I would like to start this post by saying that studying medicine abroad is a great way to go if attending an American or Canadian school isn’t feasible for you, but it is not the best possible option. Unfortunately, stats show that American IMGs have a 60% chance of being considered for residency interviews in the states, and non-US IMGs (ie. Canadians) have an even lower likelihood of being considered, at 48%. This is why it is very important to consider every possible outcome before enrolling in medicine abroad (if you plan to work in North America, that is). That being said, I understand that for many of us, passing all the requirements to get into medical school at home can be difficult. For me, I would have had to re-do my undergrad and focus on the sciences – or at least spend another 2 years taking a load of pre-requisite courses. For others, achieving the outstanding GPA required for most med schools is unrealistic due to full-time jobs, kids, or family needs. All of this being aside from the required high MCAT scores. One of the largest factors stopping students from attending med school at home seems to also be the exorbitant tuition fees demanded from the first year of medical school alone (think rent, supplies, and textbooks on top of every day expenditures and then add tuition). Continue reading →