St. George’s University School of Medicine

Reviewer's Name:

B. Cohen

Review Date

February 21, 2009

Year of Graduation:

2004

Review Title:

This is the most reputable alternative for American students unable to obtain placement in a US medical school.

Full Review of the Program:

After getting over the idea that you need your passport stamped to obtain a medical degree, you will come to realize that SGU is a pretty great school with a lot of money and resources.
As for my classmates, I was impressed by many of them and disappointed by just a few. Like myself, many had graduated from great schools (I went to an Ivy League), did decently on their MCATs (I got a 30), had a few interviews at US medical schools, but we're looked over for some reason or another.
As for the school, I was impressed by the faculty, and quality of teaching and facilities.
I didn't appreciate the high cost of living in Grenada, the distance from home, the relatively few dining options on campus, and the "tar and feather" mentality of the Grenadian government when it came to gays and lesbians. But you're only there for 2 years (1.5 yrs in Grenada and 4 months on St. Vincent island). I wanted to end up in New York City for my residency, and was grateful that SGU had a few clinical centers in NYC (mainly in Brooklyn) where you could do your 3rd and 4th years. I did well on Step 1 (>90%) and got into my number one choice for residency (primary care).
SGU has an excellent 1st time pass rate for US students taking Step 1, and more than just a few classmates were accepted in specialty fields for residencies (Neurology, Anesthesiology, Orthopedics, Surgery) and top spots in primary care.
If I could do things differently, I would probably not have chosen medicine as a career...but that's for a different website altogether!

Advice to Prospective Students:

1. Study harder in college and for your MCATs and try to get into a US medical school
2. If that's no longer an option, do your research, and speak to as many CURRENT students and graduates of different foreign med schools. There are so many out there, but I think the most reputable ones include St. George's, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Sackler SOM at Tel Aviv University.