Question
Dr. Healey-

I'm about to be a third year undergraduate student and will be transferring to North Carolina State University in the spring.  Up until now I have been on a business major track, but most of the classes I have taken have been to fulfill gen-ed requirements.  

I've decided to pursue a career in straight chiropractic and am planning my future classes accordingly.  It seems that most chiropractic colleges require around 48 hours worth of science courses, and I am hoping to be able to complete all of these during my final two years of undergraduate study.  

My first question rather general (and largely contingent of advice from my NC State councilor with whom I have not yet been able to speak), but with the amount of science pre-requisites required at most chiropractic colleges, would it serve me well to switch over at this point to a science (I'm thinking biology) major?  Staying on track for a four-year graduation timetable is a priority, but so is preparing a solid foundation on which I can begin my study of chiropractic care.

Secondly, and this is the main thing on which I wish to hear your advice, I'm wondering about which chiropractic college to choose.  My own chiropractor, Dr. Marc Suprenant, practices straight chiropractic and I'm positive that this is the type I wish to practice as well.  He referred me to two chiropractic colleges, Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic in Spartanburg, South Carolina  and also Life University in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Dr. Suprenant seems to feel that either college would be a good choice, although he has expressed to me that Life University might be the more preferable of the two.  Having done some research on the subject, it appears that both schools has fairly similar pre-requisite requirements, the main difference being that Life seems to require more specific general education hours (English in particular) than does Sherman.

I know you attended Sherman, but are you at all familiar with the philosophy, methods, and quality of the chiropractic college at Life University?  My first general impressions are that Sherman is more concerned with straight chiropractic, whereas with Life University I couldn't determine exactly what their position on this issue is.  Also, because there doesn't seem to be any one national system for ranking chiropractic colleges, I'm somewhat at a loss to ascertain what if any philosophical differences exist between these schools and which has a better standing in the straight chiropractic community.

Fundamentally my desire is to learn at the best chiropractic college that observes the philosophies of straight chiropractic care.  Any guidance you could provide on this subject would be very much appreciated.  Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.  

Kind regards,

Steve Sisk

Answer
Dear Steve Sisk,

I realize I had not included my direct e-mail address in my response to you.  I hope you will feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any further questions or concerns or if you simply wish to explore chiropractic and develop your ideas some more.  It would be my pleasure to help you get the most out of your future in this field.

Sincerely,
James W. Healey, D.C.