Call me crazy, I go to an Ivy UG and I still want out but I'm trapped.

[ZyuanJ]

It's been a semester here. Pre-med at my school is notorious for being harsh as well as having slight grade deflation but I'm not going to make any excuses: I study my ass off here and I try hard on the tests and it's resulted in a 2.94 sGPA, 3.41 cGPA.

Maybe I'm overreacting at the moment because I took an intro to brain behavior class 17 hours ago and have a Bio exam in three days, but I feel like I have little to no way of getting into med school because all I do is study my ass off and get only low/mid Bs.

It's made me miserable here. Add to the fact that the atmosphere isn't my type here, that I've been heavily disappointed from my experience, that I haven't found my niche yet, that I've started therapy from all this... I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort. And yet I can't transfer anywhere. I've brought it up to my parents and they screamed and said I have to stay at where I am. Probably because of the prestige. I feel like a trophy right now.

When I wake up tomorrow and see this topic I'll probably wonder what I was thinking, but I just had a huge mental breakdown and really, really need to vent. Say what you would like about me here because I probably deserve it, especially since I'm becoming the stereotypical neurotic pre-med now. I just want someone to say it will be ok, even if they don't mean it. I

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[MichaelGScott]

It will be ok

 

[SOMBound13]

Do your parents understand that if you don't get the right grades that medical school will be nearly impossible?

Would they rather you have the ivy degree and no med school?

Are they paying for your Ivy education? If not, how can they "keep" you there?

Can you join some study groups to help improve your test performance?

 

[Mosa]

First semester at any school is a huge adjustment. I go to a state school, and even though you think we get by on a little bit of effort here, that's wrong. If you want to succeed at any state or ivy of any university, you have to study and work your ass off. It's called college and not a vacation for that reason.

You just need to find your niche at school. Personally, I didn't figure it out completely until first semester of junior year. See if your school offers tutoring or study groups. We do, and these are usually lead by upperclassmen who have already taken the course and can give tips on how to study. See if you have similar offerings where you go. You might also not be studying in the most efficient way for yourself. The goal is to study smarter, not harder. Find some new study techniques (low risk, don't try these right before a big exam, but rather self test to see if they work for you) such as flashcards or audio recording lectures and playing them back later or working repeatedly on old exams.

 

[113]

Tell your tiger mother, at this rate, you'll be heading to a beautiful island for medical school.

Then transfer.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

[Narmerguy]

It's been a semester here. Pre-med at my school is notorious for being harsh as well as having slight grade deflation but I'm not going to make any excuses: I study my ass off here and I try hard on the tests and it's resulted in a 2.94 sGPA, 3.41 cGPA.

Maybe I'm overreacting at the moment because I took an intro to brain behavior class 17 hours ago and have a Bio exam in three days, but I feel like I have little to no way of getting into med school because all I do is study my ass off and get only low/mid Bs.

It's made me miserable here. Add to the fact that the atmosphere isn't my type here, that I've been heavily disappointed from my experience, that I haven't found my niche yet, that I've started therapy from all this... I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort. And yet I can't transfer anywhere. I've brought it up to my parents and they screamed and said I have to stay at where I am. Probably because of the prestige. I feel like a trophy right now.

When I wake up tomorrow and see this topic I'll probably wonder what I was thinking, but I just had a huge mental breakdown and really, really need to vent. Say what you would like about me here because I probably deserve it, especially since I'm becoming the stereotypical neurotic pre-med now. I just want someone to say it will be ok, even if they don't mean it. I

Firstly, it will definitely be OK. However, you have to be smart about the choices you make from here on out and you'll likely have to face some tough choices. For example, is it reasonable to stay in a school because your parents want you to? If they're footing the bill, perhaps yes. If not and you're on all loans, this is one of those phases of adulthood when you may have to just make the choice that's best for you, your happiness, and your future while being as respectful to your parents as you can.

Similarly, it may be time to reevaluate how you're going about your courses. Are you taking classes that are beyond you? Are you studying efficiently? Are you taking too many credits? Try reducing your credits down to the minimum for full-time students for one semester and see how that makes you feel. Sometimes a couple semesters of kicking a** is all it takes to get you back on the horse. Clearly you got into this school somehow, you likely have the intelligence to hang in your classes even if you're not always the top 10%.

