Transfer Qualms

[TheInstitute]

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Hey whats up SDN,


I am an ORM freshman just finishing his first semester well arleady finished lol. i get 4.0 gpa. I think i can maintain this or high 3.9 for all of college. I reaallly am interested in transferring into a top 20, particularly and ivy or JHU. I have good ACT score and good subject test scores. now i know the cons of transferring such as finding new social circle, and stuff like that. however i have a question that isnt asked as much. if i transfer to one of these schools? how much would i have to start over? i want to get into med school as quick as possible and not waste time. so i plan on doing all the pre reqs except biochem at the well regarded state school i am at. so if i get into lets say wash u or jhu, i would be a junior and everything will be cool no have to repeat any pre reqs right?


thanks

 

[625233]

Hey whats up SDN,


I am an ORM freshman just finishing his first semester well arleady finished lol. i get 4.0 gpa. I think i can maintain this or high 3.9 for all of college. I reaallly am interested in transferring into a top 20, particularly and ivy or JHU. I have good ACT score and good subject test scores. now i know the cons of transferring such as finding new social circle, and stuff like that. however i have a question that isnt asked as much. if i transfer to one of these schools? how much would i have to start over? i want to get into med school as quick as possible and not waste time. so i plan on doing all the pre reqs except biochem at the well regarded state school i am at. so if i get into lets say wash u or jhu, i would be a junior and everything will be cool no have to repeat any pre reqs right?


thanks

Depends on how credits transfer over. You're likely to lose a year if you attempt to transfer in your junior year, in terms of credits. Could be worth it if your state school isn't too well regarded or if your gunning for a top 15 med school, as those top 10 schools are feeders. This is all contingent on you maintaining a competitive GPA there, and crushing the MCAT of course...


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[TheInstitute]

Depends on how credits transfer over. You're likely to lose a year if you attempt to transfer in your junior year, in terms of credits. Could be worth it if your state school isn't too well regarded or if your gunning for a top 15 med school, as those top 10 schools are feeders. This is all contingent on you maintaining a competitive GPA there, and crushing the MCAT of course...


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

why would i lose the credits tho?

 

[Turkishking]

If you can pull of a 3.7+ at a top 20 then by all means transfer. It's all up to you.

 

[efle]

I reaallly am interested in transferring into a top 20, particularly and ivy or JHU. I have good ACT score and good subject test scores. now i know the cons of transferring such as finding new social circle, and stuff like that.

I hope "stuff like that" includes consideration of the insane pricetag that often accompanies transfer approval!

If you had great test scores and the money for a private education what landed you at your current school?

What's the motivation (beyond ego) to go for a top 20? Is your current university unable to get you into a lab for research, lack a nearby hospital system for shadowing or volunteering, etc?

 

[Ampharos]

Transfering is really hard socially, and I think that it is best to consider that really carefully. I've had friends who transferred out, then transferred back in -- but by the time that they got back, all of our friendships had grown in their absence. A high 3.9 is nothing to sneeze at, but I could understand a desire to transfer if you wanted more research opportunities etc.

My school is not friendly to transfers and makes all of them repeat classes starting from square one. Best to look at individual schools and consider wisely.

 

[TheInstitute]

Transfering is really hard socially, and I think that it is best to consider that really carefully. I've had friends who transferred out, then transferred back in -- but by the time that they got back, all of our friendships had grown in their absence. A high 3.9 is nothing to sneeze at, but I could understand a desire to transfer if you wanted more research opportunities etc.

My school is not friendly to transfers and makes all of them repeat classes starting from square one. Best to look at individual schools and consider wisely.

why does ur school do that

 

[efle]

why does ur school do that

It's actually not too rare to have this kind of policy. A lot of schools do not want to award degrees bearing their name that reflect the education from elsewhere.

 

[TheInstitute]

It's actually not too rare to have this kind of policy. A lot of schools do not want to award degrees bearing their name that reflect the education from elsewhere.

https://admissions.wustl.edu/apply_site/Pages/Transfer-Student-Requirements.aspx

why do they require to complete you all this stuff which most pre meds will not finish in two years to make you repeat it? make no sense to me

 

[efle]

https://admissions.wustl.edu/apply_site/Pages/Transfer-Student-Requirements.aspx

why do they require to complete you all this stuff which most pre meds will not finish in two years to make you repeat it? make no sense to me

Huh? I don't think WashU requires you to repeat the prereqs. They recommend you apply as a Junior having already completed the prereqs except for Physics, which is the normal premed timeline.

What are the answers to my questions above, btw?

 

[Ampharos]

What @efle said is exactly right. Why would a school want to reward you for the education that was not completed at their school?

 

[efle]

What @efle said is exactly right. Why would a school want to reward you for the education that was not completed at their school?

To be fair, there are other schools with world class reputations that will let people transfer in with half their degree completed at a community college (UC Berkeley and UCLA in mind). So it may be a bit of a baseless fear from the universities that want full repeats.