Touro - Mare Island Class of 2011!!!

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Hi Class of 2011!
I'm now a 3rd year osteopathic med student at Touro. The house I'm currently staying at is up for rent. My landlord is specifically looking for a new batch of med students to rent it to. It's a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house located near Sonoma Blvd and the 37. It's a 10 minute drive to the campus. If you're interested, PM me your e-mail address for more details.
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Hi guys.

I am an incoming first year TUCOM student and am interested in checking out some of the available housing in the Vallejo area. I am driving out to California on Thursday, July 5th to find a place to live. If any of you still have available rooms for rent please contact me and I will come see what your place is like. My cell is 317.979.0891 and my name is Ryan. Give me a call anytime. I will be out in CA until I find a place so my schedule is very flexible. I'm excited to meet all of you next month. Have a great Fourth of July!

-Ryan Hutchinson

PS - I will not be able to access my email while I am in San Fran so please contact me via cell phone if you are still looking for a good roommate. See you guys soon!
 
Its getting closer.....!!.... Happy 4th everyone!
 
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Hope everyone had a great 4th! I was out in SF enjoying the lovely fireworks. We took the ferry from Vallejo - a great experience!
 
For the older students, what did you with your summer between your first and second year?
 
The booklist and instrument for our class list is posted on the website

www.tu.edu
 
DocKbird said:
For the older students, what did you with your summer between your first and second year?
Click to expand...

I ended up staying in the area and working. I know others are doing research or just taking the time off if they can afford it. During the year you will find out about many different opportunities for travel or getting medical or research experience.
 
who did you guys pick for financial aid? I am thiking of going with CITI, but how about bofa? all my finances go through bofa already. bah!
 
I chose Bank of America. It was a quick and simple process.
 
Citibank was a really easy process too - you apply online and can sign the MPN online too
 
Hi folks!
My name is Tom, and Alexis and I are in the process of
obtaining a four bedroom rental house in Vallejo. We are of course
interested in finding two more housemates, preferably male and female
to keep the ratio even. We definitely don't want a smoker, but other
than that are pretty open. I have an adorable dog, Sugar, that will be
sharing the house with us.
So far the places we are considering are large, have a garage and
yard, and rent between $500-$600/ea. If you're really interested and
would like to have some input, for instance a preferable area, now
would be the time.

e-mail either of us:

Thomas Arnold
[email protected]

Alexis Wildenauer
[email protected]
 
Does anyone know when the academic calendar for our class will be posted? I thought it would be available by now. Thanks!

Stephanie
 
SteffiSF said:
Does anyone know when the academic calendar for our class will be posted? I thought it would be available by now. Thanks!

Stephanie
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Hey Steph,
I'm wondering as well, I was under the impression we would have it in June and July at the latest....There must be SOME kind of calendar that we can follow for planning our lives next year. I need to plan my wedding for June, but it would help to know when we are out for the summer. I'm doing all the planning now so I can not worry about it during school...haha yeah right...

I'm appreciative of last year's calendar (which is only until December, unfortunately):oops:, but if I'm going to plan a major life event, I'd like to be sure that I don't have a block of finals right on either side of it when the time comes.Yikes!

Any help on this would be just awesome.
 
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JustDOitwaSmile said:
Hey Steph,
I'm wondering as well, I was under the impression we would have it in June and July at the latest....There must be SOME kind of calendar that we can follow for planning our lives next year. I need to plan my wedding for June, but it would help to know when we are out for the summer. I'm doing all the planning now so I can not worry about it during school...haha yeah right...

I'm appreciative of last year's calendar (which is only until December, unfortunately):oops:, but if I'm going to plan a major life event, I'd like to be sure that I don't have a block of finals right on either side of it when the time comes.Yikes!

