AZCOM vs. Touro-CA

[allycantaloupe]

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I'm currently sitting on an acceptance at AZCOM and had an interview recently at Touro-CA that I thought went pretty well, so I'm currently weighing the options between the two. I was wondering what you all might think if you had the same choice?

AZCOM

Pros:
Awesome board scores that they kept reiterating during interview day
Great match list
2/3 of class match to ACGME residencies
No pushing to primary care. I can specialize if I want to!
Nice, new facilities that have an actual university feel
4-5 students on 1 cadaver for anatomy lab
Surrounding areas of Glendale are super nice
Pretty supportive staff when scheduling away rotations (at least from what the student told me during the interview)
Better core rotation sites (interested in LA site in particular)
Tests every week so I don't fall behind on material
Plenty of research opportunities
On campus (cheap) housing
More established

Cons:
Quarter system... may or may not be overwhelming?
Far away from family/friends/SO (I'm from the bay area)
HOT weather 3-4 months out of the year


Touro-CA

Pros:
Close to home
PBL group sessions
Collaborative/friendly/non-competitive student body
Research partnerships with UCSF/Berkeley
Good match list (especially for Norcal residencies and partnerships with various Norcal Kaisers)
Outlets in every seat for lecture hall

Anatomy spread over two years (in the middle because I'm not too sure how I feel about that)

Cons:
Vallejo is so ghetto. Even if I live on Mare Island I'd have to venture off the island to get groceries
Iffy rotations and the rotation lottery
7 students per cadaver and rotating usage halfway through anatomy lab
Rundown-looking, older buildings
Hearing bad things about Touro-CA in general
Focus on OMM (I heard it's a huge focus at Touro-CA and I'm not sure how I feel about using it in my future practice)
Gym is half the size of AZCOM's gym


Similarities: Rent pricing, grading, ability to do research, early patient exposure through student-run clinics


It would be really nice to stay close to my friends/family/SO, but they also want me to go to the place where I have the best prospects. I do understand that Touro-CA has ties to Norcal and that is where I want to do my residency eventually, but at the same time I could always set up audition rotations and good board scores/letters of rec/research will help me land a residency wherever I want. So where should I go? Any input would be much appreciated 🙂

 

[D4C]

I'm currently sitting on an acceptance at AZCOM and had an interview recently at Touro-CA that I thought went pretty well, so I'm currently weighing the options between the two. I was wondering what you all might think if you had the same choice?

AZCOM

Pros:
Awesome board scores that they kept reiterating during interview day
Great match list
2/3 of class match to ACGME residencies
No pushing to primary care. I can specialize if I want to!
Nice, new facilities that have an actual university feel
4-5 students on 1 cadaver for anatomy lab
Surrounding areas of Glendale are super nice
Pretty supportive staff when scheduling away rotations (at least from what the student told me during the interview)
Better core rotation sites (interested in LA site in particular)
Tests every week so I don't fall behind on material
Plenty of research opportunities
On campus (cheap) housing
More established

Cons:
Quarter system... may or may not be overwhelming?
Far away from family/friends/SO (I'm from the bay area)
HOT weather 3-4 months out of the year


Touro-CA

Pros:
Close to home
PBL group sessions
Collaborative/friendly/non-competitive student body
Research partnerships with UCSF/Berkeley
Good match list (especially for Norcal residencies and partnerships with various Norcal Kaisers)
Outlets in every seat for lecture hall

Anatomy spread over two years (in the middle because I'm not too sure how I feel about that)

Cons:
Vallejo is so ghetto. Even if I live on Mare Island I'd have to venture off the island to get groceries
Iffy rotations and the rotation lottery
7 students per cadaver and rotating usage halfway through anatomy lab
Rundown-looking, older buildings
Hearing bad things about Touro-CA in general
Focus on OMM (I heard it's a huge focus at Touro-CA and I'm not sure how I feel about using it in my future practice)
Gym is half the size of AZCOM's gym


Similarities: Rent pricing, grading, ability to do research, early patient exposure through student-run clinics


It would be really nice to stay close to my friends/family/SO, but they also want me to go to the place where I have the best prospects. I do understand that Touro-CA has ties to Norcal and that is where I want to do my residency eventually, but at the same time I could always set up audition rotations and good board scores/letters of rec/research will help me land a residency wherever I want. So where should I go? Any input would be much appreciated 🙂

