Let me just start by saying what a great forum this that provides personal experiences from varying perspectives. But I really need some assistance with few dilemmas that I m facing. Firstly I am 22 who just graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Sydney Australia and currently living in Maryland working for a bank. However I have realized medicine is be the most fulfilling and challenging line of career. My Questions:
As a graduate how would I go about completing the pre-reqs for med school, would I also need to pass English literature subjects/any extra courses?
Since my degree was in abroad where we didn’t utilize the GPA system, is there a way to get my marks converted?
Is it possible to work and attend school fulltime and still attain satisfactory marks? Based on my calculations, im assuming I can complete the necessary courses in 2 years( 2 subjects per semester and one during summer)
Thanks everybody, I know its a lot of questions but if anyone else has any further advice that would be greatly appreciatedïŠ
hey there s2dat, welcome to the site I’ll take a shot at answering your questions…
to get your pre-reqs taken care of, of course you’d have to register at your local university. I’m not entirely sure but enrolling as a Non-Degree seeking student could suffice. As part of the pre-req load, english lit courses are not required but certainly a good thing. Since you already have a BA, I’m sure you’ve taken a few already. As far as “the extra courses”", things like microbio, genetics,biochem, cell bio, can help you when it comes time for the MCATs. Always good to have those under your belt and some schools recommend that those are taken. Also, whatever schools you have in mind, check out what the math requirements are. They differ.
I have no idea.
If you are taking a full load I dont recommend working full time. There is absolutely no way to fit in 4-5 classes (including the 5 hour long labs) and manage to work a normal shift. And when you arent in class, you still need time to study. Time management is incredibly important and you shouldnt spread yourself too thin.
Maybe I read your post wrong but 2 subjects per semester and one during the summer for two years is only 9 classes. Dont forget those labs! You can do it in two years but it wont be only 2 subjects per semester.
In reference to standard subjects such as English Lit etc, the Australian Universty system requires you to commence your mandatory subjects relevant to your major, so i primarly did business subjects.
However i did complete calculus 1 ,2 and physics 1 and chemistry 1 for an engineering course i was preparing for. Im not too sure if i can get credit for that
I think i would be better to approach a pre med adviser
I think it would be wise to check out the medical schools in which you’re interested in regarding pre-reqs. I know the school I’m attending does require more than just the science and math courses, including some English requirements.
1)As a graduate how would I go about completing the pre-reqs for med school, would I also need to pass English literature subjects/any extra courses?
Possibly. Some schools have an English requirement. Some schools require biochemistry or statistics beyond the biology, gen chem, organic chem and physics requirements. You can enroll anywhere to take the pre-reqs, but you want to try and take your courses at the most rigorous institution available to you (that you can also afford).
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2) Since my degree was in abroad where we didn’t utilize the GPA system, is there a way to get my marks converted?
There are some services that do this. Your best source of information might be to contact a local university and ask them what services they use to verify foreign degrees/transcripts. However, many med schools state a preference for seeing that applicants have completed at least 90 credit hours at a US institution. Because of this requirement and the difficulty of getting foreign degrees evaluated/accepted, many people with foreign degrees end up doing an entirely new degree in the US. You may want to contact some medical schools that you are interested in and get their opinion, as not all foreign degrees are treated equally - I think it may be a little easier with a degree from a English language university.
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3) Is it possible to work and attend school fulltime and still attain satisfactory marks? Based on my calculations, im assuming I can complete the necessary courses in 2 years( 2 subjects per semester and one during summer)
If you are only taking the pre-reqs, you can do them in two years. Keep in mind that you will not want to apply until you have taken most (if not all) of the prereqs and the MCAT. The application year adds another year on before you actually start med school, so you are looking at a minimum of 3.
It could be tough to take 2 courses a semester and work full time. All of the pre-reqs are going to have 3-6 hours of lab time per week in addition to lecture time. Some of the lab courses (particularly organic chemistry) can require a substantial amount of work/preparation outside of actual lab time. You don't want to underestimate the amount of time required to do well in the pre-reqs. If you're going to try and work quite a bit, I would recommend starting with one course and seeing how it goes.
Many U.S. med schools will specify that all or most of one’s previous education is gotten within the U.S. Before you get too far down any particular path toward med school, I urge you to contact a few local med schools and find out what their policies are regarding international students. Good luck!
Thank you Mary for your input. If i was to spend 2-3 years completing only the required subjects for med-school would that be given consideration over the fact that my bachelors was obtained from a non-usa institution?
Again just as you stated its best if i directly get in touch with a few med schools and their expectations.
It is going to vary a lot from school to school. When I randomly checked at several schools’ websites, the most common thing I saw was that 90 credit hours needed to be in a U.S.-accredited school. But it varied a LOT. It is going to require a lot of diligence on your part to find out where your application will be most welcome.
To be admitted, a student must be a United States citizen or permanent resident (with a permanent residency visa) and have completed a minimum of 90 semester hours at a U.S. accredited four-year degree-granting institution of higher education. For students who have received a degree or are enrolled in an undergraduate college outside of the United States, a graduate degree or a minimum of 20 hours of science coursework from a U.S. college or university is required.
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Therefore, as an international student:
1) first, you have to get your green-card (better off, the US citizenship)
2) then, to satisfy one of the following options:
2-1) a graduate degree (masters or PhD)
2-2) 20 hours of science coursework from US college / university
These are the requirements for ONE medical school. Medical schools can (and do) vary widely in what they require for admission to their particular school. Although other schools MAY have similar requirements, I would not assume that they all do. It is always best to check into the requirements of the schools you are interested in either through their webpage or by contacting their admissions office.
Just an update after having a conversation with UMBC undergraduate counseller. As per his advise i can choose to enroll as a non-degree seeking student and complete the pre-reqs or as a degree seeking student get another degree.
However with the the degree seeking option i will be qualified to receive financial aid. im a state resident so thats probably the best route. But as far as completing a bachelor in biology, is it necessary to attend 4 years of school or can i just complete the pre-reqs in 2 years as a degree seeking student and immediately apply for med school since ill meet the general criteria
These are the requirements for ONE medical school. Medical schools can (and do) vary widely in what they require for admission to their particular school. Although other schools MAY have similar requirements, I would not assume that they all do. It is always best to check into the requirements of the schools you are interested in either through their webpage or by contacting their admissions office.
These are the minimum requirements for an applicant having an INTERNATIONAL degree. On top of it, there may exist other requirements like high level science course work, English literature, humanities and social sciences courses.
These are the minimum requirements for an applicant having an INTERNATIONAL degree. On top of it, there may exist other requirements like high level science course work, English literature, humanities and social sciences courses.
The point that Mary and I are making is that these are the requirements for an international student at The University of Cincinnati and that you cannot assume that these same minimum requirements are the same for all medical schools. Some medical schools may require an undergraduate degree from an American University. Other medical schools may require that all applicants (including international applicants) have a minimum of 90 semester hours from an accredited American school.
As an example here are is what another medical school states as it's requirements:
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The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and three years (90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours) of preparation in an approved college or university in the United States or Canada are required.
Therefore, if you do not have a degree from an American institution, you need to contact schools that you are interested in applying to directly and ask them what their requirements are.
I’ll take a shot at answering your questions…