MEHARRY's USMLE only 70%??? Why???

[F/A-18]

Are Meharry's USMLE scores really only 70%? What makes them so bad??? Is the teaching poor? Do they teach info not useful to the USMLE?? Students don't study?? What???

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[Adcadet]

perhaps the students tend not to be so good at taking standardized tests such as the MCAT?

 

[Blitzkrieg]

obviously a 70% pass rate shows incompetency in 30% of the students.

 

[UCspunky]

I do know that Meharry is one of the few medical schools that offers paid commercial test prep for the USMLE. Also, it was a Meharry medical student that achieved a perfect score on the USMLE a couple years ago. The discrepancy may be due to the fact that a portion of the students are part of their post-bac program, at least that's why their MCAT and GPA averages are lower compared to other schools.

 

[SolidGold]

Is that number for real? Most schools are 95-98%

 

[Ryo-Ohki]

Yeah, the worst ones are at low 90's, I think. Are you sure your numbers are correct? Maybe it is just one aberrant year for Meharry? Can you provide a link?

 

[IOE]

I am not surprised at that 70%.....infact it sounds just right....what I heard about this school is far more than discouraging....I remember when I told my advisor that I was planning to apply to the 2003 class...the poor woman almost had a fit....it turned out that her husband used to teach the anatomy course over there...and according to him the school is very disorganized, corrupt, and cheating during tests is a very common and expected thing (if you ever attended a black college then u'd know what I am talking about).....I believe thats why the school is under probation now. The curriculum needs to be changed (they are working on that now), and the school needs a new administration.

what I wrote here is my personal opinion....if u were offended in any way.....hey...too bad

 

[surfdevl02]

Man...you're gonna get some backlash for that overly generalized statement....be ready to defend yourself bud, good luck....

 

[pathdr2b]

Originally posted by IOE
and according to him the school is very disorganized, corrupt, and cheating during tests is a very common and expected thing (if you ever attended a black college then u'd know what I am talking about

I'm so glad you cleared this up for me. I thought I was the only one who thinks that cheating only happens at black colleges and universities. I never heard of this type of behavior at the University of Florida or UNC-Chapel Hill where I attended school with predominately white students that NEVER cheat. Dam* those cheating black students!!

 

[SolidGold]

Originally posted by pathdr2b
I'm so glad you cleared this up for me. I thought I was the only one who thinks that cheating only happens at black colleges and universities. I never heard of this type of behavior at the University of Florida or UNC-Chapel Hill where I attended school with predominately white students that NEVER cheat. Dam* those cheating black students!!

Hmmm, I still haven't figured out if there is sarcasm in this post or just out right racism. Maybe cheating happens at Meharry, which I have heard is a terrible school, but don't over-generalize.

 

[pillowhead]

this is a good example of why people in my opinion with quite low MCAT scores shouldn't be accepted. There average MCAT according to one of my books is about a 23. That means there are people there with scores BELOW that! On another thread, naysayers were trying to say there was no correlation between MCAT and USLME pass rates, and that people who are "good people" with mediocore GPAs and MCATs would do just as well as people with superb stats. I don't think so.

 

[An Yong]

We still do not know where this information comes from... for all we know this is just bad information. I'm not sure where I can look up pass rates for Meharry but I highly doubt its 70%.

 

[jot]

I still haven't figured out if there is sarcasm in this post or just out right racism

'
uhh - most defnately sarcasm before someone drills him a new one


speaking of sarcasm - all the kids i met in cali schools that are from the east coast mentioned that their west coast counterparts don't get sarcasm well. is this just a its-cold-so-we're-bitterly-sarcastic-east-coast-thing?

 

[wazupshah]

Yeah, my father went to Howard U. for undergrad and thanks to IOE's helpful comments, I can now rest assured that my father is disorganized, corrupt, and prone to cheat. You know, it's so nice that people are naturally grouped into categories by skin color. It makes it a lot easier to know which people are dumber and more likely to cheat or commit a crime. Imagine if we couldn't generalize like that....then we'd have to assume that everyone was a unique individual and we couldn't make ignorant blanket statements to explain everything. Thank God for skin color!

 

[DW]

*a la dr.will, DW pulls up a chair and a bag of popcorn, and braces for a flame war*

 

[DarkChild]

Originally posted by IOE
and according to him the school is very disorganized, corrupt, and cheating during tests is a very common and expected thing (if you ever attended a black college then u'd know what I am talking about).....

ok lets walk through this....
Premise 1) Black colleges = Black Medical Schools
Premise 2) Whenever a large collection of blacks congregate, they cheat and are corrupt
Premise 3) This misconduct is SOOOOO flagrant that anyone and everyone can see...

wow that's harsh doc.
but hey.... opinions are like a$$holes - everyone's got one.
and as some posters sig says: I may not agree with what you say, but I'll fight to the death for your right to say it...
and here's my $0.02:
you're a ******.