Just keep in mind that most people struggle their first year of college. It's fine to struggle, but it's more important that you learn from your struggles and make realistic changes to adjust. If you are able to resume an upward trend in your grades, it will go pretty far and most people won't even bother putting that much weight on your first year. That's the prize dangling out for you, now you have to go get it.

First semester at any school is a huge adjustment. I go to a state school, and even though you think we get by on a little bit of effort here, that's wrong. If you want to succeed at any state or ivy of any university, you have to study and work your ass off. It's called college and not a vacation for that reason.

You just need to find your niche at school. Personally, I didn't figure it out completely until first semester of junior year. See if your school offers tutoring or study groups. We do, and these are usually lead by upperclassmen who have already taken the course and can give tips on how to study. See if you have similar offerings where you go. You might also not be studying in the most efficient way for yourself. The goal is to study smarter, not harder. Find some new study techniques (low risk, don't try these right before a big exam, but rather self test to see if they work for you) such as flashcards or audio recording lectures and playing them back later or working repeatedly on old exams.

This is school-dependent. Some schools have much higher rigor than others. For example, the state school most of my highschool friends went to is largely a joke and most students spend close to 0 time studying while maintaining a 3.6+ GPA. These are biology/biochem majors mostly.

 

[wanderedtoolong]

It's been a semester here. Pre-med at my school is notorious for being harsh as well as having slight grade deflation but I'm not going to make any excuses: I study my ass off here and I try hard on the tests and it's resulted in a 2.94 sGPA, 3.41 cGPA.

Maybe I'm overreacting at the moment because I took an intro to brain behavior class 17 hours ago and have a Bio exam in three days, but I feel like I have little to no way of getting into med school because all I do is study my ass off and get only low/mid Bs.

It's made me miserable here. Add to the fact that the atmosphere isn't my type here, that I've been heavily disappointed from my experience, that I haven't found my niche yet, that I've started therapy from all this... I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort. And yet I can't transfer anywhere. I've brought it up to my parents and they screamed and said I have to stay at where I am. Probably because of the prestige. I feel like a trophy right now.

When I wake up tomorrow and see this topic I'll probably wonder what I was thinking, but I just had a huge mental breakdown and really, really need to vent. Say what you would like about me here because I probably deserve it, especially since I'm becoming the stereotypical neurotic pre-med now. I just want someone to say it will be ok, even if they don't mean it. I

I had a similar experience at Cornell. I didn't have to study much at all in high school and suddenly was working my tail off and getting B minuses. Keep using the school's counseling resources. Additionally, there should be a learning center on campus where you can get some help with study habits- I wish I had done that right away. The academics will come around, it just takes a little time.

Socially, things take time too. Reach out- join groups for activities that you enjoy. I know it feels like you don't have the time but you do. You will become more efficient in your studies when you have things to look forward to or are coming back from an enjoyable event. The best choice I made in college was to join the Ultimate Frisbee team. It gave me regular exercise and a group of lifelong friends. I initially thought it would be impossible to spend full weekends away from campus for tournaments, but it was healthy to do so.

It will be OK. There is plenty of time to bring up that gpa if med school is what you really want. There is also plenty of time to explore. Good luck!

 

[chillaxbro]

I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort

Get over yourself
I hope you fail and never become a doctor

 

[Marika11]

Get over yourself
I hope you fail and never become a doctor

Easy there, at least s/he isn't a permavirgin.

 

[484511]

I had the same grades freshman year and didn't find my niche until second semester sophomore year. Now I've got multiple MD acceptances. It will be fine. Change your study habits. Do the things you enjoy and seek out people who enjoy them also

 

[SOMBound13]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ZyuanJ
I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort

I don't know what state school this is nor what their majors are, but I suspect that they aren't pre-med students or they are better at balancing their course load. Pre-med classes at most schools are "weeder classes" and aren't easy.

I don't understand how you're studying all the time and still not doing well. Are you just staring at the pages and hoping you'll absorb them? It sounds like you're depressed and really aren't studying in an efficient manner.

Some of your classmates are getting As, how are they doing it. I doubt they're all naturally smarter than you are. And, they probably aren't claiming that they're studying as much as you are.

