Advice on Choosing a School

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School does, in fact matter, matter. Allopathic is much more cuthroat with morally errant nerdism. Any school that has a large percentage of post-baccalaureate students with 1-2 years of mock medical school, must be completely avoided. Any school that hides its expulsion rate behind people leaving for personal reasons, ditto. The percent graduation in FOUR years is the only real metric. There are lost souls stuck for 6 years in the worst places.
If a school can’t ‘condescend’ to putting lectures online, get out. If a school has an in-house exam, for edification of the nerd-phd-mds ,with a miniboard slapped on at the end, get out.

Medical school is the most toxic, inhuman institution known to man. The easiest school, is the only school you should be focused on, even to the extent of going to an osteopathic school.

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

Mostly agree with you about the things to look out for minus the weird slap against postbaccs. Not everyone decides to be a doctor at 18. I went back in my early 30s and am just barely above median/mean on most of my exams thus far.

My med school experience hasn't been toxic as you describe, but there are always going to be weird people in any cohort. My experience with the couple weirdos in mine is that they mostly mean well but probably have zero social skills. Very few people are intentionally malignant.

 

[LunaOri]

Med school is tough but shouldn’t be toxic. There are a few schools loaded with gunners, but most schools have reasonably supportive students and faculty. Sorry you landed at one of the bad ones.

 

[amoxicillin_resistant]

did OP go to med school? from a quick glance at their profile I would think they went to pharm school

 

[m1redsox]

Very weird post from a pharmacist I’d argue that most allopathic med schools are not toxic, and most people who take a year or two off during med school are just fine lol. Sure, there are exceptions, but this post just feels off

 

[Dr. Robb Bassett]

There’s a lot of raw truth in what you’ve shared — and it’s a perspective more people than you might think quietly resonate with.

Medical school can absolutely feel toxic, disjointed, and inhumane at times. There’s often an unsettling mismatch between the system’s expectations and the support it actually provides. When the environment becomes a barrier to learning — not a facilitator — it’s fair to question whether the structure is serving students or simply sustaining itself.

That said, there’s also wide variability across programs. Not every school fits the mold you’re describing. Some are moving toward more student-centered models — with asynchronous learning, honest grading systems, and genuine investment in mental health. They’re not always easy to find, but they do exist.

The advice to look for a school where you can preserve your wellbeing — even if that means prioritizing ease of navigation over prestige — is both practical and protective. Graduation rates, academic transparency, and how a school handles remediation or support are absolutely worth scrutinizing. And while the allopathic vs. osteopathic debate gets a lot of airtime (full disclosure I rock the D.O. initials 😉) , the reality is this: your career will be built far more by the relationships you form, the mentors who back you, and the clarity you bring to your specialty decision than by the initials on your diploma.

Appreciate you putting this out there. Students deserve to hear the real talk — especially the parts nobody prints in the brochure.