<p>I've always been indecisive, but never more so than now. I'm currently a freshman at UVA and doing pretty well academically, and I'm mostly content. I went to a high school in Virginia where UVA was considered a safety school, and I was pretty into getting into an elite college. Last April, I was rejected from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Cornell, and waitlisted at Columbia. I got into Duke and UVA, and decided to go to UVA. I was unhappy for the first few months at UVA, which is when I decided to apply to transfer out. But during my second semester, I found a research job, a job at the library, and things began looking up. I just found out yesterday that I got into Columbia, and I can't decide what to do. But I'm planning on going to med school, and I was wondering if going to Columbia would make any difference. I've always wanted to go somewhere like Columbia, but I know there are so many reasons to stay at UVA-- it's less expensive, I already know the school. I know the question has been asked before (Ivy League vs. public/state school for med school), but the situation is a little different here. If anyone has any advice on the matter, I'd be so grateful. Thanks!</p>
<p>well columbia is a spectacularly awesome school and you'd be an idiot not to go there....</p>
<p>....(i went/go to columbia)</p>
<p>but on a serious note....if you end up going to columbia and not doing as well as you're doing at UVA for whatever reason...because of the hightened competition, you aren't happy, you get distracted by NYC etc....then you are clearly much better off at UVA. There really is no way of really knowing how you would fair accademically at columbia but you can go and visit and try to get a sense of the atmosphere.</p>
<p>Also, I know that people keep saying "med schools don't matter where you go to undergrad" which is technically true if you take a very narrowview of things. However, if you go to a more competitive school (like an Ivy League) you are more likely to develop efficient study habits, you are more likely to be challanged both in class and outside of class by your peers, and your premed classes will be more competitive and more intensive. These all might sound scary to a premed who just cares about "playing the game" but all of the things I mentioned will help you get a higher MCAT score and make you more interesting at interviews.</p>
<p>If you go to Columbia, will you be able to afford medical school? There aren't many scholarships given and medical school is expensive. UVA also has a good track record in medical school placement.</p>
<p>That's definitely true--if I go to Columbia and then onto med school, I'm going to spend the rest of my life paying off student loans. My problem with Columbia is the cost, but I'll get to meet so many people there. Since going to UVA, I haven't met many new people and stayed with my high school friends. I feel like I should stay at UVA, but I don't want to spend the rest of my years at UVA regretting my decision and wondering what might have happened if I did go to Columbia.</p>
<p>I've been doing pretty well at UVA in my pre-med courses, I've taken one semester of orgo and I got an A. Next semester I'm going to have the same teacher, so I'm pretty happy with that. I'm worried that I'll get thrown off by adjusting to Columbia and meeting new people and my academics will drop.</p>
<p>Is there any website that has a survey of the destinations of Columbia graduates (I know UVA has one)?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Is there any website that has a survey of the destinations of Columbia graduates (I know UVA has one)?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>not that i know of</p>
<p>You can always call Columbia and ask for it. I'm sure the career center has those statistics.</p>
<p>Wait, wait, wait, so you're considering transferring merely because of reputation!?!?!?</p>
<p>UVA already has an outstanding reputation, I know someone who got into Harvard and chose UVA instead. They dedicate a TON of resources to their undergrad. It seems like your grades are good and you got a research job, so you're already doing better than many many premeds. </p>
<p>Are you happy with UVA? Do you have friends there? Everyone takes these things for granted, but environment is VERY important. You seem to enjoy being at UVA, and you're taking a risk by transferring to Columbia. I know someone who transfered from a state college to a very selective school, and they did significantly worse. He's very very bright, but with factors like adjusting to a new environment, having to make new friends, getting used to the pre-med system, and taking much more rigorous courses, the transition can be hard, even fatal, for some.</p>
<p>I sincerely hope you didn't consider transferring just because Columbia is an Ivy. I got into a ton of great schools, and chose one that is less well known to laypersons (but very well known within academia) because it fit me. I thought most people got over the high school Ivy-mongering mentality.</p>
<p>I'm definitely not transferring because of reputation/just for the name. I was really looking forward to going to a new place for college and having the chance to recreate myself. I can't really do that at UVA because a third of my high school goes there and the pre-med program is full of people from my high school. It's not that I don't like them, but it makes it hard to have new experiences. I just wanted to know whether or not going to Columbia vs. UVA has a real impact on life after undergrad.</p>
<p>What you bring up are exactly the reasons why I'm confused about whether or not I should go to Columbia. At this point, I think the best choice for me would be stay at UVA. But I'll probably go back and forth until May 30th.</p>