Schedule an appointment now with a premed advisor. If this advisor only has hours during times when you are in class… then you will have to miss a class. If that happens I would let my professors know.
Are you sure that the premed advisor and/or meetings only take place/have hours during your class time? There must be an hour during the day when you don’t have class… and the advisor has an opening…(?).
If you want to be an MD, you are going to have to be much more on the ball, you cannot wait around for someone else to fix your schedule. IMO tons of kids talk about pre med with no actual intention. If something as minor as a scheduling issue is able to take you off track, the onslaught of real challenges are going to be overwhelming.
BTW you don’t have to take chemistry in the fall. It is actually better for premeds not to take Calc, Bio, and Chem all together Fall freshman year. A good way to handle it is to take bio1 in the fall, bio2 and chem1 in the spring, Chem 2 over the summer, moving to orgo in the fall (with no bothersomely long break).
If you’re not taking core premed courses (typically bio, gen chem or orgo, physics, and/or calc for freshmen) at this point, do you really have enough experience re. your current school’s premed curriculum to conclude that the academic level is not up to snuff? For example, with kids I know, chemistry was a challenge even when other coursework came fairly easily. Talk to the advisors…and don’t mnimize the importance of being able to maintain a 3.8+ GPA if you’re planning for med school.
Not only do you need a high gpa and mcat scores … which is why I think it’s crazy to transfer to a “ harder” school…where getting a high gpa may ? be more difficult… but there is an additional list of things you need to do to make yourself competitive: very strong rec letters, leadership, volunteering with underserved populations/areas, possibly research- depending, shadowing… And… you need a genuine answer to the question “ why medicine.” Many take 1-3 gap years doing other things … and then come back passionate about medicine with a genuine answer to the “why” question.
Figuring out how to meet with a premed advisor should be relatively easy compared to everything else that needs to get done. And don’t underestimate the work that is involved in order to do well in classes such as organic chemistry.
…To add to @twogirls’s insight, with all the things you have to do to be a competitive medical school applicant, you need to think about the simple feasibility of squeezing the prospect of transferring in your timeline. Keep in mind that you don’t simply transfer and be done with it…since you’ll be effectively breaking existing connections and opportunities at GW and Washington DC, you’ll have to start completely fresh.
I’m very confused. Are you a freshman or a sophomore. You appear to have grades so I’m guessing sophomore.
I totally get that you want to go to an academically more challenging school with more academic peers. Of the ones on your list, I don’t think any of them would necessarily be more academically challenging - maybe Northwestern.
I totally understand not wanting to miss class for the advising, but you need to find a way to get into the required pre-med classes, and if that means missing a class, miss a large lecture and ask someone to copy their notes.
Generally people who are pre-med just do what they are told to get the classes they need, and may not be as academically interested in maximizing their intellectual education as you are. That said, some definitely are.
Schools that would have tremendously competitive pre-med are Johns Hopkins and WashU St Louis. Schools that are generally very intellectual are Chicago, Swarthmore, Reed, Pomona, Grinnell, Carleton. May be a few others.
Some of these might challenge you too much and lower your GPA to the point of making you non competitive for medical school.
Rochester may be a nice happy medium for you as it’s associated with a great medical school and is actually pretty intellectual given that it’s not too difficult to get into. It has the feel of a liberal arts college but is a bona fide research university. Another great choice would be Brandeis.
You need to meet with a Pre-Med advisor but also figure out what you are willing to sacrifice to get to medical school. Often it’s the risk taking that goes along with a broader more intellectual education. I’d be upset with the treatment that you are getting from a very expensive school. Perhaps this aspect is the “Public school bureaucracy at the Private School Price” that some of the larger privates like NYU and GWU exhibit. I’d be appalled if you got this treatment at a liberal arts college.
She’s a freshman. Hasn’t finished one semester. Those grades are her current averages from quizzes and tests, I assume, but nothing on a transcript yet.
I know most people are advocating for me to stay at GW, but I am starting the transfer process. If I don’t get in to some of the other schools then I’m okay staying here. I want to explore my options because I don’t think this school is the best fit for me.
