Hi,
I just finished my freshmen year at Arizona State, I had a terrible year out there and it was not the right college for me to go to. So I decided to transfer I applied for schools for the Fall 2015 and got accepted into most of them. However, right now I am confused about where to transfer as I would not be able to transfer anymore I have to make the right decision this time.
These are my choices:
IUPUI
Indiana University-Bloomington
Temple University
Loyola university Chicago
My major is Biochemistry and my GPA during my first semester was a 3.33 (didn’t do too well on of the classes and it lowered my gpa), and for the spring I have a 3.74. I also want to go to med school if its possible I realize how hard it is.
But mainly I just wanna know which one fo these colleges is better in terms of pre-med and sciences, I am also taking the location into account.
Thanks in advance I would really appreciate to hear different opinions on these schools.
@ucbalumnus thanks for your answer. For the cost I its mostly the same price for all of them since loyola gave me a scholarship so attending either one of them will cost me the same thing since I am an international student.
@NASA2014 thx for your answer. I don’t wanna stay in Arizona at all so applying for U of A is not an option for me or any other school because I think its too late.
I am just not a party guy and I wanna go to a school that is more focused on education, most students at ASU just don’t care or are only there to party. Also its a really large and most teachers don’t even know who u are. For med school I am trying to raise my GPA more, for the 3.33 I took some chemistry for engineers which lowered my GPA. @ucbalumnus
There will be parties at almost any residential school. Schools with a higher proportion of commuters and non-traditional students may have fewer parties (commuters party away from campus, non-traditional students are likely past the wildest of their party years).
thx for the input @ucbalumnus. I understand that parties are everywhere and at most colleges. But I mostly want to transfer because of the fact that most people at ASU do not take education seriously. I also did not like the city. So I really wanna leave ASU unless I have a better chance of transferring to a better college by raising my GPA there for another year and then transfer as a junior. However, I am scared of doing that because some classes might not transfer and I do not think that med school will like that, that is why I am trying to transfer as a sophomore.
ASU is very well-known for its party atmosphere. The way ASU set itself up is that it caters to a small group with Barrett, and then advertises itself for the 2.5-3.0 HS student who wants to party, and there the classes are very large, etc.
Did you get into the Honors College at any of these universities?
Does your Temple admission come with housing or would you have to live off campus? If it doesn’t, cross out Temple since the neighborhood isn’t good.
I would cross out IUPUI because it’s not the same academic quality as the others.
thx for the input @MYOS1634. If I attend Temple I will be living on campus. For IUPUI I think you are right I was doubting if I should either keep it on my list or not. I have also been admitted to University of illinois at Chicago but I don’t think that the school has a good academics, I wanna hear your opinion about UIC too?
Temple on campus is good. It’s an up-and-coming school and Philadelphia is a great city, even if the area where Temple is is gritty and can be dangerous. (On-campus is fine, there’s a lot of security, but the immediate off campus requires you to be careful, especially if you’re alone at night.On the other hadn, you can be anywhere in the city in a matter of minutes.)
What environment are you looking for: city, college town? How cold can you go (Philadelphia, Iowa, and Chicago are all cold, but there’s a difference).
Note that your odds of going to med school as an international student are very, very, very slim.
What about Arizona State made it “not the right school” for you?
I think that’s probably the most important part of this equation. You have to stop and determine what you’re looking for. Reflect on what you liked and disliked about your current school. What went right, what went wrong. When did you realize that you weren’t in a good place for you, and what prompted that realization?
Answer these questions, and your odds of finding the right school will increase.
It appears that you applied to schools that have or are associated with med schools. Did you do so because you thought you’d have a better chance at acceptance to their med schools?
Do those med schools even accept int’ls? Most of those are public. I doubt they accept int’ls. I think Temple’s med school is private…don’t know if they accept int’ls.
edited: Just checked…Temple, Loyola, IU SOM, and UI-C SOMs do not accept int’ls.
What is your back up career? Do you realize that your chances of getting into a MD school are extremely unlikely?
thanks everyone for the input. @mom2collegekids I have taught about this multiple times, I realize that my chances are very small but I am willing to try anyways. My back up plan was to graduate as a Biochemistry major and maybe go to graduate school or find something in that field.
However, I have done some research and it shows that it is hard to find a job with a BS in Biochemistry so I do not think that this plan would work either.
It would be really helpful if someone knows if a biochemistry degree would be a good degree to find a job or not?
Also I am thinking about switching my major to clinical laboratory science but this program is rare and not really offered at any of these schools that I applied for except for IUPUI, and right now I am considering to transfer there and and go for this degree.
Do you think that this would be a good idea?
another thing that I can do is go back for another year to Arizona State, raise my GPA (I am also doing an internship in a laboratory during the summer) and apply for other schools that have such program. But I am scared it that would be too late for me to do that program?
If anyone has any idea about Clinical laboratory science as a major please share it?
I am super confused at this point and really do not know what to do. Any input would be really appreciated.
People who read these threads regularly know that I am a cheerleader for Temple, but I think it would be an excellent fit for you. It has a lot of commuters and “non-traditional” students, and its urban location is very comfortable for international students. Philadelphia is a world-class medical center, with several of the best hospitals. You might have noticed that Temple University Hospital is where victims of the recent Amtrak derailment were treated. I have a son at Temple, and he agrees that one of its best features is that it offers a little of everything at a much more attractive price than, say, BU, NYU, or GWU. It is in an exciting, but affordable, city. It has excellent departments, in many different areas. It has good basketball and (maybe not so good, but still competitive) football teams to cheer for, if you enjoy sports. You have some good options, and Chicago is also a great city, but think very seriously about Temple for health science opportunities.
thanks @woogzmama. I am still considering Temple as one of my best choices but the fact that they do not offer clinical lab science is whats holding me from going there. But thank you for your input
IUPUI too is one of the medical hubs in the Midwest as IU Medical is located there. Many of the supportive programs are integrated into the Medical School early on. These include PT, Nursing, and I would assume Clinical Laboratory as well. Not just those seeking to become a physician.
As the poster above I am an unabashed advocate of IUPUI so take my advice with grain of salt. I just know kids like it there, the Medical school is a breeding ground for all facets of clinical services.
Whether you get your grades up and apply for med school or stay in clinical laboratory, IUPUI sounds like a good option. They have both pathways.
Thanks a lot for your input. Right now, I am considering either IUPUI or Temple University.
If I go to IUPUI I would do the 3+1 program that they offer on Clinical laboratory science. However I am not really tat excited about going to Indiana and I don’t think I will like it over there but if its the best option I am ready to go, and I am also excited about the fact that they have both pathways.
If I go to Temple U I would be graduating in Biochemistry and then applying for Clinical laboratory science program since Temple do not offer that I afraid if that would be a little risky for me, but basically I will be doing the 4+1 program. However, I do like the university, philly, but if its risky I would prefer to go with the safer way that is IUPUI.
I would love to hear your opinion about one of these options @Goodkidsdad and thanks
I guess my input would be to make an appointment with some department heads at both schools and go visit. Also, I am a bit confused about your perception of Indiana. Downtown Indianapolis is an awesome place.
Anyway, go both places this summer and get the feel. The clearest path to enlightenment is experience.
I would really appreciate to hear different opinions on these schools.