US Undergraduate Going to Ireland?

[okjoint]

Hi everyone!

I've recently been accepted to the 5 year program at UCD. As I'm finishing my first year of college here in the US, I realized that my GPA is not that strong to be competitive here in the US. At first, I was extremely excited to be offered this opportunity and was for sure going to attend UCD. However, after doing much research and reading through all the forums, I am not so sure about making this confirmative decision. I am very conflicted due to the following reasons:

1) Since I'm only going into my second year of undergraduate, this 5-year program at UCD would mean that I would be very young when I become a doctor. As a female, that is somewhat of a benefit.

2) In terms of maturity, I'm not sure I'm ready to jump head first into a completely new culture where I have no family or friends. Especially since medical school is extremely tough, having no support system at first is going to be rough. However, I know that sometimes taking risks and getting out of your comfort zone exposes you to many great things. And Ireland is a beautiful country that would be amazing to explore and live in.

3) From reading other forums, most have indicated that it is extremely difficult for IMGs to attain a residency placement, especially in the US. Even those who have successful attained a residency in the US from Ireland have mentioned that they would not go through the IMG route again. Additionally, it seems like most are matched back into family medicine, which is a field that I particularly don't want to go into.

Thank you for reading this post and I would love any sort of input/advice!

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[Medstart108]

Hi everyone!

I've recently been accepted to the 5 year program at UCD. As I'm finishing my first year of college here in the US, I realized that my GPA is not that strong to be competitive here in the US. At first, I was extremely excited to be offered this opportunity and was for sure going to attend UCD. However, after doing much research and reading through all the forums, I am not so sure about making this confirmative decision. I am very conflicted due to the following reasons:

1) Since I'm only going into my second year of undergraduate, this 5-year program at UCD would mean that I would be very young when I become a doctor. As a female, that is somewhat of a benefit.

2) In terms of maturity, I'm not sure I'm ready to jump head first into a completely new culture where I have no family or friends. Especially since medical school is extremely tough, having no support system at first is going to be rough. However, I know that sometimes taking risks and getting out of your comfort zone exposes you to many great things. And Ireland is a beautiful country that would be amazing to explore and live in.

3) From reading other forums, most have indicated that it is extremely difficult for IMGs to attain a residency placement, especially in the US. Even those who have successful attained a residency in the US from Ireland have mentioned that they would not go through the IMG route again. Additionally, it seems like most are matched back into family medicine, which is a field that I particularly don't want to go into.

Thank you for reading this post and I would love any sort of input/advice!

1) I can somewhat comment on being a young doctor. It sounds scary to go abroad when you are so young, but I can tell you that it really isn't that scary. Ireland isn't too different from the US, and you will have no problems adapting because you speak the language. There will also be plenty of internationals there to hang out with. It is however stressful to decide what you want to do and commit yourself so early. I was able to do it, and while it isn't easy and it is a bit odd, i'm sure you can too. A lot of people I know have managed to do decently well for themselves going abroad early. Don't forget plenty of people do their undergrad degree abroad and most of them do fantastic.

2) As a US citizen, it will be harder to obtain a residency position than a US MD. However, given the fact that you never even tried applying to the states, you can easily avoid a lot of the stigma attached to US IMGs. During interviews, you can paint this experience as an international experience that you wanted to do, rather than something you were forced into. Additionally, it is truly a great life experience to have. You can certainly match to specialties other than family medicine coming from abroad, provided you have good USMLE scores and US clinical experience. You definitely do take a small hit in terms of the competitiveness of programs you will match to, but that is an issue even if you were to stay in the US.

3) I can't say I would encourage you to go abroad, but I do think both options are reasonable. If your grades are truly really low in your first year in the US, you still have time to pick them up and apply to medical school in the states. Either way, I'm sure you will be fine no matter what decision you do make.

 

[deleted21609]

Don’t do it.

You would limit your opportunities with little benefit. Graduating younger and experiencing another country are nice, but the downsides far outweigh those upsides.

 

[GastriqueGraffin]

If your gpa is not so strong here and that’s a reason why you would want to consider quickly leaving to another country for medical school then you are missing some big potential problems down the line. Focus on improving your study/test taking skills, do well in college and on the mcat and then apply to medical schools.