INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Applicant Thread!!!!

[Nakazima]

What about NYU? Does anyone know if it is international friendly? As in has anyone gotten an II?

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[mynameistoolong]

What about NYU? Does anyone know if it is international friendly? As in has anyone gotten an II?

They explicitly say Canadians only on their website, but from the II/acceptance numbers it doesn't look like they discriminate too much against them.

 

[oxnanaxo]

Hey guys

I was wondering if any of you use international mailing address for applications etc. ? I had a US address but will be traveling overseas soon for awhile and am worried about missing any important mails...

Thanks!!

 

[zxcvzxcv]

What about NYU? Does anyone know if it is international friendly? As in has anyone gotten an II?

I interviewed here in early October. I'm Canadian.

 

[hopefulMD12]

Hey guys

I was wondering if any of you use international mailing address for applications etc. ? I had a US address but will be traveling overseas soon for awhile and am worried about missing any important mails...

Thanks!!

I have a US address of family members, which I use. I also put my Canadian address. Some med schools have sent mail to my us address and some have sent it to my Canadian address.

 

[Nakazima]

Bump - how are you guys doing? I am still waiting to hear back from the majority of my schools. I hope to run into some of you! Seems like a lot of Canadians are applying, is anyone applying this cycle not Canadian? And if so, how's your cycle going?

 

[274631]

Bump - how are you guys doing? I am still waiting to hear back from the majority of my schools. I hope to run into some of you! Seems like a lot of Canadians are applying, is anyone applying this cycle not Canadian? And if so, how's your cycle going?

I'm not Canadian. I've had a pretty good cycle which I was pleasantly surprised by. You can check out my MDApps. Hope you start hearing back soon!

 

[Nakazima]

I'm not Canadian. I've had a pretty good cycle which I was pleasantly surprised by. You can check out my MDApps. Hope you start hearing back soon!

Thanks! I hope so too! Oh how does one check the MDApps? I am not familiar with the new SDN layout. Congrats though! Glad it is going well!!

EDIT: Nevermind just figured it out! Congrats on the acceptances!!

 

[LivingGood]

I am not applying this cycle and I am not Canadian...but I got accepted into a great med school in May. Unfortunately, I had to defer for next year....have to come up with the money.
My advice: apply to private schools, they are more receptive to intl students than public schools. I even got half tuition scholarship. So it can work...
Good luck to y'all in this cycle

 

[hopefulMD12]

Just to update everyone: I've gotten accepted to 3 top 25 schools, one waitlist, two deferred, still waiting to hear back from 6 or 7 schools, most of which are non-rolling... So I'll be waiting until march.

Any Canadians/ intl students feel free to pm me or post here if u have any questions

 

[Nakazima]

That is amazing hopeful, congrats!! Maybe share when you were complete / II/ accepted/ stats/ how being international affected your interviews? Do you recommend sending additional information prior to an interview? Feel free to just respond to the questions you are comfortable answering. Again, congrats!

 

[hopefulMD12]

That is amazing hopeful, congrats!! Maybe share when you were complete / II/ accepted/ stats/ how being international affected your interviews? Do you recommend sending additional information prior to an interview? Feel free to just respond to the questions you are comfortable answering. Again, congrats!

Thank you! I have a ~4.0 GPA and 36-38 mcat. I don't remember the dates for each school but I submitted my primaries on the first day possible and turned around the secondaries in 1-4 days max after I got them. This is very important. As an international, don't give them any chance to reject you (I still got rejected pre interview from 6-7 schools). Apply early and send in secondaries early.

Being international honestly has not affected my interviews all that much. People never bring it up but maybe that is because I'm Canadian and not a non Canadian international. I often bring it up in the context of diversity and how I would contribute to the school.

Only send additional updates prior to interview if it is a big update or if they are one of your top choices. I didn't do this, but one of my friends sent in a letter of interest to a school that had not given him an interview yet. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

 

[thanhhailhp1301]

I am a sophomore and I am still working on my app. I am from Vietnam and I do not have a green card. What do you guys think about my stats:
GPA: 3.6
sGPA: 3.8-3.9
Shadow exp: a doctor at Cincinnati Chidlren's hospital
Research: 1 sem of inorganic chem, 3 sem of Genetics at children's hospital and 1 sem with chemical engineers
Volunteer: I might be a voluteer at children's hospital soon and stay there until I graduate

I will try to bring my GPA up but you guys have any advices for me in order to make my chance better ?
Thanks guys and congratulation to anyone who got in

 

[mhoon1803]

I never knew an international students application thread existed. Its good to find some company ! (even though the cycle is almost over...)

