Attending a preliminary accredited medical school?

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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deanthedream17

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I think you should attend. I don't think it would be wise to give up a guaranteed spot on the hope of attending a better school. I hear getting into schools after you have already received an acceptance is difficult? If someone could verify that it would be helpful. I'd assume they will be accredited once you graduate and need to apply to residency. Is that correct?
 
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deanthedream17 said:
I was recently accepted to Cooper Medical School of Rowan University today. As you are probably aware it is not fully accredited since it has not graduated its first full class yet. I keep hearing from people that I might be at a disadvantage when applying to highly competitive residencies because the school is not well known yet. I have also heard they have been having some hiccups like most new schools have and students, faculty, and parents have been talking. The school has been the major training site for multiple medical schools for the past 30 years (rwj, jefferson, etc.). I am very fortunate to have been accepted, but I think in my head I think because I put together a much better application this time around with better scores and that was submitted earlier I would be in a better position for other schools. I just want to be prudent in my decision making. I do think it is a very strong school training wise with a really passionate faculty.

What does everyone think of this school and the pros and cons of attending?
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What are your other options?
Pros: Graduating with a US MD degree.
Cons: Turning down the acceptance and explaining on your next AMCAS about what you did, pretty much guaranteeing you will never be accepted to another school again.
You shouldn't have applied if you didn't want to go.
 
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claduva94 said:
I think you should attend. I don't think it would be wise to give up a guaranteed spot on the hope of attending a better school. I hear getting into schools after you have already received an acceptance is difficult? If someone could verify that it would be helpful. I'd assume they will be accredited once you graduate and need to apply to residency. Is that correct?
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They will be fully accredited when the first class graduates which is in two years.
 
deanthedream17 said:
I know I hear this argument a lot but the truth is when you're applying you have no idea if you will like it or not or any problems that should arise if you are accepted. I do like the school, but I don't want to be limited.
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You won't get anything better the second time around
 
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deanthedream17 said:
I know I hear this argument a lot but the truth is when you're applying you have no idea if you will like it or not or any problems that should arise if you are accepted. I do like the school, but I don't want to be limited.
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I get where you're coming from, but there was a time when you could've rejected the acceptance, such as right after the interview before a decision can be made and even before when schools can see where you are accepted (Which is I believe May 1st?).

Like others said, I think you'll regret rejecting the seat, but it is your decision if you think medical schools will overlook you rejecting an MD acceptance.
 
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claduva94 said:
I think you should attend. I don't think it would be wise to give up a guaranteed spot on the hope of attending a better school. I hear getting into schools after you have already received an acceptance is difficult? If someone could verify that it would be helpful. I'd assume they will be accredited once you graduate and need to apply to residency. Is that correct?
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I think that this should be one instance where adcoms cut you some slack for turning down an acceptance. You have a reasonable right to be cautious of going into debt at a 'yet unaccredited' school
 
Cooper is great, I've worked with faculty and I think it'd be a mistake to turn it down. I did several rotations there. They've had residency programs for years so you might have a leg up if you wanted to stay for residency.
 
I'm curious as to how often/if ever a new US school has been flat out denied accredidation.

You're looking at hundreds of people taking on substantial debt all for not. It would greatly deter other new medical schools from popping up. And make it insanely difficult to fill their classes.
 
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There's no guarantee that you'll get in anywhere next time. Take what you have and be grateful for it.
 
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masaraksh said:
I think that this should be one instance where adcoms cut you some slack for turning down an acceptance. You have a reasonable right to be cautious of going into debt at a 'yet unaccredited' school
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Not really. The AAMC will ensure that this program gets up and running in an acceptable manner and the school itself will do everything within it's power to get the accreditation. I would have no reservations about attending the new school. Realize that if you finish with a 4.0/260/260 you will be competitive for whatever field you want to go into. While you may not be getting interviews for harvard derm, you will face the same issue from the other schools that you mentioned, b/c of the feeder system that we have for certain programs and cities.

Go to whatever MD granting US institution you can.
 
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You have one acceptance at the end of june (not being mean, I'm in the same boat) it's a little unrealistic based on academic history for you to assume that any other school gets you into the most competitive specialty. Just go to med school and do your best.....stop stressing about 4yrs from now when you might not want those high end specialties or might not be eligible for them anyway.

go to school, don't turn it down
 
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darklabel said:
I get where you're coming from, but there was a time when you could've rejected the acceptance, such as right after the interview before a decision can be made and even before when schools can see where you are accepted (Which is I believe May 1st?).

Like others said, I think you'll regret rejecting the seat, but it is your decision if you think medical schools will overlook you rejecting an MD acceptance.
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Exactly. People want to make a pity party for themselves, but you have plenty of opportunities to withdraw from a school if you actually didn't want to attend - even after the interview.

Don't reapply. Unless you did something truly incredible in the last year (unlikely), you're probably not going to do much better despite your protestations to the contrary.