I think you're homesick.


edited to add:

Looks like Rutgers may be the school that your friends are attending. I doubt that pre-med pre-reqs are easy there.

Again, I think you're homesick, and when you see your friends' Facebook postings of things they're doing on weekends, you're assuming that they're having a lot more fun than you are and they're not having to work for their grades.

 

[911 Turbo]

did you get trapped by the bully Zhong Ying too?

 

[911 Turbo]

oh and I would transfer.... it sounds like you are miserable.

 

[MedPR]

Tell your tiger mother, at this rate, you'll be heading to a beautiful island for medical school.

Then transfer.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

 

[Jas1360]

It's been a semester here. Pre-med at my school is notorious for being harsh as well as having slight grade deflation but I'm not going to make any excuses: I study my ass off here and I try hard on the tests and it's resulted in a 2.94 sGPA, 3.41 cGPA.

Maybe I'm overreacting at the moment because I took an intro to brain behavior class 17 hours ago and have a Bio exam in three days, but I feel like I have little to no way of getting into med school because all I do is study my ass off and get only low/mid Bs.

It's made me miserable here. Add to the fact that the atmosphere isn't my type here, that I've been heavily disappointed from my experience, that I haven't found my niche yet, that I've started therapy from all this... I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort. And yet I can't transfer anywhere. I've brought it up to my parents and they screamed and said I have to stay at where I am. Probably because of the prestige. I feel like a trophy right now.

When I wake up tomorrow and see this topic I'll probably wonder what I was thinking, but I just had a huge mental breakdown and really, really need to vent. Say what you would like about me here because I probably deserve it, especially since I'm becoming the stereotypical neurotic pre-med now. I just want someone to say it will be ok, even if they don't mean it. I

I knew a guy who went to a great school but he really wanted to quit. The advice that someone gave him was to not give up today.

One day at a time.

 

[Ashley1989]

It will be ok, OP. It takes a while to get adjusted, but you will eventually and it will be alright. My advice for you would be to make friends who are like minded with similar goals. It makes a world of a difference when you have the support of having friends who are in your same corner of suffering. Trust me. good luck!

 

[HughMyron]

Get out while you can. It's not worth it to stay, in terms of med school or in terms of your personal life.


If you don't leave soon, the school bully will flash the D Card at you.

 

[wanderedtoolong]

Get out while you can. It's not worth it to stay, in terms of med school or in terms of your personal life.


If you don't leave soon, the school bully will flash the D Card at you.

You need to do what is right for you, but let me offer another perspective. If you stay and can work on your study habits and get your grades up, you will probably be better prepared for med school. Obviously I haven't started med school yet, but my interviewer at Tulane actually told me, "You are here because you went to Cornell. We love Cornell students, they are so well prepared and do a great job here"
I don't know what school you're at but I would guess that it's of similar rigor. At Cornell most of the intro science classes are serious weed-out courses, and it was much easier to get higher grades in upper level courses. Just my thoughts having actually been in a similar situation.

 

[smallone]

It's been a semester here. Pre-med at my school is notorious for being harsh as well as having slight grade deflation but I'm not going to make any excuses: I study my ass off here and I try hard on the tests and it's resulted in a 2.94 sGPA, 3.41 cGPA.

Maybe I'm overreacting at the moment because I took an intro to brain behavior class 17 hours ago and have a Bio exam in three days, but I feel like I have little to no way of getting into med school because all I do is study my ass off and get only low/mid Bs.

It's made me miserable here. Add to the fact that the atmosphere isn't my type here, that I've been heavily disappointed from my experience, that I haven't found my niche yet, that I've started therapy from all this... I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort. And yet I can't transfer anywhere. I've brought it up to my parents and they screamed and said I have to stay at where I am. Probably because of the prestige. I feel like a trophy right now.

When I wake up tomorrow and see this topic I'll probably wonder what I was thinking, but I just had a huge mental breakdown and really, really need to vent. Say what you would like about me here because I probably deserve it, especially since I'm becoming the stereotypical neurotic pre-med now. I just want someone to say it will be ok, even if they don't mean it. I

Hey,

I know what you mean. Gotta remain anonymous on here, but I had a similar experience early in my top-notch college years.

Don't listen to the mean people on here, ok?

