International Students who have made it to US Medical Schools

[shirlly89]

Any applicants from New Zealand? I have bachelors from New Zealand. Just out of curiosity, anyone got a good list of schools i can apply to with overseas degree?

Thanks!

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[Brunox13]

Any applicants from New Zealand? I have bachelors from New Zealand. Just out of curiosity, anyone got a good list of schools i can apply to with overseas degree?

Thanks!

Hey Shrilly, that's gonna be really complicated, as MOST (maybe all) med schools in the use require some coursework done in the US.
I am a Czech pre-med in the States, and I want to apply to american med schools as well, but I'm at an American college right now. You should check out my blog (in my profile details) for more info - there is also a list of schools that admit internationals, which is the place to start --- from there, select schools that do not require US college attendance, but it's gonna be only a few if any.

 

[chaishuqian]

I know a girl graduated from China mainland, with an excellent article published on a famed science magzine and over 40 MCAT. She got matriculated by Stanford without any study in US. I suspect that either you spend at least one year in US or you have some unique achievements. And some schools accept graduates from British education system. That's it.

Is she a PR? Do u know her GPA?

 

[Dosie_01]

I am an international student from Nigeria, got admitted to Depaul university for a pre-med program,picked a major under science and health. what are my chances of getting admission into a medical school, or should I just go to the carribeans?

 

[claduva94]

I am an international student from Nigeria, got admitted to Depaul university for a pre-med program,picked a major under science and health. what are my chances of getting admission into a medical school, or should I just go to the carribeans?

Depends on a lot more factors than you gave. MCAT, GPA, ECs, etc. But, as you can see, you have an uphill battle ahead of you. I will say if you want to practice in the US you should go to school in the US.

 

[Dosie_01]

thank you so much, that was helpful, and please do you know anything about Depaul university?

 

[claduva94]

thank you so much, that was helpful, and please do you know anything about Depaul university?

Not a lot. But it is accredited so getting a degree from there will definitely be a good first step!!!

 

[Dosie_01]

Okay, I think that's good enough for me, what school are you taking your pre-med and how Is it going

 

[lordman]

Hello folks,
I have 2 international relatives and they are interested to join US medical schools:

1) The first one is an medical student at his home country. He is not a US citizen or PR. What is the best advice for him? I had a quick look on the 4 pages of this thread but don't remember anyone with backgound of medical school at his home country

2) The second one is an already MD from his country, but he is a US citizen (dual citizen). Ton of publications and even cleared his USMLE step 1. However, he is interested in a very competitive residency and does not mind repeating medical school again in the US. What does he have to do?

 

[looney9]

Hello,
Am I dreaming too big or is it actually possible to go med school in the US by doing a M.S(biotechnology)(In the US) and having a undergrad in biotechnology(from India) of GPA 3.5?

P.S: any help would be appreciated(negative or positive)

 

[won'tstop]

I think the general rule is that if you are international, you need to re-do the prerequisite classes through a post-bacc program in the states and get some experience in the U.S health care system (volunteering; shadowing). In addition, get a good mcat score. I think that completes the formula which is basically the same as the one for a US citizen.

 

[Brunox13]

Hello
Am I dreaming too big or is it actually possible to go med school in the US by doing a M.S(biotechnology)(In the US) and having a undergrad in biotechnology(from India) of GPA 3.5?

P.S: any help would be appreciated(negative or positive)

I think the general rule is that if you are international, you need to re-do the prerequisite classes through a post-bacc program in the states and get some experience in the U.S health care system (volunteering; shadowing). In addition, get a good mcat score. I think that completes the formula which is basically the same as the one for a US citizen.

I agree with won'tstop --- most schools will require *undergraduate* schooling in the US prior to applying.
After you fulfill these requirements, your chances also very much depend on whether you would need financial support from the school in question, which is usually very hard to obtain for internationals - see more details on my blog (in my signature).

Btw, congratulations to won'tstop to being admitted this year!! Are you an international student yourself??

 

[looney9]

I think the general rule is that if you are international, you need to re-do the prerequisite classes through a post-bacc program in the states and get some experience in the U.S health care system (volunteering; shadowing). In addition, get a good mcat score. I think that completes the formula which is basically the same as the one for a US citizen.

