2019-2020 Touro University (Vallejo, California) TUCOM-CA

BU Medical Sciences
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after submitting deposit, I feel like I need to be doing some paper work or get health clearance or something. But silence from school. Do I need to be worried and send them an email?

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using SDN mobile
 
Hey everyone! Another 1st year at Touro here. I figured I'd drop in and give my two cents since applying last year was so confusing and posts like these helped me really clear my mind.

Things I love about the school
1. The people. My fellow classmates are pretty amazing. Of course, there are the gunners and the people who kiss every professor's butt, but those are few and far between. Most of my classmates were really chosen for their love of medicine and service, and it shows.

2. Pure P/F!!! I cannot STRESS how much of a blessing a pure P/F system is. You're still getting numbered grades per test, but your transcript will only have the letter 'P' or 'F' on it. This system is so great because you can truly focus on high-yield things, mental health, and just learning the material for the sake of learning it. We don't know our ranks until 3rd year, and even then, they change drastically during rotations, so your first two preclinical years are as stress-free as medical school can possibly be. Of course, school is still hard, and we still feel incredibly overwhelmed at times, but the pure P/F system is so nice when you know you can spend time watching Boards N Beyond instead of memorizing the minor details a professor might emphasize. And remember, board scores >>>>> anything else.

3. Education. The match lists speak for themselves. If I'm correct, we've had ortho surg and derm matches since 2015 (though most people choose to go into primary care), and most matches are in California (again, most people choose this). I can't say a lot on this topic- a fourth year will probably know more since they've been through rotations- but so far, I feel like we're getting a solid education. And for some reason, we're ahead of the game compared to some other D.O schools that my friends go to? Could be a curriculum schedule thing, idk.

4. Location. I'm not originally from the Bay- I'm actually out of state- but Vallejo is strategically placed near some amazing things. SF is a 40 min drive, Napa is 30, Yosemite is 3 hours away in case you wanted to get away for one of our many fall 4-day-weekends (s/o Jewish holidays). My homesickness made me want to hate this place. Now I really love it. You never run the risk of getting bored.

Things I like about the school
1. OMM emphasis. I went into this school not really caring for OMM. Now, I use that cervical long axis stretch all day every day. Learning OMM is interesting because you're actually learning how to relieve or treat pain immediately, which is something most physicians forget is a priority as we learn allopathic med. Of course OMM can't replace standard medical practice, but it's a very cool tool to use on future patients or even just family members.

2. Administration's acceptance of feedback. They change things every year based on what the previous year said; they really do listen and care about how students are feeling.


Things I hate about the school
1. Ok, the physical buildings themselves. Touro made a deal with the gov to get the land for free? or dirt cheap or something? so they can't destroy any of the government-protected WWII buildings. It looks like Shutter Island. I'm used to it now, but on my interview day I was like 0_o. Don't let this deter you- it's only for 2 years and the facilities themselves (like the anatomy lab and the lecture halls) are up-to-date. It's just, well, get used to a sub-par building for 2 years. (We hold all our fancy events in a separate hotel so its ok lol)

2. Finding research on campus is hard. If you're in the MPH or master's program, it's built into your curriculum. But for COM, research isn't emphasized at Touro. Basically, if you don't ask, you won't know, and even if you do ask, you might not get anything. But I do know certain faculty members have research projects, I just haven't had time to look into that yet.
Most medical students who want to do research do it in the summer b/w 1st and 2nd year, at another school or facility.

In addition, Touro does have a summer study-abroad program where you can carry out research projects in different countries. Might not get published, but a poster presentation could be possible with that.

if you have any questions, feel free to PM or ask here. I hope this helped you guys get a better picture of the school. Remember- when in doubt, stay off reddit or SDN and ask an actual student or alumn. Those SDN myths can be bs and the people who know the school best are those who actually attend it.
 
allieoop100 said:
Hey everyone! Another 1st year at Touro here. I figured I'd drop in and give my two cents since applying last year was so confusing and posts like these helped me really clear my mind.

Things I love about the school
1. The people. My fellow classmates are pretty amazing. Of course, there are the gunners and the people who kiss every professor's butt, but those are few and far between. Most of my classmates were really chosen for their love of medicine and service, and it shows.

2. Pure P/F!!! I cannot STRESS how much of a blessing a pure P/F system is. You're still getting numbered grades per test, but your transcript will only have the letter 'P' or 'F' on it. This system is so great because you can truly focus on high-yield things, mental health, and just learning the material for the sake of learning it. We don't know our ranks until 3rd year, and even then, they change drastically during rotations, so your first two preclinical years are as stress-free as medical school can possibly be. Of course, school is still hard, and we still feel incredibly overwhelmed at times, but the pure P/F system is so nice when you know you can spend time watching Boards N Beyond instead of memorizing the minor details a professor might emphasize. And remember, board scores >>>>> anything else.

