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[DrDriven07]

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[Goro]

Go where you are happiest.

 

[WedgeDawg]

You can get into any medical school from any US 4 year institution. A near perfect GPA and high MCAT score from any of those schools can make you competitive for any school in the country.

 

[Turkishking]

UG doesn't matter. 4.0 at a no name state school beats a 3.3 from Harvard. And don't let people tell you otherwise because there are tons of misinformed people outside of SDN

 

[WedgeDawg]

UG doesn't matter. 4.0 at a no name state school beats a 3.3 from Harvard. And don't let people tell you otherwise because there are tons of misinformed people outside of SDN

Fair warning to OP, this isn't exactly true in that it ignores nuances that may be important elsewhere, and the 4.0 vs 3.3 comment, while probably true, isn't really an issue at the heart of the argument, but for your purposes, it doesn't really matter.

 

[Goro]

I would be happy at either place. Happiness isn't what I am asking.

flip a coin then

 

[libertyyne]

Fair warning to OP, this isn't exactly true in that it ignores nuances that may be important elsewhere, and the 4.0 vs 3.3 comment, while probably true, isn't really an issue at the heart of the argument, but for your purposes, it doesn't really matter.

A 3.4 @ mit in electrical engineering is > 4.0 @ random x school most days of the week.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

I would be happy at either place. Happiness isn't what I am asking.

Go to the cheapest option then.

 

[Killer Tomato]

If you have the grades and the financial means, it would be better to transfer because:

1. KSU does not have the same research opportunities as UGA or Emory
2. It does not have the same level of premed advising staff to guide you
3. Within GA at least, KSU is not considered on the same level as the other schools.
4. Talking to admissions staff at Hopkins, Vanderbilt, and Georgia Regents, they do take into consideration the rigor of the undergraduate school attended.

The ultimate answer would come from knowing how many KSU graduates get into med school (especially without having to take a gap year) and to what schools they are admitted.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[mw18]

Hi, I am deciding between transferring to uga or Emory after my first two years at Kennesaw state. I heard adcoms don't care what school you attend, so would staying at Kennesaw State and getting a 4.0 GPA better than attending Emory or UGA? I am asking this strictly on the GPA point of view. I know that just having good grades and a decent MCAT score isn't really enough.

If you have the grades and the financial means, it would be better to transfer because:

1. KSU does not have the same research opportunities as UGA or Emory
2. It does not have the same level of premed advising staff to guide you
3. Within GA at least, KSU is not considered on the same level as the other schools.
4. Talking to admissions staff at Hopkins, Vanderbilt, and Georgia Regents, they do take into consideration the rigor of the undergraduate school attended.

The ultimate answer would come from knowing how many KSU graduates get into med school (especially without having to take a gap year) and to what schools they are admitted.

Good luck with your decision.

Most important question, how close would a Willy's Mexicana Grill be to UGA or Emory? Follow up question, have you eaten at those other Willy's Mexicana Grills to see if their standards are high enough?

And, yeah, rigor is considered, but I went there and graduated from a similar school after transferring (regrettably to a school not in as close of proximity to a Willy's) and I was accepted to two out of those three schools listed and attend one with GPA not being weak but being the least strong aspect of my application. Not a humblebrag, just saying that it can be done. I didn't have powerhouse research either. Doing well at a school like KSU, paired up with a great MCAT and a well-rounded application that you craft well, can get you anywhere. I agree it would be easier to get there with all things being equal from Emory (not UGA, not enough of a difference), but when considering that it may be more difficult there it's not as sure of a bet.

But if you can be happy at any of the places and can afford Emory, scope out the Willy's situation and then go with your heart.

Edit: OP feel free to PM with any questions about your situation. Or for burrito suggestions.

 

[Killer Tomato]

Have to totally disagree that UGA isn't much different from KSU. During last year's cycle, UGA had admits to Harvard, Hopkins, Cornell, Yale, and WashU. That's on the same par as Emory undergraduates. Both sent about the same % to MCG. Also, had about the same % that went to a gap year or changed direction completely.

Again, I stress that you should check KSU med school admits (where they're going and how many got in). How many made it to top 20 schools? What kind of scholarship money did they get? Where do they go on to residencies? That's where your real answer lies. Rigor does matter.

 

[DrDriven07]

Have to totally disagree that UGA isn't much different from KSU. During last year's cycle, UGA had admits to Harvard, Hopkins, Cornell, Yale, and WashU. That's on the same par as Emory undergraduates. Both sent about the same % to MCG. Also, had about the same % that went to a gap year or changed direction completely.

Again, I stress that you should check KSU med school admits (where they're going and how many got in). How many made it to top 20 schools? What kind of scholarship money did they get? Where do they go on to residencies? That's where your real answer lies. Rigor does matter.

Yes, I do need to look that up. Do you know some links to find this information? Or what I should search?

 

[efle]

UG doesn't matter

i know you know this isn't true, I've had to link the AAMC survey after you said it several times before lmao

OP, Emory is a major premed powerhouse (20% of graduating seniors apply to MD school there) and will be a well known place to adcoms with a lot of resources for the students there interested in medicine. The student body is also very academically capable, but if you've already done all the prereqs and will just be taking upper levels in your major of interest, it should not be overwhelmingly hard to pull a competitive GPA.

I'd rather have a 4.0 from State than a 3.3 from Emory, but I'd rather have a 3.8 at Emory than a 3.8 at State.

 

[mw18]

Have to totally disagree that UGA isn't much different from KSU. During last year's cycle, UGA had admits to Harvard, Hopkins, Cornell, Yale, and WashU. That's on the same par as Emory undergraduates. Both sent about the same % to MCG. Also, had about the same % that went to a gap year or changed direction completely.

