New Do Schools/Programs

[FemaleDoc]

I have been suggested many times to consider new Do/Programs when applying to DO Schools. How to I find out? will they be listed on AACOMAS? :/

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[Awesome Sauceome]

I have been suggested many times to consider new Do/Programs when applying to DO Schools. How to I find out? will they be listed on AACOMAS? :/

There is the list of schools on AACOM's website. You just have to go through them one by one. Something to consider however is that while there are several new schools, not all of them have the same standards for admission or the same mission. So its not necessarily a shoo-in. You have to dig a little bit harder to find information on each school.

 

[DoctorKrieger]

http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/2014cib/2014 CIB Complete Small.pdf

This includes the date each school was founded. Off the top of my head, a few newer ones are Liberty, Marian, and Campbell.

 

[studentp0x]

There is the list of schools on AACOM's website. You just have to go through them one by one. Something to consider however is that while there are several new schools, not all of them have the same standards for admission or the same mission. So its not necessarily a shoo-in. You have to dig a little bit harder to find information on each school.

Is the quality of the school (s) relatively unknown at this point?

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Is the quality of the school (s) relatively unknown at this point?

I mean for all of the new schools there is obviously a certain amount of uncertainty for the future. No one will really know until a few classes go through and the match lists come out. But there are definitely some that have a little bit more recognition because of the connections that some have formed with hospital systems that are already very established. Some schools join onto programs that are pretty much already set up for a med school to jump on board. Some schools however are pretty much setting up with nothing. The later choices are the ones that people tend to be more hesitant about, at least on SDN. There is nowhere and no one that will necessarily be able to hand you a list of which schools are which. It just takes a lot of digging on here (lots of google searching), to get a general feel for which schools people are optimistic vs pessimistic about.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Is the quality of the school (s) relatively unknown at this point?

Yes. You don't go to these schools because you had other options. If asking personally, I believe the new schools MU and CU are very likely to have strong rotations.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Yes. You don't go to these schools because you had other options. If asking personally, I believe the new schools MU and CU are very likely to have strong rotations.

Agreed... some would also argue ACOM as well (due to the connections they have with whatever hospital system is already set up in Dothan), but that one does not tend to be as black and white as MUCOM or CUSOM.

LUCOM, and WCU tend to have a little bit more negative connotation here on SDN.

 

[studentp0x]

Yes. You don't go to these schools because you had other options. If asking personally, I believe the new schools MU and CU are very likely to have strong rotations.

So generally speaking, is it wise to apply to MU and CU if it's your first time applying? Or is it better to wait till your 2nd cycle if needed?

Any sort of accreditation risks?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Agreed... some would also argue ACOM as well (due to the connections they have with whatever hospital system is already set up in Dothan), but that one does not tend to be as black and white as MUCOM or CUSOM.

LUCOM, and WCU tend to have a little bit more negative connotation here on SDN.

MUCOM, CUSOM, and ACOM were built well both theoretically and physically. They're new, but they may actually out pace some mid-tiers that currently exist.
WCU from some anecdotes I have heard is really not doing all that hot.
LUCOM is LUCOM.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

MUCOM, CUSOM, and ACOM were built well both theoretically and physically. They're new, but they may actually out pace some mid-tiers that currently exist.
WCU from some anecdotes I have heard is really not doing all that hot.
LUCOM is LUCOM.

I have also seen some complaints in SDN on quality of rotation sites of LMU-DCOM.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

So generally speaking, is it wise to apply to MU and CU if it's your first time applying? Or is it better to wait till your 2nd cycle if needed?

Any sort of accreditation risks?

First time doesn't matter. Apply to places where you have the stats to be competitive and can see yourself. I for instance have a 3.6 gpa and 28 MCAT, and see myself practicing in rural Appalachia... guess where I am shooting to get into? Any/all of the DO schools on the east coast except NYIT. I dont have the stats for MD. Guess where I am not applying? West coast... see what I am saying?

Your main goal is to apply once and only once. People end up applying twice not out of choice. Make your application as perfect as you can and apply once, even if it means waiting a year and sitting on the bench. You will be a lot more sane and have more money to show for it.

As Nick Offerman says "never half @ss two things, whole @ss one thing"

 

[studentp0x]

First time doesn't matter. Apply to places where you have the stats to be competitive and can see yourself. I for instance have a 3.6 gpa and 28 MCAT, and see myself practicing in rural Appalachia... guess where I am shooting to get into? Any/all of the DO schools on the east coast except NYIT. I dont have the stats for MD. Guess where I am not applying? West coast... see what I am saying?

