Hello Everyone,
Please kindly advise me if an online degree in Biological Sciences acquired from Corllins University ( www.corllinsuniversity.com) will likely be acceptable for entrance to medical school following a good MCAT score.
Which American Medical Schools are likely to accept that.
Are foreign students entitled to student loans and grants?
I think this forum is great.
Thank you.
Most US med schools are not totally accepting of online courses and online degrees at this point.
Is this university accredited through organizations that accredit brick and mortar 4 year schools in the US? If this school is not appropriately accredited, med schools are unlikely to accept the degree. Even if some schools do accept the degree, you are going to be at a significant competitive disadvantage compared to most applicants, especially as a foreign applicant.
It is very, very difficult for foreign students to get accepted to a US medical school. If you do not hold a green card or permanent resident status, it is almost impossible.
I don’t believe that non-US citizens are eligible for grants or federal loans. You may be able to get private loans (although those are increasingly difficult to come by). If I recall correctly, those schools that do accept foreign students usually require proof up front that they are able to pay for your education, as they aren’t eligible for the loans/grants citizens are.
I agree with Emergency.
For the online stuff, it is best to call the school.
If you are a foreign student (I am assuming that you have not a green card or US Citizenship), it will be difficult to enter any US Med School.
You do not qualify for federal loans and grant.
Before applying to Med School, I would say that you should
1- get the requirements at least on-site
2- work on your paperwork to come by a green card (and that part is damn hard).
I disagree with Emergency most US schools accept US medical schools. As for Corllins i think it is an accredited online university. All American schools generally accept online degrees so a degree from an online university like Corllins is absolutely legit.
Emergency you need to correct the facts here.
Steve45
I am not sure about your statements. The issue is not about the legitimacy of an online degree. I think it is perfectly fine.
The issue is that, even if technically the schools have to accept the degree, that still puts you at a big disadvantage. When the schools list they requirements online (and you can check this for yourself), in the consideration given to applications, an important and often overlooked point is the following:
“The rigor of the undergraduate curriculum”
This applies to everything that is debated (because there is no clear guidelines). Namely, formal post-bacc or not, community college or not and online or not.
I am a big advocate of online education, but I can assure you that in the eyes of admission committees, an online degree is not as rigorous as a pure curriculum at 4-y university.
- steve45 Said:
I disagree with Emergency most US schools accept US medical schools. As for Corllins i think it is an accredited online university. All American schools generally accept online degrees so a degree from an online university like Corllins is absolutely legit.
Steve, "most US schools accept US medical schools?" This makes absolutely no sense.
Corlins may very well be an accredited online university, but the question is accredited by who? Is it accredited by a well-recognized body? I.e. - if you took courses through this university would most or all of them be accepted as transfer credits by traditional US universities? If not, it is unlikely that medical schools are going to accept a degree from such an institution.
I see no "facts" that I need to correct here. I simply advised the OP that he needed to further investigate this online university and that he needed to call medical schools that he is interested in and see how they would view the coursework.
It is a FACT that with an online degree (even if totally legitimate), the OP will be at a significant disadvantage in the admissions process as he will be competing against traditional students with courses and degrees from well known institutions. Thus, as pointed out above, it doesn't really matter if the degree is legit if medical schools state that they will not accept online courses/degrees or if they just view it as not competitive against the many other qualified applicants.
It is also a FACT that if he is not a US citizen or a green card holder, it will be very difficult (if not impossible) to gain admission to a US medical school, even if he had an undergraduate degree from a US institution.
By the way and to add a bit to the discussion, I registered to online Physics I this semester with on-site labs (only the lecture would be online). After much research and discussions I have dropped it even before I started it.
Money is one thing, and time is another. Since you are going to put in the time (online or not), you may as well do things that will make look competitive.
Perhaps and in this situation, the major major issue (and I know about this very well), YOU NEED A GREEN CARD!. Without it, I don’t see you being accepted anywhere in the US.
To add my 0.02 cents - I am an out of USA school graduate (and a green card holder) and I have checked with 2 medical schools in my state … on my situation and here is what they have to say:-
- Since I have a green card, my application will be treated as they treat a US citizen application.
- Now, my education - since it is not from US: it is upto me to prove that I can handle the US way of education and specifically medical school.
