KCUMB and TouroCOM (NY) student impressions

[dbizzy]

First off, I don't want this to turn into an A vs. B battle!

I've visited both schools and have seen the the positives and negatives of each campus, but only from a pre-med standpoint. Can some current students give me their impressions on each school based on their experiences as a student? Most of the comparisions I can find on the two schools are from years ago, before TouroCOM was as established as it currently is.

By the way, I am from a west coast and plan to do residency and practice out here. I've seen both school's match lists and each have a decent number of matches out west, so that doesn't help my decision a whole lot...

Well, thanks in advance!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[cliquesh]

First off, I don't want this to turn into an A vs. B battle!

I've visited both schools and have seen the the positives and negatives of each campus, but only from a pre-med standpoint. Can some current students give me their impressions on each school based on their experiences as a student? Most of the comparisions I can find on the two schools are from years ago, before TouroCOM was as established as it currently is.

By the way, I am from a west coast and plan to do residency and practice out here. I've seen both school's match lists and each have a decent number of matches out west, so that doesn't help my decision a whole lot...

Well, thanks in advance!

I predict Doc Espan is going to say some really good things about Touro NY.

 

[coffeeeandtea]

First off, I don't want this to turn into an A vs. B battle!

I've visited both schools and have seen the the positives and negatives of each campus, but only from a pre-med standpoint. Can some current students give me their impressions on each school based on their experiences as a student? Most of the comparisions I can find on the two schools are from years ago, before TouroCOM was as established as it currently is.

By the way, I am from a west coast and plan to do residency and practice out here. I've seen both school's match lists and each have a decent number of matches out west, so that doesn't help my decision a whole lot...

Well, thanks in advance!

I wouldn't say TouroCOM is established just yet. Yes, it is moreso than it was before, but not when compared to a school like KCUMB.

Also, I can't speak for KCUMB's match list since I haven't seen it, as a point of clarification - I wouldn't say that there were "a decent number" of matches out west for TouroCOM. From 2011's match list that was released to the students, there were only 4 matches in California, all in relatively non-competitive specialties:

UCSD - Psychiatry
Downey Regional - FM
Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital - IM
Arrowhead Regional - Traditional rotating internship

I'm sure you'll get the regularly scheduled DocEspana cheerleading spiel soon, but if you want another opinion PM me.

 

[DocEspana]

hahaha. I was gonna come here and say for all that TouroCOM has improved leaps and bounds over what it was whenever you were reading it.... KCUMB is one of the schools I respect immensely and put near the top of the heap.

I would love it if you find TouroCOM the right fit, we can always use great students. But in a 1:1 battle, KCUMB should win 9 times out of 10. Now personal preference may change that number greatly. There are plenty of schools that are clearly above TouroCOM and i'll call it like i see it every time. What do *you* see in the schools that you like or dislike. You shouldnt get worked up over what some people liked or didnt cause 10 people will find 10 different flaws with both schools, some of which will be identified as strengths by other people. How you feel should drive each one and us telling you that KCUMB is a great school and TouroNY is prob an above average one in the DO realm should help you weigh your subjective pros and cons.

 

[limoncello]

Great. Even DocE thinks that KCUMB is a better choice....Now I will never make up my mind as to which school I want to attend....

 

[DocEspana]

Great. Even DocE thinks that KCUMB is a better choice....Now I will never make up my mind as to which school I want to attend....

hahahaha. im sorry man. But just as much as I'd tell someone a LMU vs PCOM thread is absurd, this is only a bit less one-sided if you're just looking at what the school definitely can give you. What is a known quantity from an established history. Its hard for any new school to compete with one of the best, and long established, DO schools.

You want to buy into what I'm selling about intangibles of being in NYC, or about the fact that *where you feel most comfortable* is the single most important thing... then go to TouroCOM. Cause honestly, you feeling comfortable and happy is what will make you willing to study your ass off and get results. Prior results are no guarantee of future outcomes, as the ads for lawyers always say. You need to be someplace you'll feel you can best accomplish it. Neither school is going to hold you back, so it's really up to you. I just dont think I have any grounds to not support KCUMB if you used the word "established" as a criteria between KCUMB and a 5 year old school.

 

[dbizzy]

Thanks for all of the opinions so far. You are right, "decent amount" was incorrectly used. I meant to say that they both had somewhat similar amounts that matched when adjusted for class size. Unfortunately KCUMB's CA matches are mostly into relatively non-competitive fields as well, so that doesn't tell me a whole lot. coffeeeandtea, you've been PM'd.

DocEspana, thanks for the honesty. Would you care to give us some of those 9/10 things where you think either KCUMB or TouroCOM would win out, and by how much? I mean I think we all have a rough idea, but it's tough. Coming from where I am, the pull of NYC is obviously immensely appealing over the Midwest. I just don't know if that should/would be reason enough to choose it over KCUMB, or whether it will ultimately even matter once boards are said and done with.

Great. Even DocE thinks that KCUMB is a better choice....Now I will never make up my mind as to which school I want to attend....

Talk about a curveball

 

[limoncello]

You want to buy into what I'm selling about intangibles of being in NYC, or about the fact that *where you feel most comfortable* is the single most important thing... then go to TouroCOM. Cause honestly, you feeling comfortable and happy is what will make you willing to study your ass off and get results. Prior results are no guarantee of future outcomes, as the ads for lawyers always say. You need to be someplace you'll feel you can best accomplish it. Neither school is going to hold you back, so it's really up to you. I just dont think I have any grounds to not support KCUMB if you used the word "established" as a criteria between KCUMB and a 5 year old school.

