Switching Schools?

[HopelessGirl]

How does it look to admissions if you switch from a top school to a pretty low rated school? My parents believe this would be viewed negatively.

But I'm honestly sick of my friends being able to take 4 Biology Classes, Orgo, and working full time and managing to get all A's. I know that going to an easier school might mean I will have a harsh awakening if I do go to medical school, but I need to get there first right? And right now I don't even have a B average.

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[cyberchicken001]

How does it look to admissions if you switch from a top school to a pretty low rated school? My parents believe this would be viewed negatively.

But I'm honestly sick of my friends being able to take 4 Biology Classes, Orgo, and working full time and managing to get all A's. I know that going to an easier school might mean I will have a harsh awakening if I do go to medical school, but I need to get there first right? And right now I don't even have a B average.

If you can't pull off a B average at your current school, I can't imagine medical schools being that impressed with your higher GPA which only came after switching to the inferior school. I would stick it out and try to improve at the school you're at now, and then maybe think about transferring.

 

[Dr. Biology]

If you can't pull off a B average at your current school, I can't imagine medical schools being that impressed with your higher GPA which only came after switching to the inferior school. I would stick it out and try to improve at the school you're at now, and then maybe think about transferring.

Why is it when I say things like that people get mad??? lol

 

[HopelessGirl]

Why is it when I say things like that people get mad??? lol

I don't know, makes perfect sense to me. That's the only thing keeping me in this hell hole.

 

[HopelessGirl]

If you can't pull off a B average at your current school, I can't imagine medical schools being that impressed with your higher GPA which only came after switching to the inferior school. I would stick it out and try to improve at the school you're at now, and then maybe think about transferring.

If I could do that I wouldn't transfer.

 

[Dr. Biology]

I don't know, makes perfect sense to me. That's the only thing keeping me in this hell hole.

haha! but to stay on topic, I think your best bet is to really think whither medicine is for you. If you don't mind me asking, why medicine? Its only going to to get harder, and to succeed you need to to get it in gear till graduation

 

[Ace-Co-A]

Why are you struggling and with which classes?

 

[HopelessGirl]

Why are you struggling and with which classes?

Exams, I think I have it all down then I score significantly lower than I thought I would. All science classes.

 

[HopelessGirl]

haha! but to stay on topic, I think your best bet is to really think whither medicine is for you. If you don't mind me asking, why medicine? Its only going to to get harder, and to succeed you need to to get it in gear till graduation

I am willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means transferring from my "dream school". Of course it is for me, I just don't want to spend years making up my mistakes instead of taking a more direct approach.

 

[Ace-Co-A]

Exams, I think I have it all down then I score significantly lower than I thought I would. All science classes.

Exam anxiety can affect the best of us. If this is the case (even if you don't want to admit it on a forum), you should seek out help from your university's counseling services. It may not be the kind of thing that can be resolved by transferring.

If it is not something like that, maybe your studying habits are not as reliable as you think. You say that your friends are doing well while working a lot of hours. Talk with them about how they study and try to figure out how you can streamline your own methods. I wonder if the problem you've described is really only a perception and not a true indication that you are not doing well. What are you current grades? Or are you saying that you're not doing well based solely on performances on a few exams?

Best of luck.

 

[Dr. Biology]

Exams, I think I have it all down then I score significantly lower than I thought I would. All science classes.

how do you study? like methods and time per subject per day etc.

 

[HopelessGirl]

Exam anxiety can affect the best of us. If this is the case (even if you don't want to admit it on a forum), you should seek out help from your university's counseling services. It may not be the kind of thing that can be resolved by transferring.

If it is not something like that, maybe your studying habits are not as reliable as you think. You say that your friends are doing well while working a lot of hours. Talk with them about how they study and try to figure out how you can streamline your own methods. I wonder if the problem you've described is really only a perception and not a true indication that you are not doing well. What are you current grades? Or are you saying that you're not doing well based solely on performances on a few exams?

Best of luck.

Yes, my friends go to the school I want to transfer to. Their exams are basically "filling in" sentences/diagrams from their Biology books, very easy.

I do have test anxiety, but it has gotten better.

I do below average on most exams meaning I got C's in Chemistry and B-'s in Biology (easier curve).