 

[Laureatebarrel]

I am a sophomore and I am still working on my app. I am from Vietnam and I do not have a green card. What do you guys think about my stats:
GPA: 3.6
sGPA: 3.8-3.9
Shadow exp: a doctor at Cincinnati Chidlren's hospital
Research: 1 sem of inorganic chem, 3 sem of Genetics at children's hospital and 1 sem with chemical engineers
Volunteer: I might be a voluteer at children's hospital soon and stay there until I graduate

I will try to bring my GPA up but you guys have any advices for me in order to make my chance better ?
Thanks guys and congratulation to anyone who got in

Apply for summer programs, find a leadership position on an organization, shadow other doctors, continue your research experience. Also establish your credit history for loan later on. Unless you have lots of money or green card pending, I would suggest finding someone who can cosign for your med school loan.

 

[Laureatebarrel]

Just to update everyone: I've gotten accepted to 3 top 25 schools, one waitlist, two deferred, still waiting to hear back from 6 or 7 schools, most of which are non-rolling... So I'll be waiting until march.

Any Canadians/ intl students feel free to pm me or post here if u have any questions

Congrats on your acceptance.

 

[YamNMangos]

Hmm first time seeing this thread . Glad to see so many international students on SDN haha. Just finished the application cycle, so if anyone has any questions about the application process please feel free to PM me! I have been personally blessed with an amazing cycle, and I'll be glad to help any future applicants

 

[487806]

They explicitly say Canadians only on their website, but from the II/acceptance numbers it doesn't look like they discriminate too much against them.

Your avatar is incredibly deceiving

Congrats to everyone on their success!

 

[Laureatebarrel]

Hmm first time seeing this thread . Glad to see so many international students on SDN haha. Just finished the application cycle, so if anyone has any questions about the application process please feel free to PM me! I have been personally blessed with an amazing cycle, and I'll be glad to help any future applicants

How many schools you applied? How many secondaries you received? How many interviews/acceptances/rejects? Also what are your choices of schools?

 

[YamNMangos]

How many schools you applied? How many secondaries you received? How many interviews/acceptances/rejects? Also what are your choices of schools?

My MDApps ID below my avatar will answer pretty much all your questions. I got secondaries for all the schools I applied to.

 

[Laureatebarrel]

My MDApps ID below my avatar will answer pretty much all your questions. I got secondaries for all the schools I applied to.

Sorry didnt see it on the sdn app.

 

[alexsli0922]

I am so glad that this thread exists!!!
I am an international sophomore non Canadian.
I hold leadership positions in two clubs on campus.
I shadowed an oncologist for a day a few weeks ago and loved it!
I love doing research and would like to complete a senior thesis in bioinformatics and cancer research (hopefully)
I haven't started looking into which school accept international applicants.
And I would love to know about my chances and what aspect of my application I could improve in.

 

[Amygdarya]

I am so glad that this thread exists!!!
I am an international sophomore non Canadian in a top 20 american university. cGPA: 3.88 sGPA: 4.0
I am a computer science major and am doing research in bioinformatics (my interest!!!)
I hold leadership positions in two clubs on campus, volunteer 4 hrs every week.
I am very interested in oncology. I shadowed an oncologist for a day a few weeks ago and loved it!
I love doing research and would like to complete a senior thesis in bioinformatics and cancer research (hopefully)
My dream school is UCSF and UChicago. I haven't started looking into which school accept international applicants.
And I would love to know about my chances and what aspect of my application I could improve in.

OK, so I'm a (not so) lean mean premed bubble busting machine; consider yourself warned.

While your GPA is good and coming from a top 20 school may help, your ECs sound pretty run of the mill for a school of UCSF and U of Chicago caliber. Unless you get a first author publication in a good journal or distinguish yourself in some other meaningful way, you don't really have a chance at these schools. Plus, these two schools specifically are very much into community service, but, unless you forgot to mention it, you lack any; look for some meaningful community volunteering and make sure you enjoy it rather than do it just to check a box. Plus, one day with an oncologist is nowhere near enough to make a good specialty choice; do more shadowing, preferably with doctors of different specialities. Plus, you can't really say anything about your chances at top schools without your MCAT score; a MCAT score can make or break your application. Finally, while U of Chicago is relatively open to internationals, UCSF accepts only 1 (one) *every few years*, so, while you can certainly apply there and hope for the best, you may want to be careful with your expectations. Ask @mynameistoolong about schools that accept internationals.

In other words, you had a good start, but you still have a very long way ahead of you. Good luck!

