Intl Pre-med = rejection?

jenoks
Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:31:11 +0000

Not sure what you mean. “pre-med” is sort of an abstract term in the US that just means an undergraduate who plans to go to medical school and is taking the few courses required for med school admission. Typically students don’t major in “pre-med” but in something like biology or history and are also pre-med at the same time. For this reason, state schools won’t treat you any differently whether you plan on being pre-med or a pure science major. That being said, state schools have quotas for admitting students from in-state, and US out-of-state, and it may be difficult for internationals to get in regardless of their intended major.
For med school admission, maybe state schools will not accept international applicants (whether US-educated or otherwise), but it’s almost irrelevant. Most med schools in the US are private, so unless you MUST go to UCLA, you’ll have plenty of schools to apply to.
My opinion is that if you, as an international, are admitted to a state school and a private school of equal repute (whether undergrad, med or otherwise), you’re better off going to the private school. The reason for this is that you’re paying similar tuition in both cases (state schools will charge you out-of state tuition), but private schools are generally better-funded (everyone’s paying full tuition), meaning more resources for you.