 

[HopelessGirl]

how do you study? like methods and time per subject per day etc.

Wayyyy too much time per class, I realize quality of time > quantity, but still.
I first read and make sure I understand and not just memorize. I then reread and write down key notes to study from. Then I go through lectures, if I need to. This is what I'm currently doing for my Biology exam. I am finishing up the notes process and after my History exam, going through all 30 hours of lecture that's been posted. I'll then relate them to my notes.

This is what I also did for our quizzes/midterm but it was a shorter process, obviously.

 

[solitarius]

But I'm honestly sick of my friends being able to take 4 Biology Classes, Orgo, and working full time and managing to get all A's. I know that going to an easier school might mean I will have a harsh awakening if I do go to medical school, but I need to get there first right? And right now I don't even have a B average.

What if you transfer and find yourself getting mostly B's and B pluses?

 

[Dr. Biology]

maybe you need less distractions... lol I mean I put maybe an hour 1-1.5 hrs a day in biology (reading the book and lecture notes) and an hour in chemistry (reading and pract, probs) and I tend to stay in the B+ to A range. one thing I have learned about studying is the earlier you start it before the exam the longer you have to prepare yourself. you study at a steady pace till 2 weeks before the exam then start reviewing and quizzing yourself, get help from the prof. early on. compare studying to dooms day preppers, the more you "prep" and the longer you "prep" the more prepared you will be when the time comes

 

[HopelessGirl]

What if you transfer and find yourself getting mostly B's and B pluses?

I highly doubt that would happen. I could probably get B+'s without doing anything. My best friend shows up on first day (syllabus) and exam days and manages A's.

I could always take a summer course to make sure?

 

[HopelessGirl]

maybe you need less distractions... lol I mean I put maybe an hour 1-1.5 hrs a day in biology (reading the book and lecture notes) and an hour in chemistry (reading and pract, probs) and I tend to stay in the B+ to A range. one thing I have learned about studying is the earlier you start it before the exam the longer you have to prepare yourself. you study at a steady pace till 2 weeks before the exam then start reviewing and quizzing yourself, get help from the prof. early on. compare studying to dooms day preppers, the more you "prep" and the longer you "prep" the more prepared you will be when the time comes

Well, does your school severely deflate? Are there 36 ACT's/perfect high schoolers who push the curve severely to the right?

I understand this may come off bitchy, but the fact that you only put in an hour for Chemistry a day might prove my point in terms of how much work one must put in different schools to get good grades.

 

[CollegeGirl94]

If practice tests are offered (or look up similar ones in schools with equal rigor), take them under a timed/test-like environment. Other than that, work hard everyday and not just during exams like now. Most importantly, don't give yourself the "out" of transferring until you are absolutely certain you need and want to.

 

[sourdoughllama]

Well, does your school severely deflate? Are there 36 ACT's/perfect high schoolers who push the curve severely to the right?

I understand this may come off bitchy, but the fact that you only put in an hour for Chemistry a day might prove my point in terms of how much work one must put in different schools to get good grades.

Yeah, it does come off as bitchy, sorry. It seems like he was just trying to help you out with possible study methods. The fact that he can pull off good grades with 1 hr of study time per day says nothing about his school vs yours. Who is to say he doesn't go to MIT and is a genius? I'm sure there are plenty of smart people at U of Chicago pulling As in classes putting in half the effort you're putting in, and there are people who are flunking classes putting in twice as much work as you. You've made several threads about your situation - what are you trying to get out of this? You can:
1- take people's study tactics and improve
2- transfer and stop worrying about your GPA
3- stay and don't change

 

[solitarius]

This is what I wrote in another thread. I'm sure my school is less regarded than yours. Hope you find your easy 4 year college out there tho.

Just looked up online the actual grade distributions for some pre-reqs I took:

Bio 1: 6 out of 138 got an A.
Bio 2: 3 out of 105 got an A
Ochem 1: 5 out of 95 got an A
Genetics: 5 out of 95 got an A

Ochem2 and GChem1 had a pretty generous curve with 20%+ getting solid A's.

 

[knv2u]

How does it look to admissions if you switch from a top school to a pretty low rated school? My parents believe this would be viewed negatively.

