In what warm foreign country can I take Organic Chemistry for pre-med?

May 1, 2011 12:56 PM

In what warm foreign country can I take organic chemistry for pre-med?

I am an online professional poker player, and it was recently made extremely difficult to do that from inside USA. I want to move abroad, and finish my pre-med Organic Chemistry, and then apply to med school. What warm (year round) foreign country offers organic chemistry in English? links to specific schools? preference goes towards cheap countries, tropical, hot, and very foreign. I have lived in China, Japan, Thailand, and Mexico.

posted by crawltopslow to Education (12 answers total)

Best answer: I don't know much about Organic Chem or med school. But the Philippines is a warm, cheap, tropical country that will probably have quite a few universities that teach in English.
posted by cheemee at 1:47 PM on May 1, 2011

Perhaps Southern India would suit you?
posted by deadmessenger at 1:52 PM on May 1, 2011

Response by poster: Southern India and the Philippines both sound very good! wonder if they have any schools that have o-chem in English that would be recognized as meeting pre-med requirements for med school in USA... searching..
posted by crawltopslow at 1:55 PM on May 1, 2011

Response by poster: University of the Philippines at Diliman seems to have O-chem in English..O-chem in English..
posted by crawltopslow at 2:03 PM on May 1, 2011

The other top schools in the Phils are Ateneo and La Salle. Though I don't know how they rate against each other.
posted by cheemee at 2:08 PM on May 1, 2011

The American University in Cairo (Egypt) is US-accredited and has a chem major with classes in organic chemistry. Classes are in English.

Also, Egypt is awfully hot during the summer, though it isn't blazingly hot in the winter. It's not tropical, but it's "very foreign." Plus you might find it extra cheap for students right now.
posted by bluedaisy at 3:18 PM on May 1, 2011

St. Georges University in Grenada
posted by Confess, Fletch at 4:35 PM on May 1, 2011

How about Singapore - fits your requirements of English-speaking, tropical, hot (not as hot as Australian summers, but hey, hot all year round!) and very foreign (well, we're half way around the world from the US, I believe that qualifies).

If you wish, you could consider going straight to med school, as the system here is greatly inclined towards undergraduates taking medicine courses.

Links you might want to check out:

These 2 universities have Chemistry courses for undergrads
National University of Singapore
Nanyang Technological University

Both medical courses are conducted by the National University of Singapore.
Undergrad medicine course
NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
Grad course
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

MeMail me if you want more details.
posted by titantoppler at 9:35 PM on May 1, 2011

just remember that most US med schools won't accept prerequisites completed abroad... also, they will want to know why you moved abroad and online poker won't be an answer that makes them happy.
posted by Brennus at 6:53 AM on May 2, 2011

Response by poster: Brennus any specific data to back up those claims? I contacted two med schools who said if I show them the syllabus, and it was taught in English, they would accept it. Also, I am one of the top 50 active LHE players in the world and the admissions said they love to see people with special skills and who excel at what they do.
posted by crawltopslow at 7:12 AM on May 2, 2011

"The other top schools in the Phils are Ateneo and La Salle. Though I don't know how they rate against each other.
posted by cheemee at 2:08 PM on May 1 "


Too bad they all start classes in June, and it's too late to register now...

I'd have to wait a full year before I could start.

ugh.
posted by Patrick Leo at 9:00 AM on May 9, 2011

Try looking at the other schools in PI... or starting second semester..
posted by Patrick Leo at 9:35 AM on May 9, 2011