Do Medical Look Down Upon Transfer Students?

[james1988]

Hi!
I currently attend a 4 Year university where I am a pre-med humanities major, and while I have managed to earn a 4.0 average, I really do not like it here and want to transfer to another college for a number of reasons. The only qualm I had about this, though, is I have this fear (whether it is rational or not, I do not know, hence my posting) that maybe when I apply to med school they will see that I am a transfer student and look disfavorably upon me for not "sticking it out" or whatever. Is this a sensible reason to be worried about transferring? Thank you so much, and I look forward to becoming an active and contributing member to this wonderful forum.

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[Cegar]

Transferring is fine.

Also, stay away from this forum. It's awful.

 

[littlealex]

Transferring is fine, Cegar is terrible.

 

[TexPre-Med]

I transferred 4 year schools and it didn't hurt me

 

[Dienekes]

I transferred 4 year schools and it didn't hurt me

I agree, as long as you are transferring up the food chain (so to speak). If you transferred from Yale (for the sake of argument) to East Bum**** State University, it might raise eyebrows.

 

[jsol]

I have transferred as well and I dont think it has hurt me. Just do well on the MCAT and keep that GPA up along with ECs

 

[ruraldr]

I transferred and I have been asked about it at all my interviews. Not sure how it has affected admissions groups opinions of me, but has been one of the only consistent questions I've been asked.

 

[TexPre-Med]

I agree, as long as you are transferring up the food chain (so to speak). If you transferred from Yale (for the sake of argument) to East Bum**** State University, it might raise eyebrows.

I transferred out of Baylor and just explained that I couldn't stand Waco. People understood. Just have a decent reason and be honest.

 

[Bluesmurf314]

I transferred out of Baylor and just explained that I couldn't stand Waco. People understood. Just have a decent reason and be honest.

Ditto. Just have a logical reason why school B is better than school A was, and make sure you're not taking a major academic quality demotion in the process. Know that you WILL get asked about it at interviews though!

 

[littlealex]

I knew a girl from a competitive top10 school that couldn't handle the curriculum, transferred to Podunk State U, ended up not getting in anywhere and eventually went into PhD for Biology.

 

[Cegar]

I knew a girl from a competitive top10 school that couldn't handle the curriculum, transferred to Podunk State U, ended up not getting in anywhere and eventually went into PhD for Biology.

Yeah, well, people who can't handle the curriculum at a competitive school wouldn't be able to handle your typical medical school curriculum anyway. Not a huge surprise.

 

[littlealex]

Yeah, well, people who can't handle the curriculum at a competitive school wouldn't be able to handle your typical medical school curriculum anyway. Not a huge surprise.

Yup. I was just illustrating the point that if you're going to transfer, it should be to a school of similar or higher caliber. Else your 4.0 at Podunks U are going to mean very little when compared against your 2.5 at UChicago.

 

[james1988]

so i shouldn't be worrying as long as i have good reasons...
so what exactly are considered good reasons?
my reasoning is that i want a more diverse student population, more course offerings, and to be closer to home...
are these good enough reasons to justify transferring from a private school thats ranked between 50-60 to a state university?

 

[Cegar]

so i shouldn't be worrying as long as i have good reasons...
so what exactly are considered good reasons?
my reasoning is that i want a more diverse student population, more course offerings, and to be closer to home...
are these good enough reasons to justify transferring from a private school thats ranked between 50-60 to a state university?

Yeah. Definitely.

Except leave that diverse student population thing out. That sounds silly.

 

[james1988]

Yeah. Definitely.

Except leave that diverse student population thing out. That sounds silly.

believe me, it's not silly
the vast majority of the students at the college i am at are highly religious white catholic christians

 

[Cegar]

believe me, it's not silly
the vast majority of the students at the college i am at are highly religious white catholic christians

Whaaaat... Rich white Catholic Christians aren't diverse enough for you?

 

[Isoprop]

don't bunk your former school, especially the students, in your app or interview. it sounds like you can't get along with rich white christians. you want to seem like you can get along with everybody.

if you want to mention the diversity, tell them you really appreciate the diversity that xyz university offers as an afterthought. more like an added bonus.

 

[fuzzywuz]

Consider why YOU are transferring?
Also, think about where you are transferring from and to where.

In the end, its really nothing bad at all.