The fact that AZCOM is on a quarter system is irrelevant. If you get overwhelmed by a quarter system, you'll get overwhelmed by a semester. Same amount of material/day. Being a native of AZ, I would like to comment on the hot weather that people unfamiliar to phoenix often complain about. You study...in your air conditioned house/apartment...you drive...in an air conditioned car to arrive at the air conditioned store. You aren't really ever outside during the supernova summers we have unless, for some reason, you want/need to be. Outdoors type? Join a gym and suck it up for 3 months. The rest of the year is gorgeous and worth it.

 

[allycantaloupe]

The fact that AZCOM is on a quarter system is irrelevant. If you get overwhelmed by a quarter system, you'll get overwhelmed by a semester. Same amount of material/day. Being a native of AZ, I would like to comment on the hot weather that people unfamiliar to phoenix often complain about. You study...in your air conditioned house/apartment...you drive...in an air conditioned car to arrive at the air conditioned store. You aren't really ever outside during the supernova summers we have unless, for some reason, you want/need to be. Outdoors type? Join a gym and suck it up for 3 months. The rest of the year is gorgeous and worth it.

That's definitely what I hear. The DO I shadowed actually graduated from AZCOM and when I brought up the heat issue to her, she said the weather is actually beautiful majority of the year and pretty similar to Socal weather. And thanks for the input on the quarter system! I actually have a friend that chose another school over AZCOM because she didn't like the quarter system, so it's good to hear from someone that's actually going through it. Maybe I should've put it in the space between pros and cons, haha

 

[AlteredScale]

I'm currently sitting on an acceptance at AZCOM and had an interview recently at Touro-CA that I thought went pretty well, so I'm currently weighing the options between the two. I was wondering what you all might think if you had the same choice?

AZCOM

Pros:
Awesome board scores that they kept reiterating during interview day
Great match list
2/3 of class match to ACGME residencies
No pushing to primary care. I can specialize if I want to!
Nice, new facilities that have an actual university feel
4-5 students on 1 cadaver for anatomy lab
Surrounding areas of Glendale are super nice
Pretty supportive staff when scheduling away rotations (at least from what the student told me during the interview)
Better core rotation sites (interested in LA site in particular)
Tests every week so I don't fall behind on material
Plenty of research opportunities
On campus (cheap) housing
More established

Cons:
Quarter system... may or may not be overwhelming?
Far away from family/friends/SO (I'm from the bay area)
HOT weather 3-4 months out of the year


Touro-CA

Pros:
Close to home
PBL group sessions
Collaborative/friendly/non-competitive student body
Research partnerships with UCSF/Berkeley
Good match list (especially for Norcal residencies and partnerships with various Norcal Kaisers)
Outlets in every seat for lecture hall

Anatomy spread over two years (in the middle because I'm not too sure how I feel about that)

Cons:
Vallejo is so ghetto. Even if I live on Mare Island I'd have to venture off the island to get groceries
Iffy rotations and the rotation lottery
7 students per cadaver and rotating usage halfway through anatomy lab
Rundown-looking, older buildings
Hearing bad things about Touro-CA in general
Focus on OMM (I heard it's a huge focus at Touro-CA and I'm not sure how I feel about using it in my future practice)
Gym is half the size of AZCOM's gym


Similarities: Rent pricing, grading, ability to do research, early patient exposure through student-run clinics


It would be really nice to stay close to my friends/family/SO, but they also want me to go to the place where I have the best prospects. I do understand that Touro-CA has ties to Norcal and that is where I want to do my residency eventually, but at the same time I could always set up audition rotations and good board scores/letters of rec/research will help me land a residency wherever I want. So where should I go? Any input would be much appreciated 🙂

Firstly, am wondering if tuition prices are the same at both schools? Secondly, what are your research interests? Look up these fields in each school and see which one provides you with stronger accessibility to those resources. Thirdly, how are the match lists for each school? You want to look a few years out in order to remove any outliers (the "we have grads at mayo residencies" when in reality it's been one grad in 5 years)

Personally, I would go with AZCOM because I don't want to deal with "iffy rotations", I would rather have set rotations at hospitals that will provide me with the best immersion per clerkship. Finally, I would see what kinds of electives and Sub-I's they offer.