Any help on this would be just awesome.
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I wish I could tell you guys something more helpful. But the honest truth is that you just gonna have to wait. Touro doesn't have its act together with stuff like this. You probably get the calender after you get to orientation. I hope I'm wrong . . . but experience says otherwise.
 
does anyone know how big our class is going to be this year?
 
bth7 said:
I wish I could tell you guys something more helpful. But the honest truth is that you just gonna have to wait. Touro doesn't have its act together with stuff like this. You probably get the calender after you get to orientation. I hope I'm wrong . . . but experience says otherwise.
Click to expand...

any idea how long orientation actually is? it starts the 15th... is it just the 3 days that week, or Monday, too?

they have to tell us something don't they? wishful thinking, I suppose.
 
nerdgrrl said:
any idea how long orientation actually is? it starts the 15th... is it just the 3 days that week, or Monday, too?

they have to tell us something don't they? wishful thinking, I suppose.
Click to expand...

Here's one club's calender. It doesn't have anything on it yet but orientation and Block I exams, and tentative dates for Winter Break in December. More will be added as time goes on.

Calender

bh
 
Master Bedroom Available in Beautiful Mare Island Home

Rent is $685/month
Utilities include: Satellite TV with DVR (one downstairs + one in Master Bedroom), Land Line telephone, high speed Internet (fiber optic), gas, water, electricity, garbage. All the utilities come out to around 100/month (usually less though).
Security deposit $525

*Oversized room
*Private bathroom
*Built in Cabinets
*Large Shower + Beautiful Roman Tub
*Double sinks + Granite Countertops
*Large oversized Walk in Closet

Room is available asap.

We are three 2nd year Med students who are studious, clean and considerate and we are looking for someone just like that. No pets are allowed. Please make sure you are neat and responsible.

The home itself is 4 bed. 3 bath
*2 car garage
*Gas Fireplace
*Granite countertops throughout
*Berber carpeting & tile throughout
*EuroDesign cabinets
*Double pane windows
*Fiber Internet (High Speed Internet)
*Wired for security & sound


This is a great deal to be able to live on mare island, minutes from Touro. If you check on craigslist other rooms are going for 725-825 which is a smaller room and shared bathroom.

Contact Information
Jenny @ [email protected]
 
Hey guys,

The calendar is almost done...it's waiting approval from the different colleges and schools so hopefully it'll be out soon. If orientation is like last year it will be just three days.

As far as the class size, they were trying to raise it to 160 but it was waiting for approval. I'm not sure if it went through. It will be more than 125 though I think since the 2010 class was 137.

nerdgrrl said:
any idea how long orientation actually is? it starts the 15th... is it just the 3 days that week, or Monday, too?

they have to tell us something don't they? wishful thinking, I suppose.
Click to expand...
 
I asked Dr. H about the approval to increase the class size and he said it didn't get approved. They have a meeting scheduled next spring (don't quote me on that) to revisit that issue again. That was about a month ago.
 
nerdgrrl said:
any idea how long orientation actually is? it starts the 15th... is it just the 3 days that week, or Monday, too?

they have to tell us something don't they? wishful thinking, I suppose.
Click to expand...


One thing you have to realize is that not only is the faculty juggling the medical school scheduling, financial aid and everything else, but there's also a PA school, school of education, and a pharmacy school to handle, and there's not a lot of people to do it. We're a small school. Despite the size, there seems to be a lot of bureaucracy to negotiate in order to get things done and practically nothing happens quickly, as is the case when bureaucracy is involved (see for example, the US government).

That being said, one of the new skills you're going to develop this year is PATIENCE, whether you want to or not. If you expect things to happen on a certain timeline, you're going to be disappointed. But in the end it's small stuff compared to the task at hand, which is learning a lot about a lot. Focus on that and try (hard as it may be) not to lose your mind thinking of ways that nonacademic (read, things that Touro does) aspects of your education could be simpler or easier.
 
mj1878 said:
One thing you have to realize is that not only is the faculty juggling the medical school scheduling, financial aid and everything else, but there's also a PA school, school of education, and a pharmacy school to handle, and there's not a lot of people to do it. We're a small school. Despite the size, there seems to be a lot of bureaucracy to negotiate in order to get things done and practically nothing happens quickly, as is the case when bureaucracy is involved (see for example, the US government).