 

[uzybear]

find religion and become a faith healer

 

[flyingcircus109]

I am offering my 2 cents regarding your question, but I have to apologize in advance for hijacking your thread a little, too. I worry about the transfer issue myself. I transferred from a small liberal arts college (ranked 26th) to my state university (a decent one, but not Michigan or Cal) because I was pursuing a music degree, the department there wasn't very performance-oriented, and my state university has an excellent reputation for the instrument I play and a great music school in general. I was also really unhappy at my school and sick all the time (getting sick was very bad on the block plan, and the small school environment wasn't what I hoped for). Anyway, I don't know how it will look to adcoms, especially since my gpa here is better than my gpa was freshman year there (it wasn't awful there though, and interestingly enough I don't think the difficulty of the coursework was any greater there than it is here, but I am happier and healthier now, which is conducive to better grades). I am hoping that with good standardized test scores and other things it won't hurt too much. Various advisors and mentors I have talked to here don't seem to think it will be much of a problem, so I'm guessing (and hoping) that, as everyone else has said, honesty is the best policy, and it will work out. Anyway, if the general consensus among my advisors is that it shouldn't be too much of a problem for me, it probably won't be one for you, as you had a 4.0 when you left your first school. Transferring is not exactly a barrel of fun, and I think, to a certain extent, it can show that you are self-aware and proactive, so I don't think anybody should think less of you or think that you can't make up your mind for doing it. I know it was one of the most agonizing decisions I've ever made, definitely not a rash change of heart. Best of luck to you! Sorry for the novel!

 

[james1988]

I am offering my 2 cents regarding your question, but I have to apologize in advance for hijacking your thread a little, too. I worry about the transfer issue myself. I transferred from a small liberal arts college (ranked 26th) to my state university (a decent one, but not Michigan or Cal) because I was pursuing a music degree, the department there wasn't very performance-oriented, and my state university has an excellent reputation for the instrument I play and a great music school in general. I was also really unhappy at my school and sick all the time (getting sick was very bad on the block plan, and the small school environment wasn't what I hoped for). Anyway, I don't know how it will look to adcoms, especially since my gpa here is better than my gpa was freshman year there (it wasn't awful there though, and interestingly enough I don't think the difficulty of the coursework was any greater there than it is here, but I am happier and healthier now, which is conducive to better grades). I am hoping that with good standardized test scores and other things it won't hurt too much. Various advisors and mentors I have talked to here don't seem to think it will be much of a problem, so I'm guessing (and hoping) that, as everyone else has said, honesty is the best policy, and it will work out. Anyway, if the general consensus among my advisors is that it shouldn't be too much of a problem for me, it probably won't be one for you, as you had a 4.0 when you left your first school. Transferring is not exactly a barrel of fun, and I think, to a certain extent, it can show that you are self-aware and proactive, so I don't think anybody should think less of you or think that you can't make up your mind for doing it. I know it was one of the most agonizing decisions I've ever made, definitely not a rash change of heart. Best of luck to you! Sorry for the novel!

thank you very much, that was very insightful; I myself have some second thoughts about transferring, but in the end I think it will be the right move. Are you glad that you transfered in the end? I know that before I applied to other schools for transfer admissions I was very adamant about leaving here, but now that deadlines are approaching and whatnot, I feel the actuality of it all setting in, and am beginning to rethink my original intentions. Human beings have an astonishing propensity to second guess themselves, especially when it comes to matters of major change; perhaps it is an evolutionary survival characteristic that is ingrained in the human fabric, but whatever it is, it certainly makes it hard to make decisions with a clear mind, happy heart, and no regrets. By the way, I'm also a music major, double majoring in music and philosophy.

 

[flyingcircus109]

I definitely have that inclination to second-guess myself all the time (and overanalyze). That said, I am very happy that I transferred. After a year in the music school, which has a pretty rigid schedule that doesn't allow much room conflict-wise (not just time-wise, but the classes all met at the same time) for getting the pre-med thing done efficiently, I decided to stay very active in the department and in ensembles and such but pursue the zoo biomedical science degree only (with a minor in Latin American studies, or, if I am able to go abroad next summer, a double major, as study abroad is a major requirement but not a minor requirement). I have thought about philosophy too! I think having a lot of passions and interests is simultaneously one of my greatest strengths and one of my greatest weaknesses. However, I am thrilled to be
a). Somewhere with an excellent music school in which I can still be involved on a competitive level
b). Going somewhere for pretty darn cheap (aggravating story, they used to have a gap year after which their full ride offer was still standing but they took it away the year I went away, so I could have gone here for free with money left over had I gone as a freshman...alas) where I am actually happy instead of paying a LARGE sum of money to be miserable.
c). At a LARGER university with a diverse array of opportunities and a niche for everybody. Sometimes the huge class sizes for some of the prereqs are really irritating, but the honors college is excellent and most of the professors I have had here are wonderful. Also, there is virtually ALWAYS something going on, and the president of our university is pretty active in politics so we got Al Gore to come talk about global warming, a bipartisan forum with a lot of big names in politics from both parties, an honors class being offered that involves attending the Democratic National Convention, etc. I imagine you would experience many of these same advantages at your state school. I've gotten involved in a great research lab and numerous other things, many of which were a little harder to come by in a smaller school.

