Am I transferring for the right reasons?

[stebgbby]

I sent some applications to transfer schools. I'm a freshman in undergrad at a school that is paying me to attend. I am very honored to be at this private school on full scholarship, however I have a lot of problems with their science department. I came here because it was free but I'm regretting it because many of my friends are in pre-med and are having a much better experience.
My friends often talk about how their first semester was extremely easy because their gen classes give massive curves (none of my professors curve) and how A grades are 87% and higher. I feel very discouraged because I am making 90-91% in most of my classes with no curve, using the same textbooks and getting the same assignments as my friends, but I'm getting A/Bs at my school which have ruined my GPA. It's just really annoying that all my pre-med friends are all talking about getting 88s and having a 4.0 GPA while mine has dipped to around a 3.5 with my A/Bs.
Now I'm worried that my transcript will pale in comparison to others because of my science department's crazy weighting, but do you think this is a good enough reason to transfer schools?
Do med schools take in consideration weird grading schemes (like an A=94+ at my school and a 87+ is an A at my friends' equally ranked school) or does that not matter and I should jump ship while I can?
Maybe others have similar experiences? Please share if you do. Thank you

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[RedPanda55]

Honestly, I feel like you have a "the grass is always greener on the other side" mentality to this. Every undergrad is different. Every professor is different and will grade differently. Every person is different. I don't think you should transfer just because you think "oh, their classes seem to be easier and I'd get a better college GPA if I transferred there." You're in college and hopefully at a school you enjoy (Whether you're there on a scholarship or not) so think about other pros and cons before you decide to jump ship just because they "seem" to be having an easier time than you. It's not like you won't get into medical school with a 3.5/3.6 and this kind of mentality won't cut it in med school!

The grass is greener where you water it

 

[MCATISEZ]

I sent some applications to transfer schools. I'm a freshman in undergrad at a school that is paying me to attend. I am very honored to be at this private school on full scholarship, however I have a lot of problems with their science department. I came here because it was free but I'm regretting it because many of my friends are in pre-med and are having a much better experience.
My friends often talk about how their first semester was extremely easy because their gen classes give massive curves (none of my professors curve) and how A grades are 87% and higher. I feel very discouraged because I am making 90-91% in most of my classes with no curve, using the same textbooks and getting the same assignments as my friends, but I'm getting A/Bs at my school which have ruined my GPA. It's just really annoying that all my pre-med friends are all talking about getting 88s and having a 4.0 GPA while mine has dipped to around a 3.5 with my A/Bs.
Now I'm worried that my transcript will pale in comparison to others because of my science department's crazy weighting, but do you think this is a good enough reason to transfer schools?
Do med schools take in consideration weird grading schemes (like an A=94+ at my school and a 87+ is an A at my friends' equally ranked school) or does that not matter and I should jump ship while I can?
Maybe others have similar experiences? Please share if you do. Thank you

Nope, they are almost only concerned about about how well you do from what I've seen. It's easy to blame curves etc., but perhaps the exams are just harder at the other school. It is hard to say.

 

[stebgbby]

Honestly, I feel like you have a "the grass is always greener on the other side" mentality to this. Every undergrad is different. Every professor is different and will grade differently. Every person is different. I don't think you should transfer just because you think "oh, their classes seem to be easier and I'd get a better college GPA if I transferred there." You're in college and hopefully at a school you enjoy (Whether you're there on a scholarship or not) so think about other pros and cons before you decide to jump ship just because they "seem" to be having an easier time than you. It's not like you won't get into medical school with a 3.5/3.6 and this kind of mentality won't cut it in med school!

The grass is greener where you water it

Thank you for the response! Yes I agree with that. I really hope it gets easier I just get discouraged when I study with them using the same materials, take the tests, get scores at the top of my class in the 90 range and then get a 91 and have that drag down my GPA. You're right tho I should really weigh the pros and cons, but I just don't think my work is reaping the same rewards as it would at other similarly ranked schools.

 

[stebgbby]

Nope, they are almost only concerned about about how well you do from what I've seen. It's easy to blame curves etc., but perhaps the exams are just harder at the other school. It is hard to say.

