With the rising competition for procuring a seat in the field of medicine to the ever increasing demand for doctors – the world has understood the importance of a well functioning healthcare community, especially after the deadly attack of the corona virus.
More and more students are interested in serving the community and working as medical professionals and fortunately, it’s 2022 and there are no physical boundaries and mental limits to the opportunities available in seeking quality education. There are numerous countries across the globe that offer a promising future to students wishing to study abroad, but in this article we will discuss the procedure of getting an admission in Medicine in one of the most applied for country internationally – The United States of America.
To begin with, we need to clarify that there is no such thing known as an MBBS degree in USA. The United States of America offers an MD (Doctor of Medicine) degree, which is essentially a 6-7 years course beginning right after junior high for resident students and after 12th grade for students applying from abroad.
Students applying from India have a general idea of the procedure being similar to the one followed in their host country, where they are expected to appear for the National Entrance Exam called NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) which forms the basis for admissions in all the government funded and private medical institutions across the country. But this does not entirely hold true in case of the steps followed in USA. In USA, students first apply for colleges offering an undergraduate degree also known as a pre-med course that forms the building block for later applying to a medical university. To know more about choosing the right majors and selecting the right college facilitating an easy entrance to the medical university of your dreams, you can visit Golden Draft’s website and check out the blogs dedicated to a detailed explanation of the same.
IELTs and SATs are important examinations that a student needs to clear in order to be considered for a course in USA. The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. Most students require a period of 4-5 months to prepare for it and the secured score remains valid for a period of two years. SAT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admission related decisions. It is an MCQ based test created and administered by the College Board. International students are expected to prepare for these examinations during their 11th and 12th grade period and appear for the examination right after completion of high school.
After that, one needs to start applying for their Undergraduate degree which is usually a 3-4 years course with one major subject as Biology. Students are free to apply for other unrelated subjects such as mathematics and arts for their minor subjects as it displays your interests and showcases the diversity you promise to offer to their university. By the end of the UG programme, students appear for the MCAT examination. The Medical College Admission Test is a computer-based examination for prospective medical students applying to universities in the United States, Australia, Canada and Caribbean Islands. The cumulative result after combining your MCAT score and your UG CGPA decides your eligibility for an MD course in USA.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) administers the MCAT and operates the related application service. Along with the procured score cards and undergraduate experience, one is required to submit other related documents including essays and a statement of purpose, that add value to one’s application and enable them to stand out in a crowd of applicants with equal calibre and potential along with incredible grades.
While foreign students have to bear the cost of their education and other expenses, the state offers a wide range of scholarship programmes that can cut down a major chunk of one’s tuition fee. It is absolutely necessary to keep a vigilant eye on all the deadlines and apply for different steps accordingly.
The journey of moving to a new country, especially one as dynamic and competitive as the United States of America is far from being a cakewalk; but we at Golden Draft bring to you a step-by-step guide in order to make the run as smooth as possible. To know more about the MD programme in USA and related information about other entities to be considered while applying for a course abroad, you can follow @golden_draft on instagram and visit our website offering a spectrum of detailed articles to help you ease some of your study-related anxiety.
