Would you transfer to another school if it meant higher GPA?

[floridanerd0901]

Or same grades with less work? There is this notoriously easy school in my state (average ACT in the teens/low 20s) and am wondering if I should transfer there from a top 20.

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[Lambda Phage]

Or same grades with less work? There is this notoriously easy school in my state (average ACT in the teens/low 20s) and am wondering if I should transfer there from a top 20.

Don't.

 

[mrh125]

Or same grades with less work? There is this notoriously easy school in my state (average ACT in the teens/low 20s) and am wondering if I should transfer there from a top 20.

Don't transfer from a top 20, especially if it's known for grade deflation. Top 20s provide you a lot of opportunities. The grass isn't always green on the other side and if you can succeed in a more difficult school that will really help when you study for the mcat and are better prepared for the challenges in med school.

 

[Dr Turkelton]

I wish I would have.

 

[Ace-Co-A]

This is not going to go the way you expect it to, OP.

 

[moisne]

ACT in low 20's will not prepare you for med school. Is your goal to get into med school or to be successful in med school/doctor?

 

[allantois]

People get into med school from Top 5/20/50 institutions, people also get into med school from unranked colleges. Sometimes students, unfortunately, end up in programs that are not the best places for them for whatever reason.

 

[floridanerd0901]

I wish I would have.

Really? Why? Out of all the students who I know that have transferred, all of them don't regret it. I'm just worried I will.

 

[floridanerd0901]

ACT in low 20's will not prepare you for med school. Is your goal to get into med school or to be successful in med school/doctor?

Unfortunately, I can't be successful in med school without getting in.

 

[Dr Turkelton]

Really? Why? Out of all the students who I know that have transferred, all of them don't regret it. I'm just worried I will.

I went to a school ranked top 25 in the world that's known for rampant grade deflation. While I had a great experience there, I don't think it's worth the years of GPA repair it's taking to make me competitive for med school. I wish I would have transferred to an easier school and spent my summers doing research at the better institution.

I would much rather go to a no name undergrad, get a 4.0 and enrol at a top 20 med school, then go to a top ranked undergrad, scrape by with a 3.2 and end up at an unranked med school after 2 failed application cycles. At the end of the day, I personally think the whole point of undergrad is to get you into med school, once you get in, you are going to be a smart, successful doctor regardless of the undergrad institution you went to.

 

[floridanerd0901]

I went to a school ranked top 25 in the world that's known for rampant grade deflation. While I had a great experience there, I don't think it's worth the years of GPA repair it's taking to make me competitive for med school. I wish I would have transferred to an easier school and spent my summers doing research at the better institution.

I would much rather go to a no name undergrad, get a 4.0 and enrol at a top 20 med school, then go to a top ranked undergrad, scrape by with a 3.2 and end up at an unranked med school after 2 failed application cycles. At the end of the day, I personally think the whole point of undergrad is to get you into med school, once you get in, you are going to be a smart, successful doctor regardless of the undergrad institution you went to.

I definitely agree, I don't see any advantages to going here whatsoever. Now I'm worried I won't have the guts to pull the trigger.

 

[darklabel]

Depend on you. If you truly don't see yourself succeeding there then you should definitely transfer. As everyone else says, it would be best to stay at your current school and make the best of it, but if you truly think it is impeding your ability to succeed, then just transfer and make the best of it. Just be ready to answer why you transferred and any grade deficiencies.

 

[moisne]

Unfortunately, I can't be successful in med school without getting in.

Well if it's that hard that you can't handle it, then you don't really have a choice.

 

[floridanerd0901]

Well if it's that hard that you can't handle it, then you don't really have a choice.

Wait, what? Many successful people from my school got into medical school with a B- average, but it took SMPs or lots of BS classes to get the GPA up, something I would rather not do.

 

[Doctor Dream]

There's a few things I'd take into account before I would decide to transfer to somewhere easier.