- Bare minimum, I need to get pre-requisites from a US school.
- Absolutely, need to score As on my pre-reqs … as I am not from bio or chem background.
- Get MCAT of 30+
- Other schools might have different requirements, so I need to check with the school.
- Also, always nice to take few high level BIO courses … was brought to my attention.
- All in all 3 years before I can start med school … that is if I get through the first time.
I do not think that is too much to ask. I think it is reasonable for a admissions committee to ask from an aspiring doctor that you can handle medical school education.
Now, ofcourse this is going to be long and difficult journey and I have lots of thinking to do at 35 with a 6 figure job!!!
AND - I forgot to metion
9. Volunteer, Volunteer, Volunteer … shadow a physician and work in clinical settings as much as possible.
ChicBrownie,
these requirements are very reasonable. Which state are you in?
Hi redo-it-all … I am from CO.
I think this is very reasonable … I just feel BEHIND.
My primary focus right now is to get to volunteer and shadow a physician. I want to be sure I can handle blood, gut etc etc and I am not making an emotional decision. I kept crying when my friend who was visitng me from AZ on Christmas fell down in my bathroom. There was blood all over … and it was Sunday evening.
Besides my tears, I was able to clean her up … dress her up and take her to Denver Health Emergency room.
Till date, I am glad she did not lock the bathroom door. So I want to be sure I can do this without getting emotional.
Hopefully I can get to volunteer … and if all goes well I want to start with pre-reqs in Jan.
If you do not mind sharing: Where are you from? How far are you in the process?
Hey
well shadowing is certainly a good thing.
I am from France and got a PhD in Biochem there. Then I got an MBA here in the US. I did research in a medical school for about 7 years and frustration built up. As an MD, you have more flexibility and you can do much more interesting things.
I have started to take my Pre-reqs last fall. I took Gen Chem I and Organic Chem I, which obviously I aced (nothing to be proud of).
I have done about 35h or so of shadowing. I will try to do a bit more before I apply.
I don’t know when I am going to finish. This semester I am taking Gen Chem 2 and Stats. I was planning to take the MCAT next Jan or so, but I don’t think I can. Although I am teaching part-time now, I have to take care of my kids which is a huge time-eater. I can’t afford to send 2 kids to daycare with no job (even though my wife has a teaching job). So I have my kids during the day, take classes at night and on saturdays. Then there is the homework, then I must take care of the lawn etc…
So the idea was to take the MCAT end of the year or in jan. Assuming I could ace it, then I would gladly dig in some savings to go to school full time and send my kids to daycare. But right now, without knowing, I just can’t.
Right now, I am in for at least 1 to two more years before I have enough under my belt to apply. Luckily my first choice here has requirements that are very like yours. They even mentioned the possibility of waiving the biology requirements (well I am teaching that so…) etc. But we’ll see.
regarding student loans of non-US citizens:
https://www.salliemae.com/international/non_us_ stu…
FAQs for international students studying in the U.S.
Questions and answers about loans for international students studying in the U.S.
From the US Department of Education :
http://ifap.ed.gov/sfahandbooks/attachme nts/0809FS…
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/student s/en…
Who is eligible to apply for international student loans?
Students who are not U.S. citizens or non-citizen permanent residents and who are attending an eligible U.S. college or university. Borrowers are required to have a creditworthy cosigner who is a U.S. citizen or a non citizen permanent resident. Students who are not U.S. citizens or non-citizen permanent residents and who are attending schools outside the U.S. are not currently eligible for Sallie Mae loans.
What loan is available?
The Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan is an ideal solution for students who still need funds after they have maximized free money and federal loans. With this loan, students can borrow up to the full cost of their education, less other aid received. The Smart Option Student Loan helps students save money, build good credit, and pay off their student loan faster.
What is acceptable CIS documentation for a Smart Option Student Loan?
U.S. permanent residents and other eligible aliens must submit a copy of the front and back of their current Citizenship and Immigration Services Form I-551 (Alien Registration Card). We do not accept expired cards.
