Hate my life, want to transfer

[SaltySqueegee]

Originally posted by gdk420
Actually my friend talked to a Standford admission officer and I talked to a person at Harvard ( a student interviewer though). They both said relatively the same thing. If you go to a big name school, their GPA gets more weight. However as long as u go to a good school (like top 20 undergrad), ur gpa will get more weight vs someone who goes to a school no one has ever heard of. The student interviewer told me that they would multiply it by some specific factor depending on which school u went too. Also this only seems to be true of the top medical schools. I am not sure how accurate their statements were.

However, if you go to a "top school" that you don't necessarily feel comfortable at, then the possible drop in your GPA, compared to what it might be at a less than top 20 school, might be more than the factor that the medical schools give the top 20 schools.

Just a thought. Sanity can be a greater cause than prestige factor in medical school admissions; depending on who you are.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[a_student]

yalla,

i don't know who your friends are and what their going through, but competition at ucla is pretty damn tough, at ivies atleast the mean is an A- so you can't do all that bad, if you goto ucla you wouldn't have all the love you would get from those private school professors, you'd be in a class w/ 500 other students trying to madly study each other out for the 15% of As.

Grass always seems greener on the other side, even though it not always is.

I honestly don't think you'd do any better academically in ucla than in the ivy your at if you have the same pattern of studying at both schools, though if you want to goto ucla cause you think theres alot more diversity, and alot more people you'd rather hang out with (have a hard time believing you would again) then if you change your habits, you'd do better.

 

[KatieOConnor]

I graduated from a top college. Freshman year I HATED it and wanted to transfer. It was too small, the students were all prep school-ish, I felt like I couldn't relate to anyone, and I wasn't doing well in my classes (compared to how I was used to doing).

Sophomore year, things got a lot worse. I didn't have many friends, I didn't like the ones I had, and I didn't know where I was going or what I was doing with my life.

Finally (about mid-way through sophomore year) I switched dorms and ended up meeting some people who were really into biology, and serious about studies.

That started to turn things around for me, and ultimately, I decided to stay where I was because it was a great educational opportunity. Looking back, I have no regrets. Sure, college wasn't the "best four years of my life" but I have a big name school on my resume, and I had some amazing academic experiences. Also, I ended up staying in touch with some of the "friends" who I didn;t like much. We all matured and actually appreciate each other's company better now, after graduation.

People go into college with high expectations, so it is easy to be let down. And, it often sounds like everyone's having more fun that you.

Just remember, if college is the "best four years of your life" then you have nothing to look forward to. I was so envious of the people who seemed to be living it up at my school. When I graduated, I was SO happy, and some of the people I'd been envious of, were really upset.

 

[Padres248]

Yalla,

I had a similar experience. I went to a top Ivy school (i wonder if its the same one) and nearly transferred out during the winter term of my senior year. I was just totally frustrated with grades, weather, people there etc....I seriously thought about transferring to UCLA for my last two terms but I decided to battle and stick it out. Looking back, I'm glad I did this and now I may have the opportunity to attend UCLA med. Just try to stay focused and you'll be in good standing once you graduate. PM me if you need any extra advice.

 

[exgatr]

As far as school reputation goes, I don't think it matters where you go as long as it's a MAJOR university. In my opinion, as far as med schools are concerned Harvard=UCLA. Both schools have an established rep, although Harvard is much higher ranked.

The only time you'll run into a problem is if you got to a no-name school.

 

[lukeday99]

Yo, yalla. Be of good cheer. I was in exactly the same situation, attending a presigious school (not Ivy but top 10), total pressure cooker. I withdrew at the end of sophmore year, didn't even wait around for my finals. I went away and I refocussed, really thought about what my personal priorites were. Took classes at my State U and then went abroad. You know, I know those sophmore year grades hurt me in the admissions process, I would LOVE not to have had a C in the first semester of O-Chem. But you know what?

This is your life, right now.

Life doesn't start in the future, when you're all grown up, but now. So you have to take the steps now to take care of yourself. It is the most important thing. Where you went to college doesn't at all matter in your life, but your happiness does. I don't know what the answer will be for you, but it must be for you and you only, not for your school or your parents or your perception of what the world wants out of you.

And when you find the strength to follow what your heart really tells you what to do, you will succeed in all other things, even O-Chem!

Don't worry buddy, you're neither the first or the last person to go through this.

 

[hobs]

yalla,

if you're questioning your own internal resilience for handling stressfull situations and just dealing with your everyday life in general, you may want to talk to a therapist or psychologist. chances are that your school has a counseling center. you can probably talk to a mental health professional there, and likely for free (you probably pay enough in tution that you may as well take advantage of those outlets). and it is OK to do that--it doesn't mean you're crazy or weak or whatever. the reality of life is that not everybody can know or deal with everything solo, so it's important to be able to seek help should the need arise. besides, perhaps you'll learn some better coping mechanisms, and will develop some of the internal support structures that you need for later on in life, too.

i hope things work out for you.

hobs

 

[biobossx99]

I can understand your frustration.

But I really think that (and I know many will disagree), where ever you attend college for undergraduate studies, it won't really make that much of a difference for the premed aspects.

Is your college screwing you over because the premed classes are evil? or is it because the campus\enviroment\people don't fit with your personality?

And also, is it the fact that you're not doing well in your classes that make you view the college you're attending so negatively?

Maybe you should try joining a sport or some sort of involved activity?

I joined the men's LWT Crew at berkeley and it really helped me focus a lot. (which btw, if you're 6ft and under 155lb, male, and going to berkeley PM me).

My friends joined choir and perform every week.

What about school sponsored academic support? I attend, for all my hard math\science classes, a weekly study group, about twice a week?

I hope everything works out for you, just don't dispair! >_<