- Joined
- Nov 11, 2022
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First I must admit, this is a very early idea I've only started thinking about today so please don't give me flack for my naivety about all of this.
I've lived my entire life in the United States. Briefly studied abroad in Israel. Short visits to Caribbean countries and Mexico. That's my only real experience abroad.
I am from the California coast, very liberal/progressive, and as I've moved around the country for educational opportunities and livable wages, I've realized I absolutely despise the vast majority of this country and its culture. I've always felt locked into this country because of my goal of becoming a physician here, though. I really miss the diversity and progressivism of back home, but can't afford housing/living there on even the highest paid job I'm qualified for.
That being said, at this point I have absolutely no one in the US that I would miss were I to move to the opposite end of the world. I don't have a support system, but that also means I have no meaningful ties holding me back.
I am a decently competitive applicant by US medical school standards. I don't know how that compares to the admission criteria for Australian medical schools, nor am I aware of how financing education there would work.
My patience with this country is wearing thin. I feel like this country is just actively hostile to my health in every way - I have an autoimmune disease, I hate the culture of shame that I feel has put me into pseudo-forced poverty, the low food and air quality, I can't afford a car which limits my living options here (though I do know how to drive), and I'm fearful of leaving my current job due solely to health insurance and health care access, even though I otherwise would leave in a heartbeat for something else. I'm intimidated by the costs of school, having no family to support me and now with the instability of student loans thanks to the horrible orange person in office. Moving my life forward to get where I want in this country feels risky at best, impossible at worst. I'm frustrated with the ableist, judgmental, financially inaccessible, and rigid medical training structure in this country as well, particularly disability and mental health stigma. Are doctors still required to go days on end without sleeping during training in Australia? Do admissions officers openly discriminate against people with a disability or traumatic history that influenced their decision to do medicine? The reason I have no support system is that I was sexually and physically abused by my father, this ended up in massive fallout with my entire family and has made it extremely difficult for me to access education in the United States. However, I did manage to attend an Ivy League school for my premed classes and did very well there, but feel stuck now. American medical schools that have interviewed me have told me that quite frankly, I've been through too much hardship in my life and they don't want a person like that. They like students who have overcome a small amount of hardships, but not too many. I've always gotten perfect or near-perfect grades and test scores. I'm a great student on paper but can't overcome the fact that these people just don't like my background. I view education as a human right and believe that if I'm qualified and competitive by all the metrics they measure privileged students by, then it should be enough for me to get admitted, but medical schools in the United States don't care how qualified you are if you have been through substantial traumatic experiences that have shaped your life, they don't like that. I feel the US system is hostile to who I am, things I can't change about the cards dealt to me early in life, and no amount of overachieving has helped me overcome this bias.
What I want most of all is to go to medical school, become a physician, be able to afford to live comfortably, and raise one future child near the beach, possibly with a lesbian wife, in an environment that is progressive and safe for a person like me. Low stress would be a bonus. I grew up near the beach and it's one of the very few things in the world outside school that makes me happy.
I realize doing something like this would be a drastic decision, so I've pushed the idea of leaving this country out of my mind for years every time it popped up. At this point though, I'm curious what it would actually entail and whether I might actually be happy there. I've thought about the other countries I have ties to - no way I'm going to Israel with the war and genocide mess going on there, and no way I'm going to Mexico, I just don't feel it would be the safest thing in the world as a disabled woman who is all by myself with no support system. Maybe if I had lots of money I'd go to certain enclaves in Mexico, but I don't.
We don't have many Australians where I'm from, so I'm not very familiar with the culture to be honest. The appeal for me is mainly that it's got better politics than the US, seems to have better healthcare access (correct me if I'm wrong), the beach, wildlife/nature, is a stable developed country, and that I know the language. From the understanding I have, physicians there appear to be more reasonably compensated and have better working conditions than in the UK. I only speak English and Spanish. Being safe as a lesbian and having a realistic shot at raising a child with a woman without too much ostracism is important to me. Healthcare access is also a top value of mine due to my own illness, as well as general human rights.
What thoughts do you guys have about all of this? Where could I begin to learn more? Which schools should I look at? And how would I fund a medical education in Australia? I realize I should probably plan a visit too before committing to any of this.
