The Long Way There……

November 14-18 was international Education Week and Amaechi Abuah member of the U.S. Embassy Education USA Center wrote this article in celebration of the week.

I remember dozing lightly as the bus rolled across lush green hills and past glassy clear lakes. It was Day 4 of the International Physics Olympiads and all around me some of the brightest brains from across the planet were settling into various states of boredom-induced slumber. On a screen in front of the bus, some television scientist had been discovering the Higg’s Boson… again… and again … and again… for the past three hours. We were headed from the city of Zurich to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva to witness the magnificence of the Large Hadron Collider first-hand. It was a five hour drive, and we still had a long way to go.

Representing Nigeria well

Tolu Alabi is a graduate of Grinnell College in Iowa.  She is a recipient of the Stanford Africa MBA Fellowship.  Joseph Ekpenyoung studied math at Bates College in Maine and is now giving back by teaching math at the African Leadership Academy in South Africa.  Daniel Akuma attended Kenyon College in Ohio and got accepted into the top eight medical schools in the United States.

What is common among these three young Nigerians?  They are all beneficiaries of the Opportunity Fund Program, popularly referred to as EducationUSA Achievers Program (EdSAP) of the U.S. Embassy Abuja.  The program assists highly qualified but low-income students to finance upfront costs of obtaining admission into U.S. universities with full financial aid.  One common feature of all three is that they went to public schools, including Federal Government Academy Suleja and Model Secondary school.

Lessons From a Former Premed to Other International Applicants - Part II

By Peace Eneh
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, ‘17

...continued from the previous post

What’s the deal with the MCAT?

I struggled with the MCAT and I know many international students struggle as well. Find a way to overcome this challenge. You need to do really well on the MCAT (a score of 30 and above) to show that you can perform on the same level as the American students. The admission committee needs to know that you can keep up with the rigors and academic challenges of medical school, so although your MCAT score is not the end of the road to medical school, it is very important especially as an international student. This is because most of the medical schools that accept and have financial aid for international students are private, and unfortunately these schools are generally the more competitive ones. However, if you have tried everything you possibly can to get a better score and still not able to reach the 30 mark, this is not the end of the road for you if you have other things working in your favor, like a super strong GPA, an impressive research background, some publications, etc. Some schools recognize that some bright students have difficulty with standardized tests such as MCAT so your experiences might outweigh the not so great MCAT score.

Lessons From a Former Premed to Other International Applicants

By Peace Eneh

Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, ‘17

Disclaimer: I am using this blog to share what I have learned from applying to medical school in the US. It is very informal and by no means the blueprint. These are just tips that might help. The application experience varies from person to person, and decisions are made on individual basis, so the tips presented here are by no means foolproof. I also have to emphasize here, that most medical schools require that the premed coursework be completed at an American undergraduate institution, and very few medical schools will accept coursework completed in Canada.

Choosing an Undergraduate Institution
There are a few things to consider if you have the privilege of being accepted to more than one US undergraduate programs. Some undergraduate institutions have better systems in place to help their students complete the premed coursework and to obtain the relevant experiences required by medical schools. The institutions also have varying levels of involvement in the whole medical school application process so it is a good thing to think about these when making your decision. Here are some questions that would be good to ask:

A Whole New World

Every year, hundreds of Nigerians travel to the United States in pursuit of higher education. Many of these students are young and travelling to the U.S. for the first time.  They will live and study in a completely different environment for between two to four years.  One of the first challenges that will confront them is culture shock.  From the weather, to the food, to the different accents, they will have a lot of adjustments to make.