- Joined
- May 13, 2017
- Messages
- 737
- Reaction score
- 1,057
much of what you seek has been covered in the last 10 or so pages of this thread.
Just a word of caution for incoming students. The hardest part of this program is obtaining a 3.5 GPA. Hopefully you're all aware that masters students are graded against each other. To achieve an A, you'll need to get the average + standard deviation. So if the average is 82 and the SD is 12, you need to get a 94 or above. It all sounds good in theory but it's actually very difficult. This semester, masters averages have been consistently high. You could be getting 88s on every exam and frankly, it won't be good enough.
Another variable that complicates this issue is that Touro is not systems based until second year. Which means you'll have a period of time where you have an exam every monday for a month. Or you'll have an exam on monday..then another exam on Friday..then another exam on the following Monday.
I strongly advise anyone who isn't sure if they can accomplish these things to think about giving the MCAT another try. It's a godawful test but at the very least, it's important to have a backup option. You don't want to find yourself in a position where you spend a year putting in work and getting grades that would be perfectly acceptable everywhere but Touro only to be told that you aren't good enough for medical school.
Sorry to bud in...I am a student at Harlem Campus (Masters). LOVE it!! Harlem is awesome. TouroCOM is cool. Anatomy is fun. The experience is what you make of it. You know why you're there. Work hard! Try your bust to keep up with lectures, but remember that everyone falls behind sometime. There have been plenty of times when I worried that I wasn't going to remember enough by Monday morning (when we take exams) but suddenly Sunday, it really started sticking (and sometimes not until the day of the exam lol). Just don't get stressed out enough that you quit. See it all the way through. The work you did last week matters and every bit of effort you put in adds up. You will learn a lot about yourself and what you can handle, in the program. Work hard and see it all the way through! You are more than capable!
"It's all in divine order" -Dr. Jeff Gardere
I have finished the MS program at TouroCOM-Middletown. I would like to clear up some things and set them straight.
For my class- Total of 66 students by end of the semester, only 24 students have received an invitation to matriculate to the DO program class of 2020. Roughly a 1/3 get in (this is via the legitimate 3.5 GPA way). Special considerations are made to students who have a slightly lower GPA (around 3.45-3.49) as well as students who also applied to TouroCOM Middletown via AACOMAS while they were in the Masters program (and were granted an interview that went well).
For students coming into the masters program; understand this degree does not really help you. You have to work (extremely- I'll let you know why later on) hard to get the 3.5 GPA. You are in it to win it. You must get into the DO program otherwise you wasted your entire year and you are 40K in debt. If your MCAT score is low, chances are you will need to retake it again (even if you make the 3.5 GPA and pass the comprehensive)- (Average MCAT - old scale was about a 27; I don't know anything about the new MCAT; anything less than a 23 requires a retake).
Exams are taken on Examsoft. Either on your laptop or use a PC in the library. You get $80 of print credit each semester. The IT staff is very helpful in case you run into technical difficulties. Clickers are... Clickers. Lab Practical is traditional, you go to various stations with a certain allotted time per station. Look and identify, write it down on your answer sheet and move on.
Grading- Courses are graded based on a curve. For an A you must score 1 standard deviation above the average. Half a standard deviation is roughly an A-. Average is usually a B+ (again, usually). Standard deviations will vary based on overall performance of your class. Harlem and Middletown students do not compete against each other (you are locked to compete within your school, and thus grades and standard deviations are calculated by each campus separately). Let the Hunger Games begin! For certain classes, the averages are extremely high; the 2nd semester for Immunology Exam 1- the average was about 95%. Those are B+ grades. To put this in perspective; in order to get an A (1 std dev above) on the first Immunology Exam, you can only miss 1-2 questions (out of 82 questions or >97.5%). This is due to the "curve" based grading. This is an extreme example, as certain other courses fall in normal and sometimes beneficial range. Don't ever count on the average; each exam you must aim for 100%, always. Majority of the courses have averages within the low to mid 80s. (not 70s as in traditional grading system; so the bell curve is shifted towards to 100 range, aka disadvantage).
