ICOM vs Touro NY - Harlem

[sfa59]

Please help me decide because I'm literally so confused and I have like 18 hours to submit my decision.

ICOM PROS
- New school, new facilities
- Loved my interview day and super sweet ppl
- Relaxed place to live
- Cost of living is affordable
CONS
- just barely got their accreditation
- rotation sites are wack imo (Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, and Montana)
- not eligible for FAFSA and I'd have to take out a private loan on 7.7% interest rate
- flights back home are ridiculously expensive

Touro PROS
- Established school
- In NYC (lots of stuff to do)
- Great rotation sites
- Rlly embraces cultural diversity
- FAFSA
- cheap flights back home

CONS
- Old and crusty facilities
- Cost of living is ridiculously high
- Admin attitude seems very rough and tough

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[hellosnd]

idk but 7.7% compounding interest might make up for lower COL

Do you want to practice/match in the midwest or NY

 

[sfa59]

I'm from Texas, and ultimately want to come back to Texas, and i know that being a Texas resident will give me an upper hand in the match but if I had to choose rural vs urban practice I would definitely do urban. I don't see myself practicing rural medicine at all

idk but 7.7% compounding interest might make up for lower COL

Do you want to practice/match in the midwest or NY

 

[hellosnd]

I'm from Texas, and ultimately want to come back to Texas, and i know that being a Texas resident will give me an upper hand in the match but if I had to choose rural vs urban practice I would definitely do urban. I don't see myself practicing rural medicine at all

DO schools tend to match best in thier local areas, so maybe Touro > ICOM

 

[sfa59]

DO schools tend to match best in thier local areas, so maybe Touro > ICOM

I think my main concern is loans. I feel like borrowing federal loans is a lot safer than private / commercial, or at least that's what I've heard from most people. However, the cost of living in NY is really freaking me out

 

[_med21_e]

Touro. A new/newer school isn't necessarily a pro. It's always encouraged to avoid newer DO programs esp with accreditation issues, and opt for established ones instead. Altho, I don't know much about ICOM, and just by going off your list.

 

[Goro]

I can't recommend ICOM.

 

[hellosnd]

I think my main concern is loans. I feel like borrowing federal loans is a lot safer than private / commercial, or at least that's what I've heard from most people. However, the cost of living in NY is really freaking me out

For reference. Fed loans were frozen during covid and still are. I haven't accrued interest on my loans since middle - end of first year and I'm entering 4th year. I don't think the private loans were frozen.

Also fed interest rates for next year is 6.54% and 7.54% which is ~0.16-1.16% lower than the rates from the private company (I am not great at math/finances but I assume this would offset the higher COL)

 

[FutureDoctor5000]

ICOM has poor rotation sites I hear and are sending students out to Mississippi

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Never go to a medical school that doesn’t offer federal loans unless you’re independent wealthy or have family money. It’s way too risky to not be able to qualify for pslf, ibr etc.

 

[neuda17]

ICOM has poor rotation sites I hear and are sending students out to Mississippi

That’s disinformation. The only affiliated hospital they have away from west coast is in long island NY.

 

[neuda17]

For reference. Fed loans were frozen during covid and still are. I haven't accrued interest on my loans since middle - end of first year and I'm entering 4th year. I don't think the private loans were frozen.

Also fed interest rates for next year is 6.54% and 7.54% which is ~0.16-1.16% lower than the rates from the private company (I am not great at math/finances but I assume this would offset the higher COL)

Fed loans never accrued interest on them until 6 months after graduation even before covid.
Ps I got private loan with 4.75% fixed interest rate. Nevertheless, Fed loans are much better and safer option than private loans.

 

[hellosnd]

Fed loans never accrued interest on them until 6 months after graduation even before covid.
Ps I got private loan with 4.75% fixed interest rate. Nevertheless, Fed loans are much better and safer option than private loans.

