I’m from India. I’m aiming for colleges like UBC and UofT for pre-med courses. I want to enter a med school after completing my undergrad studies(Perhaps I’ll go the MD-Phd route). I plan to stay in Canada after my studies. Let’s assume I receive no aid from my parents or other sources, so I will have to take a loan to afford my education. I hear I have little to no chance of getting financial aid. Is it advisable for me to take a loan to do my undergrad studies in Canada.
Also, would it be better to do my undergrad studies at a lesser known college(University of Victoria perhaps) which is cheaper and then transfer to top colleges like UBC for my MD.
What kind of loan? High or low interest rate? How long time would you have to pay back? Anyways, that would be a heck of a loan you would have to take out.
If you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident then admission to any Canadian medical school is highly unlikely. Only a handful of spots are reserved for internationals and only at a few Canadian medical schools.
I usually encourage anyone who wants to pursue higher education related in STEM, education, and social sciences fields in US/Canada regardless of their financial circumstances. However, I do NOT recommend pursuing medical studies since they are highly funded by the government which means little room and no Aid to international students unless you can pay full price. Besides that, in most cases, you can only work in the country where you get your degree from, and no one will lend you a +$300k loan.
I strongly recommend you to choose another field of study if you want to come to north America, you will get more flexibility and higher chances to get into but If you are completely determined to apply to med school it’s up to you.
Even those that accept med schools will ask you to show a proof of at least 1 year cost of attendance, not just tuition. Worst, you will have to pay FOUR YEARS OF COA
If you are really determined to study there, you could start a fundraising campaign
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@paul2752 @Mrduque @TomSrOfBoston Thanks for your feedback. Your responses have been very helpful.
Maybe you can study biology or biochemistry and then go to med school in India?
@Mrduque In India one can apply to a medical college after completing school. The duration of med school here is longer i.e 5 1/2 years after which you get awarded an MBBS degree(Equivalent to MD in US). You then do your MD which is basically specialisation(The term MD in India is used differently than in the US) which is generally of 3 years in duration(can be more).
So there is no need to get an undergraduate degree to study medicine in India. However the course is extremely competitive.
I was weighing my options. Studying in India would definitely be lighter on the pocket, but would make it difficult to move abroad later on. Not impossible, but difficult.
Again, thanks for your help.
If you want to be a physician, study in India. If you still want to work in the Canada after completing those studies, you can take the appropriate exams, and apply for a residency in Canada.
If you want out of India, and you don’t particularly care about medicine, then go ahead and do your undergrad studies in Canada. But choose a field of studies that will lead directly to decent chances of employment as soon as you finish university.
I read today that one medical school in Canada makes internationals pay $95,000 in addition to regular tuition each year. Also, chances of getting into UBC for medicine as an international are slim. Because it’s the only medical school in BC, all the in-province students apply there and the acceptance rates are around 13%. Don’t mean to sound harsh, but there may be a better path for you.