Advice for a non-US post-PhD applicant

longwalkhome said:

I tried searching around the network but my specific concerns were not answered. I have a good GPA from a prestigious institute (IIT if one heard of) from India 5 yrs back. I also completed my PhD (in Germany) with good amount of papers. Now doing research in the US I am interested in going into medschool but am thwarted... do medschool committees recognise foreign degrees? some have said they need a US degree? doesn't PhD count? some people have asked me to take a postbacc but I cannot becos of my VISA status (I cannot do justice to both my research in the lab for which I am paid and my VISA holds, and also to drive up everyday to the nearest postbacc univ- a 2 hr drive).. That particular univ does not give visas for postbacc but would give me if I join as an undergrad but doing a 4-yr undergrad now seems ridiculous. Are there any foreign degree nationals here who were in similar situations but have succeeded in getting through? if I need to get in touch with the admissions committee and present my case how do I go about it? I wrote to a couple of them from the addressses given online on medschool pages, but I get back curt replies probably from secretaries who are unaware of my specificities and do not want to consider/forward my case further. How does one actually reach a committee member? there is a premed counselor at my univ but they strictly deny to talk/advise to anyone who is not their graduate/alumni. My own almamater in India/Germany have little idea of the way things work in the US. Please advise.

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You need to call up some schools and ask them. I don't think any of us can really advise you either. Whatever state you're in, pick a school nearby and call their office. Explain your situation and ask what you need to do to be eligible to apply to a US school. BTW, don't call a public (state-run) school, because you won't be ablet to attend any of those as a non-resident or citizen.

longwalkhome said:

I tried searching around the network but my specific concerns were not answered. I have a good GPA from a prestigious institute (IIT if one heard of) from India 5 yrs back. I also completed my PhD (in Germany) with good amount of papers. Now doing research in the US I am interested in going into medschool but am thwarted... do medschool committees recognise foreign degrees? some have said they need a US degree? doesn't PhD count? some people have asked me to take a postbacc but I cannot becos of my VISA status (I cannot do justice to both my research in the lab for which I am paid and my VISA holds, and also to drive up everyday to the nearest postbacc univ- a 2 hr drive).. That particular univ does not give visas for postbacc but would give me if I join as an undergrad but doing a 4-yr undergrad now seems ridiculous. Are there any foreign degree nationals here who were in similar situations but have succeeded in getting through? if I need to get in touch with the admissions committee and present my case how do I go about it? I wrote to a couple of them from the addressses given online on medschool pages, but I get back curt replies probably from secretaries who are unaware of my specificities and do not want to consider/forward my case further. How does one actually reach a committee member? there is a premed counselor at my univ but they strictly deny to talk/advise to anyone who is not their graduate/alumni. My own almamater in India/Germany have little idea of the way things work in the US. Please advise.

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A U.S. or Canadian undergraduate degree is required. Possession of a foreign degree with nothing else is an automatic exclusion. If you do not have a U.S. or Canadian undergraduate degree, 60-90 credits earned in the U.S. will usually suffice. Those usually should include chemistry, biology, physics, and organic chemistry at the undergraduate level. Your grades earned overseas will not be accepted by AMCAS (the central medical school application agency) to calculate a GPA. Read my previous posts on how to navigate this. You must also take the MCAT. Not having a green card will also create problems. Good luck!

Hi,
The courses that you most probably will have to take are Biology 1 & 2, Organic Chemistry 1 & 2. English, Physics, and Chemistry from IIT should be sufficient, but no guarantees though.

And it all depends on which school you are interested in. This school, for example, has the following requirements : "...Students who have received their education in a foreign school must complete at least one academic year of course work in an accredited North American college or university prior to making application...."
Here's the link: Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Use this requirement as an opportunity to take care of the prereqs and as a good opportunity to revise some of the old material that you will definitely need for the MCAT. I am assuming you took the JEE. So the Physical Sciences/Organic Chem part of the MCAT will be really easy for you (they are at the 11th/12th standard level). Start reading some good magazines (Economist) for the verbal part of the test. The verbal section takes time to get used to and takes a lot more time to improve upon.

I also have my undergraduate degree from India, but since my masters degree is from the US, I meet most of the schools' US educational requirement. And like you most of my prereqs are from the undergraduate degree. The only courses that I took in the US specifically for this process are: Organic Chemistry 1, Human Physiology, Human Genetics. And I am yet to take Organic Chemistry 2 or the two Biology courses. Hope I don't have to take them. (The two biology courses are at the 11/12th std level and aren't that interesting.)

Start volunteering in a nearby hospital to get a good understanding of the health care process in the US. If you know a doc, ask her/him if you could follow them around for a hours per week.

As for the visa, it is the same old F1 visa, the only difference this time around is that only a small number of the 125 odd med schools are willing to accept a student on that visa. However, a few do matriculate every year and I will find out soon enough. Also some state schools do accept F1s every year (Wayne State comes to mind).

Have any questions please do let me know. It is a long drawn, money consuming, patience demanding process, but is not any harder than clearing the JEE.