Can I have a second bachelor's degree in the USA?

How can I get a degree in India which will be an equivalent to a premedical bachelors degree in the USA?

• I'm currently in 12th grade in India. I used to live in California until the age of 12, before i moved here, and have always cherished a desire to earn my way back to America. I've decided that i want to be a doctor. However, my parents cant afford 8 years of education in America, so i'll be doing my first degree in India. What degree do i have to get in India to equate with the Premedical Bachlors of Science degree in America? Are there any other ways other than getting an MBBS, giving the USMLE and then attending med school there? .... Also, if i get a Bachelors of Science degree from IISER with a biology major, but not all the subjects that Premed students in America have, will I be able to equate it the American Premed B.S degree?

• Answer:

  I don't know if your parents can afford this, but one idea is to do your bachelors in India, and then do a post-bac year to complete your med school pre-req classes in the US. Some US med schools won't admit students with foreign bachelors degrees. Some others will, but require that you do a year of coursework - your pre-med courses - in the US. So the post-bac year could really help you with some schools. Example of such a program here: http://www.gs.columbia.edu/postbac/ Another option, if it's available to you, is to do your first degree in India in medicine, at a school that's acceptable to the US. I don't know if there are any - you'd need to do your research on this one. Then do a residency and/or post-grad work in the US. You'd need to research the realities of this option, but it does work for some in some countries. I don't know if it works for India, or for which, if any, Indian medical programs.