Ok I know this has been posted on other forums several times but then everyone’s situation is unique.
I was going over different threads at SDN and realized that I may be just waging a futile battle. Here’s my story briefly -
I am a US citizen but my undergraduate degree in Physics is from the Middle East. I have a graduate degree in biomedical engineering from Case Western with a 4.0. I was working as an engineer for the past 8 years before I decided to quit and follow my heart.
So far I’ve completed Chem I/II (A/A), Bio I/II (A/B+), Physics I/II (A/A) and I’m starting OChem I next semester and OCHem II in the summer or Fall semester.
However all of a sudden I ran into these threads and I’m rather disheartened. I don’t have the wherewithal or the gumption to complete a US undergrad from scratch at this point.
I know I’ll be extremely disheartened if I can’t at least give med school my best shot, and have to go find something else to do.
Any comments?
Ok. I guess what you are asking is if your foreign undergraduate courework and your foreign bachelor’s degree equivalent will be recognized by American medical schools? In short, the answer is that it totally depends upon each particular American medical school that you apply to. (Ain’t America great with its decentralized educational system?)
American medical schools, as minimum admission requirements, typically only require a set of premedical courses to be taken and passed (1 year of English, 1 year of biology for biology majors, 1 year of general chemistry for science majors, et cetera); at least 90 undergraduate semester hours completed (a bachelor’s degree usually isn’t required, but strongly recommended); and that the MCAT be taken. For those applicants with foreign undergraduate coursework, American medical schools oftentimes will require an evaluation of the foreign undergraduate transcript by a reputable educational evaluation service (like Josef Silney or WES). The evaluation should conclude that the foreign coursework is equivalent in meeting all or some of the minimum medical school requirements. And to ensure acclimation to the American educational system, American medical schools typically require foreign schooled applicants to have completed least one year of undergraduate study (30 undergraduate semester hours) here in the United States. This obviously can be done after completing a foreign degree. If the majority of the foreign coursework was taught in a language other than English, foreign schooled applicants will almost assured have to take the TOEFL and attain a fairly high score.
In reality, your foreign coursework shouldn’t really be a complete barrier for you. Rather, it’ll probably be moreover a buearucratic hinderance. What play tremendously to your advantage are that you are a US citizen, you have already completed a graduate degree here in the United States, and you have worked in the United States here for quite awhile. I personally know of a few American medical school graduates who entered medical school with foreign college degrees.
- Dazed Said:
I was going over different threads at SDN and realized that I may be just waging a futile battle. Here's my story briefly -
I am a US citizen but my undergraduate degree in Physics is from the Middle East. I have a graduate degree in biomedical engineering from Case Western with a 4.0. I was working as an engineer for the past 8 years before I decided to quit and follow my heart.
So far I've completed Chem I/II (A/A), Bio I/II (A/B+), Physics I/II (A/A) and I'm starting OChem I next semester and OCHem II in the summer or Fall semester.
However all of a sudden I ran into these threads and I'm rather disheartened. I don't have the wherewithal or the gumption to complete a US undergrad from scratch at this point.
I know I'll be extremely disheartened if I can't at least give med school my best shot, and have to go find something else to do.
Any comments?
Hi,
Your degree will count, SDN ( please understand not all) is filled with a lot of idiots who know nothing and like to spread crap! This site is 1000% better as you can see, so welcome ( this is all my opinion )
So I think you are in good shape as long as the undergrad was at a reconised university ( I'm sure it is)
So do not fret and continue to get your ducks in row and do the
Volunteering
Shadowing
Patient experience
I think you are fine
keep coming back and we can help you
- DRFP Said:
- Dazed Said:
I was going over different threads at SDN and realized that I may be just waging a futile battle. Here's my story briefly -
I am a US citizen but my undergraduate degree in Physics is from the Middle East. I have a graduate degree in biomedical engineering from Case Western with a 4.0. I was working as an engineer for the past 8 years before I decided to quit and follow my heart.
So far I've completed Chem I/II (A/A), Bio I/II (A/B+), Physics I/II (A/A) and I'm starting OChem I next semester and OCHem II in the summer or Fall semester.
However all of a sudden I ran into these threads and I'm rather disheartened. I don't have the wherewithal or the gumption to complete a US undergrad from scratch at this point.
I know I'll be extremely disheartened if I can't at least give med school my best shot, and have to go find something else to do.
Any comments?