3. Education. The match lists speak for themselves. If I'm correct, we've had ortho surg and derm matches since 2015 (though most people choose to go into primary care), and most matches are in California (again, most people choose this). I can't say a lot on this topic- a fourth year will probably know more since they've been through rotations- but so far, I feel like we're getting a solid education. And for some reason, we're ahead of the game compared to some other D.O schools that my friends go to? Could be a curriculum schedule thing, idk.

4. Location. I'm not originally from the Bay- I'm actually out of state- but Vallejo is strategically placed near some amazing things. SF is a 40 min drive, Napa is 30, Yosemite is 3 hours away in case you wanted to get away for one of our many fall 4-day-weekends (s/o Jewish holidays). My homesickness made me want to hate this place. Now I really love it. You never run the risk of getting bored.

Things I like about the school
1. OMM emphasis. I went into this school not really caring for OMM. Now, I use that cervical long axis stretch all day every day. Learning OMM is interesting because you're actually learning how to relieve or treat pain immediately, which is something most physicians forget is a priority as we learn allopathic med. Of course OMM can't replace standard medical practice, but it's a very cool tool to use on future patients or even just family members.

2. Administration's acceptance of feedback. They change things every year based on what the previous year said; they really do listen and care about how students are feeling.


Things I hate about the school
1. Ok, the physical buildings themselves. Touro made a deal with the gov to get the land for free? or dirt cheap or something? so they can't destroy any of the government-protected WWII buildings. It looks like Shutter Island. I'm used to it now, but on my interview day I was like 0_o. Don't let this deter you- it's only for 2 years and the facilities themselves (like the anatomy lab and the lecture halls) are up-to-date. It's just, well, get used to a sub-par building for 2 years. (We hold all our fancy events in a separate hotel so its ok lol)

2. Finding research on campus is hard. If you're in the MPH or master's program, it's built into your curriculum. But for COM, research isn't emphasized at Touro. Basically, if you don't ask, you won't know, and even if you do ask, you might not get anything. But I do know certain faculty members have research projects, I just haven't had time to look into that yet.
Most medical students who want to do research do it in the summer b/w 1st and 2nd year, at another school or facility.

In addition, Touro does have a summer study-abroad program where you can carry out research projects in different countries. Might not get published, but a poster presentation could be possible with that.

if you have any questions, feel free to PM or ask here. I hope this helped you guys get a better picture of the school. Remember- when in doubt, stay off reddit or SDN and ask an actual student or alumn. Those SDN myths can be bs and the people who know the school best are those who actually attend it.
Click to expand...

How is the cost of living there? This is probably one of my top concerns regarding going to school in California 😀
 
ShibaTrump said:
How is the cost of living there? This is probably one of my top concerns regarding going to school in California 😀
Click to expand...

CA is high in general compared to other states, but Vallejo is lower compared to other neighboring cities like Berkeley/Oakland.
 
Does anyone know if they are receptive to Pre-II updates?
 
How far has touro gone int terms of interviews? thinking of applying to some
Schools in aacomas
 
Is the interview conducted as a panel with other applicants or is it now a more traditional one on one interview? Thanks!
 
Last edited:
I got waitlisted ): high alternate... does anyone know how many ppl get off the waitlist?
 
sfdoctor96 said:
I got waitlisted ): high alternate... does anyone know how many ppl get off the waitlist?
Click to expand...

I don't believe they've even interviewed many yet, so I wouldn't worry. I'm sure there will be movement. Good luck!
 
They don't rereview waitlist people until May unfortunately ): not throughout the cycle so there's yet another longggg wait for me. I'm just really frustrated right now cuz I'm going to have to start reviewing for the mcat again and getting ready to reapply in a month or so and submit the primary and everything cuz even if I manage to get off the WL I probably won't know until June
 
Accepted!

Imma be honest though, the interview was a little wack. 3 faculty members vs. 4-5 students... Everyone in my group only got to answer 4 or 5 questions since there was so many of us talking. I've been to a lot of really conversational interviews where you have back and forth discussion with the interviewer, but here, for every question asked, you had to give a mini-monologue since you wouldn't be able to speak for another 10 minutes. Even Touro Nevada's tiny 20 minute one-on-one interview was better than this.

Felt the campus and city weren't as bad as people act. To be fair, I stayed in an Airbnb in a nice little neighborhood, but the rest of the city looked fairly well kept to me. Maybe it's because I'm from LA though so I've seen worse haha. NorCal is definitely very beautiful, it's very lush and has real seasons (compared to SoCal.) Yeah, the campus wasn't perfect but it was much nicer than Touro Nevada which is an ugly warehouse in a strip mall that was converted into a school. The island was kind of cute actually.