But I'm honestly sick of my friends being able to take 4 Biology Classes, Orgo, and working full time and managing to get all A's. I know that going to an easier school might mean I will have a harsh awakening if I do go to medical school, but I need to get there first right? And right now I don't even have a B average.

It will, but so will having a low GPA. There is a trade-off. A sub-par GPA from a top school won't save you.

 

[HopelessGirl]

Yeah, it does come off as bitchy, sorry. It seems like he was just trying to help you out with possible study methods. The fact that he can pull off good grades with 1 hr of study time per day says nothing about his school vs yours. Who is to say he doesn't go to MIT and is a genius? I'm sure there are plenty of smart people at U of Chicago pulling As in classes putting in half the effort you're putting in, and there are people who are flunking classes putting in twice as much work as you. You've made several threads about your situation - what are you trying to get out of this? You can:
1- take people's study tactics and improve
2- transfer and stop worrying about your GPA
3- stay and don't change

If he comes from MIT, then I wouldn't take his advice because he is clearly a natural genius. If he goes to a school like one I want to transfer to, then again I wouldn't take his study advice as it proves my point of needing to transfer. May come off bitchy, but "lol I get As with 1 hour of work" kind of infuriates me further?

 

[HopelessGirl]

This is what I wrote in another thread. I'm sure my school is less regarded than yours. Hope you find your easy 4 year college out there tho.

I hope so too. Because I would be top in a school that accepted anybody with a pulse so the grade distribution wouldn't matter. I now know this is what I need to do. Thanks.

 

[Davida]

I transferred from a top 10 liberal arts to one that was lower ranked (albeit still probably considered top tier). I got asked about my transfer at almost every school I interviewed at. Fortunately, I had a very good reason for transferring that was entirely unrelated to academics.

I don't know if I got asked because of the shift in ranking, or just because it's unusual to see a student switch halfway through. But I can't imagine that it'll look good if you don't have an answer besides "I thought it would be easier."

ETA: Also, switching didn't really affect the difficulty. I did perform better, but that was mostly because of the environment shift.
ETA #2: ALSO, transferring sucks in other ways.

 

[Dr. Biology]

Well, does your school severely deflate? Are there 36 ACT's/perfect high schoolers who push the curve severely to the right?

I understand this may come off bitchy, but the fact that you only put in an hour for Chemistry a day might prove my point in terms of how much work one must put in different schools to get good grades.

maybe, its a state school and not ivy league, but the class test averages in the Pre-Req classes I have taken has been between between a 65-72.. they don't make it easy, and they don't curve. What I am getting at is efficiency , you could stare at case studies, power points and textbooks till your eyes bleed or put 1-2 hours a day in every single day up until the test and make the most of your time. also, if you might have heard, learning is like launching an airplane, it takes a lot of fuel to get it in the air, but once its there you can maintain at a steady altitude without exerting so much energy.

 

[knv2u]

How does it look to admissions if you switch from a top school to a pretty low rated school? My parents believe this would be viewed negatively.

But I'm honestly sick of my friends being able to take 4 Biology Classes, Orgo, and working full time and managing to get all A's. I know that going to an easier school might mean I will have a harsh awakening if I do go to medical school, but I need to get there first right? And right now I don't even have a B average.

P.S. Please define "top school" for us.

 

[knv2u]

maybe, its a state school and not ivy league, but the class test averages in the Pre-Req classes I have taken has been between between a 65-72.. they don't make it easy, and they don't curve. What I am getting at is efficiency , you could stare at case studies, power points and textbooks till your eyes bleed or put 1-2 hours a day in every single day up until the test and make the most of your time. also, if you might have heard, learning is like launching an airplane, it takes a lot of fuel to get it in the air, but once its there you can maintain at a steady altitude without exerting so much energy.

I agree with this. OP, it doesn't matter if you spend 20 hours per class per week, if you aren't studying efficiently/effectively, you're tilting at windmills. It is better to learn this now than bombing medical school.

