Would it matter if I transferred to a less known less "prestigious" school?

[idontcareanymor]

"Prestigious"...I hate that word with a VENGEANCE. I hate superficiality, I hate people that judge others based on a name. It all goes back to judging people based on what NAME BRAND they happened to be wearing. It SUCKS. And it's SAD that grown up doctors still do this. I mean are we in HIGH SCHOOL?!

Anyway so yeah I wanna transfer cause I can't even function in this school without getting professionally labeled by a 350$ an hour psychiatrist as depressed. It's in top 20, state school but yeah, yada yada, all that 'prestigious' crap.

Will this matter if I can do well on the MCAT?

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[Character]

"Prestigious"...I hate that word with a VENGEANCE. I hate superficiality, I hate people that judge others based on a name. It all goes back to judging people based on what NAME BRAND they happened to be wearing. It SUCKS. And it's SAD that grown up doctors still do this. I mean are we in HIGH SCHOOL?!

Anyway so yeah I wanna transfer cause I can't even function in this school without getting professionally labeled by a 350$ an hour psychiatrist as depressed. It's in top 20, state school but yeah, yada yada, all that 'prestigious' crap.

Will this matter if I can do well on the MCAT?

what schools

 

[ChubbyChaser]

It wont really matter...I did the same thing you are planning to do....Go where you will be happy.

 

[idontcareanymor]

I don't wanna really say. But it's just one of those state schools that aren't as well known. I mean good school and large and popular & difficult. But just not as "OMG PRESTIGIOUSNESS"

The question is, if I can maintain a good gpa and get a good mcat score, will I be ok? Or will I regret this decision come decision time when I get no acceptances?

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I don't wanna really say. But it's just one of those state schools that aren't as well known. I mean good school and large and popular & difficult. But just not as "OMG PRESTIGIOUSNESS"

The question is, if I can maintain a good gpa and get a good mcat score, will I be ok? Or will I regret this decision come decision time when I get no acceptances?

The only thing is..The MCAT will probably be moreimportant for some medical schools...otherwise I dont see it as a problem.

 

[idontcareanymor]

Thanks for your input, just wanted someone on my side I guess :)

 

[scarletgirl777]

Thanks for your input, just wanted someone on my side I guess

I think LizzyM once said on here that if it appears like you are transferring "down" that may not be seen favorably. I guess it depends how different your schools are and what reason you give for why you transferred.

 

[Artimacia]

I go to a small (about 10,000 students), relatively new school (10 years old) that is suppose to be a "green" campus (solar power, etc...). It is hardly known by anyone outside of the south area of florida (FGCU). In fact, I have not ran into any other pre-med students (I'm in my second year). Although I do worry that it may affect my chances, I actually feel more at ease because I have less competition, smaller, hands-on classes, easy to talk to professors, etc... It's pretty good.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I think LizzyM once said on here that if it appears like you are transferring "down" that may not be seen favorably. I guess it depends how different your schools are and what reason you give for why you transferred.

Maybe for her school....and maybe ifits something like MIT to University of phoenix online. I really really have a hard time believing in grade deflation formost cases.... Chances are a goodstudent will be a good student nomatter where hegoes.

 

[154465]

I go to a state school that isn't highly ranked. I know plenty of kids who got into top 10 schools, it really is about the MCAT and GPA. The very miniscule effect of name power isn't enough to keep you out of the Hopkins of the world, and it certainly isn't enough to justify being unhappy.

 

[scarletgirl777]

Maybe for her school....and maybe ifits something like MIT to University of phoenix online. I really really have a hard time believing in grade deflation formost cases.... Chances are a goodstudent will be a good student nomatter where hegoes.

It's true that study habits are transferable, but there's also the reality of a curve--your GPA is not based on you alone, it's also based on who your peers are.

And someone who goes to Cal State and someone who, say, goes to Stanford and transfers to Cal State are going to be looked at very differently. It's about whether or not it looks like you made the most of what you had and worked to fight obstacles you met, not a simple case of certain places getting looked down on. I notice quite a few of the responses to threads like this immediately go about defending a school that may be seen as mid- or low-tier, but I think those responses are missing the point.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

It's true that study habits are transferable, but there's also the reality of a curve--your GPA is not based on you alone, it's also based on who your peers are.

And someone who goes to Cal State and someone who, say, goes to Stanford and transfers to Cal State are going to be looked at very differently. It's about whether or not it looks like you made the most of what you had and worked to fight obstacles you met, not a simple case of certain places getting looked down on. I notice quite a few of the responses to threads like this immediately go about defending a school that may be seen as mid- or low-tier, but I think those responses are missing the point.

Schools like Harvard also have an average graduating GPA of close to 3.5 while most of thelower ranked schools are 2.9 or 3.0

 

[scarletgirl777]

Schools like Harvard also have an average graduating GPA of close to 3.5 while most of thelower ranked schools are 2.9 or 3.0

Assuming these numbers are correct (where are you getting them?), do you think that the average person at "schools like Harvard" would still be getting a 3.5 if they went to those lower ranked schools (it's also hard to tell what you mean by lower rank here, I guess I'm assuming non-flagship state school)? It's a fair question and something none of us can say for sure about any one person, but it's worth noting that the vast majority of these students who went to regular public schools were making 3.8+ in high school while taking the most rigorous classes they could find and juggling multiple leadership positions in extracurriculars. (I say regular public because the kids who went to the elite high schools of the country probably got slightly more slack GPA wise). Not to say that there aren't plenty of smart, hardworking people at every institution, but certain schools have a larger percentage of them than others.

Regardless, I was only referencing something that LizzyM said. OP, you can read what she said here, it's very explicit advice: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=6421346&highlight=transfer+down#post6421346

 

[jebus]

hating on people who wear diesel jeans is not an appropriate reason regardless of the context.

 

[surfstarj]

I don't wanna really say. But it's just one of those state schools that aren't as well known. I mean good school and large and popular & difficult. But just not as "OMG PRESTIGIOUSNESS"

The question is, if I can maintain a good gpa and get a good mcat score, will I be ok? Or will I regret this decision come decision time when I get no acceptances?

If your grades are good at the miserable school then it should be fine. I think it would only look bad if your grades were bad and you transferred out then. It might look like you're trying to save your grades. If this isn't the case, go where you're happy and do well on the MCAT and get into med school.