 

[mynameistoolong]

UCSF was also my dream school—not even a secondary from them (was not surprised however; when I asked UCSF about 2 years ago, they said they had no internationals enrolled currently. This means they take, on average, less than one every four years).

UChicago takes a few international students (for MD; I hope you are not shooting for MSTP). @hopefulMD12 got an interview there I believe.

The MD programs at Yale, Vandy, and Dartmouth don't seem to discriminate against internationals according to their numbers (although I only got interviewed at Yale out of those three—then rejected ), so make sure your MCAT score is competitive for schools of that caliber (34+, ideally 37+).

Another hurdle you will face is being a non-Canadian international. I don't have solid evidence to back this up, but I think being a non-Canadian makes it a notch more difficult. The successful international applicants on SDN tend to be Canadian, except for someone (he was Hispanic, although that technically doesn't rule out that he is Canadian) a few years ago who got into Yale and a ton of other schools, but I'm sure he has something very special going for him (wasn't his MCAT).

It's a little (actually, very) depressing, but all you can do right now is try to ace your MCAT, make sure to cover all your bases like Amygdarya said. Make sure you do well on VR so they have no reason to question your English fluency. Either way, there's plenty of successful (and unsuccessful) examples on SDN, so try asking them (including me) if you have specific questions.

Edit: Being from a top 20 undergrad hopefully will help you.

 

[SpringButterfly]

Hi international folks!

I'm a 100% international non-Canadian .. I have a full scholarship (so money is not an issue at all for me or for the school). I'm taking my MCAT on May 08, 2014 and applying this cycle 2015!

I hope I'll do well on my MCAT and be able to submit my application .... I'm an ESL , so MCAT verbal is hard for me! How did you do on your MCAT ESL internationals?!!

 

[Amygdarya]

How did you do on your MCAT ESL internationals?!!

Practice. Lots and lots of practice. I got Examcrackers Verbal 101 passages and every TPRH verbal passage I could get my hands on and practiced my tail off. I did 7 passages for an hour (pretty much a standard MCAT verbal section) every day for a month before my MCAT date. I'm not kidding. Got a 12 for verbal; take it as you like.

 

[SpringButterfly]

Practice. Lots and lots of practice. I got Examcrackers Verbal 101 passaged and every TPRH verbal passages I could get my hands on and practiced my tail off. I did 7 passages for an hour (pretty much a standard MCAT verbal section) every day for a month before my MCAT date. I'm not kidding. Got a 12 for verbal; take it as you like.

Thanks that's encouraging!
There is hope! I'm 6-7 now ... I was 4-5 ... my test in May 8th ... I thought there is no hope but your words gave me hope

 

[gogettergirl]

Hello everyone ,

I am an international student in the US. I moved here for my master's degree. I already have a Physical Therapy degree and I am an aspiring med student.

I will be graduating in May 2015 with a thesis and plan to write MCAT after this. My current GPA IS 4.0. I will be falling short of pre-requisites too, which I plan on completing before graduating.

To be honest, the stats for international acceptance are discouraging but I am determined!

 

[hopefulMD12]

To the poster above, I would not hold my breath for those dream schools. I didn't even apply to ucsf because they basically do not accept international students (they say that they technically do). Uchicago also interviews very, very few international students and then continues/ rejects all/ most of them. Looking at last year's usnews data, I saw that uchicago accepted like 1 international student out of hundreds of applications. Schools like Yale, Cornell, northwestern, Dartmouth take a few more international students. Good luck!

 

[xftl]

Hi everyone. I am a pre-med undergraduate student from Tajikistan. I am willing to go to medical school after graduating from my college. When i came here I didn't know that getting into the US medical schools was that hard. I am a freshmen right now with 4.0 GPA (trying to keep it till senior year). I am also involved in many on campus clubs and organizations. I have shadowed a dentist and volunteered in dental clinic for low-income patients. I am hoping to get shadowing this summer, and after taking organic chem and some higher division biology courses do summer internships. Also, my parents cannot help me with medical school costs. I have pretty good financial aid right now, and pay only room and board. What are my chances of getting into medical school. I am probably the first student from my country applying to American med schools.

 

[Pirenzepine]

Another international checking in here~~

Not only that, but BU actually only accepts people with US bachelor's degrees even if you completed all their prereqs in the US.

Actually this is not true.. I was accepted to BU without taking any classes in US..

 

[Amygdarya]

Actually this is not true.. I was accepted to BU without taking any classes in US..

Interesting. When were you accepted? Last time I checked (last summer before applying), the official BU policy posted on their web site was US undergrads only.

 

[Pirenzepine]

Interesting. When were you accepted? Last time I checked (last summer before applying), the official BU policy posted on their web site was US undergrads only.

