Dear Dr.I live in Pakistan and have done A levels with 3 Ds in 4 yrs. I studied a lot but went to a psychiatrist in 2002 and was on medication for 1 1/2 years and didn’t become fine. Now I passed A levels in 2004 and wished to study medicine and didn’t get admitted.The only thing that what works in Pakistan is money-bribes. People who even score very low are admitted with bribes. I visited the States and other western countries almost 15 times or more and feel depressed seeing the difference with everything in Pakistan. No laws and my father told me you don’t enjoy any rights here.We have fights in the house every day about sending me abroad but even for admission in universities abroad you need lot of money which my parents can’t pay. I completed my education from the best school in pakistan and now my father ‘s salary is reduced by 60%.How can we cope with life. I am gettin mad each day HELP ME PLEASE. MAY ALLAH BLESS YOU. MAY YOU FIND YOURSELF IN PEACE EVERYTIME.
I am so distressed to hear how life is for you. It feels like you been stuck in a prison and there’s no hope for parole. I understand your depression and your anger, both of which are normal reactions to feeling powerless.The key for you is to find a way to gain control over your life. Since your grades are good, I suspect that you could obtain a scholarship to attend medical school in the States. I believe that schools in America are required to meet certain ethnic diversity quotos, which means that places are reserved for students who belong to different ethnic backgrounds.This means that your heritage could actually work for you, for once! What I think you should do is contact the guidance offices at the schools where you would like to attend. Tell them of your plight and see what they can do for you.You should also know that you can negotiate on your own behalf the best ‘deal’ for yourself. What you want is to find a school that gives you the biggest tuition scholarship. You may also be able to arrange a work study program where you get some income along with a scholarship.If all else fails, the schools may be able to find for you zero interest student loans (that you only have to pay back after you’ve finished school and are working) and some type of living stipend. I also believe that there you can find Pakistani groups or organizations located in the U. S. that are designed to help recent immigrants.Please let me know what your research yields. I believe in you and I know that you can make your aspirations a reality. Just don’t give up and don’t take no for an answer. If your culture says no, if dad and mom say no (because they have no financial resources) keep in mind that someone out there is waiting to say yes to you.
