Input on decision to transfer?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Dear Friends,</p>

<p>I am currently a pre-med student at the University of Southern California. My experience this past year hasn't left me 100% satisfied. I applied for transfer, and I was accepted to Cornell.</p>

<p>On one hand, I have been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA my entire freshman year at USC. Likely, things will get more difficult in the future, but I am confident my GPA will stay remarkably high. Because I have been able to stay top of my class, I have additionally scored a position at a prestigious lab.</p>

<p>On the other hand, Cornell has that brand name, and would also provide an environment where I will be challenged. The fact that I have maintained a 4.0 and probably only put in 60% of my effort means I have much more room to grow. Cornell also has a much stronger program in the sciences with better faculty.</p>

<p>Considering my goal is medical school, I feel that I have the best chance from USC given that can stay top of my class. It doesn't have the prestige of Cornell, but it is still a good school. Yet Cornell would be an amazing opportunity!</p>

<p>What do you guys think? Any input would be much appreciated!</p>

2

<p>The brand name of Cornell isn’t much better or really better at all than USC. It sounds like the only reason you want to go to Cornell is because it is an Ivy when you already have connections at USC that will enable you to not only get into medical school but possibly a more prestigious one, especially if you are a published author. If USC is making you unhappy it might be worth transferring but from an academic standpoint this transfer makes little to no sense.</p>

3

<p>I reckon you follow your heart. I was also a transfer and part of the reasons why I decided to do that was because I did not want to leave the “what if” question hanging. I transferred from a big ten school to WashU and till this day I’m still glad I did it. So, I guess it is just about asking yourself why did you apply to Cornell for transfer in the first place. </p>

4

<p>Another factor influencing my decision is that I’m not totally happy with the culture at USC, and feel that socially Cornell may be a better fit. However, the situation isn’t so dire, and I would be okay if I returned to USC.</p>