Still have a few more upcoming interviews and I'm on some waitlists so not 100% sure this is where I'll attend but I'm glad to hold an acceptance now 🙂

The only awful thing is that I got into Touro Nevada a few weeks ago so now I will lose $4,000 in deposits if I go somewhere else. Oh well... it's a good problem to have, I guess.
 
peaches_doctor said:
Accepted!

Imma be honest though, the interview was a little wack. 3 faculty members vs. 4-5 students... Everyone in my group only got to answer 4 or 5 questions since there was so many of us talking. I've been to a lot of really conversational interviews where you have back and forth discussion with the interviewer, but here, for every question asked, you had to give a mini-monologue since you wouldn't be able to speak for another 10 minutes. Even Touro Nevada's tiny 20 minute one-on-one interview was better than this.

Felt the campus and city weren't as bad as people act. To be fair, I stayed in an Airbnb in a nice little neighborhood, but the rest of the city looked fairly well kept to me. Maybe it's because I'm from LA though so I've seen worse haha. NorCal is definitely very beautiful, it's very lush and has real seasons (compared to SoCal.) Yeah, the campus wasn't perfect but it was much nicer than Touro Nevada which is an ugly warehouse in a strip mall that was converted into a school. The island was kind of cute actually.

Still have a few more upcoming interviews and I'm on some waitlists so not 100% sure this is where I'll attend but I'm glad to hold an acceptance now 🙂

The only awful thing is that I got into Touro Nevada a few weeks ago so now I will lose $4,000 in deposits if I go somewhere else. Oh well... it's a good problem to have, I guess.
Click to expand...
I agree about the interview lol I did a mock interview with someone who interviews for UCSF and that was so relaxed and conversational. This was like question and answer down the line.
 
sfdoctor96 said:
They don't rereview waitlist people until May unfortunately ): not throughout the cycle so there's yet another longggg wait for me. I'm just really frustrated right now cuz I'm going to have to start reviewing for the mcat again and getting ready to reapply in a month or so and submit the primary and everything cuz even if I manage to get off the WL I probably won't know until June
Click to expand...

Near May, send them a letter of intent/update. I don't think it's ever a bad idea to anticipate for the MCAT, but you still have quite a bit of cycle up ahead.
 
Also got high waitlist... what is the next step? For some reason I thought I remember them saying some people got off the waitlist before they finished interviews?
 
comeback_willy said:
Touro CA or AZCOM? Where would you rather go?
Click to expand...

I really liked AZCOM but it's so damn expensive! The $70,000 a year tuition is insane. I just don't know if that high cost is worth it.

I felt pretty impressed by Touro CA, I really like NorCal and it seems like you have a good chance of matching into a California residency.

Arizona is cool but I feel there may be a wider variety of things to do in NorCal. You're near San Francisco, right by the beach, lots of hiking and wildlife available, and so on. NorCal has fairly nice weather as well. The downside is that it's going to be expensive as hell to live in NorCal.

That's just my two cents and I'm just an applicant so I'm not an expert on these things by far.
 
Does this school accept an LOR from a basic science PI in leu of a science prof?
 
Submitted primary last night. AACOMAS app was verified this morning and received a secondary from this school... My god AACOMAS has a FAST turnaround!
 
Just interviewed on 1/7/19. Honestly, I really enjoyed the panel style interview. Totally agree with what was said above about only having about 4-5 minutes to talk about yourself (and I am less inclined to speak a mini monologue and definitely probably should have spoke more), but it was very interesting to hear who the possible class will be and you can tell how much effort the school puts into the interview day itself.

Overall the interview day was comfortable and relaxed. Just be yourself.

Everyone was very very kind and the lunch was delicious! Everything is Kosher, which meant a no eggs and no dairy cookie!! I'm biased because I'm vegan though.
 
Does everyone get asked the same questions? What type of questions were asked?
microbionerd said:
Just interviewed on 1/7/19. Honestly, I really enjoyed the panel style interview. Totally agree with what was said above about only having about 4-5 minutes to talk about yourself (and I am less inclined to speak a mini monologue and definitely probably should have spoke more), but it was very interesting to hear who the possible class will be and you can tell how much effort the school puts into the interview day itself.

Overall the interview day was comfortable and relaxed. Just be yourself.

Everyone was very very kind and the lunch was delicious! Everything is Kosher, which meant a no eggs and no dairy cookie!! I'm biased because I'm vegan though.
Click to expand...
s
 
I can't really say which questions were asked, just be prepared to talk about yourself based on what you said in your application.
 
Has anyone here gotten a secondary fee waiver code? I'm an AACOMAS waiver recipient, but for some reason TUCOM asks for a "copy" of my fee waiver. All I received from AACOMAS was an email stating that my waiver was approved. Have no idea what they mean by "copy" lol
 
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