Ad/Disadvantages on going to a new school?

[Weider]

Hi All,

I have interviews to 2 new schools, and was wondering if anyone could give me some ideas on what are some good advantages/disadvangtages to going to a new school? I can think of cost as being a disadvantage because new schools need to pay for the debt. Another one may be accreditation. If anyone could give me some further insight then it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[kaikai128]

I would say that the biggest disadvantages would be that the school is new, they have not necessarily figured out what is giong to work best for them. I was somewhat wary of going to a school that had never been opened before. The schools without accreditation are also not eligable for the National Service (I think its this one) scholarship. For me, the whole "not accredited" thing was somewhat a big issue. Also, I felt as if the more established schools in general have more community ties set up, rotations figured out better, better reputation when you apply for residency, etc.

The advantages in going to these schools would be that there may be a greater liklihood of getting accepted late in the game--as I know PCOM-Atlanta was not even a choice early on in the cycle on the AACOM application. Also, these schools have someting to prove--they will probably try that much harder and work with the students that much harder to make sure they do well on the COMLEX in order to secure their accreditation. I don't think that the cost at these new schools is significantly different from the cost at other private osteopathic schools, and if that is the case--that would not be a factor for me.

In the end, all that really matters is that you get in somewhere. Regardless of where you graduate from, you will still be a doctor in the end.

 

[dr.z]

It maybe difficult to get residency position, but if you work hard and prove yourself (i.e. you board exam scores) I think you'll be fine. If you do well, you can provide good reputaion for your school.

 

[robo77]

hard to get residency? why? everyone will go through the match program, as long as one has passed the boards and received a degree.

It maybe difficult to get residency position, but if you work hard and prove yourself (i.e. you board exam scores) I think you'll be fine. If you do well, you can provide good reputaion for your school.

 

[dr.z]

hard to get residency? why? everyone will go through the match program, as long as one has passed the boards and received a degree.

It may be more difficult in a sense that residency directors may not know how the program is like. I'm sure they will find a place, but there are people who do not get matched through the match program as well. I'm not trying to upset people here (It's just something that came to my mind). I have no problems with regards to new schools.

 

[Ubiquitous7]

I think it is a great opportunity. There is no baggage, and we get a chance to make our school what it will be; now and in the future. However, it is a challenge that not everyone is up to...some people like riding the waves of someone else. I personally, knew that a new school as a great opportunity for me to be at the breaking edge of the first wave ever cut sounds likes a sweet ride to me. Sure there is turbulence now and then, but I can have an integral part in steering out of them.

I attend the new Touro School in Henderson, NV (suburb of Las Vegas). I love it and what makes it so great it the tenacity and plasticity of our administration. They are guys who have been around the block and can be trusted to make the right decisions for us.

Oh...about rotations and residencies. Not a problem, we basically have that already covered and we still have a year and a half. See my other posts at this thread regarding that.

Nathan Neufeld
Class of 2008
President
SGA
TUN-COM
do08-nneufeld@tunv.org

 

[DRGIGGLES]

advantages:

1. opportunity to influence curriculum (if admin is open to it).
2. opportunity to establish "school culture".
3. usually a touch easier to get into and stay in, especially in the first few years of operation.
4. usually more flexible during the clinical years.
5. you get to be a trailblazer if you're up for it.

advantage/disadvantage ?

1. may be welcomed by community (touro-nv, pscom, new lecom) or not (touro-ca).

disadvantages:

1. curriculum not well established. expect to be a guinea pig.
2. administrative procedures not well established. expect to be a guinea pig.
3. rotations not well established. this is a big one. regardless of what "they" tell you, there are very significant differences between well established rotations and those that just "exist". having rotation sites available is a far cry from having well established rotations. osteopathic rotations seem to tilt more heavily towards the office. that's fine but what often happens is that when a new school opens, a lot of eager office docs take students with very little knowledge of what they should be teaching or how they should teach it. that doesn't make them bad people, just inexperienced. they need support. unfortunately, administrators can be a little lax about providing that support during the first few years of operation since their biggest headache is just fining spots for all of their students. likewise, even hospital based rotations at "new" hospitals can be problematic. (no residents leading to no teaching admit system leading to no morning report, teaching rounds, conferences, etc.) the problem can be mitigated somewhat if the new school can manage to get a few students into a local teaching hospital (ie., some other school's program). but those spots can be hard to come by.
4. as mentioned by another poster, a new school has no reputation. that DOES make a difference with DMEs. coming from known school helps.
5. New schools may be somewhat less financially stable than older ones. Therefore spending on educational resources may be limited.

i think a new school is worth it if it's in a community that's very welcoming and as a student you are prepared to deal with some of the difficulties detailed above. if neither of these are true, it's probably better to go to an older school. either way you go, you're going to be a doc.

hope this helps.
drgiggles

 

[BMW19]

I think you can take reputation and financial stability out of the picture in certain instances. For instance, PCOM's rep will translate to PCOM-GA and from what I have heard they will not have trouble financing it. On the flip-side, I am a little concerned about what our clinicals will be like for the reasons posted. But I am in GA and I want to be a D.O. so it is a no brainer.

BMW-

advantages:

1. opportunity to influence curriculum (if admin is open to it).
2. opportunity to establish "school culture".
3. usually a touch easier to get into and stay in, especially in the first few years of operation.
4. usually more flexible during the clinical years.
5. you get to be a trailblazer if you're up for it.

advantage/disadvantage ?

1. may be welcomed by community (touro-nv, pscom, new lecom) or not (touro-ca).

disadvantages:

1. curriculum not well established. expect to be a guinea pig.
2. administrative procedures not well established. expect to be a guinea pig.
3. rotations not well established. this is a big one. regardless of what "they" tell you, there are very significant differences between well established rotations and those that just "exist". having rotation sites available is a far cry from having well established rotations. osteopathic rotations seem to tilt more heavily towards the office. that's fine but what often happens is that when a new school opens, a lot of eager office docs take students with very little knowledge of what they should be teaching or how they should teach it. that doesn't make them bad people, just inexperienced. they need support. unfortunately, administrators can be a little lax about providing that support during the first few years of operation since their biggest headache is just fining spots for all of their students. likewise, even hospital based rotations at "new" hospitals can be problematic. (no residents leading to no teaching admit system leading to no morning report, teaching rounds, conferences, etc.) the problem can be mitigated somewhat if the new school can manage to get a few students into a local teaching hospital (ie., some other school's program). but those spots can be hard to come by.
4. as mentioned by another poster, a new school has no reputation. that DOES make a difference with DMEs. coming from known school helps.
5. New schools may be somewhat less financially stable than older ones. Therefore spending on educational resources may be limited.

i think a new school is worth it if it's in a community that's very welcoming and as a student you are prepared to deal with some of the difficulties detailed above. if neither of these are true, it's probably better to go to an older school. either way you go, you're going to be a doc.

hope this helps.
drgiggles