TouroCOM – GF, MT vs Noorda-COM vs OCOM (fl)

[messix56]

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I’m really grateful to be in this position. I’m a low–mid stat, late-cycle applicant who applied MD and DO, and I’ve been fortunate to come out with multiple acceptances and a MD WL.


Right now, I’m trying to figure out where to place a deposit while I wait to hear back from other schools. I definitely don’t want to miss out on securing a seat, but I also want to be thoughtful about the decision.


A lot of the programs I’m considering are newer, which makes this a bit more complicated. My main goal is to become a competent physician, perform well academically (especially boards), and keep the door open for more competitive specialties if I decide to pursue one.


Here are the schools I’m deciding between:

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🟣 Orlando - COM (OCOM)​

Pros:​

• Founded by Nova Southeastern leadership → potential for strong institutional connections and faster development of clinical rotations
• Best location for me (East Coast) — easier access back home to NJ
• Large city, good lifestyle, social environment
• Estimated cost (~$402K) comparable to other options

Cons:​

• Pre-accreditation only — no federal loans (Title IV not approved)
  → 100% private loans (no IDR, no PSLF)
• No graduating classes → no board scores, no match data
• Rotation network still developing
• Overall feels like the highest risk option

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🟤 Touro - Great Falls MT​

Pros:​

• Part of the established Touro system → strong reputation for board prep
• Parent system has ~99% match rate
• Federal loans available (major advantage)
• Lower cost of living compared to many schools
• Great outdoor lifestyle (skiing, hiking, etc.), which I do enjoy

Cons:​

• Great Falls is a much smaller city than I’m used to
• Far from NJ — would need to be proactive about setting up Northeast rotations
• Campus opened in 2023 → no site-specific match/board data yet
• More traditional curriculum

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🟠 Noorda-com​

Pros:​

• Has graduated classes → ~99% overall match rate
• Student-centered curriculum (flexible, less rigid structure)
• Strong outdoor lifestyle + college-town environment
• Seems like a place where students are generally happy and supported

Cons:​

• No federal loans currently (timeline uncertain — possibly next year, but not guaranteed)
• Majority of students rely on private loans
• Very limited data on competitive/surgical matches (small sample size)
• Hard to fully assess long-term outcomes

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Right now, this is how I see it:

• Touro = safest, most stable option (federal loans + established system)
• Noorda = better lifestyle + curriculum fit, but financial and outcome uncertainty
• OCOM = best location, but highest overall risk

 

[messix56]

just got interview with atsu - AZ i think thats in better standing then these schools but still private and non profit

 

[chilly_md]

Take the interview with SOMA and see if you will be accepted. More established and a safer option.

When are your deposits due?

 

[messix56]

deposit due 4/5 for touro, noorda is 4/29 and then interview with SOMA is 5/1 and ocom interview is 4/29. thinking of withdrawing from OCOM interview cause they not as strong of a program yet despite a great place right?

 

[chilly_md]

deposit due 4/5 for touro, noorda is 4/29 and then interview with SOMA is 5/1 and ocom interview is 4/29. thinking of withdrawing from OCOM interview cause they not as strong of a program yet despite a great place right?

Yes no point to really interview at OCOM. I would put the deposit down at Touro, mainly to have access to federal loans.

 

[messix56]

Yes no point to really interview at OCOM. I would put the deposit down at Touro, mainly to have access to federal loans.

ty very much ! and just to be clear is there any other reason youd rank atsu -soma over touro -mt other than being older seems like they just changed their curriculum to 2 years on ccampus instead of 1 and lost some rotation sites due to the change which is causing some issues and their board exam rates have been pretty avg compared to touro also unsure about research oppurtunities.

Also do you have any advice for the RUSH waitlist really wanna go here already sent a LOCI as soon as i got the decision 2 weeks ago.

 

[chilly_md]

ty very much ! and just to be clear is there any other reason youd rank atsu -soma over touro -mt other than being older seems like they just changed their curriculum to 2 years on ccampus instead of 1 and lost some rotation sites due to the change which is causing some issues and their board exam rates have been pretty avg compared to touro also unsure about research oppurtunities.

Also do you have any advice for the RUSH waitlist really wanna go here already sent a LOCI as soon as i got the decision 2 weeks ago.

They lost rotation sites but those are still better than what you'd get at Touro MT. They cannot claim any of the success of the old, established Touro campuses in NY, CA or NV either. Those are far away and a different pool of students. I do not know how easy it is to find research, but there are more places to search around in the Phoenix area between all the institutions there.

If you already sent a letter recently at Rush, that is all you can really do. Might have been better to make it a LOI, but you can consider doing that in the early summer. Their CTE deadline was later compared to most it seemed from last year.

 

[Path2D.O.]

If you would be happiest at Noorda then I would go there. Unfortunately, everywhere is going to need some private loans now to some degree with the cap and you will get three years of 50K at Noorda. So, in reality 50K more in federal loans at Touro is really not that different, does that make sense? Noorda is doing incredibly well and if you go to reddit and read some of the reviews you will see that this school is doing incredibly well and is going to explode in popularity next year as well and as they graduate more classes. There are even a few choosing it over MD. Note: I tried to post a reddit link but its blocked; search reddit osteopathic my app cycle is finally over, really interesting post.

 

[messix56]

If you would be happiest at Noorda then I would go there. Unfortunately, everywhere is going to need some private loans now to some degree with the cap and you will get three years of 50K at Noorda. So, in reality 50K more in federal loans at Touro is really not that different, does that make sense? Noorda is doing incredibly well and if you go to reddit and read some of the reviews you will see that this school is doing incredibly well and is going to explode in popularity next year as well and as they graduate more classes. There are even a few choosing it over MD. Note: I tried to post a reddit link but its blocked; search reddit osteopathic my app cycle is finally over, really interesting post.

yea def read that unfortunately on noorda WL but hoping i can get off the MD school WL first but i also have lecom WL and recently interviewed at atsu-soma last week so kinda confused what to do in this situation? whats like the ranking of the DO programs if you had to btw: touro MT, ATSU-soma(jsut interviewed), Noorda(WL), and LECOM erie (WL)(lecture based).

 

[chilly_md]

LECOM if you gain acceptance now that you are waiting on them

 

[Path2D.O.]

yea def read that unfortunately on noorda WL but hoping i can get off the MD school WL first but i also have lecom WL and recently interviewed at atsu-soma last week so kinda confused what to do in this situation? whats like the ranking of the DO programs if you had to btw: touro MT, ATSU-soma(jsut interviewed), Noorda(WL), and LECOM erie (WL)(lecture based).

My personal ranking for you would be: Noorda, LECOM, Touro MT, then ATSU SOMA. I personally put student morale at the top (if location doesn't matter). Yes finances are important but in the whole scheme of things you are going to be ok.

 

[messix56]

My personal ranking for you would be: Noorda, LECOM, Touro MT, then ATSU SOMA. I personally put student morale at the top (if location doesn't matter). Yes finances are important but in the whole scheme of things you are going to be ok.

yeah pretty fluid with location priority is program vibes and outcomes for sure !