TouroCOM Master's Program

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Hello everyone, my application was deemed complete on the 30th and I just received an email about an interview next week from Ms. Portnoy. I was wondering, does it hurt ones chances to take the Skype option over flying in to do the live interview
 
I had my interview yesterday. Honestly i think it would be worth it to fly over. I had that option but chose to go instead. Good luck
 
TimeTraveller said:
I had my interview yesterday. Honestly i think it would be worth it to fly over. I had that option but chose to go instead. Good luck
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Thanks for the fast reply, how was the interview?
 
shashom125 said:
Thanks for the fast reply, how was the interview?
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I would absolutely say do the Skype interview unless you are within driving range of the school. It is not necessary to spend hundreds of dollars coming for the interview when you are given the Skype option. On the other hand, if you want to get a feel for the school, it's not a terrible idea. Rest assured, doing a Skype interview should not hurt your chances whatsoever. They give the option for a reason and you can save yourself some money. Good luck!
 
Hey! So to change it up, just wondering--- why did you guys choose to apply to this program and not straight to medical school, especially since this program requires an MCAT?

For me, I did not have enough letters of recomendation on file for the Premed Committee to write me a letter. By the time I got it(late November), I risked being a late applicant that could potentially lead to a reapplicant, who notoriously struggle to get in the second time around. So I applied to Touro's MS program, looking at the glass half full, seeing I had a conditional acceptance to medical school in New York, an MS degree upon completion, rigorous academics to prepare me for the rigors of medical school, and the opportunity to do all of this close to home.....

So, I was wondering, what are your guys' reasons for applying here?!
 
For those of you deciding whether or not to do this program - heed my words. The first question you have to ask yourself is, are you ok with not making the GPA? Then ask yourself what are your options should you not matriculate. If you are ok with putting down tens of thousands and not matriculating, then this is the program for you. If you are uneasy about the thought, do not brush it aside. Do no come into this assuming that other students are not good or that they don't have the work ethic. You will learn this the hard way if you do. This program should be a last resort for the vast majority of people who apply. You will be competing alongside very bright students who had high GPAs and possibly higher MCAT scores. Perhaps they didn't do so well on their interview and were referred to the master's program. Many are science majors who recently graduated. The school is not very upfront with applicants on grading but we are all graded on a curve and it is competitive. I have seen behavior from master's students that I have not seen anywhere else. We have to get higher grades than the 1st year DO students to get an A. For a few of the classes you needed to score in the high 90s to get an A. You might be thinking, well I am a good student. You might be a good student but I guarantee that you will have a few bad exams. While you might been a good student during your undergrad, you will be competing against other students who were also good but attended more competitive undergrad institutions. DO not think for a moment that it is just hard work that will get you through. You need to be able to retain a huge amount of information and be able to manipulate it during the exams. I know people who work work work and don't get the return. If you are person with a low mcat and low GPA, I might even recommend going to the Caribbean before doing this program or doing an easier postbac. you will be wasting your money otherwise. At least you will be in medical school. IF your reason for doing this program is the low MCAT - please consider retaking it. You will save yourself a lot of trouble and money.

Think that if you get poor grades in this program or get lower than As, you will not only not matriculate but you may have issues down the line with getting accepted into another medical school.
 
I just want to add that you will see people who did easier postbacs who are accepted directly into the DO program. You on the other hand will be in one of the most challenging postbacs as a master's student and be required to get higher scores than the 1st years, yet still not make it in. Word to the wise - do an easier postbac or SMP or retake that mcat.
 
And, you will be in more debt than Joe Smith who did the easy postbac at another school and was able to get As! But Joe will be in a better position than you.
 
So I assume you are currently in the program. How is it going for you? If you making it then could you post how you study please
 
laserjet550 said:
I just want to add that you will see people who did easier postbacs who are accepted directly into the DO program. You on the other hand will be in one of the most challenging postbacs as a master's student and be required to get higher scores than the 1st years, yet still not make it in. Word to the wise - do an easier postbac or SMP or retake that mcat.
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MS 2016 grad here. This is 100% correct. You will get a 90 on a medical school exam and feel like crap because the MS average was an 85 and the standard was 13 which means you'll need a 98 or above to get an A (this happened more than once last year). Meanwhile the 1st years who took the same exam are graded completely differently and will only need to beat perhaps an 83 or so to get an A.

