This past year, I attended Ursinus College, a small, suburban liberal arts college about 45 minutes away from my house. I always wanted to attend a big university in a city, but I chose this smaller school for athletic reasons. Athletics didn’t work out, though, and I quit after my freshman season. I wanted to transfer then to a bigger, more urban school. I applied to a lot and narrowed it down to PITT. My problem is that I did very well academically and I loved all of my classes at Ursinus. I want to go to medical school and I feel as though if I stay at this school I have a really good chance of getting in. I also love the study abroad program and know that I would be able to fit it in even with all of my biochem course requirements. I hate the social scene, though. There is nothing to do around the school and the campus is so small. All there is to do is go to boring, repetitive parties at the same building every weekend. There isn’t even a bar within walking distance. I hate how we have to live in dorms all 4 years there and how our only food option is the dining hall unless you want to drive somewhere off campus. The school is D3 and the sporting events aren’t really a big thing; no one goes to the football games or the basketball games and that’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. The school is also extremely cliquey and I find it a little hard to fit in, but I have a couple of really good friends there except most of them will be graduating this upcoming year where I will just be a sophomore, and they are all on the team that I won’t be on anymore if I stay at the school, so I’m worried that that will drive us apart… On the other hand, I would rush this fall and probably meet a bunch of new people. I also have a group of friends that I study with for exams that I really like. I’m worried that if I transfer colleges, I won’t get into medical school because I don’t know anyone and won’t know people in my classes to ask questions and help me study. I don’t know how different the caliber of classes are either. I’m also really nervous that I will have an even harder time making friends and fitting in and then end up feeling extremely lonely. Is it wrong to transfer colleges solely because of the social scene when the academic part is going extremely well? Any advice is much appreciated… also my deadline is August 1st! Please help!
If your intentions are medical school, then the MCAT is probably your biggest priority. GPA is important, but a high MCAT score is more impressive because many medical school applicants have 4.0s, but not 515+.
Go somewhere academically rigorous if you want to maximize your chances. You should shadow a doctor before you get into all of this to see if medicine is for you. Many students turn down medicine after shadowing. Good luck!
What classes did you take, and what is your GPA?
And regarding transferring: isn’t it a bit late to do that this year? Or are you still considering transferring this year-as a practical matter, in the next month or so?
There is a lot to unpack in your post, but it sounds like you have some conflict between the academic aspirations you have for college and the social atmosphere at your current institution. This is a great time to take a deep breath and reflect on your priorities for college. Do you value your academic experience or social experience more? Are you willing to sacrifice a bit of your desired experience in one category for a better experience in the other?
Ultimately, I would ask yourself what do I want to change about my current situation, and will transferring colleges likely bring about that desired change? Having transferred colleges seeking different social experiences I can tell you first hand that transferring isn’t a silver bullet.