That being said, one of the new skills you're going to develop this year is PATIENCE, whether you want to or not. If you expect things to happen on a certain timeline, you're going to be disappointed. But in the end it's small stuff compared to the task at hand, which is learning a lot about a lot. Focus on that and try (hard as it may be) not to lose your mind thinking of ways that nonacademic (read, things that Touro does) aspects of your education could be simpler or easier.
Click to expand...

hey now. no need to call me impatient. I'm just suggesting that they might need to tell people when to show up in the first day. and maybe even how long we should plan to be on campus for the first couple days.

I come from a college that is as small or smaller than Touro, and went to a much larger graduate school- I'm familiar with the fact that these things take time regardless of the size of the school. just hoping to plan a weekend to visit the family, is all. it's not unreasonable for a student to expect a calendar from their school. several colleges or not, an academic calendar is something any school (from elementary on up) is expected to provide. we all know we're in this all day every day for the next 7+ years of our lives, we're just hoping for a little more information about the next few months! ;o)
 
bth7 said:
Here's one club's calender. It doesn't have anything on it yet but orientation and Block I exams, and tentative dates for Winter Break in December. More will be added as time goes on.

Calender

bh
Click to expand...

thanks!! if nothing else, it gets the GSA on my calendar, which is great.
 
nerdgrrl said:
hey now. no need to call me impatient. I'm just suggesting that they might need to tell people when to show up in the first day. and maybe even how long we should plan to be on campus for the first couple days.

I come from a college that is as small or smaller than Touro, and went to a much larger graduate school- I'm familiar with the fact that these things take time regardless of the size of the school. just hoping to plan a weekend to visit the family, is all. it's not unreasonable for a student to expect a calendar from their school. several colleges or not, an academic calendar is something any school (from elementary on up) is expected to provide. we all know we're in this all day every day for the next 7+ years of our lives, we're just hoping for a little more information about the next few months! ;o)
Click to expand...


I just meant that last year when I was in your exact same position and wondering the exact same thing, no one really offered us any advice and I wondered why. No offense intended.

Orientation should run 3 days, and it will be all day (8 am to 4 pm or so) all three days. You'll have lots of introductions, meeting folks, more introductions, a barbecue, registering for classes, picking up your financial aid refund check (my personal favorite!), getting an AWESOME CPR intro class by Dr. Borrero (our registrar) and of course more introductions and "welcome to Touro".

Us second years will have already been in class for about 2 1/2 weeks before you guys show up, so there should be plenty of us there to help you out with whatever you might need, except for curriculum advice, which we can't give because it's a new curriculum and we're still on the old one.

Look for some action to be happening about the last week of July. Last year that's when we started getting invites to the Listserv, academic calendars showing all the wonderous Jewish holidays we get off during the fall semester, an actual course calendar showing which classes you'll have each day, and the letter from Dr. Towne telling you which vaccinations you are lacking, if any. Until then, I wouldn't hold my breath, and YES, it really is a pain when you're trying to make advanced plans with your family and you have no calendar. Take heart in knowing that during the Fall semester there are PLENTY of random 3,4,5-day weekends interspersed between Thanksgiving and fall breaks, and you should have plenty of time for your family to come up and visit.
 
Thanks to the 2nd years who are here to answer our questions. I have a couple more to add...hope you don't mind. When and where do we buy the books? Is it up to us to buy it on our own or will they have more information on that at orientation? When do we get set up with a big sib?

Other than that, I'm relieved that no one else has any idea what's going on. For a second, I was worried that I had goten kicked out of the school's system or something. haha

have a good weekend!
 
You should have received the book list already; if not, it's up on the school's website. You have some options here:

1) Buy all of them at Amazon or a similar site
2)Wait until orientation, and buy them from the 2nd years (we had a book buy for our orientation; you'll get more info for that later this month or during August. Keep in mind, though, that there will be a very limited number available, so decide if you want to be part of the melee or not.
3)Just wait and feel out the classes and see which books you want to buy.

