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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have a relative who did first semester in Spain with a different school not knowing Spanish and they had a good experience— used it as a base for visiting all over Europe too (low cost airlines mean for $50 you can fly lots of places for the weekend and find a fun hostel)

I actually think it might be good timing for pre-med (if you want a semester abroad) because [b]by junior year it may be difficult to go away and still meet all your requirements?[/b][/quote]

Actually the opposite for a pre-med bio major.  The most important years are freshman and sophomore because those are the years you take the pre-med classes. 
You actually get more liberty the final two years.

I would never do this (Madrid) as a pre-med major.  People are talking about travel and fun and all that comes along with doing a semester abroad. 
Pre-meds that are successful at matriculating to medical school (because statistically the vast majority are not) really have to put their nose to the grindstone out-of-the-gate freshman year.  Sure, there are non-traditional students who decided junior year to go to medical school after studying French  or modern dance but that is not most kids.  If you want to go to medical school, you have to really, really focus on grades from the beginning of college.  There is not much grace and your fellow students will be focusing on one thing: grades and medical school.  Not finding the best night club and museum in Madrid and catching the next train to Barcelona.

This kids' peers (and eventual competition for getting into medical school from his undergrad class) at CWRU will be putting their noses down to the grindstone.  I went to Case.  It is a serious pre-med culture.

[/quote]

Me again. I just read the post before mine from the CWRU Madrid parent and saw that the Madrid kids don't do the pre-med classes.  This makes 1000% sense to me.  There would be no reasonable way to focus in the way that is demanded (plus the logistics of Case running laboratory science classes abroad doesn't seem like it would work).

So that is good!  But yes, a kid like OP's would be a year behind in pre-med recs.  Not really an issue.  Many kids decided to become pre-med in sophomore year.  And I imagine they have a pathway to completing a biology major after this Madrid year (the kid would also be out-of-sequence for this I'd imagine).

That all said, I would just be sure that the kid is prepared to get strong grades in Madrid and not goof off or party of sightsee every spare moment.  No messing around and getting a 3.3 GPS in these gen-ed classes.  All grades count for medical school--sure the sciences count more but the total GPA is very important. And his peers back in Cleveland (and eventual competition for medical school admissions) are going to be studying their hearts out.  It is a pretty intense pre-med culture.  [/quote]

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