It doesn't seem fair because it's not. The way the program is set up means that half of the class will not matriculate, someone needs to be at the bottom. So just be careful when making your decisions. Imagine getting 85-90 on medical school exams only to be told that you're not good enough for medical school. I didn't get in and it was the worst feeling ever. Things are better now that I know I can do pretty much anything since I survived the program but it wasn't pretty. Good luck.
 
hellobello18 said:
MS 2016 grad here. This is 100% correct. You will get a 90 on a medical school exam and feel like crap because the MS average was an 85 and the standard was 13 which means you'll need a 98 or above to get an A (this happened more than once last year). Meanwhile the 1st years who took the same exam are graded completely differently and will only need to beat perhaps an 83 or so to get an A.

It doesn't seem fair because it's not. The way the program is set up means that half of the class will not matriculate, someone needs to be at the bottom. So just be careful when making your decisions. Imagine getting 85-90 on medical school exams only to be told that you're not good enough for medical school. I didn't get in and it was the worst feeling ever. Things are better now that I know I can do pretty much anything since I survived the program but it wasn't pretty. Good luck.
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Wow, do you mind sharing what you would do differently should you were t start all over? Like study techniques and stuff
 
I got into both Harlem and Middletown but after reading everything on SDN I don't know what I should do. There seems to be a lot of advice against doing either of these programs. I want to wait and see what other programs I get into, but I only have a week to make my decision about Touro. Is anyone else trying to figure out whether to accept or not? And if you've already made your decision, what did you choose?
 
TimeTraveller said:
Wow, do you mind sharing what you would do differently should you were t start all over? Like study techniques and stuff
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There is no one study technique that is 100% and everyone is different so tidbits here and there aren't w0rth your time, or anyone else's.
 
TimeTraveller said:
Wow, do you mind sharing what you would do differently should you were t start all over? Like study techniques and stuff
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Honestly there really aren't any special techniques other than sitting down with the material for like 10-14 hours per day everyday lol. That's what I did, especially during second semester and I'd get 87-93 on most of my exams but it still wasn't enough. I guess the best advice I could give anyone who does this program is to start studying from the first day and stay on top of the material at all times.

I personally struggled with exams on consecutive days..we had our renal physiology exam the day after our head and neck anatomy exam and i focused more on anatomy instead of trying to devote adequate time to both. So yeah, time management, organization, and a relentless work ethic can be helpful.
 
The program is hard by no means but
hellobello18 said:
Honestly there really aren't any special techniques other than sitting down with the material for like 10-14 hours per day everyday lol. That's what I did, especially during second semester and I'd get 87-93 on most of my exams but it still wasn't enough. I guess the best advice I could give anyone who does this program is to start studying from the first day and stay on top of the material at all times.

I personally struggled with exams on consecutive days..we had our renal physiology exam the day after our head and neck anatomy exam and i focused more on anatomy instead of trying to devote adequate time to both. So yeah, time management, organization, and a relentless work ethic can be helpful.
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Thank you. 87-93 still wasn't enough? Damn so u ended up not making it?
 
TimeTraveller said:
The program is hard by no means but

Thank you. 87-93 still wasn't enough? Damn so u ended up not making it?
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Nope. Second semester was especially rough, I'll never forget that our first immuno exam average + SD came out to 98. My class was a lot stronger academically than the MS2015 class from what I remember hearing from the former masters students. We rarely had any averages in the 70s throughout the whole year.
 
Wow seems like it's impossible to make it. I guess it takes hard work and luck to get through.
 