I suggest buying from Amazon.com, because you can get some decent prices on the used items. Buy most of them, and if you don't use them at all, just return them. It would be really good to already have the books BEFORE classes, but it's not tragic if you DON'T have them. The library has copies if you don't have any of the books.

It's really up to you to get the books you need. I don't know if they'll be more "straight out of the book" than they were with us, but regardless, it's up to you to decide which books are going to help YOU, and it's different for everyone. The school won't always assign the best text out there for a certain topic, and sometimes they're right on. Fish around in other unlisted texts (ask a 2nd year for their preferences) and see which speaks best to you.

--As far as big sibs, you'll be assigned one probably in August before classes begin. It's up to the person that coordinates the program. It shouldn't be too long, though. There will also be a bunch of 2nd years at orientation to help you out and answer any questions that you might have.




pre-med Ned said:
Thanks to the 2nd years who are here to answer our questions. I have a couple more to add...hope you don't mind. When and where do we buy the books? Is it up to us to buy it on our own or will they have more information on that at orientation? When do we get set up with a big sib?

Other than that, I'm relieved that no one else has any idea what's going on. For a second, I was worried that I had goten kicked out of the school's system or something. haha

have a good weekend!
Click to expand...
 
The info was really helpful. Patiently waiting then...

See you in August!
Stephanie
 
Ooga

I be an incoming 2nd year also. Seems like everyone is excited to get started! Sorry, I had to give up reading through all of the posts after the 6th or so page...(maybe I'll get to the rest eventually)

I'm sure my classmates and the 3rd/4th years have probably been more than enough help in answering your questions. I decided to chime in just to add some more specific experience for those who might have questions. They are:

a) I successfully held a part-time job (10-15hr/wk at nearby pharmaceutical company) through the first year of school.

b) I'm on Navy HPSP scholarship. There are currently 12 of us w/ the military in the 2nd year, and most of us just completed or are completing ~5wks of training this summer.

I can't recommend doing either of these unless you have some screws loose and are wishing bad things unto thyself. However, I can shed some light to help in your decisions, should anyone be crazy enough to want either of the above. My usual advice is "DON'T DO IT YOU IDIOT!" unless you have some really really good reasons for it (the "for the money" reasons don't necessarily work well in this case).

If anyone uses AIM, my screenname is "me2vn." Feel free to poke me about any questions you have related to school or just to chat. I don't guarantee any answers, but I'll think really hard and then google anything I don't know.

cha cha cha
 
Well I just accepted Dr. Haight's stand by offer. This means I'll be at orientation with everyone, and if some people don't show or drop mid-orientation, I'll have a spot. If not, I'll be starting August of next year for sure.

Now just another month or so of not knowing what the next year of my life will be like :D
 
alright... it's white coat time. any 2nd/3rd/4th years have advice on how big these white coats run? my lab coat at work is pretty big for its size, so I'm inclined to order on the smaller side of things, but I don't want to be the girl that can't get into my white coat at the ceremony because of wishful thinking.

advice?
 
Hello all, if older students could to weigh in on elective courses it'd be greatly appreciated. How electives can you take? Is it a lot of work/worthwhile? Which ones would you recommend or stay away from? Also, does anyone know what time our first day of orientation starts and where do we meet? Once again, any info would be a big help. Thanks! See ya all soon!
 
DocKbird said:
Hello all, if older students could to weigh in on elective courses it'd be greatly appreciated. How electives can you take? Is it a lot of work/worthwhile? Which ones would you recommend or stay away from? Also, does anyone know what time our first day of orientation starts and where do we meet? Once again, any info would be a big help. Thanks! See ya all soon!
Click to expand...

