International Student Medical School Questions
Rising Star
💫Hi I'm currently an international student who is studying undergraduate here in the US, and I intend on applying to medical schools here in the US and internationally as well. For starters, I've realized that getting a job opportunity in my region is incredibly difficult as international students have to undergo a CPT training that pertains to their major which is Biology for me. This makes it difficult to justify my CPT application for a medical assistant job or emergency tech job. The most clinical I have been doing currently is taking classes from the emergency health service where we go to the department and shadow residents, physicians, NP/PA, RNs. I am currently going to be taking my NREMT to become a EMT here in the US but that is about the most clinical experience I was able to get. What is difficult is when I go back to my home country the laws pertaining to undergraduate students who are not in medical school entering a hospital is extremely strict which makes it hard for shadowing or clinical experiences to be done at my home country. I currently have three medical research, one biology research, 4 previous teaching jobs alongside currently being a chemistry LA (TA). Would you be able to provide some information regarding international student applicants that are applying for medical school here in the US? In addition, if my goal were to become a physician here in the US would going to an international medical school and applying for residency to the US be another viable option in the long run?
Answers
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Hi,
My name is Maria Lofftus, one of the medical school admissions consultants here at Kaplan. Thank you for sharing all of this context.
What I'd Recommend Focusing On Now
- Finish your EMT certification and find a sustained clinical role that allows you to work consistently — even modestly paid or volunteer EMT work over several months will strengthen your application considerably.
- Build your school list carefully using the MSAR and the Choose DO Explorer Tool (discussed below) to identify which programs accept international students, then assess each one using your GPA and MCAT.
- Don't overlook osteopathic schools. Check which DO programs accept international applicants. The Choose DO Explorer Tool is a free resource for comparing DO schools.
- Think carefully about the international school question if your goal is to live and practice in the U.S. It's worth a detailed conversation with an advisor once you have your MCAT score and know where you stand competitively for U.S. programs.
Your profile has genuine strengths. The goal now is to make sure each part of your application — your essays, your activity descriptions, your school list — does the work it needs to, given the specific constraints you're navigating.
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