Do you feel like surviving the Master's program will make you a better medical student? Maybe I'm just too naive, but this really is one of the FEW programs out there with a conditional acceptance into their medical school as long as you meet certain requirements. A lot of other schools have murky needs as to what exactly qualifies you to jump from a masters program to medical school. I guess at this point, what is scaring me is how the averages are sooooo high. I've never seen science averages this high in undergrad. And the people I know that were applying to this program were pretty mediocre undergrads who partied a little too much/didn't take academics seriously enough/ had way too much on their plates at once and were spread too thin/all of the above. Yet based on the feedback I'm seeing, it seems like a lot of these students are gunners. How would you say the student body is with each other/ with the medical students? Do you feel like you study harder than the medical students?
 
sshidid said:
Do you feel like surviving the Master's program will make you a better medical student? Maybe I'm just too naive, but this really is one of the FEW programs out there with a conditional acceptance into their medical school as long as you meet certain requirements. A lot of other schools have murky needs as to what exactly qualifies you to jump from a masters program to medical school. I guess at this point, what is scaring me is how the averages are sooooo high. I've never seen science averages this high in undergrad. And the people I know that were applying to this program were pretty mediocre undergrads who partied a little too much/didn't take academics seriously enough/ had way too much on their plates at once and were spread too thin/all of the above. Yet based on the feedback I'm seeing, it seems like a lot of these students are gunners. How would you say the student body is with each other/ with the medical students? Do you feel like you study harder than the medical students?
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I feel you bro. I feel like people are seriously gunning over there. I took summer anatomy course over last summer and tbh the students were kind of mediocre. Maybe they weren't taking the course serious i don't know. But its pretty scary. I lose hope each time I read these threads knowing that my all could not be enough to make it through.
 
When you are put under this pressure of these circumstances-- yes, everyone becomes a gunner to an extent. Everything written above is very true. This has been by far the most academically-demanding year of my life and although I did expect that, it has exceeded my expectations in that regard.

It is certainly not easy. There are many things that feel unfair at times. You will feel terrible about yourself at times and need to try to remind yourself the significance of the 85+% you just received on a medical exam for the 6th week straight. It takes hard work, but I agree with posts above-- that is certainly not enough. You need to have a strong foundation when you begin.

In the end, I hope I can say it was all worth it. What other programs give this opportunity? Which other DO school is located in the middle of one of the greatest cities in the world? What have I learned about myself and about my capabilities, the world, and the field of medicine. Couple more months during the Master's thing left for me.

Good luck in whatever path you choose!
 
sshidid said:
Do you feel like surviving the Master's program will make you a better medical student? Maybe I'm just too naive, but this really is one of the FEW programs out there with a conditional acceptance into their medical school as long as you meet certain requirements. A lot of other schools have murky needs as to what exactly qualifies you to jump from a masters program to medical school. I guess at this point, what is scaring me is how the averages are sooooo high. I've never seen science averages this high in undergrad. And the people I know that were applying to this program were pretty mediocre undergrads who partied a little too much/didn't take academics seriously enough/ had way too much on their plates at once and were spread too thin/all of the above. Yet based on the feedback I'm seeing, it seems like a lot of these students are gunners. How would you say the student body is with each other/ with the medical students? Do you feel like you study harder than the medical students?
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That's a great question. Even though I didn't make it into the DO class, I genuinely don't regret doing the MS program. Not even just for the degree and the incredible amounts of academic knowledge I've gained but it taught me what I'm actually capable of. Before the program, I could barely sit for 2 hours to study and I was able to coast by for the most part. Being a MS student showed me what resiliency and determination really are. I also had to take a good look at my study methods and time management to see what worked and what didn't. All of those things will be valuable for whatever comes my way next.

IDK much about the current MS class but my class was full of just really smart people lol. The former MS students told me more than once that if they'd been in our year they wouldn't have been able to matriculate because of the higher than usual averages. As far as your last question, HECK YES we studied much harder than the medical students. On any given night at 2am, you'd only find MS students in the library or study rooms. In my anatomy lab group, the DO kids were always talking about going out and going home. that was not really a possibility for us lol. As I said, it's not fair and it really doesn't make sense but for those 10 months, such will be life.

