Hello, I am currently enrolled in a community college and have to transfer by the end of this year. Currently looking to transfer for biochem, chem, or biology. I have pretty good grades and want to know any suggestions as to where I should apply and if I am being realistic with my current choices. My #1 pick is Johns Hopkins University, however I’m shooting as high as Harvard because the worst thing they can say is no. Other picks include Cornell, George Washington University, (back ups are Rowan and Rutgers New Brunswick). To know if this is realistic however I have to show the facts.
The facts:
Current GPA- 3.837
Major- Biomedical science
ECs-
Club Coordinator for Student Government
Rewrites club (writing club)
Medical Novices club
Miscellaneous-
Two summer courses this summer (Anatomy & Physiology 1 and Chem 2)
Same part time job for 2 years
People’s choice award
Submitted paper to get published (find out in September, written on the environment)
Shadowing doctors
Extra tidbit, my end goal is to go to medical school.
How much can you afford? What is your home state?
Home state is Nj and im lower middle class everything will be on loans and scholarships because I have no financial help however cost isnt going to deter me
Everything can’t be on loans and scholarships. You’re limited to a $7500 loan as a junior and senior.
Don’t even think of using the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/04/nyregion/in-new-jersey-student-loan-program-even-death-may-not-bring-a-reprieve.html?_r=0
Try for some colleges that meet need http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2015/09/14/colleges-that-report-meeting-full-financial-need and see what colleges are most affordable in-state
There’s so much wrong here. I’m a NJ high school graduate, please don’t consider HESSA. Our interest rates were nearly 10%, even with very good credit. Medical school is very expensive, don’t start racking up undergrad debt.
Rutgers has a decent transfer acceptance rate; it’s a good option.
These schools meet need. The transfer acceptance rates aren’t too low.
-Bucknell University
-Emory University
-Franklin & Marshall College
-Mount Holyoke College (Girls)
-Univesity of North Carolina
-University of Notre Dame
-University of Virginia
Do you qualify for Pell? A full (~$5k) Pell grant, + the $7500 federal student loan, + ~$3k summer work earnings would give you a budget of ~$15k. Are there any colleges in NJ that you can commute to for that?
I dont’ think H accepts transfers.
Cost will deter you. You can’t borrow much, nor should you if you’re premed.
Do you have a non custodial parent?
You need to focus on schools that give great aid to transfers. Does JHU?
I’m not sure that it’s a good idea for a CC premed to transfer to JHU…your GPA may get trashed.
JHU weeds out their premeds even more than other schools do, and their average GPA is much lower than most other top-tier schools because of their harsh grading system and curves. JHU is 100% need-met (I’m not sure if that applies to transfer students) but isn’t the best idea for a CC transfer pre-med.
Thanks for all the replies. To answer all in one message:
- I see a lot of you saying in state and go to a school that meets need, however I’m worried that staying in state kind of limits me, so I’m going with the liste of schools that meet full need that Erin’s Dad posted, very helpful thank you.
- Austinmshauri, as of now in my school I do not quality for the pell grant at all. Which leads me to…
- Yes, mom2collegekids, I currently have one non-custodial parent. And I’ve looked at Harvard, they definitely accept transfers, just about 1%. Like I said I’m defintely not banking on it, let there be no uncertainty there. It’s always worth a shot in my opinion. Plus, Ive read all need is met for anyone Whos parent makes under 60,000, which mine does.
- A couple of you said my GPA will get trashed, and hufflepuffle talked about how hard the grading at JHU is.
Ultimately the culmination of all these factors give me a fresh perspective.
Does anyone know if it will hurt my chances of getting into med if I go to a less reputable school? Is the name just a plus? I know GPA and MCAT matter along with other factors, but will a higer GPA and a less reputable school still work for me?
It will not hurt you at all, unless maybe you go to Podunk U. But really, for a student set on med school, Harvard and JHU are not the best options.
Why aren’t they the best options?
Because the weeding is still pretty tough, and given the competition, a premed prospective student can’t be sure they’ll get past the grading curves with a strong enough GPA.
It is incredibly unlikely that you’ll get into med school with a poor GPA (anything below 3.5 is generally a dealbreaker). The average GPA at JHU is around 3.3, and it’s an extremely selective school full of motivated and intelligent students. Going to a school that isn’t in the top 20 will not hurt your chances as long as you do well academically, participate in medical extracurriculars and maybe some research, and do well on the MCAT.
Thank you everyone for your advice, it has been much appreciated! I will have to revise my plan, however this one will be a much more educated plan because of all of you. If you have any other tidbits feel free to pile them on! Always open to advice
Actually Rowan and RUNB are great choices. If you do well in Rowan, you might be selected by Rowan medical school. Medical school is not go by prestige, a Harvard MD works side by side with Howard MD and get paid the same. You should goto a lowest cost reputable UG and Rutgers and Rowan are good for med school.
Goto top UG will not fair well with a pre-med, because in those schools competition is too high and unless you are cream of the cream, you will not be happy. A 3.3 from JHU cannot go to Med school whereas a 3.8 from Rowan can.
Yeah thats a good point artloverplus, and the school I go to is aligned with Rutgers too, so I may have an easier time getting in there as well. All on top of it being in state, a pretty decent school, lots of opportunities, and having a french immersion dorm (if I get in there) to help me continue to learn french