Adoption from outside the EU and US?

[Kayteuk]

I have been planning since I was about 13 to adopt from outside the US/EU when I am settled before having kids of my own. And I was wondering if anyone on here has any adoption stories they want to share?
I realise I have to be 25 (5 more years!) to adopt and its better if I am married, but the amount of time it takes to pick a agency and choose where to adopt from is a good amount of time for me to figure things out and find a nice guy.

I'm so broody right now but I don't want kids of my own, I have a very high risk of having a Autistic child so I am worried about risking it.

I have years of medical school and placements to go but I just enjoy looking to the future when I am having a bad day. And figuring stuff out

I am reading a blog at the moment about adopting from Russia and its so sweet. There are so many unloved children in the world that need love and attention, I would rather give my .00001% to helping than making the problem worse.

Our Journey to Russia

Awwww how cute!!

 

[xxManBeaterxx]

Yes its very difficult to adopt if you are adopting as a single mother, its also a very very long and expensive process, but the wait makes it all worth it in the end. I have never adopted nor did i do research on the topic but i would love to adopt someday!!

Also they definately wont give you a child if your still in college, and since your on the path to med school, pre med? At 20 years old its holy cow genius if your in a school of medicine, because that means you graduated with your bachelors degree at 18??!! Medical school *sigh*, unless you are on full or atleast partial scholarship, the average medical school student accumulates roughly around 500,000 dollars in student loans by the time they become board certified. Thats a lot of money, so i think that would be another huge issue for the adoption agency to consider. Starting out doctors are dirt poor and work 60-70 hour work weeks, unless you are just considering non surgical work such as a family doctor the hours are a lot better, but then it will be hard to pay off your school loans if you dont go overtime

... since well doctors just dont make much per hour for all the malpractice insurance crap and loans they have to pay for. ah sorry i probably ranted off lol, i thought about this when i was thinking about going to med school.

With that said, i would love to adopt 1 or 2 children in the distant future, i plan on having one more kid naturally, i think its just amazing to give a child with nothing an actual future they can look forward to. But first!! complete your schooling and residency, then go from there

 

[Kayteuk]

In the UK at 18 you go to medical school. I'm 3 years ahead of the US schools. So i am in my 2ND year of Medicine. Its also very cheap for university over here. And Its not like i'm going "YES BABIES NOW!" I do actually want to get qualified and then adopt when I am ready, but its nice to look up the process and keep updated.
You don't need a bachelors degree to go to medical school in the UK if you studied in the UK. We take the equivalent of 4 college degrees at college level when we are 18.

Modeling pays really well and I am currently in no debt and I pay for university, tuition, rent, etc all out of modeling. As well as being able to shop.

In the UK there are few lawsuits on medical practices, its much more highly regulated as we have a government health care but also the option of private practice.

 

[xxManBeaterxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayteuk In the UK at 18 you go to medical school. I'm 3 years ahead of the US schools. So i am in my 2ND year of Medicine. Its also very cheap for university over here. And Its not like i'm going "YES BABIES NOW!" I do actually want to get qualified and then adopt when I am ready, but its nice to look up the process and keep updated. You don't need a bachelors degree to go to medical school in the UK if you studied in the UK. We take the equivalent of 4 college degrees at college level when we are 18. Modeling pays really well and I am currently in no debt and I pay for university, tuition, rent, etc all out of modeling. As well as being able to shop. In the UK there are few lawsuits on medical practices, its much more highly regulated as we have a government health care but also the option of private practice.

O_O AMAZING!! In the united states the prerequisites is murder inorder to qualify for med school. NO FAIR!!! By the time you can get into med school you'll be around 23, then you'll be 27 when you grad from med school, then around 29 by the time you complete residency -_-, thats like 1/2 of your life studying!

 

[Kayteuk]

Well it does sucks for people in the US, I am looking to transfer to a US med school possibly and I'm probably going to be the youngest person they have ever had.

But the sad fact is, all UK med schools require a Bsc in a science before any US student can get in to a UK medical school.

By the time I graduate I will be 23/24 ish. Then I will be finished with my residency at about 27/28 hopefully!

 

[xxManBeaterxx]

Ah lets get back on topic, im interested in everyones responses

 

[NutMeg]

My biggest concern with international adoption is the cost. And not because I don't think it would be worth it, because it would to me. But when I think of what else I could do with that money, like sponsoring many children who still live with their parents (my family has two foster kids in Africa and in South America), to adopting several children in my own country, hell even sending it to support an organization who cares for orphans, or supports education for young girls in countries where girls are denied education (which I also do), or sponsoring community well projects, school building projects, etc. I'm not at all knocking your dream, I just don't think I'd be able to justify it for myself.

 

[Kayteuk]

I think in the US its really expensive, but in the UK from what I have heard from a friend of my mothers, its really regulated as they want to know where the money is going. So its a bit cheaper.
I also work a lot in Romania and I brought up the subject the other day, the orphanage I worked at for 2 days with Non handicapped children said they would let me adopt as long as I got all the paper work done, and do it for free on their side.

So thats a option.

I dunno right now, I think alot will change in 12 years when I will probally be ready to adopt

 

[ratmist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayteuk In the UK at 18 you go to medical school. I'm 3 years ahead of the US schools. So i am in my 2ND year of Medicine. You don't need a bachelors degree to go to medical school in the UK if you studied in the UK. We take the equivalent of 4 college degrees at college level when we are 18.

Um, this is confusing. I don't think it's fair to say you're 3 years ahead in the sense that you seem to imply it.

If anything, you can't compare the two systems. They're completely different, with the endgoal being professionals produced for completely different health care systems.

As far as the actual textbook learning is concerned, there is an argument that by taking a minimum of six years of textbook/laboratory based education before internship, US students may be more prepared in the long run for a medical career than the equivalent UK student. Of course, they end up spending a helluva lot more money in the process.

The UK student ends up with experience quicker, but loses out on the extra time and knowledge gained from extra years dedicated solely to hitting the books.

Until it's a question of experience gained actually practicing medicine, there's really no point trying to compare between a medical student in the UK versus one in the US. Once the US student completes his/her internships, there's an argument that he/she will be "further along" than the UK counterpart because the US student will often have completed other postgrad degrees simultaneously.

(I talk about this all the time with my fellow PhD colleagues who work with US students a lot. In my opinion, there is absolutely no time advantage to the UK system than the US system, because at the end of the day, for all degrees and disciplines, it's a balancing act between experience and book-learning. By the time all the doctorate degrees are earned, everyone's on the same page really. The perception that UK education is quicker, and therefore produces students "ahead" of the American students, is an illusion. There's no illusion however that it's cheaper in the UK versus American universities, unless you can score scholarships or can get very cheap in-state tuition.)

 

[Kayteuk]

Hello? Is this on topic. If you have a problem PM me.

 

[ratmist]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayteuk Hello? Is this on topic. If you have a problem PM me.

Hmm? I don't have a problem with you or your topic. I just got interested in the education side of the thread, and I note I wasn't the only one.

I entered university in America when I was 15 and completed half of a US undergrad degree before I transferred to the UK. I completed all my university degrees in the UK (joint BA, an MSc and nearly finished with the PhD - thesis submitted and just waiting on the viva now) so I know a lot about the differences and similarities in the systems. I've also taught in university so I know how confusing non-Brits find the UK system, especially Americans. The two systems couldn't be more different.

I just posted out of interest, not out of vitriol. There may be other people reading that are interested in the education side of the thread, even if you started the topic on adoption. If the mods want to move the thread to start a new topic, fine.