A Guide to Applying US Med School with a Foreign Bachelor Degree

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Hi @SymphonyNo9 ,
Thank you for your extensive information that is very helpful to us who hold Bachelor's Degree from a foreign country but is a US Citizen. I am in the same situation as you were before. I know your post was years ago, but I was hoping to be able to reconnect with you as I have a few questions to ask. You said you got accepted into medical school in the US. When you did your post bacc program was it from a formal post bacc or DIY? I am currently in a DIY at UCLA Extension. I like it because I still can work full time while studying in the evening. I am not sure if this is fine or I should enroll in a formal post bacc or a special master's program/post bacc. I have been completing the rest of my prerequisites for grad school because my foreign degree which was in Clinical Laboratory Science was lacking some credits to the pre med requirement courses. So I have retaken Gen Chem so far and did Biology for a year in the US both through UCLA Extension and a community college in the US. So far I have like more than 30 semester hours (credits) and still going on as I have to retake O-Chem so I can have more current prerequisites as I have graduated college like a decade now. I am planning to retake Biochemistry and Physiology as well to be more current. Also, I am a Clinical Lab Scientist by profession working full time while studying part time. I have a big clinical experience since I work in one of the top hospitals in the CA. That being said, as a foreign bachelor's degree graduate and working in the healthcare industry in the US for many years, plus taking prerequisites in the US, should this suffice to most schools, or is it better if I do a Special Master's Degree like some of them require for applicants. I know some post bacc programs are like Special Master's Program which you can get a degree afterwards. I am a US Citizen just like you who graduated outside of the U.S. I just don't know how can I be a more competitive candidate like you. I have been thinking a MS in Biomedical Sciences or an online MPH so I can still work full time or just get the Pre-Medical and General Sciences Certificate from UCLA. And last question, I know you probably are a doctor right now, do you mind telling which medical school did you matriculated and accepted you as a foreign graduate student before? Thank you so much for reading my long message. Good luck to everyone who is on their path to a medical career!

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Hi @SymphonyNo9 ,
Thank you for your extensive information that is very helpful to us who hold Bachelor's Degree from a foreign country but is a US Citizen. I am in the same situation as you were before. I know your post was years ago, but I was hoping to be able to reconnect with you as I have a few questions to ask. You said you got accepted into medical school in the US. When you did your post bacc program was it from a formal post bacc or DIY? I am currently in a DIY at UCLA Extension. I like it because I still can work full time while studying in the evening. I am not sure if this is fine or I should enroll in a formal post bacc or a special master's program/post bacc. I have been completing the rest of my prerequisites for grad school because my foreign degree which was in Clinical Laboratory Science was lacking some credits to the pre med requirement courses. So I have retaken Gen Chem so far and did Biology for a year in the US both through UCLA Extension and a community college in the US. So far I have like more than 30 semester hours (credits) and still going on as I have to retake O-Chem so I can have more current prerequisites as I have graduated college like a decade now. I am planning to retake Biochemistry and Physiology as well to be more current. Also, I am a Clinical Lab Scientist by profession working full time while studying part time. I have a big clinical experience since I work in one of the top hospitals in the CA. That being said, as a foreign bachelor's degree graduate and working in the healthcare industry in the US for many years, plus taking prerequisites in the US, should this suffice to most schools, or is it better if I do a Special Master's Degree like some of them require for applicants. I know some post bacc programs are like Special Master's Program which you can get a degree afterwards. I am a US Citizen just like you who graduated outside of the U.S. I just don't know how can I be a more competitive candidate like you. I have been thinking a MS in Biomedical Sciences or an online MPH so I can still work full time or just get the Pre-Medical and General Sciences Certificate from UCLA. And last question, I know you probably are a doctor right now, do you mind telling which medical school did you matriculated and accepted you as a foreign graduate student before? Thank you so much for reading my long message. Good luck to everyone who is on their path to a medical career!
Hey,

I did a formal postbacc and fortunately it was all evening courses (some extra courses I took were in daytime). It's not associate with a degree. I did use my mornings to volunteer, shadow, research, etc.