1) Where is my GPA now, and how hard have I worked to get that GPA
2) If my grades aren't where I'd like them to be, what I can do to fix the issue other than transferring
3) How much would my GPA potentially improve by transferring
4) How much grade inflation is there from my school/major

Not saying you're lazy, grade inflation does exist, but I'd look at how to fix my study habits before I'd look at transferring to an easier school

 

[ithd]

It all depends. Have you just finished your first year at the top 20 school? Did you fail miserably (<3.3 or so) and NEED to transfer out in order to fix your GPA? If you're doing OK at the top 20, I'd say you should stay. There'll be much more opportunities for ECs at your top 20 than the state school, so you need to take that into account as well. Good luck.

 

[floridanerd0901]

There's a few things I'd take into account before I would decide to transfer to somewhere easier.

1) Where is my GPA now, and how hard have I worked to get that GPA
2) If my grades aren't where I'd like them to be, what I can do to fix the issue other than transferring
3) How much would my GPA potentially improve by transferring
4) How much grade inflation is there from my school/major

Not saying you're lazy, grade inflation does exist, but I'd look at how to fix my study habits before I'd look at transferring to an easier school

I understand, but when 99% of your class is full of gunner premeds, everyone works hard. It would be a different story in classes that aren't curved or include people who worked hard in high school.

 

[floridanerd0901]

It all depends. Have you just finished your first year at the top 20 school? Did you fail miserably (<3.3 or so) and NEED to transfer out in order to fix your GPA? If you're doing OK at the top 20, I'd say you should stay. There'll be much more opportunities for ECs at your top 20 than the state school, so you need to take that into account as well. Good luck.

That's a joke we like to tell ourselves. There are not more opportunities, just less time to do much.

 

[frosted_flake]

You seem unhappy. Get out, you won't regret it.
I transferred to my state school and I loooooove it more affordable too!

 

[capnncrunch]

I transferred from my favorite school to a state school and I'm so happy. I've actually gotten a lot more EC opportunities at my smaller school and it was a lot cheaper as a bonus.

Personally, I think that if you're not enjoying the school, then you'll only be miserable for the rest of your undergrad.

 

[Spinach Dip]

I would have. Unfortunately, there were circumstances beyond my control.


And don't listen to a single thing about 'not preparing you for med school'. That's up to YOU to do, not the school you attend.

 

[DermViser]

I wish I would have.

Really?

 

[DermViser]

I would much rather go to a no name undergrad, get a 4.0 and enrol at a top 20 med school, then go to a top ranked undergrad, scrape by with a 3.2 and end up at an unranked med school after 2 failed application cycles. At the end of the day, I personally think the whole point of undergrad is to get you into med school, once you get in, you are going to be a smart, successful doctor regardless of the undergrad institution you went to.

 

[DielsAlder]

Just graduated from a top 20 undergrad, well known for grade deflation. I still believe I made a great decision. Maintaining a high enough GPA was a nightmare, but so many opportunities. Also, I believe it made my MCAT prep easier by being challenged.

 

[G_Marker]

I went to college in a consortium. This meant that we could very easily take courses at other nearby colleges. There was one school in our consortium that was significantly easier than all the other schools (though it's reputation wasn't significantly worse). Many pre-meds I know in the consortium elected to take premed courses there. I did not end up doing that, but because of more rigorous coursework in college, I didn't have to study as much for the MCAT. This allowed me to do more volunteer work and clinical activities during the summer that I was taking the MCAT. Also, I feel better prepared for medical school, having shouldered through very challenging, grade-deflating science courses already. While it's true that my science GPA isn't as fantastic as it could be, I feel like I had a better experience and will be more prepared for medical school. I think it's all about whether you can do it and are willing to work as hard as your classmates. It might mean not partying on weekends and studying more, but you'll just be more prepared in the end.

A part of me thinks it's extremely unfair for medical schools to spend so much time comparing 3.9 and 3.6 GPAs from completely different schools, though...

