School Name: Saba
Location: Netherlands Antilles
Basic Science Tuition:
$4,950.00/semester
Clinical Science Tuition:
$5,450.00/semester
USA Clinical Rotations: Yes
Time required for MD: 40 months
I was wondering if anyone knows the stats on how many students apply every term and how many actually get into Saba. I know that they take 40-45 students three times per year, but how many actually apply each term?
Posted on Nov 3, 2002, 12:44 PM from IP address 129.128.161.156
You can take your car to Saba; however, I would not recommend it. There are many students that survive very well without having transportation. Hitchhiking is a very safe and effective means of transportation.
You can buy some used cars from students down on Saba. In terms of taking your own car to Saba, you would probably need to get it down to Miami and then boat it over to St. Maarten. From there, you would need to arrange to have it put on the boat to take it from St. Maarten to Saba. This can be very expensive. Then, once you are on Saba, car repairs can be very expensive as can the price of gas. As I stated, many people survive very well without cars.
Posted on Nov 2, 2002, 11:23 AM from IP address 207.74.111.98
Would someone be able to enlighten me on the licensing limitations certain states impose? I understand California and New York (and new Mexico, by way of California) are out, but what about the other US states? (I read something about Colorado) I could spend time contacting each of the remaining states, but something like that should be listed somewhere. You'd think the administration would know where their students can ultimately practice in the near future.
Also, in the same vein, if a recent grad./MD (following clinicals and residency) is not able to practice in a certain state, does that mean the MD can never get licensed? Or is there a time-frame, test, etc?
Thanks for the insight.
I ask here on this site, since the knowledge base seems greater and more experienced. I'm planning to attend MUA, SABA's sister school in May '03, but am still fine-tuning my research. Thanks again,
Carey
Posted on Nov 1, 2002, 1:03 AM from IP address 12.40.112.190
The SABA admin office will be happy to send or fax you a list of the states where students are already licensed. Presently Saba students have a permanent license in 30 states, in residency in 42 states, and doing rotations in 28 states. Saba students are already licensed in New York. Hope this helps.
Posted on Nov 1, 2002, 4:27 AM from IP address 141.154.13.102
Thanks for the quick response. I'd definitely be interested in a faxed copy of this listing you mention. Should I contact the home office directly? (if so, whom should I ask for?...feel free to e-mail me directly with your reponse)
Also, is this list specific to SABA, or does it include MUA info too? Not sure how intertwined the two schools are.
Posted on Nov 1, 2002, 11:02 AM from IP address 12.40.112.190
I have applied to SABA as an Ontario university graduate. I have been shut out of all five schools in the province (Ontario, Texas, and NY are the five toughest places to get into med school according to research). So, I ask anyone, will it be possible for me, a Canadian, to eventually practice in the US? I know I will never be able to get back into Canada, so that is my only hope. Immigration laws are ever changing...
Posted on Sep 26, 2002, 9:40 AM from IP address 129.100.249.21
How do I go about finding current or already graduated students from SABA in my area. I really need someone who has first hand experience with Saba. I'm willing to pay them for their time. I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I there a list of the students who have attended Saba anywhere?
Thanks in advance
Posted on Oct 30, 2002, 3:38 PM from IP address 129.128.67.169
A transitional year surgery student here at Union who is a Saba grad has matched in opthalomogy. This is the second Saba student who matched in Opthamology this match. The other student can be looked up on the Saba.edu web site. This student however did the National Average on the Boards but DID take off for a year to do research but the bottom line is he got it. 99% of Optho spots have gone to US grads in the last 4 years so it goes to show you what an accomplishment this is. From what I have seen is that if you can get involved with research in some capacity and be published this is almost as important as board scores. Competitive residencies which are usually based in University Programs practically expect some degree of research. This is particularly true in residencies like Derm, Optho, and Radiology. My advice to all incoming Saba students that are looking toward these types of residencies definitely want to score high on the boards but may benefit from contacting Universities and investigating research program oppurtunities. I personally have run into some stumbling blocks because by the time I looked into some research programs I was already a 3rd year student and many research programs at medical schools want 1st and 2nd year students. This may sound absurd but because I am a third year I have been shut out of many that I have inquired about. this is one problem with going abroad to Saba because the first 2 years you really cant do any research. I know they were talking about getting some going and if there is some going on now my advice is to get involved because this will look good on the ERAS application. There is an entire section on the application devoted to research and if you have something to put there it can only help you. Possibly the Hyperbaric program on Saba is doing some sort of research but if there is something there, GET INVOLVED it will only help. I wish I had. Best of Luck, Scott Jones DC MS III
Posted on Oct 30, 2002, 9:02 AM from IP address 207.19.126.2
i know that the diving on saba is legendary, but i've got some questions.
