current student in the class of 2026in Jonesboro here. I was lucky enough to pass the first semester. The following are all facts and not in any way my opinion or viewpoints on the school (that will be later) i apologize for the abysmal typing and grammar as I am using text to talk and editing after. this is my first post and To anyone doubting my credibility I will be happy to talk with you and Prove my association to the school.
Some things that aren’t said are that there were approximately 20 to 25 people in the Jonesboro campus alone that remediated this first semester this is approximately 20%. This was after they gave a 2.0 overall curve to everybody’s grade. Prior to that curve we were looking at approximately 40 + people or 33 to 36% of our class failing. The students that did fail have to go through the remediation masters program, which is teaching them the exact same material that we learned that semester again they will then have to petition to re-join in the class of 2027 and do you have to pay for the remediation and the next year. The cut off for passing is 70 and I personally know at least one student who maintained a 69.95 and was not able to pass they were allowed to petition, but like many others have stated they were simply told that they were just not ready enough for medical school. for the first semester at the school the only thing that comprises your grade are your comprehensive and pre-comprehensive exams. Previously there were four comprehensive exams and four pre-comprehensive exams given. the total value of all of your pre-comprehensive exams makes up 10% of your grade and the total value of your comprehensive exams make up 90% of your grade. For the class of 2026 they change this and we were given three pre-comprehensive exams worth 10% of our total grade and three comprehensive exams with 90% of our total grade. with the removal of the one exam, many students did not do well on the first comprehensive exam with many of us, still adjusting to medical school. One student in particular failed the first comp, and even though he passed the next two comps it wasn’t enough to offset the one exam that he did not pass.
You can fail one laboratory class, either OMM, doctor patient relations, or anatomy. you will then remediate that lab in the summer. Currently there is heated discussion because at our first Townhall meeting we were told by Dr. Sleiman that we could fail two labs one in each semester and still remediate as long as they were not the same lab. However, over the break we received an email stating that we could not fail two labs and still continue in the school. While only 20% of the students were forced to remediate the first semester many students realized that their best chance was to pass foundations, even if that meant failing another lab. at start of the second semester, approximately 40% of the remaining students who passed foundations are on academic probation for failing a lab. And this does not include the approximate 20 students that joined our class after having remediated from the class of 2025. These students have been on probation for over a year and it has been stated that they are still considered on academic probation until the end of the first year of medical school.
in regards to the comment about mental health services, at orientation we were told that we were given 9 instances of counseling services for free. The counseling program has not changed much, and was the same programs that were in effect for the students who, unfortunately took their own lives or had their life take from them.
since the start of this year, the school has lost (from leaving or firing) Brent owens (no relation to Tracy owens) who was the lead for pipeline development and for bringing in New students. Holly Proffitt who was the career advisor and was persoanlly responsible for the amazing match and residencies that came from our school. Dr. Cope who was a pediatrician and in a clinical medicine instructor. Dr. Wehner is one of our few OMM faculty and leaving at the end of this semester( currently are OMM department was already shortstaffed and with her leaving many people are unsure how it will continue as they have been trying for over two years to get another faculty member to come to the school), Clint, Iadanza the assistant Director for educational research is also leaving. Prior to the year starting we also lost the assistant Dean of student administration Dr. Cohen.
There is no in person instruction, and while I understand that this is the time of Covid and learning at home, and online is something that we can do this was supposed to be a temporary fix with the college of medicine however, they stand behind the argument that because students never used the in person instruction that they just didn’t see the point in continuing it. The faculty then use the regular hours of Monday through Friday 9 to 5 to schedule anything that they deem necessary. You are expected to watch lectures, read ppt slides and determine which reading materials you need and review all of this on your own, with very little instruction from the faculty here at the Jonesboro campus. Many of the recordings are dated as far back as 2017. With some lectures given by faculty that have not been here for years.
something to keep in mind when looking at students that have gone to the Jonesboro Arkansas campus is it was founded in 2016 and is a relatively new school, however, they do use a lot of the statistics and aspects of the New York campus to boost how they’re perceived.