 

[allantois]

This is ridiculous. What kind of opportunities are there at Top 20 that aren't available elsewhere? My high school sends many students to Top 20 and I haven't noticed that they get some special opportunities there that aren't available at my state school. Every big university does a lot of research and guess where it's easier to get involved with it: in the environment with 99% gunner premeds or in the environment where you are a top 10% student? The same goes for getting TA positions. There's also tons of other resources at my school including a medical school, at least 10 hospitals within a 10 miles radius, hundreds of physicians affiliated with the medical school, etc. My friend who went to UCLA has troubles simply enrolling in courses and I meet many students who are originally from the area returning from so-called higher ranked colleges with ruined GPAs who try to get their academic life together by doing SMP, which success rate has historically been around ~80%, which shows that those students do not get looked down at.
Don't try to argue with me that doing research with professor X is more beneficial than with professor Y, because that's what those "extra opportunities" come down to.
Our local hospitals hire doctors from Top 20 med schools as well as DO schools and I'm convinced that two physicians get the same salary provided they work in the same specialty.

 

[DokterMom]

Unfortunately, I can't be successful in med school without getting in.

Sorry, but if you're unable to succeed in a tough undergrad, you're probably also unlikely to succeed in medical school. From a top 20 undergrad, even if your GPA is a little lower, if your MCAT is good, your chances of acceptance are OK. Transferring from a top-notch undergrad to a notoriously easy undergrad says things about you:

1. You weren't able to hack it at the tough undergrad and probably couldn't hack it at medical school.
2. Maybe you're a tad lazy, since you (very obviously) took the easy way out.
3. Questionable judgement, since you short-sightedly chose to compromise the quality of your education.

And lastly, if you can't get into medical school, or change your mind about your future career -- which school will give you the more marketable degree? Your college education is your primary 'credential' for life. Don't mess that up --

I went to a school ranked top 25 in the world that's known for rampant grade deflation. While I had a great experience there, I don't think it's worth the years of GPA repair it's taking to make me competitive for med school. I wish I would have transferred to an easier school and spent my summers doing research at the better institution.

I would much rather go to a no name undergrad, get a 4.0 and enrol at a top 20 med school, then go to a top ranked undergrad, scrape by with a 3.2 and end up at an unranked med school after 2 failed application cycles.

Yes, it's possible to go from a no-name undergrad to a top 20 medical school, but that's certainly not the normal path -- and definitely not for a student with a poor starting track record at a top undergrad and good grades only after transfer. More realistically, the top 20 med schools are saturated with students from top 20 universities. There are some exceptions, but they're exceptions, not 'the rule'.

At the end of the day, I personally think the whole point of undergrad is to get you into med school, once you get in, you are going to be a smart, successful doctor regardless of the undergrad institution you went to.

So wrong.

 

[Lamel]

I actually did the opposite.

Either way, medical schools will notice that you transferred down. And school prestige does matter, more so for the top tier private schools. So no I would never do that.

Look at page 7 for validation: https://www.aamc.org/students/download/267622/data/mcatstudentselectionguide.pdf

 

[floridanerd0901]

My main issues with quitting are: I'm not a quitter and I really haven't given it my all. I'm taking a Bio class this summer and for the first exam, I didn't study much at all, especially not as much as they recommend, I feel like all my time is dedicated to the lab portion, which should not be the case. On the first test, I did above average, but I'm assuming this won't be the case for the final without studying. I don't know, maybe college hit me too hard and I should have went to a cc to learn how to study.

 

[Lamel]

My main issues with quitting are: I'm not a quitter and I really haven't given it my all. I'm taking a Bio class this summer and for the first exam, I didn't study much at all, especially not as much as they recommend, I feel like all my time is dedicated to the lab portion, which should not be the case. On the first test, I did above average, but I'm assuming this won't be the case for the final without studying. I don't know, maybe college hit me too hard and I should have went to a cc to learn how to study.

If you don't study hard you will do poorly no matter what school you go to. So try your best to fix that.

 

[Mad Jack]

This is not going to go the way you expect it to, OP.

I think this is going to go exactly how they expect it. I've never seen a non-troll pull out this question.

 

[floridanerd0901]

This is not going to go the way you expect it to, OP.

What do you mean?

 

[Mad Jack]

If it comes down to you just not being able to perform well at the top 20, I'd transfer out. A 3.0 at a top 20 won't serve you better than a 3.7 from podunk state U. A lot of kids get into top 20s that honestly shouldn't be there, as admissions rely on the sort of tests and skills that are meaningless in college. The ACT and SAT are a joke, and high school performance relies on study skills that are completely ineffective if used in college.

