TOUROCOM NY Discussion Thread 2011-2012
- Thread starter ShyRem
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Thanks for chiming in on the elusive question if secondary = interview this year. Now, I'll have to really think about whether or not I want to fork over the sup. app fee...
Congrats! Btw, where are you from? Just trying to gage when they sent the letters out?
Interviewed 10/5 and still waiting...
Connecticut, but I'm at school so my parents opened it and said all that was there was the letter. Yet the letter said 'enclosed is the form you need to sign and send back with your deposit' ...so more proof that they're not very organized
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congrats +1
You should get an e-mail. Last year I got a phone call and an e-mail with the required forms and how to make the deposit. Lol I didn't get my "official acceptance letter" until about March and I was accepted in October. If you don't hear anything by Friday afternoon, call on Monday.
Like was said before, we've switched DOAs and the admin office is a pain in the ass to deal with. BUT, the academic half of the school is completely the opposite. Please don't get the wrong impression based on them!
Oh and if anyone is interviewing next Thursday, I'll be one of your guides. Look forward to meeting you 🙂
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and I'll be her partner in crime. I will give $1 to any male that wears a pink tie. Do it.
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Interview invite December 14th!!!
You should have received the deposit form with the acceptance letter as well. I would call them because it seems like they forgot to put it in the envelope.
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+1 see you on the 29th!
10/6
Congrats...That is so early. I interviewed on 10/26 and still haven't heard anything from them yet.
Has this school chosen to only inform people accepted of their decision, and disregard everyone else? They only sent letters to people that were accepted. They don't respond to emails or phone calls. I know most schools that reject post-secondary wait until the spring to contact you, but I find it odd they wouldn't send out decisions to EVERYONE that interviewed. It's like you're left to assume you've been rejected.
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I also interviewed on the 25th and got accepted on Nov 8th
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Interviewing here 1/19! Can anyone provide some tips for interview day? What was it like? What kind of questions did you get? Thanks 🙂
Hi all, question for the current students: can you provide your thoughts on the transition to the iTunesU lectures? Do you like watching lectures before class and doing the clicker questions in class? I thought this was a really good model when I heard about it, but I want to know how it's playing out in reality. Appreciate your help!
It's nice in theory....they'll be changing the setup from this year, but for right now this is how it is:
ALL physio and OMM lectures are on iTunesU
Some Embryo and Biochem lectures are on iTunesU.
We meet once a week for an hour for clicker sessions for physio and OMM. We do 5 clicker questions in an hour, and this replaces the "normal" class time. Biochem is team taught, and they split the total lectures in 1/3's, so the one prof did all iTunesU lectures for our 2nd exam, so we had the weekly sessions.
Sounds great right? Well unfortunately with the way that it is set up, it ends up being more work and not less. So physio is on T or W, OMM is R, and biochem was at random times. They split the class into 1/3's depending on your last name, and then that's when your session will be.
For example, I have: Physio and biochem on T, and everyone has OMM on R. Doesn't seem too bad? Well, you're watching 3!!! lectures for physio and biochem to make up for the lectures THAT WEEK. So for every 1 hour session, you have 3 hours of videos to watch. (OMM is always an hour lecture or less so not bad).
I know the goal was to lessen the amount of time we were in class, and give us more time to study etc, but with the way that they have it set up with the clicker sessions spread out through the week, it's not working. [Edit] Forgot to add this...so we are in class 8-5 TWR, 8-1ish F, and 2 or 3 hour exam on Mondays so thats what....32 hours of class plus the exam. Now add in the out of school lectures: at the beginning of the year physio (3), embryo (1-3), OMM (1) so that's an additional 5-8h, and then for the 2nd biochem exam add in another (3) for their lectures so that's an additional 8-11 hours a week you have to watch videos. I know you're thinking "well I'm only in class 32..." trust me, there's barely enough time to watch all of the videos (and sometimes I don't). It's hard with having an exam every Monday because no matter how hard you try not to, you WILL be exam chasing.
ANYWAYS....The pre-clinical dean (Lenihan) says that this is going to be fixed next year and that there will be one day designated for clicker sessions. Also, since this is the first year they're doing it, they're still recording the lectures so sometimes for my T physio session, the lectures aren't up until Sunday night/Monday afternoon. And for those of you who know our class schedule, you know that we have exams every Monday. So no one is watching them on Sunday night. But, again that should be fixed for ya'll next year; especially since they'll already have been recorded.
BUT, this is my opinion. I like the live lectures because then you can interact with the professor, and they can tell that they're not getting through to us when they look out and see blank faces. Unfortunately with the videos, if you don't understand something from watching the video/reading the book, you don't have a chance to get that clarification from the professor before going in and answering the clicker questions.
It's only the first semester of them using this also, so it may get better next semester. We'll have to wait and see though.
What I can tell you for sure is that you'll all be SCREWED if he has the anatomy department record their lectures. As you know, anatomy carries the most weight your first semester of medical school, and it's so easy to get behind on watching the videos....and the professor that we have is amazing live. It would really be a disservice to you, and I know that that's something that the admin is pushing for, but that the department is resisting.
