Transferring from T20 UG to State Flagship

[jmreilly97]

I'm a rising sophomore at a top 20 university considering transferring to my state flagship. Although my state school is moderately well regarded, it is nowhere near as prestigious as my current private school. Reasons for transferring would be cost, as I am expecting the price of my current school to go up dramatically once my new family income is factored in (went from single income home to two-income), and my grades. At my current school, after freshman year I have a 3.65 cGPA and a 3.4 sGPA. I have concerns about raising my science GPA due to the difficulty of my school and the limited number of science pre-reqs I have left. I'd like to hear some thoughts on this situation and whether this kind of transfer would be perceived negatively by med schools. Thank you!

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[Podstar]

No problem transferring to your state school. Save that money.

 

[protego]

I did very well coming from my state school and wouldn't trade the experience, or lack of debt, for anything!


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[jmreilly97]

So far the pros for transferring include price and potential for higher grades due to easier classes. The cons are uprooting my social life at a school I love, and having to adjust to a new environment, which could adversely affect my happiness making it a little harder to do well. One question I have for the community is if I continue my current trajectory and end up applying with a ~3.7 cGPA and 3.4-3.5 sGPA will I have a good shot at getting into MD schools or is that science GPA just too low? Also, I am a NY resident

 

[Podstar]

So far the pros for transferring include price and potential for higher grades due to easier classes. The cons are uprooting my social life at a school I love, and having to adjust to a new environment, which could adversely affect my happiness making it a little harder to do well. One question I have for the community is if I continue my current trajectory and end up applying with a ~3.7 cGPA and 3.4-3.5 sGPA will I have a good shot at getting into MD schools or is that science GPA just too low? Also, I am a NY resident

Those GPAs will be okay when paired with a good MCAT, which is the most important factor. There is plenty social scene at every state school, make new friends.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

What's your end goal? Do get into medical school or get into a top med school.
Both could be accomplished by going to your state school but, it might be easier to get into a top school staying at a t20 private.

 

[jmreilly97]

What's your end goal? Do get into medical school or get into a top med school.
Both could be accomplished by going to your state school but, it might be easier to get into a top school staying at a t20 private.

My goal right now is to just get an MD at one of my state schools. With my science GPA at a 3.4 I thought any MDs schools at all would be a reach unless I do stellar on the MCAT.

 

[Pagan FutureDoc]

My goal right now is to just get an MD at one of my state schools. With my science GPA at a 3.4 I thought any MDs schools at all would be a reach unless I do stellar on the MCAT.

If you can't get your GPA up by the time you apply you would need a great MCAT to have any shot but you seemed to already be aware that your GPA is pretty anemic for MD

 

[jmreilly97]

If you can't get your GPA up by the time you apply you would need a great MCAT to have any shot but you seemed to already be aware that your GPA is pretty anemic for MD

So you would suggest transferring to my state flagship for the rest of undergrad if it could improve my GPA?

 

[Dr. Stalker]

I'm a rising sophomore at a top 20 university considering transferring to my state flagship. Although my state school is moderately well regarded, it is nowhere near as prestigious as my current private school. Reasons for transferring would be cost, as I am expecting the price of my current school to go up dramatically once my new family income is factored in (went from single income home to two-income), and my grades. At my current school, after freshman year I have a 3.65 cGPA and a 3.4 sGPA. I have concerns about raising my science GPA due to the difficulty of my school and the limited number of science pre-reqs I have left. I'd like to hear some thoughts on this situation and whether this kind of transfer would be perceived negatively by med schools. Thank you!

As a warning, do not assume a state school will be easier, and thus a higher GPA. I attended the flagship state school in my home state. We get TONS of transfers from top tiers (money is the primary reason, the "easiness" is the second). These students have an extremely rude awakening as they realize our school isn't a cake walk despite having "state" in the name. Knowing this, be prepared, save that guap, and kick that GPA ass friend.

 

[jmreilly97]

As a warning, do not assume a state school will be easier, and thus a higher GPA. I attended the flagship state school in my home state. We get TONS of transfers from top tiers (money is the primary reason, the "easiness" is the second). These students have an extremely rude awakening as they realize our school isn't a cake walk despite having "state" in the name. Knowing this, be prepared, save that guap, and kick that GPA ass friend.

Thank you for the response! I'll definitely make sure to talk to current premeds at my StateU to make sure I know what I'm getting into should I decide to transfer.

 

[fdgjfg]

I would probably not transfer in your situation.

Many of the more grade-deflating top 20 schools have a tough adjustment period coming from high school, and then GPAs subsequently jump up, which is what I experienced and generally observed in my peer group. 66% of your GPA is still undetermined (or 75% if you take a gap year) and the hard part is behind you, so I would expect an improvement if you learn from your experiences and adjust accordingly. Also, you're not even in that bad of a place right now. 3.65 cGPA/3.4 sGPA isn't ideal, but according to the 2017-2017 AAMC chart the matriculant average was 3.7 cGPA/3.65 sGPA so you're not far off. And that doesn't even take into account any leeway given to GPAs from top grade-deflating schools due to their reputations, although how much of a bump that gives you is always debated.

It would be one thing if you didn't particularly enjoy your current institution; then you could go ahead and look only at GPA-relevant factors. And yes, going to a state school will probably reduce the difficulty in getting good grades, and being less expensive is a nice feature. But you say that you do really like the place where you're at right now.

You only have one life to live, and there's more to it than being pre-med. In all likelihood, both roads will probably lead you to an MD acceptance, but diverge when it comes to tier of school or time it takes to get there (number of gap years). However, it is really difficult to predict what exactly will happen in each situation, i.e. going to state school could result in a higher-tier acceptance because of a higher GPA, but other "soft" factors at your current t20 institution could actually do a better job of making you attractive at top schools. Since the potential outcomes aren't really clear, I would go with what you already know: that you love the place where you are at now. I don't think that's worth sacrificing for estimated increases in competitiveness, but it's up to you.

 

[1forrest1]

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[jmreilly97]

so state school means no to applying to T20 med schools? or at least does it hurt chances? (disclaimer I'm at a state school)


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I've heard that oftentimes T20 med schools are biased towards students from top undergrads in terms of admissions. I don't think it's clear whether this is because they have a true bias or just that research opportunities tend to be of higher quality at top research institutions (I believe T20 med schools tend to highly value research). I'm no expert, but I know this tends to be the case to an even greater extent for admission to MD-PhD programs and could conceivably be extended to regular MD admissions. That said, if you have a great application and great research you may not be out of the running.

 

[jmreilly97]

I would probably not transfer in your situation.

Many of the more grade-deflating top 20 schools have a tough adjustment period coming from high school, and then GPAs subsequently jump up, which is what I experienced and generally observed in my peer group. 66% of your GPA is still undetermined (or 75% if you take a gap year) and the hard part is behind you, so I would expect an improvement if you learn from your experiences and adjust accordingly. Also, you're not even in that bad of a place right now. 3.65 cGPA/3.4 sGPA isn't ideal, but according to the 2017-2017 AAMC chart the matriculant average was 3.7 cGPA/3.65 sGPA so you're not far off. And that doesn't even take into account any leeway given to GPAs from top grade-deflating schools due to their reputations, although how much of a bump that gives you is always debated.

It would be one thing if you didn't particularly enjoy your current institution; then you could go ahead and look only at GPA-relevant factors. And yes, going to a state school will probably reduce the difficulty in getting good grades, and being less expensive is a nice feature. But you say that you do really like the place where you're at right now.

You only have one life to live, and there's more to it than being pre-med. In all likelihood, both roads will probably lead you to an MD acceptance, but diverge when it comes to tier of school or time it takes to get there (number of gap years). However, it is really difficult to predict what exactly will happen in each situation, i.e. going to state school could result in a higher-tier acceptance because of a higher GPA, but other "soft" factors at your current t20 institution could actually do a better job of making you attractive at top schools. Since the potential outcomes aren't really clear, I would go with what you already know: that you love the place where you are at now. I don't think that's worth sacrificing for estimated increases in competitiveness, but it's up to you.

Thank you so much for the detailed response! I've been contemplating transferring and while I'll still continue to think about it, I think I am going to stay at my current school since the options of a gap year/D.O. school both seem like fine options to me. I was wondering if you happen to know the usual cost of a post-bacc/SMP as I don't have unlimited funds and don't want to take on more debt than necessary.

 

[Turkishking]

As a warning, do not assume a state school will be easier, and thus a higher GPA. I attended the flagship state school in my home state. We get TONS of transfers from top tiers (money is the primary reason, the "easiness" is the second). These students have an extremely rude awakening as they realize our school isn't a cake walk despite having "state" in the name. Knowing this, be prepared, save that guap, and kick that GPA ass friend.

I agree. I attend a large flagship SUNY, and the science courses are not a cake-walk.

 

[fdgjfg]

so state school means no to applying to T20 med schools? or at least does it hurt chances? (disclaimer I'm at a state school)

No, state school students are fine applying to T20 med schools, and going to state school certainly doesn't hurt chances. It's more that top undergrad schools might provide slightly easier access to some advantageous opportunities that could help chances, and might provide some ambiguous, subjective recognition benefit. T20 med school classes tend to have a large number of alums from top undergrads, but everything is muddled with the fact that a lot of high-achievers end up at these top undergrads, but would probably have been equally impressive as applicants regardless of where they went to school.

Thank you so much for the detailed response! I've been contemplating transferring and while I'll still continue to think about it, I think I am going to stay at my current school since the options of a gap year/D.O. school both seem like fine options to me. I was wondering if you happen to know the usual cost of a post-bacc/SMP as I don't have unlimited funds and don't want to take on more debt than necessary.

Unfortunately, I'm not very knowledgeable about post-bacc/SMP costs, so I can't provide much advice there. However, I do know that at my home institution, employees are able to take classes at a significantly reduced rate. Because of that, people will sometimes take a job as a research assistant/clinical coordinator after graduation working 20-30 hours a week, while also doing an informal post-bacc at a reduced rate. That might be something worth exploring if you feel like it's necessary down the road, at either your home institution or a different one.

 

[Dr. Stalker]

No, state school students are fine applying to T20 med schools, and going to state school certainly doesn't hurt chances. It's more that top undergrad schools might provide slightly easier access to some advantageous opportunities that could help chances, and might provide some ambiguous, subjective recognition benefit. T20 med school classes tend to have a large number of alums from top undergrads, but everything is muddled with the fact that a lot of high-achievers end up at these top undergrads, but would probably have been equally impressive as applicants regardless of where they went to school.



Unfortunately, I'm not very knowledgeable about post-bacc/SMP costs, so I can't provide much advice there. However, I do know that at my home institution, employees are able to take classes at a significantly reduced rate. Because of that, people will sometimes take a job as a research assistant/clinical coordinator after graduation working 20-30 hours a week, while also doing an informal post-bacc at a reduced rate. That might be something worth exploring if you feel like it's necessary down the road, at either your home institution or a different one.

I actually beg to differ. For T20 schools, your numbers matter a lot. We're talking 518+ and 3.9+. However, another huge factor is, in fact, school name and recognition. Depending on the caliber of the state school, your chance at a T20 does vary. If its a top tier state school, such as UCLA, it won't hurt. However, attending a state school with remarkably less name recognition can hurt you.

Think about it: Would a T20 interview and accept a Harvard Undergrad with a 518 and 3.9 or a state kid with a 518 and 3.9? A few of you will jump down my throat saying "its all numbers and ECs" and that is true, to an extent. I'm not saying some 499 from Harvard will get into a T20 when a 528 from a state school won't. What I am saying is, if you excel and achieve in a private or Ivy undergrad, your chances for a T20 dramatically increase vs. doing the same at a state school. Again, it does depend on the state school - but very few state schools have that magical name recognition factor that privates and Ivy league schools do.