10 worst med schools

[Uncle_Tbag]

Hollywood Upstairs Medical College, while quite competetive due to it's location, is not known to turn out the best doctors.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[exmike]

This notion of Chicago not ranking with 'elite coastal cities' is rediculous. Coming from someone who was born in NYC and raised next door, I can say that Chicago is every bit as 'metropilotan' as New York, and a whole lot cleaner too. Yet some people see it as some sort of hick town. It isn't.

your spelling skills are "ridiculous"
-metropolitan

 

[RayhanS1282]

Not to take any humor away from this thread, but I doubt there are any "bad" medical schools other than the made-up ones.

 

[Uncle_Tbag]

Not to take any humor away from this thread, but I doubt there are any "bad" medical schools other than the made-up ones.

I hope you're not implying my alma mater HUMC is made up!

 

[RayhanS1282]

I hope you're not implying my alma mater HUMC is made up!

LOL, of course not. That's actually my plan B.....





.....Scizhophrenic Delusions

 

[45408]

Notice how those schools are in some of the worst "fly over" places to live.

Chicago, Omaha etc....

If this so called "Rosalind Franklin" was in San Francisco or LA or Manhattan it would be able to draw solid to outstanding applicants, people who want to live in the premier cities in the US.

That's got more to do with it than anything.

I'm from the Midwest, and while NYC has significant appeal, I'd never move to LA, and even San Francisco is a stretch. SD is pretty nice though.

 

[TheMightyAngus]

I would go to Drexel over just about any other school, actually, and definitely over U Chicago, Stanford, probably Penn. If not for money, Drexel would be my top choice.

Drexel over Penn? What is your rationale behind this considering they both are in the same city, and the former confers innumerable advantages over the latter regarding reputation, quality of education, opportunities, etc?

 

[tigress]

Drexel over Penn? What is your rationale behind this considering they both are in the same city, and the former confers innumerable advantages over the latter regarding reputation, quality of education, opportunities, etc?

haha, I wrote this months ago. I've done a lot of thinking in the meantime. I don't really know where I'd go if I got into Penn. It's a hard decision to make. I like Drexel a lot, and it's not nearly as stressful as Penn. But in the past few months I've begun to appreciate the importance of prestige. OTOH, I very much disagree that Penn has advantages in quality of education, at least in pre-clinical. I'd say Drexel's pre-clinical education can't be beat. Penn probably does offer advantages in clinical education, but then again I've not spoken to Penn students in their clinical years.

I think I was mostly a bit peeved by the suggestion that nobody would choose to go to Drexel over another, "better", school. I know many students at Drexel who chose the school over other schools. Granted, most of them didn't get into top-20 schools. But the insinuation is that Drexel is a poorer school, and I think the only thing that makes it "worse" than Penn is reputation, and maybe to a certain degree what kinds of clinical opportunities are offered.

It's not going to be as big an issue for me, because as much as I want one, I'm not going to be offered an interview at Penn, most likely. But I will probably have to choose between Jefferson and Drexel, and potentially Einstein as well, and it will be a difficult decision, because I do love Drexel, but I also have my worries about it, which are of a more recent onset than the post you quoted

 

[TheMightyAngus]

I think I was mostly a bit peeved by the suggestion that nobody would choose to go to Drexel over another, "better", school. I know many students at Drexel who chose the school over other schools. Granted, most of them didn't get into top-20 schools. But the insinuation is that Drexel is a poorer school, and I think the only thing that makes it "worse" than Penn is reputation, and maybe to a certain degree what kinds of clinical opportunities are offered.

All else being equal (family, location, cost, etc), you should go to the best place you get into. Residency directors won't understand why you chose Drexel over Penn (if you were given the choice), even if you're reasons were legitimate. Reputation carries more weight than people like to believe.

 

[MarzMD]

All else being equal (family, location, cost, etc), you should go to the best place you get into. Residency directors won't understand why you chose Drexel over Penn (if you were given the choice), even if you're reasons were legitimate. Reputation carries more weight than people like to believe.

I did this for undergrad, not a good choice. You should go where you fit in the most, and where you think you will have the best environment for YOU to succeed. Who cares how smart the people at your school are, if you cant excel in that environment then whats the point of going there? I would go to a place like Drexel over many top tier medical school in a heartbeat.

To the OP, invest in the MSAR book for information on individual medical schools. The premed office at my university had copies for us to check out, so you might want to look into that.


P.S. Hey fellow Dukie Zephyrus. Are you an undergrad? How do you know so much about med school if you are just an 07?

