Expert: Todd Johnson - 4/6/2009

Question
Alright.
I'm told it's never too early to think about college and what you want (I'm only
a sophomore in high school), well I "jumped on the wagon" so to speak and
have known for awhile now that I want to be a Psychiatrist, specifically for
ages 11-29. (I personally think this is the part of peoples lives where they
really develop into who they are in society, and I think mental health is
important.)

So being that I want to be a doctor, I know the amount of school I'm going to
need. But I'm at a loss for what I should be looking for to choose? I live in
Oregon in a college town and my mom works at a university nearby meaning
for certain colleges in the area I can get discount for going.

But, should I let that be a serious factor in choosing? Is WHAT college I go to
really important for what job I want? Or is really any college good enough?
How does medical school work? is it in the college, or separate?
What kind of grades should I go for? is below a 3.0 okay? What do
admissions look for most when I apply?

My biggest general question I guess is, What factors affect my college choices
the most and what kind of college should I be looking at?

My mom has offered to take me to tour colleges I'm interested in, but I don't
what to look for.
I'm also part of the IB program, and I intend to get my full IB, does this help?

Answer
Peyton,

Good for you for starting to think about finding the right college. There are many things to consider and it is often easiest to break up the search for the right college into pieces.

First, don't worry too much about medical school. You have to get through college first. You are not alone in your questions about what to look for in a college. Here is a page from my website that discusses some of the issues to consider. http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/resources/info-to-know/finding-a-colleg...

Now that you know some of the things to look for, you need to see what kind of college fits you best. I often suggest that students who don't know what they want from a college visit a number of different colleges close to where you live. Your goal at this point is not to make a decision on a college but rather to see what type of college you might like.  I would suggest that you visit some colleges close to you to begin with. You might want to start with the University of Oregon or Oregon State to see what a big school feels like. At the other end of the spectrum size wise you could check out Reed College, one of the best liberal arts colleges in the country. There may be things about each college that you like but most students will start to get a feel for what their preference is.

Once you have an idea of the type of college you might be interested in, go online to the College Navigator website. http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

At this website you can put in the information you are looking for in a college and it will give you colleges all over the country that match your needs.  Once you have some names of colleges, start research each college on line at the website for that college.

For most people the cost of college will be a factor so the cost of some of the local colleges where you would get a discount will probably be a factor. However, to really understand how college costs and financial aid work look at this page from you web site. http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/resources/info-to-know/financial-aid-ba...

If you work hard enough any college can probably get you to medical school. That being said, the stronger the college you attend, generally, the better chance you have of getting into a graduate or professional school like medical school. Some of the best colleges in the country to place students in medical school are small colleges where you get personalized attention and often have a better learning experience. Reed, for instance, is a wonderful school for medical school placement. However, Reed is not a school for everyone, as it has a strong personality. If that personality fits you, and you can get in, then great. But there are many colleges like Reed that are strong with medical school placement but feel very different.  I would encourage you to consider attending the strongest academic college you can gain admission to and which meets the other criteria you have in finding a college.

Both colleges and medical schools rely heavily on your grades and the courses taken. In other words, you want to take the most difficult courses in high school that you can take and still do well. Colleges like IB programs and if you do well you will be competitive at most colleges. That is not to say that you will get in but you will at least have a fighting chance. Getting good grades in college will then help you get into medical school. Generally, at most colleges, you will want a 3.5 GPA or better, plus good scores on the MCAT(medical college admission test) to get into a medical school.  Getting below a 3.0 GPA will NOT help you get into a competitive college or medical school.

For more information on finding the right college you can start here:
http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/resources/info-to-know/

I hope this helps you get started.

Good luck