Is it worth transferring from and elite university?

[15moel]

I am currently a freshman at a top 10 university. I convinced myself in middle school that this is where I wanted to go and applied early decision. I was ecstatic to get in last December. My parents were both extremely proud because they both went to mediocre state schools. I was so excited to attend this school and everyone in my home town was very impressed. It is not common for people to go far away to college in my area, let alone to a top ten school.
I am now about two months in and feel as if this might not be the right place for me. As a pre-dental student I need to get a good GPA and be involved in extracurriculars in order to get into dental school. I do not know if I will be able to handle the difficulty and the amount of work here. I’m not a fan of being a little fish in a big pond. I understand that premed/predental is hard everywhere. Also, my current school doesn’t have very many great programs for pre-dental students, it is greatly geared toward pre-med students.
Would it be better to transfer somewhere a little bit easier so that I could get better grades and become involved in more extracurriculars?
It’s not that I’m homesick. I have not once thought that I wanted to go home. I just wonder every day if I would be happier at another school. I feel as if I do not fit in here. Most people like to go out and party and are very into climbing up the social ladder. I’m not a fan of drinking or partying. I am seriously considering transferring to a small, Christian school. Would this be any better? Would it be a dumb decision? I know that I would be dropping from a world-renowned university to an unknown little college. Do dental schools really care where you go to undergrad? I personally don’t care about prestige or the social hierarchy. Should I go somewhere that has a dental school?
The financial aspect also impacts my decision. I do not get any financial aid at the university I am currently attending and the cost of tuition is extremely high. My parents are not worried about it because it is the best investment that they could make. The cost concerns me though. I still have to pay for dental school. If I attended another school it would probably be a lot less expensive and I could probably get a scholarship.
I know it is pretty early to be considering transferring, but I feel as if my high school stats are stronger than my college ones. It would be better to do this sooner rather than later, in my opinion.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Would it be better to go to a less expensive, lower ranked school? Should I just stay at the school I am currently at? How do dental schools view transfer students?
Thank you for the help!

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[Accordion]

Rankings are only numbers; your happiness and success aren't.

 

[Weakfart]

Leave if you can. Your happiness is worth it and you'll do better at a state university or somewhere you're more comfortable at. It doesn't matter which school you go to, your app is dependent on what you do, not where you are. I know a lot of people at my state school that got into their grad/pro school of choice.

 

[doc toothache]

Transition to college if always difficult no matter what the school happens to be. Stick it out for a year and if you are still unhappy, switch. The greener grass you see elsewhere is usually an optical illusion.

 

[PocketRocket]

"I personally don’t care about prestige or the social hierarchy."

If you truly feel this way I salute you..But unfortunately the world is a shallow, ego-driven place. Not everybody gets a chance to be part of a prestigious university and I think you should embrace the opportunity. I doubt that you are the only one in your school that feels this way and I am certain that there is more to do in your school than party and climb up the social ladder.

 

[okiedokeartichoke]

I do agree with others that your happiness matters most, but I'll just play devil's advocate here. It is only October of your freshmen year. You've been in school for only one month, more or less. I would say the doubt you feel and the lingering feelings you still have are normal for the first couple months, so I would suggest you stick it out until you at least complete one semester or a year. Your first year is a transitional one, and it will take some time to adjust to your new surroundings. As a freshmen, I didn't worry about extracurricular activities and getting involved on campus until my sophomore year. I went to a rigorous school as well (that was also mainly pre-med geared and there was a very tiny percentage of us pursuing dental), and yes, it was always, always school work, but I tried making time for my friends and to make meaningful relationships and memories. Don't worry about getting caught up in all the clubs, volunteering, research, etc. It's only your first month! Take the time to adjust to the workload, get comfortable with your surroundings, find your niche of friends, and just enjoy your freshmen year because it'll only get more difficult as you advance to your sophomore, junior, and senior years. As for the professors comment, there will always be a handful of professors who shouldn't have been professors no matter where you go to school. It doesn't matter how elite your institution is, there will be the outlier professors who demonstrate that teaching is not their forte. Ultimately, I am all for going with your gut and disregarding what everyone else thinks like your parents and your hometown's perception of you, but I just don't feel like you're giving your school a fair chance because it's only been a month and a half, you know?

 

[FloorMatt]

Its hard for some people to fit in right away, especially fitting in while keeping the grades high. Friends are what is going to make your stay at college a better time. But you need the friends that are just as motivated to do well in school as you. Join the pre dental and pre health clubs with the goal of talking to more people and just vibing with other motivated students. Perhaps even getting their numbers and asking if they wanna hang or study anytime soon. Unfortunately, to make long lasting relationships requires the effort to go out of your way to hang out with these people during your free time. Luckily, even an hour of your time will do wonders to how close you can get with someone. Make yourself open to other people. If you can't do it here you won't be able to do it elsewhere.

