10 worst med schools

[n0chi]

now everyone boasts about the top 10... well i want to know what are some MD giving schools that arent impossible to get into

and some schools that see the "whole package" and not just gpa / mcat score?

thanks,
-n0chi.

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[Law2Doc]

now everyone boasts about the top 10... well i want to know what are some MD giving schools that arent impossible to get into

and some schools that see the "whole package" and not just gpa / mcat score?

thanks,
-n0chi.

Dude, you probably won't get into med school by showing them your "whole package"...
But there are quite a few threads you could search for about lower tier or less competitive med schools on here. I think US News also lists the 5 or 10 least competitive if you purchase it.

 

[Stratus2675]

your "whole package"...

I love it!!!

 

[ChuckRock]

This sounds like one of those threads that can turn ugly quick

 

[Zephyrus]

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

 

[Zephyrus]

The only reason I am indulging this poster's curiosity is because USNEWS (even the magazine) only lists the top 50 in research and primary care, so it leaves the applicant with less competitive numbers in a bit of a quandary.

Hope it helps.

Z

 

[Rzarecta]

now everyone boasts about the top 10... well i want to know what are some MD giving schools that arent impossible to get into

and some schools that see the "whole package" and not just gpa / mcat score?

thanks,
-n0chi.

You prolly shouldn't have titled your thread "10 worst med schools" if you wanted a list of schools that weren't impossible to get into.

 

[PublicEnemy]

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.

 

[UCLAstudent]

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.

You forgot Princeton School of Medicine.

 

[it.]

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.

i agree

 

[cammy1313]

I think Zephyrus gave the best possible response for this type of question.

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

 

[dr.z]

You forgot Princeton School of Medicine.

Most people don't know about this one.

 

[n0chi]

thanks zephyrus

 

[DrBuro]

Just out of curiosity, where are Rosalind Franklin, Meharry, Tulane, and Creighton? I kind of don't feel like looking it up and I wanted to break 50 posts! woohoo!!

Also, does anyone know anything about each of these schools besides their numbers? For example, big class, small class, type of area, board scores, etc.

 

[DrBuro]

I meant break 50 NOW, whoops

 

[crys20]

Tulane = New Orleans
Creighton = Omaha
RF = north chicago
Meharry = Nashville

 

[RayhanS1282]

Worst medical school...is there any? I too am interested in seeing this list compiled 'cause then I'll know where to apply....hey, beggars can be choosers.

 

[doogiemd]

fyi: last year, tulane was ranked 56 and vcu was ranked 60. I wouldn't call these schools one of the 10 "least competitive" schools out of the 122 schools in the u.s. They would be considered middle tier schools, not lower tier schools.

 

[ocean11]

Hey everyone,

I totally disagree that there are bad or 'lower tier' medical schools in the US. Each medical school accredited by the LCME is a great school to get your education in. There is NOT one medical school that is easy to get in to. I know people who have been rejected from the 'above mentioned lower tier schools' with decent MCAT/GPA scores or havn't gotten an interview at all......

 

[sdnstud]

order USNEWS online and look up the matriculation rate for each school (matriculation rate = # of matriculates/ # of acceptances offered). If a school has a low matriculation rate (ie., 10-15%), then it is considered a less desirable school (ie., lower tier).

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey everyone,

I totally disagree that there are bad or 'lower tier' medical schools in the US. Each medical school accredited by the LCME is a great school to get your education in. There is NOT one medical school that is easy to get in to. I know people who have been rejected from the 'above mentioned lower tier schools' with decent MCAT/GPA scores or havn't gotten an interview at all......

This is certainly true -- there are relatively few allopathic medical schools as compared to other forms of graduate education, and each med school class is fairly small, so it is quite competitive and you should be happy getting into one. That being said, within that great group of allopathic schools, there are schools with more prestige, better resources, more research money,and higher credentialed faculty and students.

