So I’ve looked at a lot of posts and my situation seems a little unique and I’d appreciate any feedback that can be offered.
I decided to go to the University of Vermont when I graduated high school but I also had a guaranteed transfer offer to go to Cornell University my sophomore year and beyond. I had a great year at UVM, made amazing friends, was on the perfect dance team, great neuroscience club, thinking about doing the school EMT service, joined a sorority etc. But by the end of the year I decided to go to Cornell because I figured I would also have a great time there AND get an Ivy league degree, hopefully giving me an edge when it comes to applying for med school. Now it’s been a month or two and I really don’t like it at Cornell. I can’t seem to make a good group of friends, everything is so competitive I can’t get into anything to make me stand out, and my old sorority and dancing is completely different here. I’m really struggling to enjoy anything except my classes and am sorta home sick for my old school.
So all in all, I was much happier at UVM than I am currently at Cornell and I’m wondering if going back to Vermont for the next two years will lower my chances of getting into medical school or should i stick it out and potentially be unhappy for three years at Cornell but have an ivy degree?
It’s not the school I see lowering my chances, I’m just worried because some people have warned me that admissions officers could see this as me “not being able to handle” going to a more elite school. I’m hoping that if I just get good grades this semester I should be able to refute that. Thank you very much for your input, and I think I’m going to see my advisor to talk about transferring tomorrow! @twogirls
I went to Cornell. Its a place where you can easily get lost in the shuffle. There are a lot of premeds who are competing. If you feel more comfortable at UVM and feel its where you can do your best work, I’d head for there! Run, don’t walk.
I never understand why people put other people’s wants, needs, desires, happiness above their own. Who gives a crap what the admission’s officers think. If they think that then that’s not the right school for you. Be yourself.
I have to agree with previous posts, I think you should work hard this semester and do your best so grades won’t show as a reason for leaving but make plans to return to UVM next semester if possible. I think your environment at UVM sounds healthier for you which in turn will only help your success. Best of luck to you!!!
Yeah, go back and you can list your year at Cornell on your resume as “undergraduate studies” for that year and it will look like you took advantage of an opportunity to be a visiting student there
I agree with all of the above posts, and particularly @Rollout. UVM has a very good premed program. If you were happy there, I would suggest that you return and be happy there. UVM also has a very good medical school. Cornell does too, but if you are not happy there then it is not the place for you.
I guess I’ll only ask if you were so in love with UVM after one month last year. If you knew that school was the one for you so early, and had all your friends and clubs in place, then fine. If not, and it took a while for everything to click, then I’d wait a little bit longer at Cornell. Right now you are comparing apples (the end of freshman year) and oranges (the start of a new year at another school, where you are new and everyone else knows one another already). After all, you did go ahead and fill out an application to transfer from UVM and did go ahead with it, so something propelled you forward.
Maybe you put in your application back to UVM but for next fall, not next semester, to give Cornell a chance. Then you can really make an informed decision.
Despite it all, it is a good situation to be in and you won’t have the ‘what if’ to contend with…
Good luck!
You should reach out to your academic advisor and the CAPS office to talk to some administrators. Plenty of people are in the same boat as you, but often find it difficult to vocalize these issues to people whose job it is to help. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for transfers let alone first-years trying to adapt to a different environment. The staff want you to be happy and to succeed, so they can help you find some balance at Cornell or help you transition back to Vermont.
Have you tried joining any other extracurriculars? That would probably be a good start to finding a new crowd of friends since it sounds like the sorority is different and the dance group you joined just isn’t the same. Maybe try an EC that’s completely different altogether. Otherwise, I’d highly recommend a 1-on-1 counselling session at CAPS – it’s incredibly just to therapeutic to talk to someone in private (speaking from experience).
You say you like your classes now, that IS something! And that is important. And, just to throw this thought in…things can and will change too over at VT. Friends change, and new members show up…Its normal to feel a little down when the pressure is turned way up, like it has when you step into an ivy.
I agree with other posters about returning to Vermont (but doing well this semester so that it looks like an exchange semester, not “i left cause I couldn’t hack it”). Sounds like UVermont had a better environment and you were doing quite well. It won’t matter to med schools NY th way - GPA and MCAT reign supreme. What college you attended doesn’t really matter.
However there’s one caveat: costs.
If you had a scholarship at UVermont it’s unlikely you will still have it when you return. Can you still afford it?