Summer Classes- If you have the money to spend/waste, fine. Otherwise there is no point. The class is extremely rushed (an entire semester condensed to slightly more than a month), majority of the material you learn may help, but most likely you will be overwhelmed and start to panic. If you have taken Anatomy or Histology in the past, it may prove better as it becomes a quick refresher; but if you haven't learned the subject at all- good luck. However, these courses do give you a quick glimpse into the curriculum and the way the courses are taught (lecture style via videos), with clicker sessions in class. If you enjoy the curriculum, come stay for the entire year. If not, leave and avoid paying 40K for the entire year.
Dorms are in the same building as the school, managed by Horizon Student Housing. Main person to contact is Cindy Dickman, she is very nice and helpful via email correspondence and in-person. Avoid the meal plan if you can; Trust me.
Living is the dorms is extremely convenient. Classrooms/lecture halls and study rooms in the basement, 1st floor is administration, 2nd floor is faculty, Simulation lab, OMM lab, and Anatomy Lab. Dorms are from floors 3-5. Just walk downstairs to go to class, lab, study, take an exam- no need to commute through the weather, or deal with traffic. However understand, this is an old hospital building (very old) converted into a school and student housing. Things may not work from time to time (sometimes there is no hot water and you have to ice bath your way to cleanliness). Other times the water may be shut off completely to fix a broken main-pipe. When it snows/rains your room may drip. Dorm rooms are renovated, old patient rooms (the voices you hear on a cold winter night are all in your mind). Rent is reasonable and considerably cheaper than apartments nearby (you do not have to pay for TV, internet, electric, or heating; amenities are included along with a desk, bed, chair, tiny wall mounted flatscreen TV, and chest/drawers). However you cannot cook, as there is no range or stove anywhere. You are allowed to have a crock-pot, microwave, and mini fridge in your dorm room. There are communion showers, sink, refrigerator, microwave, and laundry machines (must pay using credit cards; there are laundromats locally if you want to use those instead). If the electricity goes out, the entire building can be ran on generators while the rest of the area is kept in the darkness.
Middletown, NY. Very rural area, about 1.5 to 2 hours from the NYC. If you like the city and urban areas, go/apply to Harlem. If you want things to do besides studying, go to Harlem. If you get into the DO program and would like a rotation spot in the city, go to Harlem.
Just.. go to Harlem.
There is parts of Middletown which reminds you of civilization, such as Starbucks, Chipotle, Walmart, Panera Bread all in the same complex. There is a local mall nearby (Galleria at Crystal Run). About 30 minutes south of Middletown, there is a nice outlet (Woodbury Commons, in case you want to buy stuff to fill the vast empty void in your.. well let's not go there). Chase Bank, BoA are in Middletown. Wells Fargo in Newburgh (15-20 minutes east).
There are nice places to hike and enjoy the outdoors (Ellenville Fault Ice Caves, Blue Mountain Park, etc). Local Gyms (Touro students have free YCMA membership- heated pool, tiny weightroom, basketball court, fitness classes (zumba, yoga)). Anytime Fitness is 24 hours, there is also a Planet Fitness, and a few local crossfit gyms. Gold's Gym in Newburgh and Monroe (near Woodbury Commons).
Comprehensive Exam- The entire year's material minus 3 courses (Medical Ethics, Health and Human Behavior (worst class I've had in my life), and Community Service). You must pass with 70% or higher to get the Masters' Degree and also to matriculate (along with 3.5 GPA). I wouldn't say this was easy, but if you made the 3.5 GPA; this shouldn't be too bad. Expect to prepare your own study guides based on professor's comprehensive exam objectives, or hopefully have friends you trust when spring break comes around to work together. Several students did not pass the comprehensive exam (about 8-9 students), but Touro lowered the passing cutoff to 65%. If you do not pass you will not matriculate into the DO program; however you can still retake the exam to earn your master's degree. There are talks to replace this with a research component, but don't hold your breath.