I personally don't think it's necessary to go for a master degree. If that's the way you take your courses, then it's okay. It's not needed to do a master just for the degree itself. When I applied, the number of credits was the most important barrier. However, I believe recently more and more schools are lifting the requirement of certain pre-reqs. I'm not sure if that will affect the number of credits needed, especially for people like us.

If the number of credits requirement is still roughly the same as years ago when I applied, then all you need to do is getting the courses and a good GPA. In addition, getting a good MCAT score is another priority. If you don't have enough volunteering/shadowing/research/etc., then those are needed as well. It's nice that you have lots of clinical experience and hopefully some research/projects under your belt. Emphasize those strengths will be important. I think you're generally on the right track. I'll DM you other detail.
 
Hi everyone, I just wanted to leave quick note to thank everyone who gave advice on this thread, especially @SymphonyNo9 and @StarDancer!

After several years of preparation and an incredible application cycle, I'm happy to share that I've been accepted to great schools, with many of them in the T20. SDN and this thread in particular have been really helpful in preparing my application. I encourage everyone reading this thread to follow their dreams!

Feel free to DM me if you have questions, especially if you are trying to take pre-med courses while completing a graduate degree. Also, because this application cycle was virtual, I applied to way more schools than I would in a typical cycle (thus I can give you an indication of whether a school responded favorably to a foreign bachelors' degree). My stats were: sGPA 4.0 (32 US undergrad credits) and MCAT in the 5-teens.

Apologies in advance if I don't respond quickly enough
 
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You’re actually in a better situation than I was. Do you have your prerequisites that might be equivalent? The good news is that many schools now don’t require prerequisite course but just general competencies.

I’m off to work. But DM me and I’m send you my list this weekend.
Hi there. What do you mean by general competencies? I'm kind of behind on the requirements for medical school admissions since last time I looked at them, they were mainly by credits. I was also wondering if you would be willing to share your list with me as well? 🙂
 
Hi! I hope it's ok to bump this thread. I wanted to ask if any of you who applied with a foreign undergrad degree found that you heard back about interviews or rejections later than other applicants.

I grew up in the US and am a citizen, but I went to college overseas. I then moved back to the US and did a DIY postbacc. I submitted most of my secondaries in mid-late August of this year. Of course I know I'm not entitled to an interview, and it's perfectly possible not to get in anywhere -- but I'm feeling a little weird because at least 4 of the schools I applied to have sent out waves of rejections or holds to people who submitted secondaries in the same timeframe I did, and I've heard nothing, neither rejections nor interview invites.

Before I contemplate pre-II letters (I really don't want to spam), was this anyone else's experience? Is it possible that my application would be in some sort of a "foreign undergrad" bucket that gets reviewed later?
You should be fine as long as prereqs are met. Since you are a citizen, school choice is not limited. The science GPA and cumulative GPA is what is needed for med schools, as it is not comparable with foreign degree; they prefer US degree/prereqs
 
Hey,

I did a formal postbacc and fortunately it was all evening courses (some extra courses I took were in daytime). It's not associate with a degree. I did use my mornings to volunteer, shadow, research, etc.

I personally don't think it's necessary to go for a master degree. If that's the way you take your courses, then it's okay. It's not needed to do a master just for the degree itself. When I applied, the number of credits was the most important barrier. However, I believe recently more and more schools are lifting the requirement of certain pre-reqs. I'm not sure if that will affect the number of credits needed, especially for people like us.

If the number of credits requirement is still roughly the same as years ago when I applied, then all you need to do is getting the courses and a good GPA. In addition, getting a good MCAT score is another priority. If you don't have enough volunteering/shadowing/research/etc., then those are needed as well. It's nice that you have lots of clinical experience and hopefully some research/projects under your belt. Emphasize those strengths will be important. I think you're generally on the right track. I'll DM you other detail.
I have like similar questions, please can you be of assistance to me as well.
 
If anyone wants my list, let me know. I’m just trying to pay it forward. @SymphonyNo9 and @Scottish Chap helped me quite a bit. I got into two MD schools with their kind advice.