You indicated that you do not like the academics at GW, but otherwise you enjoy it there and it is a good fit. You also reported a high GPA and stated that you study more than your peers. To me it seems as though this school is an academic fit for you… the courses will get harder as you continue.
You need to understand that if you transfer, it is very possible that you will not have a GPA that is worthy of medical school. Right now it appears that you could attain that GPA… If you transfer that may or may not happen. Also- it appears that at GW, you are well positioned to participate in all of the other medical school requirements.
It is your decision, but for medical school you need to be at the top of the class. That may be harder to do if you transfer. Do you have a backup plan?
Good luck!
@greekgirl123 What courses are you taking this semester? Are you taking any pre-med courses?
Your first semester at college will be your easiest. Wait a bit.
You are pre-med. You will have an easier time getting into med school at TGW compared to other schools. Do research, get involved in your schools honors program, and take some harder classes. You are in your first semester, it is hard to say what the “fit” is (Trust me).
I agree with the minority urging the OP to be patient. It’s only the first semester. OP is probably taking courses that are a repeat of AP courses taken in high school. To make a transfer decision on the ease of repeated material would be a mistake, especially for a pre-med. A full ride shouldn’t be thrown away that easily. A student who cannot find challenge at a school like Miami lacks imagination and initiative. I hope the OP realizes that those with full rides are usually at the top of the class in college - that’s why they received the scholarship. Those students find ways to challenge themselves and take advantage of the vast opportunities that their status affords, which will not be the case at other schools higher ranked.
I disagree 100%. Sometimes it’s not a fit. Sometimes students are so far better than their peers that they are not challenged. My nephew took a full ride at a school way beneath his abilities. He used to like most subjects. He’s getting straight As in a business program but is learning little and has now lost interest in any non-business academic subjects. His attitude is just get through it. He’s going to finish in 3.5 years. It’s unfortunate that he doesn’t appreciate the opportunity he has to get an actual education. College has become vocational for him.
@ClassicRockerDad Your nephew is a good example of lacking initiative, no offense. He clearly has no interest in research, independent study, graduate level work, multiple majors/minors, etc. That’s a personal problem, imo.
This student is at GW… not Miami on a full ride. That is a different post.
The OP stated that the school is a good fit and that she enjoys it, but feels that the academics are too “ easy.” I am questioning the “ ease” of the academics given that this student indicated that she studies more than her peers… and it does not appear that she is taking premed classes yet. Taking orgo 2 is no cakewalk, and taking it at a “ harder” school may result in a lower gpa… not worthy of medical school.
My advice is to stay put and try to remain at or near the top. While your gpa is excellent… I can assure you that some premed students at GW likely have a 4.0… and they will be joining you in these harder science classes. Stay put, get involved, do research, get to know your professors very well, volunteer with diverse populations… do shadowing… etc
If you transfer make sure to have a premed backup plan.
GWU has web resources for pre-med advising that pre-med students can read whenever they want, whether or not they want to see a human pre-med advisor.
https://prehealth.gwu.edu/medicine-allopathic-md-osteopathic-do
Except he seemed to have that initiative in his competitive HS. His tuition-free school does not challenge him, his parents have the “my son got a free ride” bragging rights, and they got him a car as a reward, and now of course he can’t go back and say that the school is inappropriate. He’s lost interest in academic things. He aces his classes, is applying for summer internships and has upped his hours in the store where he works since he has the time. Some people need more competition to be their best. He’ll find his way though and will do just fine. To me though this attraction to a free-ride was short sighted.
@ClassicRockerDad A student who is interested in learning doesn’t lose that drive just because they go to a school that isn’t challenging. Drive is internal, not external.
That’s fertilizer.
I know a former A6 pilot who cannot be satisfied flying lower performing planes.
I know two former very highly ranked tennis players and a highly ranked fencer who have lost interest because after playing at such a high level, cannot get themselves up for playing at a lower lever.
There are plenty of people who need the excitement of the challenge to get them to enjoy the activity.
The OP is probably one such person.