Bottom Line: You must work hard every day. Assume it is finals week, every week. Maybe give yourself a break every once in awhile (like right after exams). Schedule accordingly. Do not fall behind, once you do, it's over. This program is VERY, Highly stressful. You will see OMS1 students having fun and enjoying medical school while you are stuck in your dorm room (more like prison cell) studying all the intricacies of renal system and memorizing the blood supply, nerves, and muscles of the forearm and hand.
If you don't get accepted into the MS program, consider it a blessing in disguise. Take a MCAT class (much cheaper), or take a few months off to study. Postbacs improve your undergrad GPA, Master courses will not. There isn't much you can do with the Masters degree. If you are accepted, please evaluate your position accordingly before making a decision. This program is an investment/gamble in yourself. Are you willing to take the odds?
Hope this clarifies any questions and concerns.
Based on the old scale, even if you do make the requirements (3.5 GPA and pass the comprehensive), if your MCAT was less than 23 they can hold your spot for you, while you retake the MCAT. I did not do this, this is what I heard from some OMS I/II students from Harlem. I also don't know anything about the new MCAT , so the policy may have changed. They let you know during the interview of the Master's Program whether your MCAT score is too low, and may require a retake. So if nothing was mentioned about a retake and you were offered an acceptance into the program then you should be good (just get that 3.5 GPA and pass the comprehensive).
I am not trying to discourage you from the program, but I want you to understand what you are getting into. Ultimately you have the facts that I didn't have when I decided to attend the Master's Program a year ago.
Medical school applications are a struggle, I understand. I applied during the previous cycle and was waitlisted at 5 DO schools. For me, I felt like I couldn't just sit around and I wasn't sure how to improve my application. I had too many units in undergrad to boost my low GPA. My MCAT was already in the early 30s. So I decided to do the Master's Program and give it a shot. My reasoning is if I couldn't get a 3.5 GPA then maybe I shouldn't be a doctor.
Previous masters student here. I agree 100% with what is written above and I really urge you to think twice before committing to this program. I was in your position last year - feeling hopeless and this program truly sparked my interest and gave me hope in gaining a medical school acceptance. However, no one was there to warn me (or anyone in my class) about the reality of this program.
Chances are, you are a student who has either a low GPA, low MCAT, or both - and that was certainly the case for me. But think about something logically...if you are not able to pull off those grades in undergrad, how will you be able to do well in these exams? These are medical school level classes, and as mentioned above, some classes need the >95% on exams to get the A. Will you be able to pull that off? You can sit and say "I will work harder than I did in undergrad" until you're blue in the face but the truth is, you are putting yourself at risk for a lot of debt, and worst of all: you will leave this school with a transcript that shows that you performed poorly, which will show other med schools that you cannot handle these classes.
Personally, I was offered an acceptance but I will be attending another DO school in the fall. There are tons of things that I really disliked about the MT campus, but the worst of all is that administration breaks so many ethical and moral principles and everyone seems to be aware of it. You can feel free to ask any 1st/2nd year and I'm sure they will agree on this. I would NEVER want to learn how to become a good doctor from a school that is consistently treats their students so unfairly. I won't get into all of it, but I will give you an example just so you don't think I am someone who is just whining:
One exam we took had a number of the same questions repeated due to the fault of the professor or the exam program (who knows). Basically, the same question showed up twice on an exam, and there were a few of these. Rather than dropping the extra questions, the faculty kept all the questions on that exam. If you got both those questions right, then congrats - you got double credit on your test. However, if you got both those questions wrong, you had double points taken off of your exam. This seems minor, but this meant that if you got 2 of those repeated questions wrong, you got 4 questions wrong. 3 questions = 6 questions, etc. This is a HUGE deal when it comes to Masters students who are fighting for every point. But the admin seemed to think this was the "fairest" way to do it, despite the pleas of tons of Masters students and first years.
Bottom line: if you can re-take your MCAT, you will be much better off. If you do not get accepted to this program, consider yourself lucky.
***Also, keep in mind that the Middletown DO program is not yet accredited - they operate under Harlem's accreditation. To my knowledge, they will be accredited if the current 2nd year students do well on the COMLEX, but just something to keep in the back of your mind that this is also another risk you are taking as there is no guarantee that they will be accredited after this year.
