Hi,
I am an American student and just graduated high school. I have been thinking about medical school for quite some time and want to make sure I stay on track for it throughout college. The problem is that I will be attending college in a foreign country and since the degree programs are so different from the U.S., I'm worried my classes won't transfer and my degree will be considered invalid. In England, a BA is only three years long and the courses are very focused on your area of study, completely disregarding most other areas. I won't be able to take general education, so I'll lack the year of English, Math etc. that are the requirements for med school. Should I take these courses at a community college during my summer breaks? Will this sufficiently supplement my degree? (I'll be studying Biology) Any advice you can offer would be extremely helpful- I'm feeling a bit discouraged at the moment.
Thank you!
Sarah
Sarah,
First off, math and english aren't requirements for medical school. The requirements are 1 year of general chemistry, 1 year biology, 1 year organic chemistry, and 1 year of physics. Only a very few medical schools require calculus.
However, the bigger question is how going to a foreign college will impact your ability to get into a US medical school. I am not personally familiar with this issue and I've only been able to find a limited amount of information online. As best I can tell, if you are a US citizen and take pre-med level classes at a good international college, and you do well on your MCAT, you should be considered equally with US citizens who went to college in the US.
I would suggest you call your state school's medical school and ask to speak to someone in admissions. Ask them specifically if they would consider a US applicant from an international college. They would be able to give you the best advice.
If you happen to give them a call, I'd appreciate if you could post a follow-up with what they told you.
Best of luck!