Any Intern'l applicants out there??

[KiKat37]

Just wondering if there are any International applicants out there (meaning no greencard)... How are your apps coming along? Anyone having any luck?

I just talked to an adcom member, the husband of a friend/co-worker, and he told me that my chances of getting in are very slim... I already knew that but I guess I was kind of in denial... I was still hopeful and he crushed my illusions... So, I'm feeling really down now and wanted to see how everyone else is doing.

I'm an Aug-mcater and was complete at most schools by mid-October. I have only applied to 14 schools, since the number of schools that take international applicants are limited... Have received one rejection from Wake Forest and nothing else... 🙁

I'm an average applicant I guess: 28/3.75 (verbal killed me), lots of ECs (mostly teaching and tutoring), a lot of volunteer work in clinical setting, shadowing, almost 3 years or research, currently doing a masters program, etc.

Anyone else in the same position?? Comments/suggestions/advice? Thanks! 🙂

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[DubZteR]

Just wondering if there are any International applicants out there (meaning no greencard)... How are your apps coming along? Anyone having any luck?

I just talked to an adcom member, the husband of a friend/co-worker, and he told me that my chances of getting in are very slim... I already knew that but I guess I was kind of in denial... I was still hopeful and he crushed my illusions... So, I'm feeling really down now and wanted to see how everyone else is doing.

I'm an Aug-mcater and was complete at most schools by mid-October. I have only applied to 14 schools, since the number of schools that take international applicants are limited... Have received one rejection from Wake Forest and nothing else... 🙁

I'm an average applicant I guess: 28/3.75 (verbal killed me), lots of ECs (mostly teaching and tutoring), a lot of volunteer work in clinical setting, shadowing, almost 3 years or research, currently doing a masters program, etc.

Anyone else in the same position?? Comments/suggestions/advice? Thanks! 🙂

Hi KiKat!

I'm a Canadian applicant and I wrote the April 2004 MCAT and because of this, I was able to submit early. I applied to a total of 40 schools (in Canada and the US) and so far I have had 4 interview invites (I declined 3 of them), 1 interview and 1 acceptance. It sounds like your stats are above average and in my opinion, the key to getting an interview as an international applicant is to apply EARLY!

Anyhow, if you have any questions, then please feel free to let me know. Hope things work out for you this year! Good Luck 🙂

 

[IntlMed]

I will be an applicant next year

 

[CarlosMielefan]

I am an international student, and with the exception of Cornell, UPenn and UChicago (all of which DO NOT offer any form of financial aid whatsoever to international students), I am doing quite nicely so far. Even the afore-listed schools have offered me an interview (Cornell, UPenn) or expressed interest in doing so (UChicago). I think it helps a little that I am also working on getting an advanced degree, and I am also mildly persistent in following up on my applications.

Regarding your stats, I must say that they are a bit average, and as an international applicant, you should have stronger stats to stand out a bit more. If you are confident enough with your scores, and there are any schools you are particularly interested in, you should contact those schools. In the case of one school - Uchicago - my e-mail sort of jolted them into remembering that they had placed my application aside because of their concerns on my international status. In other words, had I not contacted them, I might have been placed aside for a long, long time.

In summary, consider taking the MCATs again or pursuing an advanced degree. If these are not plausible options, then write e-mails to the schools you're interested in inquiring about the status of your application and restating your interest in the schools (always include very specific reasons rather than generalities).

Hope this helps. BTW, for an August-MCATer, it is relatively still early.

 

[Paragozardelsol]

I am in the same boat, but so far I have gotten two interviews. I asked in Columbia my interviewer the following:

Does it matter that one is an international student?
And that is interested in working in their home-country/internationally?

Her answer was that "it doesn't matter. Not at all for a school like this."

Then she told me that residency does not matter for admissions, but it matters for financial aid. I also know several people who have gotten into medical school as international students with full rides. They were pretty solid applicants though. So it is possible.

If you want to see the numbers of internationals interviewed and accepted for each school, they are listed in the US News if you pay your 15 bucks...

 

[kotha]

Just wondering if there are any International applicants out there (meaning no greencard)... How are your apps coming along? Anyone having any luck?