You are absolutly right! And that's the single factor that still steers me towards Touro!

 

[Wozo30]

I'm a current 3rd year at KCUMB. So of course I can't speak for Touro. Our school has mostly had a great reputation and places students in a lot of competitive residencies (we had a student match into a MD plastics spot last year). Many go into ortho, rads and anesthesia. I would have to find the email that has the match for our school for specific numbers. I do not know how other schools work but here are a few PROS and CONS.

PROS:
1) Genesis program (systems based rather than subject, great for boards and general understanding)
2) First and second year education is amazing, some professors are bad some are great. The anatomy lab is pretty BA. HD camera setup, 25 dissection tanks, hands on teaching from profs., TA, and anatomy fellows
3) Opportunity for summer research or a full year as OMM or anatomy fellow doing research (but this is not a large university system so breadth of topics or resources are limited)
4) Kansas City is a great city to live in, very cheap, spread out, and midwest attitude is second to none (if you want to go club hopping until 6am this isn't it, but 4hr happy bill of $30 can't be beat)
5) Opportunity use other city and state as your third and fourth year core site (we don't have a "core hospital")
6) Tutoring! (as a first year you can be tutored for free in OMM, Pathology, and anatomy; as a second year you can tutor first years and you are paid $7.50/hr to do so)

CONS:
1) Our OCCE department, in charge of organizing rotations for 3rd and 4th yr is something to be desired. Some students have had some bad experiences with this
2) Recent turmoil over Karen Pletz "stealing" money from the university, of course we have a new president and she has passed away but could have tarnished school though I think its the other way around, we came out with our nose clean
3) Expensive!!! Tuition is $45,000 a year
4) The Kansas City clinicals can be hit and miss sometimes. You can get the best preceptor one rotation and the next you are going to AA meetings with your preceptor. Most of mine have been good experiences and you make the best of it no matter what, but this is where I say our OCCE department misses
5) We don't have a core hospital so the rotations are spread out across the city. some you may drive 15 min to, others you might drive an hour

As you can see the first two years are great in my opinion and I think it is this firm foundation that our students receive that set us apart and give us opportunities to match into competitive residencies. With that said the third and fourth year you are much more on your own but the prior year students are great with handing down information and SDN and other sites are good as well. PM me if you or anyone else has questions about KCUMB

 

[dbizzy]

I'm a current 3rd year at KCUMB. So of course I can't speak for Touro. Our school has mostly had a great reputation and places students in a lot of competitive residencies (we had a student match into a MD plastics spot last year). Many go into ortho, rads and anesthesia. I would have to find the email that has the match for our school for specific numbers. I do not know how other schools work but here are a few PROS and CONS.

PROS:
1) Genesis program (systems based rather than subject, great for boards and general understanding)
2) First and second year education is amazing, some professors are bad some are great. The anatomy lab is pretty BA. HD camera setup, 25 dissection tanks, hands on teaching from profs., TA, and anatomy fellows
3) Opportunity for summer research or a full year as OMM or anatomy fellow doing research (but this is not a large university system so breadth of topics or resources are limited)
4) Kansas City is a great city to live in, very cheap, spread out, and midwest attitude is second to none (if you want to go club hopping until 6am this isn't it, but 4hr happy bill of $30 can't be beat)
5) Opportunity use other city and state as your third and fourth year core site (we don't have a "core hospital")
6) Tutoring! (as a first year you can be tutored for free in OMM, Pathology, and anatomy; as a second year you can tutor first years and you are paid $7.50/hr to do so)

CONS:
1) Our OCCE department, in charge of organizing rotations for 3rd and 4th yr is something to be desired. Some students have had some bad experiences with this
2) Recent turmoil over Karen Pletz "stealing" money from the university, of course we have a new president and she has passed away but could have tarnished school though I think its the other way around, we came out with our nose clean
3) Expensive!!! Tuition is $45,000 a year
4) The Kansas City clinicals can be hit and miss sometimes. You can get the best preceptor one rotation and the next you are going to AA meetings with your preceptor. Most of mine have been good experiences and you make the best of it no matter what, but this is where I say our OCCE department misses
5) We don't have a core hospital so the rotations are spread out across the city. some you may drive 15 min to, others you might drive an hour

As you can see the first two years are great in my opinion and I think it is this firm foundation that our students receive that set us apart and give us opportunities to match into competitive residencies. With that said the third and fourth year you are much more on your own but the prior year students are great with handing down information and SDN and other sites are good as well. PM me if you or anyone else has questions about KCUMB

Excellent points, Wozo30, I was hoping for someone from KCUMB to chime in. Thank you for that.

 

[Jnorman1218]

4) Kansas City is a great city to live in, very cheap, spread out, and midwest attitude is second to none (if you want to go club hopping until 6am this isn't it, but 4hr happy bill of $30 can't be beat)

This is kind of random and really will have no bearing on your decision, but just to make a point about the midwestern attitude:

I work in retail and the other day I was checking out a lady from NYC. She was purchasing a big item and found out that we offer 20% off coupons but she didn't have one. The lady standing behind her overheard this and offered her one of her coupons. The customer from NYC was floored. She said never in a million years would this have happened at home.

That really is the way it is in KC. Sure there are jack*****, but overall people will go out of their way to help you out. I think this atmosphere is even more useful during med school.

 

[koala37]

Hopefully there a lot of restaurants five to ten mins away from ct near downtown cuz I know I am definitely not going to be cooking all that often with all the studying....pbj sandwiches for the win. And I heard the cafeteria closes at 2 whichis lame