Transffering to CA--help!!!

[vomer]

Hi All,

I caught the earlier thread about transferring and wanted to see if anyone has any solid info on transferring to CA med schools--from an East Coast institution? The reasons are compelling and have been approved by the institution I am leaving--i.e. I have my Dean's support and the blessings of many professors.

In looking at the schools and speaking to their admissions offices, I have found that USC and UC Davis do have transfer policies, but Davis hasn't accepted anyone in over 10 years--anyone know if that is really true.

Any info on UCSF, Stanford or the other schools. Stanford's policy indicates that they only accept transfers on the basis of marriage related issues with one spouse at the institution. UCSF says that don't accept transfers. I am just looking for anything to follow up on, because I am becoming desperate and want to make this happen.

What about UCI, UCLA, Loma Linda or UCSD?

Please fellow SDNer's I am hurting and need your guidance--you are the same people who helped me get into medical school, so I return to you again now as my life has become upset by the issue of distance from home and family concerns.

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[souljah1]

Sorry to break it to you, but I think it is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to transfer into UCSF.

 

[vomer]

souljah1--

Can you be specific about why it is so impossible--is it just policy or is there some other reason? I live in Nor-Cal and UCSF is my closest institution.

Thanks--

 

[Gauss]

Because EVERYONE wants to get back to CA!!!
You think you're the only one??!!
Call up the UC schools and 1. ask how many positions they have open for the year you want to transfer in to 2. ask how many people that have applied for those positions 3. then ask how many transfers they've taken in the past few years.
I'd be shocked if they took more than a handful.
Transfers are only accepted if slots are open - i.e. someone is taking that year off or has dropped out. They never add to their class size. It is a mortal sin to steal students from other institutions. Even if slots are open no school is under any obligation to fill them. It's up to the Dean

If you plan on applying for transferring into next year I believe you're already too late.

 

[chef]

why aren't you telling us what your 'compelling' reason is?

anyway, your best bet is stanford, they are very open to transfers and typically they accept about 4 transfers/yr (they can do this b/c 50% of their students take 5 yrs to graduate), but 100% of these are done if you have a spouse or domestic partner at stanford already (faculty, house officer, or med student).

UC's do not accept transfers. period. UCLA used to but changed their policy in 1996.

 

[Jalby]

So what exactly is your reason for wanting to transfer to a Cali school??? I personally can't see why you would have a good reason to transfer over there if you are only looking for california. Maybe you are like everybody who wants a residency over here.

 

[souljah1]

vomer,

i believe it is just their policy that they do not accept transfers. sorry to tell you that, but if you are counting on ucsf, it really isn't worth counting on.

i'm sure that your reason is serious and i don't think that b/c you ask this question you have to answer everyone's posts to relief their doubt. this board used to be much more supportive, but in recent days there is a lot of premedical neuroses in effect. i wish you the best of luck with transferring to California, and I also hope that whatever troubles either you or your family are going through vanish.

 

[vomer]

Thanks for the posts guys,

Souljah1 I do appreciate the good thoughts--those mean a lot to people who are in trouble, like me!!! As for the ambiguity of disclosing my reasons, I know that many of my own classmates are aware of my reasons, and I don't feel that I could post the specifics with annonymity. However, as I stated earlier I have recieved the bleesings of my Dean.

To give those of you who think my only concern is returning home to sunny CA or calculating a residency upgrade, my concern revolves around end of life care for a loved one and the incredible burden it has placed on the very limited support and caretaking I have available. Without more info I hope this satisfies your curiosity.

If this make a difference to you and you have some input that you feel could help me--please post, if not please don't discourage me any further.

What about USC and Loma Linda--any info there?

Thanks again.

 

[gower]

Irvine: No transfers accepted.

UCLA: no transfers have been accepted in last 4 years.

UCSD: No tranfers are accepted.

Loma Linda: Transfer program small, limited to available positions and only between the second and third year without a break in-between.

USC: tranfer only into third year. Within the last 4 years about 12 per year accepted. This program may be phased out in the next few years.

Stanford: limited to students from LCME schools and who are married to, or a domestic partner of a Stanford medical medical or graduate student, house staff officer or faculty member in the School of Medicine.

Davis: no transfer students have been accepted the last 10 years.

Irvine: No transfers accepted.

UCLA: No transfers accepted in the last 3 years.

UCSF: No transfers accepted.

 

[tonem]

Vomer,
I was in a similar position during my second year. I looked into transferring and found exactly what gower posted.

You mentioned that your school administration was supportive. You can try to convince your Dean of Students to contact his/her counterpart at a California school, especially if your Dean knows them. Sometimes that will get around the we never accept transfers roadblock. Good luck.

 

[Jalby]

Originally posted by vomer
Thanks for the posts guys,


To give those of you who think my only concern is returning home to sunny CA or calculating a residency upgrade, my concern revolves around end of life care for a loved one and the incredible burden it has placed on the very limited support and caretaking I have available. Without more info I hope this satisfies your curiosity.

That was one of the few things that I thought of that someone might want to transfer to Cali for. But I didn't believe that would be your reason at first, because you just said Cali.
If that is the case, you should prolly also look into U of Arizona and Oregon health Science.

 

[vomer]

Hi Gower,

Thanks for the info--I really appreciate it. Can I ask where you got the info from? I had personally called most of the schools and received a lot of the same info.

I was hoping to see if anyone knew of or had heard of cases were most of these "no transfer schools" had made exceptions based on the severity of the situation.

I really thank you for taking the time to post so much info--thanks again man.

 

[vomer]

Hey Jalby,

Thanks for your reply--no worries, I know that my request did seem a little much, without an explanation. I read Gower's reply and after having sone some of my own research, I have seen that USC takes a good deal of transfers. I also noticed at the footer for your reply that you attend Keck.