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Since they are very likely to get accredited and should be accredited by the time you are seeking residency I don't see how it can significantly harm you.
 
Some 'not yet accredited' schools are at higher risk than others -- think for profit, under-funded, inexperienced. Cooper Medical School of Rowan University is not one of them. They will work out the kinks and get accredited. Know also that they are fine-tuning their curriculum very actively right now -- probably paying more close attention to it than many more-established schools who are just going with the flow.

Yes, I expect that you will be at some disadvantage when it comes to super-competitive residencies. But top-notch Step-1 scores can remediate that, and that potential disadvantage would not be nearly as great as the one you would face as an applicant who turned down an acceptance.
 
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sb247 said:
You have one acceptance at the end of june (not being mean, I'm in the same boat) it's a little unrealistic based on academic history for you to assume that any other school gets you into the most competitive specialty. Just go to med school and do your best.....stop stressing about 4yrs from now when you might not want those high end specialties or might not be eligible for them anyway.

go to school, don't turn it down
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deanthedream17 said:
If this happens (should be the end of my 2nd year) would the disadvantage essentially disappear at that point?
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It wouldn't disappear. Sorry for the rudeness, but the reality is there is a right choice and a wrong one in this situation. If it is truly your dream to be a practicing physician and you can't see yourself doing anything else, the wrong choice is withdrawing from Cooper. Don't make a stupid mistake you might regret for the rest of your life. Any disadvantage you will face can be overcome through hard work and networking.
 
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I would say all of that to your face because I care enough to help you not make a mistake. But you are an adult, do what you want with it
 
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deanthedream17 said:
If this happens (should be the end of my 2nd year) would the disadvantage essentially disappear at that point?
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I am a first year at med school that is by no means top tier, but I have already made important connections in a competitive field by reaching out and being available to meet face-to-face. Cooper is not far from the Philadelphia schools. You can easily email a faculty member in Derm or Ortho from UPenn for example, and have him or her be your mentor. Physicians in academic medicine generally want to help medical students, especially those that display themselves as willing to work hard and act like an adult who wants to get places in life. Cooper won't limit you if you don't allow it to.
 
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deanthedream17 said:
My academic history was that I applied ultra late and had borderline MCAT scores and also listed very weak activities. I have changed all of that in the past year and have a good application. Some of the fields I am interested in are competitive which is why I didn't want to limit myself. You people on sdn are vicious for the most part instead of just talking to people like you would if you were talking to them. But yes I do understand those things that people are saying and have faith everything will be ok.
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Oh, OK then. Never mind. The bits about turning down an acceptance and reapplying next year don't apply to you...
o_O
 
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deanthedream17 said:
My academic history was that I applied ultra late and had borderline MCAT scores and also listed very weak activities.
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You neglected to tell us all that in the past when you mentioned you couldn't get into one school.

deanthedream17 said:
Yes they really are. Regardless, of what liberals would like you to believe. Case and point, I was talking to a black girl in my class the other day and I noticed medical school apparel she was wearing of a school I am on a waitlist for. I asked if she will be attending and she said no, but she was accepted. I said "oh, well where are you going" and she proceeded to name a few top and mid tier schools she had been accepted to, but is struggling to decide between. I said wow you must really have outstanding grades and MCATs. Turns out, they were below mine and I can't get into one school.
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Either way, today you were accepted into medical school. This is a good day and you should be happy and thrilled. I definitely see no problem in making an informed decision but I say take the acceptance and run with it. Whether or not you match into competitive specialties really depends more on you than the school you attend. After all, even if you graduate from Harvard you're not matching into plastics or derm unless you have some killer stats. Be happy and go out and celebrate. Congrats.
 
Don't worry about it. Personally if I got accepted to cooper i'd be more worried about being in Camden, NJ than anything else.
 
Don't make the mistake of turning down an acceptance, regardless of where it's from. It's an acceptance that 55% (?) of people who applied to medical schools don't have. Just think about that while your ponder clicking accept/decline.
 
deanthedream17 said:
My academic history was that I applied ultra late and had borderline MCAT scores and also listed very weak activities. I have changed all of that in the past year and have a good application. Some of the fields I am interested in are competitive which is why I didn't want to limit myself. You people on sdn are vicious for the most part instead of just talking to people like you would if you were talking to them. But yes I do understand those things that people are saying and have faith everything will be ok.
Click to expand...

Just enjoy your acceptance and realize that you are unlikely to make AOA and for any of this to matter. Everyone starting medical school thinks about AOA, but the vast majority (1/6th of the class) will never get the nomination. At my school you needed at least a 3.8 to even be asked to apply, which cut down 200 students to about 35.

Not being AOA will have no effect on you being able to match into derm, neurosurgery, opthalm, urology, etc.
 