 

[themadchemist]

I thought long and hard about this and I came up with the following schools as places where you're unlikely to get a good medical education:

1. Harvard School of Law

2. Wharton School of Management

3. John F. Kennedy Memorial Elementary School

4. NYU School of Film

5. Philadelphia Institute of Culinary Arts

I've decided to stay away from these schools since their reputations as medical schools is not that strong.

That's the funniest post I've read in a while.

Well played, PublicEnemy, well played.

 

[Scintillation]

this thread has been quite entertaining to read...especially the chicago/midwest bashing. Originally i was gonna write some long drawn out rebuttal (I live in chicago), but then i lost interest in the process and erased it. In short, to whoever said chicago sux...you suck.
love,
Kanye West

 

[RustNeverSleeps]

Please note that I am making no judgments w/r/t educational quality, only odds of admission.

First, look at state schools. Almost invariably you have your best odds of acceptance in-state (with the possible exception of ultra-competitive California). Otherwise, some schools that have traditionally been considered private alternatives for applicants unsure about their credentials are Drexel, Rosalind Franklin (formerly Finch), New York Medical College, Meharry, Creighton, Virginia Commonwealth. Tulane is known for recruiting individuals with unique interests or a compelling "total package" despite a weak academic record or other "standard" blemishes. This is not a complete list and earning acceptance to one of these schools is in no way "easy" -- in fact, the number of applications to these places are surging due to less self-selection than more competitive institutions, resulting in a comparably low acceptance rate. The big difference comes from the numbers-- at these places you can get by with lower GPA/MCAT and a less glowing application overall.

Z

Maybe I'm wrong, but isn't VCU (aka MCV) a public school? VCU is public, so I thought MCV was as well...

 

[gdbaby]

this thread has been quite entertaining to read...especially the chicago/midwest bashing. Originally i was gonna write some long drawn out rebuttal (I live in chicago), but then i lost interest in the process and erased it. In short, to whoever said chicago sux...you suck.
love,
Kanye West

When I used to study at the Second City, my improv instructor used to say "Where's the funny?" Ladies and gentlemen, THAT's funny.

 

[Kitra101]

I find this post to be amazing. Look at the number of people who apply to medical schools each year and the numbers who make it in any. Look at the number of people who apply for every seat in a class. Look at the number of people who score below a 30 on the mcat. Notice that the national average is a 24. To make it to the point where you are competitive for acceptance to a medical school puts you in the top running of your undergraduate class. There is something to be said for those people - and that said, I do believe that there is no such thing as a school that is easy to get into. There may be ones with bigger names or funding in research, but they all accept only outstanding students. This thread may have been a joke to piss people off or some arrogant kid's attempt to make themself feel better, but the numbers speak for themselves - let alone the stories of premedical students who are still premed by the graduation time.

 

[mustangsally65]

For the poster who mentioned Brody in NC, they only accept applications from in-state students, so you're out of luck if you're not an NC resident.

ECU is one of my top choices. If they accept me I'll have a hard time convincing myself to go somewhere else. No matter what their "reputation" is.

 

[Orth2006]

Residency directors won't understand why you chose Drexel over Penn (if you were given the choice), even if you're reasons were legitimate. Reputation carries more weight than people like to believe.

Why would residency directors question your choice of medical school? It seems to me what they would rather question is your residency application, clinical skills and basically things having to do with you wanting to do that particular residency.

The reputation of your school does not make you a good student. You are a good student regardless. You still have to work as hard as someone who went to the so called low tiered schools.

Furthermore if there is such a disparity in quality of education then don't yall think most of the schools considered low would have made adjustments to catch up?

Medical school curriculum and course contents are basically the same across all schools with little slants here and there. Anatomy at Harvard is Anatomy at Rosalinda.

If the argument is that these so called top schools attract better faculty and therefore teach better, then I think that is a weak argument. Being this renowned researcher that diScovered the role of mitochondria in energy production does not necessarily translate to being a good teacher. Whether a professor is a good teacher or not is really a subjective issue. - It depends on who you ask.

In addition if we tally up the number of students these top 20 admit versus the number the rest of the schools admit we will see that there are more doctors available that went to the ones not in top 20. Are we saying then that these doctors didnt get a quality education? Are we saying our PCPs are quacks? Do you really want to go back to get that physical from your doctor that went to one of the "worst" medical schools?

At the end of the day medical school is your journey and yours alone. It is you who has to put the effort and be the best doctor you can be. If there is an experience you are lacking it is your responsibility to ask for it. Fortunately most medical schools welcome suggestions for students.

