and look well for the future. In short, you just have to lay it all out there. Don't try to hide something you can't hide or even try to minimize it.

Should you discuss this in your personal statement?

Make your medical school application a coherent, concise, and compelling narrative showing your motivation, commitment, and achievement to become a doctor.

This is a glaring red flag that you HAVE to discuss in a paragraph in your personal statement on the primary.

What are your chances?

Your chances are low but that doesn't mean you don't stand any chance. You can't change your past but you have to go with the best you can.

So many schools are now giving completely unscreened secondaries so you have more of a chance to develop it and discuss it in words.

Advocate for yourself. Build those relationships with people that can open some doors for you.

Links and Other Resources:

Check out The Premed Years Podcast at www.medicalschoolhq.net.