I applied this cycle and was just accepted in March. I was complete really late (late October). Maybe they changed their requirement this year?

 

[Amygdarya]

I applied this cycle and was just accepted in March. I was complete really late (late October). Maybe they changed their requirement this year?

No, I applied the same year as you (i.e. I'm starting medical school this August).
Anyway, congratulations on your acceptance and thank you for the correction! I guess the conclusion is, it's better to ask the schools you're interested in directly rather than trust anything you read in MSAR or even on schools' own web sites

 

[Laureatebarrel]

New msar has a report for international accepting schools for those who are interested.

 

[The Bookthief]

Hello!
I am looking to apply to medical school this cycle. I am an international student, but under different circumstances that many, I think. I am here in the US on H-4 visa and have been here for almost 10 years. I have my Employment Authorization Document and my dad's I-495 has been approved, so we are at the later stages for having our GreenCards approved. Is anyone applying under similar circumstances or know of other students who have applied? I was looking for advice on what to do, especially financially.

 

[Amygdarya]

Hello!
I am looking to apply to medical school this cycle. I am an international student, but under different circumstances that many, I think. I am here in the US on H-4 visa and have been here for almost 10 years. I have my Employment Authorization Document and my dad's I-495 has been approved, so we are at the later stages for having our GreenCards approved. Is anyone applying under similar circumstances or know of other students who have applied? I was looking for advice on what to do, especially financially.

Are you getting a green card as a child of your father whose I-495 got approved? If yes, you're in a very good position. Just wait to get your green card before applying and, assuming your qualifications are in order, you'll have a good chance of getting into a US medical school and you'll be able to get loans and institutional need-based grants/scholarships. While you're waiting for your green card, make sure you're all set to apply (have all your prereqs and a good GPA, have a solid MCAT, ECs, LORs etc.). If you're waiting for a green card, *do not* apply before you get it; it will put you at a serious disadvantage and you will likely have to reapply next year (hopefully with a green card) anyway.

If you're not part of your father's green card application, his immigration status is irrelevant to your situation and you better get a green card yourself. Applying with an H4 is very hard, and so is switching your visa from H4 to F1 (student visa) - being denied or delayed is not unusual at all - not to mention getting funded will be hard.

 

[Laureatebarrel]

Hello!
I am looking to apply to medical school this cycle. I am an international student, but under different circumstances that many, I think. I am here in the US on H-4 visa and have been here for almost 10 years. I have my Employment Authorization Document and my dad's I-495 has been approved, so we are at the later stages for having our GreenCards approved. Is anyone applying under similar circumstances or know of other students who have applied? I was looking for advice on what to do, especially financially.

I am also waiting for my green card but I am under F1 visa. It is tricky unless you know when exactly you will have your green card because you dont want to be late in the cycle. As general as the above mentioned it is better for you to wait.

 

[Cooldynasty]

I am also waiting for my green card but I am under F1 visa. It is tricky unless you know when exactly you will have your green card because you dont want to be late in the cycle. As general as the above mentioned it is better for you to wait.

I'm in the same situation that your are in. Yes it can be very tricky and for some reason the process is taking longer than expected. As far as applying to med school I decided not to wait and went ahead this cycle and I'm glad I did. Point? It's best to critically evaluate your situation and choose what you think is best. All the best @truongta1990 and @The Bookthief

 

[Laureatebarrel]

I'm in the same situation that your are in. Yes it can be very tricky and for some reason the process is taking longer than expected. As far as applying to med school I decided not to wait and went ahead this cycle and I'm glad I did. Point? It's best to critically evaluate your situation and choose what you think is best. All the best @truongta1990 and @The Bookthief

His case is different since it is H4 but I do agree that it is better to take charge of things if you can. Good luck to you as always and be sure to share your success.

 

[The Bookthief]

Are you getting a green card as a child of your father whose I-495 got approved? If yes, you're in a very good position. Just wait to get your green card before applying and, assuming your qualifications are in order, you'll have a good chance of getting into a US medical school and you'll be able to get loans and institutional need-based grants/scholarships. While you're waiting for your green card, make sure you're all set to apply (have all your prereqs and a good GPA, have a solid MCAT, ECs, LORs etc.). If you're waiting for a green card, *do not* apply before you get it; it will put you at a serious disadvantage and you will likely have to reapply next year (hopefully with a green card) anyway.

If you're not part of your father's green card application, his immigration status is irrelevant to your situation and you better get a green card yourself. Applying with an H4 is very hard, and so is switching your visa from H4 to F1 (student visa) - being denied or delayed is not unusual at all - not to mention getting funded will be hard.

