The bottom line is that U.S. medical schools honor U.S. and Canadian undergraduate degrees. If you don’t have one of those, you have a non-standard application that is in danger of being relegated to the circular filing cabinet. In fact, most medical schools will tell you outright that they won’t review your file until it looks more ‘American’. It’s a stupid, stupid rule, but you pretty much need to do what they ask if you want to play in their sand box. Once you are in medical school, those games gets more serious.
You have two options:
1. Complete 60-90 credits of undergraduate work in the U.S. Those credits generally must contain the pre-requisite courses (6-8 credits of chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and biology all with lab experience). Some medical schools also wants English and a few want calculus. Some medical schools want only prerequisite courses. Some want more than that (hence the 90 credits for some). You must contact the schools you are interested in and do as they ask. They have the power. Most schools will also expect you (at your own expense) to pay a professional agency to ‘translate’ your foreign undergraduate degree into a U.S. equivalent GPA. There are several agencies that provide this service if you use Google. Those evaluated grades can be entered onto the AMCAS form, but they will not be verified by AMCAS and they will not factor into the GPA calculation that medical schools use to ascertain whether you are medical school material.
2. Roll all of your foreign grades into a second, U.S. undergraduate degree as a transfer student. I know a couple of people who used this strategy (one from Australia, one from Scotland – both gained entry into U.S. allopathic (M.D.) medical programs). If you take this option, you may be able to get an undergraduate degree in 18-24 months.
A third option (the one I took, a path less trodden) was to figure out which schools will accept a foreign undergraduate degree if a U.S. graduate degree has been earned. I had 91 credits between a U.S. M.S. and Ph.D. I was ultimately only responsible for the prerequisite courses I did not take overseas (physics). Few schools will accept this option, but I am living proof that such schools exists. I also know two other people that found success with this option. Both were from England. One went to Yale Medical School and he’s now a neurosurgeon and the other went to Cornell Medical School and he’s now a dermatologist.
In the end, the MCAT is a great equalizer. If you rock the MCAT, some schools will forgive you for applying to their medical school with a foreign undergraduate degree.
Good luck!
SC
P.S. Forget about pre-medical counselors. The are totally clueless about this stuff through no fault of their own. They just don't see people like you. The honest ones will admit that. The weaker ones will pretend they know what they are doing, but they'll send you down the wrong path. When I enrolled for the physics classes I was missing, they asked me to meet with the chair of the physics department because my undergraduate transcript didn't say "math 101". I met with the physics chair. He asked what my highest degree was, then laughed loudly, apologized, and signed the form without asking any more questions. It was a huge inconvenience to drive 20 miles to enroll twice but, as I said, most people are clueless about this stuff.
P.P.S. If you don't have a green card, fix that problem first. It is the most time-consuming part. I filed for my green card a year before I took the MCAT. My green card came through seven days before my first medical school interview......two years later. Forget about scholarships. If you don't have independent wealth, there are few places that will be willing to help you. Those that might offer money, will break your knee caps with a hammer when you can't pay back the 50% interest that comes with their loan.
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Foreign/International Student: Should I redo Undergrad?
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