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[Alechiro]

Hi guys, I'm Ale. I'm an italian student who would like to be a doctor in the future. So I will tell you what is going on. Today I was talking to a friend of my parents, who is a doctor too, and he told me that if I really want to become a doctor, it's better for me to go study abroad. Now, i already did one year studying abroad in the us, but as an high school student, so I could learn English better. I'm at my last year of high school here in Italy, and I was wondering if someone could help me out with some informations on how it works becoming a doctor in the us. I know there are 12 years, correct me if I'm wrong, before you really become a doctor.
Another question is which school should I go ? Cause I know college are pretty expensive and they require an high GPA.
Thanks so much for your time
Ale

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[PlasticBag]

Hi Ale. In the US, first you get a Bachelor’s degree (4years), then you go to medical school (4 years), then you do residency (3-7 years, depending on a specialty). It is very difficult to be accepted to medical school as an international student if you need a visa. Having a bachelor’s degree from a foreign school would also be a disadvantage and some medical schools might make you repeat required pre-med classes. So if you’re thinking of going to college in the US, it’s the right move. In general, getting into medical school requires taking certain classes (biology, chemistry, etc) and doing well in them, taking an entrance test called the MCAT, doing some amount of volunteering, and gaining exposure to medicine (shadowing doctors, working in clinical research, volunteering in the ED etc).

As for which school you should go to, try for the best school possible where you could succeed in getting a high GPA.

 

[mistafab]

Hey OP - the rule of thumb is that if you want to be a doctor in the USA, you should go to school in the USA.

It is not impossible to get in from out of the country, but it is much more difficult.

If your goal is to become a doctor period (i.e. USA or not), then I would suggest doing your education in the country that you want to live in for the rest of your life. There is no point to go the long road of college and medical school in the USA if you want to be a doctor in Italy.