International pre-meds?

[Deepak_nc]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Are there non-US citizens without permanent residency on here trying to get into medical school or any in medical school?
just trying to find out what they asked on interveiws or whether you guys had a tough time getting interveiws.... just wanna know what process you had to go through as opposed to US citizens.

 

[calebho501]

I am one of them. I have citizenship in Hong Kong and Australia but not the U.S.

A big question that may come up in interview is: "Why a U.S. school? Doesn't your country offer medical training as well?" Obviously saying that U.S.'s medical training is better will be fine, but if you have a good reason, then that'll be even better.

Another concern med schools have is, "How will you pay for tuition? YOu're not eligible for most financial aid" Again, prepare to tell them your source of financial support. For me, I'm lucky enough to have my parents pay for me, but of course I'll repay them later on 🙂

Finally, it's generally tougher to get in as a foreign student, and you have to apply to lots of school and be better than average. It's hard, but not impossible.

 

[NRAI2001]

Why r u guys trying to go to med school in the US. Do u guys plan to practice here as well, or go back to ur countries?

 

[mackaikai]

hey be nice. They will go to med school here in US and eventually get a green card or even citizenship 🙂

OR they will go back to their countries and help their people... either way , doesn't really matter.... it's for HUMAN SERVICE after all right?

 

[calebho501]

Originally posted by NRAI2001
Why r u guys trying to go to med school in the US. Do u guys plan to practice here as well, or go back to ur countries?

To straight out answer your question, yes, I'm hoping to practice here. To add to this, it's like studying-abroad...you get different perspectives on things. Even in the U.S., many companies like hiring people who have worked/studied overseas, because they have different perspectives and ideas.

 

[winstonm]

Canadian here.

 

[Alexander99]

Just so you guys know, you should make sure with each school that they accept foreign applicants. Many med schools don't even consider them (no matter how high your numbers are.) It sucks for you guys but it makes sense somewhat. If you have tons of highly qualified people trying to fill such few spots, can you really justify giving it up to someone that has a good chance of not practicing in your country? I just didn't want you applying to all sorts of schools assuming that you have an honest shot because your numbers are high. Just apply to the ones that are foreign student friendly.

Alexander

 

[chocolateshake]

Indian citizen here...

From the two interviews I have been on so far, surprisingly, I WASN'T asked ANY questions about why US if India has such good med schools etc etc...

Whenever I asked the people and interviewers at these schools how many int'l students they had on avg, the answer almost always was 1-3 out of 150!!!!!!! Now my question is, and I don't know who can answer it, but are the number of int'l students in each US med school SO LOW because
a) The school HAS to accept a certain majority of US citizens/permanent residents
or
b) The no. of int'l students applying just ARE that low! Because of lack of financial aid, etc... At both of my interviews, there was a group of about 10-12 applicants, and both times I was the only int'l student...

Any thoughts, if it is (a) or (b)?

 

[chocolateshake]

Another thing that I heard from one of my interviewers...

The biggest hurdle of int'ls in getting past the 2ndry and obtaining an interview... i.e. they screen our 2ndries much harder! Apparently once given an interview, we are at the same level as US citizens/permanent residents...

If that's true, it probably explains why so many schools who have me "complete" since early August haven't yet gotten back to me.......

Anyone else in the same boat?

 

[Alexander99]

Originally posted by chocolateshake
Indian citizen here...

Now my question is, and I don't know who can answer it, but are the number of int'l students in each US med school SO LOW because
a) The school HAS to accept a certain majority of US citizens/permanent residents
or
b) The no. of int'l students applying just ARE that low! Because of lack of financial aid, etc... At both of my interviews, there was a group of about 10-12 applicants, and both times I was the only int'l student...

Any thoughts, if it is (a) or (b)?

I think the the schools have such few international students because they SHOULD (not have to) have almost all US residents. Afterall, your country and community should come first, right?

 

[calebho501]

The small numbers of foreign students are b/c:

1. A small percentage of applicants are foreign students (only about 100-200 people apply to each school)
2. Many schools have lower acceptance rate for foreign students, for reasons mentioned above.

Once you get an interview though, the acceptance is about 33-50% for foreign students at most schools, which is about the same acceptance rate for U.S. interviewees who are citizens.

