to transfer or not?

[kasparaitis]

Hey everyone, I'm currently a high school senior and I'm trying to get a rough idea of what the next four years will be like. I didn't do my best during high school, but I did well enough to get into Eastern Michigan University. So, that's where I'll be going in the fall.

I'm wondering if transferring to another school (such as UMich) will hurt my chances of getting into a medical school. Is there anything I will miss out on by doing so? Also, since UMich is definitely better than EMU, will it increase my chances if I maintain a high GPA?

Thanks!

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[StoicJosher]

Transferring won't help or hurt you much. As long as you maintain a good GPA and score well on the MCAT the university you go to won't matter. Go to the school that will give you good opportunities to do research (if you are into that), provide you good support academically, socially etc., and is close to other resources and opportunities to volunteer and participate in activities outside of studies.

 

[kasparaitis]

That's what I was thinking, I just wasn't sure. Despite the difficulty of UM compared to EMU, I think it would be a better fit for me. I definitely prefer UM's campus, and some of my closest friends are going there. Is it possible to transfer after one year as opposed to two?

 

[TheShaker]

I think it will take more than a year to finish enough prerequisite classes to transfer but you should look it up. Really though, I don't think transferring will help you at all. First, medical schools don't care that much about what school you go to unless it's something like Harvard. Second, professors at lower state universities are generally more open with their students. This means more opportunities for research, mentoring, and strong letters of recommendation. Also, I think they tend to be better educators since they are not completely obsessed with their research.

 

[ppfizenm]

Why don't you see how you like it before thinking about transferring? Relax you are still in high school.

 

[LizzyM]

A few thoughts:

it is almost impossible to have longevity in your "experiences" section if you move from one campus to another after a year or two. Being involved with an organization for three years (if applying at the end of junior year) is always good.

transferring is going to raise the question of why you transferred and what was wrong with your first school (if you weren't happy there, will you also be unhappy in medical school?)

having a drop in grades after a move from EMU to Michigan would not be unusual and could raise questions about academic horsepower

getting letters of recommendation might be more difficult if you leave after sophomore year and have just a few months to get to know faculty at Michigan before asking for a LOR

Moving from one university to another means getting acclimated all over again and that can take away from your primary focus as a sophomore or junior which should be grades, gpa, and experiences outside of the classroom (research, volunteering, shadowing, fun).