2020-2021 Touro University (Vallejo, California) TUCOM-CA

BU Medical Sciences
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II today! IS, LM 69, complete.....sometime in July? Super excited!
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Received an II yesterday and withdrew my spot! Hope it goes to one of you guys!
 
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WannabeGP said:
Does anyone know if Touro CA is pass/fail for good? I can't seem to find information on it online other than on their FAQ (which was updated in 2019) which includes their letter grading scale as well as some talk in older SDN threads that Touro CA was moving to pass/fail grading.
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Balanced_Tension said:
1) Minimum was 4 weeks of dedicated board prep for my class. This year may have been different due to COVID. In normal times, you finish the second year curriculum and go straight into 'board prep' and then go straight into rotations. For most people, if you desire, you could use your first rotation as a vacation block to study for boards longer, or you could do a dedicated 2-4 week board study professional development elective to get more study time. In my class, I think there were very few people who wanted more than 4 weeks of preparation who were not able to get it.

However, the game has changed for your class, as USMLE Step 1 and COMLEX Level 1 are now pass/ no pass. Frankly, I think a good portion of my class could have simply passed both tests with just a week of prep. Doing well on it score wise is a totally different ball game, however. What will be important for you is getting dedicated time to study for USMLE Step 2/Comlex Level 2, as that is still scored and will be the new Step 1 in terms of residency applications.

2) It was generally anywhere from 5-8 hours of scheduled class on most days for me. Usually like 2 hours is mandatory at least 4 out 5 days a week. Sometimes you'd have 4 hours of doctoring/OMM labs in a day (which are mandatory).Not sure how they are doing things these days with COVID for the preclinical students though.

For my class, there were definitely weekly quizzes and assignments but real exams were every 2-3 weeks for the most part. Touro uses a TBL format, where you take the test on your own and then take the test again as a team in your TBL group. The 1st semester is the only time you could end up having an exam every week as you will be taking anatomy as well as the FOM class (biochem, cancer biology, basic pharmacology, etc), so you will have multiple different modules going at one time.

3) This depends on the rotation core site and student preference for how much you move around. For example if you are in the San Joaquin General or UCSF Fresno core site group, you will do roughly half of your rotations at those sites and half at other sites around Touro (North Bay Medical Center, etc). But if you are at Natividad, St Josephs or Bakersfield, you will do your entire year at that site, minus any electives or clinical distinction rotations that you elect to do elsewhere.

Quality overall was good, and I would say is getting better yearly. I had both good rotations and some bad rotations. There is a page on our student website where there are reviews of all the different rotations at each site: so, let's say if you wanted to do Pediatrics, some sites would be better than others and you would be able to end up at one with an awesome Pediatrics experience. I was able to get the letters that I needed and people to make calls for me based on my 3rd year rotations. Don't forget, that a big plus of Touro is the 3 months of electives during 3rd year (1 elective month and 2 clinical distinction rotations), and 5.5 months of electives as a 4th year. You can use these to do whatever you feel you need to (board study, audition rotations, research, etc) in order strengthen your residency application.

Staying in Socal or Sacramento for rotations is definitely possible. We have sites at both, but both are popular amongst students so you aren't guaranteed to get them. Touro determines rotation site's based on a lottery system.

4) I would say students are happy, generally speaking. With every medical school you are going to find students who are disgruntled for a multitude of reasons. Touro is no different in that respect. I definitely got screwed by Touro a few times (we call it getting Touro'd), but every DO student I have met has had something similar happen over the course of their medical school education. Best advice is to get into a MD school where things like not being provided the COVID vaccine don't really happen (and of course, there are exceptions)...

And to the last part of your question, the administration definitely cares about student success. One of the big benefits of Touro is that it is hard to fail out. Once you are here, they want you to graduate. That does not mean it is easy, but no one is being dismissed after failing a single remediation exam (there's an example of that from another school in the DO forum right now). I definitely feel that I have the support that I need from my Dean's in applying to residency, and could even call one of them right now if I felt the need to, and they would likely answer.

Hope that helps!
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Thanks for the detailed answer, it is very helpful. I have a few follow-up questions:

2) Regarding the TBL- could you explain a bit more how taking the test twice works- so you take the exact same exam by yourself and then as a group, what is the grading based on? Also- you say 2 hours per day were mandatory but you had 5-8 hours of class scheduled most days. Would I be correct to assume that 3-5 hours per day were not mandatory then?
3) For the lottery system, do students get to rank their preferred rotation sites? Also, regarding the 3 months of electives during the 3rd year- are the required rotations compressed into a shorter time frame to make space for the 3 months of electives or are the 3 months of additional electives part of your summer?
4) Would you mind giving some examples of what you mean by 'getting screwed' (tuoro'd)? Are these limited administrative issues that eventually get resolved or are we talking of things of importance that end up hurting your graduation/finances/residency matching changes?

