As a Pre-Dental student, should I transfer?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
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<p>Hi, I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice.</p>

<p>I am a current resident of Michigan. Last year as a senior in high school, I applied to U of M and was deferred and eventually rejected. I chose to go to U of M Dearborn for undergrad. I want to be a dentist in the future and I'd like to stay in-state, and University of Michigan School of Dentistry is my top choice (the only other option is University of Detroit Mercy because the state of Michigan only has two dental schools)</p>

<p>I wanted to know if it would be in my interest to transfer to the Ann Arbor campus? I've seen conflicting opinions. I've seen people say that where you go for undergrad doesn't matter in dental school admissions (which is in my interest because U of M Dearborn definitely isn't considered a prestigious school) but I've also seen people say that 60% of the admitted students in the U of M school of dentistry were also undergrads at U of M. Will attending undergrad at U of M increase my chances of getting into their dental school? My major is psychology. </p>

<p>Even dental school stuff aside, ideally I'd still want to transfer. U of M Dearborn is a nice school but certain things are off putting, such as the lack of passion and dedication I see in the student organizations (and as a measly freshman there isn't much I can do about it) and just the general atmosphere; I've lived in Dearborn my whole life and would like to branch out and meet new people and see new things. However, I do like the small class sizes. Ideally if I were to transfer to U of M I'd transfer either Winter 2016 or Fall 2016 (by then I'd have 35-50 credits) and I'd be taking more upper-level classes by then so the class sizes would be smaller. </p>

<p>Sorry about going off on a tangent. Opinions/advice by current students at U of M, students that transferred there, or current pre-med/dental students would be appreciated! </p>

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<p>I feel like it there is some truth in that it doesn’t really matter where you go, but WHAT you do wherever you go is more important.</p>

<p>That being said, if you want a change in environment, I think you should transfer. I’ve heard mixed stories about transferring to Ann Arbor, as transferring in general can be tough since it’s kind of hard to meet people past your freshmen year, but considering the size of the campus and vast amount of student organizations, maybe it won’t be as big of a problem for you?</p>

<p>One thing I would be concerned about though is the toughness of classes, cause as a current pre-med student, it definitely is extremely competitive and you should ask yourself if you are up for the challenge of the classes. Cause the #1 complaint I hear from friends and classmates at UM is that they feel so mediocre here, and I mean all these kids are so bright, but they’re just not used to being middle of the pack, if you get what I’m saying. </p>

<p>So in the end, it just really depends on what you value more: would you rather be at a huge research university with the opportunity to meet lots of people but face hard classes or would you rather be at a smaller university with less competition? My dad works at UM-Dearborn, and he’s told me that he has seen kids get into amazing med schools and dental schools (even in Ann Arbor) from Dearborn, but it’s extremely rare.</p>