Thank you for the response! Yes, I thought I was just blaming the grading scheme but after comparing tests and everything with my friends, I found that they were nearly identical. To expand on it, my science department is very small. I'm ranked near the very top in all of my classes when they published grade distribution. I would think this would be more justified if the school was an Ivy, or even my top state school (which I was accepted to) but I feel as if they make it ridiculously difficult to get an A. I have classes that no one got an A in. In gen classes, I feel as if things are generally straight forward so it is a bit weird that the grade distributions stay so low. I stress this is not a remarkable school, but if it was this sort of weighting might be normal.

 

[RedPanda55]

Thank you for the response! Yes I agree with that. I really hope it gets easier I just get discouraged when I study with them using the same materials, take the tests, get scores at the top of my class in the 90 range and then get a 91 and have that drag down my GPA. You're right tho I should really weigh the pros and cons, but I just don't think my work is reaping the same rewards as it would at other similarly ranked schools.

What I've learned throughout my path to medical school (nontraditional as I'm matriculating this year at age 26) is that you shouldn't compare yourself to how others are doing. Everyone does things differently! Keep working hard and at your own pace, even if it means you need to spend an extra 30 minutes on material that your friends won't be needing to "based on their curve." It'll definitely just benefit you in the long run! Good luck!

 

[stebgbby]

A at mine was 93 and sometimes 96% and up and A- 90 and up. It's hard to get an A but by the second exam you should know where you're standing and do something about it. Have you tried office hours? Aim to have those A's to bring up your GPA.

Good luck.

Yes and thank you! I have tried office hours. I think the best example I should give is for my chem class, I had 2 exams, multiple choice, the highest grade in the class was a 90 on both (one time it was me one time it was someone else) no curve, and a few small quizzes. I got a 90-100 on all of them. The final exam was an ACS final which I got a B on which unfortunately dragged me down.
Do you know if med schools take in account weighting? Or is it strictly an A is an A no matter what

 

[stebgbby]

What I've learned throughout my path to medical school (nontraditional as I'm matriculating this year at age 26) is that you shouldn't compare yourself to how others are doing. Everyone does things differently! Keep working hard and at your own pace, even if it means you need to spend an extra 30 minutes on material that your friends won't be needing to "based on their curve." It'll definitely just benefit you in the long run! Good luck!

Thank you very much for the encouragement. I try not to compare but it is very discouraging to be doing the same work as others and being at a disadvantage. It is actually funny, one of my best friends is not very good at chem, and I helped tutor her, she earned a D on her exam, and it was given a 30 point curve which put her higher than mine. I try not to stay bitter but it's just irritating. We compared exams btw, and they were identical except mine was all multiple choice, and hers was fill in with partial credit given for work. Which is pretty sweet.
I hope all the best to you as well!

 

[stebgbby]

Depends if your school is known to grade harshly, AMCAS GPA calculates your grades. There is an excel sheet you could use to figure out your GPA but it's usually very very similar. I graduated with 3.89 something and my AMCAS gpa is 3.900.
Just keep working hard and aim to get 93+ if that's what A is in your school.

Thank you for the response. Do you think this is a good enough reason to transfer to another school? My school is not an Ivy, but I did get accepted to higher ranked schools that low As would look better coming from if that makes sense.

 

[stebgbby]

I wouldn't because if it was me, I would blame not being able to have good grades on the way I'm studying and not on wether other schools are more lenient. I would just change the way I'm studying so I would get A's.

I can't decide that for you. Think of research programs that your school offer vs the other school. How many students in a class (letter of recommendations easier if smaller classes). Check their exams and see if they are easier or harder or even if you can get the 90. Are you sure that all classes are curved? what about the tuition?

Think about it and decide.

Thank you for the response! I am working very hard to get these grades and while I am a perfectionist, I do make some little mistakes. There is always room for improvement, but being at the top of my class (like top 3 out of 60) and not making As, I think that's just discouraging to anyone. For a few of the chem quizzes, there were questions not covered. Nowhere, and they were not questions that I was familiar with from doing all the extra studying. No one got these right. I was a bit annoyed that the professor did not explain or curve because of this. It was strange.

Thank you for the advice though I will study harder! But I do think my study habits would be earning higher grades at a similarly, or even slightly higher ranked school if that makes sense.
None of the classes are curved at this school and at my current GPA I am doing "amazing" by my school's standards. Not by my own mind you. The tuition is regularly around 30,000 USD. I am on scholarship.

 

[stebgbby]

For the tuition and curves, I meant the school you want to transfer to? Will you be able to pay their tuition? figure out everything and you'll make a decision. I'm sure wherever you go you could succeed that's why I'm talking about other factors.