I just talked to an adcom member, the husband of a friend/co-worker, and he told me that my chances of getting in are very slim... I already knew that but I guess I was kind of in denial... I was still hopeful and he crushed my illusions... So, I'm feeling really down now and wanted to see how everyone else is doing.

I'm an Aug-mcater and was complete at most schools by mid-October. I have only applied to 14 schools, since the number of schools that take international applicants are limited... Have received one rejection from Wake Forest and nothing else... 🙁

I'm an average applicant I guess: 28/3.75 (verbal killed me), lots of ECs (mostly teaching and tutoring), a lot of volunteer work in clinical setting, shadowing, almost 3 years or research, currently doing a masters program, etc.

Anyone else in the same position?? Comments/suggestions/advice? Thanks! 🙂

Hey I am also an international student (F-1 visa; from S. Korea). I also had lots of concerns regarding my status. So far the process has been going fine. Applied to 14 schools, withdrew from 3, received 9 interview invites, and 2 acceptances (Hopkins and Vanderbilt) so far..

I really suggest that you purchase the premium access at USNEWS.com. It has stats for # of international applicants, # interviewed, accepted, and enrolled.

I did hear from my friend that her friend with similar stat as yours got into NYU a few years ago. So don't lose hope =)

Well.. if you have any questions, please feel free to pm me.

Good luck!

 

[USbound]

This is what it says on the NYU website, though:
"In view of the large number of applications to the School and the difficulties involved in the application procedure for students abroad, foreign candidates are not encouraged to apply if they are not permanent residents of the United States. Students who have failed in another medical school are not eligible to apply for admission. In recent years, the school has not accepted any transfer students. American citizens seeking transfer from foreign medical schools are advised not to apply."

 

[kotha]

This is what it says on the NYU website, though:
"In view of the large number of applications to the School and the difficulties involved in the application procedure for students abroad, foreign candidates are not encouraged to apply if they are not permanent residents of the United States. Students who have failed in another medical school are not eligible to apply for admission. In recent years, the school has not accepted any transfer students. American citizens seeking transfer from foreign medical schools are advised not to apply."

Hmm really... maybe I heard it wrong or something =(

 

[CarlosMielefan]

This is what it says on the NYU website, though:
"In view of the large number of applications to the School and the difficulties involved in the application procedure for students abroad, foreign candidates are not encouraged to apply if they are not permanent residents of the United States. Students who have failed in another medical school are not eligible to apply for admission. In recent years, the school has not accepted any transfer students. American citizens seeking transfer from foreign medical schools are advised not to apply."

Although I didn't apply to NYU, I know that they do not reject applications from non-US citizens, who are studying and are currently present in the US. In fact, if you read your little quote closely, you'd see that they are referring to non-US citizens abroad. The quote addresses the logistics of posting letters etc. There is also a stipulation elsewhere in NYU's catalog that foreign students should have studied for a year in the US... or something. NYU does in fact have international students.

 

[KiKat37]

Hey guys,

thanks a lot for all your replies/comments/answers. 👍

I guess the reality of it is that the schools that are most likely to accept international students are the Ivy League schools and those require solid stats. Since I only have a 28 on my MCAT, I didn't bother applying to many of these schools.

I applied to Penn because that's where I'm doing my masters now and I thought I may have a small shot there if I'm already in their graduate school (illusion again?). I also applied to Dartmouth, because I read on their website that 1 out of every 4 students there is either a minority or an nternational Student, and because I know someone who got in with a 24 last year. And, I applied to Harvard because... well, everybody applies to harvard... it's just a dream school... 😛

Other than that, I'm applying to Georgetown (doesn't look good because apparenty everybody gets rejected), Jefferson, Penn State, Tufts, Boston U, Vermont, Connecticut, Albany, NYMC and U Maryland.

U Maryland is my first choice and probably my best shot. I went there undergrad and I know that they give preference to their own students. Plus, I know someone who was also International and she got in with average stats (similar to mine).

