Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well.
This is an issue I’ve been mulling over for a while, and I was just looking for some more input and advice.
Here’s the situation: I am currently a first-year pre-med biomedical engineering student at GW.
I went to a public magnet high school, but did poorly both academically and outside of the classroom because of a combination of a visual disability and clinical depression. (Both of these issues were not sufficiently adressed until my senior year of high school) Consequently, I did not get into my first choice, which was my state’s flagship University of Virginia. Because I liked Washington D.C. and was awarded merit aid, I decided to attend GW.
I was expecting to do mediocre to okay first semester, but oh boy was I surprised. I got a 4.0 taking the max number of credits, started a community service student org, got another leadership position, got a research position with someone in the BME department, and started a part-time job tutoring in D.C. I’ve also found that GW has a sequence of patent law classes for engineering students that I started taking this semester, and I love it. I have also come to appreciate the small size of the GW School of Engineering: it’s only 800 kids in total! Not to mention that the campus is urban, which is perfect for someone like me who can’t drive due to poor vision. Overall, GDubs is a good fit for me.
Based on the thoughts of others who I have spoken to about this, it would be silly of me to transfer and have to basically start from square one with all my ECs. However, I’m worried about getting into medical school, and I really don’t want to be eliminated on the basis of attending a less-rigorous school for pre-med. Plus the tuition at UVa would basically be zero because of our Virginia 529 plan, but money isn’t really an issue for us. Also, I have a lot of pressure from my family and friends, most of whom basically define attending UVa as the bare minimum of post-secondary academic success. I know this is ridiculous, but I have a pain inside that seems like it will never go away unless I go to a “better” school that my mom can brag about on Facebook.
I really don’t know what to do. Please help!
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Medical schools do not care where you went to undergrad. They care about GPA, MCAT scores and ECs (and it looks like you are knocking it out if the park there).
If you transfer to UVA, you will have a harder time getting into medical school based on what you have described. I know kids at prestigious undergrad schools who regret not going to a school where they would have an easier time maintaining a high GPA.
So if you want to transfer to UVA for other reasons, go for it. But if you want to maximize your chances for med school acceptance, transferring wouldn’t be the move (unless you think you can maintain a high GPA and obtain leadership and research there too).
Good luck to you!
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Stay at GW if you like it and it sounds like you do.
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Wow on the accomplishments.
Sounds like you’re thinking too harshly about this ‘embarrassment of riches’ (i.e., the record you’re establishing.) Try to look for the criteria for med school admittance. Remember, the figures a college quotes (percent admitted to one of their top 3 choices) are for kids who made it past the often brutal weeding and got full committee suport. It’s generally a much, much lower number than freshmen with pre-med aspirations. Plus, you’d need to know how easy (or not) UVa makes it, for pre-med transfers.
Do we assume you’ve visted UVa? I love the school but the campus isn’t easy to traverse and there isn’t much available ‘across the street,’ so to say. And you might not be living on campus.
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Thank you! That makes sense. I guess I should be grateful for what I have and put more stock in myself.
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Could you say more about why you view the UVA campus as traverse? Also, when you say it’s lacking, what would you prefer it to have “across the street?”
Thank you! That’s good advice. Not that it really matters, but we have a pre-med committee; UVa does not. I also get the impression (from faculty and former students) that BMEs who keep their grades up at GW are very successful come med school apps, but that is probably true most places…? It’s also apparently easier for engineering kids to earn guaranteed admission to GW Med School since they keep some spots open to exclusively engineering students and not many either want to or can compete (there’s a separate application process for engineers).
‘Easy to traverse’ as in, to get from one part to another. And OP has described a visual impairment.
…
UVA may not have someting they call a committee, but you still need support/endorsement when applying to med school. I’m not sure if one can figure out how easy that is, but I’d imagine there could be some competition.
In general, it’s not easy to get into med school.
Have you suffered from depression or been hampered by your visual disability while at GWU ? If not, then consider staying.
OP: Your posts in this thread read like an advertisement for GWU which indicates that you are very happy where you are.
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The person does not sound depressed. How would a visual disability vary among schools?
If your vision is poor enough, you can’t drive. Being on an urban campus (with a subway stop) as opposed to in a college town with limited public transit is better. I’m DEFINITELY not transferring to UVA.
Would it be necessary to travel often for those who are at college towns?
@yankeefan20 Why are you asking these questions on this thread? OP was looking for input about his own decision, with the facts related to his own experience and needs.
You can get more info about campuses or college life if you start your own thread. It’s easy.
OP, glad you’re making a comfortable decision.
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“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
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