Thank you for the reply! Yes, I am part of my dad's green card application. The problem is the uncertainty of when it would actually happen. I know that after I submit the application, I won't be able to change the status, so I wasn't sure how long I should wait. I have all my pre reqs, I've taken my MCAT, I'm figuring out LORs and all. But you're saying that waiting for the Green Card, even if that means applying the next cycle, is better than applying now without it?

 

[The Bookthief]

I am also waiting for my green card but I am under F1 visa. It is tricky unless you know when exactly you will have your green card because you dont want to be late in the cycle. As general as the above mentioned it is better for you to wait.

So will you be applying this year then, even if it's later in the cycle?

 

[Amygdarya]

But you're saying that waiting for the Green Card, even if that means applying the next cycle, is better than applying now without it?

I believe you're running the risk of not having your green card when you need it (for fin aid applications the latest, but some schools request a photocopy of your green card earlier - before making a decision on your application or even before interviewing you). You probably know this already, but you can check priority dates on the USCIS web site to get an estimate of when you should expect to get your green card, though it is what it is, an estimate.
That said, people without green cards do get accepted, but it's *much* harder to get into a US medical school as a non-resident. I also know a person who was very lucky to receive his/her green cards during his/her medical school application cycle. On the other hand, I know someone who got accepted to a US medical school but couldn't go and had to reapply next year because that person didn't get his/her green card on time. It varies, and there is quite a bit of luck involved.
So it is up to you to decide whether you should take the risk and apply this year or not. I myself would sit this cycle out if I didn't get my green card on time (and I did wait for a year to apply with my green card), but it's me

 

[Zongzi]

Zzz

 

[CanadianRN]

Hello everyone,

Great thread. I am non-traditional Canadian applicant. I am currently living and working in California with a U.S. address. I also have a TN Visa which is for working professionals. From what I understand, the U.S. Visa and the U.S. address will not make a bit of difference and I will still be considered OOS international everywhere. Is this the case?

If any successful Canadian applicants could provide some advice on schools to apply to, I would also really appreciate that.

GPA: >3.6
BCMP: >3.7
Grad GPA (MA) 3.88
MCAT: 29 (9 in PS) - I wrote it last year without physics or Ochem, but will be rewriting this summer (Aud 27) now that I have all the prereqs
EC and Research: Excellent (I have been working for 10 years, have published in healthcare, etc, etc.)

I have the MSAR, but statistics are only so helpful. It would be great to hear from a successful international applicant with a similar story.

 

[Amygdarya]

Great thread. I am non-traditional Canadian applicant. I am currently living and working in California with a U.S. address. I also have a TN Visa which is for working professionals. From what I understand, the U.S. Visa and the U.S. address will not make a bit of difference and I will still be considered OOS international everywhere. Is this the case?

Yes, you will be considered an international unless you have a green card or US citizenship. The good news, some schools (notably, the ones in the north of the US - think Michigan, Ohio, upstate New York etc.) like Canadian applicants more than internationals from other countries, and some schools will not accept any internationals other than Canadians.

Are you planning on applying in California? It's pretty competitive there, you may want to apply to other states as well. Having a higher MCAT score should help.
MSAR is actually a really good place to start in selecting which schools to apply to because of its MCAT/GPA statistics. However, keep in mind that, in general, international applicants should have higher than average stats to be accepted. Also, double check all the crucial information - whether the school accepts Canadians, specific prereqs etc. - on school's own web site or by contacting the school; MSAR can occasionally be wrong/outdated, but it's a good "screening tool".

 

[charistivity]

I'm really glad we have this going!!

Did anyone apply late in the cycle and still do well with IIs and acceptances? If yes, what were your stats? In other words, how critical is it for an international applicant to be complete early? I'm scheduled to take the MCAT on July 12 but I'm considering pushing it back to Aug 1 to give me enough time to adequately prepare.

Also if anyone would be willing to look over my PS, I will greatly appreciate it!!

 

[won'tstop]

Hey Guys!! I am a non-canadian international applicant. I am applying this coming cycle! Anyone also applying?

 

[islandfighter]

I don't know if being from Canada has anything to do with the time it takes for transcripts to be marked as received and I'm probably over thinking this... my transcripts to AACOMAS and AMCAS were sent at the same time... given their locations, I'm assuming they should have arrived on the same day. My AACOMAS transcript was received on May 29th. So yesterday the AMCAS login page marked transcripts received that were delivered on the 28th, and today it says the 30th..... but mine still says not received. Should I be worried?

 

[Laureatebarrel]

You are considered international applicant if you do not have residency (green card) or US citizenship.

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