Are you sure, I've been told by my financial aid office that you accrued interest the day you take out the loan. These federal loans are not subsidized

 

[neuda17]

Are you sure, I've been told by my financial aid office that you accrued interest the day you take out the loan. These federal loans are not subsidized

Oh nvm you are right. You can only get certain amount of subsidized. My bad

 

[MateoGM416]

CONS
- Old and crusty facilities
- Cost of living is ridiculously high
- Admin attitude seems very rough and tough

The facilities aren't that bad, even schools like Baylor's medical school is just like two floors of a building. The COL is high but one would have to do the math about the 7.7% interest rates on 57k a year would overtake that. There are some cheaper living situations you could find for under 1500 (cheap for NY lol). Also, that's just how people are in the Northeast, especially NY. It's not personal. I would take Touro in a heartbeat

 

[FutureDoctor5000]

No way I’d take a new school like ICOM over Touro

 

[FarmerToDoctor]

I am a rising 2nd year at ICOM. If you have any questions feel free to DM me. I'd be more than happy to provide with you with any information that I can help you with and will do my best to be impartial.

 

[FarmerToDoctor]

I can't recommend ICOM.

Could you elaborate on why you're unable to recommend ICOM? I'm a current student there and so far enjoying my training. I know our rotation sites aren't stellar but we did a pretty good job with matching and were average or slightly above average when it came to board pass rates. I ask because as a student there is only so much I know versus someone who is more experienced in medical education and training.

 

[BioPsychotic]

If I were you I’d go with Touro NY. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Goro]

Could you elaborate on why you're unable to recommend ICOM? I'm a current student there and so far enjoying my training. I know our rotation sites aren't stellar but we did a pretty good job with matching and were average or slightly above average when it came to board pass rates. I ask because as a student there is only so much I know versus someone who is more experienced in medical education and training.

Not recommended due to the apparent dishonesty they had in setting up their school that poisoned the relations with hospitals in Idaho and/or the Idaho Medical Association. In addition, most of their rotation sites are very far away from the school. This raises the risk that the rotations are not adequately supervised, and preceptors are not fully trained in teaching. And they have the nerve to give you only 48 hours to decide upon submitting a $1500 deposit!

Does the italicized still hold?

Where are your rotation sites located?

I'm not a fan of for profit schools right off the bat.

 

[FarmerToDoctor]

Not recommended due to the apparent dishonesty they had in setting up their school that poisoned the relations with hospitals in Idaho and/or the Idaho Medical Association. In addition, most of their rotation sites are very far away from the school. This raises the risk that the rotations are not adequately supervised, and preceptors are not fully trained in teaching. And they have the nerve to give you only 48 hours to decide upon submitting a $1500 deposit!

Does the italicized still hold?

Where are your rotation sites located?

I'm not a fan of for profit schools right off the bat.

I know that the relationships between the medical school, local hospitals, and the IMA are strained, but I don't know the circumstances of it. I will say that the Idaho Medical Association invites us students to a lot of events and let's us help them with their volunteer opportunities. Some of the primary care and specialty clinics are open to MS1 and MS2 students shadowing and volunteering. I would say in a formal sense, there is probably some friction that us students aren't fully aware of, but in an informal sense, local doctors really support us.

Yes, many of our rotation sites are hundreds of miles away from the school. This puts a lot of strain on students at the end of 2nd year when it comes time to taking our board exams, moving, going through certifications, etc. It's a hassle but it's what we have to work with. I want to say 40% of our rotation sites are in the Boise area, 70% of our rotation sites are in Idaho, and the remaining 30% are in Utah, S Dakota, N Dakota, Montana, New York, and Wyoming. There are talks of setting up a rotation site in California but that's still in the pipeline.

Last year that was true for me. I had 2 days or so to pay my deposit to secure my spot. I'm not sure if that's the case for the incoming class.

 

[FarmerToDoctor]

A con for Touro is mandatory attendance. Just saying...I don't see it listed there

At ICOM about 10-15% of our classes are mandatory, and most of the ones that are mandatory you can stream from your computer at home; you just have to be logged on. We have 2 in-person mandatory lecture series. One is almost every Friday from 10-12pm and the other is sporadic but happens about once a month. And of course, labs, SP events, and SIMs are mandatory and in-person.