<p>AP Classes Taken: Psychology (5), Spanish (4), MicroEcon (2), MacroEcon (4), Biology (3), Eng Lang (3)</p>
<p>I will be majoring in Neuroscience while taking Pre-med courses. I would love to get into an Ivy League Medical school, but I was admitted into a pretty "low-tier" UC (University of California). I really wanted to get into an Ivy League for my undergrad because I would have some leverage over other students in applying to an Ivy League Med school if I was already coming from an Ivy League. That being said, I have contemplated transferring to an Ivy League or "top-tier" private school in the middle of my undergraduate education. My question is, should I? I have considered transferring out of UCSC because I wonder how willingly are Ivy's going to look into an application from a student who graduated from a not-so-high-standing university? Despite my desire to transfer, however, I have also considered that staying at UCSC would perhaps enable me to better stand out amongst my peers than if I were to transfer to an Ivy or top-tier private school where I would encounter a more competitive environment. Please help!</p>
<p>Ok, I am going to be frank with you because if you really, really want to become a doctor, you need this reality check…</p>
<p>You have a 1200 M+CR SAT. Your stats are well below the typical ivy student and ivy med student. Transferring into a tougher school will likely mean that your GPA is going to take such a hit that getting into ANY MD school will be unlikely. Your 550 CR score is troubling. Your 3 in AP Bio is also a concern.</p>
<p>Have this “transfer conversation” again after you have taken Bio, Gen Chem and Orgo at UCSC. If you have a high GPA (3.8+) as both a cum and BCMP GPA, then maybe consider transferring.</p>
<p>I think you have no idea how hard it is going to be for you to get a high gpa at UCSC in the premed prereqs.</p>
<p>Dont put the cart before the horse (worrying about ivy SOMS), when you dont have high stats and you want to become a doctor. </p>
<p>Besides…what’s the big deal about going to an ivy SOM? You arent likely going to be a MD/PhD student, so why the need to go to an ivy SOM??</p>
<p>It is best that you stay at the school you are at. Some Ivy League schools (e.g., Princeton) don’t even take transfers. But given your SAT scores, it is better for you to be where you are where you have the chance to get a fabulous GPA. Based on your SAT and MCAT you will see what Med Schools you can get into. </p>
<p>Think of it as “gaming the system”…you are making it easier to get a good grade in a class. You will have ample opportunity to do research if you make the effort.</p>
<p>Remember that your goal is to be a doctor…how you get there isn’t as important.</p>
It’s fun to fantasize about the future this way, the same way current HS kids enjoy fantasizing about getting into IVY. But its not a productive use of your time. Get top grades at UCSC, which you will need for your goals regardless of whether you transfer or not. In a year or so if you are cleaning up in your courses then start to think about whether a xfer might be in your best interests. Not now.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, instead of thinking about that wonderful future at an Ivy league college and med school, spend time thinking about how you can improve your academic performance above your HS showing. 3.67 is good, but it wasn’t enough to get you into one of the most selective UCs. A tongue-in-cheek definition of insanity is “doing the same thing and expecting different results.” If you do the same thing, you won’t get the grades you need when the difficulty of the courses steps up, as I can promise it will. And if your explanation involves blaming poor teaching, that is not something you can expect to disappear in college. You need to own your results and think about what you’re going to do differently.</p>
<p>I couldn’t agree more with @mikemac . It is about what you DO and not what you say you are going to do or want to do. Change your habits and studying methods to suit your goals.</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you who took the time to really give me the reality check that I need! I have learned a lot from my experience at a very competitive public high school here in San Francisco. I am glad that I was exposed to the academically competitive environment early on because it has really opened my eyes to what I can dream of, but like all of you have said, I really need to consider my current stats and simply start caring more about achieving my goal of becoming a doctor (and not so much freaking about how). Aside from what has already been said, any other tips that can help me? I appreciate every thing you all have said!</p>