howard med bad??

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gmcguitar4

I applied to Howard this cycle and the card fellows I work with say don't do it..do anywhere but Howard and Caribbean. They said they had some departments on probation and unless I ace the boards I can forget a competitive residency. I cant find anything to dig up on the school and I honestly a lot of things about it. What do you guys know about the program? What negatives/positives do you know that I won't find online?
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Everything I know about Howard I've read on SDN. Everything I've read about Howard has been (relatively) negative.

Take that for what it's worth. I'm sure many Howard graduates do just fine and it was great for them. But it also sounds like many regret their decision to attend there (if they had another option that they turned down--if it's the only acceptance they got then I doubt they regret it).
 
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Chops369 said:
What makes it so bad?
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What I've heard (so I may be spreading false rumors here) is basically what the OP said... programs on probation for inadequate performance in the past, students have poor step scores, clinical rotations are not what they should be, and as a result residency directors have formed undesirable opinions about the school.

I have no proof, no facts, no direct knowledge, and I'm not even remotely interested in or connected to the school. Just passing along the sentiments I've heard before on this forum.
 
Morzh said:
What I've heard (so I may be spreading false rumors here) is basically what the OP said... programs on probation for inadequate performance in the past, students have poor step scores, clinical rotations are not what they should be, and as a result residency directors have formed undesirable opinions about the school.

I have no proof, no facts, no direct knowledge, and I'm not even remotely interested in or connected to the school. Just passing along the sentiments I've heard before on this forum.
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I believe a Howard 4th year student was dismissed from
Howard and not given his MD degree because he failed Step 2 three times. that alone puts doubts into the quality of education.
 
I'm pretty sure MANY schools have policies of dismissal after failing anything three times.
 
flodhi1 said:
I believe a Howard 4th year student was dismissed from
Howard and not given his MD degree because he failed Step 2 three times. that alone puts doubts into the quality of education.
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I think the main concern is that someone failed step 2 three times, not that the school dismissed them.

That being said, that could entirely be the individual student's fault.
 
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I was going to apply to Howard but I didn't have the experiences they were looking for 🙁
 
One of best friends from UG went to Howard for med school, and to be honest, if you gave her a gas can and a match, she'd burn that **** down.

Things she hated about Howard:
--Profs would try and hookup their sons with female medical students
--The campus is dilapidated and poorly planned. For example, there were no bathrooms near the lecture hall, so she had to walk into the hospital to use the bathroom
--The school is very religious, and as an atheist, she felt very, very, very out of place
--In my class at a different med school, after the first year, we only had two students drop-out and one student repeat first year; in her class at Howard, over 20 students either dropped out during first year or had to repeat first year

Just remember, this is second-hand information and things may now be different, but then again, this may all be correct and things may be exactly the same
 
I know it's not way to reputable, but I would take it over Caribbean, probably not DO (depends what DO school actually).
 
Brachyury said:
One of best friends from UG went to Howard for med school, and to be honest, if you gave her a gas can and a match, she'd burn that **** down.

Things she hated about Howard:
--Profs would try and hookup their sons with female medical students
--The campus is dilapidated and poorly planned. For example, there were no bathrooms near the lecture hall, so she had to walk into the hospital to use the bathroom
--The school is very religious, and as an atheist, she felt very, very, very out of place
--In my class at a different med school, after the first year, we only had two students drop-out and one student repeat first year; in her class at Howard, over 20 students either dropped out during first year or had to repeat first year

Just remember, this is second-hand information and things may now be different, but then again, this may all be correct and things may be exactly the same
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:laugh:
 
So I guess all we have is rumors. Anyone know of any stats or articles out there regarding their program???

I think the fact that they accept students with lower GPA/MCAT speaks for the high drop out rate. Those students who got in were just not prepared/able to handle medical school. As said before, the quality of education is not what is lacking because all medical schools have to meet a standard. So students who had difficulty with the MCAT and their undergraduate career will have a higher chance of experiencing the same difficulties in a much more challenging setting. Its the student not the program in my opinion.
 
gmcguitar4 said:
I think the fact that they accept students with lower GPA/MCAT...
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While I do not have access to the latest MSAR data, this statement might not be true anymore. Howard has a reputation of seriously upping the qualifications of their acceptees in the last year (or two?). Some websites claim the average matriculant to Howard has an MCAT in the low 30s now.

I have no idea if this is true, or if it affects any other aspect of the school or its reputation. But when discussing Howard be very careful to use the latest data, because rumor has it they have been changing things a lot recently.

This is not your father's Howard.
 
Interviewed here recently. Matches are good, doctors seem great, and students seem to be doing just fine.
 