It's going to be OK. Seriously. You can send me a direct message if you'd like - I'd be happy to share some of my experiences.

It sounds like you're a younger college student (freshman? soph?). You've got PLENTY OF TIME. Premed culture (notably at Ivies) is terrible. Separate yourself from it. Think about doing a post-bacc if this is ruining your college years... these are supposed to be fun years!

You will find your niche. Surround yourself with people who lift you up, who support you.

It all just takes time

 

[Medstart108]

It's been a semester here. Pre-med at my school is notorious for being harsh as well as having slight grade deflation but I'm not going to make any excuses: I study my ass off here and I try hard on the tests and it's resulted in a 2.94 sGPA, 3.41 cGPA.

Maybe I'm overreacting at the moment because I took an intro to brain behavior class 17 hours ago and have a Bio exam in three days, but I feel like I have little to no way of getting into med school because all I do is study my ass off and get only low/mid Bs.

It's made me miserable here. Add to the fact that the atmosphere isn't my type here, that I've been heavily disappointed from my experience, that I haven't found my niche yet, that I've started therapy from all this... I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort. And yet I can't transfer anywhere. I've brought it up to my parents and they screamed and said I have to stay at where I am. Probably because of the prestige. I feel like a trophy right now.

When I wake up tomorrow and see this topic I'll probably wonder what I was thinking, but I just had a huge mental breakdown and really, really need to vent. Say what you would like about me here because I probably deserve it, especially since I'm becoming the stereotypical neurotic pre-med now. I just want someone to say it will be ok, even if they don't mean it. I

Work harder. If your school has a reputation for grade deflations, admissions will adjust slightly for that. People always say the grass is greener on the other side. You haven't been to state school, you don't know how it is. Transferring from an ivy league to a non-ivy doesn't look good either.

 

[plumhill]

Its only been a semester, so you have the chance to improve. But if you are really and truly miserable, then transferring is not a bad idea at all. If you look up other transfer threads, you'll see my "story" about transferring from an Ivy Leage to a well-known state school, and I'm doing leaps and bounds better

 

[yehhhboiii]

Work harder. If your school has a reputation for grade deflations, admissions will adjust slightly for that. People always say the grass is greener on the other side. You haven't been to state school, you don't know how it is. Transferring from an ivy league to a non-ivy doesn't look good either.

Have you attended college in America or applied to American medical schools?

 

[Cambino]

Get over yourself
I hope you fail and never become a doctor

Yeah, I had a long post of advice half way typed out until I finished reading his post.
Lost sympathy.

 

[solitarius]

OP, I think you have to ascertain the cause and effect for your situation.

Premed by itself is a unpleasant if not miserable experience at times. If this is coloring your undergrad experience as a whole, I'm not sure transferring will help. Premed is terrible for everyone everywhere. Let's say you did get better grades at state U, you'd have to juggle that with all the ECs and MCAT prep and/or work; all of which may conspire to bring you down.

OTOH, I don't think piling on misery on top of a crap experience helps anybody. If it's the school and culture that's bringing you down outside of premed, then transferring can help. I'd take a 3.8 GPA and 32+ MCAT at state over 3.0 and 35+ at Ivy League U. any day. Also, I'd be reluctant to take trite advice from people who tell you "it only gets better" or "study smarter."

 

[ZyuanJ]

Damn thanks guys. Sorry about this post, I'm in a better state of mind right now. My parents have been expecting me to get at least a 3.75 here because they know another person from my uni who got a 3.7 and got into Penn Med. They're also expecting me to get into a top tier med school and they think going to an Ivy can help make up for my GPA.

I've tried to tell them for months that it doesn't wholly matter where I go for UG, that I emailed several med schools which all said that where you go for UG isn't as important as GPA. And yet I had to apply here ED because they were by my shoulder watching me as I clicked to accept the ED binding agreement.

I guess I'll have to make this work out, there's no way I'll be able to transfer. I'll have to modify my studying habits ASAP and hopefully I can get to a 3.1-3.2 sGPA by the end of the year so I can work with something for the rest of my UG.

