Actual Match and Attrition Numbers from one of the Big 4

There is a lot of stuff thrown around on this forum that are often times less than accurate. I am currently a 2nd year at SUSOM and we recently met with our Dean of Clinicals and he discussed match numbers for 2014 with us. Because these numbers came straight from the Dean, I am assuming they're accurate, and if you're concerned about the veracity of these numbers, feel free to check out the match data at saba.edu.

I'll begin with enrollment. Saba has rolling admission 3 times a year, September, January, and May. The September class is generally the largest, with about incoming 100 students. The January and May groups are usually smaller, at around 60-70. This has been consistent the 5 semesters I've been on the island. So on average that means there are 230 students per year that enter the school.

Next, on to the match numbers. Due to how much cheaper Saba is compared to Ross, AUC, and SGU, each class can consist of more than 50% Canadians. So, the dean split up the numbers between Canadian and American students.

American students entering the match in 2014: 40
American students matching in 2014: 40
Match Rate: 100%

Canadian students entering the match in 2014: 98
Canadian students matching in 2014: 92
Match Rate: 93%

Total Match Rate: 96%

Now I can already hear everyone beginning to type how a 96% match rate at a Caribbean school is absurd. I was just as shocked as most of you are how high that number is. Our Dean told us that Saba has the highest match rate out of any Caribbean school, and I am inclined to believe him. He doesn't have to sell Saba to us anymore, we are already half way in, so I can't imagine he would be lying about this.

At first glance those number might seem amazing, everyone that was on the fence about Carib med school is probably filling out their application to Saba right now, but I want to emphasize that those numbers are actually quite alarming. As I mentioned about the average year has around 230 students, and assuming that the school was about as large in 2010 as it is now, lets say 215 yearly students, that means the attrition rate is about 36%. More than one third of students don't make it to the match for whatever reason, dismissal, not being able to pass the NBME exit exam, even visa issues for the non-Americans.

I don't want to put any spin on this, just give everyone a more accurate idea of what they're chances are actually like if they go the Caribbean route. Also remember that the vast majority of those students that matched, matched into primary care residencies, so matching something competitive is exponentially harder than simply just matching. I hope this post helps people make a decision whether or not to go down this road. Lastly, if you have any chance of making it into a US school, MD or DO, you should try and try and try again. Regardless whether or not you can be successful in the Caribbean, doesn't change the fact that the experience, by and large, really sucks.

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Actual Match and Attrition Numbers from one of the Big 4