<p>I'll be going to a state university this fall but just as a backup plan, I considered transferring to Penn and Harvard, and just as insurance, a few safety schools. Why?</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong, I've visited my current college and absolutely loved it and cannot wait to start. The reasons I'm considering transferring however, are that a. the financial aid given at my college is extremely poor, b. i may not like my college overall (i ll be optimistic on this though), and c. Penn and Harvard provide better academic opportunities in general. I am not trying to transfer simply because of prestige, showmanship, etc.</p>
<p>That's my background, here are my main questions:
1. I realize I'll only have one year to start a college resume. Just what exactly does it take? If needed, I will post my college plans later.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Does HS record follow me? Academic and extracirricular wise, I fared quite well but due to an unfortunate misdemeanor in my senior year, my chances of acceptance were cut slim.</p></li>
<li><p>Will it hurt to transfer to Penn or Harvard? Some factors that appeal to me are the generous financial aid and amazing research opportunities. I want to go to medical school, but I heard from some people that going to an Ivy League as an undergard to pursue medical school may not be the greatest idea and it is wise to stay at my current school.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Many thanks in advance for the advice!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Yes, more so if transferring soph. year, less so if transferring junior year.</p></li>
<li><p>If you don’t think you would be able to keep a high gpa at a top school and are planning on doing grad school then no, it is not recommended.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Yes, your high school records will follow, especially to Harvard. If you weren’t competitive as a high school student, or you don’t have a “hook”, your chances for Harvard acceptance are slim, but if you want to apply, give it a shot! You never know.
Who says that applying to med school from an Ivy would hurt? I’ve never heard anything like that. Medical schools care less about where you went as opposed to how you did there and of course your MCAT scores.</p>
<p>I’m not sure whether these schools accept 1st year transfers. Do some digging on their website, email a transfer rep, and let them help you.</p>
<p>I would refute meShannon’s comment a little bit. My friend is applying to med school with outstanding stats (3.95 GPA, 39R) and is having a hell of a time getting any attention from medical schools. We think it’s because of his undergrad institution - a tier 3 state school. I don’t know. Seeing it firsthand makes me not want to apply from a lower tier state school.</p>
<p>^ that’s ridiculous. even from a crap school, a 3.95 and a 39 are more than well-balanced, so your friend’s PS or something is probably really lacking. with those stats, it doesn’t matter where you come from. it would matter if they had that gpa but say, a 33 on the MCAT. </p>
<p>as for the OP, unless you were a competitive candidate to these schools as a freshman applicant, i would say you’re wasting your money and your time.</p>
<p>About the undergrad issue
My Penn interviewer told me a 4.0 GPA at my state university would outweigh a 3.5 GPA at a place like Penn when I asked her about applying to medical school. She did’nt seem too reliable though, I did take her word. I just wanted to see other people’s reactions to this.</p>
<p>It’s hard to judge myself in an unbiased way, but I really think I was a competitive applicant. It was my misdemeanor that surely cut my chances but I’m not condoning myself for it or anything, I just wantted to see if it would still carry on when I apply as a fresh college student and to get a general view of my chances.</p>
<p>You need to visit the PreMed Topics forum, there are reliable, experienced posters there, several of whom are currently in Med School. The question of prestigious school and gpa has been discussed frequently–so do a Search rather than start another new thread asking the same old question (unless you’re a glutton for punishment ;))</p>
<p>I agree with iu, a 39 on the MCAT is huge and more than makes up for a lower tier school, particularly coupled with almost a 4.0 gpa, there has to be something else lacking.</p>
<p>good luck transferring to harvard, you’re going need it.</p>
<p>Versatile, I’m in exactly same position as you right now. I really messed up during my senior year due to both external and internal factors and never spend much time researching college and and doing the applications. Although I’m currently at a tier one state school, I know i would never have gotten in without their “top ten %” rule. I’m considering transferring out when I get my act together. Maybe I’ll even apply to Harvard. lol Anyway, good luck with that, their admission rate for transfers is like 1%. I think they took 12 people last year. Coming from an ivy league school and DO WELL will definitely improve ur chances for med-school. What they don’t like are those guys who graduated from good schools with horrible GPAs.</p>