how much time to you actually have to dive? i only ask b/c i have a friend that just finished med school at the university of colorado in denver and was able to ski 50+ days his first year of medical school!!! while i don't plan on having that much time off, it would be nice to know how much free time the average student has per week, just as a quess-timate. i'm
really not one to sit and watch movies, but if i have down-time, i'd like to be outside and playing hard.
is there a dive shop on the island that does deals for students?
if you have your own gear, do you need a dive shop for access or can you swim/paddle out to the sites?
what about mountain-biking? i'd like to bring my bike along for transportation and exercise. would it be feasible and/or practical? i'd much rather ride than take a bus, car or taxi.
thanks for your insight.
judd
Posted on Oct 27, 2002, 10:05 PM from IP address 67.234.138.56
You could probably dive 2 out of three weekends of each Black Monday cycle. The main issue is money. The dive shops do give students a break, but you have to work out your own deal with them. When I was there, different people got different deals. Also, full paying tourists will get first dibs on boat space. My wife and I took our own gear, and were able to do a few shore dives. There are only 2 decent dive sites accessable by shore (Cove Bay and Wells Bay). Cove Bay is the better of the two. The other issue is weather. You get spoiled on calm sea days, so when the seas are choppy, you turn your nose up at it. The diving is excellent, however. I look forward to returning just to dive.
As for biking, you will probably be killed by the local drivers if you bike on the road. I strongly discourage it.
Posted on Oct 28, 2002, 5:30 PM from IP address 64.154.127.44
thanks for your insight. i certainly hope to be able to get in a little diving while i'm there. i'll got stir-crazy with my head stuck in a book non-stop.
judd
Posted on Oct 29, 2002, 8:43 AM from IP address 67.234.189.67
I'm planning on attending Saba in 2003 0r 2004. The only problem is that I'm dirt poor. I plan to join the army and have them pay for my tuition through the Armed Forces Health Professional scholarship which basically pays for everything and pays an allowance. But I have to serve the army for as many years as they provided me with assistance. One of the requirements is that I must be attending either a US school or as they put it a "Dominican med schiool". I was wondering if Saba qualifies as one of these schools. Has anyone taking this route? if you know that Saba does, or does not qualify, please let me know.
Thanks
Posted on Oct 23, 2002, 1:54 PM from IP address 129.128.164.225
I spoke with the military a few times because I am prior service and at first they wouldn't talk to me until I had taken step 1 and 2. I dug deeper and they said that I had to do a residency outside of the military then I could join and then they said that they wouldn't pay for my loans back.
I have heard conflicting stories about this and I have heard of IMG's in the military but I haven't gotten a straight story. If you find out about a particular branch of service, please post on what they tell you. They are so short right now (especially anesthesiology) that I can't imagine them not working a deal.
I know for sure that they WILL NOT pay for your school if you are in the Caribbean while you are in school.
Good luck and by the way, I think we are all pretty much "dirt poor" in school. Enjoy your peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches. I know I will never eat that or mac and cheese EVER again after this!
Posted on Oct 24, 2002, 2:21 PM from IP address 209.27.62.218
That's just a typical way of doing business for the military
by Anonymous (no login)
They always act like they don't need people who are not yet qualified in their field of study. However, the minute they find out about if a person is capable of getting job with that degree (engineer, nurse, doctors are the top three); they'll be begging you to join and would give their best to accomodate you in signing a contract.
Posted on Oct 25, 2002, 4:52 PM from IP address 129.219.237.45
It make sense from their standpoint NOT to offer scholarships to students going to foriegn schools. They dont want to take a chance that the student wont finish and not pay back the loans. Of course once you have graduated and have a residency they will want you very much. I dont see the disconect.
Posted on Oct 27, 2002, 9:49 AM from IP address 64.12.96.198
I'm a saba grad and currently a PGY-2 anesthesia resident at UAMS in Little Rock, AR. I'm also in the Air Force with future plans on becomming a flight surgeon. Let me know if you have any questions on the military process for Saba grads.
Jonathan
Posted on Oct 27, 2002, 3:40 PM from IP address 205.188.209.103
interview questions for those who have been there,
by Long (no login)
do you know the statistic of the number of students out of the applicant pool invited to the interview, or everyone will get a chance for a phone interview? the acceptance rate of the interviewees? Since it's not a in-person interview, how can i make myself more competitive? Thanks for your response.
Long
Posted on Oct 28, 2002, 8:26 PM from IP address 198.81.26.208
4 weeks down and 8 to go for surgery. Things are moving well here. My main beef is there is little time to read. The days continue to be very very long with procedures most of the day. 4 of the 12 weeks are done in Surgurical ICU and I hear there is some down time during the day and that will be fine with me.
