Can I apply to a US medical school as a UK Student with a Mathematics degree?

Original post by ani-q

I am currently a 1st year at Kings College London embarking on a Mathematics degree, I have started to build a keen interest in Medicine due to my experience during the end of my gap year. Now my plan is to finish my degree and then apply to Medical schools. Although I will be applying in the UK I've always wanted to live and work in the US. Therefore, is it possible for somebody like myself with a Mathematics degree and A Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Economics to get into the post graduate medical school in the US. As pre-med would be way to long and expensive. Obviously taking into account I am beginning to gain all the experience i can get my hands on such as a trip to spain in which I will be trained for wilderness medicine.

Thanks in advance

No, it would not be accepted. All U.S. medical schools (except Yale) require ALL pre-med courses to be taken in a four-year U.S. undergraduate college -- no exception. In the case of Yale, you would need to have studied a "pre-med" course such as biomedical science, or have taken one year long courses in all of the sciences.

Even if "pre-med" prerequisites are satisfied, it is almost impossible for a non-U.S. citizen or permanent resident to get into an American medical school. This is because medical schools are funded by the federal government, which mandates that no funds be used on foreign students. Just search into Google "international student USA medical school" you will see that only a handful of medical schools accept foreign students, and even so only 1-2 per year.

If you wish to practice in the U.S. post-medical school, then it is advisable to study medicine in the U.K., take the licensing examinations (USMLE), and then apply for residency in the U.S. This process would also be extorionate -- it could cost $10,000+ just to apply.

Reply 3

Original post by ani-q

I am currently a 1st year at Kings College London embarking on a Mathematics degree, I have started to build a keen interest in Medicine due to my experience during the end of my gap year. Now my plan is to finish my degree and then apply to Medical schools. Although I will be applying in the UK I've always wanted to live and work in the US. Therefore, is it possible for somebody like myself with a Mathematics degree and A Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Economics to get into the post graduate medical school in the US. As pre-med would be way to long and expensive. Obviously taking into account I am beginning to gain all the experience i can get my hands on such as a trip to spain in which I will be trained for wilderness medicine.

Thanks in advance

No because first they want pre-reqs which almost necessitate you did university in the US or Canada. E.g. they want 2 courses of orgo chem with lab. You won't have touched orgo chem in your Maths degree.

Second, they rarely accept internationals, you would need a much more competitive application. Yes, internationals do get in, but its much harder for you to get into a US medical school than a UK medical school.

Only option: Get into UK medical school, apply to the US for residency.

Reply 4

J1mmy

11

Just to reiterate what everyone else has said, it's too much trouble when you can get into a UK medical school, with less cost and much more easily in comparison. I've studied in the US, and very quickly I realised how similar it was as the UK - you'll become used to your surrounds way too quickly to feel like you're in another country. The culture is somewhat different along with approach to teaching and education, but you would've gone through a load of headache for ultimately the same qualification and a significantly higher cost.

If you really want to go to another country following your medical degree, try Canada. I didn't find anything attractive with the US healthcare system, in fact I came to realise how fortunate we are with the NHS whilst I was abroad, having to pay for medicine, blood tests, insurance etc.

Reply 5

Original post by J1mmy

Just to reiterate what everyone else has said, it's too much trouble when you can get into a UK medical school, with less cost and much more easily in comparison. I've studied in the US, and very quickly I realised how similar it was as the UK - you'll become used to your surrounds way too quickly to feel like you're in another country. The culture is somewhat different along with approach to teaching and education, but you would've gone through a load of headache for ultimately the same qualification and a significantly higher cost.

If you really want to go to another country following your medical degree, try Canada. I didn't find anything attractive with the US healthcare system, in fact I came to realise how fortunate we are with the NHS whilst I was abroad, having to pay for medicine, blood tests, insurance etc.

Canadian medical schools have only perhaps 10 spots in total for international students only at UofT and McGill. In addition, you would need to meet pre-reqs just like in the US. It is not feasible at all.

The only way to go to Canada would be to finish all your training in the UK and then apply for equivalency which can be done.

Reply 6

Original post by ukmed108

Canadian medical schools have only perhaps 10 spots in total for international students only at UofT and McGill. In addition, you would need to meet pre-reqs just like in the US. It is not feasible at all.

The only way to go to Canada would be to finish all your training in the UK and then apply for equivalency which can be done.

I can confirm what ukmed108 has stated about Canadian medical schools. We've previously discussed this :smile:

and he's certainly right.

Perhaps he can also correct me on this, but as far as I am aware Canadian residency programs are rarely open to non-Canadian Citizens or permanent residents. They are very reluctant to sponsor visas for foreign students, even more so than U.S. residency programs.

Reply 7

J1mmy

11

Original post by ukmed108

Canadian medical schools have only perhaps 10 spots in total for international students only at UofT and McGill. In addition, you would need to meet pre-reqs just like in the US. It is not feasible at all.

The only way to go to Canada would be to finish all your training in the UK and then apply for equivalency which can be done.

Sorry, I didn't mean go to study in Canada, I meant after having a medical degree first. I suggesting another place to practice medicine aside from the US.

Reply 8

Original post by Superboy

I can confirm what ukmed108 has stated about Canadian medical schools. We've previously discussed this :smile:

and he's certainly right.

Perhaps he can also correct me on this, but as far as I am aware Canadian residency programs are rarely open to non-Canadian Citizens or permanent residents. They are very reluctant to sponsor visas for foreign students, even more so than U.S. residency programs.