The thing I like a lot about Howard is being in DC. I've lived in Columbia Heights before and although it is not the best area, I do feel a connection to it.
 
gmcguitar4 said:
I applied to Howard this cycle and the card fellows I work with say don't do it..do anywhere but Howard and Caribbean. They said they had some departments on probation and unless I ace the boards I can forget a competitive residency. I cant find anything to dig up on the school and I honestly a lot of things about it. What do you guys know about the program? What negatives/positives do you know that I won't find online?
Click to expand...

This is such an immature thread. If you think its so bad...then don't apply. Howard is an exceptional school and provides many opportunities for many students across the country.

You must really want to go there...but are so afraid to apply or admit that you want to go there because you are so worried about what other people will say. Lets all get a backbone and stop being insecure. Howard is a great school!!

"unless I ace the boards I can forget a competitive residency." makes. no. sense. Your education is your prerogative. If you do well on the boards at any school you will do fine. Howard or any other medical school is neither taking the boards for you nor studying for you, they are only providing you with the resources to do well on the boards.

I personally love Howard and if I am granted an interview, I would be extremely happy and honored to attend! It is by far my first choice. Now, lets all get back to working hard to get into medical school.
 
naijacardriodoc said:
This is such an immature thread. If you think its so bad...then don't apply. Howard is an exceptional school and provides many opportunities for many students across the country.

You must really want to go there...but are so afraid to apply or admit that you want to go there because you are so worried about what other people will say. Lets all get a backbone and stop being insecure. Howard is a great school!!

"unless I ace the boards I can forget a competitive residency." makes. no. sense. Your education is your prerogative. If you do well on the boards at any school you will do fine. Howard or any other medical school is neither taking the boards for you nor studying for you, they are only providing you with the resources to do well on the boards.

I personally love Howard and if I am granted an interview, I would be extremely happy and honored to attend! It is by far my first choice. Now, lets all get back to working hard to get into medical school.
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👍
Spoken like a true naija....All the best mate.
 
vandsocc91889 said:
I think the main concern is that someone failed step 2 three times, not that the school dismissed them.

That being said, that could entirely be the individual student's fault.
Click to expand...

The school's policy of not allowing students to graduate if they fail Step 2 more than twice is actually in keeping with the state's licensure requirements. There are a number of states that will not license physicians that fail the USMLE or COMLEX exams more than a certain number of times.
 
vandsocc91889 said:
I think the main concern is that someone failed step 2 three times, not that the school dismissed them.

That being said, that could entirely be the individual student's fault.
Click to expand...

The school's policy of not allowing students to graduate if they fail Step 2 more than twice is actually in keeping with the state's licensure requirements. There are a number of states that will not license physicians that fail the USMLE or COMLEX exams more than a certain number of times.
 
Posts like this make no sense. I went to dental school there and know many and I mean many dds and mds that are doing quite well. LISTEN, the US wouldn't allow any school to stay accredited that didnt meet the minimum standards and that is saying a lot. No matter where you go to school, its up to YOU to prepare, take and pass board exams and become the clinician you want to be. If you're worried about how the school is, don't apply and let someone else apply who has a positive attitude. All you will end up doing is wasting your time and your money.
 
I, too, am rather confused by all the hubbub about Howard. I am accepted to there and EVMS. I liked Howard when I interviewed, but a lot of the docs I work with have encouraged me to go with EVMS (of the two acceptances I have right now, anyway... hoping there's more to come...?😍)

In fact, I was telling an attending about it just today, and he told me, "you'll do great, and be fine, wherever you go... but if you're asking me which school is better, it's EVMS."

Even so, their match results are fairly impressive, and it seemed great..... 😕 I would also love to hear more specifics about it from some objective sources.
 
Hey, I just want to say that you all are going to be future physicians. When answering questions you should try to remain objective.

I'm a M3 at Howard and I can say that I would not trade my acceptance here for one at any other institution. The student body at the school is very cohesive, and the patient population in DC is second to none. I am a student that got into medical school with a 25 MCAT score. 2 years later I scored higher than the national average on Step 1. There are many examples of people like that here. For my class (2013) we had a >95% first time board pass rate. For a group of people whose average MCAT was 25, I would say that Howard is doing an excellent job.

FYI: here is the 2010 match list. Howard provides info on everyone in the class. You will see that many people matched into great residency programs. (including Howard)

http://medicine.howard.edu/commencement/2010/class.pdf
 
Hi,

I got a 25 on my MCAT and have a 4.0 GPA. The only school I have a high chance of getting in is Howard. I am just nervous about applying because of the low ranking and all the talk about the poor standards in the departments. Since you are there right now can you give me an honest description. I don't want to make a bad decision.
 
Foomani said:
Hi,

I got a 25 on my MCAT and have a 4.0 GPA. The only school I have a high chance of getting in is Howard. I am just nervous about applying because of the low ranking and all the talk about the poor standards in the departments. Since you are there right now can you give me an honest description. I don't want to make a bad decision.
Click to expand...

He's not "there right now"... Look at the dates on the posts
 
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