[Advice needed] Should I go to CC or my four-year state school (rising freshman)?

[DroneTheWizard]

Hi there,

I'm a rising freshman at a school in Florida and I'm not happy with my decision to go here. I'm debating whether I should stick it out or go to CC. I'm going to apply as a transfer applicant after one year regardless. I'll list a few of my reasons:

1. I don't like how there are over 30k undergrad students here, and a ton of them are pre-meds. There are around 800 med-school applicants a year from here.
2. Doesn't have the major that I want
3. I've heard all the stories about how it is super hard to get volunteering/research opportunities here.
4. Terrible pre-health advisors according to many sources
5. A lot of the departments here are kinda bad
6. Nearly impossible to find any pre-meds from here who went to a T10 medical school. Makes me wonder if being here is a big disadvantage
7. No committee letter
8. I have to pay rent out of pocket and it'll cost a lot (even tho I have full bright futures)

The deadline to enroll in community college classes is in a few days so I was wondering if I should switch into that instead. I can drop out of my current college easily. I'm just a little hesitant since I know a lot of medical schools (especially the top ones like Harvard or Penn) don't like CC pre-requisites, so I was wondering what I should do. I'm interested in going to CC for one year and then transferring out to a different university. I want to transfer regardless, so even if I stay at my current college, I will be 100% transferring out after one year. I also know that some of my courses won't transfer, so I might have to retake them which is fine by me.

I really don't think I will be happy at my four-year. Way too many students and I don't like the vibes. Both CC and my current college will be virtual so I will be taking classes online regardless.

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[penpenclown]

Why not just transfer to another 4 year directly? I'm not really seeing the benefit of going from 4 year->CC->4 year

 

[DroneTheWizard]

@penpenclown No, I can still drop my enrollment at my 4 year right now and sign up for CC so it would be like I never went to my 4 year.

 

[MyOdyssey]

All state universities are large and impersonal even the highly touted ones like Berkeley. UVA and Michigan might be different. Not sure.

What private university do you have in mind?

 

[penpenclown]

Oh I see I missed the rising freshman part. If you want to go to the CC I'd do as few of your premed prereqs as possible and focus on generals. Though I will say the university sounds pretty par for the course lol.

 

[DroneTheWizard]

What private university do you have in mind?

Probably either Emory, Brown, or some liberal arts colleges like Amherst or Swarthmore. I'm just trying to go anywhere that is smaller and better for pre-med. I also like UMiami and got in this past year, but I turned it down because I thought that my current school would be better, but I think I was wrong.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Probably either Emory, Brown, or some liberal arts colleges like Amherst or Swarthmore. I'm just trying to go anywhere that is smaller and better for pre-med. I also like UMiami and got in this past year, but I turned it down because I thought that my current school would be better, but I think I was wrong.

Those are some good choices. Emory and Brown are easier to get into as transfers than directly. I’m not sure about Amherst, Swarthmore and Miami.

Emory, Brown, Amherst and Swarthmore will be less impersonal as well.

If you have the GPA and scores, I say go for it. Just make sure you ace your current college classes.

Certain medical schools - especially the elite ones - distrust premed prerequisites taken at community colleges. Many say so on their admissions websites. That is the big risk you’d be taking.

 

[Rogue42]

I am impressed that you are already a top applicant to the top medical schools in the country!
(JK, sarcasm)

But really, almost all of the big public universities in Florida are great schools - country wide known by all medical schools. Listen fam, your goal isn't to go to Harvard, your goal is to get IN. If you so happen to get in to medical school at Harvard, then that is icing on the cake. Getting into one of the Top 10 isn't something to take lightly or easily, it is quite simply one of the hardest things to achieve on this planet. However, if that truly is your goal, then I can tell you that Harvard isn't going to turn you down if you have a 4.0, 528, and phenomenal ECs just because you took some CC classes.

So here's my advice, if you're gonna go to CC college anyways, then you need to leave BEFORE you have a 4 year college transcript (which it should be early enough in the semester that you can just un-enroll). Go to CC, do it for basically free or next to nothing, and grab that 4.0 while getting all of your general classes out of the way. Then transfer somewhere that you feel like you really want to go that has what you're looking for. Otherwise, if you are going to spend the year at this school, then you need to just go ahead and transfer to another 4 year university - don't go backwards.

Finally, go somewhere where you feel happy. Because your happiness is what will drive your success.