<p>Alright, so I'm currently a sophomore at Vanderbilt. I'm Pre-Med, and I've already taken a year of Gen Chem...but I didn't do so hot, so now I'm retaking it and I'm taking Gen Bio. However, hear me out: I've done decently well in all my other classes. My overall GPA right now is a 3.25, which is around the average here, but I'm wondering if it might go against me if I want to transfer to Harvard? I have very strong EC: I'm a lab research assistant in surgery at the medical center, where I'm currently conducting experiments that should be formulated into a paper this coming year (my first scientific published paper!); I'm a big sib to a couple of freshmen; I'm also doing a club where I visit and help out refugees from the Congo as they transfer into the American lifestyle; I'm in a few community service organizations that help the local Nashville area; I'm in a program that helps underfunded middle schools by letting college students from Vandy teach science; I'm in intramural tennis; I've competed in regional/state-wide piano competitions in high school (though I have taken a break during college); I'm a member of a medical club where we help underprivileged communities in various countries receive medical supplies and doctors; and I'm in three honor societies (NSCS, ALD, PES).</p>
<p>I know that high school details are less important than college GPA (College GPA > SAT/ACT > High School GPA) but here they are anyway since I do have to report them:</p>
<p>ACT w/ writing: 35
SAT II Scores: 740 and 780
High School GPA: 3.97 (unweighted) and 4.50 (weighted)</p>
<p>I want to transfer to Harvard because of two main reasons: (1) I want to study marine biology and writing, both of which are departments lacking in valuable and extensive resources at Vanderbilt; and (2) the Southern vibe at Vanderbilt does not fit me.</p>
<p>So, I guess what I'm trying to get at here is this:</p>
<p>My GPA isn't the best thing (I am intending to raise it (within reason) to 3.40-3.45). But I do have other strengths. Do I still have a good shot at getting into Harvard as a transfer?</p>
<p>I think you ought to research other colleges outside the South that have strong marine biology and writing programs. For pre-meds. (That’s a little bit of sarcasm, by the way. One of the many challenges you face in transferring to Harvard is that it’s hard to take seriously the proposition that someone whose goal is to go to medical school really needs world-class marine biology AND creative writing programs.)</p>
<p>I think if you look at it carefully, most if not all of the successful transfer applicants to Harvard fit into one of three or four categories: athletic recruits, people who were accepted to Harvard before and went elsewhere, and people who have just completely outgrown whatever college they are at in an obvious way. You seem like a smart person with a lot to offer, but you aren’t going to fit into any of those categories. If you really don’t feel comfortable at Vanderbilt, there are lots of places that you could go, but Harvard isn’t likely to be one of them.</p>
<p>OP. Let me be frank and tell you that a 3.25 GPA is not going to cut it…whether to transfer to upper tier schools…or for that matter…getting into medical school. If I were you…I would strongly recommend transferring to your home “state” flagship (hopefully outside of the Southern “vibe” zone) and doing well there so that you can RESURRECT your poor GPA…</p>
<p>…if not, you have very little chance of getting into medical school in the future. Medical schools don’t care what school you attended…if your GPA is LOW. They would rather take someone with a very high GPA from Podunk U…that’s just the way it works in medicine…</p>
<p>…and by the way…90% or more of practicing physicians in the US are state school grads (undergraduate/graduate programs) or FMGs (foreign medical school grads)…eye opening isn’t it? </p>