Thank you
Now I have to research on those prerequisites classes and post bacc programs.
And Good luck

 

[Turin Turambar]

I am a Chinese citizen and a sophomore at a private LAC (like around top 10?) in the US. I have ~3.85 GPA. I am chemistry major but my research is not too much related to organic and biological stuff. I research in quantum and am about to publish a first author paper on JPCC (IF~3). I am also involved in a public health research group at UPenn. I will probably publish a few non first author papers due to my participation in psychophysiology research. I expect to continue my research until graduation and will probably publish around 5-8 papers (first and non-first author). Haven't done too much volunteering in health settings. Have been trying to teach high school kids from underdeveloped areas as a volunteer. Will start next year probably. BTW I won an international bronze medal in physics when I was in high school...
I wonder what chances I will have. Haven't taken MCAT yet....
If there is only very low chances, I will probably just find a job in computer science...

 

[Brunox13]

I am a Chinese citizen and a sophomore at a private LAC (like around top 10?) in the US. I have ~3.85 GPA. I am chemistry major but my research is not too much related to organic and biological stuff. I research in quantum and am about to publish a first author paper on JPCC (IF~3). I am also involved in a public health research group at UPenn. I will probably publish a few non first author papers due to my participation in psychophysiology research. I expect to continue my research until graduation and will probably publish around 5-8 papers (first and non-first author). Haven't done too much volunteering in health settings. Have been trying to teach high school kids from underdeveloped areas as a volunteer. Will start next year probably. BTW I won an international bronze medal in physics when I was in high school...
I wonder what chances I will have. Haven't taken MCAT yet....
If there is only very low chances, I will probably just find a job in computer science...

It's always hard to tell with these "what are my chances" posts, but from what you're saying, I don't see a reason why it wouldn't work out - but then again, it is NEVER a sure shot for international students.
Have you considered MD-PhD? You seem to be interested in research a lot.

And btw, why not try both? Apply for med schools (during your senior year, I suppose?) and then, at the end of your senior year, as you're waiting for med school decisions, apply for jobs, just in case? (Do it the other way round if you want to take a gap year.)

 

[Turin Turambar]

It's always hard to tell with these "what are my chances" posts, but from what you're saying, I don't see a reason why it wouldn't work out - but then again, it is NEVER a sure shot for international students.
Have you considered MD-PhD? You seem to be interested in research a lot.

And btw, why not try both? Apply for med schools (during your senior year, I suppose?) and then, at the end of your senior year, as you're waiting for med school decisions, apply for jobs, just in case? (Do it the other way round if you want to take a gap year.)

Thanks for the reply!
Indeed I am thinking about MD-PhD options. I am also thinking about taking a gap year before I graduate to do full-time research or just work. Also I lack volunteers opportunities. What would you suggest me to do?

 

[shanzone]

I am international, and I got in. Applied to about 11 schools, 4 interviews including an MD/PhD, 2 acceptances to MDs.
I applied late in my first try and got 2 interviews but no acceptances, then reapplied right after.
Apply broadly, ace your MCATs, have extracurriculars and all that fun stuff. Also, for me I would say what changed the most between my first and second year was my confidence levels. I improved greatly in interviewing during my second app cycle.
I have three friends who are all international who got in, and know 2 internationals matriculating into my medical school.
Its definitely doable. Do not let SDN or anyone else discourage you. If you know you want to be a doctor, then go for it.

Hi thanks for the encouraging words! May I know where did you get your bachelor's degree? Thanks!

 

[Tsaka]

Hello,

Im an international student who completed my undergrad in the US, and went on to a masters program and now I am doing research. I applied to medical school last cycle, unfortunately no MD interviews, but a couple of DO ones. Eventually I was accepted to the two DO schools and have paid the full deposit to one of them... My stats are: ugpa 3.2, masters gpa 3.6, mcat 30

so my question is this: Would it be wise to attend the DO school or to reapply next year (2016-2017 cycle) after having my name published in a few articles and possibly doing a post bacc to strengthen my ugpa? I understand my mcat is borderline but I feel that my ugpa requires the greater polishing

Thanks

 

[gyngyn]

Would it be wise to attend the DO school or to reapply next year (2016-2017 cycle) after having my name published in a few articles and possibly doing a post bacc to strengthen my ugpa? I understand my mcat is borderline but I feel that my ugpa requires the greater polishing

Thanks

You are kidding, right?

