Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 7/5/2011

Question
I am 15 and i want to be an anesthesiologist, I;m going into 10th grade in September and i will be taking chemistry honors and algebra/trigonometry II. i have always been in advanced courses, in my school those usually aren't offered until you are in 11th grade.  Am i on the right track? i get pretty good grades too in my other classes. When i go to college, i want to go to Stony Brook or Columbia or Binghamton.  Columbia would be a lot more money though because it's not a SUNY school.  What should i take in college? what courses do i have to take in stony brook(most desired school of the 3) to get into medical school? and then from medical school how do i become an anesthesiologist? I am really looking for a detailed answer please from someone who knows what the are taking about, this is my future that we are talking about, thanks :)

Answer
You are still very early in your preparation but you are off to a good start. As for colleges, any college can prepare you for medical school. Obviously big name colleges like Columbia have the advantages of name recognition which may help in the admissions process but the actual education you receive is probably similar at Stonybrook as Columbia, and if your grades are outstanding (which they need to be regardless of where you go), it probably doesn't matter. So if money is an issue and you can't get enough scholarships, go to the state college. As for courses, you can major in anything you want as long as you take the required pre-med courses including Calculus, Organic and Inorganioc chemistry, physics, biology and English. If you do well in medical school, then you apply for anesthesia residency programs but that is 11 years away!

Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston