Transferring Schools

[Cruzinblue]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I know what med schools tend to look at when you apply: gpa, mcat, research, extracurricular activites etc etc. But do they hold much weight to what school you go to for your undergrad? I currently go to Oakland University (which is a university in Michigan for those of who haven't heard of it). I've been going back in forth between transferring to one of Michigan's bigger universities like: Univeristy of Michigan, Michigan State, or Wayne State.

My problem is that I'm already a sophmore (starting in sept), and i didnt take alot of pre-med classes last year because I was still undecided. My major right now (or rather since last month) is Health Sciences, and I recently found out that not many universities offer this major (from what i saw on their websites at least). Tuition is also major factor for me (kinda sorta). OU is pretty cheap for me ( they just raised tuition to about $4700 for 16 credits but I dont live on campus, parking is free, and I live 10 min away so gas isnt a problem). If I were to transfer to another school all of these expenses would greatly increase..and I would prefer to wait till med school to have to take out loans.

So my question (which has become extremely long winded), is whether I should tranfer to another university that is more well known in order to raise my chances of getting into a decent/good med school ( as well as change my major), or if it doesnt make a difference where I go to school?

Thanks in advance for your replies! 🙂

My current GPA: 3.56 ( idk if this is needed or not lol)

 

[musafirah]

do what makes you happy. i took a couple classes at OU, decided i'd rather be in the city and my hometown, so i decided to go to wayne state. i like it there. if you like OU's environment stay there

the only advice i have is that if you go to a school like OU, that's not known to be as competitive, you should really get that GPA up. i think going to an "easier" school should be compensated with a top GPA. get it up to a 3.6 at least and you're straight. (but you need a good GPA at any school of course)

 

[Van Chowder]

Ummm I dont think you should. Just so you know "more well known" does not constitute equal a better school.. Matter of fact, I would go so far to say that going to MSU or Wayne state would not help your chances at all,however UofM is known to be a very good univetsity. Stay where you are and save your self the stress,continue to get good grades.
Dont be so quick to get your self in debt, from what it sounds like 90% of us will be eventually anyway!
Good luck!

 

[Mattabet]

Does your undergrad matter? Sure. But it's generally not worth switching. It's a minor point, and if you do well, it's not really going to matter where you did well. It's a tie-breaker category, and even then, it's pretty far down the list. I know at least two successful medical students off the top of my head who did their undergrad work at small state schools close to home, and got in and going without a problem.

 

[JSJ1313]

So my question (which has become extremely long winded), is whether I should tranfer to another university that is more well known in order to raise my chances of getting into a decent/good med school ( as well as change my major), or if it doesnt make a difference where I go to school?

Everything I have heard - from administrators, students, and people on this board - suggests that your undergraduate institution does not have a huge effect on medical school admissions. However, you should considering transferring schools if you feel that you will be able to accomplish more.

I just transfered from the University of Tennessee (a relatively good state school) to Vanderbilt University, but it was for concrete reasons: they had a perfect major for me, it was less expensive due to financial aid from Vandy, and for personal reasons I felt the need to be near home.

Ultimately, don't transfer unless you want to transfer. If you're not happy at a new school, your performance will suffer, which in turn will lower your chances at medical school admission.

 

[JJMrK]

It probably matters somewhat, but maybe not enough to worry about it. I'd probably stay where I was if I were you.

 

[Cruzinblue]

Thanks everyone for your replies, ill be sure to take it all into consideration 🙂