 

[URMD]

Hello,

Im an international student who completed my undergrad in the US, and went on to a masters program and now I am doing research. I applied to medical school last cycle, unfortunately no MD interviews, but a couple of DO ones. Eventually I was accepted to the two DO schools and have paid the full deposit to one of them... My stats are: ugpa 3.2, masters gpa 3.6, mcat 30

so my question is this: Would it be wise to attend the DO school or to reapply next year (2016-2017 cycle) after having my name published in a few articles and possibly doing a post bacc to strengthen my ugpa? I understand my mcat is borderline but I feel that my ugpa requires the greater polishing

Thanks

I always think about it on the other side. 1 more yr spent preparing application = 1 yr less working as a doctor = 1yr loss of attending salary = average 200k. This is called "opportunity cost". This doesnt factor in other stuff like 1 yr earlier to invest, 1 yr earlier to buy a house, etc.
Considering you already have the acceptance....will losing that 1 yr and getting in (assuming you do) to an MD school allow you to recoup that 200k+ you lost down the road? Maybe yes, usually no.
Take that acceptance and run!

 

[Tsaka]

You are kidding, right?

@gyngyn Sarcasm doesn't read well online, but I'm guessing you're implying that I should attend! (feel free to correct me). I was just a little hesitant :-/

@URMD thanks! that's what I'm thinking too

 

[StephenCurry1]

BUMP

Hopefully more people can share their stories

 

[swathi_PT]

Foreign Under grad, MS in kinesiology from uni of illinois, urbana-champaign, Licensed PT - Currently practicing for over a year now in California, Published more than 28 research papers on Multiple Sclerosis across multiple journals with a high impact factor.
I am planning to take my MCAT on Aug 22, my preparation has been mediocre so far. (Had a baby 7 weeks ago)
However, i am planning to apply for MD and DO programs this cycle. Not a green card holder, it is currently in process through my husband who is also a immigrant...may well take close to 3-4 years to get my green card.

Wondering, if anyone can advise me on what my chances will be? How should i approach? will my background and resume give me some advantage if i get to the interview stage?

I am very passionate about pursuing a MD degree, especially after my extensive research and interaction with the patients and families. Just gives me immense satisfaction noticing a person relieved of pain.

 

[Doctoraustin2g]

I am international, and I got in. Applied to about 11 schools, 4 interviews including an MD/PhD, 2 acceptances to MDs.
I applied late in my first try and got 2 interviews but no acceptances, then reapplied right after.
Apply broadly, ace your MCATs, have extracurriculars and all that fun stuff. Also, for me I would say what changed the most between my first and second year was my confidence levels. I improved greatly in interviewing during my second app cycle.
I have three friends who are all international who got in, and know 2 internationals matriculating into my medical school.
Its definitely doable. Do not let SDN or anyone else discourage you. If you know you want to be a doctor, then go for it.

How about financial aid? Did you need to prove that you could pay your tuition up front?

 

[ZedsDed]

Foreign Under grad, MS in kinesiology from uni of illinois, urbana-champaign, Licensed PT - Currently practicing for over a year now in California, Published more than 28 research papers on Multiple Sclerosis across multiple journals with a high impact factor.
I am planning to take my MCAT on Aug 22, my preparation has been mediocre so far. (Had a baby 7 weeks ago)
However, i am planning to apply for MD and DO programs this cycle. Not a green card holder, it is currently in process through my husband who is also a immigrant...may well take close to 3-4 years to get my green card.

Wondering, if anyone can advise me on what my chances will be? How should i approach? will my background and resume give me some advantage if i get to the interview stage?

I am very passionate about pursuing a MD degree, especially after my extensive research and interaction with the patients and families. Just gives me immense satisfaction noticing a person relieved of pain.

Little advice can be given without an MCAT score. No advice can be given without a GPA.