Any current MS students feel like sharing what the averages are nowadays? I'm curious myself actually 🙂

BTW: anyone who's thinking of taking summer anatomy, my suggestion would be to save your money. unless they've completely revamped the whole thing, it'll be a waste of your time. i knew many people who aced anatomy without taking the summer course. yes, it can be helpful but to go through the entire human body in 4 weeks (especially if you've never taken the course before) will be overwhelming to say the least. enjoy your last few days of freedom and peace.
 
hellobello18 said:
That's a great question. Even though I didn't make it into the DO class, I genuinely don't regret doing the MS program. Not even just for the degree and the incredible amounts of academic knowledge I've gained but it taught me what I'm actually capable of. Before the program, I could barely sit for 2 hours to study and I was able to coast by for the most part. Being a MS student showed me what resiliency and determination really are. I also had to take a good look at my study methods and time management to see what worked and what didn't. All of those things will be valuable for whatever comes my way next.

IDK much about the current MS class but my class was full of just really smart people lol. The former MS students told me more than once that if they'd been in our year they wouldn't have been able to matriculate because of the higher than usual averages. As far as your last question, HECK YES we studied much harder than the medical students. On any given night at 2am, you'd only find MS students in the library or study rooms. In my anatomy lab group, the DO kids were always talking about going out and going home. that was not really a possibility for us lol. As I said, it's not fair and it really doesn't make sense but for those 10 months, such will be life.

Any current MS students feel like sharing what the averages are nowadays? I'm curious myself actually 🙂

BTW: anyone who's thinking of taking summer anatomy, my suggestion would be to save your money. unless they've completely revamped the whole thing, it'll be a waste of your time. i knew many people who aced anatomy without taking the summer course. yes, it can be helpful but to go through the entire human body in 4 weeks (especially if you've never taken the course before) will be overwhelming to say the least. enjoy your last few days of freedom and peace.
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  • I am happy to hear you say such positive things! Just curious, since you didn't get into the DO program, what are your next steps? What do people who did not get in ultimately do? I was told that the school would be lenient if you apply to their medical school the next year and they saw that you did their Master's program.... do you know how true this statement is?
 
The main reason that someone would not make it in directly is because they got more Bs than As. Getting an A, like we said is not too easy. Think about how other medical schools would view a transcript with more Bs than As..Do you think that would make you a more competitive candidate coming out of a program that you just worked your tail off for but got mostly Bs? Especially when you could have gone to an easier post-bac and made As?

Also there have been a few comments here that "mediocre" students apply, etc . Don't think that the class is full of mediocre students. There may be a few, literally. But that is not enough to offset the average. Plus, those people usually drop from the program between the first and 2nd semesters.
 
sshidid said:
  • I am happy to hear you say such positive things! Just curious, since you didn't get into the DO program, what are your next steps? What do people who did not get in ultimately do? I was told that the school would be lenient if you apply to their medical school the next year and they saw that you did their Master's program.... do you know how true this statement is?
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I retook the MCAT and reapplied to med school. People who didn't make it usually do that as well and/or start working or do something else like podiatry, PA school, etc. I know a few people from my class who got into other med schools for this fall.

Unfortunately, in my personal experience that statement sounds like another touro lie lol. If you have a good MCAT score upon reapplying then maybe they'll be lenient but I know more than one MS student that reapplied to Touro and got rejected. Makes no sense to me whatsoever.
 
hellobello18 said:
I retook the MCAT and reapplied to med school. People who didn't make it usually do that as well and/or start working or do something else like podiatry, PA school, etc. I know a few people from my class who got into other med schools for this fall.

