Will My Chances of Getting into Medical School be Jeopardized for Transferring from a Four Year?

[mila9828]

I am currently ending my first semester at a CSU, but am very unhappy here. I ended the semester with good grades, considering it being my first semester, 2 A's and 2 B's. I have made the decision to transfer out of the university, because I don't feel comfortable here, am having financial problems, and would much rather have to go to a community college and then transfer to a better school rather than sticking it out for the next year and a half and then live with the possibility that a CSU transfer is never guaranteed. I have been having mixed feelings with my decision, because I aspire to become an optometrist in the future, although I am still unsure and am also considering becoming a medical doctor (ophthalmology). I know that optometry and medical school are really competitive and I don't want to jeopardize my chances of getting into optometry/medical school, but I also don't want to live my college years unhappy either. I have also read online that if I transfer it may look like I am doing it in order to have an easier curriculum (since community colleges are given that reputation), and that it will make me look unprepared for the immense workload in optometry/medical school. I definitely don't want to give off that impression. Lastly, I have also been told that the school you come from definitely matters, and I don't go to a top university or a well known CSU, which also gives me anxiety and makes me feel less competitive here because of it's reputation, considering that I would be competing with other students from ivy leagues and well known UC's. My plan is to transfer out of my current CSU, go to community college, and then transfer to a university with a good biology program and continue to excel there. I am hoping that the admission committee will see that although I transferred from a four year to a community college, my transfer to a better university and excelling academically will be enough for them to see that I am well qualified to study optometry/ophthalmology. I know that a lot of research and internship opportunities come from being at your university, but I am already planning on shadowing my ophthalmologist to gain experience and do other non-health related volunteer work and extracurricular activities to make me a well rounded applicant. I would really appreciate feedback and help in making this final decision. Thank you so much.

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[gyngyn]

Your grades and scores matter a lot more than your transfer history.