 

[HopelessGirl]

maybe, its a state school and not ivy league, but the class test averages in the Pre-Req classes I have taken has been between between a 65-72.. they don't make it easy, and they don't curve. What I am getting at is efficiency , you could stare at case studies, power points and textbooks till your eyes bleed or put 1-2 hours a day in every single day up until the test and make the most of your time. also, if you might have heard, learning is like launching an airplane, it takes a lot of fuel to get it in the air, but once its there you can maintain at a steady altitude without exerting so much energy.

I completely agree, but the problem is, my 10 efficient hours of studying everyday will not match my genius friend's 10 hours of studying a day.

 

[HopelessGirl]

P.S. Please define "top school" for us.

Already mentioned in this thread.

 

[HopelessGirl]

Damn, I am so beyond screwed either way. Can't say I wasn't warned by everyone on College Confidential of not attending my school if I was premed.

 

[knv2u]

Already mentioned in this thread.

I don't see it. Even among top 10 schools, not all grades are created equally and there are some with a reputation for being harder than others in terms of grading. This says nothing about how smart or qualified the students are.

Edited to add:

P.S. There were plenty of students in my graduating class with 1600/2400 SAT scores (depending on date of administration) and 36 ACT scores, and there were classes at my school where I spent less than an hour a week and received an A. And I don't think people would call the class inflated. At the same time, there were other classes that required an ordinate amount of time (like our evil organic chemistry lab course that I have posted about before, but I won't digress).

 

[HopelessGirl]

I don't see it. Even among top 10 schools, not all grades are created equally and there are some with a reputation for being harder than others in terms of grading. This says nothing about how smart or qualified the students are.

Sorry, U of Chicago.

 

[sourdoughllama]

Damn, I am so beyond screwed either way. Can't say I wasn't warned by everyone on College Confidential of not attending my school if I was premed.

Did you consider the possibility that UC just isn't the right school for you? I mean, I understand it takes a lot to get in, but not everyone who gets into a school can succeed at that school (and others end up at the very top). It might look bad to transfer to an easier school, but then I doubt a sub-3.0 from anywhere will be favorable. At least with a higher GPA from another school, some schools might be okay with that. I doubt schools are okay with sub-3.0

 

[solitarius]

maybe, its a state school and not ivy league, but the class test averages in the Pre-Req classes I have taken has been between between a 65-72.. they don't make it easy, and they don't curve.

This +++++. There are reasons why many college students get D's and F's. Don't expect the low mean to save you.

If you really think you'll be more successful and happier, definitely transfer. BUT your friend sounds like she's talking smack. Also, I can't see someone jumping from 2.5 to 4.0 in the sciences. Call me skeptical.

 

[HopelessGirl]

Did you consider the possibility that UC just isn't the right school for you? I mean, I understand it takes a lot to get in, but not everyone who gets into a school can succeed at that school (and others end up at the very top). It might look bad to transfer to an easier school, but then I doubt a sub-3.0 from anywhere will be favorable. At least with a higher GPA from another school, some schools might be okay with that. I doubt schools are okay with sub-3.0

I'll stay until the end of the year and decide what to do then. I could raise it to above a 3.0 by the end of the year, but let's be honest, that won't happen.

 

[HopelessGirl]

This +++++. There are reasons why many college students get D's and F's. Don't expect the low mean to save you.

If you really think you'll be more successful and happier, definitely transfer. BUT your friend sounds like she's talking smack. Also, I can't see someone jumping from 2.5 to 4.0 in the sciences. Call me skeptical.

Which friend? The one with 4 Bios, Orgo, and a full time job? Definitely not, saw her exams and I can verify, she is a nurse.

 

[knv2u]

Sorry, U of Chicago.

Chicago is unfortunately one of those schools with a reputation of deflation, so that is actually pretty useful information (else wise we could assume that perhaps you were exaggerating deflation claims). I think I would transfer.

 

[Dr. Biology]

I completely agree, but the problem is, my 10 efficient hours of studying everyday will not match my genius friend's 10 hours of studying a day.

I mean that's life... you always strive to do better, but there is always somebody in the class that does better. everyone has a level that they are good at, im good at chemistry but my friend averages an A on every test. does that mean she is a genius? no it just means she puts more time into chemistry than I do

 

[knv2u]

I'll stay until the end of the year and decide what to do then. I could raise it to above a 3.0 by the end of the year, but let's be honest, that won't happen.