Hope that helps!

 

[hallowmann]

If it were me, I'd pick Touro-CA for the proximity to SO/family & the likelihood of doing a good residency near SO/family, research opportunities nearby (only if you are really planning to take advantage of it), and the weather (I love the Bay area). That's me though.

Both are good schools, both will be hard, so schedule is essentially meaningless, weather won't really be an issue at either, because you'll be at home or at school studying all during the first 2 years, ghetto location doesn't really matter (again its 2 years and you'll be inside), and ACGME doesn't really matter, because by the time you graduate virtually all residencies should be ACGME.

You seem to be leaning towards AZCOM, which is a great school, but your decision seems to mainly hinge on things that I don't think matter (e.g. new facilities - again 2 years with your head in a book/on slides) and rotations (this does matter). I don't know what you mean by you've heard bad things, so try your best to get some real info from 3rd and 4th yrs from BOTH of these schools and get concrete info on what is specifically bad/good about the rotations (i.e. not just "they're bad" or "they're awesome").

This is really a decision only you can make, but that's my advice.

 

[Waggles]

I'm actually between these two schools right now too! I was just accepted to TUCOM-CA and am expecting an acceptance from AZCOM this week. Since TUCOM CA only gives us 2 weeks to answer it's really amped up my decision making speed. I was pretty turned off by the campus and general area of TUCOM CA, but I've always wanted to live in & practice in the Bay Area (originally from NYC, living in nashville now). That's why I'm pretty sure I'm going to send TUCOM CA my deposit. Another thing is that AZCOM doesn't have recorded lectures and also an exam every Monday morning sometimes as early as 6:30 am. I know you listed this as a pro but certainly a con for me because it means giving my weekends away for the first two years. I absolutely loved AZCOM when I saw it, but I think I'm going to go with TUCOM CA for the opportunities I'll have after TUCOM CA. I'd also really miss trees and fishing living in AZ haha.

AZCOM is 58K a year while TUCOM CA is 47K. Also, AZCOM has a traditional curriculum while TUCOM CA is systems based. AZCOM has a 250 class size while TUCOM is 135.

Another huge factor for me was that my SO is moving with me for med school and he would have a lot more opportunities for his academics/career in the Bay Area.

At the end of the day is about what you want and what your priorities are. For me, I knew deciding between these two schools there was no wrong decision, which made it a little easier. Pick the place where you think you'll be the happiest!

Current AZCOM 1st year here. Just to clarify a few things-

Yes, most of our exams are on Monday mornings. I view this as a positive as it gives you plenty of time to study for the test. Some people work hard during the week and review lightly on the weekend. Giving up your weekends isn't mandatory. Also, in our first quarter, only 2 of our exams are scheduled for 7am. Things could be different for winter/spring quarters and second years.

Currently, all anatomy/histology/embryology (and a few biochemistry) lectures are recorded. I believe our student government is working on increasing this to include most/all classes in the near future (perhaps by the time you start).

During anatomy lab, it has been a 6 student/1 cadaver ratio. It's not too crowded and there's plenty of space.

I'd be happy to try and answer any questions about AZCOM.

 

[D4C]

Current AZCOM 1st year here. Just to clarify a few things-

Yes, most of our exams are on Monday mornings. I view this as a positive as it gives you plenty of time to study for the test. Some people work hard during the week and review lightly on the weekend. Giving up your weekends isn't mandatory. Also, in our first quarter, only 2 of our exams are scheduled for 7am. Things could be different for winter/spring quarters and second years.

Currently, all anatomy/histology/embryology (and a few biochemistry) lectures are recorded. I believe our student government is working on increasing this to include most/all classes in the near future (perhaps by the time you start).

I'd be happy to try and answer any questions about AZCOM.

lol you first years have it good. Exams starting at 9? I remember those days...2nd year exams are all 7am with a 6am randomly thrown in.

 

[Mr.Happy]

Since you're from Cali and want to practice eventually in Cali, you should choose TUCOM-CA. Having your friends and family nearby as a support network can help a lot when going through the rigors of medical school.

