<p>I'm a student living in Southeast Asia and my parents are telling me that going to the US would be good if I want to study medicine. Can I get into a good college in the US with what I have done below? Any advice would be great :) </p>
<p>Academic:
- SAT: 2310 (750 R, 770 W, 790 M)
- Top high school in country, 3.83 GPA, top 5% in class of 1200
- Taking A levels next year, got straight As this year
- Taking H3 Biology next year
- National debate competition, won 3rd place
- Have learnt 3 languages
- Have participated in several national Geography competitions in high school </p>
<p>ECs:
- Peer Support Board (Executive Committee)
- Student's Council
- Red Cross Society
- Angklung Ensemble (Won a Gold award in a national competition)
- Biology Club
- Organized and facilitated an international convention for youth leaders</p>
<p>Community Service:
- Trip to Vietnam to teach English to children there (3 months of preparation and 1 week in Vietnam)
- Initiated a programme within my community to teach piano to less fortunate children. There was 6 months of preparation for the kids before they put up a concert for their parents.
(I really love working with kids)</p>
<p>Work Experience:
- Internship at a clinic (1 week)
- Internship at a medical institution (4 weeks)
- Short attachment at a research facility (few days)</p>
<p>Future plans:
- Ambassador for health among youth (I'm really passionate about this)
- Giving free lectures online to A level students (Preparing the curriculum this year and starting the lectures proper next year)</p>
<p>Yup that's about it (: Any idea about my chances?</p>
<p>Do you mean that you want to attend medical school in the US eventually? Are you aware that medical school in the US is a graduate program and that you would have to attend undergraduate school for 4 years and get a bachelors degree before attending medical school? In addition, it’s almost unheard of for foreign students to be admitted to US medical schools. </p>
<p>If you’re interested in attending undergraduate school in the US, then your stats look good, but the international applicant pool is extraordinarily competitive, and admit rates for internationals are lower than those for US students. Do you need financial aid? Many schools do not give aid to internationals and the ones that do tend to be the hardest to get into.</p>
<p>Hey thanks for your reply!
Hmm I’m not 100% sure that I want to do medicine in the US, but considering that I have to spend a lot more years in the US getting a degree, would any other country be better to get a medical degree? Like the UK or in Asia or Australia?</p>
<p>I don’t know much about getting medical degrees in the countries you mentioned or what their policies are for admitting foreign students. An undergraduate degree in the US is a possibility, but a medical degree in the US for a foreign student is highly unlikely. You’ll have to investigate the other countries. Also, if you plan on practicing medicine in your home country, what is their policy for honoring medical degrees earned in foreign countries? For example, would extra testing be required before you could practice?</p>
<p>You want your medical degree in the country you wish to live in and practice medicine in. Each place has its own requirements for degrees and licensure. An MD degree will not let you work in every country- you need to meet an individual country’s requirements to practice. Where do you eventually want to live? That is where you want to meet the requirements for being a physician. </p>
<p>Presume you intend to become a permanent US citizen. Then it would be to your advantage to go through the US college system. You would refine your American English and get used to the culture as well as have the correct college crdits. Be warned the acceptance rate to US medical schools of college students who apply is around 1 in 3. Your HS credentials are like thousands of would be doctors in US HS’s. You need to perform well in college.</p>
<p>Many physicians from other countries do choose to come to the US. They need to pass tests including English language ones and typically do a US residency before being able to practice in the US. Also, each state has its own licensure program- you need to qualify for a medical license in each state you wish to practice in (and pay malpractice premiums in that state).</p>
<p>“Presume you intend to become a permanent US citizen.”</p>
<p>wis75, you know that this is not easy to achieve for students who come here to study! First they need to complete their degree, then they need to find an employer that will arrange an H-1B (work) visa for them (which is very nearly impossible for recent college graduates), then after several years in H-1B status, they need to petition for a change of status to permanent resident (which is often refused), and finally after five years in permanent resident status, they can file citizenship papers.</p>
