transfering

I don't think this is a good idea. From what I understand and from conversations that I have had with friends who are student adcomm members, medical school is drastically different from college applications. Very few people transfer, and there are two main reasons for this. One, there is limited space in each class, and most schools will only accept transfers if a student drops out. This doesn't apply in your friend's case, because you said he would start again as a freshman. But then why is he going to attend school somewhere else?

Second, schools look very down upon leaving programs in the middle, such as master's programs or even medical programs. This can be a kiss of death on an application, IMHO. So, i think it would be wiser to apply and attend a school that would make your friend happy for the complete time.