Why I Choose a Caribbean Medical School

When I decided to become a doctor, things did not go the way I expected. I had problems arise time after time and I was just about to give up on medical school. In fact, when I went to take the MCAT, I was not allowed to take it because my drivers license had expired. So I drove the 4 hours back home and moped for a couple of weeks after that and vowed not to even bother again.

However, the woman who was checking IDs at the location of the MCAT, did not know that I was allowed to take the test with an expired id, and that according to the MCAT officials, all I needed to do was come back at a later time/date with my updated driver's license. Unfortunately for me, the woman did not know the rules of her position.

Regardless, I did not want to try and take the test again I have already studied for almost two years for it, and have taken plenty of time of from work to do this. I had bills that were to come due and I could not wait any longer. So I decided to look for some alternative jobs that would get me the closest I could to being a doctor, though was not satisfied with my decision. I knew deep in my heart that I wanted to be a doctor and there was no way around it. But was there a way around the MCAT? I mean, that was the ONLY thing stopping me. My grades were decent and I qualified in every other category, so could I not take the exam? Well, I did some internet searches and came across some schools located in the Caribbean.

I actually found many schools that would admit students that have not taken the MCAT. There were some that required it, but most did not. I looked a little bit more into the possibility of becoming a future student at one of these alternative schools. It seemed legit, but I was not sold just yet, so I began contacting the hospitals listed in the clinical affiliations and guess what? The hospitals checked out. They did accept students from the Caribbean. This just seemed too good to be true.

I began looking into schools that interested me. Those schools were Medical University of the Americas(MUA), and American University of Antigua(AUA). I also did research on Windsor, St. Theresa, St. Matthew's, St. George's, and a couple of others. I started mentioning the schools to friends and family members which all responded to the idea with raised eyebrows. I just wanted to see what they had to say about it, and the general populous was doubtful. No one seemed to think it was legit, and too good to be true. But what if it were legit?

Well, I kept researching and finally decided to go for it. I interviewed at a few schools and got accepted to every single one I applied for. Now the hard part was to decide which island I was going to go to. Here's an article many may find helpful when having to pick. It is pretty basic but covers most of the bases. And there are some good pointers.


PS. When and if you take the MCAT, please make sure to have everything you need and know the procedures by checking it out here.

You want to go where???

Whatever the reason, you are thinking about going to a non-traditional medical school. You dream about being an amazing doctor, but there have been many road blocks throughout your journey. Not being able to take the MCAT or not getting a decent enough score makes would-be students look for another way in.

And a way to bypass the MCAT is to go to a foreign school. Despite what people who went to US med schools believe, you can practice medicine in the US. It just takes some time and dedication. Anyways, the only differences are that you DON'T have to take the MCAT, and you may have to take an English proficiency exam depending on what country you are a citizen of. Plus, there's the benefit of studying on a tropical island! Other than that, you do the same thing that students in the US do.

So don't fret what other people think, and just follow your dream. All you need is some direction and pointers from someone who has already been in this position.