 

[potato0987]

Asian Australian, did my bachelors in the US. GPA 3.75, MCAT 32 (completely bombed the verbal with a 7 by the way). 3 years research experience and 1 year volunteering and 1 year shadowing experience. Applied my junior year of college to 40 schools (applied very late, like around November) got an interview at 1, and ultimately an acceptance at that one. Don't give up!!

 

[Giovanotto]

As an international student, who completed his UG degree in the US, I was recently accepted to a new DO school. I'm a bit worried as they are new and I hope that it works out with visas and all. I have voiced my concern to them. Waiting to hear back.

Edit: got into another more established school, hooray!

 

[docwannabe1008]

As an international student, who completed his UG degree in the US, I was recently accepted to a new DO school. I'm a bit worried as they are new and I hope that it works out with visas and all. I have voiced my concern to them. Waiting to hear back.

what's your stat?

 

[Doug Underhill]

Here's my former coworker

Canadian
30 years old
4.0 GPA undergrad/grad school 35 MCAT (one retake)
Average Canadian state school for undergrad/Ph.D in a top 20 medical school
3 first author publications

She is currently in the MD program at a Top 30 medical school.

 

[yongli]

.

 

[Giovanotto]

I'm an international student as well. (not canadian)
I alrdy got accepted into pharmacy school w/ $10k scholarship.
I knew the pharmacy market is getting saturated. I'm not sure by the time I graduate, I would be able to get a job. N a P3 student I knew recently told me that pharmacists are treated worse than a nurse in the hospital and that she regretted her decision of becoming a pharmacist. Kinda made me sad.
I still want to see if I could go for the med school. I've always interested in it, but didn't dare chase it becuz of my stats.
my stats are really on the low side. *please don't judge*
cgpa: 3.18, sgpa: 2.8
i still have some classes to take. it will hopefully bring my gpa up a bit higher.
Since my stats are on the low side, I'm thinking of becoming the PA and the MD/DO.
Is becoming a PA a stepping stone to MD?
Or is med school not possible for my case? Am I just aiming sth too high for my league? Should i jux continue being a pharmacist?

PA school is separate from medical school. Pick one. Right now your stats hardly qualify you for either, but your pharmacy school experience may help you, although I probably wouldn't use a PharmD as a an EC for medical school, talk about overkill. If you're not sure yet, try to defer your pharm school acceptance, take classes for another year, try to ace them, consider the MCAT, and go from there.

Everyone has their own preference, but particular interests aside, I'd rather be a PA than a pharmacist in the current healthcare market.

Also, how did you get into pharmacy school with those stats? Never mind the 10k scholarship on top of it all.

 

[yongli]

.

 

[Giovanotto]

The school that I applied to only take into account of prereq. classes, not sgpa. N they have their way of calculating the gpa. N though I don't have strong pharmacy related EC, there is one really good non-pharmacy related EC on my resume, and I have good LORs from my prof. Just got lucky, I would say.
I know my stats are low for both PA and med. But I doubt even after taking a gap year to retake classes and good MCAT would get me into med school.
What I'm thinking is maybe I should try to raise my grades and EC for a year and apply to PA instead of med. Since PA would be a more doable path. And using PA degree as a EC for med school. Or just go to Carribean, UK, or European med school and do the US residency. Though I knew, it'd be relatively hard to enter back to US.
I also would like to know why you think PA is better in the current healthcare market. Because since everyone is telling me the same, I kinda start to feel that I'm going to wrong route. At the same time, since I'm getting a scholarship with everything laid out for me, I do not want to chase sth that would be way too impossible for me. I'm just considering lots of factors now.
Also, if I'm going to defer the decision, what would be a good way to word it without losing my scholarship. I'll, of cuz, contact my school about it also if I made up my mind.

Negative. I don't know what your major and grade breakdown is, but you may be able to raise your sgpa at least to a 3.2 or so. This is DO(Doctor of Osteopathy) territory with a decent MCAT score. I do NOT recommend going to PA school if you want to ultimately go to medical school. Plus, your sgpa is not going to cut it for any PA program anyways as it stands. Again, I'm surprised you were even able to get into a pharmacy program.

