Partly true. It's because my wife is an international medical graduate (IMG), so she had to do a lot more work than local (US) grads to show that she is qualifi

Partly true. It's because my wife is an international medical graduate (IMG), so she had to do a lot more work than local (US) grads to show that she is qualified. Having said that, the local grads don't have it easier if you read the comments in this post. I have a few US friends who were pre-meds and are now professional doctors. I know that they had to put a lot of effort to signal to the programs (e.g., research publications, volunteering at big-name clinics/hospitals, etc.) that they are worthy of the residency training (at competitive programs of course).