Here's my plug for electives:

You must do Pregnancy Partners! You are paired up with an expectant mother, and you go to all of their clinic visits and then attend the delivery. Everyone (myself included) found it to be a priceless experience and would do it all over again if we had to choose. Plus, it's about the most "clinical" of all of the 1st year electives. PM me if you want details, or you can contact Dr. Mary Mazzotta (one of your biochem professors, and the PP coordinator) and ask her directly.
 
yeah, I'll second that about pregnancy partners. It is a course that reaffirms your desire to enter medicine and kept my motivation up throughout the semester; you should definitely aim to take it if possible. Your orientation is August 16-20th, which is going to be interesting seeing as how the school can't really do anything after 3 pm on Friday and at all on Saturday. It's on the school's website (the calendar). Go to the resources heading, and then click on COM CA academic calendar. Your classes aren't up, but you can at least get an idea of the days that you get off for Jewish holidays (and trust me, you're going to LOVE those Jewish holidays. If any of you have questions, feel free to post on here or PM me. Good luck!:)
 
Thanks mj and yosemite,

I'm definitely interested in the pregnancy partners. Is this something we sign up for during orientation? Also, any idea when our schedule will be up? How do we dress for orientation and when is the annual bbq? Thanks!
 
The changes to the curriculum affect the # of days of exams-2 vs 4(last yr first yr) does this mean they will be testing us in less classes or more exams on less days?
 
GProteinStar said:
Thanks mj and yosemite,

I'm definitely interested in the pregnancy partners. Is this something we sign up for during orientation? Also, any idea when our schedule will be up? How do we dress for orientation and when is the annual bbq? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Pregnancy Partners isn't until second semester. You have to be in good academic standing to participate (you'll be missing class and labs to attend clinic visits and the delivery itself), and there's only a limited number of slots available. Ultimately it's up to Dr. Mazzotta to decide who's in and out. They'll let you know when to sign up; they'll make an announcement during class (announcements during lecture are a ubiquitous entity).

I don't know when your schedule will be up. Ours has been up for a week or so, so yours should be up soon. Dress nicely for orientation; you'll be meeting all your classmates for the first time, and also meeting some of your professors.

The barbecue will be during the third week of class or so. Check out our class schedule for the exact date (just scroll down until you see it).
 
DocKbird said:
Hello all, if older students could to weigh in on elective courses it'd be greatly appreciated. How electives can you take? Is it a lot of work/worthwhile? Which ones would you recommend or stay away from? Also, does anyone know what time our first day of orientation starts and where do we meet? Once again, any info would be a big help. Thanks! See ya all soon!
Click to expand...

My vote goes to Doctor Hartwig's Human evolution/development elective. Worship the Hartwig. :)

bh
 
For anyone living in Broadstone Sterling Village:

If you claim that someone "referred you" to the apartments you receive $1000 off of rent. I am willing to split that with whoever contacts me first. I just got off the phone with Adrian and she said that all this would take is someone going down to the office and filling something out. I am pretty sure that she knows no one referred the property to me, but I get the distinct impression that she doesn't care. So, if you want to make a quick $500 for filling out a piece of paper, give me a call any time at 317.979.0891. See all of you soon!

-Ryan Hutchinson
 
Yet again, another two questions for non-first years regarding fall break. Do most people stay and study the whole time, visit friends or do the student groups organize mini-trips? I guess this question applies to all breaks that we have. Which textbooks do you deem essential? Hope I catch a few replies. Thanks!!
 
DocKbird said:
Yet again, another two questions for non-first years regarding fall break. Do most people stay and study the whole time, visit friends or do the student groups organize mini-trips? I guess this question applies to all breaks that we have. Which textbooks do you deem essential? Hope I catch a few replies. Thanks!!
Click to expand...

As a third year, if there is one thing I wish I could go back a do differently, it would be to start using First Aid for Step One from Day One of medical school. I know Step One seems like a long was away, but this book is your road map to the first two years of medical school. Whatever the professors teach you, you should make sure you know what's in the book extra well. You will be tested on it again when you take your step.

