Transferring From U. of M. to Michigan State

Nate77h · 09-28-2008, 09:14 PM

I am a Freshman in the LSA Honors Program at the University of Michigan considering transferring to, of all places, Michigan State University; I would start at MSU in the Fall 2009 Semester.

My reasons for this are many and varied, but the main ones are the following:

1. At Michigan State I would be in an apartment with three of my good high school friends; one of them is on the exact same pre-medicine track as I am.
At Michigan, I have absolutely no one from my high school.

2. My older sister will be in Graduate School at Michigan State for the next two years. The word "convenience" pops up here.

3. My primary goal is to gain entrance into Medical School in 3-3.5 years, however I would like to major in Political Science; James Madison College at MSU is world-renowned for its education in the Political Science Field.

4. Finances aren't a huge concern, but Michigan State does have a cheaper tuition than Michigan.

For all you experts out there, my question is this: Would transferring to Michigan State University be a wise move? As far as earning entrance to Medical School, would a U. of M. degree really carry that much more weight than an MSU degree? Personally, I assume that performance matters over anything else.

Please offer me your upper-echelon advice.

Constable · 09-29-2008, 12:05 AM

three words:

DONT DO IT. If you want to go to medical school, having UMich on your transcript rather than MSU is would give you a greater advantage. plus, you're in honors, which is really prestigious added unto the fact that you're in Michigan already, one of the best schools in the WORLD overall. Think about your future...sure it may be cool to spend time with your good buddies from high school, but in the long run, having a UM degree would really help. come on man, im trying to transfer INTO michigan and you're trying to transfer out? haha no way, that just makes me mad hahah...jkjkjkjk.

WeirdWolverine · 09-29-2008, 12:26 AM

Don't do it on all counts. First, Pre-Med at Michigan is just great. They have very high admit rates to very good programs. Second, the Political Science dept at Michigan is, arguably, the best in the country. Third, don't move for your friends. They are not going to be there forever and you need to learn to make those new connections now. It was hard for me my freshman year (at Michigan, actually), but I'm much the better for it now. Finally, the cost differential is very insignificant, esp. if you don't have to worry about it.