Work on actually busting your ass, because college is hard and the grades don't come easy. If you still can't cut it after giving your all, make the transfer.

 

[allantois]

It's interesting that there is Florida in your nickname cause we don't have any Top 20 schools here. If you are at UF, then you should stay there; if you are out of state then no reason not to return to the state (FL med schools have no bias whatsoever for FL universities).

I always wonder how students who don't know how to study efficiently even make it to Top 20.

 

[el_duderino]

"Undergrad is too hard. I'll take it easy now and actually start working when I get into med school and the competition isn't so stiff."

Sounds legit.

 

[floridanerd0901]

It's interesting that there is Florida in your nickname cause we don't have any Top 20 schools here. If you are at UF, then you should stay there; if you are out of state then no reason not to return to the state (FL med schools have no bias whatsoever for FL universities).

I always wonder how students who don't know how to study efficiently even make it to Top 20.

lol no, my home state does not equal where I go to school, part of the reason I took a summer class, to stay

 

[Ace-Co-A]

I think this is going to go exactly how they expect it. I've never seen a non-troll pull out this question.

What do you mean?

I mean that this type of question generates a hostile reaction (rather than the helpful one for which, presumably, you were looking).* People from low-tier schools ( ) are going to be annoyed that people from high-tier schools think that it is easy to achieve academic excellence at our schools. They will therefore respond in a negative manner and tell you to 'suck it up' or some such thing.

I have been around SDN long enough (and not to mention have tried my own hand at this argument enough times) to know that the discussion will go nowhere. I do think it is my obligation to try to be helpful to people looking for help/advice along the path towards becoming a physician, however. To this end, I recommend that you focus on trying to improve yourself. The administration at your present institution thought that your academic performance in high school was noteworthy enough to admit you to their school. They weren't wrong. Go prove it. Your current studying methods may be inferior to those used by the students who are doing better than you in your classes. Discover where it is you're falling short, and get better. These are only my thoughts. Good luck.

*To address @Mad Jack 's point... it is not out of the question that the OP is trolling or blowing off steam. In that case,

 

[Mad Jack]

I mean that this type of question generates a hostile reaction (rather than the helpful one for which, presumably, you were looking).* People from low-tier schools ( ) are going to be annoyed that people from high-tier schools think that it is easy to achieve academic excellence at our schools. They will therefore respond in a negative manner and tell you to 'suck it up' or some such thing.

I have been around SDN long enough (and not to mention have tried my own hand at this argument enough times) to know that the discussion will go nowhere. I do think it is my obligation to try to be helpful to people looking for help/advice along the path towards becoming a physician, however. To this end, I recommend that you focus on trying to improve yourself. The administration at your present institution thought that your academic performance in high school was noteworthy enough to admit you to their school. They weren't wrong. Go prove it. Your current studying methods may be inferior to those used by the students who are doing better than you in your classes. Discover where it is you're falling short, and get better. These are only my thoughts. Good luck.

*To address @Mad Jack 's point... it is not out of the question that the OP is trolling or blowing off steam. In that case,

I always post a "This is probably a troll but... [Serious response]" on the off chance they actually are a human being and not a soulless troll like myself.

 

[CSqueed]

Or same grades with less work? There is this notoriously easy school in my state (average ACT in the teens/low 20s) and am wondering if I should transfer there from a top 20.

OP, I started off with a 2.8 at a top 25 school known for grade deflation. I transferred to a state school and bumped my GPA up to a 3.5. It was the best decision I had ever made. A lot of adcoms just think "Organic chemistry is organic chemistry is organic chemistry no matter where you take it", but the joke is on them. There is a huge difference in taking an exam full of insane retrosynthesis against people who were the best of the best in HS vs taking only multiple choice Ochem exams at state school with questions like "find the hydroxy group" and more than half of the students cant even answer a question like that because they don't know what studying is. It was a complete breeze.