Thank you!
 
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tinyhandsbob said:
Thanks for the detailed answer, it is very helpful. I have a few follow-up questions:

2) Regarding the TBL- could you explain a bit more how taking the test twice works- so you take the exact same exam by yourself and then as a group, what is the grading based on? Also- you say 2 hours per day were mandatory but you had 5-8 hours of class scheduled most days. Would I be correct to assume that 3-5 hours per day were not mandatory then?
3) For the lottery system, do students get to rank their preferred rotation sites? Also, regarding the 3 months of electives during the 3rd year- are the required rotations compressed into a shorter time frame to make space for the 3 months of electives or are the 3 months of additional electives part of your summer?
4) Would you mind giving some examples of what you mean by 'getting screwed' (tuoro'd)? Are these limited administrative issues that eventually get resolved or are we talking of things of importance that end up hurting your graduation/finances/residency matching changes?

Thank you!
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See my responses below:

2) Regarding the TBL- could you explain a bit more how taking the test twice works- so you take the exact same exam by yourself and then as a group, what is the grading based on? Also- you say 2 hours per day were mandatory but you had 5-8 hours of class scheduled most days. Would I be correct to assume that 3-5 hours per day were not mandatory then?

This is currently not happening as our curriculum has been rearranged for COVID restrictions. However, normally, you would take an exam individually, and then you would come together in your Team Based Learning group (TBL) to take the exact same exam. Your exam grade will be some combination of your individual exam and your team based exam. This fosters learning and collaboration.
Some classes are mandatory - others are not. It depends on the class and time when they are scheduled. You would have to take a look at the schedule ahead of time to determine when you have to be in class. But generally, during COVID, we have had about 1 mandatory class per day (about 2 hours)

3) For the lottery system, do students get to rank their preferred rotation sites? Also, regarding the 3 months of electives during the 3rd year- are the required rotations compressed into a shorter time frame to make space for the 3 months of electives or are the 3 months of additional electives part of your summer?

Yes you rank your preferred rotation site and most likely you will get your first or second choice.
As for your second question, I'm not sure with changes made for COVID. If you want you can DM me and I can ask the right people and get back to you.

4) Would you mind giving some examples of what you mean by 'getting screwed' (tuoro'd)? Are these limited administrative issues that eventually get resolved or are we talking of things of importance that end up hurting your graduation/finances/residency matching changes?

People don't actually get screwed by Touro. This never happens and certainly nothing will ever happen that will impact graduation, finances, or residency matches. Decisions are made at the administrative level but they can't always satisfy every student. Some students will lash out and complain, but that is their coping mechanism and that happens at every school. I'm sure you've felt the same way when you were in undergrad about some situation. Despite the limited information on the website, which we are working to revamp, the faculty do a very good job of sending you to where you want to go for residency. As long as you don't slack off you'll be fine. Also I wouldn't take this guy's advice. If you truly want to be a DO or are truly passionate about primary care/wanting to treat the whole person, I would encourage you to apply to DO.

If you have any more questions feel free to DM me.
 
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Interviewed 01/26, waitlisted today.. though not surprised considering the number of waitlists that have been going out recently
 
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Did anyone else just get the email regarding the masters from Steven Davis?
 
Has there been any news on whether any classes will return to on campus? Is everything planned to be distance learning for next year? For this current year, has there only been labs on campus?
 
People with interviews next week, did you receive an interview schedule? I never received one but I'm confirmed for 2/9
 
gp2 said:
Has there been any news on whether any classes will return to on campus? Is everything planned to be distance learning for next year? For this current year, has there only been labs on campus?
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Classes are hybrid design right now. We are on campus 1-2 times per week for labs.
We are hoping to be completely in person next academic year.
 
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Just_Daikon said:

I'd like to believe this though i dunno the validity of it
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How did you get this? I think this is very helpful and awesome but would like to check the source. Thank you so much, if this is true, this will save me so much headache.
 
snoopdoggo said:
How did you get this? I think this is very helpful and awesome but would like to check the source. Thank you so much, if this is true, this will save me so much headache.
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I'm pretty sure a lot of those post-interview acceptance rates are inflated on this chart. For one, some schools are open about their historical trends, and contradict the chart pretty significantly. Cincinnati, for example, explicitly tells interviewees that there is a 55-61% chance of acceptance post-interview based on recent years, and yet this chart says 72. That's a fair bit off. With virtual interviews this year, I would also expect a deflated post-interview rate across all schools on top of the initial error, though that's just a hunch.
 