I would be shocked if the University of Chicago doesn't have some sort of learning center or academic counseling. Contact them. Also, to be honest with you, even with grade deflation, a sub 3.0 GPA at Chicago probably won't transfer to a 4.0 elsewhere.

 

[sourdoughllama]

Chicago is unfortunately one of those schools with a reputation of deflation, so that is actually pretty useful information (else wise we could assume that perhaps you were exaggerating deflation claims). I think I would transfer.

Yeah I would find these claims more reliable if there was any data to back them up. Unfortunately the best anyone can ever come up with is gradeinflation.com, which uses data from like a decade ago, and does not seem standardized.

 

[HopelessGirl]

This +++++. There are reasons why many college students get D's and F's. Don't expect the low mean to save you.

If you really think you'll be more successful and happier, definitely transfer. BUT your friend sounds like she's talking smack. Also, I can't see someone jumping from 2.5 to 4.0 in the sciences. Call me skeptical.

Hm... My friends go to U of I (a great school), and they can rely on extra credit/homework to bring their C's to A's. Some things that don't even exist in here. And not having to compare yourself to anyone is great.

 

[solitarius]

Just transfer. Try to salvage the DO option out of this. I think allopathic will be out of reach frankly. You're a sophomore, right?

 

[knv2u]

Yeah I would find these claims more reliable if there was any data to back them up. Unfortunately the best anyone can ever come up with is gradeinflation.com, which uses data from like a decade ago, and does not seem standardized.

That's a fair criticism. But I also find it useful to compare average GPAs of graduating classes to other schools of similar caliber and test scores. I know this has its flaws, but it can be revealing. For instance, there is a decent disparity between the average GPA of Harvard and MIT.

 

[HopelessGirl]

Just transfer. Try to salvage the DO option out of this. I think allopathic will be out of reach frankly. You're a sophomore, right?

Yes, so I have to do something drastic at the end of the year if I do not improve significantly next quarter.

 

[sourdoughllama]

That's a fair criticism. But I also find it useful to compare average GPAs of graduating classes to other schools of similar caliber and test scores. I know this has its flaws, but it can be revealing. For instance, there is a decent disparity between the average GPA of Harvard and MIT.

For sure. But is it Harvard grade inflation + MIT/Chicago grade deflation accounting for this difference, or is it Harvard inflation + fair MIT/Chicago? Reputation, just like gossip, is often an augmentation of a slight truth.

 

[sourdoughllama]

@HopelessGirl Good luck with your decision and I hope you do well. Just be aware that if the school you are trying to transfer to is decent (top 50), the competition will be comparable and a jump from 3.0 to 3.8 is not gonna happen

 

[knv2u]

For sure. But is it Harvard grade inflation + MIT/Chicago grade deflation accounting for this difference, or is it Harvard inflation + fair MIT/Chicago? Reputation, just like gossip, is often an augmentation of a slight truth.

There are a good number of people that would probably argue that most colleges inflate grades now-a-days to attract students (who really wants to go to a school and receive a 2.0, when the same person could go to another school and receive a comparable education level and obtain a much higher GPA?). It's all relative to be honest. As applicable here, does a "B" at Chicago translate to a higher grade elsewhere? Many would argue that in some contexts, depending on how high the B, yes.

 

[HopelessGirl]

@HopelessGirl Good luck with your decision and I hope you do well. Just be aware that if the school you are trying to transfer to is decent (top 50), the competition will be comparable and a jump from 3.0 to 3.8 is not gonna happen

Not even rated/below 100. Depending if I want to continue on the quarter system.

 

[sourdoughllama]

There are a good number of people that would probably argue that most colleges inflate grades now-a-days to attract students (who really wants to go to a school and receive a 2.0, when the same person could go to another school and receive a comparable education level and obtain a much higher GPA?). It's all relative to be honest. As applicable here, does a "B" at Chicago translate to a higher grade elsewhere? Many would argue that in some contexts, depending on how high the B, yes.

Yeah that would be an A+ at Harvard and Yale lol.

 

[solitarius]

Since you should be aiming for DO now, why even transfer to U of I? Go to some tier 4 or unranked school.