 

[floridanerd0901]

OP, I started off with a 2.8 at a top 25 school known for grade deflation. I transferred to a state school and bumped my GPA up to a 3.5. It was the best decision I had ever made. A lot of adcoms just think "Organic chemistry is organic chemistry is organic chemistry no matter where you take it", but the joke is on them. There is a huge difference in taking an exam full of insane retrosynthesis against people who were the best of the best in HS vs taking only multiple choice Ochem exams at state school with questions like "find the hydroxy group" and more than half of the students cant even answer a question like that because they don't know what studying is. It was a complete breeze.

I know I'd have it better somewhere else, but it's so hard to actually do it. I've been contemplating for awhile.

 

[CSqueed]

I know I'd have it better somewhere else, but it's so hard to actually do it. I've been contemplating for awhile.

What is most important about actually doing well IN medical school is the work ethic. Being "prepared" by going to a better undergrad means nothing in the scheme of things as long as you have the work ethic to sit and memorize for hours and hours.

 

[floridanerd0901]

What is most important about actually doing well IN medical school is the work ethic. Being "prepared" by going to a better undergrad means nothing in the scheme of things as long as you have the work ethic to sit and memorize for hours and hours.

Ug, I have no clue what to do. I have so much anxiety with all this **** on my mind. Should I transfer? I need more ECs... No time to MCAT study..

 

[Lamel]

OP, I started off with a 2.8 at a top 25 school known for grade deflation. I transferred to a state school and bumped my GPA up to a 3.5. It was the best decision I had ever made. A lot of adcoms just think "Organic chemistry is organic chemistry is organic chemistry no matter where you take it", but the joke is on them. There is a huge difference in taking an exam full of insane retrosynthesis against people who were the best of the best in HS vs taking only multiple choice Ochem exams at state school with questions like "find the hydroxy group" and more than half of the students cant even answer a question like that because they don't know what studying is. It was a complete breeze.

A 3.5 doesn't sound like it was a breeze for you. Better than 2.8 though, that's for sure.

Edit: Unless you mean your total GPA to 3.5. Then that's impressive. Have you gone through the cycle already? Did adcoms ever bring up the fact that you "transferred down"?

 

[floridanerd0901]

A 3.5 doesn't sound like it was a breeze for you. Better than 2.8 though, that's for sure.

I'm assuming if he bumped it up to a 2.8, he probably got almost all As depending on how many credits and what not.

 

[Lamel]

I'm assuming if he bumped it up to a 2.8, he probably got almost all As depending on how many credits and what not.

Yeah I edited.

 

[jjtheairplane]

The orgo point is SO real though haha. At my college orgo was intense, everything was so tricky and many questions asked you to design your own experiments to prove something...

At my state school, they have multiple choice questions just like "find the hydroxyl group" according to my friend. -__-

To mention the mcat point, that test is based on chance so much that sometimes you don't even get much orgo to "prove your knowledge" there..

 

[Kochanie]

The orgo point is SO real though haha. At my college orgo was intense, everything was so tricky and many questions asked you to design your own experiments to prove something...

At my state school, they have multiple choice questions just like "find the hydroxyl group" according to my friend. -__-

To mention the mcat point, that test is based on chance so much that sometimes you don't even get much orgo to "prove your knowledge" there..

Yeah.. I made the mistake of looking up Orgo exams from my state school. I cried and laughed.

 

[ciestar]

The orgo point is SO real though haha. At my college orgo was intense, everything was so tricky and many questions asked you to design your own experiments to prove something...

At my state school, they have multiple choice questions just like "find the hydroxyl group" according to my friend. -__-

To mention the mcat point, that test is based on chance so much that sometimes you don't even get much orgo to "prove your knowledge" there..

I wish my schools multiple choice exams were that simple. They weren't, at all. My professor loved the abstract. (He lovesss MO theory)

 

[Lawpy]

Or same grades with less work? There is this notoriously easy school in my state (average ACT in the teens/low 20s) and am wondering if I should transfer there from a top 20.

No. Stay there and do well.

 

[43092]

I wish my schools multiple choice exams were that simple. They weren't, at all. My professor loved the abstract. (He lovesss MO theory)

What................................................. No disrespect, but multiple choice will always be easier than 20 step synthesis problems. Also, MO theory is Gen Chem, you need to know it for Orgo sure, but it's expected and usually glossed over in review.