<p>I have a transfer to Cornell. I am currently in Stony Brook. I need your advice if I should transfer. I have a high GPA at Stony and am in the top of my class. I have a great lab position with an amazing mentor (who is thrilled that I got in and says that she will keep a lab position for me regardless). Most, if not all, of my professors know me either by face or by name. I understand that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many dream about and never achieve. I have done well for myself at Stony Brook, but I am not thrilled about the school. The only love that I have is for my lab position and the facilities available to me from the med school, even though I am in the undergrad school. My heart wants to transfer and compete with the best and see where I stand, but my mind says that this is a very unwise and rash decision because there is a good shot that my hopes and dreams of gaining admittance into an MD/PhD program will be crushed. I can stand out more at Stony, if I already do not, and will have time for more ECs, but Cornell has the major that I want (either physiology or molecular biology). I guess that I fear failure, yet I know that in order to succeed, once must face, accept, and learn from their failures so that this person can become a strong individual and not repeat those mistakes again. However, I fear that I may be the one who crushes his own dreams if I do not do as well as I want to in Cornell. I mean I will be working assiduously to achieve the same GPA at Cornell as I did at Stony (if I ever do achieve it), but in the process may sacrifice ECs and research. But by staying at Stony, no matter how much I do, I may still not attain acceptance into an ivy league MD/PhD program. So I guess that I am in a rut, although not in the worst predicament possible. Can anyone offer their input? Thanks so much. I greatly appreciate it.</p>
<p>... That was a big paragraph of text.</p>
<p>I'm not sure I understand what exactly is the problem. Is it that you're comparing being a big fish in a little pond to the possibility of becoming a little fish in a sea? What is it about Stony that you're "not thrilled about"?</p>
<p>I think you may need to look more into MD/PhD programs as they don't "prefer" ivy-league graduates. Many medschools themselves even show they do not even have higher preference for those who attended their undergraduates. Sometimes, the data just appears as if MD/PhD programs prefer ivy leaguers due to the higher chances of better performance in research and MCATs/GREs. Your best bet is to contact whatever MD/PhD program you are interested in and inquire about this supposed preference.</p>
<p>But...from what I am reading in your post, it seems you'll be sacrificing a large portion of a factor in which MD/PhD candidates are critiqued for in admissions process. MD/PhD programs have admissions that rely a good amount on a combination of exceptional performance on MCATs/GREs and a history of research that can prove you will do good in the field. If you go to Cornell, there is no guarantee that you'll be able to make as much of a footprint on research as you currently have at Stony Brook; remember that a letter of recommendation from your research mentor is a pretty important factor in MD/PhD admissions and you already have a history with your current one (how likely will it be in the short amount of time from now until you apply will you be able to develop that close of a relationship with a research mentor at your own university?)</p>
<p>Conclusion: first you should contact the MD/PhD schools you are interested to learn more about the admission process, then decide whether or not you can achieve as much as you did at Stony Brook in Cornell or if you're doing it solely for the ivy-league brand.</p>