Also, what instrument(s?) do you play? I play horn and piano. In fact, I am off to orchestra now. I think putting thought into the decision is necessary and good, and it's a lot easier for me to say in retrospect, but I think if you feel you would be happier and better able to pursue your interests by transferring, by all means do it. If a certain medical school writes you off simply for transferring, when everything else looks good, I wouldn't want to go there anyway. I don't know if you have read any stories or poems by Borges, but I say the university experience is and should be all about the garden of forking paths.

 

[james1988]

I definitely have that inclination to second-guess myself all the time (and overanalyze). That said, I am very happy that I transferred. After a year in the music school, which has a pretty rigid schedule that doesn't allow much room conflict-wise (not just time-wise, but the classes all met at the same time) for getting the pre-med thing done efficiently, I decided to stay very active in the department and in ensembles and such but pursue the zoo biomedical science degree only (with a minor in Latin American studies, or, if I am able to go abroad next summer, a double major, as study abroad is a major requirement but not a minor requirement). I have thought about philosophy too! I think having a lot of passions and interests is simultaneously one of my greatest strengths and one of my greatest weaknesses. However, I am thrilled to be
a). Somewhere with an excellent music school in which I can still be involved on a competitive level
b). Going somewhere for pretty darn cheap (aggravating story, they used to have a gap year after which their full ride offer was still standing but they took it away the year I went away, so I could have gone here for free with money left over had I gone as a freshman...alas) where I am actually happy instead of paying a LARGE sum of money to be miserable.
c). At a LARGER university with a diverse array of opportunities and a niche for everybody. Sometimes the huge class sizes for some of the prereqs are really irritating, but the honors college is excellent and most of the professors I have had here are wonderful. Also, there is virtually ALWAYS something going on, and the president of our university is pretty active in politics so we got Al Gore to come talk about global warming, a bipartisan forum with a lot of big names in politics from both parties, an honors class being offered that involves attending the Democratic National Convention, etc. I imagine you would experience many of these same advantages at your state school. I've gotten involved in a great research lab and numerous other things, many of which were a little harder to come by in a smaller school.

Also, what instrument(s?) do you play? I play horn and piano. In fact, I am off to orchestra now. I think putting thought into the decision is necessary and good, and it's a lot easier for me to say in retrospect, but I think if you feel you would be happier and better able to pursue your interests by transferring, by all means do it. If a certain medical school writes you off simply for transferring, when everything else looks good, I wouldn't want to go there anyway. I don't know if you have read any stories or poems by Borges, but I say the university experience is and should be all about the garden of forking paths.

I love Borges! He has an amazingly unique style, and yes, I would definitely agree with your association to the garden of forking paths; calls to mind Eliot's Four Quartets. iplay violin and mandolin. thanks so much for your advice

 

[james1988]

Does anybody have any other input?

 

[166035]

x

 

[james1988]

I transferred from state school A to private school B which was an upgrade academically and then returned to state school A bc it was going to take me longer to graduate from private school B. It hasn't hurt me at all.

how do you know that is hasn't hurt you?

 

[166035]

x

 

[chr123]

watch out for how your classes will transfer. You can lose a lot of credit when transfering....especially if one school is on semesters and the other on quarters.

 

[Blade28]

Ditto. Just have a logical reason why school B is better than school A was, and make sure you're not taking a major academic quality demotion in the process. Know that you WILL get asked about it at interviews though!

I totally agree.

 

[james1988]

people seem to be giving quite conflicting accounts of whether or not transferring actually matters. instead of throwing out blanket statements, can people explain their reasoning (or lack thereof) ?

 

[bodonid]

Ditto. Just have a logical reason why school B is better than school A was, and make sure you're not taking a major academic quality demotion in the process. Know that you WILL get asked about it at interviews though!

The chances of being asked about something like this are very slim.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have an answer ready.

 

[ruraldr]

I disagree that the chances of being asked are slim. I got asked at every school I interviewed at, and by every interviewer.

They mostly just asked for my rationale, but one interviewer did ask me if it could indicate that I might decide later that I wouldn't like their medical school/medical school in general.