I've lived my entire life in the United States. Briefly studied abroad in Israel. Short visits to Caribbean countries and Mexico. That's my only real experience abroad.
I am from the California coast, very liberal/progressive, and as I've moved around the country for educational opportunities and livable wages, I've realized I absolutely despise the vast majority of this country and its culture. I've always felt locked into this country because of my goal of becoming a physician here, though. I really miss the diversity and progressivism of back home, but can't afford housing/living there on even the highest paid job I'm qualified for.
That being said, at this point I have absolutely no one in the US that I would miss were I to move to the opposite end of the world. I don't have a support system, but that also means I have no meaningful ties holding me back.
I am a decently competitive applicant by US medical school standards. I don't know how that compares to the admission criteria for Australian medical schools, nor am I aware of how financing education there would work.
My patience with this country is wearing thin. I feel like this country is just actively hostile to my health in every way - I have an autoimmune disease, I hate the culture of shame that I feel has put me into pseudo-forced poverty, the low food and air quality, I can't afford a car which limits my living options here (though I do know how to drive), and I'm fearful of leaving my current job due solely to health insurance and health care access, even though I otherwise would leave in a heartbeat for something else. I'm intimidated by the costs of school, having no family to support me and now with the instability of student loans thanks to the horrible orange person in office. Moving my life forward to get where I want in this country feels risky at best, impossible at worst. I'm frustrated with the ableist, judgmental, financially inaccessible, and rigid medical training structure in this country as well, particularly disability and mental health stigma. Are doctors still required to go days on end without sleeping during training in Australia? Do admissions officers openly discriminate against people with a disability or traumatic history that influenced their decision to do medicine? The reason I have no support system is that I was sexually and physically abused by my father, this ended up in massive fallout with my entire family and has made it extremely difficult for me to access education in the United States. However, I did manage to attend an Ivy League school for my premed classes and did very well there, but feel stuck now. American medical schools that have interviewed me have told me that quite frankly, I've been through too much hardship in my life and they don't want a person like that. They like students who have overcome a small amount of hardships, but not too many. I've always gotten perfect or near-perfect grades and test scores. I'm a great student on paper but can't overcome the fact that these people just don't like my background. I view education as a human right and believe that if I'm qualified and competitive by all the metrics they measure privileged students by, then it should be enough for me to get admitted, but medical schools in the United States don't care how qualified you are if you have been through substantial traumatic experiences that have shaped your life, they don't like that. I feel the US system is hostile to who I am, things I can't change about the cards dealt to me early in life, and no amount of overachieving has helped me overcome this bias.
What I want most of all is to go to medical school, become a physician, be able to afford to live comfortably, and raise one future child near the beach, possibly with a lesbian wife, in an environment that is progressive and safe for a person like me. Low stress would be a bonus. I grew up near the beach and it's one of the very few things in the world outside school that makes me happy.
I realize doing something like this would be a drastic decision, so I've pushed the idea of leaving this country out of my mind for years every time it popped up. At this point though, I'm curious what it would actually entail and whether I might actually be happy there. I've thought about the other countries I have ties to - no way I'm going to Israel with the war and genocide mess going on there, and no way I'm going to Mexico, I just don't feel it would be the safest thing in the world as a disabled woman who is all by myself with no support system. Maybe if I had lots of money I'd go to certain enclaves in Mexico, but I don't.
We don't have many Australians where I'm from, so I'm not very familiar with the culture to be honest. The appeal for me is mainly that it's got better politics than the US, seems to have better healthcare access (correct me if I'm wrong), the beach, wildlife/nature, is a stable developed country, and that I know the language. From the understanding I have, physicians there appear to be more reasonably compensated and have better working conditions than in the UK. I only speak English and Spanish. Being safe as a lesbian and having a realistic shot at raising a child with a woman without too much ostracism is important to me. Healthcare access is also a top value of mine due to my own illness, as well as general human rights.
What thoughts do you guys have about all of this? Where could I begin to learn more? Which schools should I look at? And how would I fund a medical education in Australia? I realize I should probably plan a visit too before committing to any of this.
