TUCOM and other general questions..please..thanks

[mizzoudude]

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Hey all,
I know I will be accused of not searching the old threads for answers, but I tried my best to look for them. I am a graduating senior (May '05) and am looking to becoming a doctor. To be honest, I don't care if I am an MD or a DO. I am just wondering what my chances are of getting into TUCOM in California. I live in Missouri (University oF Missouri-Columbia) and want to move somewhere where it is warm. I took the MCAT and got a 27...my GPA is a 3.29.
So what are the chances that I would get into TUCOM? I have worked in a hospital for a long time (as a house orderly and a neurodiagnostic tech.) and will be certified as a polysomnography tech by july. I have strong EC's and volunteer work. I am just very motivated to become a Doc and treat patients. It gives me extreme pleasure to do what a physician does...and the osteopathy philosophy is extremely attractive.
To those who are applying and those who have been accepted to TUCOM-CA, I was wondering if you would share your stats. Also would you tell me how the teaching is at the school? By 4 years, do you think you will be a knowledgable doc (considering that you haven't done residency yet).
Also, I am wondering about the docs doing osteopathy. Really, do they have a hard time getting into specialities other than general practice? I am not sure what speciality I want to get into, but what if something like surgery is what interests me after 4 years of DO school? Considering I do well on boards, classes, etc. will I have a good chance of getting a good surgery residency (or any other residency other than general med?)
Thank you so much everyone...please keep this board going as it is extremely helpful.

 

[calichik]

I think you have a good chance of getting into TUCOM. When are you planning on applying btw? You sound very passionate about becoming a
doctor and that will show through your application, LORs, and interview. 🙂

 

[MasterShakeDO]

Hey mizzou, your stats and experience give you a good shot since they're on par with the school's averages. So tell me, why are you targeting Touro? If you're certain, you should apply early which gives you the best shot. But I'm confident you'll get in somewhere and make a great doc someday.

 

[mizzoudude]

I am moving to California this summer with my friends...much easier to move with people you know to a new state than to do it alone. I plan to work for a year, as I will be certified in Polysomnography (fairly easy to get a job). I have some debt I need to pay back which will be taken care of in that year, cultural things I have to discuss with my parents will be taken care of, relationships, I may take some undergrad science classes (to get a better background and to get some letters of rec), and also plan to shadow many DOs, as I have never done that. Then I plan to apply I suppose in 2006, and hopefully enter 2007.
I plan to target TUCOM as it is in Cali with good weather. It is hard for me to study in the cold...I think I may have SAD (seasonal affective disorder)....I just hate the cold weather. I love the beach, the sun, the liberal people of Cali. And I also like the program...or the stuff I have heard/read about it. That is why I was wondering if more would post about the program.
Thanks again guys...for giving me advice, support, and confidence that I have a decent chance of getting in.
Thanks again.

 

[dignan]

I got in with a 3.1 and 30. TUCOM was the only school that took me. This was surprising because the acceptance rate at Touro is only around 4% (180 accepted out of about 4000 applicants), a lot lower than UNECOM or NYCOM, which didn't even offer me interviews. Needless to say, I'm confused.
I have a suspicion that Touro is more numbers-oriented than the rest of the osteo schools. This kinda makes sense -- they are in the bay area, so they can afford to be slightly picky. They're new, and they need to develop a reputation, so they create their own little niche: taking people with good numbers that fell through the cracks for whatever reason at other schools. This way, their raw numbers look good for future applicants and they eventually get better and better students, and therefore reputation.
This is 90% me talking out of my ass and 10% actual observation.
Anyway, 3.3 and 27 gives you a good chance. Especially if you apply as early as possible.

 

[aphasia]

I got into TUCOM with a 3.2 and a 30.
Similar to the above poster. I think you have a good chance. The avg MCAT for TUCOM was 26 last year...I think.
I'd say go for it.
I am surprised that I made it, too. I also got into LECOM, but I don't think I could handle Erie. I've gotten so used to the sunny days out here. 🙂

I agree that it helps to be somewhere where you like the weather....even though it may seem like something that's not that important at first.

Good Luck!

 

[MasterShakeDO]

To those who are applying and those who have been accepted to TUCOM-CA, I was wondering if you would share your stats. Also would you tell me how the teaching is at the school? By 4 years, do you think you will be a knowledgable doc (considering that you haven't done residency yet).
Also, I am wondering about the docs doing osteopathy. Really, do they have a hard time getting into specialities other than general practice? I am not sure what speciality I want to get into, but what if something like surgery is what interests me after 4 years of DO school? Considering I do well on boards, classes, etc. will I have a good chance of getting a good surgery residency (or any other residency other than general med?)

Alright, now that we've made you feel all warm and fuzzy I'll try to answer some of your questions. Me: 2.9GPA 32 MCAT. I targeted Touro too out of the DO schools because of the high incoming stats and the area. The dean of admissions makes no secret that in a survey of incoming MS1ers the number 1 reason for coming to Touro was location. From what I know of the teaching by sitting in classes and talking with my gf (who is an MS1 there), the professors give you more personal attention than almost anywhere else. There was an instructor for every 5 tables at OMM! And in anatomy, they're more than happy to spend as much time with you as you need to get it down. Sunny CA doesn't only attract students, you know? These are profs that could teach anywhere else, but they chose CA, and did you know there are only 4 med schools in the Bay Area?
So you will be taught well. Search for the thread that talks about rotations, cause those people have much better knowledge about that then I do.
As for surgery, I'm not going to sugar coat it. You need to ace your boards. You can get still attractive residencies if you aren't top 5 in EM, IM (then subspecialize), etc... Touro has an extremely high 1st choice match rate and competitive match list. I think there is a thread that has a link to the actual 2004 list. Hope this helps.