Unfortunately, in my personal experience that statement sounds like another touro lie lol. If you have a good MCAT score upon reapplying then maybe they'll be lenient but I know more than one MS student that reapplied to Touro and got rejected. Makes no sense to me whatsoever.
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hellobello - do you know how many people have gotten rejected and what the (probable) reasons were. I am curious. I know Touro has made a push to have people apply during the year, esp if they are not going to make the GPA.
 
laserjet550 said:
hellobello - do you know how many people have gotten rejected and what the (probable) reasons were. I am curious. I know Touro has made a push to have people apply during the year, esp if they are not going to make the GPA.
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Also, how'd you do on your MCAT compared to the first time you took it?
 
laserjet550 said:
hellobello - do you know how many people have gotten rejected and what the (probable) reasons were. I am curious. I know Touro has made a push to have people apply during the year, esp if they are not going to make the GPA.
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I know of 3 personally who were rejected and the reason was always MCAT related. Touro loves a high mcat and I have no idea why tbh. As far as I know, it hasn't translated into high board averages soooo? I did much better on the exam after the program. I didn't kill it by any means but it was enough to get multiple screened secondaries and II. In comparison to before I did the program and had a crappy score so I got nothing but straight rejections.

From what I remember, no one in my program was applying to med school while school was going on, this was hardly any time. BTW since the program ends in may, the earliest you could take the exam is maybe July/august which is technically considered late by SDN standards. So if that's the option you find yourself in, make sure to plan your time accordingly.
 
hellobello18 said:
I know of 3 personally who were rejected and the reason was always MCAT related. Touro loves a high mcat and I have no idea why tbh. As far as I know, it hasn't translated into high board averages soooo? I did much better on the exam after the program. I didn't kill it by any means but it was enough to get multiple screened secondaries and II. In comparison to before I did the program and had a crappy score so I got nothing but straight rejections.

From what I remember, no one in my program was applying to med school while school was going on, this was hardly any time. BTW since the program ends in may, the earliest you could take the exam is maybe July/august which is technically considered late by SDN standards. So if that's the option you find yourself in, make sure to plan your time accordingly.
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What is a competitive MCAT in your opinion to meet Touro standards haha? I went to an informational session at ym undergrad where the admissions people said their avg MCAT is a 30(~508 New MCAT) at the Middletown campus. I mean a 30 is a little high, don't you think? That could get you some interviews at some allo schools if you play your cards right.
 
sshidid said:
What is a competitive MCAT in your opinion to meet Touro standards haha? I went to an informational session at ym undergrad where the admissions people said their avg MCAT is a 30(~508 New MCAT) at the Middletown campus. I mean a 30 is a little high, don't you think? That could get you some interviews at some allo schools if you play your cards right.
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That's probably about right for DO. I would not apply in the new cycle with the old MCAT exam - it would make you less likely to get admitted.
 
sshidid said:
What is a competitive MCAT in your opinion to meet Touro standards haha? I went to an informational session at ym undergrad where the admissions people said their avg MCAT is a 30(~508 New MCAT) at the Middletown campus. I mean a 30 is a little high, don't you think? That could get you some interviews at some allo schools if you play your cards right.
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Yeah as close to 508 as possible is what Touro is looking for. I didn't get that high of a score and still got some allo attention. I agree with laser, from what I've seen a lot of schools prefer the new MCAT to the old.
 
I've just been accepted!
 
The thread is very inactive. Could it be that a lot of people didn't apply this cycle? It was very active the previous years
 
Yeah, it was over the phone. It was pretty chill, but you just have to be prepared to answer for any bad grades you may have and what you've done to prevent that kinda stuff in the future.
 
Mine was a phone interview that was basically scheduled 2 days after they contacted me. They also gave me the option to interview on campus, but I wasn't able because I was tied up in my internship with such short notice. So in my phone interview, they asked me why I declined the invite to campus.My GPA is pretty high and my MCAT decent, so the questions revolved more so around why I didn't apply to medical school right away and if I am aware that this Masters Program could potentially hurt me. One question I found interesting was how I would react to a down curve on an exam knowing there are limited spots to transition from MS to DO directly and I was like uhhh......... I totally understand.
 
sshidid said:
Mine was a phone interview that was basically scheduled 2 days after they contacted me. They also gave me the option to interview on campus, but I wasn't able because I was tied up in my internship with such short notice. So in my phone interview, they asked me why I declined the invite to campus.My GPA is pretty high and my MCAT decent, so the questions revolved more so around why I didn't apply to medical school right away and if I am aware that this Masters Program could potentially hurt me. One question I found interesting was how I would react to a down curve on an exam knowing there are limited spots to transition from MS to DO directly and I was like uhhh......... I totally understand.
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Why not apply directly though?
 