I get what you're going through and I considered almost all of the options you have put forward here. But, I think that if you're ready and confident that you can succeed in medical school then retake all of your C+'s and under, take the premed classes (e.g. anatomy, physio, micro, endo, immuno, etc.) rock the MCAT, and apply to every DO school that takes international students (~25).

The PA profession currently is booming. Decent hours, decent pay for a small investment in both time and money. The same CANNOT be said for pharmacy, given how saturated the field has become. I can't pretend to know much more, I have based my conclusion almost exclusively from perusing SDN the last year. Pharmacy seems seriously doomed as a career, but please ask the pharmacy subforum for more information if you're really reconsidering pharmacy (which I think you should unless you're very interested in it and more importantly the work that comes after).

 

[Emouletaboule]

Am British , got accepted to Baylor premed. What are my chances getting to medschool as an international student ?

 

[Giovanotto]

Am British , got accepted to Baylor premed. What are my chances getting to medschool as an international student ?

It's really hard to say right now, but things to watch out for:
Make sure they don't want all 4 years tuition up-front or in an eschew account, unless you have the cash.

If you want to be a physician, first step is to do well in your classes, rock the MCAT, and then we can see from there. It's way too early to tell right now.

 

[Emouletaboule]

Thnx, what I meant is it doable ?because I keep hearing that it's extreme difficult for international students to enter med school , or is it better to go to a 6 yr medical school abroad and then do the USMLE

It's really hard to say right now, but things to watch out for:
Make sure they don't want all 4 years tuition up-front or in an eschew account, unless you have the cash.

If you want to be a physician, first step is to do well in your classes, rock the MCAT, and then we can see from there. It's way too early to tell right now.

 

[Giovanotto]

Thnx, what I meant is it doable ?because I keep hearing that it's extreme difficult for international students to enter med school , or is it better to go to a 6 yr medical school abroad and then do the USMLE

It is doable, especially since you can use DO schools as backup. Negative to the bolded.

 

[UBLI-EINSTEIN]

Thnx, what I meant is it doable ?because I keep hearing that it's extreme difficult for international students to enter med school , or is it better to go to a 6 yr medical school abroad and then do the USMLE

It is EXTREMELY difficult. One thing you might find out throughout this thread is that nearly all admitted applicant have excessively high stats. I don't think it's something hopeful at all, because such high stats and ECs look like hells to a normal undergrad. Nonetheless, there's no other way around, unless you have a Visa, permanent US residency or god bless you.
So, for an international students to successfully apply to the US medical school, either you are nearly top 1% of all applicants, or try DO school which may or may not accept you with a lower stats.

Studying in medical school outside the US is not a good idea if you want to work in the US. It will be much worse and difficult than studying as an DO in the US. Again you will need high stats, and it will still be difficult. So, basically DO is the only best option for regular international students, although the chance might still be low. However, if you were a genius who could reach top 1% of all applicants, forget my talking from whom is just an idiot.

 

[wonton000]

I agree with @UBLI-EINSTEIN, I got accepted into both US DO and MD medical schools, but I chose the DO route. I would recommend doing that instead of going to a non-US med school and doing USMLE afterwards. It's getting much more competitive now. Good luck all!

 

[Bottle]

It is EXTREMELY difficult. One thing you might find out throughout this thread is that nearly all admitted applicant have excessively high stats. I don't think it's something hopeful at all, because such high stats and ECs look like hells to a normal undergrad. Nonetheless, there's no other way around, unless you have a Visa, permanent US residency or god bless you.
So, for an international students to successfully apply to the US medical school, either you are nearly top 1% of all applicants, or try DO school which may or may not accept you with a lower stats.

Studying in medical school outside the US is not a good idea if you want to work in the US. It will be much worse and difficult than studying as an DO in the US. Again you will need high stats, and it will still be difficult. So, basically DO is the only best option for regular international students, although the chance might still be low. However, if you were a genius who could reach top 1% of all applicants, forget my talking from whom is just an idiot.

What makes you think it is extremely difficult for international students to get in? The way you worded your comments makes me think that you will only be considered when you have a stellar application and out-compete others. However, many schools who accept international students explicitly state that they don't discriminate against international students and view them as any other application. Or in some cases, they view them under the same light as out-of-state U.S applicants.
I think the only reason international students who makes it in have high stat is because majority of medical schools who consider them are top schools and thus you need higher stat to get in.
I could be wrong though. The statement "We don't discriminate against .." is a standard sentence in any school mission statement. If you know of an example where international students are subjected to more rigorous criteria, please share!

