I started working on science credits at IU here in January and things are going ok…I have a 3.59 GPA so far and I’m trying to get it better. Here recently, I’ve been thinking of moving to the California as there is a better support system for me there…I’m international and have no family here. Also, I do not do very well in the winters and feel like moving might help that.
I was just unsure if my credits would transfer to a University in California. If I move at the end of fall 09, I would have Organic II and Physics II remaining. Then the MCATS. Is this completely unwise?
Another concern was that I would be considered out-of-state for med school as I would remain an Indiana resident? I would like very much to continue to live there during medical school. Any insights you fine people may have for me would be greatly appreciated.
Also, hope everyone is having a super summer and is doing great!
- physio Said:
I was just unsure if my credits would transfer to a University in California. If I move at the end of fall 09, I would have Organic II and Physics II remaining. Then the MCATS. Is this completely unwise?
Another concern was that I would be considered out-of-state for med school as I would remain an Indiana resident? I would like very much to continue to live there during medical school. Any insights you fine people may have for me would be greatly appreciated.
Also, hope everyone is having a super summer and is doing great!
I think first and foremost, it is important to live and go to school where you feel you are most supported in order for you to be successful! Do not underestimate your happiness. Med school is grueling enough, there's no reason to make yourself miserable with your surroundings on top of that. However, a couple of issues come up from your circumstances.
If you are planning on transferring after the completion of the Fall semester, you will have to find a California school that takes midyear transfers. Many, if not all, of the UC's no longer accept such students. UC transfer applications are due in early November for the following Fall. I am not familiar with what the policy of CSU's currently is. Many private schools do accept them and obviously community colleges will as well.
If you truly want to attend a CA med school, specifically a UC, make sure you have some decent research experience. They are research institutions and hammer that into your head the moment you set foot on campus. They is more flexibility with private schools like USC or Stanford, but if you can get into Stanford Med., then you probably don't need my advice.
I read that it is not really advisable to split consecutive courses into different schools, i.e., Organic 1 in Indiana and Organic 2 in CA. You can technically do it, but you may struggle and find a discontinuity in the curriculum.
As far as out-of-state fees, that really goes back to your happiness. If the price you pay is worth your happiness, do it. If you're already feeling overwhelmed by the price tag within your own state, then maybe you shouldn't. Ultimately, it may not be your choice, you may just go where you get in, as many students do.
Hope that was helpful. Good Luck.
Desi – a support system is great and CA has mild winters, but do make sure you understand all the implications of your move. First of all, the financial – I had visitors from PA/NJ last week and apparently my monthly rent on a 600 sq.ft. apartment was equal to the mortgage on a 6-BR mansion in south Jersey. Make sure you can handle the increased cost of living. Rent, gas, groceries and auto insurance will all be higher. How much depends on whether you select coastal communities or inland ones. So do some financial planning before you make the big move.
Second – not sure if you’re looking for evening classes plus full-time job, or if you’ll be full-time pre-med. Best to research universities in the city you are considering. Third – rules for establishing residence may be different depending on whether you’re a citizen or a PR/H-1 so do some research on that as well. My advice – try not to make an emotion-based decision.
Being a former Californian and having lived a short while in Indiana, I can understand the appeal of being closer to family and living in much milder weather. With that said, though, I will say your plans in moving from Indiana to California will substantially increase your difficulties in getting into medical school. The University of California system and California State University system both have policies that prohibit those holding a bachelor’s degree from pursuing another bachelor’s degree in either state university system. You can to try to enroll in your remaining premedical courses as a last priority non-degree seeking, extension student. But given that the courses you wish to enroll in courses that have traditionally been overfilled at state campuses with regular, first-time undergraduates, your chances of being able to enroll are basically nil. Even more so with the recent California budget cuts to education. Also, add to fact that if you did a mid-academic year transfer most of the University of California campuses are on a quarter system. So you would have to complete 2 quarters of classwork to in order to finish out your premedical series (3 quarters = 2 semesters = 1 academic year). Your best bet if you still wanted to pursue your plan would be to try to enroll at a California community college (who themselves are suffering from budget cuts like the state universities), gaining admission to a formal post-baccalaureate premedical program at a state university (like UC Berkeley’s http://www.unex.berkeley.edu/profseq/premed.html), or a private college or university.
The University of California medical schools are one of most competitive medical schools to get into. Because the building and expanding of University of California medical schools hasn’t kept pace with the exploding California population over the years, California residents (even with their preferential in-state treatment) have the worst odds in getting into their own state’s medical schools when compared with other states. Indiana University, on the other hand, admits one the largest medical school classes in nation (about 300 people, I believe, every year) and, as I remember, guarantees that every academically-qualified (i. e. meeting a minimum GPA and MCAT score) Indiana resident will be invited for a medial school interview.
There’s no way I’d leave IU for a long shot at the UC med school system.
Then again I’m partial to the IU Pathology department so I’m not exactly an unbiased source.