 

[PublicEnemy]

order USNEWS online and look up the matriculation rate for each school (matriculation rate = # of matriculates/ # of acceptances offered). If a school has a low matriculation rate (ie., 10-15%), then it is considered a less desirable school (ie., lower tier).

i ordered us news and i couldn't find the section that says which location i liked better or with what student body and curriculum i felt most comfortable. is that in the back? i mean because a school was ranked high doesn't mean i would want to go somewhere. i also couldn't tell from the rankings which match lists i was impressed with. and more nih funding = better medical education? im a little confused by that.

all you can really confirm is that a major reasearch center/university was a better research center/university than a community hospital.

if top 10 or ranking of schools is more about reputation, then why do we need someone to tell us what it is? personally i think its all pretty worthless.

if i want chocolate, i don't care if vanilla is ranked #1.

on a serious note, you really get the feeling the rankings are based so heavily on who or what is coming in to a school, and not whats being produced.

lets see something with more weight on average board scores, percentage of students matching at 1st choice, etc. even then i'll still be annoyed.

but hey, people read and live by them. so to each his own.

 

[doc05]

Hey everyone,

I totally disagree that there are bad or 'lower tier' medical schools in the US. Each medical school accredited by the LCME is a great school to get your education in.

this is mostly true. but there are a few schools to which this wouldn't apply.

 

[sdporkbun]

Is there a top 50 US Medical School List from US NEWS that any of you have? I kinda don't want to pay the money, I just want to see how they ranked the schools.... Or at least the top 20.

 

[ocean11]

this is mostly true. but there are a few schools to which this wouldn't apply.

such as?

 

[aikaterine]

I'm not sure about this but I would think the newer med schools (like FSU) would be slightly easier to get into as they are still trying to establish a class, rankings, etc. I know FSU just recently graduated their first class, and I would think not as many people would be applying there as at most other state schools either because people don't know that FSU has a med school or they're waiting for it to become established with decent staff and the like.

 

[Law2Doc]

Is there a top 50 US Medical School List from US NEWS that any of you have? I kinda don't want to pay the money, I just want to see how they ranked the schools.... Or at least the top 20.

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdrrank_brief.php

 

[45408]

Definitely Princeton. I hear their med school won't teach you jack.

 

[Kazema]

http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4123&n=1&id=4201

Carnegie Mellon's medical school is pretty bad I think.

Although insiders have long attested to widespread hug use among special athletes, the full scope of the problem was not understood until November 2004, when Carnegie Mellon's medical school published a study on hug use in the Clinical Journal Of Sport Medicine. According to the study, researchers found double-digit spikes in self-valuation, warm fuzziness, and smiles following even a single hug.

Evans said he "took one look at the numbers" and agreed to an internal investigation and an across-the-board review of hug-use policies.

"Hug users have an unfair advantage over the hug-free, as they are pumped up with confidence," Evans said. "In competitions relying on endurance, hugs serve to artificially heighten an athlete's stamina. For example, hug users may be as much as 65 percent more likely to excel at no-contact floor hockey than those who say no to hugs. Put simply, it's unethical."

 

[DelAGator]

http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4123&n=1&id=4201

Carnegie Mellon's medical school is pretty bad I think.

Some of the finest physicians can come out of the so called "worst " medical schools.

Medica Schools are like shoes. Some people like name brands, some people like the fit.

 

[Law2Doc]

Medical Schools are like shoes. Some people like name brands, some people like the fit.

I just hope my med school doesn't give me blisters.

 

[Rzarecta]

Some of the finest physicians can come out of the so called "worst " medical schools.

Medica Schools are like shoes. Some people like name brands, some people like the fit.

Yea, if you look closely most of these posters are joking, by listing med schools that really don't exist (Princeton, Carnegie, etc.)

 

[SoCalRULES!!!!!]

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.

 

[pathstudent]

Some of the finest physicians can come out of the so called "worst " medical schools.

Medica Schools are like shoes. Some people like name brands, some people like the fit.

I don't know if that really is true.

No one would ever go to DREXEL or Finch or Creighton over University of Chicago, HMS, Stanford etc...if given the choice.

 

[Law2Doc]

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.

