<p>"but looking back I can see how his high school curriculum partly has something to do with a poor first year. "
-This is supported by my D. experience. Looking back (she is currently third year Med. Student), D. and we, parents, have concluded, that choosing HS with the most rigorous program in our area was more important than looking for UG from academic prospecitve. D. commented that she in fact was much better prepared for college than many pre-meds around her (although, she also had to make huge adjustements to a much higher academic level at college). As a result, she was offered a job as an SI for Gen. Chem. prof. without having AP Chem in HS. In this position, she ended up helping lots and lots of kids who had an AP Chem but did not have as good Gen. Chem. HS class as D. had at her tiny private HS (D’s HS class had 33 kids).
After saying that, make sure to seek help in any area that a student feels not very confident. There is help available at all levels, there are prof. office hours, SI sessions (D’s sessions sometime had 40 students and she was told by prof. that she has improved an average grade in class, sometime kids understant peer’s explanations better, they “speak the same language”?, kids just get together for informal group studies. You are paying for various help outside of lectures available to your student, might as well use it.
Do not go easier route (major). it will not work. No matter how rigorous your major, Med. School academics will be much much harder, one needs to be prepared to the rigor and time commitments that are required there.</p>