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Got waitlisted, interviewed 2/9
 
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Man all you high stat applicants getting waitlisted and or rejected tells me I have no chance. Don’t even have a II yet.
 
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Interviewing on 2/23, anyone have any tips or suggestions as to how to prepare.
 
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onemanshow3998 said:
Interviewing on 2/23, anyone have any tips or suggestions as to how to prepare.
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Just accepted. Not sure how much the interview played a roll in it, but I would recommend that you just try to relax. You're there for a reason. I would take a few minutes to go over your app and be able to expand on an ECs, unique experiences, expand on classes/volunteering, etc. Just be yourself and don't be afraid to let the real you show through, not just the "interview you." Try to showcase the mature, composed, and intelligent person you are. Good luck!

Stats for ref: OOS, LM: 69-70, Complete Oct.
 
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Silence since submitting on 9/1. Sent an update letter earlier this month. Trying to still be hopeful :)
 
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Is there a FB group for Touro-CA accepted students?
 
jyurkofsky said:
hey! where did you send your update letter to !? i wasnt sure if touro allowed update letters!
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I sent it to [email protected], as it was listed as them email to use if I had any questions when my application was complete. Not sure if everyone is assigned the same admissions team member to communicate with.
 
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IKARnAzA said:
Is there a FB group for Touro-CA accepted students?
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Hi! We will be creating a FB group for accepted students in a couple weeks. There is still a lot of movement and many more interviews. I'll post here when it's ready. If you have any other questions feel free to message me.
 
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I am wondering about how the traffic is in the area, would it be reasonable to live south of Vallejo in Hercules/Pinole area and still go to the school?
 
gp2 said:
I am wondering about how the traffic is in the area, would it be reasonable to live south of Vallejo in Hercules/Pinole area and still go to the school?
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Google maps says 16 minutes so it shouldn't be too much of a commute even if it doubles due to traffic then thats only 32 minutes. I plan to move to somewhere like Benicia and will be further away, but I am not worried about it
 
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gp2 said:
I am wondering about how the traffic is in the area, would it be reasonable to live south of Vallejo in Hercules/Pinole area and still go to the school?
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Traffic goes in the opposite direction during rush hour, so that's to your advantage. It's manageable but you would need to pay a toll fee each time you come to school. That being said, some students do live in Berkeley and SF.
Benicia is a good option too if you don't want to live in Vallejo or on Mare Island.
 
I am glad that y'all are talking about commutes! My wife is waiting on a post-interview decision from Stanford for PhD pysch, and I am waiting on a decision for Touro. Even if we both get accepted to our programs, the time without traffic between Vallejo and SF is like 90ish minutes I think. I was kind of worried about this and whether or not it would be feasible...
 
Neon-turtle98 said:
I am glad that y'all are talking about commutes! My wife is waiting on a post-interview decision from Stanford for PhD pysch, and I am waiting on a decision for Touro. Even if we both get accepted to our programs, the time without traffic between Vallejo and SF is like 90ish minutes I think. I was kind of worried about this and whether or not it would be feasible...
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The time should be closer to 35-40 minutes without traffic
 
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Just received II. It seems like most schools are filled up or left seats for super competitive/empathetic/smart kids.
Not to mention I have serious ADHD. So, am I just interviewing for the WL now? lol
 
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dlfjswnd said:
Just received II. It seems like most schools are filled up or left seats for super competitive/empathetic/smart kids.
Not to mention I have serious ADHD. So, am I just interviewing for the WL now? lol
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Definitely not. During my interview, they said that they’ll continue to interview until later in the cycle as they know many strong applicants will still apply around the later period of the year. So if you got an II, you’re a strong applicant :D go get that A!!
 
Does Touro usually give students any sort of merit-based aid? I haven't heard anything about this so I am very curious.
 
Does anyone know if the campus is open? Aka can I roam around the campus to tour the school hehe.
 
cruzertown411 said:
Does anyone know if the campus is open? Aka can I roam around the campus to tour the school hehe.
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Unfortunately, campus is not open to the public right now and campus security is pretty strict about who is allowed on campus.
Even current students are not allowed on campus unless it's for a lab or practical.
If you want a virtual tour of campus here's a video we created last year:
 
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Does anyone know when the New Student Checklist is coming out or when the FB group will be started?
 
amitgrewal10 said:
Does anyone know when the New Student Checklist is coming out or when the FB group will be started?
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Those are coming in a couple weeks. You should be getting the New Student Checklist via email. I will post the FB group on SDN.
 
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