Overall, I don't like it. I don't think 5 questions can possibly begin to cover the amount of material in the videos. But I guess we'll have to wait and see how we do on boards. Because as of now we're all kicking ass on the exams...so maybe it is working?
Hope this answers your question 🙂
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Wow, thanks, that was very helpful! So it seems like next year we would only need to be in class one day per week for the clicker sessions, which would free up 2-3 days for lecture watching, is that right? Also, in the clicker sessions, is there time to ask the professors about anything you didn't understand in the lecture, or is all of the time focused on discussing the 5 questions? Good to hear that it's working so far on the exams. What was the last class's pass rate for COMLEX? I thought I heard 97%. Thanks again!
Yes, they're working to make it so that you'll have clicker sessions one day per week, freeing up much more time than we had to watch them! Which would've been awesome...but hey, they're trying right? As for discussion, it really depends. The format is this: put the question up, initial vote 1min, discuss with classmates (no prof input) 2-3mins, revote 30s, display answer and discuss. Usually the prof has a little blerb to discuss after the question, and if a majority of the class got it wrong, will go into further detail. As for specific help with topics that aren't related to the questions asked, they're usually available after the sessions or they'll see you in their office.
As for going to their office, they're generally there and I've never had an issue just dropping by. Lol our biochem prof is this little old lady and before our last exam, when she finished her review she asked if there were any questions- no hands went up, so she says "well I guess you all understand it then...it's not like there's a huge lineup out my office door!" They're really open and willing to help, so if it's not addressed in class they're more than happy to meet with you one on one.
COMLEX...I have no idea actually. They don't talk about it too much because they say our (first year) focus now is to do well in classes blah blah blah but I feel like I've heard through the grapevine that we have to take a practice and do so well on that before they let us sign up for the real thing? Maybe SML67/DocEspana/LesBois88 could comment further on that.
I believe the class of 2013 has either one or two individuals who are academically attempting to progress but have not passed the COMLEX. So I suppose that would be somewhere in the high 90's for a percentile.
I like the iTunes lectures, SOMETIMES. It really depends on the lecturer, just like in a standard class. I'm a second year and I've even taken some time to go back and watch the first year physiology videos with Dr. Fischer because they are THAT good.
I like the iTunes lectures, SOMETIMES. It really depends on the lecturer, just like in a standard class. I'm a second year and I've even taken some time to go back and watch the first year physiology videos with Dr. Fischer because they are THAT good.
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Thanks for all of the info!!!! Have to ask, are you able to listen to the lectures at 2x speed? In understand I'll most likely have to rewind a bunch to listen to certain things more than once, but it'd also be cool to 2x speed through other parts
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the comlex pass rate was 97%. You sign up for the comlex in december/january of your second year (if i remember correctly)
The school administers a COMSAE in the beginning of May of your second year. This is mainly just for you so you know where you stand (saves you $75 from having to buy it yourself). The school will not stop you from taking the comlex if you failed the COMSAE. The COMSAE is helpful because you then have about 7-8 weeks to get your act together and step it up if you did poorly on it. Those who failed it miserably may then consider moving around their rotations so they have july off for extra study time. I did about 200 points better on the real exam (6-7 weeks later) than on my comsae given by the school.
The school administers a COMSAE in the beginning of May of your second year. This is mainly just for you so you know where you stand (saves you $75 from having to buy it yourself). The school will not stop you from taking the comlex if you failed the COMSAE. The COMSAE is helpful because you then have about 7-8 weeks to get your act together and step it up if you did poorly on it. Those who failed it miserably may then consider moving around their rotations so they have july off for extra study time. I did about 200 points better on the real exam (6-7 weeks later) than on my comsae given by the school.
Well on Mac, you have to download this program called VLC player because iTunes does not allow you to play at 2x.VLC allows normal 1.5, 2x and up playing whereas quicktime only allows normal, 2, and 4x. Also with VLC you can modify the increments that it jumps up at, ie 0.25 instead of 0.5. I believe that Windows Media Player also allows for faster playing, but I don't know since I don't have one.
Lol and trust me....you wil be playing it fast because some of the profs just talk that SLOW.
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Hey all, I received my acceptance letter on Nov 11. After having been rejected from several schools pre-interview and waitlisted from two schools post-interview, I can't describe in words how much this acceptance means to me. I just wanted to thank all the wonderful people I met in this thread for their advice and support, and genuinely wish everyone the best of luck.
Also, I'm pretty sure that there are applicants with low mcat verbal scores out there. Don't lose hope and keep fighting your battle, because there are schools (like touro) that see your potentials rather than mere numbers. I personally had a 6 in verbal not because I lacked comprehension abilities, but because I moved to the states from an East Asian country less than 5 years ago, and my reading speed was just a little slower than that of others. I think that if you can explain to the interviewers (or through application) that you are ready to take on the med school work load, they will be generous enough to understand.
Finally, please feel free to message me if you want to know how the interview day was like...I'm willing to help out as much as how much I have been helped.
