Expert: Todd Johnson - 7/20/2008

Question
Hello, my name is Amanda. I am going into the eleventh grade and I am interested in being an anesthesiologist. I have looked at different colleges and med school and I don't know what to do. I am so confused. I need help.

Answer
Amanda,

Thank you for writing. I understand how confusing the whole college admissions process can seem but the fact that you are looking at it at this point will help greatly.

The first thing you need to do is not worry about med school at all. That will flow naturally if you choose the right college so focus on colleges. Secondly, don't worry about particular colleges at this point. Instead the best way to approach this process is to look at yourself and decide what your ideal college looks like. Where is it located, how big is it, what activities to they have available, is it a party school or a school focused on academics? There is no right or wrong answer to any of these issues but there are right and wrong answers for you. To find a more complete list of things to look for in a college go to http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/find_the_right_college.htm

Once you understand some of the things to look for, try to visit different types of colleges near you. For instance, if you don't know if you want a big or small college, visit one of each. Right now you aren't looking for a particular college but rather trying to see the kind of college that fits you best.

When you have identified what you are looking for in a college, then you start the search for the college that fits your criteria. If you don't have adequate college counseling you can go to one of the web sites that helps you narrow your choices down. Several good ones are http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/adv_typeofschool.jsp

and

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

Having found some colleges then you should investigate those colleges using each colleges web site as well as books that are available in most libraries. My favorite is the Fiske Guide to Colleges. It gives a good synopsis of many of the national colleges and describes what each of their personalities is like.

Once you have narrowed you list of colleges to 6-8 then you want to request information from those colleges. You can start the applications in August before you Senior year.

This is a very general overview of the process. If you want more information, take a look at my website, www.collegeadmissionspartners.com. That has a number of articles related to the college search process.

Good luck and have fun finding the best college for you.