Things to consider when looking at newer schools?

[AsepticTechnique]

I have been fortunate enough to have been offered a seat at a newish school that has graduated only one class so far. I also have an interview in a few weeks at a brand new school. Aside from a few established DOs, these are my only MD options at the moment.

What are some things to consider when looking at these schools and comparing them? Aside from location, cost, and personal fit; are there any other factors to predict the success of a newer school?

Is it always a better option to go with the school that has already graduated a class (even if it is just one) and matched than to risk going to a new school? Or is the risk equal because both schools are still super new?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

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[FindMeOnTheLinks]

I would try to look at the leadership of the medical school and figure out their record of previous positions. If the deans were previously in leadership positions at well-established medical schools with good track records, then that would be very reassuring. You can probably do some investigation of the leadership structure through the school website, but if not much information is available, you could also try emailing the admissions folks to get sense of who is running the school.

Another thing I would consider are the clinical rotation sites. Personally, I would not want to be at a school where I would be shipped off 45+ minutes away for various rotations during MS3/4. A lot of new medical schools don't necessarily have a flagship medical center, so they end up sending their students around the area, with some having to go places that are either long commutes or require you to literally move somewhere else. Maybe something to check out.

And yes, all else being equal I would imagine that going to a school that has graduated a class would be reassuring. This means they have at least had a class go through the whole system, giving the administration a chance to work out the bugs. Being at a school that hasn't graduated a class yet may mean that you will serve as guinea pigs for whatever curricular experiments they want to do, which might cause you some headaches.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Board scores would be something I would want to know. Also, what kind of curriculum? Lecture only, PBL, Tbl?

 

[wysdoc]

Board scores would be something I would want to know. Also, what kind of curriculum? Lecture only, PBL, Tbl?

There won't be any board scores to see yet at a very new school, though.

 

[chemdoctor]

There won't be any board scores to see yet at a very new school, though.

So is OP in the inaugural class? I was gonna say match rates but... how would you do that if you don't have board scores...?

 

[Goro]

Board scores would be something I would want to know. Also, what kind of curriculum? Lecture only, PBL, Tbl?

To this, add mandatory lecture attendance ??

 

[doc05]

Don’t focus too much on preclinical years. That’s easy for a new med school to do. After all, they’ve done it in the Caribbean for years. Frankly, it’s not that hard to replicate lectures, labs, etc. And recruiting faculty is easy.

More of an issue is quality of clinical sites, many of which are really community hospitals that now have a “teaching” mission. This can be not so good for new students. Find out as much as possible about the sites, teams (is there an attached residency), and most importantly, match lists (too bad you won’t be able to interpret these very well).

Good luck!

 

[wysdoc]

I have been fortunate enough to have been offered a seat at a newish school that has graduated only one class so far. I also have an interview in a few weeks at a brand new school. Aside from a few established DOs, these are my only MD options at the moment.

What are some things to consider when looking at these schools and comparing them? Aside from location, cost, and personal fit; are there any other factors to predict the success of a newer school?

Is it always a better option to go with the school that has already graduated a class (even if it is just one) and matched than to risk going to a new school? Or is the risk equal because both schools are still super new?

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

You'll want to try to get an idea of the funding of the school. Are they well endowed with a lot of enthusiastic donors, or do they seem to be operating on a shoestring? Do they have community support? Is the plan for MS3 and MS4 well thought out, or do they say they'll get something arranged by the time their first class reaches MS3? If the school has been in operation for at least 2 years, were they promoted from Preliminary Accreditation to Provisional Accreditation? If not, it isn't a fatal flaw but would raise my concern.

 

[DokterMom]

I'd agree on clinical rotation sites and also at general economic conditions / growth in the area. A city that's booming will attract more people who will need more hospitals, etc.

And absolutely the location. It was easy to see that Dell would take off quickly because Austin is widely regarded as a fabulous place to live in Texas. UT River Grand Valley -- not so much.

 

[AsepticTechnique]

Thank you all for the responses! This gives me a lot to think about and will help in making my decision!