<p>I go to (in my opinion) a garbage university. I started in Spring 2013, and right now I'm completing my second semester. My GPA so far, is a 3.71. I've taken Chemistry 1 (A), and I got a B in the lab, Calculus (B), a Liberal Studies course (A), and Spanish (A). Currently I'm taking the second Chemistry class, I'm also teaching a problem solving workshop for Chemistry 1 (Since only like 5-10 people made an A in the class, they asked me to be a T.A this semester, they also give me 1 credit for my work) I'm taking English 1, Sociology, and Biology 1.<br>
I'm going to be a Biology major, and I'm dreaming of going to Medical school. Everything seems on track right now...but I just can't stand my University. It's got a horrible reputation, I'm surrounded by generally "stupid" people (The sad truth) and honestly I'm embarrassed to go here. I know I may sound shallow for saying those things, but at this point, I don't care.... I just want to leave. I was forced to go to this University to be close to home, and I'm really regretting it.</p>
<p>All I want is some advice. I want a school where the general population is "smart". I don't want a religious school. I want NO Greek Life. Maybe some decent on campus housing...and most importantly A SCHOOL WITH A STRONG BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT. </p>
<p>I'll be honest, I can't tell why I feel this way about the other students, and this university. It may be because my (now ex) gf goes to a much better school than I. It's much more well known, it's respected.. etc. My GPA like I said before is a 3.71. In high school my GPA was a 3.7 and my ACT was 24. I know I have to keep my grades up. I'm looking to transfer after this school year. I don't know what you would consider me as of right now (Second semester freshman I guess..) since this is only my second semester, but I really need some help on this. I just want to know of some schools that fit these criteria. I want others to be proud of me, and I want to be proud of myself. I don't think I can continue at this school much longer. </p>
<p>Does being proud of yourself require a more prestigious name on your diploma? You are obviously doing well where you are and if you “dream” of medical school, you need to maintain as high as possible gpa. If you try to transfer as a sophomore, your high school record and test scores will still weigh heavily in your application so I don’t know how possible it will be to “trade up” prestige-wise.</p>
<p>You are going to have to supply more information to get any useful help. What are your financial constraints? Medical school is crazy expensive and you need to avoid undergraduate debt. Most transfers don’t do nearly as well with financial aid compared with freshmen so you need to think this through.</p>
<p>It sounds like this idea to transfer is based on emotion rather than what’s in your reasoned best interests. The fact that you even mention that your ex attends a “better” school than yours is a tip-off that your thinking is a bit off on this topic.</p>
<p>I know that I really shouldn’t transfer… and I know that it’s possible that my ex may be in my head… but the thing is, I’ve felt this way even before I knew her. At this point, I just want some advice. Some school suggestions and whatnot.</p>
<p>Like I said before, I don’t actually think that’s the real reason, as I’ve felt this way long before I even met her. All I want right now, is a few suggestions as to where to look into. I’m not saying I’m actually going to transfer, but I do want to see what my options are.</p>
<p>right now I’m completing my second semester</p>
<p>You wrote this post in Aug…how are you now completing your second semester.</p>
<p>Your crack about Alabama shows that you’re not as smart as you think you are. And, with an ACT 24, you’re not that strong of a student. If you went to University of Alabama, your scores wouldn’t even put you anywhere close to the top 25% (which is an ACT 31+). </p>
<p>So, enough harshness, now on to productive advice.</p>
<p>How much are your parents paying NOW for college? What are your parents saying about paying $20k-$32k per year? Have they said that they’ll pay up to $32k per year? </p>
<p>As a bio student, you’ll soon find the weakest students changing majors and leaving the classes that you’re req’d to take. Then as you move into the upper division bio classes, that will be even more so. </p>
<p>If you’re “dreaming of med school” then you need to go to a school where your GPA will be the highest. Transferring to a tougher school with your weak testing abilities could be the death knell of any med school hopes. You may not end up with a high MCAT (since ACT score is a predictor for MCAT score), so you’re going to need the highest GPA possible for a chance.</p>
<p>Heh, there’s an entire story about why I got a 24 as opposed to something higher. I’d rather not go into it, but just know I was hospitalized until the morning of the ACT, and on strong medications (which actually caused me to fall asleep for almost a full section). I never retook the exam, but I’m pretty sure that I’d do a bit better had I not have been…dead. Should I retake the ACT? Is that possible?</p>
<p>Yes, the silly joke about a school you seemingly know little about makes me guess that you’re not being candid with yourself about the reasons for your dissapointment.</p>
<p>If you don’t like the people around you then maybe its time to go. You need to answer for yourself how much of that is the root cause, how much is the desire to impress people by graduating from a more prestigious school (which IMHO is a poor reason). I don’t know what you should do, you need to work it out for yourself. </p>
<p>I will say that you may not be as on track as you think. Med schools look at your math/science GPA as well as overall GPA. You have an A, and a B. 3.5 which isn’t great.</p>
<p>Also keep in mind GPA and MCAT are just one factor in med school admissions. Recs, medical experience, research, essays, your interview, also play a big role. To be the strongest candidate you should understand now what they look for so that you’re not slapping your head 2 years from now and saying “I wish I had known that!”. There are many good books about med school admissions, and one web source that seems comprehensive is at <a href=“https://www3.amherst.edu/~sageorge/guide1.html[/url]”>https://www3.amherst.edu/~sageorge/guide1.html</a></p>
<p>Some thoughts…what have you done to get involved with others there? The general tone, sad to say, makes me think you are lonely and bitter. Do you have friends???</p>
<p>Classes tend to get harder as you go to upper division. Pick more challenging classes if need be. Find a prof who needs research help. Find intelletually like minded individuals. Join ulitimate frisbee or the chess club…anything.</p>
<p>I basically started school last Spring. I only have 14 credits along with AP Psychology credit.</p>
<p>This semester, I’m taking another 14 credits, and then I’ll take even more in the Spring semester.</p>
<p>I’m a Biology Major.</p>
<p>3.71 GPA as of right now.</p>
<p>A in Chemistry 1
A in Liberal Studies, Health
B in Calculus
B in Chemistry 1 Lab
A in Spanish 1</p>
<p>Since I was only 1 of a few members of my Chemistry class, I was asked to be a T.A this year leading a problem solving section of Chemistry 1.</p>
<p>At the moment, I’m taking Chemistry 2 (+Lab), Biology 1, Chemistry Problem solving T.A (I get a credit for this), English 1, and Sociology.</p>
<p>High School GPA was about 3.7 weighted, and like 3.4 unweighted.
ACT of 24
SAT 1670 </p>
<p>I will be joining this honor society at my school called Sigma Alpha Pi. </p>
<p>My question to you all is… What do you think my chances will be if I apply for Fall 2014?*</p>
<p>So…you’ve just started your second semester. </p>
<p>What state are you in? Your past posts suggest you want to transfer to a private AND then transfer to UNC. Not wise to do all that transferring if you’re premed.</p>