newer schools question

[DOwnage]

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Waddup everybody...I'm looking to apply for med school (really prefer DO but will do MD as well - esp. in my home state) and I hope to start in fall of 2012.

I looked at the stats and it looks like "newer" schools are easier to get into (not surprising). This looks especially true for brand new schools. So my questions:

1) Would you recommend applying to these newer programs? Is it too risky or should I just run with whatever I can get and just go with the most established program I get accepted into?

2) Do you figure that say a year after the inaugural class, the "easiness" for lack of a better word of admission into these new schools dies down? Ie. school x opens in 2011...it may be easier for someone to get into school x in 2011...is it going to get dramatically harder in 2012?

Thanks everybody for taking the time to read and respond.

 

[Everglide]

I won't speculate on why newer schools tend to have lower stats however I would look closely at the prospective schools' year 3 and 4 rotations.

Also be aware if you attend a brand new school you will be their guinea pigs in determining what works and what doesn't (classes, policies, etc). This may be good or bad depending on how you look at it.

 

[jm192]

It's obviously riskier than a more established school. What if for some reason the school ends up with no accredidation? Maybe another school prepares you better for the COMLEX.

I would look into the faculty and their experience, as well as the clinical rotations. Some sites work with more than 1 school--maybe a newer school could be using established rotations.

I guess as everyone will say, at the end of the day it depends on you. If you put the work in, you'll do well.

Some schools are always looking to improve their admissions stats, some are not. My guess is some schools figure if a person can come in with a certain GPA and MCAT and succeed--so can other people with those stats. It may fluctuate year to year, but most times, if someone got in with your stats last year, you will this year.

With a newer school perhaps I would expect a slight increase. But I don't think you see the average GPA go up from a 3.3 to a 3.8, or the Average MCAT from a 24 to a 30.

Good luck!

 

[kdhmed]

The two newer schools I know of are LECOM Bradenton and PCOM Georgia. These two programs are not very easy to get into. Both have been around relatively the same amount of time (LECOM a little earlier I believe). Apps are way up this cycle, and standards are continuously rising if you look at the trends. LECOM has 3000 apps, interviews 600, accepts 150. Ga has about the same amount of apps and accepts in the mid 80s. I don't think things will get easier either unless an abundance of schools are opened in the next few yrs. Btw, these schools are averaging around a 26 MCAT. Hope this was of some help

 

[dapdrow]

I would think that maybe they have lower stats because they don't receive as many applications and that people, who might be accepted but get in somewhere else, might go somewhere else where they feel more comfortable or that they feel is more established. Do I think after a few years they would become increasingly competitive? Yes. Would I apply to a new school? Yes if I felt the school had what I wanted/needed and if I felt comfortable attending. It's really just a personal decision.

 

[DOwnage]

Thank you for your replies everybody. I didn't mean to insinuate that getting into a newer school is easy, but I figured since looking at some of the average GPA and MCAT stats of the newer schools compared to more established programs, it would be unwise to rule those programs out. I mean I want to be a doctor, bottom line.

And like I said before, I will also apply to some MD programs, but I've visited some DO campuses and I have really liked what I saw, which is why I'm more inclined to going that route anyway.

 

[Roberie]

I would think that maybe they have lower stats because they don't receive as many applications and that people, who might be accepted but get in somewhere else, might go somewhere else where they feel more comfortable or that they feel is more established. Do I think after a few years they would become increasingly competitive? Yes. Would I apply to a new school? Yes if I felt the school had what I wanted/needed and if I felt comfortable attending. It's really just a personal decision.

+1

Applicants might view newer programs as more of a "gamble" on their future. I would think the more competitive applicants would have more choices as to which school to attend and may be less inclined toward an untested program. Whereas, less competitive students may have fewer choices and, if accepted, would be more than happy to take the "gamble" of a new program. On the other hand, I was accepted at a handful of schools, but chose a very new school (PNWU) for a number of reasons that I felt were important.