Hey,I’m an international student from Ghana. I attend a private school in Murray, Utah. I’ve always wanted to be a Medical doctor and I was wondering about the courses or subjects to choose at the 11th grade. Please any help?
It is not advisable to an international student to prepare for an US med school, for the following reasons
- Only 40-50 non-canadian international students each year are being admitted into US med schools. Less than 2% of the applicants.
- US government do not have any financial aid to international students for med schools, including loans. You need have some where between 50K to 250K cash in a bank escrow account before admittance.
- Most Residency Program Directors will not consider international graduates from med school because immigration costs and risks.
To be a successful pre-med, you need a strong foundation in the sciences and mathematics.
During high school, you should take classes (honors level, if not AP level) in biology, chemistry and physics. You’ll need math classes at least through pre-calculus.
But as an international student, you need to be aware that is extraordinarily difficult for international students to get accepted into US medical schools. Probably fewer than 50-60 non-Canadian internationals are accepted at all US medical schools combined each year. Additionally, even if you do get accepted, you will need to demonstrate that you are able to pay medical school tuition & fees and all your living expenses (about $250,000) before you will allowed to enrolled.
If you really want to become a physician, you will be more likely to achieve your goal if you plan to study medicine in your home country.