American pre-med and medical school system / international transferring

Applying to College
1

Hello, I am Korean, and I am currently attending Korean highschool.
Well, I am really interested in being a doctor and going to medical school and all, but I would like to go to American medical school, if that’s possible.

Currently, what I want to do next year is : go to a Korean university -> transfer to American university after a year ->…?

I am very interested in American medical schools. But I have no idea how they work…
I heard that you go to medical school AFTER you graduate college, right? But there’s pre-med schools, which confuses me.
So after I graduate college I have to go to pre-med school and then go to medical school?
Is pre-med like a major you can choose from? Can I switch majors if I am originally a science major?(like biology or something)

Please tell me if anybody knows anything about this. Thank you!

2

There are really no “Pre-med” schools. “Pre-med” is just a term students hang on themselves to indicate they are studying to apply to medical schools. Very few colleges have a “Pre-med” degree, although some do recognize a “Pre-med” course of study.

Medical schools require a 4-year bachelors degree (it can be in anything) as well as a few basic science classes like Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physics, in order to apply.

3

Thank you very much! :smiley:

4

It is exceptionally difficult for internationals to gain admission to US medical schools. Many state medical schools reserve all or almost all of their seats for the residents of their states. Private medical schools may admit a few but it’s invariably less than 5% of the class. Most internationals complete their medical school in their home country and come here for residency. If you are serious about doing medicine, you would be much better off trying to complete your medical degree in Korea.

5

Well I know that it is going to be tough.
But it takes apprx 11 years of highly intensive studying to be a doctor in Korea (I don’t know about US, but I have seen korean medical school students pass out from ‘working too hard’), and Korean doctor’s license doesn’t work in the US. So if i want to work at an American hospital, I’d have to study more after my Korean med school and get my license from an European country.
I heard American med schools do not welcome international applicants, but since the possibility is not flat zero, I thought why not take a shot?

6

You would need a bachelor’s degree from an American university or the equivalent from a Korean university AND be an exceptional student. It sounds like you are looking to US medical schools for an “easier” way to become a doctor. That will not be the case.

7

I am looking for an easier way to be a doctor in the US so that I can work at American hospitals and reside in America. Every medical school is competitive and intense. I an aware. But going to a korean med school (11 years) + going to Europe to get a doctor license = 15 years seems like a lot of time.

8

Korea (11 years) is similar to the US (11 to 12 years): undergraduate 4 years + medical school 4 years + residency normally 3 or 4 years.

https://residency.wustl.edu/Residencies/Pages/LengthofResidencies.aspx

9

There is no easier way and the fact that you use the word “easy” says that you are not likely cut out to be a doctor.

10

Oh okay thank you for the information!

11

My point is, ‘in US’. Even if I go to Korean medical school, I can’t be a doctor in America. Going to American med school lets me to be a doctor at a younger age.
Korean medical schools are competitive just like US. You have to have 397~400(full score) on KSAT to get into good medical schools. Only top students get accepted. I have worked hard and I will do the same for the rest of my life. If I wanted to be lazy, I wouldn’t even consider the med school option.

12

Why do you think the amount of effort required to get into a “good medical school” is any less in the US?

13

I’m not talking about the effort. I think my comments have mislead people but what I want to say is,

I want to be a doctor in America.
And there’s two ways to do that.

  1. Finish medical school in Korea (11 years) + move to Europe, do more studying and get a doctors license = apprx. 15 years+
  2. Go to an American med school (low possibility, since I’m an international student) =11~12 years

And by ‘easy’ I meant timewise.

14

OP: Please review post #7. I don’t understand how you have concluded that “Going to American med school lets me to be a doctor at a younger age.”

15

Check post #12.
I can’t use my Korean doctor license in US.

16

@jessica7‌: I understood that, but you COULD potentially go to both undergraduate and medical schools in the US . . . and that was my point. It would also be the most expeditious way to accomplish your objective.

17

Aren’t there a LOT of other places that need doctors more than America does?

18

That’s actually what I’m planning to do!
Go to Korean uni -> transfer to US -> med?
It’s probably the shortest route.

19

Well that’ actually true haha
But I want to get out of this country… and I used to live in America and I loved it there!
Maybe when I get into medical school I’ll have opportunities to volunteer worldwide

20

I think what @TopTier was trying to tell you was that transferring from a Korean university or starting undergraduate studies in the U.S. would amount in similar time (both 11-12 years), but transferring is just more difficult.

Some colleges will have lower rates of acceptance for underclassmen transfers (freshmen and sophomore) and some just have very little room for 4-year transfers, let alone international. You could have a better shot if you applied as an incoming Freshmen.

So basically, the “easiest” (time-wise as you mentioned) route would be to:

  1. Apply to colleges in the U.S. as an incoming freshmen
  2. Earn a bachelor’s degree (focus your studies on Bio, Chem, Math, Physics, Social/Behavioral Sciences)
  3. Take the MCAT
  4. Apply to graduate schools