Annie Li, a Chinese international student, is currently on her path to becoming a neurosurgeon in the U.S. She graduated at the top of our high school class and has always been the type of student parents compare their children to, saying, "Why can't you be like Annie?"

Today, I have invited Annie to kick off my special series on pursuing an English-taught medical degree in North America and Europe. My goal is to explore medical degree programs outside the U.S. To begin, we need to understand the American system and the stories behind its substantial costs in both money and time.