<p>If someone wants a faster track to a work visa/legal permanent residence/eventual citizenship, completing med school in their home country then coming here for a medical residency is worth considering.</p>
<p>gabby–it is extraordinarily difficult for an international student to gain admittance to US medical school. In the past 10 years, fewer than 200 international have been accepted each year to all US med schools combined. Some years the number is less than 100.</p>
<p>(International matriculants are near the bottom of the table–see “foreign” for home state.)</p>
<p>Many US medical schools simply will not consider internationals for admission. And only 4 or 5 of the 50 medical schools that do admit internationals offer financial aid to internationals. This mean you and your family need to be able to fund your medical education. (Right now ~$250,000. Many med school wills require an escrow account with funds for 1-4 years deposited in advance of registering for classes.)</p>
<p>The less expensive option would be to attend a medical school in your home country, take the USMLE (US Medical Licensing Exam) and apply for US residency. </p>
<p>Setting med school aside and answering your first question of can you get in to a good US college or university, your resume looks good and competitive. You may not qualify for financial aid like many US students do, however, so it may cost you a lot of money just for just undergraduate. Like probably between $150,000 for a public university (out of state rate) and $250,000 for a private for the 4 years combined, including room and board. There are some schools that will give scholarships to international students but my understanding is most do not. Maybe someone with first hand experience can comment.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t this student already qualify for significant aid at U of Alabama? </p>
<p>The issue of medical school in this country is one to consider seriously. The likelihood of you being accepted as an international student to a U.S. medical school is VERY low. Very.</p>
<p>What are the options in your own country…and why exactly do your parents want you to study here? Do they think it will be easier to gain medical school admission someplace?</p>
<p>gabby–it is extraordinarily difficult for an international student to gain admittance to US medical school. In the past 10 years, fewer than 200 international have been accepted each year to all US med schools combined. Some years the number is less than 100.</p>
<p>And often the int’ls that are accepted have some special hook…such as: being in the process of getting a green card, having strong ties to the US, a parent that works for the med school, etc. Canadians, while they are int’ls, are often given special consideration for admission - but their admit numbers are also very low. </p>
<p>Getting a green card is very hard for a student unless the family has moved to the US and can show that it can support itself. The US isn’t handing out green cards to int’l students when they aren’t fully self-supporting…and even then it’s a big process/hurdle. </p>
<p>The purpose of US MD schools is to educate American doctors; that’s why so very few int’ls are admitted. US MD schools tend to get a lot of federal and sometimes state aid, so there are pressures (and sometimes rules/laws) that prevent a SOM from admitting int’ls.</p>
<p>If you haven’t already done so, read through everything at [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://www.educationusa.state.gov%5DEducationUSA”>http://www.educationusa.state.gov) Then make an appointment with the counselors at the advising center closest to where you live. They are expert at helping students in your country find good places to study in the US. They will be able to help you evaluate all of your options, and can tell where students like you have been admitted in recent years. This is not a wheel that you have to re-invent.</p>
<p>In some countries, you begin medical studies immediately after secondary school. That is the UK model. It is followed in many Commonwealth nations. In the US and Canada, you begin medical studies AFTER you get a bachelor’s degree.There are some required pre-med courses–the # has been reduced recently–but you can major in anything.</p>
<p>If you are sure you want to be a physician, it may be advisable for you to study in a nation in which you start medical school right after secondary school. However, MOST nations severely limit the number of foreign students accepted into these programs. You should check on a country by country basis. Don’t rely on Wikipedia, of course–it’s just a good starting point. </p>
<p>You should also make sure that your home country will recognize the degree you get elsewhere. You cannot rely on being able to stay in the nation where you get your degree. You refer to “A levels” in your post, so it sounds as if you are in a Commonwealth style education system.
If that is the norm in your home country, it’s more likely that your nation will recognize a medical degree from another Commonwealth nation.</p>