Your main goal is to apply once and only once. People end up applying twice not out of choice. Make your application as perfect as you can and apply once, even if it means waiting a year and sitting on the bench. You will be a lot more sane and have more money to show for it.

As Nick Offerman says "never half @ss two things, whole @ss one thing"

Well my gpa/ECs are good (mcat scheduled for june), but luck plays a big factor for admissions... It is very much possible to luck out and not get in unless you're applying to 20+ schools with top notch stats and ECs.
There's also the factor of a year being somewhat wasted (depending on what you do in that year) and certainly one year less of physician level income down the road.

Thing with me is, I can attain my goals with a DO or MD (as I intend to practice in Canada - im canadian). Primary care does very well up here... and although some specialties/surgerical specialties do appeal to me, the long hours automatically turns me off.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

I was under the impression for the longest time that everyone has top stats and everyone applies to 20+ schools and that its a crapshoot. While I still believe it is a crapshoot and luck is involved, I am under the firm belief that if one applies strategically you can get into somewhere. Check out MDapps, you can see who is getting in where and with what kinds of stats. The people with top stats and 20+ applications with nothing to show for it either have a glaring hole in their applications, are applying way too narrowly (or top heavy), and/or have horrible interviewing skills.

If you have decent stats and apply to enough places within your range, you will get some love. If you look at the WAMC threads for long enough you see these kinds of trends over and over. People that apply "smart" get in, people that apply and metaphorically vomit out their application to a massive amount of schools that they have no interest in attending or couldnt get in to, are obviously not going to get in... This is another reason why you see so many threads saying "2nd cycle, thinking about DO." Most had no business applying MD in the first place.

So sure, there is an element of luck, but I think you significantly bolster your cause by really planning and shooting for one cycle. Have all of your ducks in a row, have the money to be able to send out secondaries and go on interviews. Make sure your primary and secondaries are sent in within a reasonable time. And apply to places that you have a shot at, while making sure that you are just as much of a match for them, as they are for you.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

So generally speaking, is it wise to apply to MU and CU if it's your first time applying? Or is it better to wait till your 2nd cycle if needed?

Any sort of accreditation risks?

No accreditation risks. If say the school really blew it and they lost accreditation, the AOA has a plan in place to move the students to other COMs.

I would apply first cycle to them as potential backup.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

MUCOM, CUSOM, and ACOM were built well both theoretically and physically. They're new, but they may actually out pace some mid-tiers that currently exist.
WCU from some anecdotes I have heard is really not doing all that hot.
LUCOM is LUCOM.

I agree with this comment. As soon as those two schools churn out a strong match the schools will likely join the ranks of schools like Touro.

 

[studentp0x]

I was under the impression for the longest time that everyone has top stats and everyone applies to 20+ schools and that its a crapshoot. While I still believe it is a crapshoot and luck is involved, I am under the firm belief that if one applies strategically you can get into somewhere. Check out MDapps, you can see who is getting in where and with what kinds of stats. The people with top stats and 20+ applications with nothing to show for it either have a glaring hole in their applications, are applying way too narrowly (or top heavy), and/or have horrible interviewing skills.

If you have decent stats and apply to enough places within your range, you will get some love. If you look at the WAMC threads for long enough you see these kinds of trends over and over. People that apply "smart" get in, people that apply and metaphorically vomit out their application to a massive amount of schools that they have no interest in attending or couldnt get in to, are obviously not going to get in... This is another reason why you see so many threads saying "2nd cycle, thinking about DO." Most had no business applying MD in the first place.

So sure, there is an element of luck, but I think you significantly bolster your cause by really planning and shooting for one cycle. Have all of your ducks in a row, have the money to be able to send out secondaries and go on interviews. Make sure your primary and secondaries are sent in within a reasonable time. And apply to places that you have a shot at, while making sure that you are just as much of a match for them, as they are for you.

Yea this makes sense. And many people with good stats apply to "safety" schools which reject them because the applicant doesn't fit their model/mission.

 

[Awesome Sauceome]

Yea this makes sense. And many people with good stats apply to "safety" schools which reject them because the applicant doesn't fit their model/mission.

