... oh yeah and whats up w Barry? it seems like no one has anything good to say about that school....
I was sorta looking to diplomatically avoid this thread, but I guess I'll chime in...
I really think it boils down to student talent. Fewer quality students means lower board scores and fewer big name residency placements. That seems to be what top incoming pod students want, so the cycle obviously perpetuates itself with few exceptions. If the school seldom attracts top students, the board pass rates will generally stay fairly low and few graduates will match with top residencies since few of them were top residency candidates. Also, as you see krambas stating in the link thread above, one bad experience with/from a Barry student/grad/flunkee tends to promote hearsay and rumors. If she had talked to a more successful student, would her opinion be entirely different? It is worth noting that many Barry students like the warm climate and stay close for externships/residency/practice, so it is my belief that the rest of the nation's (meaning basically all pod schools) view of Barry may be based on a small sampling of Barry pod students/grads, which may or may not be representative.
In terms of curriculum, some students here may tell you that the exams are unfair, the faculty doesn't teach well, you don't get enough time off right before boards, we don't get "re-takes" if we fail a class, etc, but those aren't great excuses in my book. Chances are high (circa 100%) that other schools are reading Robbins pathology, Netter Anat atlas, First Aid for USMLE, Pocket Podiatrics, same PubMed and journals, etc also. Many of the frustrated students are simply in a bit over their head and jealous of students who perform better (at Barry and at other pod schools). Unfortunately, it's a lot easier to blame the program or professors than oneself for lack of success. I don't think it's the university's fault when students who skip class or don't read notes/book fail boards/classes or arrive late at an externship/interview/clinic due to simple laziness.
Does Barry have many good aspects also? I sure think so. The vast majority of the basic sciences faculty are full time, and they are highly accessible and helpful in my experience. The "old exams" here are centralized so that all students have the same ones and the playing field is leveled (as opposed to small cliques of students having "secret weapons" at other pod programs). Barry's clinic and hospital rotations are many and diverse, and you will see a variety of interesting cases since Miami is such a melting pot. Many of the DPMs on faculty are excellent in my opinion, and I think that the dean and pod admins do a nice job of attracting top DPM clinical faculty. It's nice to have a diverse group of DPMs who are alumni from many other schools so that the education and podiatric thinking doesn't get "inbred" (ie hiring only grads of the school itself). Barry's PhD basic sciences and adjunct faculty, as I said, are not necessarily chosen by the pod admins since many of them also instruct other graduate or undergrad courses, but they are, nonetheless, certainly quite more than adequate and highly accessible in my experiences here. Additionally, scholarships at Barry are plentiful and helpful throughout the 4 years.
As was said, anyone can do great anywhere. A program like Barry with a solid enough program yet (generally) below average student talent will fluctuate based on students. The 1999 class produced Steinberg, multiple other residency directors, and many highly successful podiatrists. A few years later, the board pass rate was supposedly last among pod schools or very close. The funny thing was that the faculty and admins barely changed in that timespan, so I don't see how it's not student talent fluctuations which cause the boom/bust. I guess, as a Barry student, you can waste time worrying about what people will think/say or what has gone on in the past, but if you realize that the resources to succeed are there and spend that time productively, it's not hard to rise above the BS and stereotypes. If a student produces the same board pass certificates, similar clinical skills, and similar knowledge as their counterparts in the other schools, who cares? It's not like there is five pod schools in every state, so you mised well pick where you want to be (near family, climate, etc), work hard there, and realize that success or lack thereof is largely under your control.
As far as Barry's future, I really don't know what to expect. It's certainly going to be an uphill battle in terms of attracting top incoming students with all of the negative rumors floating around. I think Barry does get some very good and/or hard working students, and they could lower their class sizes for a few years by letting in mostly only good students in order to raise board pass rate and reputation. That would, in turn, begin to perpetuate more good student applicatioins, and that would be the best way to long term success. However, it is a business, and Barry's new GMS building won't pay for itself, so that probably does play into the acceptance of some less than stellar prospects. However, the university as a whole seems highly stable in financial terms, so it may be feasible if desired. Better recruiting would also be an option, and perhaps that is the goal of pleniful scholarships? I will maintain that the tools for success are here, and students have to know how to use them. You can't save someone from themself, and even a person with a 30 MCAT or a bachelor's degree from Columbia can still party on South Beach instead of attending lectures and studying physiology.
To prospective students looking into Barry (or any pod school):
My best advice would be that the ideal pod school choice for student X may not be the best for everyone. Many of the students bashing Barry or other pod schools probably have never set foot on the campus they are dispairaging or listened to a single lecture there. Can you get a great DPM education at Barry? Certainly. What are some of ways to do it? Same ways as any school: work hard, be interested, and associate yourself with intelligent and successful classmates, upperclassmen, faculty, etc. If you have the talent and want to succeed here, then you will if you work hard. If you like warm climate, have family nearby, want to experience a diverse cultural setting, etc, I would advise you to check out the school and make your decision yourself.
The bottom line is that, no matter where you go to pod school, you can't treat it like a vending machine where you put in 100k in tuition and a DPM diploma pops out. You have to work hard and apply yourself. Few things in life that are worth having are easy to get, and you have to earn it. You will probably have to relax on the partying, socializing, video games, etc etc etc to get the most from your education. You will have to study a lot, and you have to find ways to motivate yourself (finding respectable upperclassmen/DPMs and talking with them helps me). Old exams should be used as a tool to quiz yourself on the night before the exam after you have read the notes and book; they are not a way to bail yourself out at the last minute and pass the class. If you fall into the "it's just podiatry school," "everyone gets a good residency," or "Cs make degrees," I think that is dangerous and you may be heading for tough times even if you do manage to graduate. You can choose to do the minimum, or you can go above and beyond by reading extra, writing research, spending 1-to-1 time chatting with faculty and upperclassmen you wish to emulate, etc.
Note to other BUGMS students:
If this post sounds like I'm metaphorically throwing fellow Barry students under a bus, I'm certainly not. If anything, the "Barry basing" you read on SDN or even the post I just typed should inspire you to prove it wrong. Not every student is an "A" student in every class (I'm certainly not), but doing the best possible work and taking initiative can go a long way. For my 09 class, the real education begins now, in the clinics, and I'm sure that many of the students will do their best to apply their basic science knowldedge, soak up new clinical skill, inspire trust and confidence in patients, and gain the respect of DPMs and other allied health colleagues with hard work and dilligence. I applaud those individuals.
the difference is seen in the midlevel and lower students. The higher ranks schools don't have that major cliff were the competence level falls to the floor.
