I would love any insight if someone has for our situation.
S24 was accepted to Boston University as a guaranteed transfer for Fall 2025. So for his freshman year he will attend another college for two semesters and then can join BU in the fall of his sophomore year.
He is pre-med and his only hesitation is if it looks bad for med school that he didn’t attend BU all 4 years.
I do not think it would be a problem, in and of itself. Of course, he will face the challenges of all “pre-meds”… GPA, MCAT, volunteering, clinical experience, and the selectivity of med schools. The posters I tagged will hopefully add more information.
One issue you might address with BU is whether all courses you take freshman year will transfer…perhaps they have an approval process for that? Obviously you don’t want to have to retake any classes when you get to BU.
We are not worried about the transferring into BU, that is all pre-approved with counselors there and they will all transfer for credit.
He will not take any upper division courses for his major, only general ed/humanities.
It is not a problem.
I don’t think this is an issue but hoping @WayOutWestMom weighs in. There are plenty of medical school applicant who transfer schools or start at a community college.
I am the proud parent of a BU grad. It’s an expensive college. I hope your son can attend undergrad there with close to zero loans if medical school might be in his future.
Not an issue w/r/t med school admission.
And if asked about it, he can simply explain he transferred for a better fit.
Thank you for your input and so happy to hear from a parent of a BU grad. He grew up in Boston for 12 years and it’s his first choice school. Thankfully money is not a barrier to attending .
Thank you so much for weighing in! I appreciate it. Another question, he has an option to study abroad before joining BU in the fall. How do medical schools view study abroad programs?
Unless something has changed…I believe medical schools expect all courses to be completed in this country, not abroad.
It has no bearing on a med school admission whatsoever. It’s a non-factor. Not even considered.
The only important thing to remember w/r/t to study abroad is that pre-reqs should not be taken while abroad. Pre-req classes need to be taken at an accredited US or Canadian college or university.
I knew @WayOutWestMom would clarify. It’s the required courses for medical school applicants…not all courses.
The only downside (IMHO) to the study abroad, college A, then college B plan is that prospective med school applicants don’t have much of a grace period. They need to hit the ground running.
If a kid has strong study habits, doesn’t get distracted by social life, can start college with vigor-- sure. But if a kid is going to need a transitional semester for social or work habit reasons, or has had a ton of family support/scaffolding, that kid will end up with more opportunities to get derailed than a kid on the “8 semesters at one college and done” plan.
None of my kids were interested in medicine. But having parented both types of kids (well organized, no distractions, have a plan and stick to it… and also the other kind…) I’d say KNOW YOUR KID!
Thank you that’s helpful. I get this very much, S24 is my ambitious Type A first born kid, hence why I even asked the question because he’s going through every scenario and doing lots of research before making his decision.
We’ve never had to hand hold his studying, in fact, I tried to get him to not take so many APs for fear of burnout.
Then there is my middle child 
…
I have walked in your shoes! Sending hugs and hoping you have more patience than I did!!!
Would the study abroad be managed by a US college or would it be entirely abroad?
Would the 1st year college be a 4-year college?
Yes it’s a partnership with BU, they sent a link about it. The classes are all accredited.
In that case it’s fine, whether he attends an approved 4-year college or takes BU classes abroad.
My BU grad did a study abroad his junior year. They have a very well oiled study abroad machine…and programs in a lot of places. Good luck!
If your son is doing a study abroad through BU…seems to me he will just be a BU student studying abroad. Not a student at a different college.
That’s just my opinion.
If he will not start pre-med science courses until second year, then it is more likely that he will need to take a gap year after college, since he will be less likely to have completed sufficient pre-med course work by the time he takes the MCAT and applies to medical schools.
Pre-Health Curriculum | Pre-Professional: Pre-Health describes the BU courses that are typically taken by pre-meds, although specific medical schools may have varying requirements or preferences.