Again, I stress that you should check KSU med school admits (where they're going and how many got in). How many made it to top 20 schools? What kind of scholarship money did they get? Where do they go on to residencies? That's where your real answer lies. Rigor does matter.

No adcom is going to see UGA and then look at the applicant's GPA and think of it any differently than a KSU GPA. UGA is a fine school, but it's not a top academic institution. Emory obviously has more pedigree. People from other parts of the country will know what UGA is more so than KSU, because it's the state university. But the school attended is already a smaller factor in applications, a small difference in a small factor won't push the needle. As far as getting admits to top schools, that could be correlative instead of causative or for other factors than the reputation of the institution (research or advising, but I find these less likely). It's more than likely a correlation between the type of student interested in the different universities, but that is not the same thing as an inherent advantage coming from UGA. Or it's just noise or no difference at all.

Obviously just my situation but when I look at the people in my class and the classes above and below there are consistently people from top undergrads (Ivy, Stanford, top tech schools like MIT, schools like Berkeley, Duke, Emory, and Vanderbilt, and top public schools like Michigan and North Carolina). And then a bunch of people from state public schools and small liberal arts schools. It's probably more slanted to the top schools, but even if it were 50/50 that's still a huge preference for those. But one state public school over another state public school? If it's not a school like Michigan, it just doesn't happen that way.

 

[efle]

I'd go Emory if you've already done the prereqs and would just be taking upper-levels of your choosing

 

[cactusman]

Emory doesn't release transfer decisions until Tuesday, so I'm not sure why OP is making this decision now...

 

[efle]

wait what

OP has this all been hypothetical and assuming you actually get into both of these as a transfer applicant ??

 

[mw18]

wait what

OP has this all been hypothetical and assuming you actually get into both of these as a transfer applicant ??

I always assumed he was talking about a future decision. As in, should his plan be to try to transfer or stay at KSU?

 

[efle]

I always assumed he was talking about a future decision. As in, should his plan be to try to transfer or stay at KSU?

...I suppose I'm just surprised OP would be worrying years in advance about a transfer decision to a place that only admits like 25% of transfer apps

 

[efle]

I have aspirations of attending a top tier allopathic medical school

Emory would absolutely be the easiest route for building a top MD competitive app

 

[efle]

I don't think I am worrying about a possible decision 2 years away. I am just trying to keep my options open. Getting into medical school isn't a cake walk, so I want to be prepared for whatever gets thrown my way.

My sibling applies to college next year, do you think he should go to Stanford or Harvard? He wants to go to top-tier professional school after

 

[cactusman]

My sibling applies to college next year, do you think he should go to Stanford or Harvard? He wants to go to top-tier professional school after

I'd recommend he attend Duke on the Robertson scholarship.

 

[efle]

I don't understand why your asking me this question...

It was rhetorical, the answer being "he needs to get in first, he should apply for both and then worry about crossing that bridge if he comes to it" !

 

[efle]

The whole point of my original question was to act as a hypothetical scenario. The scenario being if I had the option to transfer to UGA or Emory (assuming I was accepted to both schools) which would make me a more competitive applicant to top teir medical schools or would staying at KSU be the best option.

What hypothetical GPA are you gonna get at KSU, a 4.0? What hypothetical GPA are you gonna get a Emory?

I mistakenly thought you were holding a 4.0 after a couple years at KSU and deciding whether to follow through on one of your transfer admits. If that ends up being you in a couple years, then I'd advise what I did above - go to Emory. If you get the transfer admits but are getting an average GPA (say ~3.6-3.7) at KSU then there is more reason to hesitate, and if you end up in the large majority not given the transfer admit then obviously it's a moot point altogether!

 

[mw18]

What hypothetical GPA are you gonna get at KSU, a 4.0? What hypothetical GPA are you gonna get a Emory?

I mistakenly thought you were holding a 4.0 after a couple years at KSU and deciding whether to follow through on one of your transfer admits. If that ends up being you in a couple years, then I'd advise what I did above - go to Emory. If you get the transfer admits but are getting an average GPA (say ~3.6-3.7) at KSU then there is more reason to hesitate, and if you end up in the large majority not given the transfer admit then obviously it's a moot point altogether!

I understand where you're coming from because it hinges on many hypotheticals, but I think there's some merit in the original question. Should his first two years be molded towards a transfer or sticking it out? He could take courses that are better for transfer, etc. I completely get what you're saying, but having an idea of where he wants to go is also important. I mean the statistically probable thing is OP changes their mind on medicine anyway.

 

[RocuROMANium]

Hi, I am deciding between transferring to uga or Emory after my first two years at Kennesaw state. I heard adcoms don't care what school you attend, so would staying at Kennesaw State and getting a 4.0 GPA better than attending Emory or UGA? I am asking this strictly on the GPA point of view. I know that just having good grades and a decent MCAT score isn't really enough.

I went to KSU for two years and transferred to UGA. UGA was much harder than KSU. At the time, KSU wasn't even a ranked research school and UGA was an R1. So if that was still the case I would definitely say go to UGA. However, that has changed since KSU is now an R3 school which means there are more opportunities for research and more upper level science courses that are offered now that weren't when I was there. KSU has definitely stepped its game up but UGA still has more resources, opportunities, and a more rigorous program that at the very least prepares you better for medical school. I can't speak on Emory.

These guys keep on talking about how it matters where you went for undergrad but most of the medical school websites I have visited say otherwise.