 

[A Pre-dent]

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[oralcare123]

The problem is not the school, the problem is that you are depressed. Find a good psychologist, who will help you adjust

 

[tgtremix]

be patient, try and make it through the first year. Like Doc Toothache said, the initial period will be tough at any college. You will be ok!

 

[deleted659902]

I am currently a freshman at a top 10 university. I convinced myself in middle school that this is where I wanted to go and applied early decision. I was ecstatic to get in last December. My parents were both extremely proud because they both went to mediocre state schools. I was so excited to attend this school and everyone in my home town was very impressed. It is not common for people to go far away to college in my area, let alone to a top ten school.
I am now about two months in and feel as if this might not be the right place for me. As a pre-dental student I need to get a good GPA and be involved in extracurriculars in order to get into dental school. I do not know if I will be able to handle the difficulty and the amount of work here. I’m not a fan of being a little fish in a big pond. I understand that premed/predental is hard everywhere. Also, my current school doesn’t have very many great programs for pre-dental students, it is greatly geared toward pre-med students.
I was severely depressed for the first month of school, but it is starting to get better. I have tried to get involved with extracurricular activities, but I just do not have enough time. I talk to my friends at other schools who are having a great time living the normal college life. They have time to just hang or chill. I watch a movie with my friends once every other week, maybe. I do attend football games and things, but it is hard to find people to go with, especially for a school that is supposed to have such great school spirit. Otherwise it’s always school work. Would it be better to transfer somewhere a little bit easier so that I could get better grades and become involved in more extracurriculars?
It’s not that I’m homesick. I have not once thought that I wanted to go home. I just wonder every day if I would be happier at another school. I feel as if I do not fit in here. Most people like to go out and party and are very into climbing up the social ladder. I’m not a fan of drinking or partying. I am seriously considering transferring to a small, Christian school. Would this be any better? Would it be a dumb decision? I know that I would be dropping from a world-renowned university to an unknown little college. Do dental schools really care where you go to undergrad? I personally don’t care about prestige or the social hierarchy. Should I go somewhere that has a dental school?
My parents would be so disappointed if I transferred. They have told me all of my life that education is the best investment you can make. They are so proud that I am attending the university that I am. It would crush them if I left.
The financial aspect also impacts my decision. I do not get any financial aid at the university I am currently attending and the cost of tuition is extremely high. My parents are not worried about it because it is the best investment that they could make. The cost concerns me though. I still have to pay for dental school. If I attended another school it would probably be a lot less expensive and I could probably get a scholarship.
It’s not that I hate it here. I am just inexplicably unhappy. Everyone else went through that phase but it passed; it has not passed yet for me, and I don’t think that it will any time soon. I have met a lot of great people here and I really enjoy some of my professors, but there are other professors who aren’t very good at teaching and don’t take their jobs seriously. I wonder if this “elite education” is really worth it.
I know it is pretty early to be considering transferring, but I feel as if my high school stats are stronger than my college ones. It would be better to do this sooner rather than later, in my opinion.
Any thoughts or suggestions? Would it be better to go to a less expensive, lower ranked school? Should I just stay at the school I am currently at? How do dental schools view transfer students?
Thank you for the help!

sounds like duke

My advice: stick it out and get that degree from Duke.

Sure, your GPA may end up being lower than that of your peers who went to less prestigious institutions, but if your education at Duke was worth the cost, then you should have no problem rocking the DAT. That should make up for lower GPA.

Another reason to stay at Duke is that you never know how a degree from such well-regarded school can help you down the road, especially with alumni contact/networking. A Pre-Dent above mentioned that it's usually the people "not in power" who care about academic pedigree, but just look at where many of the executives of Fortune 500 and other bigwigs in various sectors or even leaders in dental field received their undergrad degrees. I've noticed that their alma mater tend to rank very highly.

Stick it out, and give it all you've got. You will come out as a more mature and intelligent person who stood up to the challenge.

 

[Dr.Payne]

Wouldn't transfer just yet if I was you. The path to become a dentist/physician will be difficult wherever you go. My school has only a handful of pre dental students as well, but tbh most of my friends are pre med. I would say find yourself one friend that takes similar classes to you and similar interests and hang out with them. For me I have a really close friend (I am bio and he is bioengineering) so we take a lot of the same classes + hanging out outside class. I would say give it 2 years (which may be long but that's the point) and if you still hate it then transfer. I wish you the best of luck homie.