Disclaimer: I went thru all 140+ MD schools (the few DO schools I looked at seemed to require undergrad done in the US). Then I shortlisted those that didn’t require undergrad done in the US. Some accepted a higher degree from the US in lieu of a bachelors done here and some just wanted WES and one (Michigan, I think) wanted 90 credit hours but graduate work counted toward the 90 credit hours. I do not have many undergrad credits done in the US (only 12). So I took out those that requires 30 or 90 undergrad credits. I also removed those that only took instate students (there was one in GA) and MUSC takes out of state if you have close ties to SC. And I’m a US citizen. I’m a FL resident so please check your own state schools.

Also, things change from year to year so while I did my best on the list, I can’t guarantee it’s 100% correct.


So if you want my list, send me a DM.
Please can I get your school lists? Thank you
 
After being on SDN for a while, and fortunately enough getting an acceptance from an med school, I would like to contribute something. I've seen a few posts here related to this topic. So I think it might be a good idea to make a guide (it’s more like sharing my thought) and initiate a discussion about applying US med school with foreign, non-Canadian, bachelor degree. I wrote this based on my own experience, so please correct me if I’m wrong.
I would start with my story, and you can ask me about it too.

I’m a US citizen, born in the US. I grew up in a foreign country and completed my college there. No degree in the US. Native language is not English. ORM.

Outside of the US: I have some leadership experiences, only limited community (non-clinical) volunteering. Done some research without any publication/poster. Bio major with mediocre GPA.

In the US: I will have been in the US for 3 years before getting into med school, 2 years in a post-bacc program for pre-reqs with 60 semester hours, and 1 gap year for working and applying. ECs include clinical volunteering, shadowing, and more research in the gap year. Better post-bacc GPA.

I’m also a re-applicant with 4 years in between. MCAT twice, from a mediocre to a high score. I applied ~10 schools at the first time, no interview and no acceptance. The second time I applied significantly more schools, got some interviews, with at least an acceptance.


A Guide to Applying US Med School with a Foreign Bachelor Degree

Citizenship:


It is significantly better if you have a US citizenship or a green card. Most med schools require one. However, I personally know a few international students who have done well and got accepted to some particular schools. If you are an international student, ask the schools or check on their websites to find out the eligibility.


Course Requirement: (the most important part, IMO)

Med schools have different course requirements, especially for us who did not attend to a US/Canadian college. I emailed/called a lot of schools to ask or to confirm what’s on their websites. Based on what I got, the requirement can be categorized into the following:
  1. A US bachelor degree is required. Mayo has been mentioned several times. I found some other schools have the same requirement.

  2. An advanced degree in the US is required, such as a master or PhD, with a foreign bachelor degree. I personally don’t have one, and I don’t remember seeing many of them.

  3. 30, 60, or 90 semester hours in the US, with a foreign bachelor degree. A lot of schools are in this category, IIRC. Some schools might require all undergraduate level courses, while some accept master/PhD level courses.

  4. 1 or 2 years of study in the US, with a foreign bachelor degree. Might be undergraduate level or other advanced degree level depending on schools.

  5. Prerequisites in the US. What courses count as prerequisites also depends on schools.

  6. International/foreign degrees or credits are acceptable. They are rare but they do exist.
As you can see, some categories are overlapping. I personally did 60 semester hours including pre-reqs, and that’s a 2-year full-time study in the US. That limits me from applying schools that require a US degree or 90 hours, but I do have plenty schools to choose from categories 3~6.

That being said, you can go through different paths. I know some people using their extra time to take pre-reqs while doing a master/PhD in the US. You can also go to a formal or DIY post-bacc program. A second bachelor degree is another good choice. I’m not sure about transferring credits to US schools, but in theory this might work.

Bottom line, a foreign/non-Canadian bachelor degree is acceptable and not required in most cases if you have some coursework done in the US. If you have an advanced degree in the US, it’s a plus. If you have a 2nd bachelor in the US, you’re golden. And ask schools about their policies if needed.


AMCAS:

The foreign coursework will not be verified by the AMCAS and you don’t need to send the foreign transcript, period. I listed all of them anyway to let schools see my other courses. Nevertheless, if you only have foreign coursework in the AMCAS, your GPA in it is zero. Your GPA in the AMCAS will be calculated from your US coursework. (This actually works in my favor) Some schools might want to see your foreign courses and degree evaluation from WES or similar corporations, but it’s not required by the AMCAS. I personally had not been asked for one for med school application.


