Competitiveness of new schools?

[Eric01]

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According to Wikipedia, there will be three new D.O. schools taking in their inaugural class in 2011.

- Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific - Oregon

-Lake Erie College Of Osteopathic Medicine at Seton Hill University - Pennsylvania

-Virgina College Of Osteopathic Medicine: Carolinas Campus - South Carolina

How do new schools rank in terms of competitiveness? Is it generally easier to gain admittance to a new school? Would it be worth applying to all new schools regardless of state residency?

 

[Styria]

New schools are what you make of them, just like the established ones. The big difference is not having a class ahead of you to get advice from.

It's probably easier to gain admittance to a new school. The faculty themselves are worried about what they'll get for the first class and whether it will be people who could get in anywhere else, so if you're competitive, you'll do fine. Also, there really will be people who couldn't get in anywhere else, and they too will become good physicians. Some of them are older and bring some maturity to the class. That trend lasted the first three years at my school and has tapered off a bit once they could admit people with 'better scores' (and less maturity...).

No, don't apply to all of them, just like you wouldn't apply to all the established once either. Apply to schools that would be a good fit for you. How is their curriculum set up and taught, what are their goals, what are they looking for in students? What is the area like? Etc.

 

[guidedwaves]

Well, I was rejected from Western OR after interview and accepted/waitlisted at older schools so take that for what you will

 

[JeetKuneDo]

I hear Western Oregon has regional bias. If it is easier to get in due to being new, that advantage would probably only apply to those around the PNW area.

 

[HockeyDr09]

According to Wikipedia, there will be three new D.O. schools taking in their inaugural class in 2011.

- Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific - Oregon

-Lake Erie College Of Osteopathic Medicine at Seton Hill University - Pennsylvania

-Virgina College Of Osteopathic Medicine: Carolinas Campus - South Carolina

How do new schools rank in terms of competitiveness? Is it generally easier to gain admittance to a new school? Would it be worth applying to all new schools regardless of state residency?

LECOM Seton Hill has actually been open for 2(?) years already. When you apply to LECOM-Erie, you automatically apply for Seton-Hill, and you can mark which campus you prefer during your interview.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

LECOM Seton Hill has actually been open for 2(?) years already. When you apply to LECOM-Erie, you automatically apply for Seton-Hill, and you can mark which campus you prefer during your interview.

Nice, two apps for the price of one.

 

[Velocity]

Nice, two apps for the price of one.

Not quite - LECOM-Erie @ SH is one of their "learning pathways" rather than a separate school. When you interview there, you need to mark your preference for a choice of pathway. There are two problem-based learning pathways: one at the main LECOM-E campus, and one at Seton Hill.

By comparison, LECOM-Bradenton is a separate school. It requires its own application and interview, separate from LECOM-E.

 

[VeeTeeHokies]

Nice, two apps for the price of one.

Same with the two VCOM campuses.

 

[CTR]

Well, for what it's worth, I enrolled at a relatively new school a few years ago, and it was the school's second year in operation. They told us that a certain number of students had applied that year, and based on how many were in our class, I calculated that approximately 1 in 26 applicants got in. Since then, there have been more and more applicants each year, so it appears to be getting more competitive as the school ages. I imagine the number of annual applicants will hit a plateau within a few years.

There are drawbacks to being at a new school, however. You are basically a guinea pig; you have no idea how well your school will prepare you for board exams and for getting into the residency of your choice. Rotations can be hard to get because the school doesn't have a lot of them established already, so you end up doing a lot of work trying to set up rotations on your own. Despite these challenges, I feel I have received a quality education.