Selecting a program

Hello, I did 9th and 10th grade in Pakistan, but am originally from the US. I'm currently in 11th grade in the US, so I probably wont be much help since I'm only just learning more about college. I gave 7 IGCSE exams in Pakistan before coming here and have a GPA of 4.26 here. First off, do you have an O-level, A-level, Matriculation, or IGCSE degree? You should complete your A-level (not sure about FSc) before applying to colleges, since O-level and A-level combined is equivalent to high school. It will be harder applying to a college without an A-level or equivalent degree and the only colleges that accept the remaining degrees (O-level, Matriculation, or IGCSE) easily are community colleges. Some more prestigious ones do as well, I believe, but as I said, it would be much harder. Also, A-level and IGCSE are widely recognized here and are considered better than high school by some, so don't let that aspect worry you too much.

Choosing a college depends on many, many factors, so you will need to do research yourself to find one according to your individual circumstance. For that, consider researching online with the help of your parents if they are capable, or consulting an academic / career advisor either in school or a private one. But basically, you will need to consider the tuition fees, eligibility for financial aid / ability to pay out of pocket / possible and preferably likely scholarships, academic level of the college, and whether it's best for your major, amongst other things.

(For research, I would recommend niche.com. Just search a college or state you're interested in. Also, have a look at their list of best colleges for medicine)

Another important aspect that can't be overlooked is how competitive the college is which can usually be judged by the acceptance rate. I would not recommend going to an Ivy League at this point unless you have some huge accomplishments like regional or national recognition, start-ups, etc, and are willing to work VERY HARD. Pakistani students can cope better with college pressure than American students, I believe. This analysis was also made by my father who has a PhD from Oxford (I am merely mentioning this to prove that he can make a good assessment on this topic).

By going to an Ivy League school, you will be competing with geniuses and other extremely smart and hardworking people and will get drowned out. You will likely have a better chance at success in a less competitive college for now (more on that later). I have been researching Ivy League schools, but have decided to go to a good, but not too competitive school like NYU. But, again, your decision must be dependent on your various factors.

One thing that is very important in America, is class ranking. So, in college, it will important to be top of the class, which will be extremely difficult in an ivy league school if you are not of that caliber. If you have not lived in the US before, you might be better off at a state school or other good colleges that aren't as high up as the Ivy Leagues.

You should try your best to get admitted in the best college you can get admissions in with your credentials. But again, I strongly advise against Ivy Leagues.

Another thing I noticed in Pakistan which I will address to clear up any possible confusion, is that A-levels or equivalent is called college there. Here, college is 4 years after high school, aka after A-levels. Then graduate school is 4 years after college. In your case, if you are an aspiring doctor, graduate school would be medical school. For medical school, you can choose to go to an Ivy League after graduating in the top 5-10% of your class in college, with many internships, extra curriculars, and stellar recommendation from professors whom you were able to get close to (which would be difficult in an Ivy League). This would basically be a strong foundation.

I hope this is helpful. But what I just realized is that you did not specify where you want to go for college, and I assumed it was America. Regardless, I will still post this comment, and hope that either way, this information will be helpful.