Hey everybody,
I’m absolutely new to this forum. But, I have read quite a few of the postings and felt very encouraged to voice (rather type) my questions. Hope somebody will have the patience to answer at least a few:).
I’m a foreign student living in the US. I’m getting my PhD in biomedical sciences. I hope to graduate by the end of 2004 or latest by may 2005.
I’m 30 years old, got a bachelors in agricultural sciences from my home country, got a Masters in Biology in the US. I have had a GPA of 3.83 in my undergrad and MS and I’m currently a 4.0 in the PhD. Sorry for this long preamble, but I thought it might be necessary for more specific answers.
I have always had a great passion for medicine but was not able to realize the dream when I was 17/18 years old. I would like to go to Med school in the USA. The earliest I can do that after I finish my PhD, all the prereqs and MCAT will be Fall 2006 by which time I will be 33. The questions are:
1) Will it be too late to start my MD at 33?
2) As a foreign student what are my chances of getting into Med school?
3) I know foreign students do not get loans and scholarships, is there anybody out there who knows of other sources of funding, maybe some philanthropists:)
4) Am I going to be more discriminated against than my American counter parts?
5) I currently live in the SE and would like to continue to live here. Any reason for anybody to believe that some med schools in some parts of the country are more accepting of diversity than others?
6) Like somebody on one of the topics wrote, I’m a newly wed and my husband and I already live apart because of my PhD. I hope we can be co-located if and when I go to med school. My husband is very supportive and is willing to move to any place.
Any help/advice/suggestions etc in these matters and other related matters will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks a lot in advance
Priya
Hey Priya,
I’m only as far as taking my pre-reqs so take what I say for what it’s worth but I’ll make an effort to bump it up until more knowledgeable folks can respond.
1) Will it be too late to start my MD at 33? No and don’t let anybody tell you other wise. I’ll be 33 when I apply.
2) As a foreign student what are my chances of getting into Med school? Probably pretty decent. Particularly with your solid background.
3) I know foreign students do not get loans and scholarships, is there anybody out there who knows of other sources of funding, maybe some philanthropists:) Private loans? don’t know otherwise. Sorry!
4) Am I going to be more discriminated against than my American counter parts? Probably to some extent. Both because schools generally have the mission to educate people who will stay and practice locally as well more insidious reasons. I would bet it is nothing that you can’t overcome.
5) I currently live in the SE and would like to continue to live here. Any reason for anybody to believe that some med schools in some parts of the country are more accepting of diversity than others? I’m not sure. I work at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the med school classes are pretty homogenous (white) but there is a relatively newly started Office of Diversity ran by a Deans level faculty member. Meharry Medical College also here in Nashville is a predominantly black (african american) school with a specific mission to educate and produce black physicians. I don’t have any clue regarding other schools in the SE.
6) Like somebody on one of the topics wrote, I’m a newly wed and my husband and I already live apart because of my PhD. I hope we can be co-located if and when I go to med school. My husband is very supportive and is willing to move to any place. Thats one positive on your side
Those are my thoughts! We’ll see what else pops up? Good Luck! Welcome!
Hi Priya,
At least at public medical schools, preference is usually given to in-state residents. I’m not sure what the rules are for foreign students as far as establishing residency in a given state, but it might mean that you’d want to focus on private schools when you apply. You should probably check with individual med schools though, both public and private, to see what they recommend.
According to the 2002-2003 MSAR (“Medical School Admissions Requirements”), which is a book that lists the requirements of all the US medical schools, 167 foreign students started med school in 2001-2002. I found that statistic under a section called “Citizenship.” It doesn’t say which schools any of those students were going to. It also doesn’t say how many applied. But at least you know it’s possible!
Is your husband a U.S. citizen, by any chance? If he is, then maybe you wouldn’t have to apply as a foreign student?
I’m no expert, but those are my ideas on the subject. Good luck!
Andrea
Hey Damon and Andrea,
Thanks for the words of encouragement. No, my husband is not a US citizen either. Well, for now, I’ve stopped worrying about citizenship issues:). I have a long way to go before med school, so I’m currently concentrating on my premed courses. Since I’m also doing my PhD and working full time, I can only do one course at a time. So, I decided to start with Physics 1 and the corresponding lab. Hopefully by the end of this semester I will still have the sustained enthu to carry on with the premeds.
Again, thanks a lot.
Please keep me posted with answers to my questions if you come across any.
Priya
Hi Priya,
Nice to see your post. I am pretty much in same boat as you are… also from the same home country and on non permanent visa. Please get in touch with me or give me your contacts so i can do so… i think it might be nice to talk since we have so much in common and have same goal of getting into MD school.
I have an account with same username at studentdoctor.net also …send me a private message there if you want to get in touch with me… I will watch this board for more information from you…
Bye
Amita
Hi there,
Damon did a great job of answering your questions. I just want to add a couple of things.
Funding: As a foreign student, you are not eligible for US government loans but you are eligible for scholarships through your medical school. Most of the medical school scholarships are given based on performance so you should plan on performing well in medical school to get money. You can get loans through private institutions but you need a wealthy co-signer.
Admission: Private (read more expensive) medical schools do not have the constraints to take state residents so you are better off applying to private medical schools. Some medical schools have deals with other countries so investigate to see if your country has an agreement with a private medical school in this country. (GW with Saudi Arabia; Howard with Nigeria) As a foreign student, you may not establish residency in any state unless you become a permanent resident (green card) of the United States.
Age: Starting medical school at age 33 is not a problem for most schools especially the private schools. I would steer away from state schools that have few medical schools like Maryland (one state school). Some states that have lots of medical schools will admit foreign students but hold them to a higher standard than US citizens.
At this point, you should be contacting schools and finding out their specific requirements for foreign students.
Good luck in your quest.
Natalie
| QUOTE (njbmd @ Sep 6 2003, 01:13 AM) |
| Hi there, Damon did a great job of answering your questions. I just want to add a couple of things. Funding: As a foreign student, you are not eligible for US government loans but you are eligible for scholarships through your medical school. Most of the medical school scholarships are given based on performance so you should plan on performing well in medical school to get money. You can get loans through private institutions but you need a wealthy co-signer. Admission: Private (read more expensive) medical schools do not have the constraints to take state residents so you are better off applying to private medical schools. Some medical schools have deals with other countries so investigate to see if your country has an agreement with a private medical school in this country. (GW with Saudi Arabia; Howard with Nigeria) As a foreign student, you may not establish residency in any state unless you become a permanent resident (green card) of the United States. Age: Starting medical school at age 33 is not a problem for most schools especially the private schools. I would steer away from state schools that have few medical schools like Maryland (one state school). Some states that have lots of medical schools will admit foreign students but hold them to a higher standard than US citizens. At this point, you should be contacting schools and finding out their specific requirements for foreign students. Good luck in your quest. Natalie |
Let me agree with both Damon and Natalie. And add one more little wrinkle. Most private schools will require that you prove upfront that you can pay for one to four years of med school before you even begin, usually by establishing some kind of escrow account, or presenting a bank verification that the funds exist and that you can pay for the entire cost of medical school.
Cheers,
Judy