Advice on whether to transfer or not?

[deleted826437]

I have just completed my first year of college and while I have been able to accomplish a lot in terms of making myself an appealing medical school applicant, I can't help but feel like I am missing out on many of the things that other colleges have to offer.

I am currently a student in the honors college at a regional state university majoring in Biology.
To give you an idea of where I am at right now in terms of "pre-med":
-3.9 GPA
-Been in a research lab since spring. Continuing through the summer.
-Lots of meaningful volunteering with refugees
-leadership roles in the honors college
-on track to graduate in 3 years or slow down and do study abroad for a semester or 2
-Good relationships with professors including: retired General, Current Diplomat, Head of Biology department

Despite all of these things, I'm not happy with my school on a social or academic level for the following reasons:
-Few students are here to learn
-most courses aren't challenging
-very little school spirit
-large commuter population takes away from community
-pretty boring city
-doesn't offer Arabic (really want to earn)
-inspiration drain. Few people are interested in making a difference
-not much room for experimenting in terms of discovering academic/career passions.

At this point, I still want to go to medical school, and technically, my current university can get me there. But is it naive of me to want to go to school somewhere that is inspiring and academically enriching in ways that will likely have ZERO beneficial impact on me actually getting into medical school? I want to be able to learn from peers with diverse backgrounds and unique passions. Undergraduate years seem very unique and I don't want to miss out.

What would you guys do?
1) Stay here and keep up with all of the activities for the long haul, show long term commitment, guarantee a high gpa, and have a good shot at medical school?
or
2) Transfer and risk the GPA, relationships, research etc. Assuming I was accepted to a better university with a 3.9 GPA and 2000ish SAT after 2 years, I would probably be looking at harder classes, and definitely an uphill climb to get the same level of involvement that I have here. But, I would (hopefully) have a much more enjoyable final two years of undergrad and be able to grow in ways not offered to me at my current school.

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[BeddingfieldMD]

Obviously, I don't know the specifics about your school. But based on what you're describing, I'm curious if it has a solid history of sending many students into med school? It sounds almost like you're describing a community college (which I know it's not) or a lower-tier, satellite campus state school (which it may be). Be cautious of attending such schools, especially if you can get into a better school--because if you feel that the courses aren't challenging and the students aren't very competitive, chances are admissions officers from nearby medical schools will know this, as well. You might not encounter this if you apply to remote schools. But colleges in which smart students (presumably like yourself) aren't challenged are frequently known to admissions officers, and your 3.9 GPA and honors status will all be viewed somewhat suspiciously. In general, you should try to attend the most rigorous college that you can handle.

That said, if the school does have a decent enough reputation and has a history of sending at least a reasonable number of students to medical school each year, then it's largely a personal decision you'll have to make for yourself. You can only attend college as a young adult free to explore your intellectual curiosities without the demands of "reality" once in your life. Med school is definitely not the same beast as undergrad--and residency is even farther from it. If having a more intellectually and socially satisfying college experience is very important to you, then I suppose you need to consider transferring to a different school. As you've described it, you're currently set to graduate in 3 year anyhow. Potentially "wasting" a year if you lose some credits, have to rebuild some research connections, etc. would hardly put you in a bad spot.

Sounds like you have lots of good options. The ball's in your court. Good luck!

 

[deleted826437]

@BeddingfieldMD Thanks for the advice!

To address a few of your questions:
My current school is not a satellite campus, its a full on state school, but I would definitely not call it competitive. This school was not my first, or second, or even third choice, but after receiving a surprising rejection from my state flagship (2000 SAT and 3.7 gpa overall w/ 4.0 senior year but poor junior year) and learning that just about everywhere else that I had applied was going to be too expensive(bad move), I was left to apply to a few low tier state schools that were still accepting applications. Tuition was cheap, and I knew a few people here so that is how I made my decision.

As far as sending kids to medical school, I know it happens every year, but they are usually very low tier and I think most of the students here have to take a year off to make themselves competitive. But I am not sure if this relative lack of competitiveness is a result of the school quality or student quality.

Regardless, you make very good points and have given me some new things to think about. Thanks again.

 

[pioneer22]

stay where you are