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US Med without parental support


AB27

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So if I don't get into Canadian schools after a cycle or two I would like to have the option of applying to med in the USA. My stats should be competitive and I understand they have a bit less emphasis on ECs. Problem is my parents are not in the picture so I would have to fund it entirely. I understand that international fees + living out there is like 320k+. Is it at all possible to do this self-funded and has anyone gone through a similar situation? Would MD/PhD be an option?

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If being a physician is your dream and what you want to do for the rest of your life then anything is possible! There are private loans and many other financing options available. That being said, getting accepted as an international student to a US MD school is very difficult. US DO is easier. I would first apply and see how the cycle is going before worrying too much about the financing. Of course, you can definitely explore different financing options while your applying so you are prepared if you get accepted. Some schools require proof of funds of at least 1 year tuition (and possible board??) with some schools even requiring proof of funds for all 4 years. But OSAP will definitely not be enough to cover cost of attendance. Also, one you starting working as an attending physician you will be able to pay off your loans so I wouldn't stress too much about it later down the road.  

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25 minutes ago, Aria said:

There are private loans and many other financing options available.

Aria -  your input for AB27 may be a little over confident.  As a Canadian in USA, you cannot access loans of the size required without having considerable collateral or co-signers.   Bursaries and Grants at US Med schools are aimed primarily at in-state American citizens.   What secret pool of money are you aware of ?

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I feel that Canadian banks may be willing to work with you since you are going to be attending medical school and they often know that you will be able to pay the loans back upon graduation. I am not referring to any money coming from the US. I apologize that I may be a little confident but I do think that the OP should still look into private loan options in Canada regardless of parental support and still apply. Finding the funds will not be easy but I dont think its impossible. 

I also just did a quick Google search and it looks like there also may be some international student loans available in the USA without cosigner. Of course they are private and the interest rate may not be the best

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49 minutes ago, Aria said:

If being a physician is your dream and what you want to do for the rest of your life then anything is possible! There are private loans and many other financing options available. That being said, getting accepted as an international student to a US MD school is very difficult. US DO is easier. I would first apply and see how the cycle is going before worrying too much about the financing. Of course, you can definitely explore different financing options while your applying so you are prepared if you get accepted. Some schools require proof of funds of at least 1 year tuition (and possible board??) with some schools even requiring proof of funds for all 4 years. But OSAP will definitely not be enough to cover cost of attendance. Also, one you starting working as an attending physician you will be able to pay off your loans so I wouldn't stress too much about it later down the road.  

I'll just have to make it work in Canada! For one, Idk about the osteopathy part of DO, I'd have a hard time convincing admissions that I'm into it lol. But yea as @Meridian said the bank loans are probably not possible and I have no way of making that much money in a decent amount of time- might as well apply multiple cycles in Canada.

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  • 1 month later...

Getting bank loans may be tough without a co-signer (i.e. parents). When I applied a while back, I mostly had already saved from working for a couple of years plus I had some family support. OSAP paid a very trivial amount.  I was very stingy during Med school. No euro trips, Cancun, etc. Even then, I finished Med school with $180 k debt. Once you start working though, you quickly pay it off though. What’s more, there are tons of jobs in the US that will help you pay off your loans.

If money is a concern, the best thing to do to maximize your chances is move to another province (besides ontario) where you can work for a year or two. That way you can establish residency in that province and get treated as in province for admission purposes.

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5 minutes ago, Neuro-phys said:

Getting bank loans may be tough without a co-signer (i.e. parents). When I applied a while back, I mostly had already saved from working for a couple of years plus I had some family support. OSAP paid a very trivial amount.  I was very stingy during Med school. No euro trips, Cancun, etc. Even then, I finished Med school with $180 k debt. Once you start working though, you quickly pay it off though. What’s more, there are tons of jobs in the US that will help you pay off your loans.

If money is a concern, the best thing to do to maximize your chances is move to another province (besides ontario) where you can work for a year or two. That way you can establish residency in that province and get treated as in province for admission purposes.

This is my current plan! Hopefully it will be possible to get a decent job as a life science major but that's another story. Do you mind me asking how much you had saved before med school/ how much it ended up costing?

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Your best bet would probably be to look into MD/PhD programs. A lot of those are fully funded in the States, and when I was looking into it I found like 7-10 schools that accepted and fully funded international students. It is definitely really competitive, but the AMCAS conversion can work to some students favor. For example, if you study at Western, 80-100% converts to a 4.0 through AMCAS. 

From my understanding, banks won't loan you money without a cosigner if you are going to medical school abroad. 

Goodluck!

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