(everything past this is my opinion and experiences/others experience) my opinions on my school are that it is a medical school. It has many issues, and the one thing that you can count on is that nothing will stay consistent. While this may be my first year, this is my third year of helping and handling individuals who have gone to the school as I have had close family members who are at the school a few years ahead of me me. In my time here and dealing with the people and administration the things that I have seen can be summarized in one quick statement and that is simply do not trust the administration instead focus on yourself focus on your studies and do everything that you can with the anticipation that they will not help you. Your best source of help will come from your fellow classmates who are going through it with you. This was unfortunately the only school that would take me and I made the decision to come here as did everybody who is STILL here.
Do not trust your confidentialities or privacy to the administration. There have been enough reports, and some of my close friends have given numerous stories about how people in academic affairs share, both protected health information as well as any particular statements that are said. If you have to meet with them, everything that you say is written down any feelings that you have towards the school are noted and if it any point in time, your performance is called into review these statements are brought up against you, you will be asked to defend them. Avoid talking about any new medication’s that you start or any mental health illnesses that you may be dealing with as your conversations are not confidential with them. My family member started on a new medication to help them focus and disclose this information to one of the academic specialists a few months later, they received an email from X Specifically asking how they were doing on the new medication which she quoted by brand-name. This also raises the question about the confidentialities of the mental health providers at the school as they are also part of the school and work with the academic affairs department. Many students have personally told me that they do not feel safe and I do not feel safe, disclosing any of my mental health or personal information to the counselors at the school because of the proposed inability to maintain privacy and confidentiality, even amongst individuals in the academic affairs department, the schools response to any sense of mental health illness is poor and ill-equipped close personal friend of mine came to the school and was late by a few days no one had heard from him on the school side they have tried reaching out supposedly to talk to him when I first met him, he talk to me about how he had nowhere to stay. He had no Internet or means of communication back where he was from and that the only way he could make it to the school was that he had to call“ Hitchhike his way from Houston Texas “ the school was so surprised when he showed up that they had nowhere for him to stay, and were forced to put him up in a hotel for a few days until they could sort out his housing arrangements. The same student was then struggling in the school and found it very difficult and his mental health was called into question. He was pulled out of one labs been forced to talk with administration about statements he had made it and actions about his sleeping patterns. Their solution to all of this was to pull him out of labs that were extremely vital and important at the time and schedule make up days for him, which just so happen to coincide with other labs. Unfortunately, the student never really recovered and is remediating and while he is doing better it’s unfortunate that the school had such lack of care and consideration for him. Also to note if you struggle in the academics and are forced to meet with the one of the deans they do Not care how you are doing on your benchmarks for boards. As my family member was acting board prep but failed a semester and was told that “boards are what make you a minimum competent physician our exams are designed to make you a better doctor than any board exam can“ many of the schools changes to policy and procedure occurred after reports came that the New York campus was in extreme amounts of debt and suffering in financial losses that were making them possibly have to reconsider certain ventures many of the problems that the school experienced in Jonesboro started after that report was made public. unfortunately, at this time it’s very hard to find any information on the school that I have seen that splits the information between the two campuses the idea of one school and two campuses is incorrect. There is a clear difference and it is unfortunately not until I came into the school that I saw just hold clear the difference is.
While I can’t necessarily point to any one particular person and say that it’s their fault I can say that unfortunately this ship sails because of the captains that run it and having a individual that’s in charge of the school whose main focuses are politics, legislation, military, and everything but the school is unfortunate for us and it’s unfortunate for AACOM to have someone who’s leading that is so stretched thin on all the things he wants to do that nothing is running well. To his second in command, who’s over academic affairs the interactions have been very little if you don’t go to her yoga sessions. while she may be pleasant the school doesn’t need someone who brags about and spends most of their time birthing babies and in clinic because this just leaves X,Y and Z to run the school and unfortunately neither of them show or have any experience in how medical schools run. As prior to this neither of them worked at a medical school. And that is what is showing in this school lately. Nepotism at this school is unfortunately rampant. as can be seen by the relationships in the administration, and their family members that work for the school.
I genuinely feel that they use this campus to bring in students desperate to become physicians that aren't really up to their caliber knowing that they will be recycled through the school at least for 2-3 years during which the school will make about 200-300k off of them.
feel free to DM if you have questions. Thanks for listening, I hope this helps prepare someone to come here, or help them make a good decision about where to go (this is not the worst school out there btw)