Worst US MD schools?

[radioactive15]

From researching, visiting and gathering info about US MD schools, what schools would you describe as among the worst?

(considering factors ranging from students generally unhappy, atrocious location, lack of clinical opportunities, lack of good faculty, poor curriculum, unimpressive research opportunities, minimal patient interaction, expensive tuition for poor match rates, etc)

Can we compile a list of schools you consider among the worst? (NON CARIBBEAN)

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[Lawpy]

The ones that reject me 😢😢

 

[GrumpyGus]

From researching, visiting and gathering info about US MD schools, what schools would you describe as among the worst?

(considering factors ranging from atrocious location, lack of clinical opportunities, lack of good faculty, poor curriculum, unimpressive research opportunities, minimal patient interaction, expensive tuition for poor match rates, etc)

Can we compile a list of schools you consider among the worst? (NON CARIBBEAN)

Who cares.

You apply to schools you're competitive at stat/EC wise and you then choose a school based on where you get in.

If you're only option is one MD school then guess what--that is now you're favorite MD school. Beggars can't be choosers and if you want choice, be a competitive applicant with a good school list.

What is a bad MD for me may be the perfect MD for someone else.

 

[RunawayGrape]

Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, UCSF, to name a few. Shoddy institutions, didn't even bother applying.

 

[FootballFoot]

There was a loooooooooong thread on here about how bad Georgetown is.

 

[redsox93]

I don't think there are any "bad" MD schools. All of them will prepare you well for residency and help you match assuming you pass boards.

 

[SSSMDt]

Worst MD school? You people make me sick..

 

[ChrisMack390]

In my expert opinion, USF and WMed are the best. UVM is the worst. The other ones I applied to are somewhere in between*


*ranking based entirely on whether or not they accepted me

 

[radioactive15]

Who cares.

You apply to schools you're competitive at stat/EC wise and you then choose a school based on where you get in.

If you're only option is one MD school then guess what--that is now you're favorite MD school.

I'd like to think I have a choice in where I'm going before going 300k in debt

 

[rolliespring]

There was a loooooooooong thread on here about how bad Georgetown is.

@Jalby is a legend.

 

[GrumpyGus]

I'd like to think I have a choice in where I'm going before going 300k in debt

There's a very good chance you won't, that's the reality of it.

 

[libertyyne]

I'd like to think I have a choice in where I'm going before going 300k in debt

About half of matriculants recieve three or less interviews. If you have a 50% chance of being accepted post interview that means roughly 1 acceptance for half of the matriculants. Most people have no choice or very little choice. The best med school= one that offers you a seat.

There's a very good chance you won't, that's the reality of it.

Truth.

 

[ScottTenorman54]

I have an entirely unreasonable grudge against Tulane for that obscene secondary app fee + CASPer. But it's probably a fine school.

 

[libertyyne]

I have an entirely unreasonable grudge against Tulane for that obscene secondary app fee + CASPer. But it's probably a fine school.

Fight the power brother.CASper needs to be exposed for the farce that it is.

 

[UberUdder09]

I did CASPer and then forgot why I was taking it and for what school. I am pretty sure I never finished the secondary because I was so turned off by that insanity.

 

[Pusheen]

C'mon it's not that ridiculous of a question. I'd personally would have loved to know prior to applying what schools, if any, had poor clinical rotations or bad board pass rates, or accreditation issues.
Every time someone raises this question here pre med self flagellation kicks in and they are shut down.

 

[Cotterpin]

I know I've read some less than great things about California Northstate on this forum.

 

[libertyyne]

C'mon it's not that ridiculous of a question. I'd personally would have loved to know prior to applying what schools, if any, had poor clinical rotations or bad board pass rates, or accreditation issues.
Every time someone raises this question here pre med self flagellation kicks in and they are shut down.

If it is a new school it is an unknown quantity, since they are still establishing rotations and stuff. If it is an established school in an expensive area the question then becomes is a medical education worth half a million in debt? If you read anything about match lists and they way they are presented you know they mean nothing because we don't know if the student got their first choice or last choice. MD=MD=MD*

Unless from Caribbean because difficulty getting any residency.

