Pre-dents, help me out. Should I transfer?

[Cofo]

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I'm 22. I'm still living at home, and I'm tired of...all of this. I want to get out, and do something more fun and interesting. My undergrad is small. Only 6,000 students. I'm very limited on the kind of degree I can get here...I don't want to get a degree in biology or chemistry...I like it, but I want to use this time I have to learn something that REALLY interests me...like anthropology and/or philosophy.

Here's the deal:

I am thinking of transferring to a bigger university this fall.
I am taking my DAT next month. I'm going to apply to dental school next spring, and hopefully start dental school in summer/fall 2012.
Thus...I won't be graduating from undergrad until Spring 2012.

Does me transferring to a bigger university sound like a smart plan? The only difference in cost is that I would have to pay for room and board (and food of course.)

If I stay here, I'll still be graduating in 2012, but I'll have another boring, 2 years of life to waste on getting a degree in history (that's my major right now).

 

[darkwalk]

If you think you will like it much better, then go for it! Usually if you find something interesting, better grades comes naturally. That will only help you to get into dental school.

 

[slm266]

I transferred after my freshman year to a more competitive school, and my grades actually improved.

 

[peanutb123]

I'm 22. I'm still living at home, and I'm tired of...all of this. I want to get out, and do something more fun and interesting. My undergrad is small. Only 6,000 students. I'm very limited on the kind of degree I can get here...I don't want to get a degree in biology or chemistry...I like it, but I want to use this time I have to learn something that REALLY interests me...like anthropology and/or philosophy.

Here's the deal:

I am thinking of transferring to a bigger university this fall.
I am taking my DAT next month. I'm going to apply to dental school next spring, and hopefully start dental school in summer/fall 2012.
Thus...I won't be graduating from undergrad until Spring 2012.

Does me transferring to a bigger university sound like a smart plan? The only difference in cost is that I would have to pay for room and board (and food of course.)

If I stay here, I'll still be graduating in 2012, but I'll have another boring, 2 years of life to waste on getting a degree in history (that's my major right now).

I personally would not do it. Waste of money & Time. I apologize in advance if i offend anyone.
The majors that you picked Anthropology? Philosophy? and in your univ. its not like you are getting biology or chemistry degree instead you are getting history. Lets face the truth... if you do not get into dental school as planned in 2012... no matter what there are not many job options available most likely you will end up with hourly wage job...

So save money now... Plus you might not fulfill all of their pre req. before you graduate.
Instead i would spend that money take more biology classes because d-schools want to see more biology classes than just basic bio 1, 2
hope this helps good luck.

 

[ashes2ashes]

So coming from a campus of 20,000+ undergrads (and very competitive) I think there are a few things to consider.

-Did you finish all your pre-reqs and did you do well? It may depend on the difficulty level between the two schools you are deciding on, but all my friends who went to smaller universities had a lot more one-on-one time with their professors. As a result, they had a easier time getting concepts etc. etc.

-Do you have LORs from professors who personally know you? Honestly, most of my science classes had a minimum of 100 students and the largest classes had close to 1,000+ students. Getting LORs are a real hassle in these kinds of situations.

I think these are the only 2 main things that a large campus may hinder you when it comes to dental school. If you have these things covered, go for it! I loved my school and all the options that came with it. I was able to be apart of some obscure clubs, take random, but informative, courses and had a lot of fun meeting new people every weekend.

Yes it may be a little bit more expensive, but as long as you put yourself out there I say the experience is worth the price.

 

[321931]

No. It's not worth it. I wanted to do the same thing but three things held me back.

A) It's alot harder to make new friends when you're not a freshman since cliques/friend groups are already established.

B)You won't have time to "explore" considering you will be taking harder classes+DAT

C)Don't take things for GRANTED! Although it may seem like your current situation "sucks", don't take it for granted! I really evaluated my situation and found that I have the bestest friends in the world at my current college. Why leave?

Ultimately, its you're call though. I was planning on transferring to a UCs; however, I'm glad I didn't in the end.

 

[doc toothache]

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence or so it seems.

 

[Huskk]

I was considering transferring but chose not to because of LORs and ECs. I had a couple letter writers (profs and dentists) who I planned on further developing a relationship with through additional classes/more shadowing. Also, I don't know how involved you are at your current school but (re)gaining leadership positions in student organizations can be pretty challenging for a new student at a large school.

 

[PaulieGualtieri]

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence or so it seems.

Couldn't say it better myself.

 

[iluvdentistry]

Another thing to consider if you did decide to transfer would be how many credits/classes would transfer over. If the new school does not accept a fair amount, you would really have to work hard to finish everything by 2012. That's not guaranteed though, so it may work out, but you have to evaluate that situation and see if you're willing to put in some hard work. Coming from a small school myself, I couldn't be happier. I love how connected I am on my campus and have got many opportunities that I may have not received if I went to a bigger school. Just need to weigh your options I suppose...