 

[gyngyn]

What makes you think it is extremely difficult for international students to get in? The way you worded your comments makes me think that you will only be considered when you have a stellar application and out-compete others. However, many schools who accept international students explicitly state that they don't discriminate against international students and view them as any other application. Or in some cases, they view them under the same light as out-of-state U.S applicants.
I think the only reason international students who makes it in have high stat is because majority of medical schools who consider them are top schools and thus you need higher stat to get in.
I could be wrong though. The statement "We don't discriminate against .." is a standard sentence in any school mission statement. If you know of an example where international students are subjected to more rigorous criteria, please share!

Even the AAMC says it isn't easy for internationals: Applying to Medical School as an International Applicant

 

[Bottle]

Even the AAMC says it isn't easy for internationals: Applying to Medical School as an International Applicant

300 out of 409 accepted international students were able to matriculate. This tells me the biggest hurdle here is tuition and that some schools require full 1-year tuition payment in advance. This is a pretty big obstacle and certainly makes it more difficult for international students to matriculate.
However, I'm more concerned with the acceptance part, not matriculation. You can (hopefully) make things work, but before you do that you need to be invited in. Is there significant difference between accepting international students and OOS US citizens? Given that you are a professor, you may have some involvement in the selection process and your true, honest opinion is greatly valued here!
To me, the answer seems to be no. Based on MSAR statistics from schools that admit international students, the ratios of applied/matriculated for international and OOS US citizens are mostly similar.

 

[UBLI-EINSTEIN]

What makes you think it is extremely difficult for international students to get in? The way you worded your comments makes me think that you will only be considered when you have a stellar application and out-compete others. However, many schools who accept international students explicitly state that they don't discriminate against international students and view them as any other application. Or in some cases, they view them under the same light as out-of-state U.S applicants.
I think the only reason international students who makes it in have high stat is because majority of medical schools who consider them are top schools and thus you need higher stat to get in.
I could be wrong though. The statement "We don't discriminate against .." is a standard sentence in any school mission statement. If you know of an example where international students are subjected to more rigorous criteria, please share!

There are several things to concern. Among international students, there are Canadians and the others. Usually, medical school concern Canadians differently from those from other countries. In certain cases as you might realize on MSAR, some schools only accept either US citizens or Canadians. In terms of definition, these Canadians will still be counted as international students, but they generally own more love than the other internationals due to whatever reasons. This called up some questions, from the data above that "300 out of 409 accepted students matriculate", how many of these accepted students are Canadians? How many of Canadians were accepted and matriculate to those schools only accepting Canadians?

A second thing to concern is that nowadays, less and less schools actually concern about international students. In the AMAC website posted above, it says 62 schools in 2014 (I don't know whether this includes schools that only accepts Canadians). Now if you look at MSAR, there's only 50 which truly accept the internationals from other countries. There are some schools open to the international students, but due to whatever reasons, some schools just didn't interview any from more than 200 applicants according to MSAR. Most of these schools are state schools. Well, if we ignore all public SOM, there are only 32 private schools left on the chart. Among these, half of the schools are top tie with a high stats requirement and still many schools are not international-friendly.

Things just get as complicated as you can ever imagine for those international students.

 

[gyngyn]

Things just get as complicated as you can ever imagine for those international students.

Schools that previously considered internationals have discovered that getting them through medical school without the access to loans available to others students put an additional strain on their already challenging situation.
Getting them a Match consistent with their strengths and goals can be limited by the type of visa that programs will support.
Then, there is love. Try couple's matching with an international student and see two (or more) people fail to meet their potential. When families are torn apart, it's heart-rending. After a while, it takes a toll on morale.

 

[Wannabedr.s]

International student here......first time applicant.....having a great cycle.....accepted already to one of my top choices......7 other interview invites in line (expecting more too).....I thank God for everything ...but yes it is possible.....don't let anyone tell you otherwise

What extra curriculars did you do?