Expert: Todd Johnson - 2/24/2009

Question
Hello. I am a United States Citizen (from San Diego, California), studying abroad, currently doing my A' Levels. The only chance I had to give the SAT 1 was this January, and I received a score of 1830.
640 - Critical Reading
600 - Math
590 - Writing


I wish to give my SAT 2 subject tests (if required) in October, after my final A' Level exams in June/July.

I would please like your help in suggestions for colleges/universities in California, that offer pre-med as an undergraduate major and that offer spring/second semester session admissions. As my A' Levels will be ending in July, I haven't had the chance to, nor could I apply for the Fall 2009 sessions at any schools. So it would be a very big help, if you could suggest some institutions in California, that would offer me admission January/Spring 2010. I don't want to take a gap year and wait until Fall 2010.

Thank you so much.
And while California is my first and foremost option, since I live there and everything, if you know any good pre-med undergraduate offering schools in other states, that would fit my needs, than please don't hesitate to suggest them.

Once again, thank you very much for your help!

Answer
Sara,

Thank you for writing. Unfortunately, recommending particular colleges is not something that works well with this type of forum. There are so many variable that what might be appropriate for one student would not be appropriate for another. Also, the question of what schools admit students in the Spring varies by individual college.

Here are my suggestions. First, forget looking for pre-med majors. You do not need a pre-med major to attend medical school and in fact most students that attend medical school do not have such a major. Medical schools don't care what your major is as long as you take one of the required courses. This varies by medical school but typically will include calculus, chemistry through at least organic chemistry, biology and physics. Because the requirements are science heavy many students will major in one of the science fields but this is not necessary. Take the required courses and then major in whatever you really enjoy. Getting good grades is the most important thing for medical school. Also, the stronger the academics at the college, generally, the more successful their students will be at getting into medical school. So the better the college the better your chances at med school

Second, figure out what you what from a college. Big, small, urban, rural, party school, academic, that sort of thing. Here is a link to my website where I discuss some of the things to consider. http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/resources/info-to-know/

After you have an idea of what you are looking for start researching colleges that fit your needs. Two good sites for this are the College Navigator site, http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ and the College Board site, http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/adv_typeofschool.jsp

Now that you have narrowed down the schools you are looking at, good to the website of each college to get further information about the college. Does it look like a good fit for you. Ask about med school placement rates. Ask if everyone that wants to apply to medical school can get recommendations. Some colleges will tell you they have high med school admit rates but often this is because they only give recommendations to the best students. Also, ask if they accept students during the second term. Most of the higher academic schools do not accept midyear students but some do so you have to ask.

I hope this helps you find the right college for your needs.

Good luck.