Is it a good idea to transfer to a better university when you are a junior.

[Raptor]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey, you guys I really need some help on this topic. I am a rising Junior at a not all that great university. My GPA after all my summer classes should be around a 3.1 🙁 uhg (last 1 1/2 years had been a lot of turbulence with family crisis) and if things go as I plan should have a 3.3~3.4 after my first semester of my junior year. Hopefully, before I start to apply I can go in with a little over a 3.65. I have a lot of EC, research experience, cool volunteering, internships, befriended my research professor and hobbies. Also I am a URM (I don't know if that makes any difference). However, I feel that being at a school that isn't as well known as some out there is going to deminish my chances of going to a good medical school. So I think by transferring to a well known university that has it's on medical school will look better and makes things more competitive (even though I am a junior and I hope it isn't too late). Well I still havent taken the MCAT yet but plan on to my senior year. Do you guys think that I should stay at the college I am at with the stats I have and go to a post bacc or do you all think that I should transfer to a better university with their own medical school. Please you guys gave me some advice. Thank you guys.
I am really worried 😕 😕 .

 

[UrSexyLatinDr]

Hey buddy, welcome to SDN.

As far as transferring to a more competitive school I dont think thats a good idea, I mean, just make sure you do the best you can in your courses and MCAT and apply. If you say you can pull of a 3.65 by the time you apply, I think thats a competitive GPA with a MCAT of 30+. Numbers arent everything on this process, make sure you get great EC's and a kick ass personal statement. Hope this helps!

Eduardo

 

[oldman]

ehhh.. it's pretty late to be transferring. i think if you were transferring to start your junior year that would be better. two years at the new school would give you time to get to know profs to get good letters of rec.

at the same time, prestigious schools tend to attract the creamier of the crop students. thus classes will be more challenging and likely to result in lower grades.

final answer: i'd say stay where you are

 

[SMW]

I think the undergrad school actually does have some influence in how your application is perceived. I think with the stats you will have plus your URM sqtus, you should be in pretty good shape, no matter what your undergraduate school, unless you have some preconceived notion of what schools you'd want to attend. If you'd be happier staying at the school you're at, then do so, but make sure your GPA continues to go up and that you do really well on the MCAT. As a URM, I got into a top 10 school with worse stats than what you're contemplainting.

 

[efex101]

I am also a URM and will be applying next year. SMW could you tell us a little bit more about yourself and what schools you applied to. I am looking to apply to at least 20 schools and hope that it will be enough. I am also interested in learning which schools are URM friendly. I do have the AAMC book called Minority Opportunities but it is the 2000 version and I do not think that they published any more, does anyone have a later version?

 

[Raptor]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by SMW:
•I think the undergrad school actually does have some influence in how your application is perceived. I think with the stats you will have plus your URM sqtus, you should be in pretty good shape, no matter what your undergraduate school, unless you have some preconceived notion of what schools you'd want to attend. If you'd be happier staying at the school you're at, then do so, but make sure your GPA continues to go up and that you do really well on the MCAT. As a URM, I got into a top 10 school with worse stats than what you're contemplainting.•••••Hey guys thank you all for some great advices. I am not really worried. Hopefully my GPA continues to increase. But I was thinking that it was too late in the game to transfer to a better university. SMW, if its not invading, can you tell of us what your stats were when you applied to a top 10 school. I think that it will help all of us who has similar experience.
Congratulation on your acceptance SMW . Go kick some butt in medical school and I hope to read about your experience in medical school.

 

[randomlogik]

Personally, I don't think transferring to a new school at this point would be a very good idea. I have known several people that have transferred schools, and often many credits are not transferable to the new school. Would you be willing to spend an extra year in school because of the transfer? These are all factors you must consider. I think that you would be better off if you worked on improving your grades at your current university, and tried to develop good relationships with the faculty.

 

[vyc]

ugh, it disgusts me when pple get into schools not based on their own merits but bc of URM status.

regardless, i don't think transferring will better your chances. i would just concentrate on doing your best at your current school. transferring will not necessarily guarantee a better GPA and without that, it won't matter so much what kind of 'name' school you go to.

 

[jmejia1]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by vyc:
•ugh, it disgusts me when pple get into schools not based on their own merits but bc of URM status.

.•••••ugh, it disgusts me when pple think that being a URM is a sure-fire way to get into med school.

i take particular insult because I don't want my classmates thinking I have crappy stats or that I recieved an acceptance based primarily on my ethnic background.

 

[vyc]

DO NOT put words in my mouth and misinterpret.

i never said that "being a URM is a sure-fire way to get into med school."

i was directly responding to SMW who admitted the advantages of being a URM.

does anyone else remember an article in the LA Times a couple years ago (or maybe it was last summer) about a URM who graduated from MIT and got accepted to USC med school? it was a blatant account of what goes on in admissions committees and how they deal with URMs. it was quite revealing.

•••quote:•••Originally posted by jmejia1:
•ugh, it disgusts me when pple think that being a URM is a sure-fire way to get into med school.

i take particular insult because I don't want my classmates thinking I have crappy stats or that I recieved an acceptance based primarily on my ethnic background.•••••

 

[Raptor]

.[/qb][/QUOTE]ugh, it disgusts me when pple think that being a URM is a sure-fire way to get into med school.

i take particular insult because I don't want my classmates thinking I have crappy stats or that I recieved an acceptance based primarily on my ethnic background.[/QB][/QUOTE]
I am a URM BUT I don't excuse that for being lazy, and unproductive. I want to have the best stats I can get to increase my chances for medical school. I think that the majority of the URM applicant feel the same way too. Your remarks are based on your misconception and ignorance toward minority applicants. I think my stats are pretty good right now and going to be better when I apply to medical school as a senior. I am not going to fall into the misconcieved notions of being a URM.

 

[efex101]

VYC was just stating that it irks when URM's might assume (not meaning this actually happens) that due to URM status it may make the road somewhat easier. I am also a URM and right now sitting on a 4.0 as a senior, with research experience, blah blah blah. I am competitive but I am not assuming anything. I may get in (hopefully) but then I may not get in, thus I will be applying to 20 schools (top ten to low) and see what happens. I know that I need awesome MCAT score to back up the high gpa and will study like hell to hopefully achieve this. There is always the possibility that when I apply there are many many excellent applicants and my application gets rejected. As a URM I am aware that there are less folks of my ethnic background applying and that medical schools are shooting for a diverse class makeup be it ethnic, gpa, gender, religion, etc..so maybe that may give me a leg up but in no way do I assume that I am a shoein....

 

[Raptor]

Efex, you are a stellar proof. I am sure you will get into some medical school. You are really a motivation.

 

[efex101]

Premeditate thank you for the kind words! 🙂
I sure hope you are right, we will see next year...by the way I forgot to mention that if you are interested in doing research next summer there are tons of programs for URM's and non-URM's out there. Most of them provide housing plus a stipend and it is a great experience. If you are interested PM and I will give you the POC's for some of those. I personally have two summer research experiences and loved both of them.