Medical International student - do I have a realistic chance?

[GoSpursGo]

Hello
I've been following SDN but it's my first time posting, or sharing my information really..... any advice would be deeply appreciated as I'm quite lost...

Status: I'm a Chinese citizen but have been living in Canada for many years, no ties to the US.

Academic: undergrad (physiology) 3.48, Msc (physiology) 3.8
Caveat: I failed an anatomy class in 2nd year uni. I struggled in the first 1.5 year of college as my English was not really good then, and I had some trouble adjusting to the pace, however I steadily improved since then. My MCAT scores are 511 and 518.

Research: 5 years in total. Master's degree (3 year) + 2 years health research employment. 3 first author posters, 1 first +corresponding author review pub.

Clinical experience: hospital volunteer about 150h in college, ~800h scribe, ~50h med mission trip. I shadowed <20h in person as it was hard to shadow in Canada.

Other volunteers: suicide helpline volunteer (~120h and ongoing), church ministry teacher (~100h).

Extracurricular Activities: Started a sewing charity project with a friend which hosted a few activities on campus and donated hand-made dressses overseas, but not as serious as an official club. Other than that... Medtech Hackathon.

Employment History: teaching assistant, research assistant, 2 biotech internships, and now contract research writer for a large charity organization.


I applied to 9 MD and 9 DO schools this cycle and got nothing. I'm reapplying but also seriously wondering whether I stand a realistic chance, given my international status, academic record and lack of ties to the US. I wanted to apply to the US because 1) With my GPA, Canadian schools are unrealistic and 2) I've been wanting to move to the US for a long while now. It would hurt so much to give up on medicine, but if I don't even stand a real chance I should know this sooner than later.... thank you so much for any advice or input, and for your time reading this

Ugh it’s tough because international students are held to such a different standard than US applicants. Which schools did you apply to? What is the trend in the undergrad GPA, and would an SMP be a possibility?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Goro]

In general, I believe that your chances for MD are zero. International applicants need to be superstars.

Your chances are best at the 16ish DO schools that accept internationals, especially UNECOM and MSUCOM.

 

[Goro]

Thanks for your reply, really appreciate it

I applied to the following MD schools: TCU and UNSTHSC, Dartmouth, Loma Linda (because of my religious bg), Tulane, U Colorado, Rutgers, SUNY Upstate, UC Davis, Georgetown
DO: MSUCOM, UNECOM, MUCOM, LECOM, Western COMP, Midwestern, Rowan U, Kansas city U and Nova Southeastern.

What do you think of my school list?

My undergrad trend is definitely upward from the second year, last year was 3.8. I unfortunately already have a Msc degree in physiology so I don't think SMP would be an option anymore....

The MD schools were donations.

 

[Goro]

Thank you for your honest response! Yeah it definitely felt like I donated a lot of money to many schools the last cycle lol.
I applied to 9 DO schools. I actually just got an R from UNECOM but they gave me some feedback on improving my app.
Honestly, I'd be so thrilled to go to a DO school. Do you think my chances are real for them?

I believe so.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Have you thought about how you're going to pay for medical school? As a foreign student, you will not qualify for loans and most scholarships, and can't work at all.

EDIT: You won't qualify for federal loans. You can still get private loans but most lenders won't consider you, since you could just leave and not pay them back.

 

[lord999]

Thank you for bringing this up!
I've been wanting to do medicine since ... pretty much childhood. My parents have been very supportive and have been saving up for me for years now. My husband and I have also been saving since we both started working. He will also be working to support both of us while I'm in Med. So although I don't have the full amount, we've prepared some...

That being said....... I definitely was hoping to still obtain some loans to ease everyone's financial burden. And you reminded me that I might need to start doing some research on this.

Since I have your attention, do you mind if I also ask your opinion on my chances, DO/MD?

If you are still a Chinese National, remember that the US has special consular issues with Chinese students in the US. Most medical schools are loathe to touch this for even graduate school issues. You will definitely not qualify for a federal backed loan especially as a non-citizen, non-resident. The other matter is that most schools have a limit such that you are able to acquire a license within the state, so any US state supported school will not admit you without proof that you can domicile in the US.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

I think you have an ok chance at DO if you get more non-clinical volunteer with people less fortunate than yourself. Think about volunteering at a food shelter...get out of your comfort zone. Your chances at MD are close to zero with that GPA and international student.

 

[lord999]

Yes I'm still Chinese ... and I'm aware of the recent issues. This was my worry in the last cycle too, I picked schools that specifically said all applicants are subjected to the same selection standards regardless of their nationalities/place of residence and thought that would be sufficient. Guess it isnt?

And could you please expand on the last point? How can I prove that?

Thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it

You need TN status in the US at the very least, but some sort of permanency status that would allow you to remain indefinitely. Visa to visa, I know of no state supported school that allows it. Several states will not admit you without an SSN due to the background check style.