To irene_s01

Started by TexasGuy41
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TexasGuy41

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Hi,

I understand you are anxious about getting out of Egypt and into a good medical school, but there is no need to post on every thread. A ton of people look at these threads, and hopefully you'll get lots of responses. You might want to post this question on the pre-allopathic board, just because they have a lot of people there that are knowledgeable about applying to med schools. I'd just post on there that you are confused and such. I would also advise against calling people "pissy", or talking bad about specific people in the admissions process. You seem to be very upset with the AB process even though it is unheard of for someone to use a letter or rec that they have already seen. This is usually completely unacceptable for any school in any country. Perhaps it was an honest mistake on your part. If thats the case, just admit it and remedy the problem. Don't make yourself out to be a victim though, they didn't do anything wrong or out of the ordinary to you regarding your apps. you don't know who actually reads these boards, just to be safe. Good luck with everything, med school in Egypt must be tough, especially these days.
 
To irene: Sorry about your situation. What I'd have to say is - take a deep breath and relax. Easier said than done, but it seems like you're throwing a lot of ideas around and getting caught up in them. Sit back, maybe take some time off and really decide what you want to do.

As far as the LOR's - I have to side with AB on this one. Anywhere you apply, if they're a respectable administration, will demand confidential LOR's. There is no place that will accept casual LORs, and part of the reason is they have no way of knowing if you collaborated with the author in writing it, or whether those are the author's own thoughts. It gets into the whole issue of tampering. There's really no reason to get upset about it, as applying late is also your fault. Think about it from their end - it gets into legal stuff as well, and AB is very efficient with communication and procedure.

I know you don't want to waste time and feel like you're being unproductive. But i think time to sort things out is just what you need. At the end of the day, you're going to be a doctor.
 
hi,
ok it really was an honest mistake,, ididn;t think it would be that technical,, when i applied to the carribean ,, they didnt say anything about it,,,
again, just trying to save myself time ..
ok,, but now i am not really sure how to fix it,, should i recontact AB? (i am kinda scared they 'll get REALLY mad... especially, after i got frustrated and told them to just forward the letters of recommendation anywyays,,)
i dunno,, but do any of u really think that the admission comittee will reject my application because of that technicality....
i HONESTLY DID NOT REMEDY THE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION for what it;s worth,,, plus they could always contact my references for verification....
 
I agree with you that it was an honest mistake, but the schools won't view it as just a technicality. The reason they have the rule about confidential recommendations is because people try to abuse that rule. How about maybe contacting the schools you applied to and explaining that in the interest of getting your application out on time, you accidentally had your recs sent to you first. I'd say a nice telephone call to AB isn't out of order either, but why would you need to call them? Maybe you could also offer to get new LORs, and that way maybe the Irish or Carib schools would you put your file on hold for now, and wait on the new, confidential LORs. I'd definitely caution you against sounding super anxious and upset on the phone with the schools or AB. Waiting another year isn't really that long. I'm sure it seems that way, but trust me, it isn't. And why are you trying to become a doctor straight out of high school, in Egypt no less? No offense, but your story seems kind of abnormal. Are you Canadian? Just rest assured if you really want to be a doc, it will happen, maybe not at a time of your choosing, but it will happen nonetheless. Good things come to those who wait. Keep your head up, dave
 
It depends on what medical school you went in Egypt. If you are in Cairo University or Ain shams I would recommend you to stick with till you finished. Those two schools have good repetitions Irena. I used to attend Cairo University back in 1998, but I Immigrated to US and have to start everything all over. I know a lot of Egyptian doctors doing their residency here and others practice here. If you insist to transfer, at least take USMLE 1 after your basic science then transfer to the Caribbean as 3rd year (All your clinical will be in US). I don?t think it?s that hard to get Surgery residency from Caribbean med school at all. It all depends on you Irena and how u will perform on USMLE step-1.
Good luck
Salam
😉
 
