What should I suggest someone studying MBBS in foreign country?

[MCATTT]

Hi, I am asking this question on behalf of my cousin. She just finished third year medical student (MBBS degree) in a south east asian country. She is planning to come to United States and asking for my opinion.
She basically wants to know whether she should complete medical school there or come to US. If she were to come here, are there any ways she would be able to continue medical school in US. (i.e, does she has to go through undergrad again before med school?)
To my knowledge, it is impossible to transfer from a foreign school and continue med school in US.
Since the whole situation is pretty new to me, I'd be glad if anyone could let me know what the best option might be.

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[Winged Scapula]

Hi, I am asking this question on behalf of my cousin. She just finished third year medical student (MBBS degree) in a south east asian country. She is planning to come to United States and asking for my opinion.
She basically wants to know whether she should complete medical school there or come to US. If she were to come here, are there any ways she would be able to continue medical school in US. (i.e, does she has to go through undergrad again before med school?)

Transfers from foreign medical schools to a US school are exceedingly rare. If she has NO US undergraduate education, then it is practically impossible and yes, she would need to start over with obtaining at least 90 US undergrad units.

Also bear in mind that if she is not a citizen, and presumably not independently wealthy, she is ineligible for US student loans and many schools will want to see a bank acccount with enough deposited to cover tuition and 4 years of medical school (or how many years she has left) living expenses. That could be in excess of $200,000 USD.

To my knowledge, it is impossible to transfer from a foreign school and continue med school in US.
Since the whole situation is pretty new to me, I'd be glad if anyone could let me know what the best option might be.

It is not impossible, but it is extremely difficult especially if she is not a citizen and has never had any US undergraduate education. The vast majority who succeed in transferring from a foreign school have a US undergrad degree, are a citizen and transfer into the 3rd year from a program which mirrors US medical educaiton (ie, the Caribbean schools).

If her goal is to practice in the US, it is MUCH easier to finish medical school in SE Asia and then apply for a residency training position in the US. There are many many threads here about how to do that.

 

[MCATTT]

Transfers from foreign medical schools to a US school are exceedingly rare. If she has NO US undergraduate education, then it is practically impossible and yes, she would need to start over with obtaining at least 90 US undergrad units.

Also bear in mind that if she is not a citizen, and presumably not independently wealthy, she is ineligible for US student loans and many schools will want to see a bank acccount with enough deposited to cover tuition and 4 years of medical school (or how many years she has left) living expenses. That could be in excess of $200,000 USD.



It is not impossible, but it is extremely difficult especially if she is not a citizen and has never had any US undergraduate education. The vast majority who succeed in transferring from a foreign school have a US undergrad degree, are a citizen and transfer into the 3rd year from a program which mirrors US medical educaiton (ie, the Caribbean schools).

If her goal is to practice in the US, it is MUCH easier to finish medical school in SE Asia and then apply for a residency training position in the US. There are many many threads here about how to do that.

Thank you so much for your reply. It was very helpful.
I will do a little more research about getting residencies and let my cousin know.

 

[jeeb75]

One thing you must advise your cousin to do is to get US clinical experience before she graduates. I wish I knew about this before I graduated from doing MBBS. The best way for her to get this is during her internship in India, she should finish her compulsory community medicine (preventive and social medicine) rotations and try to get some rotations here in the US. If she wants to do a residency in New York, the maximum amount of rotations she can do outside of her primary teaching hospital is 12 weeks. Otherwise, she can do as much as she wants to cover her credits for graduation in India. The reason I am suggesting this is the Match is getting extremely competitive for IMGs and scores plus US clinical experience makes a difference. Also, after graduating, it is extremely difficult to get rotations here in the US. Also, to get this US clinical experience, do NOT pay any agency. Your cousin should email or call the programs directly.