<p>I couldn't think of another title. Anyways,
I am a medical student in Albania. In my country, medical school is just a long undergraduate college, according to American terms. Because of the known supremacy of the American residency i am thinking of transferring to an American college.
I have done my home work. I know it's extremely, extremely difficult for an international transfer to occur. To be considered, I should know how to fly or something. Anyways, It doesn't hurt to try.
my country has a scholarship program for post graduate studies. This would mean, by our standards, medical school too. So, the money for MS is not problem. The money for the undergrad is however. I was thinking of applying to Ivies, because they are pretty generous.</p>
<p>Anyways, to come to my question. I can, after the semester ends, get a job in an hospital. I would be de facto beginning my internship since the first year, but not de jure, because obviously it is not allowed. My cousin who is an orthopedic surgeon has pulled some strings. I want to know if it more productive for a prospective medical student to work on actual medicine, as opposed to taking part in essay competitions and stuff. Do schools value experience more, or do they want a more rounded education? </p>
<p>Medical education is the US is very different than in your home country. In the US, medicine is 4 year graduate program. To be admitted to medical school, one first studies science and liberal arts for 4 years in undergraduate school, then applies to medical school. International students who wish to attend a US medical school are required to complete at least 1 year of undergraduate study at a US or Canadian university. </p>
<p>Very few US medical schools accept international students. Those that do tend to be the most competitive schools in the US. There is no financial aid available for international students. You must be able to demonstrate that you can pay for all 4 years of your schooling before you will be admitted. Some medical schools will require to pay for all 4 years in advance ~$200,000-$250,000. You will need additional funds for living expenses, insurance and books.</p>
<p>An alternative path to a US internship is to complete your medical studies in your home country, take the 4 USMLE exams and if you pass all of them, apply for US residencies. Only about half of international students who apply for residencies are accepted. </p>
<p>For more information about this process of applying for a US residency, please go here: </p>
<p>Undergrad schools will not care if you do a summer program in a hospital or not. It has no relevancy to your acceptance for US UNDERGRAD programs.</p>
<p>Your initial post was extremely confusing and it’s not clear what you were asking. You talk about both grad and undergrad programs, plus you mention the fact you’re already in a medical education program in your home country.</p>
<p>You will need to check transfer requirements at each school you intend to apply to. You should be aware of the fact that Ivies, for the most part, accept very, very few transfer students. (Think of number you can count on 1 hand. Also not all of the Ivies meet full need for international students.)</p>
<p>Yes, I know that. To clear up the process, medicine in Albania is a six year undergraduate course, like Brown’s PLME program. I am trying to get into an undergrad program. I cannot even attempt to transfer to a medical school. I know that I will be forced to study biology or something of the sort, to fulfill the pre-med requisites. I have spoken to a few admission officers, and they have told me that transfer is possible although very very unlikely.
What I need to know is how to spend my time to get into a college. An advisor told me I failed to get into good colleges last time, because of the lack of my activities. They are not customary in Albania. Medical school doesn’t leave you time for much, and I thought that the summer job as an medical intern would be attractive to colleges. Plus it helps in the long run.</p>
<p>I would be concerned that a summer in the hospital might be seen as more a part of your medical education rather than a true extracurricular activity. Universities are big on activities which show a desire to help others selflessly, demonstrate individual leadership, and indicate a passion/enthusiasm for a subject/sport/hobby.</p>
I thought this program consists of two part: the first 4 years is an undergraduate program, and the second 4 years is the medical school.</p>
<p>Am I mistaken here?</p>
<p>In general, I believe there are relatively few these kinds of programs in US. Most of these programs just let you skip the part of taking MCAT and applying again, but the first 4 (or 3) years is still more or less a normal undergraduate program.</p>
<p>I heard the admission standard for international students to a “good” college in US and most state universities is much higher than that for domestic students. If you have a lot of money, I think more private ones would more likley welcome the internationals. (An international needs a lot of money to fund his/her medical school education in the end any way. This implies that if your family is not rich, the hurdle is very high. This is just the way it is here.)</p>
<p>Also, for the purpose of undergraduate admission, top US colleges value student’s “personal quality” demonstrated by shining in many kinds of EC/volunteering activities, rather than just academics. (a captain of some successful sport team, a winner of some national or state level competition, etc.)</p>
<p>You’re not wrong about Brown (or most other BA/MD programs). They are 8 years, not 6. While some BA/MD programs allow the student to skip the MCAT; most don’t. They require the student to maintain a minimum GPA and often to score a minimum MCAT to advance to medical school. (Minimums vary by school.)</p>