WES Evaluation and AMCAS\AACOM?

[bandersnatch]

Have anybody done foreign degree evaluation with WES and then applyed in MD or DO?

From DO's instruction book i understood that they require non-US credentials be evaluated into US equivalents in one of 5 agencies (including WES www.wes.org) and then the transcript to be sent by agency directly to AACOM.

But i didnt find any such specs in AMCAS, they just mention Transcript Request Letter to be sent by student to his US or Canadian school, requesting transcripts to be sent to AMCAS by school.

But my school can send only Russian Transcript with probably certified translation, which will have no GPA and no US equivalient, just my grades in 1-5 scale and academic hours (not credits), what shall i do? May I order evaluation copy in sealed envelope from WES and send it to AMCAS myself? Or shall i send one to Russian school, so that they will include it in envelope when sending answer to my Transcript Request?

I wrote an e-mail to AMCAS, explaining my Russian BS degree and asking what agency should i use to evaluate, but they told to contact my particular Med school about their policy. UCLA for example told that they accept evaluation from any licensed agency. 🙁 So i sent them to WES.

It seems like no foreign student is supposed to enter MD with his degree. He should first enter or transfer in US school and get US Bachelor. But i have spend 5 years in medschool and was already doing roations in hospitals 🙁 Will I have to do everything over? 😱 🙁 🙁

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[Scottish Chap]

Have anybody done foreign degree evaluation with WES and then applyed in MD or DO?

From DO's instruction book i understood that they require non-US credentials be evaluated into US equivalents in one of 5 agencies (including WES www.wes.org) and then the transcript to be sent by agency directly to AACOM.

But i didnt find any such specs in AMCAS, they just mention Transcript Request Letter to be sent by student to his US or Canadian school, requesting transcripts to be sent to AMCAS by school.

But my school can send only Russian Transcript with probably certified translation, which will have no GPA and no US equivalient, just my grades in 1-5 scale and academic hours (not credits), what shall i do? May I order evaluation copy in sealed envelope from WES and send it to AMCAS myself? Or shall i send one to Russian school, so that they will include it in envelope when sending answer to my Transcript Request?

I wrote an e-mail to AMCAS, explaining my Russian BS degree and asking what agency should i use to evaluate, but they told to contact my particular Med school about their policy. UCLA for example told that they accept evaluation from any licensed agency. 🙁 So i sent them to WES.

It seems like no foreign student is supposed to enter MD with his degree. He should first enter or transfer in US school and get US Bachelor. But i have spend 5 years in medschool and was already doing roations in hospitals 🙁 Will I have to do everything over? 😱 🙁 🙁

OK. I can help you with this one. If you push hard enough, AMCAS will telll you that they don't care about WES or a foreign degree. You cannot put WES grades on the AMCAS form. WES can also be a pain - I know of at least one person who says they underestimate your GPA.

Most U.S. schools require that you spend at least two years in a U.S. or Canadian program and I think it's for the following reason reason: they need to see you successfully complete classes here in order for them to fairly compare you with the other U.S. candidates who are justifiably given priority.

At best, some M.D. schools may allow you to submit the WES form as part of a secondary; thus U.S. schools will only have your MCAT score and any U.S. credits (both from the AMCAS form) to send to schools in the first instance. I know....it's scary.

Incidentally, Russian students (also M.D.'s) have told me they have been very successful with AACOM and D.O. schools. Good luck!!

 

[bandersnatch]

At best, some M.D. schools may allow you to submit the WES form as part of a secondary; thus U.S. schools will only have your MCAT score and any U.S. credits (both from the AMCAS form) to send to schools in the first instance. I know....it's scary.

Incidentally, Russian students (also M.D.'s) have told me they have been very successful with AACOM and D.O. schools. Good luck!!

Thanks for answer! I just got my evaluation and it says I have 135 semester units of professional school experience, which is 4 and one half years of professional school experience, right? I also have 1130 hours of professional training in nursing. With my high school diploma, it recognizes a specialization in biology and chemistry. And at the med academy, it says I was enrolled in a program leading to a diploma of specialist. 17 of my classes were recognized as lower division undergraduate courses, while the rest were considered professional school courses. And 4.0 GPA.

There is no indication of a degree awarded 🙁 , but it does recognize my enrollment in a professional med school - here i'm confused - aren't all professional schools, like law, medicine, and business, considered graduate schools??

I do not know how to convert hours to US equivalents, but over 1000 hours of nursing sounds like alot.

And i donno shall i try other agency or just leave it as it is and us it along with prerequisits in my AMCAS application?

 

[Scottish Chap]

Thanks for answer! I just got my evaluation and it says I have 135 semester units of professional school experience, which is 4 and one half years of professional school experience, right? I also have 1130 hours of professional training in nursing. With my high school diploma, it recognizes a specialization in biology and chemistry. And at the med academy, it says I was enrolled in a program leading to a diploma of specialist. 17 of my classes were recognized as lower division undergraduate courses, while the rest were considered professional school courses. And 4.0 GPA.