Also, I'm pretty sure that there are applicants with low mcat verbal scores out there. Don't lose hope and keep fighting your battle, because there are schools (like touro) that see your potentials rather than mere numbers. I personally had a 6 in verbal not because I lacked comprehension abilities, but because I moved to the states from an East Asian country less than 5 years ago, and my reading speed was just a little slower than that of others. I think that if you can explain to the interviewers (or through application) that you are ready to take on the med school work load, they will be generous enough to understand.
Finally, please feel free to message me if you want to know how the interview day was like...I'm willing to help out as much as how much I have been helped.
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Congrats!!! When was your interview date?
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Congrats! The same thing happened to me last year with rejections pre-interview, and Touro was my only interview/acceptance. We'll be glad to have you next year!
Congrats! I admire your success. Stats aren't everything. Touro-NY continues to leave me confused and discouraged. How do they send out acceptances to people that interviewed two weeks ago, why others that interviewed nearly 6 weeks ago don't know their status, left to assume they've been rejected.
Accepted! Interviewed 10/25, letter dated 11/8, and i received the letter today, 11/12 (i live in california).
I was so set on PCOM, but after thoroughly reading posts here, now i don't know what to do, even despite lackluster performance by the admission dept (my letter also doesn't have a response form..)! ahhhh!!
I was so set on PCOM, but after thoroughly reading posts here, now i don't know what to do, even despite lackluster performance by the admission dept (my letter also doesn't have a response form..)! ahhhh!!
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how many seats do you guys think have already been filled? ill set the over under at 63%.....
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Hmm, disheartening since I didn't receive a secondary until 11/9, which I've completed will be delivered 11/14. This is one of my top choices.
In all serious, anyone have a good guess at the % filled and total seats? Thanks!
Definitely not 63%. You'll be fine. There are tons of people in my class who didn't interview until spring and still got accepted. We have only interviewed what like 8 groups tops? You'll be fine!
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I would think at most 40-50% of the class acceptances have been handed out. Don't be discouraged because I'm assuming 35 of the 135 spots are blocked off for master's students...so that is 26% right there. Of the remaining 14-24% of acceptances handed out, not everyone will accept. By the end of december I would say ~100 seats will be spoken for. Each year the class gets filled earlier and less people use it as a back up; this also means less people get pulled off of the waitlist.
Do they reject people post-interview, or is it simply accepted or wait-listed?
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Thanks for the reply. I ended up rationalizing that I would be fine (and that these forums just both create and alleviate stress, haha).
I remember the student affair person saying that it's either accepted or wait-listed. He also pointed out that wait-lists are classified into high (being good chance of getting pulled off), medium, and low. I'm not sure how the applicants can find out where in the three groups they stand, but most if not all high wait-listed applicants are pulled off by the end of the cycle (at least that's what the student affair person told us at the interview day).
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Has anyone been rejected post-secondary here yet? Havent heard much on this topic.
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Last year the High wait list group was about 180 people and I think they pulled off 30 -- there is an initial drop because some get in elsewhere and drop there wait list spot.
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I don't remember if they reject people post interview, they may. But if you get medium-waitlisted or low-waitlisted, it's as good as a rejection. It's odd that you interviewed a while ago and still have not heard back. have you tried contacting the school? If you are from NY I would just go there because getting back to people doesnt seem to be a strong point of the new DOA. If you find out you are not accepted or waitlisted you can ask him what the weaknesses of your application were and what you can do to improve your chances of getting pulled off of the waitlist.
Also most people get pulled off of the high waitlist but not because they have been accepted to touro but because people drop off due to being accepted elsewhere, etc. so they move up in waitlist ranking. The questions you should try to find the answer to is how many people were offered acceptances off of the waitlist and how many people off of the waitlist are in the class of 2015.
Also most people get pulled off of the high waitlist but not because they have been accepted to touro but because people drop off due to being accepted elsewhere, etc. so they move up in waitlist ranking. The questions you should try to find the answer to is how many people were offered acceptances off of the waitlist and how many people off of the waitlist are in the class of 2015.
I was able to get a hold of the DOA on the phone and I asked him about how people that interviewed 3 weeks after me were informed of their acceptance. His only response was that there were a lot of holidays last month and the deans were gone for conventions and I should here something in the next two weeks. Now it just seems like he was only trying to get me off the phone. Obviously, it makes very little sense that some people that I interviewed with on 10/5 would find out exactly 3 weeks later, other people that interviewed 10/25 & 10/26 would find out exactly 2 weeks later. Yet as we approach 6 weeks, I'm still waiting simply b/c of holidays last month. There are others in my situation from that first week of interviews. No rejection letters, no wait listed letters. Just stuck in limbo.
I'd love to go to Touro, but the feeling does not appear to be mutual at this point.
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Maybe you can try a different tactic and tell them you are concerned the letter was lost in the mail and could they check your file and tell you what day they mailed your letter on? Perhaps it did get lost in the mail and then this way you can ask them to send you a copy of the original letter and if they never sent one out at least then hopefully they can tell you that as well.
Interviewed on 10/6 and finally got my acceptance on 11/11/11 🙂
Congrats!... where are you from?
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