TimeTraveller said:
Why not apply directly though?
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I will apply directly through AACOMAS come May. I am applying to several medical schools in the 2017 cycle, while I do the MS program as a hopeful back up to help me get into Touro. The reason I didn't apply last cycle was because I would've applied late. One of the docs who promised me a lettter of reference did not write it at all, so my committee wouldn't grant me a letter.
 
sshidid said:
I will apply directly through AACOMAS come May. I am applying to several medical schools in the 2017 cycle, while I do the MS program as a hopeful back up to help me get into Touro. The reason I didn't apply last cycle was because I would've applied late. One of the docs who promised me a lettter of reference did not write it at all, so my committee wouldn't grant me a letter.
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Okay that makes sense. Good luck with everything
 
sshidid said:
Mine was a phone interview that was basically scheduled 2 days after they contacted me. They also gave me the option to interview on campus, but I wasn't able because I was tied up in my internship with such short notice. So in my phone interview, they asked me why I declined the invite to campus.My GPA is pretty high and my MCAT decent, so the questions revolved more so around why I didn't apply to medical school right away and if I am aware that this Masters Program could potentially hurt me. One question I found interesting was how I would react to a down curve on an exam knowing there are limited spots to transition from MS to DO directly and I was like uhhh......... I totally understand.
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There are quite a few people in your same position with high GPAs and decent MCATs who are struggling in this program. It is good that your interviewer was realistic with you. THere is a rumor that this upcoming year, they will not be selecting students into the DO program based on GPA but rather rank in the class. It is going to get competitive! Also keep in mind that some of the schools you may potentially interview at won't hold an interview until Spring and by that time you'll have Fall grades from the master's. They might want to see your fall grades and if you aren't doing well, that could hurt your chances at other schools. Something to keep in mind.
 
laserjet550 said:
There are quite a few people in your same position with high GPAs and decent MCATs who are struggling in this program. It is good that your interviewer was realistic with you. THere is a rumor that this upcoming year, they will not be selecting students into the DO program based on GPA but rather rank in the class. It is going to get competitive! Also keep in mind that some of the schools you may potentially interview at won't hold an interview until Spring and by that time you'll have Fall grades from the master's. They might want to see your fall grades and if you aren't doing well, that could hurt your chances at other schools. Something to keep in mind.
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Hmmm that's interesting you say this. When I spoke to admissions at Touro, they told me the incoming MS avgs hover around 3.3 GPA, 496 MCAT and there are a couple of students accepted with the bare minimum that Touro asks, which is even lower than this.... I personally thought that I might have the upper hand. Are you doing the MS program this year(2016-2017)? Is it as cut throat as it was last year? What has your experiences been?
 
sshidid said:
Hmmm that's interesting you say this. When I spoke to admissions at Touro, they told me the incoming MS avgs hover around 3.3 GPA, 496 MCAT and there are a couple of students accepted with the bare minimum that Touro asks, which is even lower than this.... I personally thought that I might have the upper hand. Are you doing the MS program this year(2016-2017)? Is it as cut throat as it was last year? What has your experiences been?
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Hmm that's interesting. Everyone I know has at least a 3.5 and even higher and MCATs that are at 26 and up. Like I said, some people who interviewed at Touro are referred to this program. There might be a few students with really low stats but that is it..a few..
 
The funny thing about this program is that you actually never know who you compete with. I for instance went to SGU and withdraw after 2 semesters so I have literally taken all the classes the masters will be offering. While people will be studying it for the first time, i will be just reviewing the material. I dont think I would make it into the DO class if I was going to see the material for the first time.
 
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