EDIT: As for the "I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort" I'm not saying everyone is like that... I'm just saying THEY are like that. They always mention to me over Skype about how they cram for the material two days before and still fly with As. Sometimes I feel like they're bragging to me and honestly I feel jealous towards them. :/ Of course there are other people in their classes that work their asses off for a good grade. Didn't mean to come off as condescending. Now I feel like a dick. Sorry again :/

 

[Lamel]

Hang in there man, explore your campus and clubs and meet new people and join study groups. Find ways to relax and let off some steam.

The first semester of college is always difficult, whether you're at a state school or an Ivy league, the material does not get so drastically different that you won't have to study for it. Time management is the key. You will notice that if you create a schedule, there is a tremendous amount of time in the week to get things done (and in this schedule, throw in plenty of leisure time! there will STILL be a lot of time to get your work done).

To all those people who say they cram 2 days before exams, this horrible habit is going to catch up to them and bite them hard (speaking from my own experience).

 

[kgpremed11]

It's been a semester here. Pre-med at my school is notorious for being harsh as well as having slight grade deflation but I'm not going to make any excuses: I study my ass off here and I try hard on the tests and it's resulted in a 2.94 sGPA, 3.41 cGPA.

Maybe I'm overreacting at the moment because I took an intro to brain behavior class 17 hours ago and have a Bio exam in three days, but I feel like I have little to no way of getting into med school because all I do is study my ass off and get only low/mid Bs.

It's made me miserable here. Add to the fact that the atmosphere isn't my type here, that I've been heavily disappointed from my experience, that I haven't found my niche yet, that I've started therapy from all this... I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort. And yet I can't transfer anywhere. I've brought it up to my parents and they screamed and said I have to stay at where I am. Probably because of the prestige. I feel like a trophy right now.

When I wake up tomorrow and see this topic I'll probably wonder what I was thinking, but I just had a huge mental breakdown and really, really need to vent. Say what you would like about me here because I probably deserve it, especially since I'm becoming the stereotypical neurotic pre-med now. I just want someone to say it will be ok, even if they don't mean it. I

As someone who transfered from a good school to an ok school, let me put it like this. Academically rigorous schools force you to learn more, work harder, and think harder which is beneficial for the MCAT but horrible for your GPA. I have a friend who went to vandy that destroyed the MCAT making a 35, and one who went to CC for prereqs and got 21. The one who went to Vandy has 2.9 GPA because its a tough school, the one who went to CC has a 4.0 but is nowhere near as smart as the first guy. Who has the better chance of getting into med school? Well, you can take the MCAT multiple times a year, but rescuing a 2.9 GPA is uphill battle that could take years.

 

[Yorick]

EDIT: As for the "I miss all of my HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort" I'm not saying everyone is like that... I'm just saying THEY are like that. They always mention to me over Skype about how they cram for the material two days before and still fly with As. Sometimes I feel like they're bragging to me and honestly I feel jealous towards them. :/ Of course there are other people in their classes that work their asses off for a good grade. Didn't mean to come off as condescending. Now I feel like a dick. Sorry again :/

Well of course; they know you go to an ivy league so they probably expect you're doing just as well or better. Anyway, there are most likely students in YOUR classes that are flying by with little effort; forget about them but don't be afraid to ask for help with classes and/or tips. Such students can be very valuable resources.

 

[kgpremed11]

Well of course; they know you go to an ivy league so they probably expect you're doing just as well or better. Anyway, there are most likely students in YOUR classes that are flying by with little effort; forget about them but don't be afraid to ask for help with classes and/or tips. Such students can be very valuable resources.

Why does what you quoted in your last post say originally posted by KG when I never said that?

 

[Yorick]

Why does what you quoted in your last post say originally posted by KG when I never said that?

I don't know that is very odd..... I didn't intend for there to be a quote

 

[PreMedOrDead]

 

[Contemplating]

OP, five years ago I went to an ivy and I got much lower grades than you.

After two semesters I transferred to my state school back at home. I was disappointed and frustrated with myself. Some people might consider my actions as "giving up" or "being weak." Believe me, my parents were very upset. But you know what? I'm glad I transferred. I found my niche, gathered my friends, made some new ones, tweaked my study habits -- long story short, I'm going to medical school this fall.