 

[Dr.Islet]

Yes, its hard to get in as an international student but its not impossible. I have known many who have tried and succeded and still some who haven't. It really comes down to how diffrent you are from the rest of the international pool--experiences, scores...

 

[highclass]

Hello! Canadian citizen here. I do not have a greencard, however, I did go to undergrad and grad in the US. I am currently applying to med-school and I have 4 interviews so far. I had one last month and I have 3 in Nov. So, if you are an international student, there is hope, but I think that you can only get a really fair shot if you went to undergrad in the US or Canada. GW has a special international MD program and I think Emory does too. However, you are expected to return to your "home" country to practice. The major problem we have is financial. We are ineligible for federal loans and some schools require all four years tuition put into escrow prior to matriculation! There are a lot of negatives being an international student, however, it is possible. Good luck all!

 

[NRAI2001]

Originally posted by highclass
Hello! Canadian citizen here. I do not have a greencard, however, I did go to undergrad and grad in the US. I am currently applying to med-school and I have 4 interviews so far. I had one last month and I have 3 in Nov. So, if you are an international student, there is hope, but I think that you can only get a really fair shot if you went to undergrad in the US or Canada. GW has a special international MD program and I think Emory does too. However, you are expected to return to your "home" country to practice. The major problem we have is financial. We are ineligible for federal loans and some schools require all four years tuition put into escrow prior to matriculation! There are a lot of negatives being an international student, however, it is possible. Good luck all!

Do US students ever go to Canada to do medicine? Does Canada have comparable med schools, y would u go to med school in the US if you are planning to practice in Canada?

 

[mackaikai]

canada med school don't really accept american students....their med schools are really hard to get in..that's why they come over here ~

 

[NRAI2001]

Originally posted by mackaikai
canada med school don't really accept american students....their med schools are really hard to get in..that's why they come over here ~

O, wow thats harsh, even harder than the US schools to get into?

 

[highclass]

I am planning on practicing in the US. And, Canadian schools are harder than US med schools. There are fewer schools, and they are mostly "provincial" schools, meaning they mainly accept people who are residents of that province. McGill and University of Toronto accept students from all over, however, they are very difficult.

 

[NRAI2001]

Originally posted by highclass
I am planning on practicing in the US. And, Canadian schools are harder than US med schools. There are fewer schools, and they are mostly "provincial" schools, meaning they mainly accept people who are residents of that province. McGill and University of Toronto accept students from all over, however, they are very difficult.

Why are Canadian schools so hard to get into?

 

[bigbaubdi]

Originally posted by Alexander99
I think the the schools have such few international students because they SHOULD (not have to) have almost all US residents. Afterall, your country and community should come first, right?

Not necessarily. Since many health problems are global, it helps to have a broad variety of perspectives on disease. The fight against diseases like AIDS for example can benefit enormously from international students who have lived or worked in places that are severely affected by it.

 

[jacksonchan85]

They're hard b/c of the sheer # of applicants to # of seats, something like 1 in 11 gain acceptance


It's scary really

🙁

 

[NRAI2001]

Originally posted by jacksonchan85
They're hard b/c of the sheer # of applicants to # of seats, something like 1 in 11 gain acceptance


It's scary really

🙁

Wow thats crazy😱 How many people are applying every year in Canada? How many schools are there?

 

[jacksonchan85]

Hi NRAI2001!

Yea it's pretty tough up here - 13 English speaking schools - schools in each province basically take 99% of their in-province students which makes it even harder for people - you're confined to fighting for spots w/i your own province.

In Ontario, it's something like 690 seats in 5 schools and > 5000 people apply

A little better than 1 in 11 (sorry my bad with the math) but bad enough

🙁

Good luck with your studies, and your pursuit of medical school!

 

[jacksonchan85]

Sorry I mean, schools in each province take MAINLY their own in-province students, and accept VERY FEW out-of-province students,

Ignore the "99%" statement I made

I need sleep🙂

 

[NRAI2001]

Originally posted by jacksonchan85
Sorry I mean, schools in each province take MAINLY their own in-province students, and accept VERY FEW out-of-province students,

Ignore the "99%" statement I made

I need sleep🙂

Hahahah, yea I think I know what u mean.

