Choosing between staying in the University of Toronto and going to Binghamton University for my third and fourth years as a pre-med

[Ahmedr85]

Hi all, I hope you’re well,

Recently I’ve been contemplating transferring to Binghamton University (or Stony but I’m still waiting on an acceptance) for my 3rd and 4th years as a pre-med. My main reason for this is because, this summer, I will hopefully be getting certification to practice as an EMT in New York State. As such, transferring would allow me to gain meaningful clinical experience alongside my studies, rather than just over the summer if I were to stay here. The biggest thing keeping me from transferring is my fear of switching from the Canadian grading system to the American grading system. For those unfamiliar, an 85+ is an A in Canada while a higher grade is required in America. While I went to High School in the States and am great at making my effort match my environment, I don’t want to underestimate how drastic the change is and make a poor decision that will affect my GPA. With all this said, should I make the move? (Please feel free to give more reasons to consider one option over another. If I need to elaborate more, I most definitely can.)

**(Worth noting are the following things: 1. My GPA is currently a 3.74, 2. I am a permanent resident of the US and NY state and a citizen of Canada, and 3. I am planning on only applying to American med schools

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[AJS59]

I think you should be okay to make the switch; in general (at least in my experience) grading in pre-reqs is dictated not by raw percentage but rather where you sit in relation to the class, although this can vary school to school.

 

[LizzyM]

another thing to factor in: Canadians are far to modest and this carries over to the way they write letters of recommendation. Canadian LOR writers will not brag about an applicant while every applicant with US LOR writers walks on water.

Some us understand this cultural difference and account for it in our reviews but some inexperienced reviewers do not recognize it.

 

[WildWing]

@LizzyM - if the student graduates from the University of Toronto versus Binghamton, will they be considered a Canadian student for admissions (versus US)? Or because they are a permanent resident of the US, will they be considered as a US student?

 

[LizzyM]

US citizens and US permanent residents are in the same bucket. US citizens and US permanent residents need to have at least 96 credits from a post-secondary school (college/university) in the US or Canada so it doesn't matter if it is Toronto for 4 years or split between Toronto & Binghamton