Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (Worth a look)

[TahaQ]

I just got into this university located in Doha, Qatar. It is run and operated by Cornell Medical College in New York and faculty is appointed from there as well. It is a 6 year program which leads up to an M.D. degree from Cornell university. The first 2 years are pre-med and the remaing 4 are med. Website Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar - Home Page (http://www.qatar-med.cornell.edu)

Lots of money has been spent on the construction of this university and is funded by the Qatar Foundation. Annual tuition is USD $30,000 but international applicant are accepted on a 'need-blind' basis i.e. their ability to meet the costs is not taken into consideration, admission is purely on merit.

Need based financial aid is available to those int'l students who need it, and can meet up to 100% of the student's demonstrated financial need.

The following are pictures of the campus that I have taken.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/tahaiqureshi/Doha136.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/tahaiqureshi/Doha138.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/tahaiqureshi/Doha118.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/tahaiqureshi/Doha142.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/tahaiqureshi/Doha132.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/tahaiqureshi/Doha124.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/tahaiqureshi/Doha119.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/tahaiqureshi/Doha145.jpg

[Daniel]

Looks like top notch. Forget Ross or SGU claims about "advanced" classrooms and facilities....with Cornell money and Cornell faculty and Cornell influence....I would immediately place this school amongst the very best foreign medical schools in the world.

Like it or not, if a grad from Cornell Qatar applied to US residencies...I see no reason why a PD would question the education since the school shares faculty with Cornell NYC and does US clinical rotations.

I am not saying it will be LCME equivalent....but as darn close as you can get!

[TahaQ]

^^ It is infact listed on the LCME as an additional location

[Daniel]

^^ It is infact listed on the LCME as an additional location

Can you provide a link/proof?

I am under the impression that Cornell Qatar is non-LCME.
LCME: Directory of Accredited Programs (http://www.lcme.org/directry.htm)

[TahaQ]

Can you provide a link/proof?

I am under the impression that Cornell Qatar is non-LCME.
LCME: Directory of Accredited Programs (http://www.lcme.org/directry.htm)

My bad, the following statement is from their website:

"Cornell University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges, with Doha, Qatar listed as an Additional Location. Weill Medical College of Cornell University, located in New York, is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)."

[dcP]

Hi All! Any updates on the LCME accreditation for Qatar? The 2008 class got residencies in very good hospitals like NYP, Johns Hopkins, etc. I have an offer to study pre-med there. Any suggestions?

[azskeptic]

Won't happen since LCME's charter deals with US and Canadian schools.

Hi All! Any updates on the LCME accreditation for Qatar? The 2008 class got residencies in very good hospitals like NYP, Johns Hopkins, etc. I have an offer to study pre-med there. Any suggestions?

[dcP]

I have got offer from UCL in London. But considering the PG situation in the UK for International students, US residency will be a better option. So instead of doing undergraduate medicine in the UK, wont it be better to get into cornell Doha so that there is better exposure for US medical education so that one can score high on USMLE and get into good residency programs?

[jackastors]

Hi dCp,

Cornell in Doha will not be a walk in the park. There is no guarantee of matriculating into the medicine program from premed. You will still have to go through the hoops of getting some research done, doing well on the MCATs, and doing well in the premed courses. I have spoken to a current student and she said around 70-75% premed students actually make it into the medicine program and previously it was much lower. Some students after first year transfer to Texas A&M Engineering or Carnegie Melon so really she told me the matriculation rate is around 50-60%.

If I was coming straight out of high school I would pick UCL. At UCL you will start studying for medicine from day one and no need worry MCATs and no need to prep your application for applying to the medicine program and no need to worry about losing the $80,000 if you dont get accepted to the medicine program.

If I was getting accepted to the four year medicine program then definitely I would pick Cornell in Doha over any other school in that region.

Note that you are not a medical student in premed, you are in an accelerated 2 year "B. Sc type of program" and then you apply to the medicine program.

UK doctors are very well respected in the US. You will not have any problems writing the USMLE and doing your residency in the states.

Hope that helps.

[dcP]

Thanks a lot Jackastors. Yes, for UCL, you dont have to do entrance exam later as you are already in a medical program. But regarding Cornell Doha, I am not very much worried about MCAT as I am pretty sure to get good marks, considering that I have got very good marks in BMAT, SAT 1, SAT 2, etc. But my concern about Cornell Doha is about the teaching quality. Compared to UCL, it is a pretty new college. I do not know how good the clinical faculties will be and also the clinical experience.
Also, I have not got any info on people who have been successful getting into US residencies from the UK. I would appreciate if anyone can share their experience of doing their USMLE while in UK and getting into US residency.

[Back_To_School]

I have got offer from UCL in London. But considering the PG situation in the UK for International students, US residency will be a better option. So instead of doing undergraduate medicine in the UK, wont it be better to get into cornell Doha so that there is better exposure for US medical education so that one can score high on USMLE and get into good residency programs?

It was my understanding that if you graduate from a UK medical school, then you're first in line for post-graduate training, whether you're non-uk/eu or not? Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that was how it went.

[stephew]

that's not correct. There is no "first in line". In fact its quite hard to really assess as there are few americans who go to the UK and do residency in the US. More do go to australia or ireland. but still, they are not "first in line". Why? Because they were still folks who couldnt get into a us school. Where as the Irish or aussies at those schools are in their domicile school. PDs know this. This doesnt mean you cant do well. I know people who have. But a good offshore school shouldnt be considered "next in line" to UK schools for americans.

[Back_To_School]

OK thanks. I thought the order of preference for UK PG jobs were Grads of UK schools, UK Citz graduating from outside the UK, EU citz and then non EU citz graduating from outside of the UK.

