<p>I am a cap student at UTSA and I've been getting a lot of advice to stay at UTSA and get a high GPA rather than go to UT and possibly slip on grades because it is harder. But i have an urge to go to UT austin but I'm scared of how much harder it is there, can somebody tell me how much harder courses are at UT austin compared to UTSA?</p>
<p>anyone have any idea?</p>
<p>Frankly, I think you should stay at your current school. you have roots there, profs are getting to know you, and you probably have friends there.</p>
<p>Transferring can open up all kinds of cans of worms…not just the one of having a more competitive atmosphere. It can be hard to make new friends as a transfer.</p>
<p>How are you doing in your BCMP-type classes now? Are you at the top of each class…getting A+'s??? What?</p>
<p>If you really want to transfer and are able to then I would go ahead if you think your happiness level will be much higher.</p>
<p>Stay at your current school. You want your science gpa to remain strong for medical school. Why do you have an urge to transfer? Are you unhappy for some reason? Having trouble adjusting to making new friends? Don’t like the environment?
If you are not happy, by all means transfer if you think that will change things. However, consider that UT Austin is more academically challenging than your current school.</p>
<p>Go anywhere you want and do not let grades slip, just aim at perfect 4.0, there is no reason to aim at anything lower. How anybody can tell you where to go, we do not know the reason for your “urge”.</p>
<p>Transferring seems to come with so much baggage (effort, starting over socially, academically, and LOR relationship wise if you’re thinking of med school) that I personally feel that the only reason to do so is because you are truly miserable at your current school to the point where it is affecting your health and/or grades. Therefore I would advise you to stay where you are.</p>
<p>What year are you in college? If you’re transferring after only one year, then I don’t see why there would be a problem.</p>
<p>To be honest, you’re not transferring to somewhere like Yale or Harvard. While it may be a tad more difficult, I couldn’t imagine that it would be a drastic change that would kill your GPA. Work as hard as you do in your university now and everything will be fine. As long as you study. If you’re a person who takes tests without studying and expects to get A’s then I wouldn’t transfer. But if you study for tests and work hard then you should get the same results.</p>
<p>It’s your life, don’t let the people on this site change your opinion. You may have better research, volunteer, and study abroad opportunities at UT. Also, then environment might be better and you’ll make new friends. </p>
<p>It’s ultimately your decision, but DO NOT let the fear of hindering your GPA stop you from switching. As long as you work hard, the grades will follow, no matter which school you go to.</p>
<p>Some CCer here once posted that he would suggest that a premed go to the most challenging school where he could still be among the top 20-25% of their premeds (or at least of the class). Only you yourself would know whether you are likely be be such a student at any school. (Your SAT and GPA in high school and early college years may give you a clue.)</p>
<p>At the end of the day, you could be successful anywhere. However, it is apparently true that, if the top X percents of premeds at UTSA will likely get into a medical and the top Y percents of premeds at UT Austin will likely get into a medical school, X would be smaller than Y.</p>
<p>When people said it does not matter which school you go to, I think this percentage factor should be taken into account: As long as you are among the top X percents at UTSA, you could still be successful. But for some students, if they are capable of achieving it, they would rather be in the top minimum(X,Y) at UT Austin rather than at UTSA, in order to have a little bit more “safe margin.”</p>
<p>I’m doing reasonably well in all my courses like a 3.7 gpa and i like it here i wouldn’t mind staying but i like UT also I’m just worried if the classes there will be a lot harder and kill me gpa</p>
<p>We know why you ate ambivalent about switching schools, but why did you decide you want to transfer? </p>
<p>You can’t live in fear. You are obviously working hard and doing well, and I think you’d be fine at UT.</p>
<p>One of the posters above me is correct. UT austin is maybe great, but it is not an ivy league that will impact your application by a long shot. What is more important is to fill up that prestige gap by aiming for the highest gpa possible. If you are transferring in as a junior, there might be a lot more premed reqs that you may have to fill in addition to what you have done so far. While research work and traveling abroad are more opportunities to reap at a higher learning institute…you as a person should be the one making the best of your offerings. If you are performing at the top of your game, it wouldn’t hurt if you could sit through one of the UT austin classes and see how your education thus far compares to the one you are transferring into. Remember that your main goal is med school…prestige can play a role in boosting your self esteem…but what esteem will be left if you are not emotionally or academically prepared for the stresses at a more competitive school? Don’t overestimate yourself; everyone is capable of surpassing multiple barriers and reaching the top, but sometimes, we must set the right times and sizes of intervals at which our performances increase over time. Don’t just make and leap and find yourself in a hole.
Mango15 is correct about facing your fears…but let’s not be overconfident if you feel that your current community is providing you will ample support. I say, go after the school that will provide you with the MOST resources AND the one where you are ABLE to actually earn those resources. Oftentimes, a lot of resources doesn’t translates to the fact that you will actually have the opportunity to use those resources for your advantage. Again, choose the place that will make you remain happy. After college, the pace of med school can get hectic. If you remain confident with your current choice, you won’t hesitate from choosing upper lvl bio and chem courses that can potentially help you for med school. At more competitive schools, you will usually worry about your gpa and try to do the minimum requirement for med school.
Just my 2 cents. Cheers!</p>
<p>vinny9898 quote:</p>
<p>“I’m doing reasonably well in all my courses like a 3.7 gpa and i like it here i wouldn’t mind staying but i like UT also I’m just worried if the classes there will be a lot harder and kill me gpa”</p>
<p>Specifically, what grades have you gotten in the BCMP classes that you’ve taken so far? A 3.7 cumulative GPA doesn’t tell us much.</p>
<p>its only my 2nd semester of freshmen year so I’ve only taken biology 1 and chem 1 and i made a B in bio but an A in chem 1</p>
<p>As a rule of thumb, an applicant needs about 1/3 of his/her classes with Bs and about 2/3 with As (that is, averaged around A- or 3.7 on both BCPM GPA and overall GPA) when (s)he applies. The criteria for URM are different; they compare to each other among themselves to compete for the slots (not that many so non-URMs really have no reason to complain about it) allocated to them each year. (I mentioned this because OP likely talked about Texas here – one of the states where there are, relatively speaking, many URMs in their population. A coupe of years ago, an URM applicant from UT El Paso turned out to be very competitive with a good grade from UT El Paso. I would think UTSA > UT El paso, right?! So the name of the school would denitely not hold a student back, in this case at least.)</p>