Expert: Susie Watts - 5/28/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi Susie,
First of all, I am from the province of Quebec, in Canada. If you know a little about it, we have something called Cegep out there, which is some pre-university (useless) 2 years program. My first question would be: do universities in the U.S really care about that? Because to be honest, I didn't really care about my marks there... My high school marks though are in the mid 80%. I am interested in going to an university in the USA to do something related to biomedical engineering or simply a program to become a surgeon.

Since I am not really well informed about the procedures to enter university in USA (and people here in Quebec don't really want us to quit), I would need help about it from someone who really knows how it works.

Firstly, I was wondering what is the normal process to become a surgeon. What must I do (normal steps), and what do I need (marks? scores?)? Here in Quebec, you need to be like in the top 0.5% with the marks to be accepted, so it's extremely hard, but what about in the USA?

Then, I need to find the right place to go. I know you cannot tell me like, "just go there!", but I was wondering if you could suggest me some places where it shouldn't be too hard to be accepted in the major or bachelor (I don't now the difference yet...) I'm interested in (biomedical engineering or surgery), but still with a nice reputation over the world.

Afterwards, what about subscription? I know I must pass some tests for maths, chemistry, grammar and etc, but I do not know which ones exactly, so I would need help with that as well.
I guess you will tell me that the procedure is explained on the website of University X, but as I already mentioned, I really have NO information about what to do, so if you do not mind, it would be nice if you could explain that to me a little more clearly.

After that, I was wondering how it generally works to move to the location of the university. Is it like, all on your own, or it is possible to get some help from the university or the government? Also, is the financial aid for the studies coming from the university directly or I must deal with a bank or the government?

Please note that I am 17 years old, and I wish to make my move on fall 2009, so I'll be 18.

I know I ask you a lot, but this is very important for me and I have no idea of what to do :( .
Thank you for your comprehension,
Bye!

Jonathan

ANSWER: First of all, I think colleges are going to be most interested in your grades from high school.  You will also need to take the SAT or ACT test.  You can find out how to register for these tests by going to their websites at www.collegeboard.org or www.act.org.  There you will be able to register to take either or both tests in the fall and they will give you the location that is closest to Quebec.  These are important college entrance tests so you may want to take them more than once.  They are both offered at least two times in the fall.  I would not worry about your goal to be in any particular major right now because most colleges do not expect you do decide that until you have been in school for two years.  The areas you are interested in will require you to take as much science and math as possible.  If you are looking at private schools, they usually can offer students more money for education than can public universities.
I think you need to decide what states might appeal to you to attend college and then look up schools in those states that sound like they might be a good match.  The College Board website is also a good source of information for colleges.  There is a place where you can select a state and look at all the schools available.  Consider size, location, admission requirements, etc.  You do not enter medical school until you have finished four years of college.  During those four years, you need to make the best grades possible.
You have time to begin to explore the possibilities over the summer because students do not apply to colleges in the US until the fall.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, thanks for your answer! As for the states, I have a preference for big cities, such as Seattle, New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, etc. Also, living in one of the coldest place on Earth, a place that did beat last year the overall record of snow with 582cm in a single winter, I'd prefer somewhere like Florida, or Texas, where shoveling isn't the national sport!
I guess I can find the universities by myself, but it would still be nice if you could give me some suggestion, since I have no idea of the reputation of these universities.
Thanks again for your answer, it clarifies my mind a lot!
Bye!

Answer
Here is a very random list of schools you might want to start with:
Baylor University in Texas
University of Jacksonville in Florida
Seattle University in Washington
Arizona State University in Phoenix
Lynchburg College in Virginia
Drexel University in Pennsylvania
Temple University in Pennsylvania