How does studying abroad work in terms of yor work and degrees meaning anything in the states? For example, say i attend to Sophia University of japan or the University of Sydney. I finish say, my bachelors in like science or something (i have interest in the medical field), when i return back to the states, and start applying for med schools would my degree in japan or Australia mean anything? Also, when it comes to applying for med school does a past degree abroad look better or worse? Is it a negative to have a degree from a foreign country?
Most US medical schools want you to have done the core pre-requisite courses (typically bio, chem, organic chem & physics) in the US (there is a standardized curriculum). There are websites that summarize which med schools will take students with international undergrad degrees- google around a bit.
Studying at a non-US university would put you at a disadvantage when you’re applying to medical school. Many medical schools will say outright that they prefer applicants from American universities (and they may even require X undergraduate credits from an American university).
That aside, studying abroad will create more challenges for you:
- Pre-med requirements. They are not covered by any single major, and most non-US universities would not let you take courses outside of your major. You may have to complete (and pay for) a post-baccalaureate pre-med year in the US in order to complete your pre-med coursework if you get your undergraduate degree abroad.
- You would not immediately qualify for in-state tuition anywhere in the US after you return from abroad. You may have to take a gap year (or two) and support yourself with a full-time job to earn your in-state discount back.
- You would not have access to the pre-med advising that your American classmates enjoy. For example, an American university would be able to tell you which medical schools you'd be competitive at with your grades and MCAT scores, based on the experience of students from the same university in prior years. A foreign university can't do that and you'd have to apply to a much bigger number of medical schools to cover your bases (which gets expensive quickly, since most medical schools require an on-campus interview as part of the admission process).
American universities can also offer you guidance on how to integrate the pre-med courses into your degree program so that you can finish all of your requirements (major, general education, pre-med) in the requisite timeline and without getting overwhelmed. (For example, the content of many pre-med courses is on the MCAT, and you may prefer to finish those particular courses by the end of your junior year so that you can take the MCAT and apply to medical school while you’re still in college.)