Which college to transfer to?

[browneyes124]

Hey guys!
So I was going to a college in TN for a bit but they screwed me over this year. I was taking summer classes near my hometown and when I signed the consorting agreement with my school for financial aid they didn't tell me about a certain rule ( you have to take a certain amount of hours). It wasn't in the contract I signed and for 14-15 the rule was just for fall and spring semester. My advisors not financial aid told me about this and they even had a copy of my schedule. I got an email from financial aid 2 days before the due date for fees telling me my financial aid was suspended because of that. I called my advisor and a bunch of different departments and NO ONE knew about this rule.. Any way that's the gist of things won't get into the rest. So this Fall semester I have to go to a community college because all classes for schools here start Monday and I only found out I wouldn't be attending my university Thursday. I am very upset so I told my school I would not be attending anymore and withdrew entirely.

I am looking to transfer to another college preferably in VA ( my fiancé is there) or in TN since it's my home state. I am also looking at some SC schools. I am majoring in neuroscience so that limits the schools I can go into. I'm wondering out of this list which has the better pre med department/ better choice? For some I've read that they have really good research and a lot of pre med support and high med school acceptance rates.

Rhodes college- Memphis TN
Belmont- Nashville TN
Furman - South Carolina ( might be a reach)
Christopher Newport- Newport News, VA
George Mason- fairfax, VA
Virginia Tech- VA
As far as I know these are the only schools that have neuroscience and aren't totally outrageous for tuition and stuff ( yes I know schools like Duke and Vanderbilt have it to but they are super expensive).
Thoughts on any of these universities from a pre med perspective ? Or even just a university perspective?
Also how bad will it look for me to go from a 4 year college to a community college to another 4 year college?
Really liking VA Tech, Belmont. Christopher Newport is the cheapest out of all these but I heard its not prestigious at all but on their website it says that 80% of their students get into medical school and they have alot of resources available for pre med
Thanks for the help guys! I just really want to figure out where I'm going in the spring cause some schools have early spring application deadlines.

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[Domepiece]

Make less rash decisions. This whole situation comes across as super immature and will become difficult to explain come application time.

The caliber of school only has a moderate impact on application chance, and that is only at the highest caliber of institutions. Go somewhere you will be successful and achieve the highest GPA.

 

[JustAPhD]

Go to whatever school you like the best and can afford.

 

[WedgeDawg]

Hi, VA resident here.

VTech or VCU are probably your best bets for price/get into med school bets. UVA has a great track record, but only if you're an amazing standout student, otherwise you're likely to get weeded out. CNU, from what I have heard, sends a lot of students to DO school, but isn't great for MD unless you're a strong student (in which case you'll be fine anywhere). CNU has an early admit program with VCOM I think. GMU and JMU will be similar to CNU except without that early admit program. The stats for JMU are close to national average (45%) but they break it down by MCAT and GPA, so if you have a 3.8/36 or higher you have like an 80% chance, similar to anywhere else.

 

[browneyes124]

Make less rash decisions. This whole situation comes across as super immature and will become difficult to explain come application time.

The caliber of school only has a moderate impact on application chance, and that is only at the highest caliber of institutions. Go somewhere you will be successful and achieve the highest GPA.

It wasn't a rash decision. The financial aid department is terrible there. Since I've gone there they have lost my financial aid papers 3+ times and it has always delayed my aid. Thid has happened to many people I have met there and they always mess up people's stuff and it makes them graduate a year to a semester late. That is not ok with me.This semester was the last straw and didn't want to put up with it anymore. The school never takes responsibility for anything and is very unsupportive of students. There were a lot of things that went into my decision

 

[browneyes124]

Hi, VA resident here.

