And being a vet is not for everybody. And the odds of getting admitted to a college which has already rejected you once-- not great.
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Interesting. Iād love to know the basis of your advice.
I feel both physicians and veterinarians must have a ācallingāā¦ beyond academic interests and capabilities. Even beyond some ECs. Perhaps you are reading between the lines differently than the rest of us. TIA for sharing your perspective.
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This is SO true, and is one of the reasons why many change their mind.
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I should have said āany healthcare professionalāā¦it is truly a calling. I say this as the child of a medical professional and parent of a potential healthcare professional. That gene definitely skipped a generation with me. 
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@Frisco-Dad this student already changed their mind about becoming an MD or a DO. Itās in the thread. They want to work with animalsā¦not people. They have decided already to switch gears, which happens to a lot of students who enroll as premed.
But the fact is, the overlap in required courses for veterinary school applicants and medical school applicants isā¦huge. This student can actually make up their mind much later about thisā¦except for dealing with relevant ECs which can be done without transferring.
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^ I think premed vs. Prevet is not going to be convincing enough for Barnard, especially since they donāt have cattle barns nor do they have their own horse barn on campus (they share an equestrian club program with Columbia and itās in Bergen NJ.)
Basically NYC->NYC is going to be difficult to justify wrt pre vet opportunities, unless Barnard has special access to parks/zoos, horses, and somehow cattle. I would think Macaulay has lots of special opportunities for its students, including the prevet ones, even though CUNY or Barnard would not be my first thought for someone who wants to be a vet. 
The case for Biological Anthropology (called medical anthropology at Barnard) makes for a better case. (Hunter does have Biological Anthropology so OP would need to explain how Barnardās major works better for her but at least a comparison in Barnard.s favor is possible.)
https://anthropology.barnard.edu/medical-anthropology-track
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@MYOS1634 i fully agree. Any opportunities at Barnard for courses and ECs will be available at CUNY (for a huge fraction of the cost).
Iām having trouble understanding why this student thinks they cannot apply to veterinary school following a bachelors degree from Macaulay.
I must be missing something.
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And I think this is an issue with when applying to transfer with only one semester of college grades.
But the OP can apply and seeā¦nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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Macaulay allows students to create their own major. Has the OP met with her advisor to discuss this possibility?
This student is a research assistant at the grad school and will co-author a publication. OP- have you asked about taking courses there?
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A strategy could be to wait and apply for Fall 2026. However OP would need to develop prevet ECs and do very well in the Biological Anthropology major hence making the transfer less necessary.
Itās quite uncommon to be admitted to a college that turned you down the year before, without extensive coursework and solid reasons but OP can always try again and put this to rest to move on.
āHave no regretsā type of things.
If sheās serious about being prevet, Cornell would be a more logical choice.
But sheās only in her 2nd month of freshman year and can really switch again several times. Thatās the beauty of being a freshman.
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One of my degrees is from Hunter. I had profs who did their undergrad at MIT and attended CUNY for their PhD. I worked part time in one of the undergraduate departments and saw the same. I saw students engaged in research and volunteer positions etc.
The CUNY system is underrated and I would think twice about giving up a full ride at Macaulay - unless of course there is something that it truly cannot provide, that another school can.
There are animal farms out on Long Island that you can volunteer at during the summer- people commute all the time, even from far out east. I would also start calling veterinarianās in the boroughs and try to volunteer, shadow, office work etc. Sorry to repeat myself.
I agree that Cornell is the logical choice over Barnard. I also think you can meet your career goals at your current school.
@Frisco-Dad career paths are not defined like you make them out to be.
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Itās clear OP is after prestige - and thatās what this thread is about.
Itās not hard to see this.
I donāt think prestige will matter for vet school and money saved today could help fund school tomorrow.
But itās what OP seems to desire - a well known name.
Good luck to them.
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It doesnāt seem as if the parents will re-direct college savings towards vet school (not sure why), so saving money now doesnāt seem like it will affect future costs.
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Hey Parents, the imperative word is āconsiderā . I have asked her to āconsiderāā¦
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She did consider it, and then she changed her mind.
Will she change her mind again? Maybe, maybe not.
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A little late but you have been given good advice. Getting experience is key as well as making sure you have the prerequisites for any DVM program you may want to apply to. Getting top grades is also imperative.
A top school undergrad does not make a huge difference in getting in to vet school. My son went to a lower ranked college with a good vet school. It was very strong in pre health also. He found it challenging got great opportunities, top grades, leadership and research, vet experience, no debt. Did his DVM program there and was very happy. Again top grades, travel, research, externships.
He graduated in May with his DVM(no debt) at 25. Now he is at a top rotating internship program and has secured a residency in his chosen specialty at his first choice location.
I say all this to let you know that the effort you put in is the most important factor. Much more than the college itself. If you really want to transfer you can try but make sure you can get top grades at the new school. If not you may make getting into a good vet school harder. If you think you are more likely to follow your other interests then may be ok. It will be hard to transfer to Barnard with this little extra time. Just think through your options and good luck!
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While I agree with @momocarly, applying as a sophomore doesnāt hurt.
In case, she doesnāt get in as a sophomore, it will show demonstrated interested
when re-applying as a junior.
Do you know of a single case where a kid was rejected from a college- then applied to transfer as a sophomore (and rejected) but was ultimately accepted as a junior because of ādemonstrated interestā?
I do not. This seems like sub-optimal advice. In the time it takes to prepare a successful transfer application this student could be finding new opportunities at the current college. Trying a third time since the first was unsuccessful- and the second application may not have enough āhard dataā for the transfer committee to evaluate???
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I respectfully disagree. OP has already been rejected in the ED (highest level of demonstrated interest possible) round last year. As an applicant for a sophomore transfer, her HS record will still be taken into account and at most there will be one semester of college grades (and likely no major ECs, published research yet) so the studentās profile will be largely unchanged. I think a second rejection could hurt future chances. IMO the OPās best strategy would be to develop a meaningful college record and apply to Barnard as a junior (if she still feels such a transfer makes sense).
But of course the OP is free to do as she sees fit.
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