How much "better" do international students have to be?

[Punkchique]

Hi All,

I am an international student and I am familiar with how US med school view international applicants, being that most don't accept them at all, those that do want them to be substantially better than their American counterparts etc.

But what I want to know, is how much better is "better". I am transferring and will be a sophomore at a state school that is a member of the "Public Ivies", although still not that highly ranked.

My freshman cGPA was a 3.79 from a tier 3 HBCU.

What kind of GPA/MCAT would I need to be considered competitive? Will my undergrad school choices affect my admissions chances?

Thanks

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[Chemdude]

Depends, are you Canadian?

If you are Canadian, you have a fairly good chance at some low-tier schools (RFU, Wayne State, Jefferson, Upstate and St. Louis are the ones that come to mind). You would need a high GPA (3.75+) and MCAT in the low thirties.

If you are not Canadian, then you are pretty much SOL for low-tier/Public schools. Your school list will be limited to very reputable private schools. You would need a very high GPA with a very high MCAT score (at least 35).

 

[kavorca]

34.7%

 

[Punkchique]

nope, Bahamian, so its even harder
And I really don't want to go to a carib med-school.

So, very high GPA, 3.8-3.9?
Also in terms of research, will research at home be considered on the same level as research in the states?

 

[schlieren]

Depends, are you Canadian?

If you are Canadian, you have a fairly good chance at some low-tier schools (RFU, Wayne State, Jefferson, Upstate and St. Louis are the ones that come to mind). You would need a high GPA (3.75+) and MCAT in the low thirties.

If you are not Canadian, then you are pretty much SOL for low-tier/Public schools. Your school list will be limited to very reputable private schools. You would need a very high GPA with a very high MCAT score (at least 35).

Hi dude, can you explain why non-Canadian internationals are SOL at low-tier private schools like RFU and St Louis?? These schools want Americans and Canadians only ???

 

[Chemdude]

Hi dude, can you explain why non-Canadian internationals are SOL at low-tier private schools like RFU and St Louis?? These schools want Americans and Canadians only ???

Sorry, I think I may have exaggerated a little bit. There are very few schools that accept International applicants. The vast majority of these schools are top 20/prestigious institutions. Canadian students can apply to about ~40 schools. I'm pretty sure non-Canadian international students have a much smaller list of schools.

I'm not 100% sure on the admissions policies of RFU and St. Louis...

Check this out; it tells you about the admissions policies for international students at every medical school:

http://www.naahp.org/resources_InternatMed_Article_June09.htm

 

[schlieren]

Hi dude, thanks for clarifying! You are right that the vast majority are prestigious institutions, but RFU, Upstate and St Louis are the significant exceptions. That's why I was scared upon your original message. As I don't have a very high GPA (only 3.75), I'm putting my hope on these few low-tier private schools ...

 

[Chemdude]

nope, Bahamian, so its even harder
And I really don't want to go to a carib med-school.

So, very high GPA, 3.8-3.9?
Also in terms of research, will research at home be considered on the same level as research in the states?

Yes, you will need a high GPA in that range. Don't worry. You still have 2 years to improve your GPA (not saying that it's bad, but you want the best GPA possible). You also want to make sure that you nail the MCAT.

I don't know about the research, though...

 

[schlieren]

nope, Bahamian, so its even harder
And I really don't want to go to a carib med-school.

So, very high GPA, 3.8-3.9?
Also in terms of research, will research at home be considered on the same level as research in the states?

Bahamians are URMs, right? If so you have a free ride to every school ...

 

[Punkchique]

Bahamians are URMs, right? If so you have a free ride to every school ...

What do you mean by this? :S