Both AZCOM and Touro-CA have their pros and cons, neither is better than the other. As someone who grew up in AZ and didn't have a car, I can tell you that the heat is horrible for the majority of the year. A 5 minute walk outside will make you feel awful. The winters are pleasant though. The extreme dryness will also cause discomfort, even if you moisturize regularly.

As for the AZCOM rotations, I've heard from several AZ physicians and current AZCOM students that the rotations are iffy and not too great. Might still be marginally better than TUCOM- CA but I don't think there is a big difference.

You are forgetting one major pro for TUCOM-CA, cost. TUCOM-CA will save you a good chunk of money, especially when you consider the 4 years savings and amount you will save on loan interest.

Also, going to medical school in CA will help you network and make the connections to ensure you will match into a CA residency. For example, doing research in CA in the summer between M1 and M2 years.

My friend who attends AZCOM said he hated the weekly exams because it made him spend his weekends in a stressed out anxious state.

Touro-CA has problems too as you all well know. I just want to point out AZCOM does too.

So please think long and hard before making a decision. Maybe try to contact students and grads from both schools. Note that you will encounter bias, the students will highlight the positives of their school while dismissing the negatives. Be aware of the bias.

 

[yogaGirl323]

I'm currently sitting on an acceptance at AZCOM and had an interview recently at Touro-CA that I thought went pretty well, so I'm currently weighing the options between the two. I was wondering what you all might think if you had the same choice?

AZCOM

Pros:
Awesome board scores that they kept reiterating during interview day
Great match list
2/3 of class match to ACGME residencies
No pushing to primary care. I can specialize if I want to!
Nice, new facilities that have an actual university feel
4-5 students on 1 cadaver for anatomy lab
Surrounding areas of Glendale are super nice
Pretty supportive staff when scheduling away rotations (at least from what the student told me during the interview)
Better core rotation sites (interested in LA site in particular)
Tests every week so I don't fall behind on material
Plenty of research opportunities
On campus (cheap) housing
More established

Cons:
Quarter system... may or may not be overwhelming?
Far away from family/friends/SO (I'm from the bay area)
HOT weather 3-4 months out of the year


Touro-CA

Pros:
Close to home
PBL group sessions
Collaborative/friendly/non-competitive student body
Research partnerships with UCSF/Berkeley
Good match list (especially for Norcal residencies and partnerships with various Norcal Kaisers)
Outlets in every seat for lecture hall

Anatomy spread over two years (in the middle because I'm not too sure how I feel about that)

Cons:
Vallejo is so ghetto. Even if I live on Mare Island I'd have to venture off the island to get groceries
Iffy rotations and the rotation lottery
7 students per cadaver and rotating usage halfway through anatomy lab
Rundown-looking, older buildings
Hearing bad things about Touro-CA in general
Focus on OMM (I heard it's a huge focus at Touro-CA and I'm not sure how I feel about using it in my future practice)
Gym is half the size of AZCOM's gym


Similarities: Rent pricing, grading, ability to do research, early patient exposure through student-run clinics


It would be really nice to stay close to my friends/family/SO, but they also want me to go to the place where I have the best prospects. I do understand that Touro-CA has ties to Norcal and that is where I want to do my residency eventually, but at the same time I could always set up audition rotations and good board scores/letters of rec/research will help me land a residency wherever I want. So where should I go? Any input would be much appreciated 🙂

did you make a decision between these two yet?

 

[allycantaloupe]

Leaning towards Touro-CA at the moment, but not final yet since I still haven't received a decision from them 🙁 They said it would be another 2 weeks before the adcom meets to discuss those that interviewed the day I did.

 

[allycantaloupe]

did you make a decision between these two yet?

In case you're still wondering, I just got the acceptance email from touro! Looks like I'll be joining you there next year 🙂

weighed out the pros and cons, realized that if I put my mind to it, I'll make the most out of the research/volunteer opportunities that I can. Figured either school would be a good school, but the fact that my family and SO are in the bay area was ultimately the tipping point in me choosing touro over azcom.

 

[danielterrones]

Congrats! 🙂

 

[SkipJunior]

Congrats!! I wish you the best that life can offer!! 🙂