<p>I'm at the University of Sydney doing a Bachelor of Science (Advanced Mathematics) with a plan to major in physiology and second major in Financial Mathematics. </p>
<p>I'm keen to be a doctor and I am curious about the U.S medical schools such as John Hopkins and Mayo. I've got the idea that a year at a U.S university is necessary so I was considering a transfer to a reputable U.S institution and the Ivy league seem to be the few worth leaving Sydney for. </p>
<p>The reasons for transferring would be: A) Temporarily living in the crazy big U.S B) Undergraduate research is more emphasized and accommodated C) Having the chance to meet Stephen Colbert D) Having an extra year to complete a degree so I can do 'Art' subjects like literature, philosophy and history. and E) Fulfilling a requirement for a potential Med School application</p>
<p>I am in my second year and will try to transfer in my 3rd year. There are many Americans and poms (oxbridge poms at that) that are in their penultimate year on exchange doing first year units so I'm slightly curious about the difference in academic standards. I'm aware of the quality of research and the vast wealth of the top few U.S universities but I bring up a classmate from a first year math class who was on exchange from UPENN (3rd year, or Junior as you'd say) which conflicts with my general impression. </p>
<p>I'm taking most units at the Advanced level (the highest of two or three levels depending on the unit). I'm currently taking units of physiology, biochemistry, statistics and others. I play at a regional level for soccer at a club and I spend my free time at the beach or in the pub. I have the feeling that good grades would suffice for a top institution and so advice on making a competitive (if not successful) application to transfer to Yale, Brown, Berkeley, Stanford and Columbia. </p>
<p>Aside from getting excellent SAT and SATII scores, what should I do to improve any potential application for a fall 2010 transfer??</p>
<p>I'd have completed 3 semesters at USyd by then. </p>
<p>You can not do one year at any ivy, 2 would be the minimum. It’s also incredibly hard for someone without US citizenship to get into an American med school, not to mention super expensive.</p>
<p>I am aware of that, I was simply stating the requirement listed by numerous medical schools that you guys have. </p>
<p>Two years would be ideal and entry to an American medical school is not the main reason for transferring. It would be a possible outcome but the competitiveness is a big dissuading factor. Melbourne, Sydney or ANU medical schools would suit me just fine but I think a more broader undergraduate education would really benefit a potential career in trying to help people. </p>
<p>Would you be able to kindly address some of the questions and concerns I have towards a potential though unlikely transfer? </p>
<p>Before someone bites my head of about this, I’m aware both Berkeley and Stanford are not part of the ivy league but they are institutions I would personally rate (I’m aware there is a potentially long list) as ‘worth leaving Sydney for’. </p>
<p>You’ll need much more specific reasons than the ones you have listed in order to have a shot at some of these schools. You seem like a pretty chill guy from what I can tell, but your motivations so far are pretty general and I feel like you’re going to need to describe in detail how each school uniquely meets your needs. For example, Stanford, Brown, and Columbia are all extremely different from each other, and if you can touch base on some of their unique features, then from an application standpoint, you’ll be good.</p>
<p>As for things that you can do - find better activities. Or you know, find something that you’re passionate about, and work at that.</p>
<p>Sorry, I was trying to address the issues you seemed to be asking about. So help us here, you want to pay $50K US dollars for 2 years to get a broader education which you will most probably have to take back to an Aussie med school? And you want us to assess your chances with no grades or SAT scores?</p>
<p>None of this seems to make sense other than meeting Steven Colbert, in which case your destination should be Dartmouth, where his fictional alter ego attended college or NU where he actually went.</p>
<p>Johns Hopkins + Mayo = freakishly competitive med school admission</p>
<p>If you want to meet Stephen Colbert…you should have been at Cornell in 2007 when he did a show. That was fantastic. </p>
<p>Like the other posters mentioned…you need a really good reason for transferring to a top U.S. school. Plenty of students from community colleges and lower ranked universities try to gain admission to these schools to boost their medical school credentials. We also need to know your GPA and SAT scores (if you have them) to give you a more accurate opinion. </p>
<p>Many U.S. medical schools do not permit international students to apply, even if they’ve studied in the U.S. In addition, there are some schools that will accept internationals but require them to essentially pre-pay all four years of tuition by holding this amount of money in a U.S. bank account.</p>
<p>If studying in the U.S. really is a dream you wish to fulfill…take sometime to think about why you really want to transfer, how will transferring allow you to achieve your goals and what is unique about you and how you can use that to contribute to the university’s community.</p>