 

[calebho501]

Originally posted by jacksonchan85
They're hard b/c of the sheer # of applicants to # of seats, something like 1 in 11 gain acceptance

It's scary really

🙁

Most schools screen out int'l students heavily at the Secondary stage, but once you get an interview, your acceptance chance is about 40-50%, which is similar to applicants who are residents or citizens

 

[supereagles]

bump..

 

[NRAI2001]

Originally posted by supereagles
bump..

What does bump mean?

 

[chocolateshake]

"bump" puts the thread towards the top of the list..so it will catch the eyes of more people...actually, replying with almost anything in your message would do that, so i dont know why people put "bump" ..

 

[Alexander99]

Originally posted by bigbaubdi
Not necessarily. Since many health problems are global, it helps to have a broad variety of perspectives on disease. The fight against diseases like AIDS for example can benefit enormously from international students who have lived or worked in places that are severely affected by it.

I have to respectfully disagree with your comments there. The only areas that have a higher rate of AIDS than the U.S. is Africa and the Caribbean; check out: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0800505.html

You can argue about other diseases but what can an international student who's witnessed more diseases offer over an American student except comments like, "Yes, it's terrible" or "I've seen how bad it is." It's not as if that makes them experts in the matter.

My viewpoint is, there is an overflow of qualified American students to fill the ~16,000 annual medical school spots so you can only justify giving one of those spots away to an international student if he or she is exceptional. You don't have to agree with me but that's how I see it.

Alexander

 

[Deepak_nc]

First of all. I dotn think that an educational institution should play favorites. The rationale that foreign medical students will leave the country doesnt play out... it is just as easy for an american to go practice somewhere else.. Another thing is that i left my country to come here so i could have the opportunity to practice here, and even if i did leave to practice in india i would still be helping humanity as a whole.

"your country and your community should come first" that is just misplaced patriotism

 

[Renovar]

Originally posted by Deepak_nc
First of all. I dotn think that an educational institution should play favorites. The rationale that foreign medical students will leave the country doesnt play out... it is just as easy for an american to go practice somewhere else.. Another thing is that i left my country to come here so i could have the opportunity to practice here, and even if i did leave to practice in india i would still be helping humanity as a whole.

"your country and your community should come first" that is just misplaced patriotism

Your rationale has some merit. Unfortunately, however, it is not the way things are done.

American medical schools have the charter, as well as the obligation to train the next generation of physicians to serve Americans. In this regard, med school in every country is the same. (ie. there is no country in the world I can think of other than the carribeans whose medical school welcomes foreign citizen with open arms.) Most if not all of American medical schools, including private ones, receive funding from the government, including the FDA, NIH among others. A lot of the funding comes from the federal and state tax payer's pockets. Therefore, there is the unspoken mandate that they only take US citizens or PR. 99+% of entering medical students in ths US each year have at least green card.

In addition, many institutions dont have the know-how and/or deal with length of paperwork to sponsor an international student a student visa. This, coupled with the fact that the US applicant pool for most places are strong enough that they can easily fill their class without having to deal with international applicants.

With that said, it is definitely possible to get in without a PR (I am one of them.) Your just have to have good stats, and apply very liberally to private schools and hope for the best.

 

[Deepak_nc]

True...
But as long as one is qualified I do not see the rationale in denying one an education solely based ont he fact the he/she is not a citizen.
As a matter of fact a lot of internatiojnal medical schools do welcome foreign citizens...as long as you can pay the tuition.
The reason I would choose an american school over any of those, is the same reason that people migrate to this country for : opportunity not available anywhere else, awesome facilities, and everyhting else that draws people to this country.

 

[NRAI2001]

Originally posted by Deepak_nc
First of all. I dotn think that an educational institution should play favorites. The rationale that foreign medical students will leave the country doesnt play out... it is just as easy for an american to go practice somewhere else.. Another thing is that i left my country to come here so i could have the opportunity to practice here, and even if i did leave to practice in india i would still be helping humanity as a whole.

"your country and your community should come first" that is just misplaced patriotism

Even though an international student may not necessarily go back to their country and practice, most of them probably will. If an international student has the intent of practicing in the US after med school, why don't they just apply for citizenship.

 

[Alexander99]

Originally posted by Deepak_nc
True...
But as long as one is qualified I do not see the rationale in denying one an education solely based ont he fact the he/she is not a citizen.
As a matter of fact a lot of internatiojnal medical schools do welcome foreign citizens...as long as you can pay the tuition.
The reason I would choose an american school over any of those, is the same reason that people migrate to this country for : opportunity not available anywhere else, awesome facilities, and everyhting else that draws people to this country.

