re #37, FWIW:
Nobody who isn’t an admissions officer can really chance somebody with authority.
Particularly for transfer admissions where so little data is available.
Most students get what they can from here, but fewer of them stick around subsequently to do community service. If they did, their individual anecdotes wouldn’t be worth much more. They aren’t admissions officers either.
The parents and others who stick around here do so out of a desire to be helpful. They don’t always succeed, but that’s the intent.
Rather than criticizing them for not actually being helpful enough in your case, it might be better to thank them for taking the time to try.
Just IMO.
Why don’t you look at Penn? I believe they take a fair number of transfers. I know a student who transferred from Williams to Penn after taking a semester break. Isolation was the issue there as well.
We are not being negative…you are. You also insulted a bunch of people.
My D graduated first in her HS class with much higher stats than yours, and she attended a state school. I can assure you that her school was not “less demanding.” I saw how hard she worked to maintain her high gpa.
Cornell is also in the middle of nowhere, although the town is within walking distance. All of the schools that you wish to transfer to are reaches. If you want to transfer just make sure you add some other schools…a few that are less reachy.
You need to work on your gpa if you want a chance at med school. The fact that you are at Williams doesn’t matter…lots of students at similar schools manage to achieve a high gpa. Medical schools don’t say…well he graduated from Williams so we will accept a 3.4, and she graduated from UConn so she needs a 3.9. Doesn’t work that way.
You asked for advice…I would add schools that are more likely. Pitt is great, but won’t be a walk in the park. You will be surrounded by very smart kids and will have to work hard on your gpa.
I don’t have any knowledge about transferring but I do wonder if the New England winter isn’t weighing on you. Coming from Texas, you can’t underestimate this. The isolation, gray skies, and cold can be so difficult. With study abroad as an option, personally, that is what I would focus on. Go somewhere where you can enjoy a metropolitan area (and some better weather!) I think if you can just get through Feb and March, the weather (and I realize it is not just the weather but I wonder if it doesn’t really play a big factor) will look up. If you decide to study abroad, if you could pore yourself into finding a program and getting amped up for it, that would be my advice.
The people who matter in medschool admissions know about Williams; I realize telling you that it is an extraordinary school with a fantastic reputation doesn’t change how you feel right now, but that is its reputation for the people making medschool decisions.
Finally, don’t neglect your mental health. Back to the isolation and the weather; SAD is real. Some proactive measures can go a long way to help.
But ultimately, you only live one life and need to do what feels right in your gut. I would concur that you need to cast a wider net if you go for transfers as - just like college admissions - there are no guarantees and just applying to reach schools is a recipe for disappointment. I do, however, feel that applying to disparate types of schools is just fine. I know my daughter is quite interested in Brown for it’s open curriculum as well as Cornell for a certain major. We live near Brown so she is quite familiar with it. I hope you update this thread and let us know what you decide. I just wanted to say good luck and this stage will eventually pass, no matter what you do.
