<p>Hi, I'm not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.
But I really do love to go to a medical school in the U.S..
Then I heard that after graduating a pharmacy school, you can get green card about a year or two later.
So I'm thinking about going to a 6-year early assurance pharmacy program, get a green card, and then apply to medical schools.
Or getting a bachelors' degree, going to 4-year pharmacy school, get a green card, and then apply to medical schools.
Then my age will be like 27 ~ 30 when I get admission from medical schools.
Is this pathway possible in your opinions?
Is it too late ?
Please help me!</p>
<p>i doubt its that easy to get a green card even if you go to pharmacy school...don't worry about your age, most people are usually 28-30 when they enter med school</p>
<p>I don't think age is much of an issue. Have you researched medical schools that accept international students? And most importantly, do you require (substancial) financial aid ?</p>
<p>On the contrary, i believe getting a green card isn't that easy.Also, who knows what happens after 6 years or so.</p>
<p>There is some advice:</p>
<p>OCS-Students:</a> Career Areas / Health and Medicine / International Students</p>
<p>Although I'm not 100 % sure about the green card issue, i'm pretty sure about it.
Yes and I need financial assistance. That's the reason I should get a green card before going to medical school so that I can at least get a loan.
Thanks for your responses :)
Another opinion?</p>
<p>Two things to think about: </p>
<p>An employment-based green card usually requires a job offer (unless you are an internationally achieved person...). Have you checked if you need to keep working in that profession for a certain amount of time to keep your green card once you decide to go back to school? Some green cards are issued conditionally for two years and then have to be renewed, which is only done if you still meet the initial criteria.</p>
<p>If you want to go to pharmacy school just to get a green card, why not get a cheaper degree that would qualify you for a green card as well? Teachers with a Master's degree qualify for employment-based immigration in the same way that pharmacists do. (Employment</a> Based Immigration second preference category, see "members of the professions") You could get a Bachelor's degree in a subject you would like to teach along with a teaching certification for secondary school, and then get a Master's degree in the subject you would like to teach (e.g. biology or chemistry). A good number of colleges offer scholarships to international students and if you are not limited to accelerated pharmacy programs, you have lots of options to choose from. Graduate programs in sciences often come with full funding through e.g. teaching assistantships, which are usually open to international students as well. If you chose that path, you could potentially save a lot of money and you would acquire some valuable people skills while teaching that can serve you well once you become a physician (or whatever you want to become after med school).</p>
<p>On the other hand, if finances are not that big of a deal, I see the advantages of going to pharmacy school first since it overlaps quite a bit with med school. But is pharmacy school that much cheaper than med school?</p>