 

[DW]

darkchild, you're my dogg

 

[MeganRose]

Originally posted by IOE
I am not surprised at that 70%.....infact it sounds just right....what I heard about this school is far more than discouraging....I remember when I told my advisor that I was planning to apply to the 2003 class...the poor woman almost had a fit....it turned out that her husband used to teach the anatomy course over there...and according to him the school is very disorganized, corrupt, and cheating during tests is a very common and expected thing (if you ever attended a black college then u'd know what I am talking about).....I believe thats why the school is under probation now. The curriculum needs to be changed (they are working on that now), and the school needs a new administration.

what I wrote here is my personal opinion....if u were offended in any way.....hey...too bad

 

[MeganRose]

Originally posted by IOE
I am not surprised at that 70%.....infact it sounds just right....what I heard about this school is far more than discouraging....I remember when I told my advisor that I was planning to apply to the 2003 class...the poor woman almost had a fit....it turned out that her husband used to teach the anatomy course over there...and according to him the school is very disorganized, corrupt, and cheating during tests is a very common and expected thing (if you ever attended a black college then u'd know what I am talking about).....I believe thats why the school is under probation now. The curriculum needs to be changed (they are working on that now), and the school needs a new administration.

what I wrote here is my personal opinion....if u were offended in any way.....hey...too bad

I have friends at Howard, North Carolina Central, Xavier and Hampton (all HBCUs) and they say ppl cheat like nobody's business there. Only problem with the statement is that I also had the opportunity to take Biochem at UT- San Antonio. During the scantron tests I saw ppl cheating their asses off. Oh wait. UTSA is a predom Hispanic institution... It all makes sense now.

 

[Street Philosopher]

Originally posted by jot
'
uhh - most defnately sarcasm before someone drills him a new one


speaking of sarcasm - all the kids i met in cali schools that are from the east coast mentioned that their west coast counterparts don't get sarcasm well. is this just a its-cold-so-we're-bitterly-sarcastic-east-coast-thing?

you're talking to the wrong west coasters man. you gotta talk to the kids who were beat up during junior high.

 

[streetdoc]

This is what i know...
a family friend attended Meharry('96 grad). he told me that it was not what he was expecting (he was older, like 40, and it was a career change, so he was mature) students did everything under the sun like cheating and telling lies. he has nothing to do with the school now.
i have a friend at a state school here in SC and she has never seen or heard of any cheating going on (she's an M1). this is NOT to say that it isn't going on! maybe the "white" schools are just more sneaky about it?
oh well,
streetdoc

 

[pathdr2b]

Originally posted by SolidGold
Hmmm, I still haven't figured out if there is sarcasm in this post or just out right racism. Maybe cheating happens at Meharry, which I have heard is a terrible school, but don't over-generalize.

I think having a sense of humor should be a requirement for entrance into medical school unless you plan to pursue a career as a proctologist!

FYI, my previous post is what's called sarcasm especially given the fact that I'm a URM!

 

[JBlue]

For what it is worth I interviewed at Meharry in October and was told that their pass rates are around 93%. The school takes people it considers high risk and it considers that part of its mission so it stands to reason that the MCATS will be lower than other schools. I know that last year they had a match at Harvard and I met a 4th year who was doing a surgery rotation at Mayo so I am sure that it is possible to walk out of that school with a decent medical education. At least I hope so because I will be attending the school next August. I was not a high risk applicatant (MCAT 30, GPA 3.45 w/physics major) so maybe they are trying to raise their avg.MCAT etc. Also they have a new dean this year and that may make somethings better. I know they are underfunded but that as a school they still manage to do a lot for the community by offering health care to people who wouldn't have access otherwise. As far as cheating, who knows and who cares. It seems pointless to me to cheat in medical school. You have to pass the boards regardless.

 

[IOE]

Wow....what an overwhelming response.

I am now labeled as a racist and a ******.....well...let me state facts to defend myself....

1) I am black...being racist against other people of color is simply stupid

2) I graduated from a black college, and very proud with the education I received over there. Without any doubt I will go to that same school if I was given a second chance. The curriculum, the teachers, the resources, and the experience was nothing less than awesome.

3) I wrote what I wrote because it is truelly how I feel about Meharry...infact thats the only reason why I didn't apply to their medical school.

