Should I apply for a transfer from a Canadian school to an American one?

[LagunaBlade]

Hello SDN,

I'm a Chinese student at a Canadian university and have been looking in SDN for quite some time.

I'm currently in my first year at Memorial University of Newfoundland. I'm wondering if transferring to an American university would provide more relevant pre-med resources and boost my chance of getting into a medical school in American than this cheap but isolated university in Newfoundland? The school I'm at right now doesn't have any pre-med advisor or pre-med event. But I guess it's easy to get perfect grades and an excellent MCAT score here because of less competition.

So do you guys think it will make a difference to transfer to an American institution in terms of applying for an American medical school, not a Canadian one after my third year? say University at Buffalo, SUNY?

Thank you in advance for your insights.

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[Catalystik]

It will help responders if you are more specific about your intended residency status for the US. For US med schools, regardless of whether you attended college in the US or Canada, an acceptance is significantly more difficult without citizenship, permanent residency (green card holder), or asylee status.

 

[samsunimomo]

N=1, but this guy did it from Newfoundland: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/luke-pike/2b/891/319

 

[LagunaBlade]

It will help responders if you are more specific about your intended residency status for the US. For US med schools, regardless of whether you attended college in the US or Canada, an acceptance is significantly more difficult without citizenship, permanent residency (green card holder), or asylee status.

I guess I won't have a green card in the foreseeable future. Does that mean most of you in this forum including you, will discourage me from even considering the possibility of a medical school in my first year?

 

[LagunaBlade]

N=1, but this guy did it from Newfoundland: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/luke-pike/2b/891/319

Thank you. But this guy did a PhD at Oxford after his bachelor's in Memorial. Honestly, that's something I cannot imagine right now.

 

[HowTragic]

Without at least a green card, most American medical schools won't even look at your application. Only a handful of med schools admit international students, and the spots are few in number.

 

[Catalystik]

I guess I won't have a green card in the foreseeable future. Does that mean most of you in this forum including you, will discourage me from even considering the possibility of a medical school in my first year?

Since I can't look into a crystal ball and see what your GPA and MCAT score will be in three years, I will not discourage you. But it is good for you to know now that you have a steep hill to climb to get to your goal. If your academic record, MCAT score, and extracurriculars are outstanding enough to get into US MD med schools as an International applicant, then there's a good chance a Canadian school would take you, too. If you apply to US DO medical schools, the odds are much more in your favor with a less perfect application, provided you can get a US visa. Read these forums widely to get a sense of what lies ahead of you. Perhaps do a Search using the search term "international" for more focused research results.

 

[LagunaBlade]

Since I can't look into a crystal ball and see what your GPA and MCAT score will be in three years, I will not discourage you. But it is good for you to know now that you have a steep hill to climb to get to your goal. If your academic record, MCAT score, and extracurriculars are outstanding enough to get into US MD med schools as an International applicant, then there's a good chance a Canadian school would take you, too. If you apply to US DO medical schools, the odds are much more in your favor with a less perfect application, provided you can get a US visa. Read these forums widely to get a sense of what lies ahead of you. Perhaps do a Search using the search term "international" for more focused research results.

Thank you for your help!

 

[AfricanIndian]

Honestly, I would stay at memorial and finish undergrad there if it's easier to get a good GPA. It would be easier to find good volunteer placements in hospitals etc. in Newfoundland too. I studied in Toronto and was on a waitlist for a year until I got a volunteer placement at a hospital since it is so crowded and competitive there. A good GPA from a Canadian university + good EC will make you a good candidate for Canadian medical schools, seats are limited but it is possible. I know the University of Toronto reserves 20 spots specifically for international students. The amount of seats for international students in other schools is a lot smaller but it doesn't mean it's impossible to get into. I don't know what your MCAT grades will be like but if it's an issue the University of Ottawa doesn't look at it and UofT just requires you meet the basic cut off, they value GPA a lot more. Then again this is different for all schools.

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Old thread, but if the OP is around the main reason to stay there is that MUN if good to their own. They're extremely strict about taking almost exclusively their own students for med school (at the very least only people from the maritimes) so you have a phenomenal chance of getting in if you get at least decent grades. Canadian universities don't have pre-med advisors, which is probably a good thing with all the misinformation they hand out.

 

[Goro]

At my school, it's either US citizens or permanent residents we accept.

International students are typically accepted at MD schools in the single digits and they have stellar apps.

I guess I won't have a green card in the foreseeable future. Does that mean most of you in this forum including you, will discourage me from even considering the possibility of a medical school in my first year?

 

[NewHorizons]

Hello SDN,

I'm a Chinese student at a Canadian university and have been looking in SDN for quite some time.

I'm currently in my first year at Memorial University of Newfoundland. I'm wondering if transferring to an American university would provide more relevant pre-med resources and boost my chance of getting into a medical school in American than this cheap but isolated university in Newfoundland? The school I'm at right now doesn't have any pre-med advisor or pre-med event. But I guess it's easy to get perfect grades and an excellent MCAT score here because of less competition.

So do you guys think it will make a difference to transfer to an American institution in terms of applying for an American medical school, not a Canadian one after my third year? say University at Buffalo, SUNY?

Thank you in advance for your insights.

Most Canadian universities don't have a specific pre-med advisor. As for pre-med events some student groups help set things up. You can always ask your career centre or faculty+colleagues for advice as well.

Regardless of where you go, it is not easy to get good grades and MCAT scores. It's do-able, but never "easy." Introductory courses are called that for a reason.

If you really want to get into an MD program in the US you either need to have a stellar application in terms of GPA, MCAT, and ECs, or think of getting a permanent residency and leaving MUN right away. In all honesty though, the medical school at Memorial is a good school. I'm sure you have a fighting chance to get in there as well.