Hi,
Your degree will count, SDN ( please understand not all) is filled with a lot of idiots who know nothing and like to spread crap! This site is 1000% better as you can see, so welcome ( this is all my opinion not studentdoc )
So I think you are in good shape as long as the undergrad was at a reconised university ( I'm sure it is)
So do not threat and continue to get your ducks in row and do the
Volunteering
Shadowing
Patient experience
I think you are fine
keep coming back and we can help you
Honestly DRFP, I don't think it's just your opinion that SDN is (for the most part) a bunch of idiots...I think it's well known fact. ;P
I would not call them idiots, but there collective maturity level certainly does not meet with our standards. And, there is certainly a lot of parroting going on there…and the occasional spread, intentional vs. unintentional, of misinformation. However, most folks over there are simply seeking answers to the same questions that we are here at OPM. But, I personally feel that we, OPM, do a hell of a lot better job in providing this information AND we provide a much more open & supportive community in which to investigate your issues.
That said, since I have not attended a foreign University, I feel grossly underqualified to address your inquiries. However, I think the most sound advice you have been given here is to go straight to the horse’s mouth - seek out your answers from a selection of the med schools themselves. I strongly suspect that you will find that each program’s response will differ…and when it comes time for you to formulate your pre-med battle plan, this information should guide exactly what level of coursework & retakes you will subject yourself to.
Best of luck & success!
One final point - and this one may not sit well.
I used to loudly proclaim that if I could do this, anyone can do it. However, real-world experience has taught me that this well-intended piece of advice is incorrect. Not everyone who desires to become a physician will gain entry into medical school, nor should everyone be granted a seat just because it is their desire.
To quote Judy Colwell, medicine must be “the thing that makes your eyes dance” for you to be able to endure the long & arduous journey to becoming a physician. It is not easy nor is it for everyone. It is my personal opinion, after having been an allied health professional since 1983 & a physician since 2003, that the primary source of the surly, miserable, malcontented phsycians that villify the profession may very well be those who got in, made it thought, but medicine was not what made their eyes dance. I have been shocked at the number of pre-meds, med students & physicians I have encountered who literally hate being a Doc & wish they had stuck to their original dream of being a creative writer, artist, musician, MBA and so on…I have never been so bold as to actually inquire why they chose to undertake something so challenging & strenuous as medicine when they really wanted to do otherwise. But, I can only imagine how embittered & angry I would have become going through all of this $hit & not really wanting it like I do. I LOVE being a Doc & it still sucks @$$ at times.
Anyhow, not to rain on your parade specifically, because I do not know you well enough to even fundamentally assert whether or not you should be become a Doc. But, I wanted to emphasize that it is not the profession for everyone. Not everyone is capable, for any number of reasons, of succeeding in this environment. And, most importantly, that not succeeding or deciding to pursue other dreams in no way, form or fashion should be interpretted as weak, inferior or any other denegrating terminology.
We all are dealt a hand of cards in life. Your cards are your strengths, weaknesses & desires. You should select your profession based upon the cards that you hold in your hand & not upon what external forces choose to direct you, i.e. parental desires.
Sorry to say anyone is an Idiot, I guess I mean they act like ones at times 
So forgive me, It just makes me a little mad that someone like you (OP) who have worked so hard is made to feel inferior. You have done really well do not worry.
Also I agree with the thought to check out the Medschools and the Foreign degree, also AMACAS and what they will do. I have known more then a few with these degrees who did get in so I know it can be done. Lastly the other place to look at is the Caribbean because they will accept your Foreign degree and admit you. It is not the best place to attend but it still gets you the MD ( Just an idea since the Caribbean Big 4 are not as picky on these issues)
Sorry OMD
- Quote:
According to the doctors I did research with before starting med school, it is "a fire within the belly of the beast that cannot be quenched."
So, check with the schools about your undergrad work. If you end up having to repeat some courses, then you must look deep inside and see if it "makes your eyes dance" or burns like "a fire in the belly of the beast. . ."
Keep us posted. OPM is a big family with a lot of support!
My take is that there are a lot of self-proclaimed experts on SDN that have a hard time being wrong.
I have encountered way too many pre-meds that tell me what med school is like and how to treat patients as a doctor. Huh?
Anyway, as a non-trad looking for advice, this site is the first place one should stop.
As for SDN, well, there’s 95% damnation and 5% inspiration.