Thank you very much. I got into my dream school but I could not afford it so I went to the school I am currently at. I can afford all of the in-state schools I am applying to, however out of state is very very expensive and I am nervous my new college GPA will limit some of my scholarships that I could've gotten from my HS GPA. It's just depressing, I feel as if I have already screwed up.

 

[stebgbby]

You are a freshman, very young and if you've gotten a full ride it means they know that you can succeed really good. I would be honest with my professors and befriend them as they would know how to help you get the grades you want. If you are in a small private school, they're usually very friendly and supporting.

Thank you very much once again! I am still weighing the pros and cons. The pros is more opportunities for recs. The cons so far is that my first semester was off to a rough start and now my GPA is really suffering. I just don't know if med schools would like such a low grade from a small "easy" private school.

 

[Jaxey]

Me and my husband both did our undergrads in biology at the same time. I went to a small liberal arts private school that never did any curves, and yes most "A" grades started at 93%. My husband, on the other hand, went to a large state school where everything was curved (he once got an A with 76% in a class before the curve). However, I would take my experience over his. First, being at a small school meant that I received much more personalized attention from professors (they usually stayed on topic while most students understood the material, etc), which at the end of the day helped with mastering the material quicker and easier. My husband, on the other hand, was always telling me about classrooms with 600 other people where it was hard to get 1-on-1 with professor when needed. Also, because of the curve the culture between students was very "backstabbing". At my school since we did not compete with each other we usually worked together with peers. While your school may be different, I really feel that my school years went by much less stressful and much more enjoyable than my husbands.

 

[stebgbby]

Me and my husband both did our undergrads in biology at the same time. I went to a small liberal arts private school that never did any curves, and yes most "A" grades started at 93%. My husband, on the other hand, went to a large state school where everything was curved (he once got an A with 76% in a class before the curve). However, I would take my experience over his. First, being at a small school meant that I received much more personalized attention from professors (they usually stayed on topic while most students understood the material, etc), which at the end of the day helped with mastering the material quicker and easier. My husband, on the other hand, was always telling me about classrooms with 600 other people where it was hard to get 1-on-1 with professor when needed. Also, because of the curve the culture between students was very "backstabbing". At my school since we did not compete with each other we usually worked together with peers. While your school may be different, I really feel that my school years went by much less stressful and much more enjoyable than my husbands.

Thank you very much for your insight. I'm still weighing the pros and cons. If you don't mind me asking when you apply to med school, do they take this into account if you tell them? Is there a way for them to weigh the grades according to their own scheme when they see your application?
Thank you again!

 

[Welshman]

I transferred from a state school that was paying me to attend a private school famous for grade deflation after my freshman fall

When you know a place isn't right, it isn't right

 

[stebgbby]

I transferred from a state school that was paying me to attend a private school famous for grade deflation after my freshman fall

When you know a place isn't right, it isn't right

Thank you for the response! If you don't mind me asking was the private school that you transferred to highly ranked?
Thank you!!

 

[calivianya]

I transferred out of a private school that gave me a full ride (and only gives out two full rides per year) to go to my local state school. I just hated my private school so bad it was worth paying for my undergrad to get out of there. Parents weren't on board with me transferring until I said, "Well, I'm either transferring or I'm dropping out of school altogether," at which point they got it.

It was not difficult at all to make As at the private school. I mostly skipped classes except for test days and made at least B+ in all my classes. Almost 1/4 of my freshman class had 0.0 GPAs after the fall semester because they never went to a single class. It was a rich kid party school, and I'd pay any day to get an actual education where I learned actual stuff over living in a dorm and going to classes that were designed for rich people to pay the school for the child's diploma with minimal effort on the child's part.

So as someone who gave up a full ride to transfer from the easy school to the hard school, I will agree with the sentiment that the grass is greener on the other side.

 

[Fat_Albert]

I agree with the above comments, but if you're type a like me and crave having a peace of mind then I'd do it

 

[stebgbby]

I agree with the above comments, but if you're type a like me and crave having a peace of mind then I'd do it

Thank you for the response! Yes, just knowing that I can walk into a class and be the "best" student making mediocre grades (by my standard at least) is more stressful than the actual class tbh....

