|
Most people
find it difficult to identify what is that what they really want to do
in their life. Often finding your calling takes a lot of trial and
error. Internships, personality assessments tests, shadowing,
informational interviews are all great ways to help you in this process.
(Actually, we are lucky to live in this age, just imagine a century or
so ago you would often have no choice and would work just to make ends
meet and often do most boring and repetitive job).
So you are
not sure what you really want to do... Well, that's extremely familiar
to me, so here are some of the resources I found useful while trying to
answer this question for myself.
Do
you think about becoming a doctor?
First some facts: most of the American Medical Schools do accept
foreign student. The major problem is money, since foreigners who
do not have a green card are not eligible for most loans. You need
approximately $120k for four years of medical school. The only way to
get a loan is to have an American citizen (or a green card holder) to
co-sign your loan. Most schools promise to make their decisions without
consideration of financial situation, whether it is true or not is hard
to say.
There are some pre-requisites, which are very important. First, you have
to study in US for at least one year prior to admission and preferably
have a degree (BS or MS or other) from an American college/university.
Second, prior to matriculation you must complete required "pre-med"
classes (schools require these classes to be completed in US, only few
exceptions are possible):
-- one year of Inorganic Chemistry with the appropriate laboratory
courses
-- one year of Organic Chemistry with laboratory courses
-- one year of Biology with laboratory courses
-- one year of Physics with laboratory courses
some school also require one year of English & one year of Calculus.
Alex' Illicit Guide to Medical
School Admissions
Student Doctor Network
Virtual Family Medicine
Interest Group (especially
this section)
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Osteopathic Association
Do you
think about getting an MBA?
Do you have an undergraduate degree, entrepreneurial spirit, good work
experience and want to work in leadership positions? Then getting an MBA
might a good idea. In order to apply you need to take TOEFL and GMAT.
There are no formal course prerequisites. Getting an MBA costs >$100k,
but usually it is possible to get a loan (much easier than for med
schools).
Mba.com
The MBA Program Information Site
Do
you think about getting PhD and staying in academia or maybe going to
work in the industry?
If you like science and are not afraid to spend 4-6 years doing research
projects, studying, teaching, writing papers, etc. and hardly earning
any money, it is definitely worth it since the benefits of having a PhD
are numerous. Foreigners are very welcome to apply, there are only few
universities which do not except international students. Most students
get funding that covers tuition and pays stipend of approximately $20k a
year. In order to apply you need to take TOEFL and GRE, there special
course requirements for each field. Extensive info is presented on my
website.
Next Wave Career Resources
for Scientists
Next Wave Postdoc and
Faculty Issues
PhDs.org Science, Math, and Engineering
Career Resources
Do
you think about working in management consulting?
Consulting is one of the best ways to switch from academia to the
business/entrepreneurship world. This field has suffered financial
problems and lay-downs in the recent years, but still hold many
possibilities for those who have enough interest, persistence and
stamina. To get a job in consulting in US, you need to have a degree
from one of the top American universities.
Careers
in Consulting
Vault.com Consulting
|
