hey all
i’m going to my state school this fall as a freshman but i already know I’ll want to transfer lol like this is pretty much the only school i got into because i made the mistake of not applying to many safeties
i’d like to consider applying to transfer for next fall just because i loved Emory when i visited and it’s been my dream for a while but i got rejected a couple of days ago 
i guess what i want to ask is…is it gonna be worth wanting to transfer?
here are the things that worry me:
i want to be pre-med…will i be behind if i transfer given that my state school might do things differently? for example biology at my state school might focus on different things than emory so the next year if i come I’ll be behind…if this is the case, would it be easy to catch up??
will it be hard to make friends because everyone would’ve bonded their first year and they’d be less inclined to make more??
overall…is it worth it to want to transfer because i know pre med at a state school might “smarter” because easier GPA and cheaper…like should i just tough it out these next 4 years (i rllyyyy don’t like the state school) and apply for Emory medical school instead because i know I’ll have to do some heavy lifting to adjust myself if i transfer but idk HELP ME OUT YOU GUYS :((((((
@cheetahquedar Let me flat out ask you this. Do you think you would WANT to take on more challenging instruction at Emory even if it makes pre-med a little more “iffy” or has a few more bumps in the road before applying? (basically this is asking if you want a challenging education and are willing to keep an open mind in case something does go awry)…If not, stick with your state school. The most successful transfers I have seen wanted more than a prestige bump and actually wanted and sought out the extra challenge when at Emory and succeeded regardless of if it was easy. Maybe, since you are likely a high achiever who perhaps DESERVED admission, but did not gain it for whatever random reasons, you should pretend you are at Emory while at your state school. See if you can get in advanced or honors renditions of your pre-med core STEM classes and see how well you perform and how much you enjoy that and the students in it (who are likely to be somewhat similar to at least the average Emory student). So far, you are in love with the image of Emory from your visit.
Try to create your own little Emory experience at your state school and see you how you feel. If you try hard to make it a quality experience and still feel underwhelmed, then give Emory (or some other higher tier place) a shot. Just don’t go in assuming you are doomed to dislike the state school (many state schools actually do STEM education really well, as in better than many privates. I think Emory tries really hard, but state schools have been trying hard in STEM education for much longer than most even top tier private research universities). They are huge and often full of oppurtunity that an ambitious person like you should try to and be able to find. If you find them, you may find that it is definitely not worth it.
And don’t obsess over Emory medicine either. Maybe have it on your radar, but keep your options open and seriously explore the medical schools that will be for you. What if you find that you wanna do primary care or some areas done much better elsewhere. Don’t treat professional school aspirations like they are just undergrad. over again. They provide very specific professional training and you need to go in knowing as much as possible, and this involves taking the prestige based rose-colored glasses off.