I'm not telling you to transfer, but I do want you to consider what it is that will make you happy. Getting healthy grades for me required having a healthy social and physical life. The situation looks dire now, but don't give up. If you work at it, there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

PS: To all you skeptics out there -- at least with my state school, there WERE quite a few premed classes that were easier than the ivy counterparts. Not because of the content. The content was the same. The competition was different.

 

[SOMBound13]

PS: To all you skeptics out there -- at least with my state school, there WERE quite a few premed classes that were easier than the ivy counterparts. Not because of the content. The content was the same. The competition was different.

To clarify...your state school classes were NOT easier, it was just easier for YOU to grab the limited number of A's. As you said, the content was the same. You still learned the same things.

Congrats!

I don't know where you ranked at your ivy, but I don't think that those who aren't well into the upper quartile should attempt pre-med at top, top schools. Not enough A's to go around.

 

[TriagePreMed]

HS buddies who went to a state school and have higher GPAs than me with half the effort.

Typical ivy arrogance despite the fact that it's well known they are inflationary schools. You'd be surprised what you find if you go to state school.

 

[Docility]

Typical ivy arrogance despite the fact that it's well known they are inflationary schools. You'd be surprised what you find if you go to state school.

Right, there's grade inflation at ALL of the ivies.

 

[ZyuanJ]

Right, there's grade inflation at ALL of the ivies.

Yea man he must think I go to Harvard. Jkjk

 

[Lamel]

Now let's slightly change the topic to something similar.

What would you guys say to someone who is in a state school and doing "well" (3.8+ I suppose), and wants to transfer to an Ivy? (or let's say they do transfer and get accepted, would you recommend they still go or not?)

 

[HughMyron]

Yeah, Ivies inflate a lot, though I've heard Princeton's science classes are brutal as hell. Still, a state school isn't a cakewalk.

I failed Physics at a Top 20 and repeated it at a state school. You learn and are tested on the same stuff. Don't expect that state schools are a place to get high and rawdog randoms while only Ivy leaguers study. State schools are filled with committed students and strong applicants.



At one of my recent interviews, I was one of only 3 state school applicants in a sea of Columbia, Yale, Hopkins, Dartmouth, and Penn guys. My stats aren't the best, either: I mean, I failed a prereq LOL. I think that it speaks for itself when I say what everyone here knows: if you're a premed, your undergrad dont mean ****.

Ivy League schools are great and amazing if you want to make it far on Wall Street, in academia, in Biglaw, etc. but in medicine, it's almost a total waste of money to go to one unless you're gunning for HMS. The only reason for a premed to go to one is if you really love it there.

You don't love it there. Save your money and sanity and get out before you destroy your future.

 

[Docility]

Yeah, some Ivies inflate a lot, though I've heard Princeton's science classes are brutal as hell. Still, a state school isn't a cakewalk.

I failed Physics at a Top 20 and repeated it at a state school. You learn and are tested on the same stuff. Don't expect that state schools are a place to get high and rawdog randoms while only Ivy leaguers study. State schools are filled with committed students and strong applicants.



At one of my recent interviews, I was one of only 3 state school applicants in a sea of Columbia, Yale, Hopkins, Dartmouth, and Penn guys. My stats aren't the best, either: I mean, I failed a prereq LOL. I think that it speaks for itself when I say what everyone here knows: if you're a premed, your undergrad dont mean ****.

Ivy League schools are great and amazing if you want to make it far on Wall Street, in academia, in Biglaw, etc. but in medicine, it's almost a total waste of money to go to one unless you're gunning for HMS. The only reason for a premed to go to one is if you really love it there.

You don't love it there. Save your money and sanity and get out before you destroy your future.

Fixed.

You're welcome.

 

[ZyuanJ]

Hang on, I'm trying to figure out what I said that made people insinuate that just because I go to an Ivy means that the material at state schools is easier... what the hell of course they are of similar or the same content, it's the fact that I study hard and yet, relative to other students in my specific environment, it's tougher to get the As. Well, I've decided at this point I'm going to bite the bullet and figure out how to fight this battle.

I'm feeling a lot better compared to when I made this thread.

BTW I don't go to Cornell but for pre-med classes my school is not known for grade inflation at all unless there's something I don't know.

Can someone close this? I've caused more drama than I wanted.

