Dental school history and possible repeat with law schools? Forum

[dominiquewilkins]

http://news.vin.com/VINNews.aspx?articleId=27460

But at that time, Washington University School of Dental Medicine in St. Louis would not be the first to close, nor the last. It was the fifth of seven dental schools in the United States to shutter between 1986 and 2001. They were discontinued for multiple reasons, including tight budgets, questions of relevance to institutions’ academic missions and — most significantly — declining student applications.

What didn’t cause the closures was any sort of orchestrated effort by the dental profession to address worries about a market oversupply of dentists.

Yet that is an enduring popular belief among members of other professions plagued by an apparent mismatch between numbers of new graduates and available jobs, stagnant salaries and crushing educational debt.

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Sounds familiar.

[dj_roomba]

The problem that exists with law schools also exists in other fields. It's not merely a law school problem... it's a universal problem that many professional schools face.

It's not as bad for dental school but it may get to that point (although schools ARE adjusting to it).

One field that makes law school look great is veterinary school.
It takes 4 years, average loan debt is 150k (sticker can be 300k+), more competitive than med school, starting salaries are around 60k or so, market is over saturated, etc. etc. etc.

It sucks out there. That's not to say law school is a good idea either.

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

Thanks for posting: this is an interesting article. This is a problem that a lot of professional schools face, but from everything I know medicine seems to handle this the best: restrict the supply of labor entering the profession, and match aspiring doctors with institutions rather than letting the aspiring doctors pick.

[PDX4343]

I hope law schools follow suit and we start to see some of these diploma mills finally shutting down!

[TheWeeIceMon]

Thanks for posting: this is an interesting article. This is a problem that a lot of professional schools face, but from everything I know medicine seems to handle this the best: restrict the supply of labor entering the profession, and match aspiring doctors with institutions rather than letting the aspiring doctors pick.

The only reason there is not an oversupply of doctors right now is because federal funding restricts the number of residency spots. There is actually a looming issue of students potentially not being able to find residency spots because as class sizes are being increased and schools opened (mostly DO schools), residency spots are not keeping pace and eventually not everyone who graduates from a US school, will be able to match.

One thing to also consider about this article is that dental schools are much more expensive than law schools to build and run and are therefore more succeptible to fluctuations in funding and enrollment. Dental schools were never the money makers that law schools are. I don't think the law market correcting itself with school shutdowns like dental schools did in the 1980s is likely to happen.

[TigerDude]

No one will make "diploma mills" shut down - Cooley sued the ABA to get accreditation for one of their campuses.

That is one problem with all the law professors - plenty of free time to sue to keep their school open.

[BeautifulSW]

Can you imagine how awful that would be, to have received your medical degree yet be unable to find a residency and therefore be ineligible to practice? Can't even go it alone and owing, say, $400,000?

Brrr!

Good argument for dental/podiatry/optometry school...no mandatory internship or residency (if I remember right).

[TheWeeIceMon]

Can you imagine how awful that would be, to have received your medical degree yet be unable to find a residency and therefore be ineligible to practice? Can't even go it alone and owing, say, $400,000?

Brrr!

Good argument for dental/podiatry/optometry school...no mandatory internship or residency (if I remember right).

I believe podiatrists have to complete a 3 year residency.

[BeautifulSW]

Oh, do they? Well, all the more so, then. I would hate to be caught in that situation.