medical school transfer

[Eleven48]

Ok, so I don't know if people are going to even look at this thread anymore. But, there IS info out there about transferring. The info is posted on AAMC's website- here's the link:
http://services.aamc.org/tsp_reports/

And, it is possible to transfer in your 2nd year. You just have to check which schools have open spots. Obviously, as stated many times in all the earlier posts, you have to have a compelling reason and meet the qualification standards of the school and there are normally not a whole lot of spots (max of 5, as GujuDoc said) I know Northwestern took a transfer this year due to extreme hardship if that person remained where she/he was.

Thanks for the link! I checked this website but it is sorta confusing. What does LBA mean and are these just statistics or maximum numbers that they allow transfer out/in?

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[prettylady]

Thanks for the link! I checked this website but it is sorta confusing. What does LBA mean and are these just statistics or maximum numbers that they allow transfer out/in?

I have the same question

 

[Belleza156]

This thread is nearing 12 years since it was created. Why do people keeping bringing it back from the dead? Just create anew thread! What held true for med school transfers 10 years ago, is NO LONGER VALID. Plus it's really school specific. Whomever wants info about transferring to another medical school.....be wiser and CALL THEM directly and ask how they handle potential transfers, and if you must call ALL the schools that you would be interested in transferring into. Most will take 1-2 transfers a year after STEP 1, depending on whether or not people have failed out, opted out, or asked for a LOA. In the end why wouldn't they want your $30K in tuition they are losing out on, assuming you have the scores to make them look good come time for residency.

 

[seeking4]

Hi,

I'm pre-med and my fiance is a postdoc who will be applying for tenure track jobs in a year from now; I am a nontraditional student, and am ready to apply to schools this summer in TX (I'm a TX resident), however I know that he will not be able to get a tenure track job here since the school he works for does not hire its own postdocs. I am wondering if it is a good idea for me to try to get into a TX medical school here for the fall, and then look to transfer (after taking Step 1 after the first two years) to the same university (if it has an affiliated med school)/med school in the same area in which he would get a job. We will likely be married by then.

Alternatively, I can wait to apply to medical schools next summer when he applies for tenure track jobs all over the country, but I have no idea where he will land a job (especially given the current economic situation where academic jobs are pretty sparse). More importantly, due to the competitiveness of med school admissions, I don't even know if I"d get into a school near where he would get a job. Also, out of state schools would be a lot more expensive than the TX med schools.

Sorry for the long post; I am just desperate now for some advice. I have been working toward my goal of applying to medical school for the past few years after changing careers, and really want to apply this summer and try to get in somewhere; at the same time, I do not want to jeopardize my relationship with my fiance by possibly risking being away from each other for four years...

Thank you for any help!

 

[seeking4]

I would suggest waiting. Honestly you don't even know where he will end up or if there is a med school affiliated with the school he ends up at. That's a problem in and of itself because some schools may not allow transfers and some may and honestly its not so easy to just get a transfer like that if it is necessary. so it is not a good decision to start under the assumptiont hat you will be able to transfer down the road.

Not every school will be open to transfers. so you would not be wise to do such.

Thank you so much for your input. I graduated undergrad five years ago and grad school 4 years ago, so I guess I am just really antsy and want to start medical school soon (if I can get in); waiting would just prolong my timeline. I am just worried that my coursework is getting older and committees might wonder why I would wait to apply. I also don't want to lose momentum to apply next year. This is such a difficult choice; coordinating these two careers seems very impossible at this time, with so much uncertainty in the air. I will weigh out the pros and cons, I guess, and decide. I don't know of anyone else who's been in this position, so I appreciate any advice/input!

 

[Crashley1]

Hi, everyone!
I'm an M1 and already want to transfer, since the professors mess up concepts on a weekly basis, and I feel I am not receiving a good education. What tips do you have for transferring as soon as possible?
Thanks

 

[VisionaryTics]

Hi, everyone!
I'm an M1 and already want to transfer, since the professors mess up concepts on a weekly basis, and I feel I am not receiving a good education. What tips do you have for transferring as soon as possible?
Thanks

Not going to happen. Not liking your profs is not an extraordinary circumstance. Sorry.

 

[agnelson]

Hey everyone.
So I'd like some advice on my own situation. This last summer I moved to the east coast in a slightly rural setting to start med school at a somewhat smaller campus. I was a little unsure of the program at first, it had only been opened the previous year. I started a summer anatomy course and after a little while became pretty comfortable with everything; I made a lot of really good friends, I liked the area and community and the lifestyle. About a week and a half into the summer course I got an acceptance to a school on the west coast that was much more established and has a really good reputation. I wasn't really sure about it because I started getting really comfortable where I was. I talked to a lot of family and friends about it and everybody told me to go to the west coast school. In the end, I reluctantly accepted, thinking it was the better choice for future career options; really, I feel like I was talked into going to this other school. I still had a few weeks of the summer course to go and I became very close with my friends and really liked the format of teaching that they had at this school. The move was very difficult emotionally. I started fighting more often with my girlfriend over everything that had happened and unfortunately we ended our relationship shortly after I started on the west coast. I started school at this west coast school and have felt no connection whatsoever, as if I'm not actually a student here, like I still belong to the east coast school. I've been attempting to get involved in clubs, social events, study groups, you name it, and still I feel so isolated. The school is enormous and has no feeling of community or involvement; it's in the middle of a large metropolitan area, completely different from the nature setting of the east coast school. The curriculum feels pointless (we're currently only taking anatomy and a professionalism course and won't start on any science based courses until the end of the semester) while I hear from my friends at the east coast school that they're neck deep in courses like physiology, biochemistry, and immunology.
I guess this is not the place to air all my grievances of what has happened over the last couple of months, but I felt that some background was necessary. What I was hoping to get some advice on is whether or not it is possible to transfer back to my original medical school? I read something recently stating that it's particularly difficult to do so, but honestly, each time I think of myself here at this school for the next 4 years I become panicked and anxious thinking I'm stuck. Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[deleted716403]

Since you need a Dean's letter for transferring, think of how much damage it'd do if you ended up not being able to transfer and had to stay at your current school.

 

[agnelson]

Since you need a Dean's letter for transferring, think of how much damage it'd do if you ended up not being able to transfer and had to stay at your current school.

One of the requirements for transferring to the east coast school is to have assurance from the current school that if they are not accepted the student will still be welcomed back to their own school. So that's not really a concern of mine.

 

[Seth Joo]

I would like to learn more information on medical school transfers. I go to med school on the east coast but my fiance lives in California. I know that one school in california accepts transfers but does anyone know what my chances are? would you recommend transferring to another school during my medical education?

You need a really compelling reason to transfer to another school, and your Dean needs to support you, make an appointment with him, if you tell him its because you want to be with a significant other, I am not sure how he or she will respond. Also its hard to do this from Year 1 to Year 2, I knew someone at my school who did it, but he finished his first two years at my school and then went somewhere else for his final two years.

I believe at most schools you can go wherever you want for your clinical electives in your fourth year, so if you want to transfer for geographic reasons, take that into consideration.

 

[DokterMom]

If your friends at your old school are neck deep in immunology, physiology and biochem and you're only learning anatomy, imagine what would happen when you walk into second semester immunology having learned, uh...