Skip to main content
Home

Main Navigation

  • Admissions
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • HBCU & HSI Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers
  • MD Program
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information
  • Student Life
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security
  • About
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students

Utility Navigation

  • Request Info
  • Apply Now

Secondary Navigation

  • Incoming Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students
    • Current Students
Search
Cancel Search
Home Home

RUSM Main navigation

  • Admissions

    Explore Admissions

    Are you a strong candidate?

    Take an Admissions Assessment
    Take the Admissions Assessment
    • ADMISSIONS
      • Admissions Overview
      • Admissions Requirements
      • Admissions Assessment
      • MCAT
    • FEES AND FUNDING
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Scholarships
      • Financial Aid
      • Student Finance
      • Partnerships
      • HBCU & HSI Partnerships
    • APPLICANTS
      • How to Apply
      • Canadian Applicants
      • Transfer Applicants
      • International Applicants
      • Career Changers

    Information For...

    Admitted Students

    Parents

    Premed Advisors

    MERP

  • MD Program

    Explore MD Program

    Do you have a question?

    student asking question
    Speak to Admissions
    • PROGRAM
      • Program Overview
      • Program Objectives
      • Hospital Affiliates
      • Simulation Institute
      • MD-MPH Combined
    • CURRICULUM
      • MD Curriculum
      • Medical Sciences - Years 1 & 2
      • Clinical Education - Years 3 & 4
      • Clinical Home Offer
      • MedOrigin
    • ACADEMIC RESOURCES
      • Academic Calendar
      • Resources and Student Support
      • Career Advisement
      • Residency Appointments
      • USMLE Information

    Related Links...

    MCAT Information

    Why Ross Med?

    Match Day

  • Student Life

    Student Life

    img for new Mega Menu
    Overview
    new Mega menu Square 5
    Housing
    New Mega Menu Image 6
    Campus Tour
    • STUDENT LIFE
      • Student Life Overview
      • Housing
      • Campus Tour
    • STUDENT CULTURE
      • Explore Barbados
      • Teaching Facilities
      • Clubs & Organizations
      • White Coat Ceremony
    • STUDENT SUPPORT
      • Campus Services
      • Safety & Security

    Related Links...

    Merchandise Store

    Diversity & Inclusion

    Mission & History

  • About

    About RUSM

    Start Your Road to Residency

    medical students
    Request More Information
    • ABOUT
      • RUSM Overview
      • Why Ross Med?
      • Facts & Figures
      • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Accreditation & Approvals
    • IN THE MEDIA
      • Newsroom
      • News
      • Blog
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • LEARN MORE
      • Faculty & Staff
      • Dean
      • Mission & History
      • FAQs
      • Testimonials

    Related Links...

    Contact Us

    Campus Location

  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application
  • Request Info
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Ross Med Application
    • Submit Your Common Application

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. About
  3. News
  4. Medical School Admission Advice

Medical School Admission Advice for Ross University School of Medicine Applicants

Tue, 17 Oct 2017
Get Started Today

You'll submit your completed Ross Med application online in our application portal.

Apply Now
By Carey James, Vice President of Operations
Our admissions philosophy is that anyone with the requisite ability, character and drive to be a physician deserves an opportunity to pursue his or her dream.

What do we look for in a medical student who is applying to Ross University School of Medicine?  Our admissions philosophy is that anyone with the requisite ability, character and drive to be a physician deserves an opportunity to pursue his or her dream. We know that there are so many barriers to entry to medical school, things that get in the way, like lack of time, financial resources, and mentorship as pre-medical hopefuls begin their journey in college. While the average age of beginning  medical students in the US is 24 years old, the expectation is that you were always an A student, and never deviated from that since you were 17 or 18 years old. There are no second chances. 

At Ross medical school we also recognize that there is a shortage of seats in US and Canadian medical schools, and you need to be consistently competitive from the very beginning to be a viable candidate. There is little room for development as a student or to account for successfully overcoming earlier struggles, when there are more than 50,000 applicants for just 21,000 seats in MD programs in the US.