Chicago hardly constitutes one of the worst places to live. Plus there are low ranked schools in a couple of the big east coast cities which I wouldn't call fly over - unless you want to end up in the Atlantic...

 

[SoCalRULES!!!!!]

Chicago hardly constitutes one of the worst places to live. Plus there are low ranked schools in a couple of the big east coast cities which I wouldn't call fly over - unless you want to end up in the Atlantic...

How about North Chicago?????? How nice is it?

and even Chicago...maybe it is cool to people from the midwest but no one from one of the elite coastal cities would pick it over Stanford, HMS, UCSF, P&S. However people from the Midwest would love to live in the urban jewels of LA and SF and Manhattan.

 

[tigress]

I don't know if that really is true.

No one would ever go to DREXEL or Finch or Creighton over University of Chicago, HMS, Stanford etc...if given the choice.

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.

Of course all US schools are good. The question is which are easier to get into. I think many posters have answered that question. You can't argue that some are easier to get into than others.

I agree with the poster who said that school ranking should be based more on things like board scores than on entering MCAT scores. The school is only as good as the education it offers, not as the students who enter.

 

[wends]

The school is only as good as the education it offers, not as the students who enter.

thats a really good point!!

 

[Just Applied]

Thats a very good point! Maybe some elitest SDNers can finally see things from a positive prospective!

 

[tigress]

I don't want to take credit for that point; the previous poster who said that rankings should be based on board scores over MCAT scores made it first

 

[Law2Doc]

How about North Chicago?????? How nice is it?

and even Chicago...maybe it is cool to people from the midwest but no one from one of the elite coastal cities would pick it over Stanford, HMS, UCSF, P&S. However people from the Midwest would love to live in the urban jewels of LA and SF and Manhattan.

Well I'm from the east coast and have lived in all the "elite" east coastal cities. I had no interest in applying anywhere west-coast, but certainly shot a few apps to Chicago schools. (N Chicago isn't great but then again south central LA isn't so beautiful either). Then again I certainly would've been happy at the two east coast schools you mentioned too.

 

[Kazema]

Some of the finest physicians can come out of the so called "worst " medical schools.

Medica Schools are like shoes. Some people like name brands, some people like the fit.

Check the source I used and then do a Google search for Carnegie Mellon's medical school .

 

[DelAGator]

Check the source I used and then do a Google search for Carnegie Mellon's medical school .

I know Carnegie Mellon and Princeton DOESNT have a medical school. I am just saying the best medical school is the one that accepts ME!

 

[MJB]

I would like to live and go to Med School pretty much anywhere by the coasts, and especially Cali...

Creighton is a good school, and Omaha a nice city.

 

[Zephyrus]

Hey guys--

Let's remember that the original intention of the OP was to figure out which medical schools accept the least competitive applicants so he could maximize his chances of getting in somewhere. Although the choice of the word "worst" was ill-advised, he had good intentions, so l think all our jeering and off-topic criticisms/defenses of particular schools isn't accomplishing much.

Z

 

[Zephyrus]

Someone defended Tulane as a mid-tier school. Sure, whatever, I don't pay attention to minor gradations of quality whenever possible, but I DO know that the adcom there loves "quirky" applicants, sometimes even at the expense of poor numbers.

You might want to try Brody in NC, too, but I don't know if they give state preference.

Z

 

[Herman Bloom]

If it matters -- and apparently it does, since we are talking "rankings" here -- VCU routinely ranks around the 60th mark for research (the so-called bench-mark for school "rankings"), right on par with Jefferson, UMiami, and Tulane. Right ABOVE GWU, for instance.

But, as we are all surely convinced by now, the "rankings" only really matter if you are interested in doing research and able to attend a "top 20" school....maybe even "top 10."

 

[DarkFark]

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.

 

[CTSballer11]

Your state school will give you the best shot at an acceptance, assuming your state school gives preference to instate residents. I think the exception here are all the california schools.

 

[cfdavid]

You prolly shouldn't have titled your thread "10 worst med schools" if you wanted a list of schools that weren't impossible to get into.

Dude, that avatar is a classic!