Should I Transfer?

[Odd]

I am a junior, and I think I made have made a huge mistake of transferring from Egypt into Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. When I talked to my medical advisor and my biology professor (2 different people), I got the feeling they were both telling me that through FDU, Carrebean medical schools are the only way.

Not to mention, who would take a student from a not so well known university if they have schools such as Rutgers, NJIT, Montclair and Princeton?

I have been working quite hard (so far im a straight A student) and don't want ANYTHING to diminish my chances of being a worthy applicant. I think if I can finish my undergraduate studies with a 3.7+ and a 30+ MCAT score, I deserve something.

So, should I transfer to a more reputable university?

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[TheMightySmiter]

To be honest I'd never heard of this school, but I'm not from the East Coast so that's probably why. I don't think you have to transfer to another university to get accepted to med school, but by all means transfer if you feel like you aren't getting a good education. Students from all sorts of universities get into medical school, and those students from Princeton that you talk about might not have the GPA or MCAT scores that you do.

I can't really tell you whether or not you should or should not transfer schools. If you maintain a great GPA, get a good MCAT score, and have good ECs, there's no reason why the name of your undergrad institution should hold you back everywhere. I would only transfer if you feel as though you would be happier at a different school.

 

[Wheee]

Nobody's heard of my school except for the medical school in the same state. Even one state over people are like, "huh?" I swear it's accredited...

I don't know anything about your school but I imagine it will be better to go to undergrad at a US school. don't they have people who went to non-US/Canada schools take at least a year of classes somewhere here?

School name and prestige may matter at the top top schools, but the MCAT is the great equalizer. If your school teaches you what you need to know and you can study on your own, your MCAT will be fine.

 

[Odd]

The only fear I have of transferring is that I might lose some credits along the way. The best thing about FDU is that they accepted the majority of my credits with relative ease.

I just think that Medical schools would be more welcoming of a student from a more well known university within the area, than a private institution with little to no name.

When I talked to my medical advisor I surely did not get the news I was waiting to hear - they seem to have articulation agreements only with Medical Schools abroad and are pushing their students to try to get into there.

I think the best way to find out is buy calling a few medical schools themselves.

Then again, I'm sure the top Universities in NJ have managed to brign out at least 200 students with high MCAT grades and a high gpa. I just think that medical schools will be more accepting of them since their education is perceived to be better or more difficult.

 

[njbmd]

I am a junior, and I think I made have made a huge mistake of transferring from Egypt into Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. When I talked to my medical advisor and my biology professor (2 different people), I got the feeling they were both telling me that through FDU, Carrebean medical schools are the only way.

Not to mention, who would take a student from a not so well known university if they have schools such as Rutgers, NJIT, Montclair and Princeton?

I have been working quite hard (so far im a straight A student) and don't want ANYTHING to diminish my chances of being a worthy applicant. I think if I can finish my undergraduate studies with a 3.7+ and a 30+ MCAT score, I deserve something.

So, should I transfer to a more reputable university?

If your school is accredited, then you are getting the education that you need for application into medical school. If you keep your uGPA, master the subject matter for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and score well on this test, then you will be fine for medical school application provided you have a well-written personal statement, good letters from professors who know you well and good extracurricular experiences that show you have an interest and aptitude for medicine.

Everyone "thinks" that they can finish with a 3.7+ and 30+ MCAT score but the proof is in the performance. These things just don't happen that often as the average MCAT scores from year to year would indicate. With that being said, get out of the notion that your undergraduate school, rather than your performance at said school, is going to make a significant difference in whether or not you get accepted.

If most of the graduates of your undergraduate institution wind up in offshore medical schools, that says more about them as individuals than about the school.