 

[Bis-GMA111]

@15moel so, what a lot of people don't usually understand when they are pre-_____ (health major) is that it doesn't really matter what college you go to. going to a big name school right out of high school when you're 110% set on this path isn't very wise, and here's why:

cost--a big name school will cost you more $$. in the grand scheme of things you're looking to pay for 8 years of schooling...keep in mind that most dental schools are absurdly expensive.

competition--not to say that you won't do well, since you obviously managed to get into this prestigious institution..but you'll be competing against a bunch of students just like you, if not better. you're making it more challenging for yourself if your ultimate goal is to go to dental school. well, then you could say, by going to a state school/less prestigious school you're taking the easy way out. not necessarily--you'll find a mixed bag of students....from personal experience, i ran into a lot of middle class friends who couldn't shell out the $$ for ivy league educations, so they took half scholarships to state schools (which were already cheap). Besides, if you really want to distinguish yourself you'll also be able to take those challenging courses that are offered to advanced students to add some clout to your academic resume. remember, not everyone that goes to a state school/less prestigious school does so because of lack of qualifications. other universities offer everything you could possibly need to exceed.

dental school admissions committees for the most part really won't care where you go. they care about your grades in the pre req courses, advanced courses, and extracurricular activities (notably, WHY you want to go to dental school and WHAT makes you a great fit for the school), and how you do on the DAT. i have classmates from no name schools, from community colleges-->state schools, to classmates that only applied with 90 credits and didn't even get a college degree (yes it's possible).

if your ultimate goal is to get a DDS/DMD, why not save as much $$ as you can while making it a little easier on yourself is what i say. you're going to be a student into your mid 20s at the very least, so it's better to not burn yourself out. the whole ''prestige'' issue isn't worth it if you're breaking your back for a bachelors degree that will mean NOTHING in the grand scheme of things. if you reason this out for yourself and to your family, i'm sure you'll be able to be at peace with the situation.

so if i were you i would look into transferring to a cheaper school. you'll be saving $$ and your sanity.

anyway, that's the end of my rant. let me know if you have any more questions. peace.

 

[pulltheleverkronk]

Come to Wheaton- my school. It's in Illinois! I'd look into it. You said you were looking for somewhere Christian. It's a small, liberal arts school, and is really strong academically when it comes to the sciences. Everyone in my major is going on to medical school, dental school, or doing something else meaningful after they graduate. I strongly believe that most other Christian colleges give you a weak foundation scientifically... I feel really prepared for my next steps when I talk to my pre-dent friends at other schools. If cost is an issue, Wheaton offers relatively good financial aid if your family needs it. Although obviously you'd be paying more than you would at your state school. All the professors are really invested in the students, and although the college attracts really high achievers, it's not a freakishly competitive atmosphere. I know all my professors on a personal level and they wrote me great LORs for dental schools... I didn't have to fight for their attention like I would at a state school or larger university.

You also still have time to do fun things if you want. There's not a party culture- you have to search for it, since alcohol technically is banned at our college. I'm sure you would get accepted here if you got accepted to your other college of choice.

Just something to consider. If you're intent on transferring, I'd really look into my school. DM me if you have any questions! I'm glad to help.

 

[pgex2t]

I went through a similar situation as you (whole prestigious university-depression thing). To be honest, the issues you've stated really detracted from my own college experiences and I let it wreck me GPA-wise and social-wise (which I understand were completely my fault). Anyways, dental schools won't mind/look negatively on you for switching out of a prestigious university at all. What they care about are your GPAs, DATs, ECs, and personal statement. Some people will tell you (with no small degree of salt) that [oh if you can't handle the course work here you can't handle the coursework in dental/med school]-sod em, acing your pre-reqs (anywhere tbh) and DATs (this will demonstrate your standardized academic strength) are enough as proof of your preparation. Your parents are probably going to be disappointed because they want the best for you; if you explain the situation to them and give them time, they'll understand (especially if you get in dental school).

So here's the disclaimer: you've only been in your school for a short amount of time, are you sure the source of your unhappiness is completely because of schoolwork/the university and not primarily due to other reasons, such as finding the right group of friends to be in contact with? Finding the right friend, even if time and course work only allowed us to study together, made my (similar) situation much easier to deal with happiness-wise (note: I still got wrecked GPA-wise). When I think back to my undergrad, my fondest memories are of the people I spent time with, not the school itself. I recommend you begin preparations to switch out by doing the research and having the papers ready; however, only pull the trigger when you're certain that changing schools will remedy you of your concerns and unhappiness. Best of luck.