Bryan
 
Regarding time off, I played it by ear last year. I would strongly recommend that you wait until you book a flight home though until you see how you do on blocks. If you find yourself struggling, it is probably wise to take more time to study, but if you are performing at a level that you are happy with, it is good to get a break. Medical school really is a marathon though, so it is important to pace yourself and make sure that you do give yourself breaks occassionally regardless of how you are doing. One thing that was hard for me to adjust to with medical school is that initially I always felt like I should be studying b/c there is just so much information, but I found that over time, I did better and was better able to focus when I did get involved and took breaks. With regards to books, its going to be somewhat difficult for us to advise your class on what books are good b/c you will be taking some of the same classes as we are (curriculum change) first year and we haven't used the same books you are being recommended, and the with the curriculum change different books may be better to study from. That being said, one book that I absolutely recommend hands down for anatomy is Rohen's. It is great b/c there are actually pictures of cadavers, and once you get to the face, it helps to have actual pictures to learn from and not just drawings, even though Netters is pretty good also. Hope that helps!:)
 
Hi all,
I am currently trying to find a good health insurance plan for myself. Does anyone have any suggestions? I was looking at the AMSA and SOMA insurance plans.
Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks!
 
Yay for all of you - congrats TUCOM 2011!

Just wanted to make a plug for my apt complex if you are still looking for housing. I live about 12 minutes away from school, in American Canyon. The apts are a little pricey, but it is a totally new complex, walking distance to Starbucks, Jamba Juice, Round Table, B of A, Panda Express.. and soon Super Walmart. Yes, walking distance!

The apt is called the Lodge at Napa Junction, and if you are interested let me know (PM me) - I am in town already since us 2nd years start school next week. I can show you around, and if you sign up there's a referral bonus that we can most definitely split! :D

Other than that, if any of you guys have any questions at all, feel free to PM me! I also will have some books for sale (I ended up not opening the majority of my books and instead borrowed others, so my books are brand new.) I'm so excited for you all, you're going to have a great year.
 
I have another question for all of you helpful 2nd or 3rd years out there. Do people usually bring laptops to class? Do you bring books too? I'm planning on buying one of those computer backpacks, but don't know how big of one I need. Will I be carrying lots of books with me for class? Hopefully, you guys can give me an idea on what I should buy and expect. Thanks!
 
Hi everyone! I just accepted a position in Touro Class of 2011, and I am on a time crunch!! I am coming to California from the Midwest, and need to find housing! I am open for pretty much any living situation, guys or girls, multiple roommates, etc. If anyone has any rooms available, or knows of any information for me, please let me know. Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. Look forward to seeing all of you soon!!
 
I am confused by Dr. Hiserote's assertion that we will be behind if we do not have all of the recommended texts and instruments before day one and 2nd/3rd year students' advice that a buyback will take place during orientation and that the only necessary piece of medical equipment is a stethoscope.
Any comments/clarifications/conjecture?
 
Somath said:
I am confused by Dr. Hiserote's assertion that we will be behind if we do not have all of the recommended texts and instruments before day one and 2nd/3rd year students' advice that a buyback will take place during orientation and that the only necessary piece of medical equipment is a stethoscope.
Any comments/clarifications/conjecture?
Click to expand...

General advice for being in the medical world:

Listen to the people closest to you - the students. They know what they are talking about. Your professors are coming from a different POV. As a third year student its the same thing, the interns and residents give me better instruction that the attendings, who are operating on a different level. It's not that professors and attendings are wrong, and you should always show respect and follow their instructions . . . however, they sometimes don't know what a student's day to day needs are.

Most of us look everything up on our computers. MDconsult, Wikipedia, UptoDate, etc, or use a PDA. Touro library gives you access to all these sites. This is much easier than flipping though a dozen books. And if you learn to use electronic resources well now, it will serve you very well in the future. The professors went to school in a different era, pre-information superhighway. :)

Don't buy all the books and equipment now. Yes, you just need a stethoscope to start with. Definitely don't buy all the books. Wait and see and talk to second years that you trust before you buy - see what is actually useful.

To answer you're earlier question, yes, everyone brings a laptop to class. Most people do not bring books.

Good luck to all!

bh
 
Awesome advice bth, once again!
Exactly what my empty wallet was looking for.
I owe you a snickers bar.
 
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