Texas guy .. u seem to misunderstand me,, why wouldn;t i want to go to med school straight out of highschool? what is wrong with going to medical school directly out of high school? did u do that or did u want to wait till u finished science....
as to what i said about AB,, i sincerely hope u didnot misunderstand what i said earlier about my frustration with my current professional career,, I am really worried ,, yet, i hope my post has not been misunderstood by a lot of ppl that read this website..
I know now for sure that anything that professional can lead to a reputable education...As to why i am so undecided, is because i have heard bad things about IMG;s ,,,, especially if u are a graduate from the middle east, I heard cairo university has a good reputation but i am afraid it might not be good enough i just do not want to limit myself....
 
Ok, going to med school straight out of high school is NEVER practiced anywhere in the US. All american doctors receive BS degrees first. However, you could be an FMG and then come to pracitce here. Why don't you start by saying exactly what your situation is? You spout off all this anxious stuff without explaining yourself. I am an american, and therefore I had to go to college first before applying to med school. I suppose maybe I could have applied to foreign schools with only high school, but that would have made no sense whatsoever. A college education is a wonderful experience. You seem like you are in such an incredible rush to become a doctor. Just slow down, take a deep breath and relax. You haven't even explained yourself. Are you canadian? Are you egyptian? WHy are you in Egypt? Did you even graduate high school? You can't come on to a site and just start rambling (in not even proper English) and expect people to give you good answers if you don't tell them anything.
 
yes, it would be helpful if you told us more about your situation. I understand you're Canadian, but why did you go to Egypt? And did you go out of high school, or did you go to a Canadian university first (whether or not you fulfilled a full degree?)

There are some places that will look at high school grades, like the Irish schools. However, since you have attended some medical college in Egypt already, I'm sure they will take that into consideration and not look solely on your high school achievements.

Also, ditto on the proper English thing. It would really help us to help you if you could type in correct English (especially if you're Canadian). Just take the time to write what you want to say succinctly instead of rushing through a bunch of thoughts. Then we might be able to decipher what you're saying and actually offer you useful advice.

ALL FMGS have the potential of limiting themselves. Many people do want to go directly out of high school if they know they want to become doctors. Everywhere else in the world besides North America practices this system, although many places are starting to realize the merits of completing a bachelor's degree first before entering into medicine, and are starting to change or incorporate that into their programs. You gain a lot of maturity in earning an undergrad degree first, and it gives you quite a good background regarding many issues relevant to medical education. It also forces you to make a conscious decision that medicine is what you want to do, instead of diving in head first. seriously, as I've said before: at the end of the day, you will be a doctor. This is a committment that cannot be rushed, so Please take the time to sort things out. Don't worry so much about "wasting time" because the time it takes to commit yourself to the school that is right for you is NOT wasted time.
 
