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Just curious about this. How hard is it to transfer between medical schools? Does anyone know?
How hard is it to transfer?
- Thread starter Ihateverbal
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I think you can only do it in your third year, and a lot of schools won't even do that. This is based on what I've read in the MSAR and on various med schools' FAQs online.
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Let's put it this way... it's even harder than getting through the application process to begin with.
many schools don't accept transfers at all and those that do require a strong reason such as a spouse/family illness for why you want to transfer. If you don't want to stay at a particular school for 4yrs it's simple...don't ever go there.
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Waaaaaaay harder. Consider it impossible and be pleasantly surprised if you can do it. On the entire west coast there have been a handful over the last few years (this is from an SDN thread).
It ain't like undergrad.
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In addition to needing a very compelling reason (i.e. not "I like your school better") it can't be done until after 2nd year because most schools preclinical curricula don't line up. They all get the same stuff into the first two years but they do it in different ways.
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As I understand it, most med schools won't let you and those that do will only do it if you have a great reason and if there's space in the class you want.
How much space will there be in the class you're trying to transfer to? That depends on the school's attrition rate. Think 1-3% at the most extreme.
In short, there's little chance.
How much space will there be in the class you're trying to transfer to? That depends on the school's attrition rate. Think 1-3% at the most extreme.
In short, there's little chance.
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damn
C
Critical Mass
The only successful excuse that I've seen is that "the military has moved my spouse."
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I know that everyone has been advising you to take your acceptance and go, which was my first thinking as well.
But since almost all of your recent traffic has been about not going to your only acceptance, deferring while you find a school you like, and now transferring out, I'm starting to change my mind. I can't remember anyone on SDN recently that seems so loathe to attend the only school he's been accepted to. Maybe turning them down and reapplying is a wise decision.
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As others have suggested, most schools don't even take transfers until after Step 1, there has to be a spot, you have to have a compelling reason, and you have to have performed solidly at your initial med school. And you need to beat out whoever else is trying to transfer to the same place. I wouldn't attend a med school expecting to transfer out.
Based on notdeadyet's post I think you need to take a deep breath and decide if you really want to be a physician. You have a ticket on a train moving in the right direction. It's up to you to decide whether to get on or wait at the station and see if there will ever be another. But once you are on, think of the train as an express, with no stops.
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And first class or coach, they all stop at the same stations....
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I agree with NDY. OP, if you really hate the only school that accepted you so much, then, as NDY suggested, maybe it's worth reapplying. I don't think I would do that given a similar choice point as you are facing now, because my happiness isn't really dependent on place or situation, but I'm not you. It's moot, anyway, since I never had to make the choice are you are making. Do what makes YOU happy. So what if everyone else thinks you are out of your mind? It's your life and you will have to wake up to it every morning. Make sure before you take action, however, that you are making an informed choice and not just haphazardly going toward a direction that you may regret later. I wish you the best, OP.
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45408
Basically, no. Like Critical Mass said, a spouse is about your only excuse, and you can't have your spouse quit his/her job and go work at Mass General Hospital and then beg Harvard for a transfer. Yale's policy (the only one I ever bothered to read) was pretty much only for spouse/children, in extreme cases.
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honestly, apparently it was revealed that MSU is the school you were less than enthusiastic about attending... don't worry so much about it. East Lansing isn't the greatest place on earth, but those of us who grew up in Michigan didn't die... and hell I grew up in Flint, which makes Lansing look like urban utopia. The school that you attend will all be about the people that you surround yourself with, and that wont really be hard to do in a place swarming with students like MSU. Go to East Lansing... work hard... have fun... get frustrated at the football... come back to the sun when you're done.
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deleted103644
Most places will only consider you for transfer if you have a reason you need to transfer to that school (i.e. your spouse is going there for grad school) or to move to that city (sick relative you need to take care of) - and these reasons obviously only justify a transfer from a school that is far away. Even then, you almost certainly won't get the transfer.