 

[passionformed]

I go to a state school, so I am a bit offended by your comment on "state schools." Your friends that tell you otherwise are probably exaggerating/flat out lying. Effort is required at most colleges. State universities are not an exception to that rule.

Anyways, seek tutoring, revamp your learning/studying style, and find your mistakes and fix them. Welcome to college.

 

[ranson]

Typical ivy arrogance despite the fact that it's well known they are inflationary schools. You'd be surprised what you find if you go to state school.

Unless you have been to both a state school and an ivy, you shouldn't post. I took classes (premed and calc 1/2) at a state school when I was 16 years old; I barely studied and got a 4.00; it was a joke. I am now at an Ivy league school and I have received several B+s and A-s. There's a huge difference between the quality of the students; there is no comparison.

 

[MedPR]

Unless you have been to both a state school and an ivy, you shouldn't post. I took classes (premed and calc 1/2) at a state school when I was 16 years old; I barely studied and got a 4.00; it was a joke. I am now at an Ivy league school and I have received several B+s and A-s. There's a huge difference between the quality of the students; there is no comparison.

Congrats, badass.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

 

[Sidereum]

Unless you have been to both a state school and an ivy, you shouldn't post. I took classes (premed and calc 1/2) at a state school when I was 16 years old; I barely studied and got a 4.00; it was a joke. I am now at an Ivy league school and I have received several B+s and A-s. There's a huge difference between the quality of the students; there is no comparison.

/humblebrag

 

[SOMBound13]

Now let's slightly change the topic to something similar.

What would you guys say to someone who is in a state school and doing "well" (3.8+ I suppose), and wants to transfer to an Ivy? (or let's say they do transfer and get accepted, would you recommend they still go or not?)

I'd say "no". It's harder for transfer students to know profs well enough to get LORs if they plan on applying after junior year.

 

[Lamel]

I'd say "no". It's harder for transfer students to know profs well enough to get LORs if they plan on applying after junior year.

Yeah that is definitely a common response. The lack of a safety net of ECs, professors, friends, etc is definitely a disadvantage.

 

[Dr Love]

It will be OK if you face your problems and address them, rather than running from them. Ivies are notoriously cushy and if you are not doing well you need to adjust your academic habits. Transferring will not help you at all, all med applicants take the MCAT and moving to an inferior school without a valid reason will hurt your chances of admission (my first semester was too hard is not a valid reason).

Quit wasting your time with therapy and just adjust your study habits.

 

[Dr Love]

Unless you have been to both a state school and an ivy, you shouldn't post. I took classes (premed and calc 1/2) at a state school when I was 16 years old; I barely studied and got a 4.00; it was a joke. I am now at an Ivy league school and I have received several B+s and A-s. There's a huge difference between the quality of the students; there is no comparison.

Receiving an 'A' in two or three classes (when was premed a class?) vs. several B+s and A-s over several years is not a meaningful difference, you strange pre-med you.

I went to both as well. At my state school there were several classes where not a single student got an 'A', at the more prestigious school that would be unheard of. The quality of the students is different, but the standards are adjusted appropriately. There are likely exceptions, but don't count on it.

 

[ranson]

Receiving an 'A' in two or three classes (when was premed a class?) vs. several B+s and A-s over several years is not a meaningful difference, you strange pre-med you.

I went to both as well. At my state school there were several classes where not a single student got an 'A', at the more prestigious school that would be unheard of. The quality of the students is different, but the standards are adjusted appropriately. There are likely exceptions, but don't count on it.

It just wasn't in two or three classes. I had 45 credit hours and those included premed courses (look it up if you don't know that this means; google is your friend), language requirements, etc. The fact that I was in highschool and studying much less than I was at my current school and still getting A's at the state school says something. Also, the material at Ivy league schools is different in some courses. My 1st semester gen chem course skipped the basic chemistry that is on the MCAT and focused solely on quantum mechanics.

There is no top school that is unheard of, unless you are talking to a bunch of *****s.

I am not saying that all state schools are less rigorous than the top schools. There are big differences among state schools. However, people saying that ivy league schools are on the same level as state schools have no idea what they are talking about. It's like saying that the difficulty of Stanford med school is the same as a low ranked state med school and it is not.

 

[orangeblossom]

A lot of people think UPenn is a state school. Given your sGPA, I wouldn't stay for that kind of prestige.