<p>I am interested in a future in medical research/technology/development.
Please advise me on the following options I have:</p>
<li><p>Attend Columbia University SEAS (School of Engineering and Applied Science ) as an undergrad for 4 years. After that, go into
a Ph.D or PhD/MD program</p></li>
<li><p>Attend a well-reputed Medical School in Pakistan for 4-5 (while
doing some research and internships in and aboard), then come to do
Ph.D or research fellowship or residency in US.</p></li>
<li><p>Attend Univeristy of Texas Austin and gradute in 2.5-3 years(b.c I have 60 college credits that CU does not accept). I sort of excluded this UT option because since I am not sure what I will like to major in, it is probably better to spend another year at Columbia and do well with other side projects/internships, etc, vs. cramming class at UT.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>med school option:</p>
<p>Do you think going to a medical school in Pakistan will give me a
disadvantage when time comes for competitive professional
fellowships/residency/graduate programs? </p>
<p>For Columbia Option:</p>
<p>I feel a somewhat unsatisifed with Columbia. I did not do my college search very well and “got confused/messed” up my college admissions programs. Columbia has a requirement of 6 required non-tech and 3 free-choice non-tech classes. I did not fall in love with NYC, coming from Texas.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your time and feedback,</p>
<p>ambreen - There are many reasonable paths to success in the Medical Research field. I think it's WAY too early to worry about choosing the "right" path. After all, whether you opt for a degree in medicine or a medical sciences PhD (or preferably both) you'll be schooling for most of the next decade. If you find this response unsatisfying, then I suggest driving to the nearest medical school and speaking to staff doing medical research there. Good luck in your journey.</p>
<p>Many ways to go. There are certainly a few medical colleges (undergraduate) in Pakistan that are every bit as good as anything to be found in the U.S. (Aga Khan comes to mind.) You will see patients earlier, be presented with a wider range of conditions and diseases, and likely find a wider range of internship opportunities. What you may not find (I wouldn't know) is cutting-edge lab work, but very, very few U.S. undergraduates find that either, even when that work is being undertaken in the graduate divisions of their universities. </p>
<p>There are just too many paths to say that one is likely to be better than another.</p>
<p>I think you'll get much, much more applied medical experience (and internships) at AKU than you would at Columbia as an undergrad, unless you were very much the top of the heap at the latter. With that kind of experience, you may be much sought after in a graduate lab.</p>
<p>But, again, there are many ways to get you where you want to go.</p>
<p>It is indeed very kind of you to speak with me on this crucial matter.</p>
<p>I agree that there are many ways to get there. I'm exploring my options-</p>
<p>It seems that GOING to a foreign medical school will be a bit on the negative if I were to become a physician and will be in need of a residency after graduation.It will be generally hard to get a top-notch residency.</p>
<p>But if I'm comparing AKU education to a 4-year undergrad, then AKu's medical focused curriculum becomes a attractive deal.</p>
<p>I'll be at AKU (for 4-5 years , depending on situation at the end of 4 years to for a top-notch a phD/research program)</p>
<p>Sorry, I meant "Columbia" as the latter. At the top U.S. research universities (which, by the way, are often as likely to be public as private), graduate students are well-paid to produce for top researchers who, in turn, are "rainmakers" for the university. In other words, internships/research opportunities for undergrads, while they exist, are fourth priority for the university, behind prestige of research, bringing in research funds to pay for university overhead, training graduate students to become future leading researchers, and (bringing up the rear) enriching undergraduate education for the "average" undergraduate. The top students will always find opportunities (though there may be more mentoring if you are the top student in a large public research university), but the question is what the average undergraduate student is able to access. </p>
<p>I can't answer your question about residencies. I imagine if you are already in a leading research Ph.D. program, and have a degree from Aga Khan, you are likely to be in demand, but this is outside any possible expertise I might have. (I have an adopted sister from India, medical degree from a leading place in Chennai, graduate degree from Johns Hopkins in public health, who currently heads a large pediatric hospital in India, but was offered a position heading United Nations child health operations in East Africa. They found that the U.S.-trained physicians just weren't up to the task - they hadn't seen a wide enough range of diseases and conditions, and were less capable (on the whole) in improvising under difficult conditions. So they were replacing them with doctors trained in India, Pakistan, and elsewhere. Just food for thought....)</p>
<p>Yes, getting a top notch residency will be much more difficult from a foreign medical school than from an American med school. Some residency programs at Universities (including the one at which I teach) do not take any residents from foreign medical schools. Community hospital programs are more likely to take residents from foreign medical schools. From a Pakistani medical school, it might be easier to get a residency in Great Britain. Also, if you go to medical school and do your residency in Pakistan, then you would be required to repeat your residency at an American program to be board certified in the U.S. One thing you don't mention is whether or not your are a US citizen or permanent resident or whether or not you plan to return to Pakistan to practice medicine. These points may affect your ultimate decision.</p>
<p>I am a US Citizen. I am not 100% certain where I would like to live/establish my career, but a hybrid (being a good researcher in US and work with establishing some technology in PK/international work) is a strong possibility</p>
<p>At this point, I am more interested in being a medical research scientist in academia-type environment, not a general practicing physician. I want to know if my 4 year of undergrad will be better spend at Columbia or AKU (PK medical school).</p>
<p>Quiltguru is absolutely right about it being more difficult for foreign medical grads to do internship/residency training in the US. In addition, such graduates also must pass a series of exams before being allowed to begin their training.</p>
<p>My husband is a medical professor at UCLA (with both research and clinical duties) who attended med school at HKU, so he is also a product of the British educational system. His advice is that if finances are not a problem, then Columbia will give you the most options IF you are willing to take the risk of the med school admission process in 4 years. In other words, you need to be confident (or determined) that your undergraduate grades, MCAT scores and any research work that you may be invited to do by your professors will be good enough to make you a strong candidate for med school. You should look at the SAT scores of the entering freshmen class and the med school admission rates of the graduating class at Columbia and UTA to get an idea where you might stand in relation to the rest of your class, and ask for more information from the pre-med advisors to help you make an informed decision. </p>
<p>One of the great joys of academic medicine is that you will have numerous opportunities (more so than the physician in private practice) to attend international conferences, to network with people in PK, and to bring cutting-edge medical knowledge and expertise to those in PK and other countries. Best of luck in your decision.</p>