How does one apply for post-graduate medical studies at Harvard? (For a foreigner ) How much would it cost?(Specially for cardiothoracic surgery specialization) What would be the approximate time duration of the studies? Are there any available scholarship programs for the foreigners( Pakistan) This question was originally posted on Quora, and below are some of the best answers. Answer 1 by: Ramzi Amri, studied at Harvard Medical School 1- If you mean (postgrad/postdoc) research fellowships, you will probably need to work your way in at department or even professor level. You need to be (very) good at what you do, Have something to back that (relevant publications, recommendations, grants or awards) Get to know a professor in your field at HMS or at least establish contact, and Make them want you. If you're convincing enough, they might even pay you. If you have a good scholarship to back you or at least one that will cover your costs and here's room to accommodate you, your chances to be hired are much, much higher. 2 - If you mean admission to masters like the MPH or PhD's, have a look at the admissions pages of Harvard School of Public Health and HMS 3 -If you mean a residency, well, you have a looong way to go, you'll have to take the first two steps of the USMLE, be ready to do at least one year of extra clinical work before even getting started regardless of your experience, have the shit being kicked out of your foreign training, to the point where they may even require you to do med school all over again, then, once you qualify, have no fear of rejection, and prove to be worthy for one of the residency programs at one of the HMS teaching hospitals, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women Hospital, Beth Israel or Boston Children's Hospital. Good news is, if you're in, they pay you (relatively modestly but still) Best of luck! Answer 2 by: James Pan, Medicine / Photography / Design The MBBS is an equivalent of the American MD degree. So I don't think you can be accepted into Harvard's MD program. If you're looking at Mass General or any Harvard affiliated hospital for residency, you will need to pass and do very well on USMLE Step 1 and 2 CS/CK. That also comes with strong recommendation letters, research and work experience, and personal fit. You will have to enroll in the NRMP, submit an application to ERAS, and interview at programs that invite you. Answer 3 by: Roman Saini, Co-Founder and Chief Educator at Unacademy. Try to get good marks in your MBBS Publish as many research paper as you can Bolster your CV Do a research fellowship/clerkship at a prestigious USA medical college like Harvard, Hopkins etc. (while you are still in MBBS) Clear all the steps of USMLE with a very high score. Work very very hard once to go USA. Even after following all these steps, only few of you will be able to make it to the Harvard. Answer 4 by: Raghuraj S. Hegde, Free thinker, Writer, Poet, Doctor, Ophthalmic Plastic Surgeon. You can. There is no official barrier to that. I hope you know already that at the end of medical school in US they are already MDs. I'm assuming you mean Residency. FMGs are assessed via USMLE scores and each application for residency is scrutinised for individual merit. The ball is in your court to show that you are valuable to them. Residency is more of a job rather than a degree. So you need 1. Exceptional USMLE scores 2. Valuable and substantial research experience 3. Excellent letters of recommendations from people who matter. You should have collaborated with these people for that letter to have any value. 4. All the above and also match up to the competition that is already there. The top residency slots are highly competitive in US not unlike India. Not to discourage you but all the US top Ivy schools' hospitals are not known to be FMG -friendly regarding residency matches unless you have some legacy or monetary benefit to offer them. Would AIIMS offer a residency slot to an American medical student without due diligence? Your main value to them will be if you can serve in areas where US medical students don't usually apply for residency slots. Not so well known hospitals, less competitive specialties, primary healthcare, sub-urban environment and the works. That's hard to digest for FMGs but I see no wrong in that. Every country watches out for themselves first before offering anything for other countrymen. It is fortunate that US is offering such opportunities and making it worth your while to do it. If you choose to go to another country for career opportunities be prepared to have plan A thru Z and to make the compromises when required. Again nothing to discourage you. But I'm not going to give you false hopes of blazing through the American system. Good luck! Source