I'm a non-trad so I was a little surprised to be asked (since the transfer happened over 10 years ago).

If it helps I transferred up in rankings.

 

[james1988]

I disagree that the chances of being asked are slim. I got asked at every school I interviewed at, and by every interviewer.

They mostly just asked for my rationale, but one interviewer did ask me if it could indicate that I might decide later that I wouldn't like their medical school/medical school in general.

I'm a non-trad so I was a little surprised to be asked (since the transfer happened over 10 years ago).

If it helps I transferred up in rankings.

have you gotten accepted anywhere yet?

 

[james1988]

any other advice?

 

[Ki45toryu]

I'm on one end of the spectrum I guess...I transferred and it was never asked in any of my interviews. Just goes to show there isnt a gold standard.

The only red flag that means anything in these cases is performance at each school...was there a dropoff? If not, shouldnt be an issue.

 

[james1988]

I'm on one end of the spectrum I guess...I transferred and it was never asked in any of my interviews. Just goes to show there isnt a gold standard.

The only red flag that means anything in these cases is performance at each school...was there a dropoff? If not, shouldnt be an issue.

how much of a dropoff would you think is needed to raise a flag? if i had a 4.0 my first semester at school "P", and a 3.7 my second semester, right before switching to school "Q", would a decline like this, right before my transfer, raise any flags?

 

[BoxingTheStars]

2-time transfer student here, multiple acceptances. I was asked about it in most if not all of my interviews... no biggie, they just want to see how you think, so just be able to explain yourself (minus the "rich white catholics" terminology... but i do kind of see where you're coming from, i didn't care for that private school atmosphere either). Actually I'd say this will help you because it's more "life experience" per se, and you'll have a better idea of which kind of school is a good fit for you and which is not.

Take home point: If you're not happy at your current school, TRANSFER. College is supposed to be fun; life is way too short to be miserable. I don't care if you're leaving Harvard; you said you have a 4.0 there so that alone proves you can handle the curriculum.

(PM me if you have more questions)

 

[Vihsadas]

I am offering my 2 cents regarding your question, but I have to apologize in advance for hijacking your thread a little, too. I worry about the transfer issue myself. I transferred from a small liberal arts college (ranked 26th) to my state university (a decent one, but not Michigan or Cal) because I was pursuing a music degree, the department there wasn't very performance-oriented, and my state university has an excellent reputation for the instrument I play and a great music school in general. I was also really unhappy at my school and sick all the time (getting sick was very bad on the block plan, and the small school environment wasn't what I hoped for). Anyway, I don't know how it will look to adcoms, especially since my gpa here is better than my gpa was freshman year there (it wasn't awful there though, and interestingly enough I don't think the difficulty of the coursework was any greater there than it is here, but I am happier and healthier now, which is conducive to better grades). I am hoping that with good standardized test scores and other things it won't hurt too much. Various advisors and mentors I have talked to here don't seem to think it will be much of a problem, so I'm guessing (and hoping) that, as everyone else has said, honesty is the best policy, and it will work out. Anyway, if the general consensus among my advisors is that it shouldn't be too much of a problem for me, it probably won't be one for you, as you had a 4.0 when you left your first school. Transferring is not exactly a barrel of fun, and I think, to a certain extent, it can show that you are self-aware and proactive, so I don't think anybody should think less of you or think that you can't make up your mind for doing it. I know it was one of the most agonizing decisions I've ever made, definitely not a rash change of heart. Best of luck to you! Sorry for the novel!

Make sure you emphasize that at interviews.

 

[BoxingTheStars]

how much of a dropoff would you think is needed to raise a flag? if i had a 4.0 my first semester at school "P", and a 3.7 my second semester, right before switching to school "Q", would a decline like this, right before my transfer, raise any flags?

No. The worst part about getting a 4.0 first semester is there's nowhere to go but down. The good part? A 3.7 is still fantastic. It's going to be your average over 4 years that really matters the most, so just do your best (and chill out a little!)

 

[james1988]

No. The worst part about getting a 4.0 first semester is there's nowhere to go but down. The good part? A 3.7 is still fantastic. It's going to be your average over 4 years that really matters the most, so just do your best (and chill out a little!)

my blood pressure has spiked ever since i discovered this forum...

 

[james1988]

2-time transfer student here, multiple acceptances. I was asked about it in most if not all of my interviews... no biggie, they just want to see how you think, so just be able to explain yourself (minus the "rich white catholics" terminology... but i do kind of see where you're coming from, i didn't care for that private school atmosphere either). Actually I'd say this will help you because it's more "life experience" per se, and you'll have a better idea of which kind of school is a good fit for you and which is not.