VTech or VCU are probably your best bets for price/get into med school bets. UVA has a great track record, but only if you're an amazing standout student, otherwise you're likely to get weeded out. CNU, from what I have heard, sends a lot of students to DO school, but isn't great for MD unless you're a strong student (in which case you'll be fine anywhere). CNU has an early admit program with VCOM I think. GMU and JMU will be similar to CNU except without that early admit program. The stats for JMU are close to national average (45%) but they break it down by MCAT and GPA, so if you have a 3.8/36 or higher you have like an 80% chance, similar to anywhere else.

Thanks ! Virginia commonwealth unfortunately does not have my major. Do you think it's better then Virginia tech? Which would you pick in regards to GMU vs CNU?

 

[browneyes124]

Go to whatever school you like the best and can afford.

Christopher Newport is the cheapest with the second cheapest being about 13,000$ more but for a lot of Internet forums people say CNU is considered a school for people who don't have good enough graded for UVA and " better" schools and I don't want that to look bad when I apply to medical school. Also I was reading online and CNU had a below 40% national average for medical acceptances

 

[browneyes124]

I also noticed that transfer gpa requirments are lower than regular freshmen. Why is that?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Thanks ! Virginia commonwealth unfortunately does not have my major. Do you think it's better then Virginia tech? Which would you pick in regards to GMU vs CNU?

I think tech is overall better than VCU; VCU just has the affiliated med school right there so it's easier to get involved in research or shadowing or whatever. Tech is out in literally the middle of nowhere. But they're both good schools and you will do fine at either.

GMU and CNU would be two of my last choices if I were going to college in VA.

Christopher Newport is the cheapest with the second cheapest being about 13,000$ more but for a lot of Internet forums people say CNU is considered a school for people who don't have good enough graded for UVA and " better" schools and I don't want that to look bad when I apply to medical school. Also I was reading online and CNU had a below 40% national average for medical acceptances

In my elitist northern Virginia opinion, the reputation CNU has around here is its the school people go to when they don't get into JMU, VCU, or Tech. But I have had friends go there and like it. I'm sure it's a good school. I personally wouldn't pick it over the other three options I mentioned, but it's not going to hold you back by virtue of its name alone. A strong student coming from JMU, VCU, Tech, CNU, or GMU will all have solid chances at getting into med school.

 

[browneyes124]

I think tech is overall better than VCU; VCU just has the affiliated med school right there so it's easier to get involved in research or shadowing or whatever. Tech is out in literally the middle of nowhere. But they're both good schools and you will do fine at either.

GMU and CNU would be two of my last choices if I were going to college in VA.



In my elitist northern Virginia opinion, the reputation CNU has around here is its the school people go to when they don't get into JMU, VCU, or Tech. But I have had friends go there and like it. I'm sure it's a good school. I personally wouldn't pick it over the other three options I mentioned, but it's not going to hold you back by virtue of its name alone. A strong student coming from JMU, VCU, Tech, CNU, or GMU will all have solid chances at getting into med school.

Thanks for your help! Means a lot

 

[To be MD]

Hey guys!
So I was going to a college in TN for a bit but they screwed me over this year. I was taking summer classes near my hometown and when I signed the consorting agreement with my school for financial aid they didn't tell me about a certain rule ( you have to take a certain amount of hours). It wasn't in the contract I signed and for 14-15 the rule was just for fall and spring semester. My advisors not financial aid told me about this and they even had a copy of my schedule. I got an email from financial aid 2 days before the due date for fees telling me my financial aid was suspended because of that. I called my advisor and a bunch of different departments and NO ONE knew about this rule.. Any way that's the gist of things won't get into the rest. So this Fall semester I have to go to a community college because all classes for schools here start Monday and I only found out I wouldn't be attending my university Thursday. I am very upset so I told my school I would not be attending anymore and withdrew entirely.

I am looking to transfer to another college preferably in VA ( my fiancé is there) or in TN since it's my home state. I am also looking at some SC schools. I am majoring in neuroscience so that limits the schools I can go into. I'm wondering out of this list which has the better pre med department/ better choice? For some I've read that they have really good research and a lot of pre med support and high med school acceptance rates.