 

[lala1010]

Everyone pretty much summarized it above but I just wanted to add, having done an undergrad at a prestigious school notorious for grade deflation, that it all evens out when it comes to things like the MCAT or (I hope) your pre-clinical years of medical school. Focus on learning your material well and doing your best and it should for the most part translate to excellent standardized test scores later on (that’s how in theory med schools are “comparing grading schemes) or having a good foundation in your science knowledge.

 

[stebgbby]

I transferred out of a private school that gave me a full ride (and only gives out two full rides per year) to go to my local state school. I just hated my private school so bad it was worth paying for my undergrad to get out of there. Parents weren't on board with me transferring until I said, "Well, I'm either transferring or I'm dropping out of school altogether," at which point they got it.

It was not difficult at all to make As at the private school. I mostly skipped classes except for test days and made at least B+ in all my classes. Almost 1/4 of my freshman class had 0.0 GPAs after the fall semester because they never went to a single class. It was a rich kid party school, and I'd pay any day to get an actual education where I learned actual stuff over living in a dorm and going to classes that were designed for rich people to pay the school for the child's diploma with minimal effort on the child's part.

So as someone who gave up a full ride to transfer from the easy school to the hard school, I will agree with the sentiment that the grass is greener on the other side.

Thank you so much!!! This is really great to hear. My parents are the most hesitant ones as well. All of my friends from my state schools (all of which I was previously accepted into) are suggesting I join them. Which further sways me.
And I relate to the party school. The weird thing is the school is super easy for every other department. Tbh the science department is so small and there's no pre-med program so tbh a lot of the science kids really live by the "c's get degrees" mantra because they want to be teachers or aquatic animal researchers. It's ranked so that you would think it would be easier but its deceiving trust me.
Thank you for the response. I hope all the best to you as well! I might be following in your footsteps soon enough!

 

[stebgbby]

The same thing happened to me (3.56 GPA) freshman year. I go to a top public school, so it may not have been harder than your school. I definitely got the same sort of comments from my friends who went to smaller state schools and were breezing by. I think it's really important to consider your personal development, rather than the superficial numbers that surround you. You're being challenged, and that's a good thing. If you really really want to go to med school, you would be concerned and try to find ways to be better (as I see you've obviously been doing). Just keep your head up and get that upward trend!
When the going gets rough, it's really easy to want to give up (I'm hella guilty lmao). I know I'm sounding cheesy right now, but just wanted to tell you that it seems you're on the way to becoming a better student, and hopefully doctor. Also, if your academics are preventing you from doing extracurriculars, that might be a problem. I know of a lot of people who couldn't do many EC's due to the nature of their schools.
p.s. is that Han Hyo Joo from W? Absolutely love her omg.

Thank you for the comment! I don't doubt that your school is very difficult and probably more difficult than mine. I might be switching to a "technically" harder school (aka higher ranked) because I feel like my grades will be more worth it you know? I'm thankful I did well in HS and on ACT so maybe getting re-accepted won't be too bad.
Thank you for the encouragement as well. It is nice to see someone relate and yes, currently my school's extra-cirriculars are a mess as well. A lot of greek life, and the only pre-med societies that they have only have like 3 members... lol.

P.s. It made my day to see you recognize my profile pic! I already relate to her stress and I'm not even in med school. Not good haha! Maybe if med school plans fall through, a portal to a fictional universe with LJS will appear!!

 

[stebgbby]

Everyone pretty much summarized it above but I just wanted to add, having done an undergrad at a prestigious school notorious for grade deflation, that it all evens out when it comes to things like the MCAT or (I hope) your pre-clinical years of medical school. Focus on learning your material well and doing your best and it should for the most part translate to excellent standardized test scores later on (that’s how in theory med schools are “comparing grading schemes) or having a good foundation in your science knowledge.

Thank you for the comment and encouragement! Yes the MCAT is very important. I have been prepping and I hope to do well. I will try harder! I know I am a good studier, but sometimes I make a few mistakes or things can be a bit difficult to succeed at in my current situation.
Also thank you for clarifying that about grading schemes. I think I might still jump ship while I can, but if the MCAT is above all I might have a bit of a safety net for the first semester!

 

[Welshman]

Thank you for the response! If you don't mind me asking was the private school that you transferred to highly ranked?
Thank you!!

They were about equally ranked tbh, privates are generally seen as more prestigious though, but transferring to a large city in the NE gave me access to so many more opportunities and people I doubt I would have had otherwise