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

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[tarheel616]

Hey, don't forget about the Public Ivies! They are similar in academic rigor although probably not as rigorous as a Top 10, nationally & world-wide recognized, and a few of them have dental schools!

 

[aznriptide859]

the Public Ivies

First thing that came to mind:

 

[fogorvostan]

Echoing what others have said, give it some more time. I went to a very large university as an undergrad and I was very depressed my first semester. I called my parents crying almost weekly because of how isolated I felt from everyone. Then, one day, I saw a flyer for a silly little event on campus and went. Met some of my best friends there who I still talk to 6 years later. I already had my withdraw papers filled out and an acceptance lined up at a small liberal arts college.

You will eventually find your place on campus as a student. If you ever feel like talking, feel free to message me on here! I'm pretty active on here and love to talk to people. Best of luck

 

[LaughingGas]

If your end goal is to become a dentist, the only investment worth doing is dental school for now.

 

[onepik]

First year of university is always the hardest, and is the harshest change from high school. I would wait it out a year and then reevaluate before doing anything rash

 

[15moel]

I found this video and it really opened up my eyes. I am still questioning whether or not it is worth it to stay here. I am fine and don't really want to leave all of my friends and my new life, but I feel like it might be the best thing for me if I transfer. What do you all think about this?


I got to go home for the weekend and am dreading going back to school tomorrow, not because I don't want to leave home but because I don't want to return to school. Is this still normal after 2 months of college?

Thank you.

 

[OhHamburgers]

I would suggest you that you look more into how the grading system works in their science department. Some good school may give half the class A and aim to produce 3.5 average while a less prestigious school may give only top 5% A and aim to produce 2.33 average. So it is not always easier to get better grade at lower-ranked school.

 

[A Pre-dent]

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[A Pre-dent]

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[Scumbag_Steve]

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[DentalLonghorn2014]

Hey, don't forget about the Public Ivies! They are similar in academic rigor although probably not as rigorous as a Top 10, nationally & world-wide recognized, and a few of them have dental schools!

I see you are repping University of North Carolina.
I rep The University of Texas. Public Ivies ftw!

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

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[DentalLonghorn2014]

Don't "y'all" forget about UConn.

Welcome to the club!!!!

 

[15moel]

@rxdmx372, I am from MN but I would not want to attend a large, public school. If I transferred I would transfer to a small, private school because I do not like the atmosphere of large schools.

 

[480640]

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[Typical Average Student]

Top schools may have a greater chance of getting in if you have the right grades but lesser ranked schools are just as successful as quoted from UCSF associate Dean: "we have these same general guidelines when working with our post-bacc students at UCSF who have a very successful rate of getting into dental school, over the 10-15 years of the program, we probably had 90-95% who have been offered admission into dental school"

 

[xuzoo]

From my personal experience, it is what you make of the school and how well you fit in at the specific school. If you interview at a dental school, they are going to see how well you fit in at their school because they want to know that the person being interviewed specifically will succeed at their school. You should take this into consideration for your undergraduate school as well. Are you going to be the best that you can be at that school? Are you going to be able to take advantage of all that the school has to offer if just passing your classes is hard enough? Back in high school, I personally just let my parents guide me and tell me what school is a good school. How did they know what's considered a "good school", you might ask? Because of word of mouth from other people. What does the current school you are attending offer that any other schools do not? The one advantage I see of attending a harder university would be that you would have to study less for your DAT; but you could just do that on your own time. I attended UCR (It wasn't a top ranked school, but I basically got paid a lot to go to school all four years(I didn't have to worry about loans at all nor have to worry about going out of my undergraduate years with debt, in addition to the extreme costs of dental school), but I took advantage of all that the school had to offer, made of best of what I was given and now I'm interviewing at my dream school at UCSF this Friday. Admittedly, because the classes weren't as hard as other universities, I was able to take advantage of that time that I would have used to study to do other extracurriculars that made my application stand out. I honestly don't think the name of your undergraduate college matters. It's what you make of it.

 

[15moel]

Update:
I have followed the advice that many of you have given me and went to get help at CAPS. I had my initial assessment and am now on a waiting list to get help. I am still depressed and not happy here, but hopefully they can help me figure everything out. Thanks for all of your advice!

 

[ajj70]

@rxdmx372, I am from MN but I would not want to attend a large, public school. If I transferred I would transfer to a small, private school because I do not like the atmosphere of large schools.

Not sure which school you are considering but most of the private schools in MN have very strong science programs and generally get close to or get 100% of their students admitted to medical/dental schools each year, usually with multiple acceptances. If you are happier on campus, can get more involved, etc. it's well worth the switch.