If the student borrower does not have a current Form I-551, we will accepta temporary CIS Form I-551,
a passport stamped “Temporary 551,” or Form I-90 (Application to Replace Alien Registration Card), and
a copy of the student’s passport. International students must submit a copy of one of the following:
Student visa (type F1, H1B, J1, or M1). If the student is already in the U.S. and the expiration date on the student visa has passed, we require an I-94 with a future expiration date. Valid passport with photo and current CIS Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) with any of the following classifications: F-1 and D/S; J-1 and D/S; M-1 and D/S; or H1B Public Interest Parolee (PIP) Asylum status granted indefinitely Refugee status granted indefinitely Current CIS Form I-688B or I-766 (Employment Authorization) that entitles the student to work and attend school in the U.S.
For international students who do not yet have a valid Social Security number (SSN), we can accept the first loan application with an “administrative SSN” that will be assigned by Sallie Mae. For future loans, it is preferred that borrowers apply with a valid SSN, but if borrowers are not able to obtain a valid SSN, they may be allowed to use the administrative SSN for all future private loans with Sallie Mae.
Put the student borrower’s Social Security number on all CIS forms.
Per the CIS, all colleges and universities have a designated school official (DSO) who should be knowledgeable and up-to-date on CIS regulations. If you have any questions about the documentation required for a Smart Option Student Loan, please contact your DSO.
How can I reach Sallie Mae International?
You may contact Sallie Mae International by email at askinternational@salliema e.com or by phone.
Call us toll-free: international toll-free number dialing instructions.
For the record:
“Corllins University” is a diploma mill. It is “accredited” by the “Global Accreditation Bureau”, a fake accreditation agency listed on this site of fake accreditation bodies. A two-minute Google search should be enough to convince any intelligent person of the worthlessness of Corllins University.
My advice: Stay far, far away from Corllins “University”, unless you enjoy paying thousands of dollars for a “degree” that is not worth the paper it’s printed on.
Here you go spoxjox. That kind of solve the issue for the university.
But let’s assume for a minute that the accreditation is valid, that wouldn’t change the issue of online vs on-site.
So Anyanwu, you have two good reasons not too proceed with Corllins 1) online and 2) accreditation is fake.
I have some tantalizing tidbits to offer but no hard data, just the start of anecdotal information on acceptance of online courses/degrees from a regular regionally accredited college or university.
- I have had a few email conversations and/or posting discussions on SDN concerning online degree. A few (I emphasize a few) recently accepted students have used some online courses and, at least in one case, a nearly full online degree from Purdue to get into medical school. The common thread that I perceived is that a some undergrad institutions do not differentiate between online and classroom courses. Therefore, if you took Chem 101 online and got an A, it shows up as Chem 101 on your transcript. How do they get away with lab you ask? Read on
2.Several major universities have started a shift in various programs to online courses in parallel in replacement of classrooms. I was informed by one student a few years back that Cornell only had online computer simulations for introductory physics lab. No more ball and string for pendulums!
- At least one medical school UNECOM runs a fully online post-bacc program (Link to UNECOM online post-bacc) with online labs (Link intuitiveinc.com). I have spoken at length to the director of this program and the founder as well. Most of the successes here were for midlevel medical professionals and no formal followup data exists.
My perception (and I emphasize my perception) is that there is the very, very, early beginnings of acknowledgment (notice I did not use the word acceptance) by medical schools of online courses. I feel that this will radically change in 3 to 5 years BUT at the moment, use of ANY of online courses maybe iffy. As with many things with non-trads this is moving to absolute maybe!
As always if you have a need to do a more a few non-prereq courses this way, you would be well advised to contact the 3 to 6 medical schools that you are most interested in attending and discuss it with them. GET INPUT BEFORE YOU START! Sorry for shouting but you can always ASK medical schools on this. Some will brush you off, others will take the time meet and discuss
I completely agree that we are heading towards greater acceptance/acknowledgment of online courses. As state budgets continue to get cut, administrators are continually increasing the number of online offerings at traditional schools. For the immediate future, though, I think you’re going to find more than 1 or 2 online courses regarded with suspicion by adcoms.
My masters degree (Master’s in Nursing - nurse practitioner at East Carolina University) was entirely online except my clinical rotations were in person (obviously)and all of my lab experiences and OSCE. I will say that online classes require an enormous amount of work.
Thanks gabe for the detailed information.