4) I wish and I pray everyday to get admitted to Howard Univ. College of Medicine, despite their lower-than-average USMLE pass rate. One of the main reasons I decided to get into medical school is to serve in underserved communities (be it latino, black, yellow, purple, or even green)

Now.....I admit that it was so immature and dumb of me to generalize.....I do appologize for that.....HOPEFULLY not all black colleges are like that....at least I know that the one I attended and the 3 other colleges my friends attend are suffering from the same thing. Believe me...it hurts.....it hurts when u stay up all night every single weekend during the semister trying to maintain that 4.0 GPA.....and hear ur friends and classmates going out, getting drunk, and "tapping booties"....while u r there working to get as many A's as u can. But what happens is that those same party animals will sit for the same test and get the same grades as u do......sometimes some of them will even score more than you (those are the ones who use both textbooks during the exam).....I hope u understand why I am so angry at the way things are.

Cheaters are everywhere.....it is very tempting to take a peek at ur notes when u read that ridiculously hard question on ur final exam paper.....it happens in all academic institutions. It just happened that in the Black college I ATTENDED cheating was a bit more than excessive. If that did offend any of you out there, hey don't get angry at me....look into it, go ask some student...and if I am wrong I will be very happy to know that. But, on the other hand, if what i said turned out to be the truth....it will be so vey nice of you to do as I do....try to change things....even a simple "don't do it" advise helps.

I very much agree with Jblue....who cares....the boards shows it all....with a 70% pass rate....mmm.....go figure! Personally....I trust my advisor and her husband....and again...that's just my own personal a$$hole....ooops....I meant opinion.



PeAcE

 

[LoveDoc]

I went to a Big 10 school and heard a rumor that Black Schools are really easy to get good grades in undergrad. I had an acquaintenance that transferred from Central State to my school and she said it was a "rude awakening". Has anyone had exposure to both environments? I ask b/c I've heard several people that graduated from Black Schools have high GPAs and low MCAT scores.

I am a URM and ask this question in honesty.

 

[pathdr2b]

I attended FAMU in the 90's as a visiting student after graduating from the University of Florida. I went there with the intention of finishing my degree in Chemistry but decided to retun to UNC-Charlotte due to the lack of organization in the chemistry department.

I can tell you from my point of view that I saw cheating at BOTH black and white institutions. The only difference was in the type of the cheating. I've seen students at white schools sleep with the professors for the tests/grades and use their graduate student boyfriends (especially in Chemistry) to get exams. At FAMU, I actually sat next to a woman that was looking through her Physics book during a test.

As someone previously said, cheating occurs everywhere and for those who think that cheaters don't eventually get "caught" think again. I took Orgo with a guy that cheated his As$ off. He did well, and went on to medical school at UF. It took him 5 years to finish and 7 years to complete his reseidency (in internal medicine) because he couldn't pass the tests. So you see eventually, not playing by the rules will eventually catch up with you.

 

[F/A-18]

My word , thank you for your responses BUT-Where can I find the correct info on the USMLE pass rates for Meharry and their resident placements???? I called and the admissions office didn't have the info or know where to find it.

 

[medicine2006]

I am a first year at Howard U. College of Medicine and I am unaware of any cheating going on in my class. My classmates are the nicest and hardest working people you'll meet. The ones that are struggling simply study harder and ask for help and often. THose are qualitites of people who work out a way to rectify their academic shortcomings and not that of cheaters.

I also interviewed at Meharry last year and while I was impressed at how nice all the students were I was equally UNimpressed with their cirriculum and facilities.

 

[UCLA2000]

Originally posted by F/A-18
Are Meharry's USMLE scores really only 70%? What makes them so bad??? Is the teaching poor? Do they teach info not useful to the USMLE?? Students don't study?? What???

Perhaps if you were to look at Meharry's overall ranking as a medical school, it MAY help to shed a little light on the situation.

 

[osiris3]

I am a first year at Meharry and I am not aware of all the rampant cheating and underachieving that everyone seems to think is going on. The people that I have come across are some of the harderst working people that I know. The school does not shy away from its problems in the past...but they are making strides. They are one of the few schools that have an OSCE program and USLME review courses with KAPLAN. In addition, we are currently preparing for Subject board examinations in which Meharry has scored well on. Also Meharry has a strong alliance with Vanderbilt Universtity.

I chose Meharry for its dedication to training physicians willing to practice in underserved communities. There is a pride from the facilty in the ability to train doctors who care about those persons who otherwise would not receive care.

I am no genius...but i know that in the end if I succeed I will be overwhelmingly greatful to God and Meharry for giving me the opportunity to pursue my dream.

 

[lotanna]

osiris3, pls check your pm