Well, now, to be fair… SDN is dominated by hundreds of very intelligent, starry eyed 21-year-olds so they do tend to set the tone. I find their energy and humor refreshing even though their observations on life and medicine are sometimes sophomoric. Oh well. So are mine even now. I guess we just need to take what we need from every source and discard the rest. Certainly we shouldn’t let forceful opinionators on a particular internet forum negatively influence our life career decisions!
Getting back to the original question, Dave’s advice to check with med schools regarding foreign degrees and how they’ll be handled is sound. It is NOT a given that you’ll be able to be considered everywhere, and neither is it a sure thing that you will NOT be considered.
Back when I was applying (1999-2000) I know that there were schools which did not consider applicants with foreign degrees - if I recall correctly, Georgetown was one of them. But this sort of information changes all the time, which is why you MUST talk directly to med schools to find out more.
Also, don’t assume that stuff on their website is correct. Talk to a real, live, human being in real time if you want a real live answer!
Mary
- ttraub Said:
Yes true but your not an "Ugly Caribbean step child" on SDN if I post oh boy, I stick to the Caribbean forum where sand gets kicked in our face frequently. ( I think I see some of the worse of SDN on the Caribbean Forum so maybe thats where I'm coming from)
I find SDN to fill a purpose but it seems you have to conform to the belief system there (I'm a little of a rebel, yea going to medical school at 41) and there are a lot of half truths being passed around as the truth.
As far as the OP I agree with Mary and Old Man Dave but also know there are professional Credentialing services that can verify the undergrad degree, the OP did very well and I think there are US schools that will take them but there is work to be done here, verify everything with real people and writting.
good luck
- DRFP Said:
Yes true but your not an "Ugly Caribbean step child" on SDN if I post oh boy, I stick to the Caribbean forum where sand gets kicked in our face frequently. ( I think I see some of the worse of SDN on the Caribbean Forum so maybe thats where I'm coming from)
I honestly wish this kind of prejudice against the Caribbean didn't exist. It seems as if you guys work just as hard as the U.S. schools...and personally, I'd rather go to school in the Caribbean, considering the whole tropical thing. Probably awesome diving spots there.
Thanks for the advice everyone! I am definitely going to start calling around and getting more information firsthand.
For the record, my undergraduate in the Middle East was not of my choice - more so family, parents etc.
Nevertheless whats done is done. I’ll see what needs to be done to overcome this bump in the road. I will definitely keep everyone posted on my progress.
- Dazed Said:
For the record, my undergraduate in the Middle East was not of my choice - more so family, parents etc.
Nevertheless whats done is done. I'll see what needs to be done to overcome this bump in the road. I will definitely keep everyone posted on my progress.
Glad to here it! I think it will work out, look do not let anyone tell you, you cannot go to medical school if it is truly what you want.
Good Luck
Update:
Our local University (Univ. of MN Twin Cities) got back to me and their reply was that as long as I had 2 years of additional education in the US I was eligible.
So thats at least one university that I will be able to shoot for, and actually it’s a U I’m interested in.
Whewww that’s a relief. As Mr. Costanza would say, “I’m back baby!”.
- Quote:
You should be fine...........
Many think that foreign degrees “don’t count” because AMCAS doesn’t figure a gpa (“foreign school not coded”) from non-US/Canada colleges. Many med schools want some academic work in the US to make sure that the applicant understands the English language well enough not to be an academic risk. Usually a year, and often that includes the stipulation that the med school pre-reqs be taken at a US institution. Additionally, the US coursework (and, therefore, a gpa) gives the schools a bit of a benchmark by which to assess the applicant. The fact that you have an advanced degree from a highly respected US institution should help. 
Most “unusual situations” are evaluated on a case-by-base basis, and it would seem that you could make a strong argument for being qualified to apply.
Cheers,
Judy
Do call around, and also check the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirements book published by AAMC [American Association of Medical College] to see if there is useful information there. (I didn’t see much in my quick perusal.)
Thanks for the advice Judy.
Up till now I was actually reading up on that book by going to the health careers center at our U since they don’t let you check it out. However, I did just order it and it should be arriving pretty soon.
But Judy there are Agencies out there who do Credentialing right? Also the poster has a degree from Case Western so I do not see a problem there.
Why would a school in the US not accept a degree undergrad from another country if the University there is Recognized by the US department of Education? I know of more then a few of these Universities, How about the Universities that students go to for study abroad?
I’m just curious to this?