French medical student

[m00n]

Hi everybody,
I am a french med student in 2nd year at Paris.
I am willing to come to USA after my 4th year, but I am wondering if good med schools accept international students (especially UCLA and Wayne state university). I heard, it is very difficult to get enrolled in american colleges for international med students, is it so hard? Do you know guys, anyone who succeed?
Sorry for my very rough english I am trying to improve it!
Thanking you so much in advance…

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[Lbgem]

Hi everybody,
I am a french med student in 2nd year at Paris.
I am willing to come to USA after my 4th year, but I am wondering if good med schools accept international students (especially UCLA and Wayne state university). I heard, it is very difficult to get enrolled in american colleges for international med students, is it so hard? Do you know guys, anyone who succeed?
Sorry for my very rough english I am trying to improve it!
Thanking you so much in advance…

Your English is actually pretty good. Your post confuses me a little because you say you're in your second year of med school, but you want to come to the states after your fourth year? In the US you graduate med school in 4 years. I'm going to hazard a guess that med school for you is 6 years, and you want to do your clinical rotations at a US med school. Transferring mid med school is difficult for US students, let alone foreign ones. I would say it's very unlikely for this to happen if that's what your plan was.

If you really wanted to come to the U.S. I would go the residency route. Finish your med school in France, while doing a couple of away rotations in the States during your breaks, then go through the Match to do a residency in the states. You'll need to take the USMLE do well, and letters of rec from US physicians mean a lot. Also, I'm hoping you don't want some of the super competitive residencies (ROAD). You could probably get into a moderately competitive one with good letters and a good USMLE score, but yes foreign med grad hurts you as you'd need the residency program to sponsor your visa. Doable though.

 

[m00n]

Thank you for answering so fast.
In France, we begin med school right after high school. In the US, I think, it is after four years in college. Therefore I want to come after my fourth year of med school here, and beginning as a new medical student in the US.
French students get their doctorate after residency!
So if I complete my med program here, I will have to do all over my residency in the US maybe in a specialty I didn’t want.
That's why I am asking!

 

[FunnyCurrent]

Thank you for answering so fast.
In France, we begin med school right after high school. In the US, I think, it is after four years in college. Therefore I want to come after my fourth year of med school here, and beginning as a new medical student in the US.
French students get their doctorate after residency!
So if I complete my med program here, I will have to do all over my residency in the US maybe in a specialty I didn't want.
That's why I am asking!

After 4 years will you get a bachelor's degree? Will you have completed the US medical school required pre-requisite courses (1 year of biology, physics, organic chemistry, general chemistry)? Can you take the MCAT (medical college admissions test) in france? You need the pre-requisite courses and the MCAT to apply to medical school in the United States.

 

[isoquin]

I can't quite tell whether you're asking to transfer into a medical school or enroll as a first year. Transferring into 3rd year med school here will be near-impossible unless you have a very specific life changing reason. Enrollment as a first year med student is possible. Many med schools take international students, but you will need to contact specific programs and ask for their stats and any special requirements. My guess is that they won't hold you to the usual requirements, and have some international equivalents that would be acceptable.

Best of luck!

 

[aSagacious]

I've known two international MDs who decided to attend a US med school, one from Russia and the other from Korea. The med schools treated their degrees like a bachelor's, however they both had to first accumulate 30 credits at a US undergraduate institution (by retaking the re-reqs) before applying. With that said, I agree that you should call a couple schools and see what their specific policies are. One thing that can be said with certainty, though, is that it is a competitive process. Good luck.

 

[m00n]

After 4 years will you get a bachelor's degree? Will you have completed the US medical school required pre-requisite courses (1 year of biology, physics, organic chemistry, general chemistry)? Can you take the MCAT (medical college admissions test) in france? You need the pre-requisite courses and the MCAT to apply to medical school in the United States.

It doesn't work this way in France, we don't have 1 year of biology, 1 year of physics...
Medical studies begin with 3 theoretical years. So, the answer is no to your 2 first questions!
I can pass the MCAT in France, I am just scared of forgetting my physics courses!
Thank you for this informations.

 

[m00n]

I can't quite tell whether you're asking to transfer into a medical school or enroll as a first year. Transferring into 3rd year med school here will be near-impossible unless you have a very specific life changing reason. Enrollment as a first year med student is possible. Many med schools take international students, but you will need to contact specific programs and ask for their stats and any special requirements. My guess is that they won't hold you to the usual requirements, and have some international equivalents that would be acceptable.

Best of luck!

That is what I had been needing to know, thank you sir !

 

[m00n]

I've known two international MDs who decided to attend a US med school, one from Russia and the other from Korea. The med schools treated their degrees like a bachelor's, however they both had to first accumulate 30 credits at a US undergraduate institution (by retaking the re-reqs) before applying. With that said, I agree that you should call a couple schools and see what their specific policies are. One thing that can be said with certainty, though, is that it is a competitive process. Good luck.

Thanks to you, I have all the answers I need!
I have though, but I will keep thinking!
I will make my decisions in 2 years.

Thank you so much guys for helping me

 

[thepoopologist]

Wie, wie

 

[rlplucien]

Its oui, not wie.

I wanted to chime in to help. I know it doesn't work the same in france and you won't be earning a bachelors degree there. However, united states medical schools REQUIRE 1 year of general biology, 1 year of general chemistry, 1 year of organic chemistry, 1 year of physics, and usually 1 year of english. Additionally, these courses must be taken in the united states. You don't need a bachelors degree, but it is highly recommended.
Your best option might be to finish your degree in france, then enroll in a post bac program in the united states afterwards to take the prereqs. These usually take 2 years.

 

[mvenus929]

It's worth mentioning that it will be very expensive for you to enroll in school here. You do not qualify for the federal loans that most students get because you are not a citizen. Some programs may require that you put down the full cost of your attendance (for all four years) in order to attend. The average debt of US medical students is on the order of $200,000 or so.

And it is very competitive here. Less than half of those who apply for admission to medical school in any given year get in.

I'm not trying to crush your dreams, but I do want you to be thinking about all the challenges you will face to enter medical school here.

 

[Shoushu]

Hi everybody,
I am a french med student in 2nd year at Paris.
I am willing to come to USA after my 4th year, but I am wondering if good med schools accept international students (especially UCLA and Wayne state university). I heard, it is very difficult to get enrolled in american colleges for international med students, is it so hard? Do you know guys, anyone who succeed?
Sorry for my very rough english I am trying to improve it!
Thanking you so much in advance…

It's hard, and risky, path to go to med school in US again, as a foreigner. Very hard to get in. Very expensive. At least $200,000

Why not take USMLEs, apply for residency directly? through ERAS, many IMGs get in. better chances

 

[m00n]

thank you all guys for your answers!
I 'll think about all you have said and make my choice
Good luck to all of you, for the future of your studies... and bank account