I don't know... Should I really write emails and letters? Does that really make a difference? And, can I do that before having any interview invites? I thought that you wrote letters of interest after getting interviews...?

Anything else that you would be willing to share (experiences/suggestions/advice) will be greatly appreciated! Good luck!

 

[DubZteR]

This is what it says on the NYU website, though:
"In view of the large number of applications to the School and the difficulties involved in the application procedure for students abroad, foreign candidates are not encouraged to apply if they are not permanent residents of the United States. Students who have failed in another medical school are not eligible to apply for admission. In recent years, the school has not accepted any transfer students. American citizens seeking transfer from foreign medical schools are advised not to apply."

Not completely true. I'm a Canadian applicant and I received a secondary invite from NYU and they are one of the schools that screen.

 

[DubZteR]

Hey guys,

thanks a lot for all your replies/comments/answers. 👍

I guess the reality of it is that the schools that are most likely to accept international students are the Ivy League schools and those require solid stats. Since I only have a 28 on my MCAT, I didn't bother applying to many of these schools.

I applied to Penn because that's where I'm doing my masters now and I thought I may have a small shot there if I'm already in their graduate school (illusion again?). I also applied to Dartmouth, because I read on their website that 1 out of every 4 students there is either a minority or an nternational Student, and because I know someone who got in with a 24 last year. And, I applied to Harvard because... well, everybody applies to harvard... it's just a dream school... 😛

Other than that, I'm applying to Georgetown (doesn't look good because apparenty everybody gets rejected), Jefferson, Penn State, Tufts, Boston U, Vermont, Connecticut, Albany, NYMC and U Maryland.

U Maryland is my first choice and probably my best shot. I went there undergrad and I know that they give preference to their own students. Plus, I know someone who was also International and she got in with average stats (similar to mine).

I don't know... Should I really write emails and letters? Does that really make a difference? And, can I do that before having any interview invites? I thought that you wrote letters of interest after getting interviews...?

Anything else that you would be willing to share (experiences/suggestions/advice) will be greatly appreciated! Good luck!

I'm not sure how to go abouts with the pre-interview invite letters but I think a friendly post interview letter makes you a more memorable applicant to your interviewers when they are presenting you to the admissions' committee. For instance, in both of my interviews, we talked about things that I know made me unique b/c I have atypical hobbies and so I reinforced that in my letter and also thanked them again for personal gestures like walking me out to the elevator in one case and giving me a brief tour of one of the teaching hospital in the other case. Anyhow, just my $0.02 and I hope you get some good news!!!!!

 

[CarlosMielefan]

Not completely true. I'm a Canadian applicant and I received a secondary invite from NYU and they are one of the schools that screen.

Exactly!

 

[nadica31]

HEY there,
i'm international as well, but as i have forseen the difficulty of getting accepted as an international student, i applied to only three schools(secondaries) 😕 and to tell you the truth one of them, USC was quite quick, and invited me for an interview after one month.I took the MCAT in august like you, was killed by verbal like you, but i have a 4.0/30 on MCAT and great research experience, so we'll see. YEah, even though some of the statistics say that most schools (state) don't accept internationals, there are exceptions, so keep up and don't loose hope. 👍 👍 By the way, I'm from Macedonia and go to LSU, you at least go to Penn STate right?

 

[KiKat37]

Hi Natica,

thanks for joining our unfortunate club! 😉 I hope your interview went well. I actually got one interview (Dartmouth) since I last posted on this thread, so I'm being more optimistic! 🙂

But things are still moving very slowly. I haven't heard back from most of my other schools... I also have 2 rejections (Wake and Georgetown) and 2 holds (Albany and Penn state). To answer your question: nah, I'm not at penn state, i'm at upenn. Doesn't make a difference tho. I haven't heard from them either! lol Oh well... 🙄

How is everyone else doing?

Happy Holidays and best of !