Do you know anyone or have any experience with people who had transferred to USC? What kind of circumstances were involved in their transfer? How happy were they? Anything really.

I certainly thank you in advance for any light you can shed on the matter.

 

[Jalby]

Nope, I know nothing and I'm shocked we take so many transfers. Maybe we steal the best students from the midranked schools???

 

[g2ok]

Wow... USC has taken 12 transfers per year over the last 4 years? Gower, do you know approximately how many students apply every year for a transfer? As I've said in another thread, I wouldn't think that many students try to transfer medical schools, but I guess you'll never know!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Irene Adler]

FYI

In 1991, my mother was able to transfer to OHSU after her second year at MCOW on a hardship transfer (family difficulties). We were residents of Oregon before the move to Wisconsin, so that helped, but I wanted to let you know they were sort of open to the idea.

 

[CRican]

B]Nope, I know nothing and I'm shocked we take so many transfers. Maybe we steal the best students from the midranked schools???[/B]

Last time I checked USC was a mid-ranked school...and not even ranked for primary care.

 

[Jalby]

Originally posted by CRican

Last time I checked USC was a mid-ranked school...and not even ranked for primary care.

Wow. Did you (Whoever you might be) seriously create a new user ID, find a post I made 3 months ago just to criticize it??? Seriously, grow up.

As for defending USC, we are a school known for training clinicians (That?s what County will do for you) We aren?t high in primary care rankings because on of the main criteria is what percentage of students go into primary care. As for research, your right, we are 36 out of 111 right now. (I think it?s 111). That is borderline mid-level. That being said, we were 43 last year, I think 45 the year before that, and the past two classes had the best GPA and MCAT in history (Ours being 3.64 and 32.4 MCAT) and we just dropped 110$ million on research buildings to try to get more NIH $$$. Granted, solely based on their criteria, we are borderline mid level. But being the we are in LA, among other things, I wouldn?t quite say we are midlevel for all med schools.

 

[CRican]

Thanks Jalby, I just wanted to read your earnest defense of USC...entertaining!!!

 

[yaoming]

If the reputation of a school must be elaborately defended, it must not be well established to begin with. You dont see posts of people defending the reputation of ucsf, upenn, or johns hopkins, because everyone knows they're good. when not everyone knows/thinks an institution is good, that's when that institution must be defended. just a thought.

 

[Jalby]

Originally posted by yaoming
If the reputation of a school must be elaborately defended, it must not be well established to begin with. You dont see posts of people defending the reputation of ucsf, upenn, or johns hopkins, because everyone knows they're good. when not everyone knows/thinks an institution is good, that's when that institution must be defended. just a thought.

Not arguing that in any way. USC doesn't have much of a reputation (Outside of producing great clinicians) and it isn't on the level of the schools you mentioned. But here is a guy who didn't even have the balls to be himself (I'm guessing Blitz. He's had a bone to pick with me for a grip) and pulls up something from like 3 months ago. I wonder how long it took him to find it.

USC might not be the best school, but it will get me an ortho or ENT residency in Los Angeles.

 

[lola]

vomer,
have you considered taking a leave of absence? also, if you are from norcal, you could loook into ohsu (as irene suggested) b/c it's not that much further from you than socal.

 

[wanderbray]

Vomer, I attended a talk from the Dean of Admissions at UCSF a few months ago, and your question did come up. He said that the ONLY transfer that UCSF had EVER accepted was that of a married couple who were medical students on opposite coasts. The situation was extinuating b/c the student at UCSF was diagnosed with brain cancer and other wanted to come to UCSF to support her.
Sorry.

 

[Jalby]

That info might have helped 9 months ago.

 

[Shpamme]

hey, resurrecting an old thread--
an earlier poster mentioned that USC took 12 people per year (as of 2003), but that the program might be phased out in the near future.
does anyone know the current status of usc's transfer policy? have they been accepting as many transfers in the last couple years as they did in 2003?
any info would help.
thanks!

 

[jhhotchkissiv]

Deleted

 

[alwaysaangel]

I fail at posting

 

[KnowBody]

I know this wouldn't be an ideal solution, but Western in southern California seems very open to transfers. Here's a link to the page that gives details:


http://www.westernu.edu/xp/edu/admissions/do_transfer.xml


My best wishes are with you. Medical school in itself is challenge enough. Keep up your good courage.

 

[Flopotomist]

Not sure if you've heard yet from a Loma Linda kid - it's possible to transfer in. What year are you?

Also, just as a side-note, transferring has 2 Rs and 1 F. Where are you coming from?

Since the original post was dug up from the graveyard of posts at SDN from FOUR YEARS ago.. I am going to assume that he has graduated by now.

 

[Shpamme]

hehe.. no no you guys, i resurrected this thread just a few days ago. i'm guessing the op has graduated too, but i'd be most grateful for any advice you guys have. =)

 

[gossmer]

I don't think the comment about Davis not taking anyone in 10 years is correct. I'm an MSII and I met an MSIII as few weeks ago who told me she had transferred to Davis. Might be worth doublechecking...maybe it was some kind of joint program(MPH, etc) or something but I'd check all the same.

 

[Shpamme]

oh wow! thanks gossmer! that's definitely good news.
Jhotchkiss--thank you SO MUCH for the PM. I'm sorry its taken me so long to get back to you -- I am swamped right now with work, but wanted to make sure I thank you. I'll write shortly.

 

[Medikit]

I don't think the comment about Davis not taking anyone in 10 years is correct. I'm an MSII and I met an MSIII as few weeks ago who told me she had transferred to Davis. Might be worth doublechecking...maybe it was some kind of joint program(MPH, etc) or something but I'd check all the same.

An MS2.5 student from my class transferred to Davis as well