Yea, there is a happy medium. Say you have enough money to apply to 12 schools. Maybe try and have 3 reach schools, 6 where you really fit stat wise, and 3 safeties. Also with applying to a massive amount of schools you have to realize the commitment it takes to fill out secondaries. I have heard that 10-15 schools is the sweet spot. Anything over that and basically you simply cant get quality secondaries in within a decent time frame. When you dont send in a secondary application in a timely manner, and then its not even that good of quality (really cut and paste and not built for the school's mission) then that is reason enough for admissions to reject/ignore you.

Dont let all of the hype on here discourage you (especially if you venture over to pre-allo too often - that place is a breeding ground for neuroticism). If you apply to a good list of places where you fit mission and stats, and you have a well rounded application that is sent in reasonably early, then you will get in somewhere.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I have also seen some complaints in SDN on quality of rotation sites of LMU-DCOM.

That's a shame, I've only heard good things about them tbh.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

That's a shame, I've only heard good things about them tbh.

That's because you don't spend as much time in the clinical rotations forum. LMU has fantastic basic sciences and a beautiful campus. Rotations are a toss up.

 

[BestDoctorEver]

That's because you don't spend as much time in the clinical rotations forum. LMU has fantastic basic sciences and a beautiful campus. Rotations are a toss up.

Unfortunately, good rotations and good residencies are what make good physicians--not beautiful campus(es). Basic sciences are somewhat standardized.

 

[gocougs339]

Yea, there is a happy medium. Say you have enough money to apply to 12 schools. Maybe try and have 3 reach schools, 6 where you really fit stat wise, and 3 safeties. Also with applying to a massive amount of schools you have to realize the commitment it takes to fill out secondaries. I have heard that 10-15 schools is the sweet spot. Anything over that and basically you simply cant get quality secondaries in within a decent time frame. When you dont send in a secondary application in a timely manner, and then its not even that good of quality (really cut and paste and not built for the school's mission) then that is reason enough for admissions to reject/ignore you.

Dont let all of the hype on here discourage you (especially if you venture over to pre-allo too often - that place is a breeding ground for neuroticism). If you apply to a good list of places where you fit mission and stats, and you have a well rounded application that is sent in reasonably early, then you will get in somewhere.

Solid advice, the only thing I would add that I've learned during this whole process is try to make sure some of your safety schools are in areas that you have a strong connection to. Even if you're stats are above the school's average it can still be difficult to get into some schools as an out of region applicant.

 

[petyr_baelish]

MUCOM, CUSOM, and ACOM were built well both theoretically and physically. They're new, but they may actually out pace some mid-tiers that currently exist.
WCU from some anecdotes I have heard is really not doing all that hot.
LUCOM is LUCOM.

Source for WCU?
100% of their students matched this year.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Source for WCU?
100% of their students matched this year.

I think the rumor is about them bit meeting skill accreditation standards, not student outcomes. Someone care to elucidate? I'd like to know.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Source for WCU?
100% of their students matched this year.

Huh, 100% pre scramble?

 

[petyr_baelish]

Huh, 100% pre scramble?

It was 96% pre-scramble. Here is a quote from a student in the WCU thread here. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...thread-2013-2014.1002436/page-8#post-15091332

Match Stats 2014:
90 students applied for PGY-1
86 students are placed
4 are still seeking placement for 2014-1 of which has an advanced neurology position for 2015 already PGY2
Total placement: 96%
National match rate: 94.6%

69% Primary care
23% MS residencies
56% Gulf South residencies

Overall, the match went VERY well for our first graduating class. Congrats to the members of the Class of 2014!

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Huh, that's interesting. Looks like they did alright in the end. I honestly heard from residents in rotating hospitals that WCU students were beyond ill prepared and I heard that their board scores were bad enough to potentially put the school at risk for suspension.

 

[medickdb]

I was under the impression for the longest time that everyone has top stats and everyone applies to 20+ schools and that its a crapshoot.

Years ago, thanks to my first pre-med advisor tossed in with some gunner pre-meds, I thought the same thing for the longest time, too.

 

[user3]

Huh, that's interesting. Looks like they did alright in the end. I honestly heard from residents in rotating hospitals that WCU students were beyond ill prepared and I heard that their board scores were bad enough to potentially put the school at risk for suspension.

FWIW
-initially, they required 100% class attendance, which severely cut into study time
-first class's average: 3.3/24, iirc