Quoted: Permanent Resident

[MSmentor020]

Hello,
I have a question concerning whether my citizenship status will decrease my chance of getting into med school significantly. I have a solid gpa (3.9, science 3.87) at a renowned university, just received my mcat results (since I am in a 3 year program and the scores are valid for two years I chose to write it now directly after my prereq courses - 13 Bio, 11 Physics, 11 Verbal) and obviously want to study medicine. However, I am originally from Germany but have permanent resident status (green card ) in the U.S. However, since I am studying in Canada for my undergrad I am out of state for all of the universities that I will apply to.
Does that decrease my chances of (in general) getting into med school a lot? How can I find out which schools are especially OOS-friendly?
I have a couple of dream schools (eg. Georgetown) and I'd like to somehow find out how they feel about OOS students.

Thanks a lot in advance, I really appreciate it!!!!

I'm not sure if there's any real hard evidence behind this, but from my own personal knowledge, it is an uphill battle to be accepted into a US medical school from a non-US college.

You do have a solid GPA and a good MCAT score. However, many schools out there already have a substantial favoritism towards instate students, and being out of the country will only make it that much harder for you. That's NOT to discourage you though. I personally know a couple friends who were in your position and accomplished their goal. It's definitely do-able. So Best of Luck!

Put yourself out there, have a good interview, and hope for the best!

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[MSmentor020]

So my chances are pretty low, eh?
Do you think it could help me in any kind of way that my wife-to-be (getting married in a few months) has Florida residency status (I had the green card before we got to know each other, so it's not a fake marriage or something) or that a big part of my family is living near San Francisco?

Thanks again for taking the time, it is really really appreciated

I'm not saying your chances are low or high. What I'm saying is that it'll be somewhat tougher. However, that should not discourage you from trying. You have solid stats and that's always a good thing when fighting an uphill battle. So just put yourself out there and see what happens.

I personally, do not know how your wife and family's status will affect ADCOM's image of you.

 

[Scottish Chap]

I'm not sure if there's any real hard evidence behind this, but from my own personal knowledge, it is an uphill battle to be accepted into a US medical school from a non-US college.

You do have a solid GPA and a good MCAT score. However, many schools out there already have a substantial favoritism towards instate students, and being out of the country will only make it that much harder for you. That's NOT to discourage you though. I personally know a couple friends who were in your position and accomplished their goal. It's definitely do-able. So Best of Luck!

Put yourself out there, have a good interview, and hope for the best!

Speaking from first-hand, personal experience, green card holders are not treated any differently in the admissions process from U.S. citizens for all U.S. schools - except the Mayo clinic.

A Canadian undergraduate degree is not a problem for U.S. medical schools - other than the Mayo clinic. If the undergraduate degree was earned outside of the U.S. or Canada, it's a massive problem. Again, this is from personal experience. With such a high GPA and MCAT and, with a green card, the OP stands as good a chance as any, and he/she will be eligible for federal loans. I hope that helps.

 

[MSmentor020]

Speaking from first-hand, personal experience, green card holders are not treated any differently in the admissions process from U.S. citizens for all U.S. schools - except the Mayo clinic.

A Canadian undergraduate degree is not a problem for U.S. medical schools - other than the Mayo clinic. If the undergraduate degree was earned outside of the U.S. or Canada, it's a massive problem. Again, this is from personal experience. With such a high GPA and MCAT and, with a green card, the OP stands as good a chance as any, and he/she will be eligible for federal loans. I hope that helps.

I agree with you that if his undergrad degree was from outside the North American Continent, it would be MUCH tougher. But I think you may have misunderstood what I was trying to say.

I never wanted to imply that green card holders are treated any differently during the admission process because they're not. What I was trying to convey was the simple fact of numbers. For example, I am from the east coast and found it extremely tough during my admission process for any califonia/texas/michigan school as they are highly instate preference. With that said, if you're coming from outside the US, you may encounter an uphill battle statistically. Hope that clarifies.

As I said before, the OP should by all means apply as he has solid stats and in my opinion a good chance.

 

[Scottish Chap]

I agree with you that if his undergrad degree was from outside the North American Continent, it would be MUCH tougher. But I think you may have misunderstood what I was trying to say.

