How do you know if transferring is "right"?

Transfer Students
1

<p>Hi there. I'm currently attending SUNY Bing and I'm thinking about transferring. However, I'm concerned that I may not be making the right decision. Bing is nice, but I've lived in a small town (like Bing) all my life, and I wanted a change for college. I made bad choices applying in my senior year though, so I ended up at Bing. It's not a bad place by any means, but the surroundings are driving me crazy. There's never anywhere to go. I've been considering transferring to somewhere in Boston or New York, but I'm not sure if I should. </p>

<p>My problem is this: I want to go to medical or dental school after undergrad, but Bing has *<strong><em>ty connections; on their OWN stats, they say that only one person in their pre-health program got into NYU, and that was the biggest name on the list. In high school, I had a really *</em></strong>ty counseling department too and I don't want to get stuck in the same situation again. However, if I switch to a bigger name school in a city, I'm afraid that it'll be too hard to get good grades and I won't be able to get into a good med or dental school. At the same time, I feel like I need an environment change and don't know if I'll have an opportunity like this ever again.</p>

<p>Any thoughts? Advice? </p>

<p>Oh, and my stats and stuff:
-I'm a freshman currently headed towards a chem major.
-First semester classes: Bio I, Chem I, Calc I, English class
-First semester GPA: 3.4 (yeah, messed that up a bit - too much time with friends, not so much on the books. Then again, I'm not sure whether I'd transfer this year or next year, and I'm definitely going to work harder second semester and bring it up to ~3.7)
-HS: 3.2uw, around 3.8-3.9w, all AP classes in junior and senior year, leadership position in politics club, involved with several other clubs as well, steady job.
-Schools considering: BU, NYU, Barnard. Have previously applied to all three, but ultimately didn't get in.</p>

2

<p>I never know if anything is "right." It's why I'm often confused.</p>

<p>Seriously, though, look into transferring. Doesn't hurt you to apply, and then at least you may have options. Maybe wait until you bring up your GPA though.</p>

<p>Wish I could offer more advice, but I don't know anything about pre-med.</p>

3

<p>Do you think I have a chance at getting in this year? I'm not really sure how the "midsemester report" thing works.</p>

4

<p>I'm also a pre-med student who wants to transfer out (not from SUNY) and I'm unsure if I should or not, as I just got into the Honors Program which should boost my chances for med school.</p>

<p>The one thing I've heard again and again is that it doesn't matter where you go to school; it's almost entirely about the grades and MCAT score you get. Now, going to NYU/BU looks better than SUNY, but if you have a higer GPA than the NYU/BU student then it levels the playing field tremendously. </p>

<p>So if you think you can hold a 3.5+ at NYU or similar, then go for it if you're unhappy where you are, but you're not sure, then it's a large gamble. I'd say, raise the GPA and wait till Junior year if you decide to transfer. That way you'll have a much clearer understanding of your performance at SUNY and how transferring could harm/help you for med school.</p>

<p>Best of luck :)</p>