ECs:

Just like other applicants, we need all sorts of ECs. However, in addition to leadership, sports, artistic endeavor, etc., I strongly suggest a good amount of clinical exposure in the US even if you have done some oversea. Clinical volunteering or shadowing are necessary, IMO. The reason is that you have to be familiar with the health care in the US.


Others:

I didn’t specifically bring up anything about why I want to come to the US in the primary app, secondaries, or interviews. I was only asked in a few interviews to compare the health care in two different countries. However, be prepared for this “why US” type of question.


Strategy:

As everyone else, my strategy for applying was to maximize my chance. Yet, I didn’t want to do research while doing my US coursework, so no Master or PhD. I also wanted to take the risk of not spending a long time. Therefore, I planned my own path and fortunately it works. So plan your path according to your own situation.

I also have done extensive research on the course requirement of most, if not all, schools. It’s important to know which schools you want to go to and you are eligible to apply. Then it will be an easier, maybe only slightly, work when generating a school list for primary application.



Finally, please remember there are many aspects in the application, GPA, MCAT, PS, ECs, LORs, secondaries, interviews, etc. This is only my personal experience and opinion for planning a path and finding out chances before applying with a unique situation. Also, I believe it’s far from comprehensive since my knowledge is limited. I also don’t have enough experience with DO schools, transfer courses, community college, etc.

Feedback, questions, and discussions are welcome. PM me if needed. Special thanks to many wise SDNers that are answering the questions or spreading out useful information.



Edit: Here's my school list:

Like you might know, I only have researched the schools/states I potentially wanted to go, so it's not a complete list. The green ones are roughly the ones that I applied to. Obviously, your school list should be according to your stats. And please note that I had 60 semester hours (including pre-reqs) in the US when I applied. So for above reasons, you could and should certainly contact the schools you are interested in, and confirmed with them.
Still, feel free to ask questions!

Thanks for the info! It's really nice to hear such a comprehensive perspective from others and including their list of schools
 
I meant to post in this thread last year when I got into medical school, but I also want to take a moment to personally thank @SymphonyNo9. For anyone considering applying to U.S. medical schools with a foreign bachelor's degree, know that it is possible. After completing a formal post-baccalaureate program, pursuing a master's degree for personal reasons, and gaining experience in various clinical settings, I'm happy to share that I received multiple medical school acceptances last cycle.
 
I meant to post in this thread last year when I got into medical school, but I also want to take a moment to personally thank @SymphonyNo9. For anyone considering applying to U.S. medical schools with a foreign bachelor's degree, know that it is possible. After completing a formal post-baccalaureate program, pursuing a master's degree for personal reasons, and gaining experience in various clinical settings, I'm happy to share that I received multiple medical school acceptances last cycle.
Congratulations! How many credit hours did you have to do, and do you mind sending your list of schools? Thank you
 
Congratulations! How many credit hours did you have to do, and do you mind sending your list of schools? Thank you
I had 60 undergraduate credits plus a master's degree when I applied. I don't mind sending my school list at all although it might not be that helpful. My choices were based on personal factors, including my MCAT expiring that cycle (with some schools considering it expired), how my narrative aligned with each school's mission, and my geographic preferences based on my background and demographics. Since I had 60 undergraduate credits by the time I applied, I was eligible to apply to a large number of medical schools despite having a foreign bachelor's degree.

Just to add, I'm a US citizen + CA resident.
 
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I had 60 undergraduate credits plus a master's degree when I applied. I don't mind sending my school list at all although it might not be that helpful. I'm happy to share my school list, though it may not be particularly useful to others. My choices were based on personal factors, including my MCAT expiring that cycle (with some schools considering it expired), how my narrative aligned with each school's mission, and my geographic preferences based on my background and demographics. Since I had 60 undergraduate credits by the time I applied, I was eligible to apply to a large number of medical schools despite having a foreign bachelor's degree.

Just to add, I'm a US citizen + CA resident.
where did you do your postbacc?
 
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