Where are the "Pre-Med Colleges"?

Question: Can you help me find list of pre-medical schools? I am having a hard time finding them. All I am finding is medical schools and I have to go to a pre-med school before I go to medical school.

There is no such thing as a "pre-medical school." **(Well, do see a couple exceptions down below.) In fact, perhaps surprisingly, the majority of colleges and universities don't even have pre-medical majors. However, most colleges and universities do offer students the opportunity to take "pre-med" classes in preparation for application to medical school. These classes will allow you to meet the entry requirements at all medical schools. The list includes a combination of sciences, English, and social sciences. A typical pre-med program looks like this (although there can be some variations):

one to two years of Biology, including labs

one year of Physics, including labs

one year of English

two years of Chemistry, including one year of Organic Chemistry, and labs

one year of Calculus

Even when not required, it will strengthen your med-school application to also take classes in psychology, sociology, biochemistry, zoology, anatomy, physiology, immunology, genetics, and other related areas. Work or volunteer experiences in the medical field and, especially, science research projects (perhaps assisting a professor at your college) will be a big plus, too.

Other than art schools, music schools, business colleges, and those other institutions that focus on one or two specialized areas, you are likely to find the opportunity to pursue a pre-med curriculum wherever you enroll. But as you read about the various colleges that interest you, look for unique programs for pre-health students. On most college Web sites you can find a link to pre-med or pre-health information, such as this one from the Southern Methodist University Web site: http://smu.edu/premed/Default.asp Also look for links that will take you to special health-related programs. Example: Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut offers a "Health Fellows Program" that enables students considering a medical career to observe and participate in a variety of health-care related activities. See:http://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/SpecialPrograms/healthfellows/

Many pre-med students choose to major in one of the sciences because they enjoy science and also because this makes it easier to complete major requirements and pre-med requirements at the same time. BUT ... as a pre-med student, you can major in almost anything ...anthropology, English, studio art, Spanish ... and still take all the pre-med classes. In fact, sometimes med school admission committees like to see atypical majors on applications rather than the predictable bio and chem.

So, bottom line: If your goal is to go to medical school, you can choose most any college that interests you and still be on the right road to your dream.

** There are a some direct-entry medical colleges or programs within colleges & universities that allow students to go right from high school through medical school. These programs are extremely selective, even when affiliated with not-so-selective institutions and typically admit applicants who are in the top 5% of their high school class and have top SAT or ACT scores.