Its even worse, you can't even apply if you aren't a non-Canadian citizen or permanent resident. The only people who are not Canadian citizens are those from arab countries like saudi arabia who pay the Canadian healthcare system to send their students to do residency in Canada.

For those international citizens who do medical school in Canada its less clear. McGill warns you that they don't guarantee Canadian residency to those non-citizens who graduate from Canadian medical school.

Reply 9

or....

AUSTRALIA!!!! :biggrin:

Yeah... US is impossible for non-US college educated students. They do allow people who've done conversion courses (i.e. pre-med courses post graduation at places like Columbia), but again, that just ratchets up the cost, with very little improvement in chance

There are non-American (no Green card either) who go to US allopathic med schools - they just happen to have deep pockets ad have graduated from American colleges.

Reapply to King's. Guy's is a lovely campus :wink:

Reply 10

Original post by hslakaal

or....

AUSTRALIA!!!! :biggrin:

Yeah... US is impossible for non-US college educated students. They do allow people who've done conversion courses (i.e. pre-med courses post graduation at places like Columbia), but again, that just ratchets up the cost, with very little improvement in chance

There are non-American (no Green card either) who go to US allopathic med schools - they just happen to have deep pockets ad have graduated from American colleges.

Reapply to King's. Guy's is a lovely campus :wink:

Deep pockets, gone to US college and are incredibly smart and intelligent. It is much harder to get into medical school in the US if you are not a US citizen.

Reply 11

Original post by ukmed108

Deep pockets, gone to US college and are incredibly smart and intelligent. It is much harder to get into medical school in the US if you are not a US citizen.

exactly what I said...?

Reply 12

Original post by hslakaal

exactly what I said...?

I added that you have to be really smart. A lot of people just assume that if it costs money its easy to get in, but thats not true.

Reply 13

Original post by ukmed108

I added that you have to be really smart. A lot of people just assume that if it costs money its easy to get in, but thats not true.

For anyone wondering, the phrase "really smart" here means something different from what you may be thinking. Smart does NOT mean getting a first class honors, top of the class and two years of hospital shadowing with a world-leading physician, and a great MCAT. Smart means having a plethora of research, being published in a major journals, having won international awards, personalized letters from world-leading researchers, etc

Reply 14

Original post by Superboy

For anyone wondering, the phrase "really smart" here means something different from what you may be thinking. Smart does NOT mean getting a first class honors, top of the class and two years of hospital shadowing with a world-leading physician, and a great MCAT. Smart means having a plethora of research, being published in a major journals, having won international awards, personalized letters from world-leading researchers, etc

Why not throw in a Nobel prize while you're at it...

Reply 15

Original post by hslakaal

Why not throw in a Nobel prize while you're at it...

I know it sounds like I am exaggerating, but I am really not. You should go to some pre-med forums for some Ivy League universities. Unless you are a "URM", even as a U.S. Citizen, you have to have excellent credentials. As an international student, you will have to be above everyone else.

You should have a look at the credentials of international students admitted to Harvard Medical School. There were three admitted last year: one was a Syrian refugee, one was an Iranian woman who also fled her country, the other I cannot recall.

The point is that Harvard didn't offer them a place to give them an education; they were accepted so Harvard could almost "brag" about having educated people from those backgrounds, and improve their own reputation.

Reply 16

Original post by Superboy

I know it sounds like I am exaggerating, but I am really not. You should go to some pre-med forums for some Ivy League universities. Unless you are a "URM", even as a U.S. Citizen, you have to have excellent credentials. As an international student, you will have to be above everyone else.

You should have a look at the credentials of international students admitted to Harvard Medical School. There were three admitted last year: one was a Syrian refugee, one was an Iranian woman who also fled her country, the other I cannot recall.

The point is that Harvard didn't offer them a place to give them an education; they were accepted so Harvard could almost "brag" about having educated people from those backgrounds, and improve their own reputation.

I'm afraid you are. My friend's brother is a M2 at, granted not the top tier med schools, and you really don't need any of those things.

Reply 17

Original post by hslakaal

I'm afraid you are. My friend's brother is a M2 at, granted not the top tier med schools, and you really don't need any of those things.

I was talking about Harvard specifically. And, I didn't mean Nobel prize when I said international award. It could be something like an Intel or Google Science award. They are very common there.

I cannot speak for you, but I have done shadowing at the HMS, so I have spoken to two international medical students. One had been published in Nature whilst still in his undergraduate years.

Reply 18

Original post by Superboy

I was talking about Harvard specifically. And, I didn't mean Nobel prize when I said international award. It could be something like an Intel or Google Science award. They are very common there.

I cannot speak for you, but I have done shadowing at the HMS, so I have spoken to two international medical students. One had been published in Nature whilst still in his undergraduate years.

And no one on this entire thread was talking purely about HMS. It was about American med schools for international, non-resident students, who have not attended American colleges :facepalm:

I'm guessing you are not at university/college yet, judging from the terms ("world-leading researchers") you are using? Yes, publications + good grades are needed, and I'm not ridiculing you for saying that. That is perfectly correct. Just the fact that a) to get published, you need to have good grades in the first place to be given a decent research opportunity b) "world-leading researchers"... :facepalm2:

Any letter from your referee, be it a college tutor, project supervisor will do. Publications are not that rare for even American applicants.

Original post by Superboy

For anyone wondering, the phrase "really smart" here means something different from what you may be thinking. Smart does NOT mean getting a first class honors, top of the class and two years of hospital shadowing with a world-leading physician, and a great MCAT. Smart means having a plethora of research, being published in a major journals, having won international awards, personalized letters from world-leading researchers, etc

Reply 19