 

Ross Medical School Admission Tips

You are not your MCAT

While US medical schools are trying to become more holistic, our Caribbean medical school has always taken the approach that you are not your MCAT. Of course we look at an applicant’s academic record, but this is just one factor in a number of other skills and traits that we value. At Ross medical school we know that people evolve, that there are those who become brilliant students who were not so their first semester of college. We need to see that there has been improvement, and that a student is ready to excel in medical school now. Ross medical school can give you feedback and suggest ways in which you can improve your record. Many of our students come to us right out of college, while many others are career-changers, perhaps a few years older, and have spent time in medical and other fields. They are former nurses, paramedics, IT professionals, and more, who came to the decision that becoming a doctor was what they really wanted to do with their lives.

 

Are you ready to succeed?

It’s important for us to know that you’re ready to succeed. At Ross medical school, we look carefully at your letters of recommendation, and at your personal statement. What we want to see is that you have had some exposure to volunteer work in a medical setting, so that you recognize the demands placed on physicians, the daily stresses and the enormous pressures on the profession. The personal admissions interview is also very important, as it gives us a chance to get to know you as an individual, not just a set of data. Our campus community helps define who we are as a school, and develop who you will be as a doctor.  During the admissions process we need to understand who you are as a person, and as a team member.

 

We are looking for emotional intelligence

The non-cognitive factors we seek in applicants are extremely important. At Ross medical school, we want you to be adaptable, flexible, not take no for an answer and never quit. In other words, our students must have grit. They also require a tremendous capacity for caring and compassion. These are characteristics that can’t be graded on a test. We are looking for emotional intelligence.

If you overcame a difficult start in college, or spent years in pursuit of a profession that became unrewarding, you don’t have to take yourself out of the game and give up on your desire to become a doctor. Forgive yourself and know that you have options and an opportunity to be excellent. We are here as your advocate. I encourage prospective students to believe in themselves. There are more than 13,000 Ross medical school alumni in all 50 states in the US and in every province in Canada. Our medical school, nearing its 40th anniversary, offers a well-worn path to residency and licensure.

Share This Article

  • facebook
  • tiktok
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email

The information and material contained in this article and on this website are for informational purposes only and should not be considered, or used in place of, professional medical advice. Please speak with a licensed medical provider for specific questions or concerns. Ross Med is not responsible for the information maintained or provided on third-party websites or external links.

Ross University School of Medicine
Apply Now
Contact Admissions

Campus Address:

Two Mile Hill St. Michael
BB11093
Barbados

 

Admissions Address:

10315 USA Today Way,
Miramar, Florida, 33025
Phone: +1 754.707.5547
Email: Admissions@Rossu.edu

RUSM Footer Sub menu

  • Information For
    • Admitted Students
    • Career Seekers
    • Current Students
  • Navigate
    • About RUSM
    • MD Program
    • Admissions
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Student Life
    • Contact Us
  • News & Events
    • Blog
    • News & Press
    • Events & Webinars
    • On-demand Webinars
    • Academic Calendar
Branded Element

© 2025 Ross University School of Medicine. All rights reserved.

Hands-on From the Start®

Academic Catalog | Student Handbook | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility Statement | Office of Nondiscrimination and Access | Cost of Attendance | Privacy Policy

 

Policy on Non-discrimination

Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) is committed to providing an education conducive to the personal and professional development of each individual and to maintaining an academic environment free of discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, ancestry, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or parental status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law in the admission to, access to, or treatment, or employment in any of its programs or activities. RUSM will not tolerate, condone, or allow discrimination or harassment, whether engaged in by fellow students, faculty members or non-faculty colleagues.

Connect with Ross Medical School

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Ross University School of Medicine is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP, www.caam-hp.org).

 

CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programs of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM.

Accreditation by CAAM-HP is a rigorous, peer review process which examines all aspects of a medical program. The CAAM-HP board, an independent and autonomous body of professionals, only certifies medical schools which are operating at the highest levels of industry standards.

Through this accreditation, the CAAM-HP provides assurance to medical students, graduates, the medical profession, healthcare institutions, and the public that programs leading to qualifications in medicine meet appropriate national and international standards for educational quality, and that the graduates have a sufficiently complete and valid educational experience.

CAAM-HP logo - transparent

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Call
  • Chat
  • Request Info
  • Apply