Greetings all… I’m emerging from lurkdom…
Hope all are well and welcome to any newbies that might be reading this post…
I am in the throws of my first full-time semester back (after part time for the last year and a half)… and starting to think about where I’m going to apply…
At first my inclinations were that I would only apply locally… (here in NC we have a few pretty good schools, and we are the cheapest in the country-plus I wouldn’t have to relocate)… but I’ve been thinking about expanding my horizons a bit…
I am planning on taking the MCAT this Spring…I have no idea how I will do… to be honest, I loathe standardized tests and for some reason, I generally blank out when I see something attached to a scantron sheet… but anyway…
With my previous history (from years ago) and somewhat stunted cumulative GPA… I’m starting to wonder if I’ll even be able to get into any US schools… not being a pessimist… just kind of exploring right now…
Anyway… I’m also thinking about other options and really trying to target where I want to go/apply with what I want to be when I grow up… (haha-when’s that going to happen)… So, I’m opening up the floor, sky, etc on where to look…As many of you know, I am somewhat “alternative” (ie holistic etc)… it would be nice for me to find a school that is oriented that way or at least more tolerant than many of the schools, yet still considered allopathic (as opposed to naturopathic)
What I’m wondering is… if there is some type of resource “out there” that says what schools are available and what their specialties are… I have heard that there is such a resource for US schools, but haven’t heard if one exists for international…
I have also heard that some international schools have the same or similar curriculum and prep for USMLE tests… I’m wondering if anyone knows of a place/resource where I can find a listing of these schools…additionally… how hard would it be to go to a foreign school and then come back to the US and practice… what types of exams/boards would be involved with moving from there back to here…?
And Lastly… (finally) I am looking for a listing of English-speaking/teaching schools… meaning… I don’t want a language barrier if I’m going to be at an international school… So far I’m thinking of obvious locations… UK, Australia, etc… is there any way to find out if other international schools (ie Caribbean, etc) teach in English?
Thanks in Advance!!!
BAck to studying for Org II exam… btw… I’m “enjoying” this semester (so far) with this subject much better… tip from me… DON"T EVER take Chem/Org Chem over the WEB… (just a tip… )
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
I've thought about the same thing since I already live in Europe. And I had the same concerns about studying in a foreign language. If you search the forums you'll probably find several old posts about the pros and cons of going to school overseas and then trying to go back to the US to practice, so I won't go into that.
I just tried to copy some links for you but for some reason it isn't working, so I'll give you some search terms and you can try looking with google if you want. Try these- if they don't have the info you need they may lead you to other links:
GAMSAT (entrance exam for UK and Aus),
Charles U in Prague (teaches in English- I think it's www.lf2.cuni.cz/einformace),
www.amsa.org.au (Australian med student site),
Eysenbach Medicine and Medical Education in Europe (a website and a book),
www.gmc-uk.org (UK licensing organization), www.bma.org.uk, (british medical assoc)
Joe Pegram of OPM (futyr…) is currently in England in med school,
bmj careers site (british medical journal),
medics abroad.
Here's an NIH link about alt med: www.altmed.od.nih.gov,
Best regards and good luck looking,
LM
Go to valuemd.com for a load of information about foreign med schools. There are listings of foreign med schools by area of the world and specific web sites for many of the schools. As you may know, one OPMer, i.e. Joe Pegram, goes to St. Christophers in Luton, England and posts in the St. Chris website as well as in the OPM diaries. This web site is an informative alternative for some of us with less than stellar GPAs and offers a chance to get a medical degree. Some Caribbean (and European med schools), e.g. Ross and St. George, are populated by many quality students who did not get into US med schools. Check the matches for resident slots and USMLE pass rates too. Aloha.
Surfergene
AACOM has links to all of the osteopathic schools in the US.
VCOM stipulates that 50% of each entering class will come from rural Virginia, North Carolina and the remainder of the Appalachian region that falls within West Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia, and Kentucky.
Don’t limit yourself to international schools if your grades/scores are the issue. 
But I admit that going to school in Australia would be cool!