 

[Pusheen]

If it is a new school it is an unknown quantity, since they are still establishing rotations and stuff. If it is an established school in an expensive area the question then becomes is a medical education worth half a million in debt? If you read anything about match lists and they way they are presented you know they mean nothing because we don't know if the student got their first choice or last choice. MD=MD=MD*

Unless from Caribbean because difficulty getting any residency.

sure. My point still stands that input on a school's quality by knowledgeable people is valuable.

 

[bananafish94]

They're all good.

 

[libertyyne]

Ok? My point still stands that input on a school's quality by knowledgeable people is valuable.

Sure, and I just answered it in it's entirety.

 

[Pusheen]

Sure, and I just answered it in it's entirety.

You are too modest 😉

 

[NonTrad16]

I'd like to think I have a choice in where I'm going before going 300k in debt

Realistically, you may have a choice, but you may not. Let me ask you: if everyone said that the one school you got accepted to was the 'worst', would you still attend? (Hint: you probably should, assuming you want to be a physician.) All that would do for you is make you feel bad about your situation, rather than excitement that you gained acceptance to a medical school.

If you have multiple acceptances by the end of the year, it's likely more fruitful to compare your actual options, rather than the 160+ domestic MD/DO schools...

 

[username456789]

Pre-allo kids crack me up. Getting all up in arms about someone posting a thread asking this question. I guess you need a safe space where your feelings can't be hurt?

 

[username456789]

Worst MD school? You people make me sick..

Get over yourself. Yeesh.

 

[doctorleospaceman]

Pre-allo kids crack me up. Getting all up in arms about someone posting a thread asking this question. I guess you need a safe space where your feelings can't be hurt?

Sounds like you're the one all worked up over people giving OP an honest and logical response of "there is no bad US medical school".

Extreme cases aside, it's what you do with your education, not the nuisances of lecture structure or rotation sites that matter. You'll have horrible doctors from Top 10s and great doctors from newly opened schools.

Getting into any US medical school is a significant achievement and if you stick with it, you'll come out a physician on the other end. If you have the luck of chosing, it should be about personal fit and not US news rankings.

 

[username456789]

Sounds like you're the one all worked up over people giving OP an honest and logical response of "there is no bad US medical school".

Extreme cases aside, it's what you do with your education, not the nuisances of lecture structure or rotation sites that matter. You'll have horrible doctors from Top 10s and great doctors from newly opened schools.

Getting into any US medical school is a significant achievement and if you stick with it, you'll come out a physician on the other end. If you have the luck of chosing, it should be about personal fit and not US news rankings.

Not worked up at all.

Some schools are worse than others. To hide your head in the sand and sing "they are all great!" is naive and unhelpful.

Inb4 "you suck so your school probably sucked"

 

[Cotterpin]

Not worked up at all.

Some schools are worse than others. To hide your head in the sand and sing "they are all great!" is naive and unhelpful.

So which school do you think is the worst?

 

[doctorleospaceman]

Not worked up at all.

Some schools are worse than others. To hide your head in the sand and sing "they are all great!" is naive and unhelpful.

Inb4 "you suck so your school probably sucked"

No one school is hands down worse than another. It all depends on what you're comparing, which as I already meantioned, is why personal fit to a school is most important.

You can maybe make the argument that the top ~10 are better than the rest in some regard (like residency placement), but after that you're really just splitting hairs. And even then there have also been people who turned down big name schools for lower ranked ones because they liked them more.

 

[username456789]

So which school do you think is the worst?

Probably Albany and most of the new ones sprouting up like weeds.

 

[Goro]

NYMC has gone downhill ever since their merger with Touro.

 

[wholeheartedly]

Definitely this one

http://gomerblog.com/2016/03/trump-university-school-of-medicine/

 

[Cotterpin]

NYMC has gone downhill ever since their merger with Touro.

Can I ask what criteria you would use to determine if a school is "worse" than others?

 

[gyngyn]

Can I ask what criteria you would use to determine if a school is "worse" than others?

If they don't offer their students access to federal loans and payback mechanisms.

