wow, there are so many things to take into consideration… this is hard to navigate!
it’s sort of crazy that there is a need for doctors but they have to pay so much to become one. regardless,
I think countries like canada, and some european countries are good options to apply to medical school for? I understand its hard to get residencies in the US. That is why I’m okay with going to the countries I listed. I still want to have opportunity and though they don’t have as much as the US, they are still good for education I believe.
If you don’t have a green card, you will likely be required to leave this country when you complete your undergrad degree.
Even if you go to undergrad in Canada, you will still be an international student you apply to medical schools here after undergrad.
At this point, I would suggest you put medical school on the back burner. You need to concentrate on finishing high school first…and figure out your immigration status upon completing high school.
Some of that will drive what you can do.
ETA…getting a visa to study undergrad here isn’t as big a challenge as getting a green card. And that green card is what you need for medical schools.
I am sure there are some schools that will accept you, but the cost might not fit your budget…unless you are a Canadian citizen, is that the case? If not, what country do you have citizenship?
I understand, but right now a 610 in math suggests there might be some cracks in your math foundation. It sounds like you are doing all the right things to improve your math knowledge, which is great.
right, so I’m really thinking which options are good for me for undergrad. My extracurriculars are very good (I am not sure if I have mentioned this before), but they are not so amazing that a college will disregard my gpa. I haven’t gotten an early start with my education/finding opportunity as I arrived to the US late and my family had almost no idea what to do except go to school, until a year or so ago.
What do you suggest I improve upon my extracurriculars?
Many require a lot of money, or citizenship/pr, or a high gpa.
Yeah, my family really cannot afford more than 25-30k if I cannot contribute to it too… if I could work during my undergrad here, I would absolutely look for opportunity and take it. It’s that I am barred from doing so. I recently got a job offer from a university nearby after attending an interview- I was given a position for a research assistant. It really sucks I cannot do any of this.
I am not a canadian citizen
I can definitely improve my math section of the SAT. I have been studying and taking practice tests!! : )
You need to improve your GPA and show an upward trend. Most colleges don’t accept students based on their ECs.
Volunteering does not usually require a high GPA. But some places will require a background check…I don’t know how your international status impacts this. Ask your school counselor about volunteer things in your community.
Here are some resources that may be helpful. I would also speak with people like your HS GC, robotics coach, and science Olympiad coach about engineering related ECs. Are you in NYC or elsewhere in NY state? I will say your ECs seem good, and doing more of those is fine, but they aren’t likely to change the level of colleges where you can apply.
I’d take a look at University at Buffalo and Stony Brook among the SUNYs (you can try at Binghamton as well), as those are the only ones that are ABET-accredited in biomedical/biological engineering.
SUNY’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry offers an ABET-accredited program in Bioprocess Engineering, which might be similar (look at the curriculum) and also offers the benefit of being able to cross-register at Syracuse.
I’d also take a look at SUNY Polytechnic. I don’t see a bio/chemical related engineering accreditation, but it does offer biology majors (and other ABET-accredited engineering fields), and I’ve read good things about the hands-on style of learning there. I think @Bill_Marsh might be able to provide more insight on it.
If it’s medicine, that you really want, you should should look at universities in the country in which you will be living- unless you have a path to a green card, it won’t be the US, it will be a country in which you already have the right to live & work. In most countries outside North America you go straight into medicine from HS- and in most countries your annual budget will be easy to work with!
You need to sit down with an immigration lawyer to map out your options. A terrible outcome would be to finish a degree in the US, exhausting all your money, and having to leave because you cannot legally work here.
If you live near an accredited law school, they will likely have an immigration clinic. This is not sketchy, even though it sounds like it is. It is staffed by students who are heavily supervised by professors and experienced, practicing lawyers, and it will either be free or very modest cost.
We are all stabbing in the dark here without enough information to help you. Could you qualify for refugee status? We don’t know. Are your parents here as expats expecting to return to your home country? We don’t know. Are you from an EU country so you have a wide range of educational options? We don’t know.
Your EC’s are nowhere near as important as three things:
1- GPA
2- Scores, unless you are interested in test optional colleges
3- Your legal status.
Don’t fall down a rabbit hole of falling in love with biomedical engineering before you have sorted out your legal options.
my parents are here under a work visa. they’ve applied for permanent residency status, but I will not receive that before I turn 21.
my legal options (as far as I know) are that I go to an undergrad university and apply for a student visa, pay full price for tuition without eligibility for fafsa. If I’m in state, it’s better since the cost is decreased
now I am curious about studying undergrad in the UK or Canada… both countries are somewhere where I would feel great about studying and working in. do you guys have any advice on this?
I have no advice except to speak with an immigration lawyer, as I previously noted. You are WAY ahead of yourself. Most international students who apply to US universities are currently living overseas, and are either planning on returning to their home country after their Bachelor’s, OR eventually hope to get a Green Card and stay in the US. Your situation is different. The typical sequence of student visa, LPT, OPT, Green Card may not work for you, and the odds of you getting accepted to a US Medical School as a foreign national are very, very low.
You can google any of the UK medical schools and see the requirements listed. AND the costs…
You need 3 As in A-levels and these A must in chemistry, biology and a 3rd science of your choice; or, a IB score of 38 or higher ; or IELTS score of 70.
Plus most UK med school require a UCAT exam score for admission consideration. Those that don’t require the UCAT require the BMAT.
Three to five AP science/math classes all with scores of 5 may be an acceptable substitute for some UK med schools. Those AP classes must include bio, chem, and physicsC.
There is no financial aid for international students studying medicine in the UK. Expect to pay pay full tuition plus any living expenses.
I can take the IELTS (although I do not think it is necessary to test my English skills) and get a good score.
I am taking physics C em/m next year. I do not have space in my schedule to take bio/chem along with physics C, unless I really try to do so. I can take biology because I have extensive knowledge about it already. I’ve taken 2 other AP classes last year and got 4’s- psych and apwh
this year im testing for calc and apush
I looked up the UCAT and BMAT. Looks like I can take these too
I will ask my counselor soon about this… thank you
I am nervous whether I have a chance of being accepted or not.
My parents and I have already spoken with them, many times. The only options I have is in-state, and then being on a student visa starting age 21, and then go through the whole immigration process for my whole life in the US again…
Or I could go international where I could have a fresh start, especially countries looking for young students
I’m quite confused. What sort of visa are you currently on…or are you piggy backing your parent work visas.
In many cases, international students (and you are one) need to complete a certificate of finances documenting that you have the money at the ready to pay your college costs. When this is done, you then get a student visa.
I agree with others. I think your situation sounds complicated.
I would suggest you get a bachelors degree, and figure out IF medical school looks possible. The average starting age for medical school students now is mid-20’s. Hopefully your immigration status will get sorted out.