Necessary to transfer undergrad? Pitt vs UMich

[wtlax11]

I'm kicking around the idea of transfering for my sophomore year (next year) and I was wondering if anyone had any input on exactly how beneficial it is to attend a more prestigious undergrad when applying to med school.

I currently go to Pitt but, thus far, I'm decently disapointed with the caliber of both fellow students and overall academic enviroment. If I transferred, it would most likely be to Michigan (I'm fairly confident I can get in) but my question is simply, is it worth it? Would a med school application from Michigan pull substantially more weight than a Pitt application? Obviously Michigan is a better school but I want to be certain that it's the right decision, for transferring may be a huge hassle.

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[TheMightySmiter]

I would advise that you only transfer if you're having quality-of-life problems or if you think you would be significantly happier at UMich than you are at Pitt. Your grades, MCAT scores, ECs, etc. will make far more of a difference in your app than your undergrad institution. Although it is possible that UMich will have better research opportunities if you're interested in research. Otherwise, transferring is usually a huge pain in the ass. Probably not worth it unless you're really unhappy where you are.

 

[harvman11]

Probably not. I honestly don't know much about Pitt, but you will be amazed at the stupidity of people at any school. Unless you've spent time at Michigan and really feel like it's a significantly better environment for you, I wouldn't recommend it.

In terms of the prestige, you might get a little bit of a boost, but from what I understand what undergrad institution you attend isn't too big an issue in terms of admissions.

 

[Bearie]

I'm kicking around the idea of transfering for my sophomore year (next year) and I was wondering if anyone had any input on exactly how beneficial it is to attend a more prestigious undergrad when applying to med school.

I currently go to Pitt but, thus far, I'm decently disapointed with the caliber of both fellow students and overall academic enviroment. If I transferred, it would most likely be to Michigan (I'm fairly confident I can get in) but my question is simply, is it worth it? Would a med school application from Michigan pull substantially more weight than a Pitt application? Obviously Michigan is a better school but I want to be certain that it's the right decision, for transferring may be a huge hassle.

I don't think either has a terribly prestigious undergrad, but both have great med schools. There are hundreds of threads that seem to conclude that undergrad prestige has a minimal impact on med school acceptance. While I believe it does carry some weight, I think you'd almost have to go from Pitt to Harvard and carry the same GPA to get much a boost.

 

[Contrarian]

yeah, doesn't seem like it's worth it to transfer, unless you really don't like Pitt. I loved Pitt when I interviewed there, it seems like it would have been fun to be an undergrad there too. There must be a bunch of great clinical and research opportunities for pre-meds.

 

[Clairea11]

If you haven't already, maybe you should plan out a college visit to UMich and visit some classes.

 

[mmmcdowe]

I'm kicking around the idea of transfering for my sophomore year (next year) and I was wondering if anyone had any input on exactly how beneficial it is to attend a more prestigious undergrad when applying to med school.

I currently go to Pitt but, thus far, I'm decently disapointed with the caliber of both fellow students and overall academic enviroment. If I transferred, it would most likely be to Michigan (I'm fairly confident I can get in) but my question is simply, is it worth it? Would a med school application from Michigan pull substantially more weight than a Pitt application? Obviously Michigan is a better school but I want to be certain that it's the right decision, for transferring may be a huge hassle.

Most definitely not, assuming the app is the same. At this point, you could hurt yourself by transferring if you intend to apply during your senior year, because you are going to lose the continuity of any long term or leadership directed ECs (example: maybe you would be president of something next year if you stayed, but you'll just be a new member at UM).