Hey Guys! I DESPERATELY need your help. I got in Princeton EA but I’m literally very confused about whether i should aattend or stay in Pakistan, get a MBBS degree and then go for my residency in the US. Could you please guide me. Medicine is my passion and Princeton my dream. If i chose Princeton I wont be able to become a doctor. Is it worth giving up Princeton? HELP NEEDED !
@AltoLime and others!
Dude, congrats! So many people I know applied and got deferred/rejected. It depends really. Princeton is like a once in a lifetime thing. Check if they have a medical program. US colleges usually have an eight year medical program (4 yrs BS and 4 yrs MD). If you think you can put in time, then I definitely recommend getting your BS from Princeton and then MD from somewhere else in US. Or you could come back and do it. Really depends on whether you’re willing to spend so much time. If not, then look into biomedical or biological engineering- Princeton might have those courses (I’m not sure) and even though they’re not medical, they’re pretty good too.
Internationals’ admission to US medical schools is competitive in the extreme. Getting a US residency with a medical degree outside the US or Canada is even more unlikely.
Yeah that’s one of the reasons I don’t want to risk it. As for the residency issue, i know plenty of people who took the same path and are now about to complete their residencies in the US. @TomSrOfBoston
Agreed with above. How seriously do you want to be a doctor? If you pick Princeton – an amazing opportunity, for sure – you’re picking an incredibly difficult, risky (and expensive! Have you checked how international students finance US med schools?) path toward a medical degree.
@socksnthings The issue isn’t time, the issue is the difficulty of getting into grad med school and the outrageous fees. They don’t give any aid or loans to international students. So what would you recommend ?
@katliamom I DESPERATELY want to pursue medicine. I literally have no idea what I’ll do if not medicine. and US med schools are outrageous when it comes to the bucks. Would you recommend me staying in Pakistan then ?
Again: do you want to be a doctor? If so, staying in Pakistan may make more sense. But if you’re also open to other careers, it’s hard to do better in the US, in terms of name-brand prestige, than Princeton. Also, read up about your ability to stay and work in the US after your graduation. Many, if not most, international students are forced to leave the States a year or so after their studies. And these restrictions may only get tougher with the new administration in Washington.
We cross posted @ArsenalLover123. If you only see yourself becoming a doctor – if you’re 100% sure that is your life’s passion – then yes, staying in Pakistan makes more sense.
@katliamom Yes, I want to be a doctor. I might not even want to stay in the US after graduation but the thing is i’m not sure whether i’m open to other careers or not. I’ve never thought about anything else. I thought about business, engineering , government but nothing clicked. and Ah yes, the new administration…
@katliamom Thank you for the advice! Ring me up in ten years if you want consultation from a good surgeon 
I’d go with Princeton. The opportunities there can’t be compared to what you’ll find at the best medical school in Pakistan + the new environment, culture, meeting people from all over the world, building networks and connections, discovering things about yourself and about the world that you don’t even think of right now. The opportunities for growth are hard to overstate.
You can study Neuroscience or biochemistry and do research, if you’re as good as sure you’ll be a doctor you’ll do what it takes for a MD/PHD. As a Princeton student you’ll be well-positioned for those - where you combine studying medicine and doing research, and receive a small stipend for doing so.
There are a few med schools that do give aid. Washington’s need blind apparently. And Brown is need aware-which means that they’ll keep in mind that you’re applying for aid when you get admitted but if you do get admitted, they’re willing to pay as much as you need. If you’re that unsure, ask a teacher or a doctor with experience.
@ArsenalLover123 Hey! Sorry for the late reply but I’ve rarely been on CC since this nonsense website stopped letting me log in with AltoLime a few months ago -.- So I have a new account now (pat yourself on the back for getting me back here though idk if that actually means anything worthwhile :P). In any case, I haven’t gone through the replies up there (I’m super sleepy and lazy) but I’ll give you the best answer that comes to me: If you are dead set on medical but do not have the financial resources for med school then I’m going to be in the super unpopular camp of doing medicine here. However, the fact that you got into Princeton suggests to me that you have numerous talents that may not be fully developed if you go off to med school in Pakistan. As such, if you have even the slightest inkling that medical may not be the right future for you then I suggest going with Princeton. Education in the US is a truly life changing experience and a degree in literally anything from Princeton is super desirable in the job markets around the world. Feel free to reach out to me and we can talk about this in detail.