I am an undergrad student at liberal arts school as an international student. At first, I felt almost certain that I wanted to go to medical school, since I've enjoyed and done well on human biology, public health, history of medicine, chemistry, and neuroscience classes. However, I began to recognize the extremely competitive nature of getting into U.S. medical schools, especially as an international student. Also, I found myself being interested in culture and psychology, medical anthropology, and social science, and nevertheless not willing to let go of scientific research and working with patients. I would love to study social medicine, but it seems like many social medicine departments are only available to medical students. [for example, http://www.hms.harvard.edu/dsm/] My question is, do you have to go to medical school in order to study social medicine and be actively involved in public health policy changes (mental & physical) after graduation? Do you recommend any medical schools out of the U.S. that have a decent social medicine program? I would much prefer to go to medical school and study social medicine, but the chances of getting into U.S. medical school seem too rough. :( Hope to hear your words of advice.

You should also consider a masters in public health. this degree allows you to create policy, do research, analyze trends, and participate in research projects. This degree can put you in a position to affect populations as a whole