Can I get a list of ALL the colleges/universities on the west coast that have Pre-Medicine as a major?

Question

I am currently a Junior in High School on the East Coast.
I have always had a passion for medicine since the deaths of my mother and father due to cancer; thus creating my dream of wanting to beocme an Oncologist. I have consulted with teachers about what needs to be my major in college, and everyone tells me "Pre-Med". Well in my research, i have come to find out that "Pre-Med" may not be an actual "Major", but a slection of courses in medical related fields. So basically, what im asking is; If Pre-Medicine is NOT even a Major, then what do I need to actually "Major" in, if i want to attend Medical School and become an Oncologist.
Recently this past summer, i traveled to California to a People to People Student Leadership summit at Stanford University and absolutely fell in love with the west coast and decided that i wanted to attend college there. So in conclusion to my question, can i get a list of colleges/universities, that have pre-med as a major or would have the major for me

Answer 1

There's no such thing as a pre-med major. Anywhere in the US. The reason is that the major is the name of the degree you get. There's no such thing as a bachelors in pre-med.

If you want to be a doctor, you want to go to med school. That in itself means you are "pre-med". Now, some schools have structured pre-med programs. Your major may vary depending on what you choose, but they have a program to help you fulfill the course requirements of most med schools.

However, one thing you may consider is schools that have a program that guarantee you a spot in the med school. I'm not aware of any in California that have that. UC Riverside has a similar program, but it's not guaranteed and people who've gone in it generally say it's not that great of a program. It's hard getting in to med school, so if you don't find one of these programs on the west coast, it's still worth trying for. Off the top of my head, Northwestern has one (two friends went in it) and I believe Creighton has one. There should be several more.

So, if you insist on being in CA (I'm not too knowledgeable about Oregon and Washington), you can actually pick any major you want. Even if the school doesn't have a structured pre-med program, you just need to look up a few med schools and see what prereq courses they want. Ask the school counselor to see which of your university's classes qualify. You don't necessarily have to be in any of the hard sciences. Increasingly, a good sized percentage of med students don't have degrees in any of the hard sciences anymore. Med schools are pushing for well rounded students, so a lot more of their students have degrees in things other than bio or chem or those hard sciences.

Worry about being an oncologist after you get into med school. When you pick your residency, that's when you choose the oncology route.

Answer 2

You can apply to any of the large universities or competitive colleges on the west coast and be a pre-med student. As you found out in your research, pre-med is not really a "major" - that's because Med Schools do not require you to collect a whole list of courses in any one area. They mostly just require a few pre-reqs to show that you can handle tough technical courses -- typically that would be chemistry, organic chemistry, physics with calculus, biochemistry.... So, you can major in anything you want, as long as you do those required courses.

There is a website of the American Association of Medical Colleges that lists what majors all the kids who went to med school last year did. They were mostly biology and chmistry, but some were music, philosophy, whatever. It doesnt matter as long as you have the pre reqs covered./

Before you apply to college, check the website to be sure they have a pre-med program advisor. That person is designated to counsel the pre-meds to be sure they have the right prereqs and do what they need to do in order to be ready to apply to med school. You could even call that guy up before you apply and have a chat with him.

Good luck. This is an achievable goal if you are willing to work hard.

Answer 3

Well I go to college here in the Midwest and I am also looking into going to medical school. Yes, you are right, Pre-Med is not a major, but most colleges/universities will list it as one. When you declare Pre-Med as a major and enroll, an advisor will usually have you choose to major in either chemistry or biology. This way your actual major is either Chemistry or Biology, but you will still be completing the "Pre-Med" curriculum. This is good because if for some reason you change your mind or don't get accepted, you will have a degree and a backup plan. As far as what should you major in? That is your choice. You can major in whatever you want to major in. If you start looking at some potential medical schools websites, they will tell you that to get into medical school, you can major in whatever you want, but there is a list of required classes that you must take. These are usually some biology and chemistry classes. I decided to major in biology but I am still completing all of my "Pre-Med" requirements. Most all colleges and universities will offer the "Pre-Med" major or biology and chemistry, it's pretty typical. I will say this; don't feel like you have to major in a science degree to get into Medical school, they will still accept any major. If I were you, I would start researching some potential colleges that you like as well as maybe get some ideas for Medical school requirements. This will give you a better idea of what you want to do. Try www.aamc.org, this is the American Medical College Association website and will list all of the Medical schools in the US. If you have any further questions...let me know! You can also email me at [e-mail]

Answer 4

As stated else where, "Pre-med" really isn't a Major. You should attenf college at a university that is compatible with your desires (in terms of size, location, etc) For Pre-med, you typically need to study a year of physics, biology, chemistry, and mathmatics, in addition to various advance courses. (microbiology, organic/inorganic chemistry, etc) You should major in anything you wish. Some people will recomend a degree in the sciences, other recomend a liberal arts degree. Which ever one you choose, just be sure to include that "Pre-med" course load.

Answer 5

You can major in anything of interest as long as you are pre-med. Petersons.com has a good college planning resource.http://www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/searches/srchCrit1.asp?path=ug.fas.college

Answer 6

Look at education.yahoo.com, you can put in any specifics like West Coast schools as well as what degree you are looking for.

Answer 7

Your best source would be to go on dogpile and search. Good searcher, combines google, yahoo, and a couple others.

Good Luck!