I know there is an American on the New Media Medicine forum who's at one of the London schools, but I can't remember his name, but he's got a web blog over there.

[rokshana]

OK thanks. I thought the order of preference for UK PG jobs were Grads of UK schools, UK Citz graduating from outside the UK, EU citz and then non EU citz graduating from outside of the UK.

I know there is an American on the New Media Medicine forum who's at one of the London schools, but I can't remember his name, but he's got a web blog over there.

i think steph thought you were talking about order preference for a US residency position not a UK one.

[dcP]

UK unlike the US doesnt give preference to non-EEA nationals who graduated from their own school. UK Medical graduates, who are non-EEA, are at present considered as IMG along with other IMG's who have done their degree outside. The only preference given is to gain entry into Foundation (Internship) to obtain a GMC registration. Beyond this, no guarantee for specialisation. I am an Asian, neither a UK citizen nor a US citizen. So, whether I go from Doha or UK, I will be an IMG for Post graduate training!

[jackastors]

Hi dcP

When it comes to better clinical training I would have to say UCL hands down. UCL is world renowned, situated at its home base in London with all its faculty and facilities unlike Cornell's Doha campus.

MCAT is no BMAT (Try the sample tests: "aamc.org/students/mcat/practicetests.htm") I am sure you will do well considering your successes so far but it will take a lot of effort. Apart from the MCAT, you need to have good premedical grades and compete for research grants. What I wanted to convey to you was that there are really good candidates with excellent scores who get accepted into the premed program but don't make it through apparently.

I know many graduates of Irish medical schools, some non-us citizens getting good residency placements in the US. So, I have no doubt a !!UCL!! medical grad will have any problems/issues come residency time.

Hope that helps.

[TahaQ]

Hey guys, I'm now a second year pre-med student at Cornell in Doha and so far I can say that it's been pretty tough. The workload is immense, without a second to breathe, although everyone gets the feeling more and more everyday that this college really is worth it. The first graduates that matched this year got really good positions at top residency programs and their acceptances weren't as difficult as people initially thought they would be. Only two people didn't get a US residency, and that too because of visa issues.

What is emerging now, is the safety net of Cornell New York as a possible site of residency for most graduates. It would obviously look bad if Cornell New York can't provide residency spots to its own graduates in Doha, hence a lot graduates will have spaces available to them in Cornell, although not completely a freebie.

[TahaQ]

As for entering into the med program, research isnt really a must since opportunities for premed students are a little scarce at the moment. The average entering gpa was 3.5 last year with an average MCAT score of 28 (primarily due to low verbal scores in the region).

[jumboburger2008]

Hi all, so are graduates from Doha viewed as IMGs?

[azskeptic]

No different than a grad from any other foreign school. They must take the exams,etc. that foreign grads take.

Hi all, so are graduates from Doha viewed as IMGs?

[dcP]

Hey guys, I'm now a second year pre-med student at Cornell in Doha and so far I can say that it's been pretty tough. The workload is immense, without a second to breathe, although everyone gets the feeling more and more everyday that this college really is worth it. The first graduates that matched this year got really good positions at top residency programs and their acceptances weren't as difficult as people initially thought they would be. Only two people didn't get a US residency, and that too because of visa issues.

What is emerging now, is the safety net of Cornell New York as a possible site of residency for most graduates. It would obviously look bad if Cornell New York can't provide residency spots to its own graduates in Doha, hence a lot graduates will have spaces available to them in Cornell, although not completely a freebie.

It is nice to know that there will be a safety net for Cornell Doha students. But Taha, can you tell me, once SIDRA comes up, in 2011, then will they stop sending students to US for doing the clerkships? Because, US residency programs give importance to the experience gained by doing clerkships in US hospitals as well as recommendations from the Professors in those hospitals. My only reason to consider Cornell over UCL is my chances of getting exposure to the US while doing MD. Please can you help with more info on this?

[azskeptic]

For American students, if you could qualify for Cornell-Qatar you could qualify for us schools it would appear. Is that correct?

[2009rocks]

hey guys, i'm a current 4th yr med student at cornell-qatar and i think that there are few things worth mentioning here:
- it's true that weill cornell qatar is not LCME accredited and her students are treated as IMGs BUT:
- you get to do clinical rotations at US hospitals (mainly NYPH) in your 3rd and 4th yrs (3-4 months) as well as research in pre-med and 1st yr med (up to a total of 4 months); and this will continue even when Sidra opens. the only difference w Sidra is going to be the core clerkships which will take place at Sidra instead of HMC.
- we get the exact same curriculum and we are as good as the US med students if not better (saying this from experience and after going through a couple of rotations at different US hospitals)
-faculty and attendings from the US get very impressed by WCMC-Q students, hence chance to get amazing recommendation letters for the residency application.
-we get special attention and treatment during the residency interviews because everyone is curious and interested in this new school!
-the match rate has been phenomenal so far. last year's students (08) matched into really good programs and this year's match was even more impressing. my class did an AMAZING job in the 2009 US residency match. only 1 person didnot match this year and we all got places at NYPH, VCU, cleveland clinic, Connecticut Uni, Texas med center...in different specialities (int. medicine, gen surgery, neurology, psychiatry, peds, family med, sports med...)
=> So guys, after going through the 6 yrs and finally matching into a really good program I wanna say that this journey has been amazing and definitely worth it. :D
good luck to you all!

[googleme]

how competitive is the the premed program? are there statistics available, like acceptance rate and acceptance rate into the 4 year med program right after? the website says there are 60 openings for the premed program, and 50 openings in the med program...how many of the premeders actually get accepted to the medical program?

any help with these questions would be appreciated.