well, basically, i am a canadian citizen.. i was born in egypt but i grew up in canada...
I went to highschool in toronto, and graduated with a 92.5 % average. Through volunteer experiences, doctor shadowing, working at labs, working at a doctor's office, and, moreover, having both my parents as IMG;s (graduates of cairo university, egypt) I slowly realized that this is what i want to do. I want to study medicine. It is not about being a doctor or to make a lot of money or to be respected as a doctor. It is because I really like the field. To further assure myself that i wanted to study medicine, and this is really what i want to do, i came to egypt and enrolled in the six year medical program.
I am currently a first year medical student at a respected university (cairo university).
I made the decision to come down to egypt for a year for 2 reasons:
1. I have seen many science students get a BS and then end up goin to school overseas, when they could have just ended up pretty much in the same place right out of highschool
2/ To assure myself that studying medicine, and keeping up with a vigorous program is really what i wanted to do.
3. I didn;t want to go into debts and loans with lingering doubts.
Midway through this year, after my midterm exams,, i realized that I loved what i was doing, as hard, and demanding as it was. And while I was given many options to go back to canada and study science at mcmaster (hamilton, ontario) , it didn;t appeal to me that much.
Leorl, i know what you are saying is true "at the end of the day, i will be a doctor" ,, i don;t care what it takes as long as i am studying what i like now.. no one knows for sure what is going to happen tomorrow, the key is to enjoy today,,,, i think that is what life is really about..
oh i forgot to mention, that i spent about 2 weeks in september at mcmaster while i was awaiting an offer of admission from cairo university,,,,
Anyways,, the more i talked to my dad, who is now a family physician in ontario (it took him 6 years to do his equivalency) .. the more i realized that the fact that he had 25 years of experience as a cardiologist in egypt, really helped beat the bad stigma aganist IMG's from the middle east... Moreover, there is the fact, that there is a shortage of physicians in canada presently. so they are making it a little easier now...
But, i believe that canada will get to a point where that shortage will not be as great any longer,
Moreover, I don;t believe that the kind of education i am getting here measures up to canadian/american/british schools, with regards to the practical/ clinical aspects that is.
Also, if things go bad with the equivalency in canada, i wont have a backup plan. True, I can always try in another country like the states and so on. But, my only option until i do well in one of these countries, is to work in egypt. That will not be worth it,, doctors here are so overworked and very underpaid.. (sometimes not enough to run a house)
That is why i started looking into other medical schools . I applied to windsor school of medicine, st.kitts. because i think it is the only school that doesnot require an undergraduate degree.
I also applied to ireland for the six year program. I got accepted to the carribean , but am still awaiting ireland;s decision...
And that is my story so far! can;t wait to see what tomorrow has in store
 
Hey Irene,
From what I understand you must be 19 years old. Wow- to be that young again. My advice to you is to take things one step at a time. If you like university in Egypt stay there and finish it . You will be still sooooo young when you finish and you can then write all your exams to try and practice in other countries (i.e USA). No matter where you study,if it is outside Canada, you will have a problem getting back in to Canada. Even if you graduate from the Caribbean your options are only to go to the US (mayber UK). So either way (if you study in Egypt or Caribbean) you will be in the same boat. From my experience, I learned alot from doing an undergrad and then a masters- not only from the academic side of things- but also from a personal growth side. Had I entered a medical program overseas after highschool I don't think that I would have been as prepared as I am now. However, after having said that and having completed all these degrees, I was rejected from UofT, Ottawa and Mac and I am waiting to hear from Ireland. So yes, I would have saved a lot of time had I gone directly into a 6 year program from highschool, but I don't think that I would have been as mature, dedicated and driven as I am now. So to make a long story short- either stay in Egypt and finish up there or come back to Mac to do an undergrad and then apply all over the world again for meds after you finish your Bsc. But don't waste time by going to another medschool since it will not make a difference.
Isabella
 
Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying, Irene.

If you think that your education is in danger (i.e. you don't think it measures up to brit/canadian/american standards), and you eventually want to come back to north america to practice, then you are right in looking for a transfer. I hope you mentioned something to that effect in your applications so that they don't think you just jumped ship from your med school. And I'd agree that if you knew what medicine was what you wanted, then having to go through getting a BA/BS would be just an annoying waste of time. I personally loved my undergrad, and when I went in I *thought* I might be interested in medicine, but was giving myself plenty of options to back out, as I was unsure I wanted to make the committment. However, you seem pretty solid that this is what you want, and you've had the opportunity to grow up with it and get an idea for it. And then I could see how you'd want to go straight into medicine.

You do want a reputable place, though - especially considering the fact that you might have to spend more time doing an equivalency, possibly without the background that your father had. Although I cannot say with any certainty, as I'm no expert in international admission stuff, I'm not sure graduating from a non-western med school would help. I think if put in your position, I'd have the same concerns as you.

Good luck with Ireland and your applications. Because you are committed to medicine, perhaps you would feel more at ease with letting loans and such help defray your tuition costs and therefore, finances may not be such a factor in your decision.
 
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