 

[Scottish Chap]

International from Scotland here. I'm maybe a little different from you guys in the sense that I (just!) received PR status, but I have an undergraduate degree from the U.K. so my struggles are a little different. So far, I've had two interviews (Rochester, SUNY Upstate - was originally on "HOLD" pre-interview), three rejections pre-interview (Albany, Vermont, MUSC), and I'm waiting on the others (Hopkins, Maryland, UMDNJ, Buffalo). Oh.....almost forgot.....I also applied to two Canadian schools as an international applicant (McMaster, Toronto). The latter holds places for internationals (I'll probably get flamed by the Canadians), and the former USED TO, but changed that policy in the middle of this year's application cycle - quite cheeky, I have to say.

What I learned from this processs: 1) Not having a green card makes it very hard to enter a U.S. medical school (I was asked for my freshly-printed green card before the interview could take place at Rochester). 2) Having a foreign undergraduate degree makes it even harder to gain admission; most schools automatically deem you 'ineligible'. 3) Having a foreign undergraduate degree and not having a green card is the worst possible combination. Some schools may allow you to apply if you take all of your pre-reqs over again, and a few will allow you to apply if you have a higher degree, conferred by a U.S. institution.

I was an August MCATer, I applied late, and I'm still doing a couple of pre-reqs while working full-time in two jobs - not the best way to apply, but I firmly believe that 'what's for you will not go past you'. Good luck to all! 👍

 

[sweatybrain]

Just want to encourage you guys not to lose hope. I'm also an international applicant (no permanent residency, although I'm currently working on one which hopefully will help with financial aids if/when I'm accepted somewhere).

I had been discouraged by sooooo many people, both someone who works in the admissions office at my undergraduate college, and someone who worked in the admissions office at Stanford. At one point, I read a post on SDN about this kid who had a 3.8 and a 33, yet only got 2 interviews...I was so disillusioned that I did not study for the MCAT for a week or two.

So here I am, a few months later. I took the MCAT in August, and now have 11 interview invites, including ones that are supposedly not international friendly (e.g., NYU, Wash U), and other very competitive schools (e.g. Duke, Cornell, HMS). My feeling is that if you are a strong applicant, you ARE a strong applicant. You will face more hurdles when it comes to financial aids stuff, not interviews 🙂

Good luck, and let me know if I can answer any questions.

 

[JDAD]

Canadian on an F1 visa here. So far, the interveiw trail has been fairly busy for me. August MCAT and 8 interviews so far. I have no complaints.

There is a lot paper problems, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought.

Best of luck to every one.

 

[acl3623]

guatemalan here, im guessing most of you guys applied to MD schools only, i applied to both MD and DO specifically because many allo administrators kept telling me that it was very unlikely that i would get in. the dean at BU told me that i could apply, but in reality they only accepted crazy stats mcgee internationals that would bring in a lot of research money and also be working on getting their PR in the near future. ive interviewed at 3 DO schools, accepted to 2 and i interviewed at Drew/UCLA. i asked the dean if it mattered that i was international and he said no. only when it came to financial aid, since i would be ineligible. other than that ive only gotten one rejection from EVMS post secondary. i applied to about 20 schools...half MD half DO. yea its tough for us, but like people have said. a lot of schools will consider you as long as youre a strong applicant. at my drew interview i talked a lot about my experiences as an immigrant and my experiences living overseas and it for sure made me stand out from everyone else and memorable.

do schools were a whole different story. they were very international friendly and really put a lot of emphasis on life experience. which i like...i would urge all internationals to look into applying to osteopathic schools..as long as youre planning on practicing in the states or the countries that give full rights.

 

[USbound]

Hey everybody!
I recently came across such issue: a school requires that all international students show that they have money (in bank accts, stocks or real estate) for all 4 years of tuition + living expenses.

I e-mailed to a couple of other schools asking if they have the same rules and so far have not received any clear answers.

Did anyone here have the same experience? Do all schools require that? I heard that some require two years of tuition.

Please share your experiences with financial side of the application process.



Happy New Year to all!

 

[acl3623]

yes, a lot of schools require this. the way im going about it is through loans. there are several private sources that allow international students to borrow, some with a us citizen sponsor, some without. the ones that require a sponsor usually have better interest rates. other than that, you could tap into private scholarships from organizations that have global health in mind or even some from your native country. theyre hard to find...but i think if you put in the work, youll find something.