Pros:
You're a pioneer. YOU have a chance to shape the course of a medical school. Your input will be taken far more seriously than someone at, say, Rutgers.
If you're a self-starter and very independent, then the hiccups won't be noticed so much.
New Faculty are tighter with the students.
You will be tighter with your fellow students than at established schools
Changes to curriculum can be made relatively quickly. The attitude of "that's the way we've always done it" won't exist.

Cons:
It takes time for a curriculum to gel, especially with rookie Faculty members.
As you point out, residency directors aren't as familiar with your program.
There will be hiccups.
Research venues will not be as well established than at older schools.
Campus resources may not be as good as at older schools (no endowments, no money from indirects)
Camden is, well, not a nice place.

Overall, I think you'll be fine. The vetting process for MD schools is much stricter than for DO schools.


deanthedream17 said:
I was recently accepted to Cooper Medical School of Rowan University today. As you are probably aware it is not fully accredited since it has not graduated its first full class yet. I keep hearing from people that I might be at a disadvantage when applying to highly competitive residencies because the school is not well known yet. I have also heard they have been having some hiccups like most new schools have and students, faculty, and parents have been talking. The school has been the major training site for multiple medical schools for the past 30 years (rwj, jefferson, etc.). I am very fortunate to have been accepted, but I think in my head I think because I put together a much better application this time around with better scores and that was submitted earlier I would be in a better position for other schools. I just want to be prudent in my decision making. I do think it is a very strong school training wise with a really passionate faculty.

What does everyone think of this school and the pros and cons of attending?
Click to expand...
 
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Goro said:
Pros:
You're a pioneer. YOU have a chance to shape the course of a medical school. Your input will be taken far more seriously than someone at, say, Rutgers.
If you're a self-starter and very independent, then the hiccups won't be noticed so much.
New Faculty are tighter with the students.
You will be tighter with your fellow students than at established schools
Changes to curriculum can be made relatively quickly. The attitude of "that's the way we've always done it" won't exist.

Cons:
It takes time for a curriculum to gel, especially with rookie Faculty members.
As you point out, residency directors aren't as familiar with your program.
There will be hiccups.
Research venues will not be as well established than at older schools.
Campus resources may not be as good as at older schools (no endowments, no money from indirects)
Camden is, well, not a nice place.

Overall, I think you'll be fine. The vetting process for MD schools is much stricter than for DO schools.
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Thank you Goro, you are always a sensible voice. I'm am only really worried about the two in bold since the funding seems great and they have been training physicians from other schools in the past so I trust the education its more about just the reputation to me. Its annoying telling people that Rowan has an MD school since the people I have spoken to seem to be aware of the DO school only that used to belong to the UMDNJ network.
 
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You said highly competitive residencies, do you mean you top programs or competitive specialties? Or both?
 
You mention my school Rowan SOM, we are sister schools with Cooper, both under Rowan. Like I said, I rotated there with 2 Cooper faculty (actually did 3 rotations. And FYI please do not treat SOM students differently because they are from the DO school, many rotate there and go to residency there.). Many residents there are DOs at least in certain specialties. Our stats are not really that different from Cooper. I'm a SOM grad but interviewed at Cooper for residency. As others have said, it'd be one thing if you had multiple acceptances but to turn it down would hurt your chances of getting in anywhere else as a reapplicant. If you are going then go with an open mind, be happy to have an acceptance and don't worry about these residency issues, it's way too premature. Rowan will do whatever is required for accreditation.
 
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deanthedream17 said:
Both, but more so top programs as I think with good enough board scores any specialty is possible (also the hospital offers most of the competitive specialties). My other state school boasts they place students in the NYC and Philly hospitals regularly.
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"NYC and Philly hospitals" does not mean top program except for Columbia, Penn, and to a lesser degree NYU and Cornell. Also why do you want to go to a top program? Do you want to work in academic medicine or do research? Do you just want the name? Do you think you'll get better training?

No offense but if your academic career hasn't been that stellar do you think you'll be able to change that significantly in medical school? The competition only increases and you'll have to outperform top students who honored everything, have AOA, research, and 240+ step1/2. Some of the top programs have crazy cutoffs, I've heard of some derm and rads programs they don't look at apps with step 1 below 260 because they don't need to.

I say this as someone interested in a competitive field but very realistic about "top" programs
 
LostinLift said:
"NYC and Philly hospitals" does not mean top program except for Columbia, Penn, and to a lesser degree NYU and Cornell. Also why do you want to go to a top program? Do you want to work in academic medicine or do research? Do you just want the name? Do you think you'll get better training?

No offense but if your academic career hasn't been that stellar do you think you'll be able to change that significantly in medical school? The competition only increases and you'll have to outperform top students who honored everything, have AOA, research, and 240+ step1/2. Some of the top programs have crazy cutoffs, I've heard of some derm and rads programs they don't look at apps with step 1 below 260 because they don't need to.

I say this as someone interested in a competitive field but very realistic about "top" programs
Click to expand...

.
 
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