 

[mimelim]

#1 There are significant variations in medical school quality. The most noticeable and noteworthy are the administrative side of clinical rotations.
#2 Every US MD school will give you the education to get into residency. But, some prepare students better than others.
#3 Some schools afford opportunities that others simply don't have. Others offer opportunities that can be had at others or most schools, but in an easier to access way.
#4 Student variability is much larger than variations between schools.
#5 Few non-faculty have spent an appreciable time at multiple schools, so unless someone is in medical education or paying very close attention to these things, their opinion doesn't really mean much.

 

[Cotterpin]

If they don't offer their students access to federal loans and payback mechanisms.

Do schools actually do that?

 

[gyngyn]

Do schools actually do that?

I only know of one school that had the option to give their students this option and chose not to do so.

 

[Cotterpin]

I only know of one school that had the option to give their students this option and chose not to do so.

Which one? I need more clear hints. 😉

 

[gyngyn]

Which one? I need more clear hints. 😉

CN"U"

 

[Mad Jack]

Georgetown is the only right answer.

 

[darkjedi]

I very skeptical of all the for-profit medical schools, including CNU and Rocky Vista. I don't see how they are any better than the Caribbean schools in questionable educational quality, but because they are in the US, don't suffer the same stigma.

 

[radioactive15]

What about RFU with their probation and the dearth of rotations?

 

[mangomaniac]

I only know of one school that had the option to give their students this option and chose not to do so.

Wait.. They had the option?!? This changes everything.

Edit: WHY?

 

[LordH]

I very skeptical of all the for-profit medical schools, including CNU and Rocky Vista. I don't see how they are any better than the Caribbean schools in questionable educational quality, but because they are in the US, don't suffer the same stigma.

Just out of curiosity, can anyone answer how CNU was approved while being a for-profit MD school? I can't seem to wrap my head around how an institution that is for-profit is an appropriate model for its students and faculty. Like I understand why Carrib schools are, but CNU has connections with hospitals like Kaiser and I just don't get how they are supported while claiming that profit is their real goal

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

Although not M.D. I don't think the schools listed on this site are very legit www.aanmc.org

And yes, that is the Association of American Naturopathic Medical Colleges

 

[KungFuPanda123]

Who cares.

You apply to schools you're competitive at stat/EC wise and you then choose a school based on where you get in.

If you're only option is one MD school then guess what--that is now you're favorite MD school. Beggars can't be choosers and if you want choice, be a competitive applicant with a good school list.

What is a bad MD for me may be the perfect MD for someone else.

This seems a bit naive.

Some MD schools do not have a good affiliated hospital network; you want to have the best clinical rotation options possible, not just for getting better clinical skills (I'd argue to say that you can find really good doctors anywhere) but also for networking with powerhouse physicians/researchers to get strong residency positions, as well as your desired residency.

 

[ChrisMack390]

TBH, I do wish there was a better way of assessing the quality of the education offered at different schools.

US News rankings seem to measure fairly tangential factors that don't get to the meat of rotation quality and such. Match lists are pointless. Every single school you visit talks up their access to faculty, non-competitive environment, etc, and they obviously handpick the students you meet (either intentionally or just via who chooses to show up).

I am of the opinion that there is no 'bad" school that is fully accredited to grant MD degrees in the USA, but the idea of choosing where to go seems pretty much like a coin flip.

 

[gyngyn]

Wait.. They had the option?!? This changes everything.

Edit: WHY?

Yes. Their prior ownership of the pharmacy school in that location made their inaugural class eligible for federally insured loans and payback mechanisms. They chose not to permit it.

 

[ChrisMack390]

Yes. Their prior ownership of the pharmacy school in that location made their inaugural class eligible for federally insured loans and payback mechanisms. They chose not to permit it.

Any thoughts on why someone would do this? Seems like they are going to turn away a lot of students that may have attended...

 

[gyngyn]

Any thoughts on why someone would do this? Seems like they are going to turn away a lot of students that may have attended...

$. I have a plausible explanation for how this was made for economic gain but naturally, I was not present so it is difficult to confirm.
They are still likely to find plenty of gullible matriculants. Just look at the Caribbean schools...