u/No-Squirrel1654

It is my understanding that they both need work visas. do the non citizens at US MDs usually get H1Bs while the IMGs get J-1s? Are H1Bs easier to extend past their 6 year limit while the J-1 is harder past the 7 year limit due to the letter of exceptional need or a switch to an O-1 visa? Does this make a meaningful difference in your medical practice and how long you have to wait to get your green card?

Hello. I am an international student who got a few offers from a mix of US undergrads and medical programs. Namely, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Upenn, etc. My end goal is to practice medicine in the US, but I am unsure what the best way to go about it is. I will try to provide all the information I know for my specific case.

PENN cost: 180k for undergrad, 580k including medical school (just keeping this total 8-9 amount in mind)

Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar: around 480k total.

CAREER UPENN: pros: easier to get into medical school due to their resources, however chances are still low. But how low are we talking? This is really my main question, would penn significantly help get an international into a medical school as opposed to an undergrad outside the US or a mid tier undergrad in the US?

It’s a very prestigious degree with lots of flexibility to enter any field. Also gives freedom to not be locked into medicine In case I change my mind.

Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar: Pros: No need to apply to medical school, already in one. accelerated.

Cons: Risk of not wanting medicine, with no way out. Also being an IMG truly limits you and locks you out of competitive or desired specialities. There is no such limit for a MD senior. I have an understanding that this school is rather niche and outperforms other international medical schools when it comes to the US, but does anyone know if its fishy/predatory like perhaps SGU or other carib schools? Most of their matches seem to be IM. ive seen 5 categorical general surgery matches in 9 years, so thats 5 in 450 people (not considering those who actually wanted general surgery, that may be 5 in 40-50 as a reasonable guess).

So the question im really grappling with is: Should i go to an accelerated track and match into the US, but likely give up competitive specialties and limit myself, or should I go to penn and try to get into medical school here and possibly fail?

Hello. I am an international student who got a few offers from a mix of US undergrads and medical programs. Namely, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Upenn, etc. My end goal is to practice medicine in the US, but I am unsure what the best way to go about it is. I will try to provide all the information I know for my specific case.

PENN cost: 180k for undergrad, 580k including medical school (just keeping this total 8-9 amount in mind)

Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar: around 480k total.

CAREER UPENN: pros: easier to get into medical school due to their resources, however chances are still low. But how low are we talking? This is really my main question, would penn significantly help get an international into a medical school as opposed to an undergrad outside the US or a mid tier undergrad in the US?

It’s a very prestigious degree with lots of flexibility to enter any field. Also gives freedom to not be locked into medicine In case I change my mind.

Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar: Pros: No need to apply to medical school, already in one. accelerated.

Cons: Risk of not wanting medicine, with no way out. Also being an IMG truly limits you and locks you out of competitive or desired specialities. There is no such limit for a MD senior. I have an understanding that this school is rather niche and outperforms other international medical schools when it comes to the US, but does anyone know if its fishy/predatory like perhaps SGU or other carib schools? Most of their matches seem to be IM. ive seen 5 categorical general surgery matches in 9 years, so thats 5 in 450 people (not considering those who actually wanted general surgery, that may be 5 in 40-50 as a reasonable guess).

So the question im really grappling with is: Should i go to an accelerated track and match into the US, but likely give up competitive specialties and limit myself, or should I come to penn and try to get into medical school here and possibly fail?

Hello. I am an international student who got a few offers from a mix of US undergrads and medical programs. Namely, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Upenn, etc. My end goal is to practice medicine in the US, but I am unsure what the best way to go about it is. I will try to provide all the information I know for my specific case. I would appreciate if anyone at penn could let me know if penn could be a good option for me.

PENN cost: 180k for undergrad, 580k including medical school (just keeping this total 8-9 amount in mind)

Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar: around 480k total.

CAREER UPENN: pros: easier to get into medical school due to their resources, however chances are still low. But how low are we talking? This is really my main question, would penn significantly help get an international into a medical school as opposed to an undergrad outside the US or a mid tier undergrad in the US?

It’s a very prestigious degree with lots of flexibility to enter any field. Also gives freedom to not be locked into medicine In case I change my mind.

Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar: Pros: No need to apply to medical school, already in one. accelerated.

Cons: Risk of not wanting medicine, with no way out. Also being an IMG truly limits you and locks you out of competitive or desired specialities. There is no such limit for a MD senior.

So the question im really grappling with is: Should i go to an accelerated track and match into the US, but likely give up competitive specialties, or should I come to penn and try to get into medical school here and possibly fail?

That is all I have. I would appreciate any insights. Thanks a lot.

Hello. I am an international student who got a few offers from a mix of US undergrads and medical programs. Namely, Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, Upenn, and NYU Abu Dhabi. My end goal is to practice medicine in the US, but I am unsure what the best way to go about it is. I will try to provide all the information I know for my specific case. I would really appreciate it if anyone could help me make the most informed decision. Here goes.

FINANCES:

NYUAD: 60-80k total 4 years, assuming 400k extra for a US MD thats around 480k.

PENN

180k, 580k including medical school

Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar:

around 480k total. Could be more if considering the whole match process and sitting USMLE. I will omit this for now.

CAREER:

NYUAD

Pros: Not locked into a medical path, this allows for pivoting into other fields if I find out that medicine is not for me.

Cons: Harder to get into medical school because it’s located outside of the US, and I need to take a year abroad at NYU NY to fulfill the prerequisite courses to apply to medical school, also less shadowing, research, volunteering, and clinical experience opportunities due to not being in the US, which is not ideal for med school applications.

UPENN

pros: easier to get into medical school due to their resources, however chances are still low (How low are we talking as a Upenn graduate?).

It’s a very prestigious degree with lots of flexibility to enter any field, more than NYUAD I would assume. Also gives freedom to not be locked into medicine In case I change my mind.

Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar:

Pros: No need to apply to medical school, already in one. accelerated.

Cons: Risk of not wanting medicine, with no way out. Not too big of a deal, I do believe I want medicine. I know I cant be sure at this age though. I am not naive.

Social life:

NYUAD

Pros:

Distance is great, closer to home and family.

Cons:

Lower independence due to the same reasons. Perhaps less of a vibrant social life as Upenn (lmk if im wrong).

UPENN

Pros: new experiences and independence. I guess they call it the social ivy idk.

Cons: Far from home. USA is complicated right now with this administration.

Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar:

Pros: same as NYUAD

Cons:

Social scene is non existent/ limited + no undergrad experience, which some people claim to be essential for development before medical school.

MEDICAL SPECIALITIES

NYUAD AND PENN

Pros:

Going to a US medical school makes you competitive for any speciality, no limit there.

Con:

It takes 8-9 years to actually become a doctor. Likely 9. Also getting into a MD school is super hard (not Canadian or American).

Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar:

Pros: You become a doctor 3 years earlier

Cons: Limited to a smaller subset of specialities as an international medical graduate (internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, neurology) all other specialities not really realistic. This is limiting.

I have checked their match list from 2017-2025. Across these 9 years they matched 5 categorical general surgery spots, no dermatology, ortho, plastics, neuro, ENT, opthal.

Now each graduating class is around 50 people. Thats 450 people across 9 years. How many can one assume actually tried to match into general surgery? 10% as a conservative estimate. that is what 11%? Is getting into a medical school with or without a gap year after UPenn above or below such a figure?

That is all I have. I would appreciate any insights. Thanks a lot.