I never wanted to imply that green card holders are treated any differently during the admission process because they're not. What I was trying to convey was the simple fact of numbers. For example, I am from the east coast and found it extremely tough during my admission process for any califonia/texas/michigan school as they are highly instate preference. With that said, if you're coming from outside the US, you may encounter an uphill battle statistically. Hope that clarifies.

As I said before, the OP should by all means apply as he has solid stats and in my opinion a good chance.

I understood you, but thanks for the clarification.

As I understand, the OP's primary concern was two-fold: citizenship status and being an OOS applicant. For state schools, your point is well-taken - but the same can be said of any U.S. citizen or PR who is not a state resident and tries to gain entry to a state medical school which only wants state residents (East Carolina University).

There are still state schools that give zero preference to instate residents, too (SUNY Syracuse) and plenty of others that admit out-of-state applicants. For private schools (and there are plenty of them, too), it doesn't matter that the OP will have a Canadian undergraduate degree or that they are from out-of-state. So, again, the OP will have as good a chance as a stateside graduate in securing admission to several schools - based on the outstanding credentials he posted. Not being a resident of a U.S. state is such a small issue in this particular case, IMHO.

 

[MDpride]

I'm Permanent Resident too.

But I have Bachelors in Egg. from India. Gpa : 2.47 after evaluating the degree.

Indian college degree has not been transferred to US college. Also, as per AMCAS no transcripit of that college is required as no courses were transferred to US college.

After moving to U.S., I started taking courses at U.S. college in georgia.

I have taken so far 76 hrs with 3.83 gpa as a non-degree seeking post-bacc student since jan'06.

I will have 110 hrs by sp'08. Also doing research with org.chem. professor

I have given MCAT, waiting for results and applied for 2008 cycle.

BCPM: 3.91; AO- 3.83

MCAT : 30 O
BS: 12, PS: 11, VR :07

What will they give high importance?

U.S. college performance or both ?

 

[Scottish Chap]

I'm Permanent Resident too.

But I have Bachelors in Egg. from India. Gpa : 2.47 after evaluating the degree.

After moving to U.S., I started taking courses at U.S. college in georgia.

I have taken so far 76 hrs with 3.83 gpa as a non-degree seeking post-bacc student since jan'06.

I will have 110 hrs by sp'08. Also doing research with org.chem. professor

I have given MCAT, waiting for results and applied for 2008 cycle.

BCPM: 3.91; AO- 3.83

MCAT release sept 19

What will they give high importance?

U.S. college performance or both ?

Your very best option it to finish out an entire undergraduate degree in the U.S. - and especially so given your excellent GPA here and the number of credits you've completed. A foreign undergraduate degree is a problem in itself and, with a very low professionally-evaluated GPA, it will be the nail in your coffin stateside. Some undergraduate institutions allow you to transfer foreign credits into your U.S. degree on a pass/fail basis. I would look into that, too. It may save you some time. Bottom line: with a U.S. degree, nothing else in good conscience needs mentioning. With a fine showing on the MCAT, I feel you'll fair well. Good luck!

 

[Dimp]

I have a 3 yr bachelors in physics and 2 years masters in physics from India.I am planning to do a masters degree (60 credits )in teaching from a university in US and planning to work as a physicsteacher for a few years.I am not yet a permanent resident.
The following is my gpa as calculated by Foreign credential evaluater.
3 yr bachelors 3.86
2 yr master 3.46( i had to repeat 2 courses due to personal reasons and t in the foreign evaluated material they haven't shown the previous marks only said repeated ,but my original transcripts has both marks)
What are my chances of getting admitted ?
Which gpa among these are more important?
Will they average both?
Will Masters in teaching degree be competive amon other phds?
What should I do to improve my chances?
Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance

 

[Dimp]

I am also basically from India .I have a 3 yr bachelors and 2 year masters (both in physics) from India.Till I get my greencard I am planning to teach physics at highschool in US.I will be doing my Masters in teaching program from US (60 credits).I am not very keen on doing higher studies in physics as my ambition is to get in med school

My bachelors gpa (3.86)
Masters gpa (3.46)Calculated by foreign credential evaluators here
F or my masters I had to repeat 2 courses as it was an extremely tough one and many batchmates had to repeat it too and in the evaluated transcript it is written as repeated and in the original transcript I have both marks.I am a bit concerned about this

how can i improve my chances?
Is Masters in teaching degree competitive enough when there will be lot of phd's applying?
Can somebody please help me with thish