You're missing the point. Read Renovar's post if you haven't already. If you've read it, read it again. I agree with him 100%. What you're missing is that by accepting a "qualified" (but not exceptional) foreign applicant, you are denying an American one. With all else being equal, I think the American one whose family has paid the taxes to fund all the schools (even the private ones) deserves to go more than the foreign one.

Just because other countries feel differently doesn't mean our country has to. By the way, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against immigrants. Our country was founded by immigrants. It's just when it comes to med schools, I completely see why they take 99% American students.

Alexander

 

[Deepak_nc]

Applying for citizenship can be done after the fact of med school
without that its kinda complicated

 

[jacksonchan85]

Greetings,

My 2 cents: I'm not against immigrants or internationals wanting to come to US medical schools, and I'm NOT trying to sound selfish, but I just want to weigh in ....

I think it's fair that some private US Schools accept Canadian citizens, but I think more should start doing this..
I mean Canadian citiziens aren't interested in US financial aid, we can get our own aid - so I dont understand why we Canadians are considered "foreign" to some US Schools when we're just NORTH OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😡

For international citizens, ie outside of US/Canada, why don't you guys go for med schools in your own countries and come to US for residency if that's what you really want - I mean you don't have to go through undergrad, or write the MCAT - why subject yourself to that unnecessary torment when you can get into schools in your own country right after high school?

 

[calebho501]

I think most med schools that accept int'l students are schools that want to add to the diversity of the class through those students' life experience

I'm an int'l student but I agree with the policy that U.S. schools can't allocate too many spots for int'l students...it's simply a way for a country to protect its interests by spending most of the resource training its citizens.

Applying for citizenship is nothing like ordering a hamburger, it's extremely hard nowadays, and it's usually people who're huge investors, nurses (due to shortage here) who can get their green cards quickly.

Finally, the int'l students that DO get into med schools are usually very top students, because they're under higher admission standards than average students.

 

[Renovar]

Originally posted by jacksonchan85
Greetings,

My 2 cents: I'm not against immigrants or internationals wanting to come to US medical schools, and I'm NOT trying to sound selfish, but I just want to weigh in ....

I think it's fair that some private US Schools accept Canadian citizens, but I think more should start doing this..
I mean Canadian citiziens aren't interested in US financial aid, we can get our own aid - so I dont understand why we Canadians are considered "foreign" to some US Schools when we're just NORTH OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😡

For international citizens, ie outside of US/Canada, why don't you guys go for med schools in your own countries and come to US for residency if that's what you really want - I mean you don't have to go through undergrad, or write the MCAT - why subject yourself to that unnecessary torment when you can get into schools in your own country right after high school?

This is another misconception.

My very simple question to you is, why dont Canadian med schools start accepting American citizens? Hell, there will be qualified Americans who will pay 2x, 3x or even 4x the tuition a Canadian would pay to go to a Canadian school. If you can answer this question, you can answer your own question.

I am a Canadian myself, having done undergrad in the US and now a MS4 at an US med school, so dont flame me for being anti-Canadian. Having been through what I have been through, having seen both sides, I can safely say that as it stands right now, the US medical training system is already MUCH more generous to Canadians than the Canadian system is to Americans all the way from undergraduate to post-residency. At every level, the Canadian system has restriction after restriction, fine print rule after fine print rule that basically walls any foreign applicants out of the door. At least the US system leaves the door open for the outstanding candidates to succeed, regardless of nationality, be it undergrad, med school or residency. MY POINT: The US system is already much more than fair to Canadians in the US, compare to how Americans are treated in Canada.

Regarding private schools and tuition, read my post above regarding funding for med school.

 

[Alexander99]

Originally posted by jacksonchan85
Greetings,

I dont understand why we Canadians are considered "foreign" to some US Schools when we're just NORTH OF YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😡

For international citizens, ie outside of US/Canada. . .

Since when did the United States and Canada become one country? Canadians are just as international as people from any other country. International just means you're from a different country. It has nothing to do with how close you are to us or what language you speak.

The way you're talking, you make it seem like you should have a right to study/practice medicine in the U.S. while all the other "foreigners" should stand in line behind you. The reality check is, you are a foreigner.