Gardner has been perfect with my paperwork and my electives and cores are set up thru 9/31/03. As soon as you start your first rotation it is best to sign up for electives that might interest you even if you dont have all of your core assignments at least here in these hospitals in Baltimre as good electives fill quickly. You can always cancel an elective if you get scheduled for a core rotation as long as you give 30 days prior notice without a penalty. There is no question though that it is pretty imperative to get Internal Medicine out of the way as your first or second elective because many many electives require you have completed internal medicine. Psychiatry is a good one to start out with with but getting Internal done early is very important especially as a foreign student because sometimes you have some gaps in getting your cores and this way it is generally easy to put in a filler elective but you often need internal medicine to do that. The only downside to being a foreign student at least from what I have seen is that there are certain rotations like Cardio and Radiology which get very backed up and go to the University of Maryland students first. As long as you are proactive in setting up your electives and follow up with whatever paperwork needs to be turned in you should not have any problems. I watch the University of Maryland Students register for their cores almost everyday here at Union and trust me I have seen many many more problems than we have. (Its just a fact of numbers, there are many many more of them and things get lost in the shuffle) Our paperwork is neat and orderly and at least for me and my 7 colleagues from Saba on time. (One reason why Saba is still at Union and Ross is NOT by the way (at least one of the reasons)!!!) Bigger does NOT mean better. Good Luck to All. Scott Jones DC MS III
Posted on Oct 28, 2002, 6:57 AM from IP address 207.19.126.2
Taking the SABA plunge...anyone regret their decision?
by
(no login)
Hi,
I'm considering applying to SABA and was hoping to get some unbiased feedback (if there's such a thing) on your decision to attend there? Were there any "gotchas" after you had arrived there and paid your tuition; in other words, any unexpected surprises either from the school, island, etc...? Also, anyone taking TERI loans? If so, does it sufficiently cover the full cost of your education (inclusive of housing, meals, personal expenditures, etc.)? A few friends of mine are applying to Ross because they participate in the US loan program which helps I guess but factoring in that it costs almost double kinda offsets any % interest benefits they gain and govt. subsidies. Is the school helpful in the transition from the US to SABA or do you feel they just took the fees, started teaching classes and left the rest on you? What is your assessment of the professors & administration; are they really concerned about your education or do they just spit out info and expect absorption (or is it osmosis...hehe)? OK, to keep it short...is there anything that you regret about coming to SABA and also were there good things that you didn't expect prior to coming there? Key word: unbiased info.
Thanks for getting this far in my post!
Jay
Posted on Oct 17, 2002, 8:59 AM from IP address 152.163.188.8
Jay I started with roughly 47 students, 2 failed out and roughly 45 finished when I did on the island. If there was any dissatisfaction it must have been minimal because no one left, are all doing rotations as we speak, and 10 of my closest freinds in class have passed their Step 1 and are well on their way to becoming a physician. Good Luck. Scott Jones DC MS III
Posted on Oct 28, 2002, 7:02 AM from IP address 207.19.126.2
Hey guys hope all is well. I was just writing to see if anyone has been accepted to the SEPTEMBER 2003 entering class and will be attending. I have made the decision to attend SABA and wanted to get into touch with any future classmates. My name is Kevin I am currently a senior at Indiana University and will be graduating this May with my B.S. in Biology If anyone knows that they will be in the sep class drop me a line at me email address or just post a message on the forum. Take it easy,
Kevin
Posted on Oct 20, 2002, 4:22 PM from IP address 129.79.37.159
Hi there, congrats in getting in. I was wondering what was your stats? Do you think I have a chance if I have a science gpa of 3.08 and cumulative 2.97? What kind of interview questions did they ask? please help, thank you.
Posted on Oct 21, 2002, 2:35 AM from IP address 24.78.78.61
Whats up? Regarding my stats I had a 3.19 cum and a 3.0 science. I also had 4 years hospital experience and research/lab experience. With your stats you will have no prob getting in. Apply ASAP though because I have been told the biggest problem is with classes filling up. So if you want Sep 2003 apply now. Regarding the interview. Very laid back. They ask you how you heared about the school, about your background, experience, why you want to be an MD etc, all the typical questions. The interview does not take long at all. I think I was on confrence call for about 20 minutes. I hope this helps. Drop me a line at my email address kkunzer@indiana.edu and we can keep in touch. Take it easy,
Kevin
Posted on Oct 23, 2002, 3:26 PM from IP address 129.79.67.83
Housing and Apartments Exchange for med students
For Sale By Owner.