There is no indication of a degree awarded 🙁 , but it does recognize my enrollment in a professional med school - here i'm confused - aren't all professional schools, like law, medicine, and business, considered graduate schools??

I do not know how to convert hours to US equivalents, but over 1000 hours of nursing sounds like alot.

And i donno shall i try other agency or just leave it as it is and us it along with prerequisits in my AMCAS application?

Good for you. No need to convert the hours - the U.S. can translate from there. I have a four-year degree from the U.K. and that translated into 144 U.S. credits. Whatever.... The main point is that your degree has now been "standardized" and reads in a way that U.S. adcoms will understand.

As for the problem with your degree classification: it?s probably fixable. You just need to ask your undergraduate institution to give them more information. You can challenge WES on their evaluation. WES saw fit to omit my final undergraduate year from my GPA calculation because they said there was insufficient information (we study a single subject in great detail that year and are assessed in one five-hour cumulative exam at the end of this year, and the final grade counts for 80% of your four-year degree classification - similar to the GPA calculation). There's no way I was willing to let that go so I asked my undergraduate institution to release the final year syllabus to WES so they could see what I had done. WES ended up adding that fourth year into the GPA calculation. Don't be too shy about exhausting all resources - the odds are already stacked against you as an international, so try to explore all possibilities and delve into the minutia.

It sounds like the D.O. schools will allow you to use the WES grades which is really great news. Again, please don't be too surprised with AMCAS - they will not use the WES GPA and will not verify those credits. AMCAS loves nobody. Be sure to contact the M.D. schools you plan to attend for foreign undergraduate degree friendliness; some of them know of WES and will ask you to send the WES transcript directly to them as soon as they have your verified AMCAS form. Make sure you have completed at least two years of course work in the U.S. before you apply - 99% of U.S. schools will not look at you unless you have done that. One school told me they wanted at least 60 U.S. credits (approx. 2 years of classes, give or take), while another wanted 90. I had 91. 👍 Good luck to you. You'll be just fine!

 

[bandersnatch]

Be sure to contact the M.D. schools you plan to attend for foreign undergraduate degree friendliness; some of them know of WES and will ask you to send the WES transcript directly to them as soon as they have your verified AMCAS form.

Thank you for support! 🙂 And last dummy question 😉 - i didn't understand what shall i do if certain school SUDDENLY HAPPEN to accept WES and foreign degree? Shall I send Primary without WES? just with original transcript (russian+plain translation, no US credits) and then with secondary I send Original+Translation+WES paper in sealed envelope (i ordereed 2 of them for now)?

 

[bandersnatch]

If i need 2 years of US degree for 99% of MD, how do you think - is it ok if i try to get MS in Psychology? 🙄

 

[Scottish Chap]

Thank you for support! 🙂 And last dummy question 😉 - i didn't understand what shall i do if certain school SUDDENLY HAPPEN to accept WES and foreign degree? Shall I send Primary without WES? just with original transcript (russian+plain translation, no US credits) and then with secondary I send Original+Translation+WES paper in sealed envelope (i ordereed 2 of them for now)?

Before applying with your primary application (AMCAS for M.D. and AACOMAS for D.O. programs) the very best you can do is to contact the schools directly and ask. This will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. From the medical school websites, it's sometimes worth searching for a prefessional (M.D. or Ph.D. etc) who is directly invloved in admissions. In some cases I found that the individual who fields most of the admissions questions just gives the textbook answer and cannot advise on special cases such as yours.

 

[Scottish Chap]

If i need 2 years of US degree for 99% of MD, how do you think - is it ok if i try to get MS in Psychology? 🙄

The only allopathic school I recall that may accept a foreign undergraduate degree alone is Albany medical college - but they may have certain provisos. Most schools want at least two years of supplemental credits in the U.S. so they can fairly compare you with other applicants. For the two years of U.S. credits: many schools will ask for those credits to be medical school prerequisites (chemistry, biology, physics, and sometimes English), others stipulate that two years of credits from an advanced degree (masters, Ph.D. etc) will suffice. It's better to check with schools that you want to attend before taking the classes.

It sounds like you already have a Russian medical degree. Have you considered just taking the USMLE (step 1 and 2), and getting the ECFMG certificate (http://www.ecfmg.org/). It sounds like that would be your fastest and cheapest way to practicing medicine in the U.S.

 

[bandersnatch]

It sounds like you already have a Russian medical degree. Have you considered just taking the USMLE (step 1 and 2), and getting the ECFMG certificate (http://www.ecfmg.org/). It sounds like that would be your fastest and cheapest way to practicing medicine in the U.S.

Thanks for explanations, and yes i am just 1,5 years far from USMLE, but in order to maintain my US resident status along with graduating in Russia i need to find US gov (or equal) job in Russia, or i will be in worse trouble then not practicing medicine in US 🙁 . But i am late for this year in Russia anyway, so if i don't see chance to enter MD or DO in 2005, i will do my best to find such job and move back to Russia. In worst case i will have to come back every somewhat 5-6 month to US to maintain status. Pretty complicated law, actually 🙁.