Rhodes college- Memphis TN
Belmont- Nashville TN
Furman - South Carolina ( might be a reach)
Christopher Newport- Newport News, VA
George Mason- fairfax, VA
Virginia Tech- VA
As far as I know these are the only schools that have neuroscience and aren't totally outrageous for tuition and stuff ( yes I know schools like Duke and Vanderbilt have it to but they are super expensive).
Thoughts on any of these universities from a pre med perspective ? Or even just a university perspective?
Also how bad will it look for me to go from a 4 year college to a community college to another 4 year college?
Really liking VA Tech, Belmont. Christopher Newport is the cheapest out of all these but I heard its not prestigious at all but on their website it says that 80% of their students get into medical school and they have alot of resources available for pre med
Thanks for the help guys! I just really want to figure out where I'm going in the spring cause some schools have early spring application deadlines.

I'd say moving to and studying in Virginia is your absolute best bet. We have some of the best public schools in the country, and there are 3 MD schools in the state.

As far as neuroscience is concerned, UVa's program is solid and requires candidates to do research.

Please don't forget to add *William and Mary* to your list. It is one of the oldest schools in the country, is public, and has a neuroscience major.

If I were to rank where you should go, I'd put UVa and W&M next to one another, then say go to JMU. JMU is incredibly undergraduate-focused. While it's not a research powerhouse, your orgo labs, etc., are taught by PhDs and department chairs... whereas at UVa, all major science labs are taught by (mostly international) TAs (who may or may not speak English).

VCU & VT are great, too, but I'd say their value stems from that they have med schools associated with them. For Tech, they have class sizes for intro classes ~1000 people... god help their premeds.

GMU is a fine school. You'll just lose the 'college experience' because it is a commuter school and not anything like these other towns' university experiences.

 

[browneyes124]

UVa grad here. I'd say moving to and studying in Virginia is your absolute best bet. We have some of the best public schools in the country, and there are 3 MD schools in the state.

As far as neuroscience is concerned, UVa's program is solid and requires candidates to do research. Anecdotally, my friends who were neuro majors are all now in med school.

Please don't forget to add *William and Mary* to your list. It is one of the oldest schools in the country, is public, and has a neuroscience major.

If I were to rank where you should go, I'd put UVa and W&M next to one another, then say go to JMU. JMU is incredibly undergraduate-focused. While it's not a research powerhouse, your orgo labs, etc., are taught by PhDs and department chairs... whereas at UVa, all major science labs are taught by (mostly international) TAs (who may or may not speak English).

VCU & VT are great, too, but I'd say their value stems from that they have med schools associated with them. For Tech, they have class sizes for intro classes ~1000 people... god help their premeds.

GMU is a fine school. You'll just lose the 'college experience' because it is a commuter school and not anything like these other towns' university experiences.

Do JMU have good science programs and professors? I've thought about this school but I don't think they have a neuroscience major. When you say GMU is a commuter school do you mean a lot people leave on weekends? Do you think JMU is better than GMU for science programs and pre med?

 

[To be MD]

Do JMU have good science programs and professors? I've thought about this school but I don't think they have a neuroscience major. When you say GMU is a commuter school do you mean a lot people leave on weekends? Do you think JMU is better than GMU for science programs and pre med?

- Not that Forbes & US News rankings truly matter, but JMU is better ranked than VCU and GMU. VT, W&M, and UVa all are better ranked than these three, though, and I know at least for VT and UVa, they have oodles more money to devote to research. Regardless of what search engine you're using, JMU comes up better ranked than GMU for pretty much everything. I don't believe either one of the schools is necessarily good or bad for pre-med; they both have all the prereqs you'll need.

- Though JMU does not have neuroscience, they have something called Biotechnology... which is their version of a DIY-BS curriculum, so you can make your major 'neurosciency' if you wish, and you're required to do a research project with it.