Take home point: If you're not happy at your current school, TRANSFER. College is supposed to be fun; life is way too short to be miserable. I don't care if you're leaving Harvard; you said you have a 4.0 there so that alone proves you can handle the curriculum.

(PM me if you have more questions)

thanks for the input
i've been told by multiple people here many things along the lines to "wait it out"/ "it'll get better" but i feel that my time in college is more precious than that and the earlier i transfer the better

 

[james1988]

does anyone else have experience with this?

 

[scowdeva]

I transferred out from U of Michigan (with a 4.0 after 28 credits) to Michigan State after my freshman year. I have been asked why at every interview, and my answer was "it simply wasn't the place for me". If asked to elaborate, I would explain that I loved the academics but I wasn't happy at the school, so I transferred over to my other state school which also put me closer (an hour closer) to both my fiance and the rest of my family.

I have been asked in every interview, and I would guess that it's my numbers that are leading to waitlists rather than this aspect of my application. I just know that I HATED going to UMich, and was not willing to spend another 3 years there on the off chance that an adcom would have a problem with it. I have one acceptance, so I guess it worked out in the end...

 

[annndyr]

I transferred, no issues with med school applications. The question came up about 50/50 during interviews. Just be honest. I transferred because I was looking for a different engineering specialty that my then-current school did not offer.

I wouldn't 'wait it out' either. If you're unhappy, make the move. I transferred over Christmas break (imagine how fun that was). My only concern at the time was either losing credits or being behind in coursework. Fortunately, the first 1 1/2 yrs of engineering are roughly the same for most universities, so I was able to take all 50 credits with me and then graduate in 4 yrs.

The worst thing (IMO) that you could do is stay at a place and pay tuition while not being happy. Your grades will reflect your overall well-being, so being happy will be evident (relatively) in your grades.

 

[james1988]

anybody else have something to add?

 

[Drogba]

anybody else have something to add?

Yes. Transfer.

 

[james1988]

Yes. Transfer.

care to elaborate?

 

[LizzyM]

Be very careful how you describe your reasons for transferring:

Don't bad-mouth the school (saying that it didn't offer a particular major is OK, saying that the faculty in your dept were unengaged and disinterested would not), or your fellow students, particularly if your gripe has to do with race, religion, polliticial affiliation or socioeconomic status.
​

Don't denigrate the location of your first college unless you are willing to cross all similarly located medical schools off your list. Don't transfer to be close to anyone unless you are willing to limit your medical school applications to schools within 100 miles of said individual. (Actually rather do-able if you are in some prime locations and ridiculous in others.)​

Don't let your grades drop more than 0.1 in the semester after the transfer and keep your gpa over the years at the new college similar to what it was before the transfer (or better, if that's mathematically possible).

Never transfer down.

Get LOR from faculty at your old school and/or cultivate relationships with faculty at the new school asap because it will take some work to get good LORs from people who haven't had much time to get to know you.

 

[gman33]

Go to the school where you will be happiest and can get the best grades. If you are transferring from Harvard to a community college, that would raise some flags. Otherwise it probably doesn't matter where you go to school. "Quality" of school being a key factor to admissions is one of the biggest myths out there.

 

[james1988]

Be very careful how you describe your reasons for transferring:

Don't bad-mouth the school (saying that it didn't offer a particular major is OK, saying that the faculty in your dept were unengaged and disinterested would not), or your fellow students, particularly if your gripe has to do with race, religion, polliticial affiliation or socioeconomic status.
​

Don't denigrate the location of your first college unless you are willing to cross all similarly located medical schools off your list. Don't transfer to be close to anyone unless you are willing to limit your medical school applications to schools within 100 miles of said individual. (Actually rather do-able if you are in some prime locations and ridiculous in others.)​

Don't let your grades drop more than 0.1 in the semester after the transfer and keep your gpa over the years at the new college similar to what it was before the transfer (or better, if that's mathematically possible).

Never transfer down.

Get LOR from faculty at your old school and/or cultivate relationships with faculty at the new school asap because it will take some work to get good LORs from people who haven't had much time to get to know you.

what then, would you consider to be reasons to transfer which do not look bad to adcoms (aside for the school not offering a specific major)? what about simply saying "i wanted a more diverse college experience"?
also, another reason prompting my transfer is that my mother was recently diagnosed with cancer and i want to be closer to home so that i can see her more frequently; would this fall under the suggestion you mentioned of not telling adcoms that you want to be closer to home, for if you do, a school far away from your home won't want to accept you?