Go traditional med route in US or study in India? need some advice please ...

[ike654]

I'm currently a highschool senior and thinking of either going to (removed) with a full ride and stipend for biology (any other suggestions for a major?) or going to India for med school, most likely (removed).
My ultimate goal is to be practicing in the US with an anesthesiology or cardiology specialty. My main concern for the traditional US route is the low likelihood of being accepted into an MD program. I did some research and AAMC says for (removed) the acceptance rate to any US med schools is around removed even though (removed) boasts a (removed)% acceptance rate (idk how far thats true), but if I do go into a US med school my chances for a specialty are pretty good, around 96%. In the case of India, I would already be going to med school, but when trying to come back, the acceptance rate for US-IMGs into residency is around 59% according to NRMP. And the chances of getting a competitive specialty would be slim to none, mostly family practice and internal med would be open, my understanding is that to do cardiology you have to go through internal med anyways.
I'm still not sure of which option would be best for me, culture shock isn't a concern for me since I spend a lot of my year in India anyways. I need advice on a path to take, I'm also not sure if I should try out (removed) for a year and see if my GPA and volunteering hold up because I got through the entrance exam to India already (maybe an extra year will only help me boost that score if I try again?)
Can someone give some insight on what it takes to go to med school in the US and maybe also what it takes to go to residency from India if anyone studied there please? Much appreciated.

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[cafedisco]

You haven't started college yet and already think you won't be accepted into med school? It doesn't sound like you're having problems academically, so you're really putting the cart before the horse here. I think it might serve you well to go through undergrad and get some more experience under your belt.

But long story short, if you want to practice in the US, it makes the most sense to attend a US MD/DO school.

 

[126230]

Staying in the US is a no brainer unless you plan on practicing medicine in India afterwards.

If you can't get into medical school in the US the way everyone else does then what makes you so sure you will ace the USMLE Step 1 and 2 exams? As an FMG (not even an IMG from the Carib who has US based clinical rotations) you are at a huge disadvantage and NEED to ace those exams.

And even if you do you get the bottom tier residences at places in (mostly) undesirable locations with few specialty options...


So you can go to India and make your (presumably) extremely traditional Indian parents proud and "save years!" by going directly to school in India all while your friends "waste time" going to college in the US. Then spend months, even over a year, studying for the USMLEs at home and get high scores. Apply to over 100 IM residency programs and match at a low tier place somewhere you don't want to live and scrape together some crappy poster presentations and research projects at your community IM program and get into a low tier cardiology program, also likely located somewhere you don't want to be. But hey you saved years!

I know I sound like an a**hole but I have seen this play out before. I know someone who went to Sri Ramachandra Medical College. We graduated HS together. I am finishing residency soon and she has yet to get into residency (which she probably wont...). Also everyone I know who went to dental school abroad (TO SAVE TIME & MONEY) are not practicing dentistry in the US. They couldn't hack it for one reason or another.

TLDR: Stay here

 

[afib123]

it is pretty easy to get into medical school in the US with the advent of DO schools. Maybe 4-5 years ago it was much more difficult.
Your chances after going to a Do school to get into residency are probably 100 times greater (hyperbole but significantly greater) than coming from india
Unless you have no test taking ability and are not hard working, there is no reason that you will not get into a DO school at a minimum. If you work hard consistently throughout 4 years, md schools are guaranteed too. I mean get a GPA above 3.8, high MCAT, throw in some extracurriculars, that is majority of md candidates.
do yourself a favor, take your full ride and go to US undergrad. If anyone is giving you advice otherwise, they are absolutely stupid and point them to this message

 

[afib123]

Staying in the US is a no brainer unless you plan on practicing medicine in India afterwards.

If you can't get into medical school in the US the way everyone else does then what makes you so sure you will ace the USMLE Step 1 and 2 exams? As an FMG (not even an IMG from the Carib who has US based clinical rotations) you are at a huge disadvantage and NEED to ace those exams.

And even if you do you get the bottom tier residences at places in (mostly) undesirable locations with few specialty options...


So you can go to India and make your (presumably) extremely traditional Indian parents proud and "save years!" by going directly to school in India all while your friends "waste time" going to college in the US. Then spend months, even over a year, studying for the USMLEs at home and get high scores. Apply to over 100 IM residency programs and match at a low tier place somewhere you don't want to live and scrape together some crappy poster presentations and research projects at your community IM program and get into a low tier cardiology program, also likely located somewhere you don't want to be. But hey you saved years!

I know I sound like an a**hole but I have seen this play out before. I know someone who went to Sri Ramachandra Medical College. We graduated HS together. I am finishing residency soon and she has yet to get into residency (which she probably wont...). Also everyone I know who went to dental school abroad (TO SAVE TIME & MONEY) are not practicing dentistry in the US. They couldn't hack it for one reason or another.

TLDR: Stay here

Yeah that low tier IM program might be a possibility but from that low tier IM to low tier cardiology, from what I read, is going to be extremely tough.
This advice of getting your md in india is about 10 years outdated and even then if it was stupid advice.

 

[Maxamillion12]

it is pretty easy to get into medical school in the US with the advent of DO schools. Maybe 4-5 years ago it was much more difficult.
Your chances after going to a Do school to get into residency are probably 100 times greater (hyperbole but significantly greater) than coming from india
Unless you have no test taking ability and are not hard working, there is no reason that you will not get into a DO school at a minimum. If you work hard consistently throughout 4 years, md schools are guaranteed too. I mean get a GPA above 3.8, high MCAT, throw in some extracurriculars, that is majority of md candidates.
do yourself a favor, take your full ride and go to US undergrad. If anyone is giving you advice otherwise, they are absolutely stupid and point them to this message

Are MD/DO school's really this uncompetitive?

 

[Tenk]

Are MD/DO school's really this uncompetitive?

No. They are oversimplifying. Their main point is that it is ridiculously harder to go to school in India and end up practicing in the US than starting from a US undergrad instead which is true.

 

[afib123]

Are MD/DO school's really this uncompetitive?

"gpa above 3.8, high MCAT scores, extra-curriculars" is not easy. That is probably the best of the students in undergrad and are the majority of the pool that make up MD schools.
Now DO schools, yes, I have no doubt they are significantly much easier to get in. I know many classmates of mine who are not the smartest but managed to get into DO schools. Obviously you still have to work hard but most students with avg intelligence and good work ethic will get in. Either way, it is most definitely easier to get into a DO school than go to India, nail your step exams and then get a residency in the US.

If you can do well enough in steps to get into a US residency, you can do well enough in undergrad to get into a DO school. If you can't perform in Undergrad to at least to get into a DO school, there is no way you will pass steps and get into a US residency

 

[sargon2123]

For IM subspecialties your school name, step score, etc all matter. So it’s not just a matter of permanently overcoming 1 hurdle to get into any IM program

 

[Premed2295]

If you want to practice in the US, go to school in the US. If you would like to move to India after medical school and practice there, go to school in India it is cheaper and faster. If you are not sure yet, go in the US. The US wont take a degree from most other places seriously but everyone loves a US school..

 

[Rkdood]

Try the US Route first. In case you do not succeed getting into MD/DO program, fall back is the Caribbean option.