Any docs on here get offshore education?

[Dustdevil]

The AAMC sourse is only applicants. Your concern is why I did not include information about DO students/applicants. The only information I could find were # accepted and # applied by school. This is, of course, unless anyone actually believes that 50k people are applying to be osteopaths.

ERDoc answered the question I was asking, which was if there were actually 39,000 individual people applying (applicants), or if a smaller number of applicants was putting in 39,000 applications. In retrospect though, I obviously couldn't have been correct, as that would come out to less than three applications per applicant. But in the past, when I have heard much higher numbers, I know they had to be counting the number of applications total. I mean, when a school says they only took X number of new students out of XX number of applicants, that doesn't take into account that those they did not take probably got in somewhere else.

It's always been my theory that those who didn't get in anywhere were simply fooling themselves by even applying in the first place. I mean seriously, does anybody with a 3.8 science GPA and great MCAT scores not get in? I may be wrong on this, but I am betting those who do that well land in a school somewhere. And those who don't are probably all those pipe-dreamers who really think that they are so special that somebody is going to make allowance for their 3.0 GPA or crap MCATs because it's their lifelong dream. Hell, we see those people on this board everyday. They just don't understand why we have to have all these high standards, and won't take no for an answer. I think those people drive up the rejection numbers.

[JPINFV]

If that was true, than there should be no real reason that the average MS1 age shouldn't be 21 or 22 since that's the age at which most people finish their undergrad at (21-23 if you want to include students who took 5 years for an undergrad), not 24-25. Due to the sheer numbers, the people who make it in or not can vary greatly. There are always storys, both first hand and second hand, of the 3.0 and 24 student making it in and the 4.0 and 40 [GPA... MCAT score] who doesn't. Just as the scores at MD schools can vary greatly. On one hand you have Meharry Medical College which is a 'Traditionally Black Institution' that has an average GPA of 3.25 and science GPA of 3.07 and MCAT score of 25 and the other you have Washington University in St. Louis [considered THE numbers school by many] that has an average GPA of 3.89, average science GPA of 3.9, and average MCAT of 38 [average scores for the incoming class in 2006 was 3.57 science, 3.64 total, and an MCAT of 30.5]

sources: Average Scores for 1st year students: http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2006/2006mcatgpa.htm

Average scores for the schools: 2007-2008 Medical School Admission Requirmements (MSAR).

To be honest, I believe that the true downfall of my application this year was a poorly written personal statement and a late application [it was the end of August before my last letter of rec finally arrived and Med. School admissions are rolling for the most part]. I'll be starting a "special masters program" at Tufts in the fall and will probably get a MPH too before I'm finished [the MPH isn't required, but in line with my future plans anyways]. I honestly can't argue that EMS hurt me [MCAT: 29, GPA: 3.3] because if it wasn't working on an ambulance, I would have been working someplace else. I probably won't apply again till next year. Unless, of course, ERDoc or Doczilla knows a few people on an ADCOM someplace? [joking]

[spenac]

Sounds like it'll be easier and cheaper to go accross the border, buy a degree and license. Then open a wonderful clinic that promises to cure all the uncurable USA patients that have lots of cash. They come pay, die or if lucky live but I don't know how but I'll take credit, no law suits. Ah my dream job. 8) :wink: :roll:

[kristo]

If you're decided upon practicing in the US when you graduate, you should do your MD there. American residency programs frown upon IMGs. We can spend all day arguing about why, but that's how it is. You will have to do extremely well in med school to get into a decent US residency if you're an IMG. Your degree will be recognized, even in states like California, but you'll get a shitty residency.

If you still want to do it, you basically have two types to choose from. You can go take a four year "US-style" degree, available in the Caribbean, basically made for American medschool-rejects, spoonfed material, often run by shady guys.

You could also take the European route and do it like we do, six years in medical school. We have different focuses, though, for example, European medical schools tend to focus more on academia and theoretical background than their American counterparts. European doctors tend to score very well on part 1 of the USMLE and perhaps step 2 CK, but suck at 2 CS (clinical skills), as treatment approaches seem to be pretty different over there (in the US).

Both of those options will have significantly lower tuition fees than your average US medical school. Most European schools are state-run.

All in all, if you want to practice in the states, study in the states. Same goes for Europe. If you want to practice here, study here (at least where I come from, US medical degrees are not valid for getting a license to practice medicine). If your grades aren't good enough, go back to college and take a few more courses, retake the MCATs...

That said, I believe any of the three options (US, Caribbean, Europe) is likely to make you as good a doctor as you are material to be. No more, no less.

[kristo]

Sounds like it'll be easier and cheaper to go accross the border, buy a degree and license. Then open a wonderful clinic that promises to cure all the uncurable USA patients that have lots of cash. They come pay, die or if lucky live but I don't know how but I'll take credit, no law suits. Ah my dream job. 8) :wink: :roll:

I wish they had had that when I was choosing a med school! Why do I study research methods in molecular biology from 7 am to 10 pm every day when I could be doing that???

[spenac]

I wish they had had that when I was choosing a med school! Why do I study research methods in molecular biology from 7 am to 10 pm every day when I could be doing that???

Exactly why work hard just pay a few extra dollars and get the big diploma, then everyone will believe everything you say.

[spenac]

OK back on subject any info about online MD schools?

[kristo]

OK back on subject any info about online MD schools?

Call me old-fashioned, but I'm a bit prejudiced against them. Haven't ever heard of a quality online MD school and I have a hard time visioning one.

[spenac]

Call me old-fashioned, but I'm a bit prejudiced against them. Haven't ever heard of a quality online MD school and I have a hard time visioning one.

I never ever heard of it until another discussion a few days mentioned, so curious what it's like.

[ERDoc]

Yeah, there are a few things that shouldn't be learned online, one of them being a medical degree. My residency director was a DO (we were a predominantly MD program). He was a real bright guy and there didn't seem to be anything he didn't know about. One of my co-residents asked him why he chose to go to DO school and his reply was that he didn't choose it. He partied a little too much as an undergrad and the DO stood for Do Over. This is in no way meant to put down DOs. Some people that make great doctors have their priorities slightly off as undergrads and luckily have an alternative path to take (DO, Carribean school, etc).