- GMU is a commuter school in the sense that it is a huge school in the middle of Fairfax County, where a large portion of the student body is from the area and commutes to the school (i.e., doesn't live on campus). It's not a true college town experience like UVa, W&M, or VT, where you have the entire towns built around the universities.

You'll, quite honestly, be completely fine at any of these institutions. It'll be harder to stick out at the tougher schools because the competition is a bit more cutthroat, but, if you move here and live with your fiance (or get married) and nag IS tuition, you'll have a great shot at one of our medical schools in the future.

 

[browneyes124]

- Not that Forbes & US News rankings truly matter, but JMU is better ranked than VCU and GMU. VT, W&M, and UVa all are better ranked than these three, though, and I know at least for VT and UVa, they have oodles more money to devote to research. Regardless of what search engine you're using, JMU comes up better ranked than GMU for pretty much everything. I don't believe either one of the schools is necessarily good or bad for pre-med; they both have all the prereqs you'll need.

- Though JMU does not have neuroscience, they have something called Biotechnology... which is their version of a DIY-BS curriculum, so you can make your major 'neurosciency' if you wish, and you're required to do a research project with it.

- GMU is a commuter school in the sense that it is a huge school in the middle of Fairfax County, where a large portion of the student body is from the area and commutes to the school (i.e., doesn't live on campus). It's not a true college town experience like UVa, W&M, or VT, where you have the entire towns built around the universities.

You'll, quite honestly, be completely fine at any of these institutions. It'll be harder to stick out at the tougher schools because the competition is a bit more cutthroat, but, if you move here and live with your fiance (or get married) and nag IS tuition, you'll have a great shot at one of our medical schools in the future.

Thanks. My fiancé is military and we've had a long distance relationship for a few years now which is why I really want to be closer to him. I took a look on JMU website and it just seems easier to find stuff for their pre med requirments and they seem a lot more straight forward then GMU. So with the biotechnology degree is it kind of like interdisciplinary studies where you and your advisor design a program for what you want to do? Also don't you have to live somewhere for a certain number of years for in state?
I hear that a lot of people like VCU because they have a gaurentee medical school acceptance for some students but I'm pretty sure transfer don't qualify.

 

[Frogger27]

One thing is you do not have to transfer into the exact same major... Look at other options but make sure your credits will transfer

 

[browneyes124]

One thing is you do not have to transfer into the exact same major... Look at other options but make sure your credits will transfer

Yes I'm looking at programs that are similar to my major so I won't have to take to many additional classes( I have 56 college credits so far) and also for programs that incorporate the pre med requirments as well

 

[WedgeDawg]

Thanks. My fiancé is military and we've had a long distance relationship for a few years now which is why I really want to be closer to him. I took a look on JMU website and it just seems easier to find stuff for their pre med requirments and they seem a lot more straight forward then GMU. So with the biotechnology degree is it kind of like interdisciplinary studies where you and your advisor design a program for what you want to do? Also don't you have to live somewhere for a certain number of years for in state?
I hear that a lot of people like VCU because they have a gaurentee medical school acceptance for some students but I'm pretty sure transfer don't qualify.

The guaranteed med school thing for VCU is a relatively competitive program that you apply for when you're applying to the school. It's a 3 year undergrad + 4 year med school type thing. I think you're right in that you can't do it as a transfer student (they basically use it as a means to steal risk-averse pre-meds away from UVA).

If you're deciding between GMU, VCU, and JMU, I would really make the decision based on what kind of environment you want to be in. GMU is commuter in the middle of suburbia, so you won't really get the full "college experience" if that's what you're after. JMU is a quaint college town in the middle of literally nowhere and is heavily undergraduate focused. VCU is in a moderate sized city (Richmond) at the heart of the city and VCU's hospital is highly integrated with the city's healthcare network.

If I had to make the choice personally, I would go VCU>JMU>>>>>GMU. Their programs will be of comparable strength.