Austin Acupuncture School Review: Texas College of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Original post removed.

Update [04/10/2010]:
Factors to consider when deciding on an acupuncture school.

1. Style of Acupuncture. There are many styles of acupuncture taught in the US and all accredited by ACAOM. The styles that I know of are: TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), French Energetic Acupuncture, Japanese Acupuncture, and Classical 5-Element Acupuncture. TCM is the new version of Chinese Medicine taught in China since the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Despite its misleading name of "Traditional", it is not. It seems to be a very Westernized version of Chinese Medicine. It focuses mainly on treating symptoms, much like Western Medicine. French Energetic acupuncture is mainly taught to M.D.'s. Japanese acupuncture focuses on palpating various parts of the body and notably the abdominal for diagnosis. Classical 5-Element Acupuncture is a European offshoot claiming to be the original but after looking at the founder's textbooks, I sincerely doubt that is the case. And there's the original Chinese Medicine taught since antiquity which is now only taught in Taiwan, as far as I know

2. Quality of Teaching. Some instructors, it seems, are not interested in teaching but just earning a paycheck to pay the bills, or because they want a work Visa in the US. They don't care about the students or what they teach. So quality of instruction is important. Look for instructors who are interested in answering student questions. Some instructors get angry when asked questions, others get annoyed, and yet others are helpful. Look for a school with the helpful ones. Some teachers genuinely enjoy teaching. These people make the best teachers.

3. Depth of Instruction. Is the material covered pretty superficial or is the material covered in-depth. You'd be surprised how many of the self-proclaimed "top schools" teach at the superficial layer. If you'd like a solid foundation, I suggest you pick a school with in-depth instruction.

4. Student body. It's good to talk to the student body and the students you will be going to school with. You will spend a lot of time in class with them and perhaps outside class as well so make sure these are people you can get along with. When you are a prospective student and asking current students, they are all nice and say nice things. It's when you have to deal with them on a day to day basis, that you see their real side come out. Everyone is nice at first. Most of these students are in their 20's and have the emotional maturity of someone in their partying and drinking phase. Don't expect much adult behavior.

5. Administration. Make sure the administration is professional. If they treat the students like peons, then most likely that will not change. On the other hand, if the admissions person is very nice, it does not mean the rest of the administration is that way.

6. Convenience of Schedule. There a schools out there can accommodate professionals with full-time careers. Look around. There are schools with a full night-time program for students who work during the day. There are distance learning schools where you fly up there for one weekend a month. And there are distance learning schools where you fly there and stay for 2 weeks every 3 months. And of course, there are full day-time programs too.

So find a school that mixes with your style and schedule and enjoy learning a great art.