Is it worth transferring from Depaul to UIUC for pre-med?

[Sahmed72]

I am a freshman and an English major going the pre-med track at Depaul. I initially wanted to go to UIUC (I got accepted), but I received zero scholarship and paying for the dorms was unrealistic. So I thought I would transfer after a year. However, now that I'm here, I realize that im doing relatively very well grade-wise, and receiving a pretty good scholarship right here at depaul. But UIUC is known for having the better science program.

So Im wondering if transferring to UIUC is still a good idea. Depaul is in the city, and is a comfortable environment for me. But UIUC is cheaper and could offer me the better education/chances at med school acceptance (?).

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[gyngyn]

There is insufficient difference (to us on the west coast: no difference) in the reputations of these two schools to recommend a transfer for the explicit purpose of improving your odds of acceptance. Just distinguish yourself.

 

[Aerus]

I am a freshman and an English major going the pre-med track at Depaul. I initially wanted to go to UIUC (I got accepted), but I received zero scholarship and paying for the dorms was unrealistic. So I thought I would transfer after a year. However, now that I'm here, I realize that im doing relatively very well grade-wise, and receiving a pretty good scholarship right here at depaul. But UIUC is known for having the better science program.

So Im wondering if transferring to UIUC is still a good idea. Depaul is in the city, and is a comfortable environment for me. But UIUC is cheaper and could offer me the better education/chances at med school acceptance (?).

The money you save (for med school later), your academic success at your new school, and your "good-fit" at Depaul outweight the benefits, in my opinion, of the better science program at UIUC.

I would stay at Depaul and OWN, if I were you.

 

[Kishan93]

After hearing multiple comments of friends that got suckered into staying in the Chicago area, I would say the benefits of UIUC far outweigh staying at DePaul, if cost can be managed.Illinois is a pretty broke state and UIUC generally just hands out loans unless you're a URM or have a hefty scholarship. Our science program is definitely not easier (we're a state school but don't expect an easy 4.0, or even close to that) and we learn alot more stuff (girlfriend is at UIC, their intro and 200 level classes are pretty remedial to what we learn in the first few weeks of class).Theres a few kids that I know that transferred here that retook the courses just so they could understand it better. I know that our school is practically in the middle of nowhere (i wake up every morning to cornfields..fun), there are plenty of opportunities of research if one tries (All the major science departments, Beckman Institute, IGB). We don't have a teaching hospital, but there are two major hospitals in the area that students volunteer at and special programs available to find shadowing opportunities. At first, I thought of transferring to a school like DePaul or UIC for cost and a bit of homesickness. Theres just too much of an opportunity cost (econ lol) to give up all the resources we have available to succeed and figured if that I was going to end up with debt after med school, a little more wouldn't hurt as bad

 

[daymann]

Another UIUC student here (senior). If you're happy with getting into any MD school (read: not gunning for top 20) the quality of education isn't all that important for med school acceptance. The quality of premed classes, admittedly, is important, but the variance in quality between different colleges isn't big enough by itself to justify transferring. The only good reason to transfer is for research/extracurricular opportunities IMO. Oh and also cost (that was confusing, which school is actually cheaper for you?).

 

[MrChance2]

Unless your parents are rich+generous and you don't want to leave Lincoln Park I'd do it solely because it is cheaper and there is no med admission downside.

 

[survivordo]

Stay where the money is especially since you seem relatively happy there! Your bank account in your 30's will thank you!

Survivor DO

 

[Lamel]

Go wherever you feel you will be happiest.

 

[Letrie]

Medical schools don't care about your undergrad unless you go to Harvard, and even then not that much.

 

[Josh7]

I chose uiuc over a full ride at loyola for pre med, and over northwestern, uchicago, and berkley because I thought it would be easier and I regret it more than anything on earth. Pre-med advising here is terrible, grade deflation is terrible, and its an engineering school so the science classes are in general just terrible. Just took physics. Got an 83% in that class. Tell me how it makes any sense that they LOWERED the grading scale so an 83 is a c+. Yet they kept a 90 at an A (not a-, A). The only people I know who are doing good here are the ones that did non science and took all pre-reqs at community colleges.

I'd say in general don't go to engineering schools for pre-med...and even worse is a giant public engineering school for pre-med.

Engineering pre-med here and I'm going to have to disagree with most of what you said. I have no problem pulling off a decent GPA even with the grade deflation. Maybe choosing a school based on what you thought would be "easiest" was a pretty bad idea in general.

I've taken all of my physics and the reason why they have an 83 as a C+ is because there is such a huge percentage of kids who are in the A range already.

Don't complain because you can't keep up.

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

Go where you will not have to take out loans. If loans are not an issue (like if your parents are paying) then go where you will get the best GPA, especially since it sounds like DePaul is a known quantity and the other school may be harder.