 

[{:(]

Its late and I didn't want to read through 4 pages or so sorry if this was already posted... Does anyone which schools have the least success with the USMLE? I think that would be a good indicator.

 

[DrHuang]

Why would residency directors question your choice of medical school? It seems to me what they would rather question is your residency application, clinical skills and basically things having to do with you wanting to do that particular residency.

The reputation of your school does not make you a good student. You are a good student regardless. You still have to work as hard as someone who went to the so called low tiered schools.

Furthermore if there is such a disparity in quality of education then don't yall think most of the schools considered low would have made adjustments to catch up?

Medical school curriculum and course contents are basically the same across all schools with little slants here and there. Anatomy at Harvard is Anatomy at Rosalinda.

If the argument is that these so called top schools attract better faculty and therefore teach better, then I think that is a weak argument. Being this renowned researcher that diScovered the role of mitochondria in energy production does not necessarily translate to being a good teacher. Whether a professor is a good teacher or not is really a subjective issue. - It depends on who you ask.

In addition if we tally up the number of students these top 20 admit versus the number the rest of the schools admit we will see that there are more doctors available that went to the ones not in top 20. Are we saying then that these doctors didnt get a quality education? Are we saying our PCPs are quacks? Do you really want to go back to get that physical from your doctor that went to one of the "worst" medical schools?

At the end of the day medical school is your journey and yours alone. It is you who has to put the effort and be the best doctor you can be. If there is an experience you are lacking it is your responsibility to ask for it. Fortunately most medical schools welcome suggestions for students.

QFT

 

[Will Ferrell]

this thread has been quite entertaining to read...especially the chicago/midwest bashing. Originally i was gonna write some long drawn out rebuttal (I live in chicago), but then i lost interest in the process and erased it. In short, to whoever said chicago sux...you suck.
love,
Kanye West

"Studentdoctor.net does not care about Chicago people."

 

[Centinel]

"Studentdoctor.net does not care about Chicago people."

SDN Does Not Care About Chicago People (Video)

 

[TheMightyAngus]

Why would residency directors question your choice of medical school? It seems to me what they would rather question is your residency application, clinical skills and basically things having to do with you wanting to do that particular residency.

Residency directors give what med school you attended a score when they evaluate an application. Going to Hopkins gives you more points than going to UMaryland.

The reputation of your school does not make you a good student. You are a good student regardless. You still have to work as hard as someone who went to the so called low tiered schools.

This isn't necessarily true. Most residency programs will interview almost all the applicants from their affiliated med school.

Furthermore if there is such a disparity in quality of education then don't yall think most of the schools considered low would have made adjustments to catch up?

If quality of education can be evaluated by comparing average board scores, residency placements, etc., then yes there is a disparity.

If the argument is that these so called top schools attract better faculty and therefore teach better, then I think that is a weak argument. Being this renowned researcher that diScovered the role of mitochondria in energy production does not necessarily translate to being a good teacher. Whether a professor is a good teacher or not is really a subjective issue. - It depends on who you ask.

If you want to go into orthpedic surgery (arguably, the most competitive residency) and you have a LOR from a reknown surgeon, having connections to better faculty members will definitely help you.

In addition if we tally up the number of students these top 20 admit versus the number the rest of the schools admit we will see that there are more doctors available that went to the ones not in top 20. Are we saying then that these doctors didnt get a quality education? Are we saying our PCPs are quacks? Do you really want to go back to get that physical from your doctor that went to one of the "worst" medical schools?

This is stupid. Of course, where you went to medical school doesn't reflect what kind of physician you will be. But not everyone wants to go into academic medicine, competitive specialties, etc. My argument is that it is better to go to a Top 10 med school because it can only help you in your career.

 

[CTSballer11]

Residency directors give what med school you attended a score when they evaluate an application. Going to Hopkins gives you more points than going to UMaryland.



This isn't necessarily true. Most residency programs will interview almost all the applicants from their affiliated med school.



If quality of education can be evaluated by comparing average board scores, residency placements, etc., then yes there is a disparity.



If you want to go into orthpedic surgery (arguably, the most competitive residency) and you have a LOR from a reknown surgeon, having connections to better faculty members will definitely help you.



This is stupid. Of course, where you went to medical school doesn't reflect what kind of physician you will be. But not everyone wants to go into academic medicine, competitive specialties, etc. My argument is that it is better to go to a Top 10 med school because it can only help you in your career.

I think Ortho2006 is a resident in orthopaedic surgery, he probably knows more about the whole residency process then you, please correct me if I am wrong.