Tufts University vs University of Miami (undergrad)

[medschoolhopeful99]

Hey guys, Ive been so lost and confused about what I should do for a long time so Im hoping you guys can shed some light for me

I applied as a transfer to Tufts because I hated UMiami and Tufts is my dream school, but things really changed and I became really happy in Miami during my last semester there. In anycase, I got accepted to Tufts and out of the excitement of being accepted to my dream school, chose to enroll and now am having severe regrets.

In part, I chose it because at Tufts I would have a better backup plan for other graduate schools if premed fails, and I wasnt confident Id be able to do well in Orgo since everyone scares me about that class. Tufts is like the best in the country for the field I would pursue if Med School doesnt work out (International Relations, like foreign policy stuff maybe for Pakistan I guess) and Id be a shoo in for their grad school for it there if I keep doing well because my dad is an alum of Tufts and well connected to Fletcher (the foreign pilicy grad school at Tufts). Comparatively, Miami is not as good for the major but in Miami however, Im in the Honors Program and as a result dont have gen eds so I can just do my social science major (International Relations) and really work on my pre med classes.

So far Ive taken:
General Biology & Lab - A+
General Biology 2 & Lab - A+
Statistics - A
General Chemistry 1 - A+
General Chemistry 2 - A-

(I got Bs in the 1 credit labs though for Chem)

Overall my GPA is a 3.9 and my Science GPA is a 3.85. But idk why Im just so terrified of failing the MCAT or failing orgo and not having as good of a backup plan from Miami as I would from Tufts lol. I know it sounds really stupid but I seriously overthink things... lately ive been thinking of just going back to Miami because Im so happy there, Im the president of a major student org too, at Tufts i have to rebuild from scratch. Even though In from NY a lot of my childhood friends from NY go there and its just really nice

I guess my question is given my circumstances and concerns about a backup plan, would you say I should make the switch? How bad is Orgo and the MCAT honestly?

Sorry for the lengthy post Im just really confused...

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[EpilepticRat]

Do you have a decent fin aid package at Tufts? Keep in mind that the tuition there has gone up in price every year for the last 5 years... You also won't have the comfy weather you're likely accustomed to. The first semester of orgo at Tufts is a great course and is taught by a great professor, but I wouldn't make the choice to transfer unless you really hated your current school, which it seems you no longer do. Academics at Tufts are great, but I can't exactly recommend Tufts re: social life lol

 

[Moko]

There was a reason you chose to apply to Tufts and were excited to be accepted there. Just remember those reasons. Change is often anxiety-provoking; but is also an opportunity for growth. Focus on the positives if the transfer is already finalized. If it isn't, then do some soul searching to decide which institution is right for you. Tufts and UMiami are both respectable schools, so career prospects shouldn't be the deciding factor in my opinion.

OChem isn't bad if you stay on top of things and understand the mechanisms and "rules". MCAT depends on how much you study, and of course, your test-taking skills. It is a tough test that shouldn't be underestimated.

 

[medschoolhopeful99]

@Moko the transfer is finalized in the sense that my dads friends at Tufts are kinda all expecting me to come, and I told all my friends in NY and Miami I was leaving. I paid the enrollment deposit but not really the tuition and I didnt unenroll from UMiami yet. I dont know if its unethical for me to forgo my enrollment at Tufts right now... Im just a really indecisive chap lol and it’s not good. I was excited for Tufts bc it was my dad’s alma mater and Ive always been interested in international relations since my dad works for the UN, but obviously Id rather work as a doctor and my dream is to help out the poor people in Pakistan and Id love to do that by providing healthcare. I also have to say the “prestige” of Tufts excited me and I didnt like Miami’s rep as a “party school” here in the Northeast but Im realizing those factors are kinda stupid ngl

@EpilepticRat
My financial aid at Tufts is zero, unfortunately I don’t qualify for aid. Did you go to Tufts? They also seem to not require Orgo II so id be able to just do Orgo 1 then Biochem Spring sem. If you did go to Tufts could you elaborate on how a transfer’s experience might be and how tough it is to do well in Orgo/the remaining pre requisites there (and comment on whether inflation/deflation might be present)?

 

[EpilepticRat]

@Moko the transfer is finalized in the sense that my dads friends at Tufts are kinda all expecting me to come, and I told all my friends in NY and Miami I was leaving. I paid the enrollment deposit but not really the tuition and I didnt unenroll from UMiami yet. I dont know if its unethical for me to forgo my enrollment at Tufts right now... Im just a really indecisive chap lol and it’s not good. I was excited for Tufts bc it was my dad’s alma mater and Ive always been interested in international relations since my dad works for the UN, but obviously Id rather work as a doctor and my dream is to help out the poor people in Pakistan and Id love to do that by providing healthcare. I also have to say the “prestige” of Tufts excited me and I didnt like Miami’s rep as a “party school” here in the Northeast but Im realizing those factors are kinda stupid ngl

@EpilepticRat
My financial aid at Tufts is zero, unfortunately I don’t qualify for aid. Did you go to Tufts? They also seem to not require Orgo II so id be able to just do Orgo 1 then Biochem Spring sem. If you did go to Tufts could you elaborate on how a transfer’s experience might be and how tough it is to do well in Orgo/the remaining pre requisites there (and comment on whether inflation/deflation might be present)?

PM me and I'll get back to you after work.

 

[medschoolhopeful99]

I know it sounds stupid as well (and I promise Im not trolling I just overthink a lot and Im a huge perfectionist) when I saw I got an A- in Chem 2 I thought I wasnt capable of orgo (after fully expecting an A so either my prof messed up my homework grade or I REALLY bombed my final after feeling confident I did well)... on top of that i got rejected from UM’s MSP program (guaranteed med school acceptance) because 2/3 profs didnt submit their rec letters on time. That put me off a lot from the institution and def factored in my decisionmaking back in May, but ive def calmed down now about these two things

 

[medschoolhopeful99]

Also another thing, at Tufts I have to do a lot of gen eds which I straight up don’t have to do in Miami cause of the Foote Fellow program I am in. The language requirement is pretty crazy at Tufts too and i straight up dont have to do that in Miami. Theres a little chance that with all these classes I might end up graduating a bit late but Im not sure if that’s a factor that I should be heavily considering

 

[medschoolhopeful99]

Any other opinions? Havent gotten many votes for either lol

I get this is a decision I have to make myself but I really just hope Im not transferring on this false notion that Tufts will get me something post grad that Miami wont if Medical School doesnt workout I guess

 

[MyOdyssey]

Also another thing, at Tufts I have to do a lot of gen eds which I straight up don’t have to do in Miami cause of the Foote Fellow program I am in. The language requirement is pretty crazy at Tufts too and i straight up dont have to do that in Miami. Theres a little chance that with all these classes I might end up graduating a bit late but Im not sure if that’s a factor that I should be heavily considering

A lot of medical schools require, in addition to the usual premed requirements, a second semester of orgo AND biochem, English, humanities, social sciences, writing intensive courses and recommend foreign language competency (most commonly Spanish). Those would be covered under the gen ed requirements at Tufts and would be something you should voluntarily take at Miami (if you were to stay).

Based on what you've written, I don't see anything unethical about staying at Miami. You would simply lose your deposit at Tufts, right?