Yes my original plan was to sit the USMLEs and then apply for a residency in the US. However I was reading somewhere that American graduates are matched first, THEN they look at foreigners. And it would be especially hard for neurosurgery apparently (which is what I want to do).
As for doing at least one year in an American college, Stanford says you have to spend one year of your education either in the US, Canada or the UK, which would therefore be fine for me. (?)
I thought I'd be fine as long as I get an awesome score in the MCAT. I guess I'll e-mail a couple of med schools and ask them too.
Oh, and no my initials are not TA 😉
Oh yea its true that americans are matched first. Like I've already said, the local students will always be preferred. So, if you go through that route then neurosurgery is pretty darn impossible. So, yea the only other option left for you would be coming to the US and finish your bachelors degree. Well check what schools say about accepting your british education (maybe theres many more out there than stanford, I wouldn't put my eggs in one basket and think i'll get getting admitted into stanford by any means) And just for the record, an awesome MCAT score is not as easy to get.
So out of curiosity, why not just become a doctor in england? Its not like your in some third world country which has more or less no opportunities. And the doors to any european country are open for you as well. Why do you want to practice in America? Is it worth the extra 3 - 4 years and the extra 100 - 200 K money that you will have to invest ? Why not just become a doctor in UK, move to sweden or denmark or some peaceful place like that? I just don't see why you would give up certainty for something which is much more uncertain. Your already in medical school and already on your way to become a doctor. Why give up all of that, and go back to an american college and perhaps spend another 2 years there (if your lucky to get enough transfer credits, most colleges still need atleast 60 hours to graduate from there), and then another 4 years of medical school here. Followed by another 7 years of residency for surgery (I think thats how long it is?) And then another 2 years of specialization in neurosurgery. Do you really think its a good decision to just risk everything you have?????? Like seriously, in 3 years you will be a recognized doctor everywhere except America and Canada.
Oh and reality check, do you have 200 thousand dollars just lying around ? Do you know how impossible it is for international students to even get loans. You can't get a loan without a co-signer with a pretty darn good credit score atleast. So really it may seem like an easy task just to come to college in America. But once your here, the reality of the situation dawns upon you. My gf who is a permanent resident in the US, even she couldn't get a loan for college because she didn't have a sufficient credit history. She had to take a year off and work 80 hours a week to just be able to make enough to pay for another school year. I don't want to deter you, but I just want you to look past the rosy picture of doctors making a lot of money in the US and evaluate whether taking such a risky move of dropping out of medical school in the UK is a good decision. Because, in my opinion, you seem to be injuring your chances of actually becoming a doctor. Coming to America and starting to study here by no means guarentees that you will become a neurosurgeon here. Wouldn't everyone in America want to be a neurosurgeon
🙂 But theres only some 50 - 100 people every year that make it. So, account for all the financials, the extra time, and the everyday uncertainty, and decide whether this is a good career move.