 

[dignan]

can get still attractive residencies if you aren't top 5 in EM, IM (then subspecialize), etc...

What do you mean by this?

 

[aphasia]

can get still attractive residencies if you aren't top 5 in EM, IM (then subspecialize), etc...

What do you mean by this?

I think he means that you can likely still get a good residency at this school without having to be one of the best students in your class. You can always do an IM or other residency and specialize...
hehe

 

[deejayshakur]

.

 

[TwoLegacies]

hey--

just wanted to warn you that the bay area is not the sunniest part of CA! definitely warmer than missouri, though. but i don't want you to be disappointed when you find that it's overcast pretty often, at least in my experience... feel free to contradict me, guys.

that being said, i am in love with the bay area and would recommend it to anyone! 😍

western/COMP is in a sunnier/warmer area of CA. i don't know much about either school, but i think western has higher average stats. unfortunately i can't say pomona is a particularly cool place to live.

 

[mizzoudude]

It has been a crazy time with med school apps and such. But with your guys' help, it gives me a lot more confidence and also helps me with questions about D.O. status and what that means, etc. I have also been doing my own.

One person on the board suggested that it wasn't the sunniest place to be (may be overcast on somedays)...hahaha...I don't mind a little bit of overcast AT ALL. Here in Missouri it gets down to about 10 degrees and snow blasting in your face....that isn't the most conducive weather for me to study. There are many that have gotten 4.0 in their undergrad studies, but I can't do it in this weather. It pisses me off....makes me laugh that I am so picky.

Thanks for all your stats. I feel that I may be a competitive applicant. I was wondering, since I am taking a year off to work and such...and I know on the D.O. school application (AACOMS?) that if you retake a class, it replaces the grade and your GPA is boosted..is that right? So as I am working that year, should I retake a couple of classes that I did bad in...not only to boost my GPA, but to get a better science background? Also with the 27 on the MCAT...perhaps I should retake that and try to boost it to a 30 or so. What do you guys think? I am ready to work hard and achieve my goal of becoming a physician. Thanks for all your help.

 

[TwoLegacies]

It has been a crazy time with med school apps and such. But with your guys' help, it gives me a lot more confidence and also helps me with questions about D.O. status and what that means, etc. I have also been doing my own.

One person on the board suggested that it wasn't the sunniest place to be (may be overcast on somedays)...hahaha...I don't mind a little bit of overcast AT ALL. Here in Missouri it gets down to about 10 degrees and snow blasting in your face....that isn't the most conducive weather for me to study. There are many that have gotten 4.0 in their undergrad studies, but I can't do it in this weather. It pisses me off....makes me laugh that I am so picky.

Thanks for all your stats. I feel that I may be a competitive applicant. I was wondering, since I am taking a year off to work and such...and I know on the D.O. school application (AACOMS?) that if you retake a class, it replaces the grade and your GPA is boosted..is that right? So as I am working that year, should I retake a couple of classes that I did bad in...not only to boost my GPA, but to get a better science background? Also with the 27 on the MCAT...perhaps I should retake that and try to boost it to a 30 or so. What do you guys think? I am ready to work hard and achieve my goal of becoming a physician. Thanks for all your help.

yeah, SF is overcast but there will be no snow blasting in your face.

a 27 is pretty competitive, IMO. I think that was the average for last year's matriculants to TUCOM. taking classes is a good idea, just make sure you do well in them! i think anything you do in the coming year that shows you are dedicated is a plus. genetics, biochem, microbiology are generally good to take if you are looking for more science classes.
just don't overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything at once, esp since you'll be moving to a new state.

 

[heech]

San Francisco can often be foggy/overcast (especially in the summer/fall)... but Mare Island/Vallejo *definitely* is not part of that weather pattern. Mare Island/Vallejo has pretty much the same weather as the East Bay, which IMO is amongst the best in the country.

In the winter time (ie, December-January), it'll be overcast more often than not. But the rest of the year, you'll get almost uninterrupted sunshine and gorgeous blue skies. The summers are very mild, probably no higher than a dry 80-85 degrees. It really is a great place geographically (as long as Vallejo, the city, doesn't bother you).

 

[MasterShakeDO]

feel free to contradict me, guys.

OK, I'll take that invitation 😀
Western definitely doesn't have the higher stats. In this year's Princeton Review book of medical schools, Touro had the highest listed avg MCAT of all osteopathic schools. Well honestly I didn't add up all the subsections but it was the only one to average over a 9.0 in both sciences. But I'd bet that it was top 3 if not number 1.
Pomona or Vallejo, pick your poison. My girlfriend just told me it's 79 degrees and gorgeous right now. I'll take a refuge from all this winter snow and overbearing 90 degree, 90% humidity summers here in Philly.

 

[TwoLegacies]

San Francisco can often be foggy/overcast (especially in the summer/fall)... but Mare Island/Vallejo *definitely* is not part of that weather pattern. Mare Island/Vallejo has pretty much the same weather as the East Bay, which IMO is amongst the best in the country.

In the winter time (ie, December-January), it'll be overcast more often than not. But the rest of the year, you'll get almost uninterrupted sunshine and gorgeous blue skies. The summers are very mild, probably no higher than a dry 80-85 degrees. It really is a great place geographically (as long as Vallejo, the city, doesn't bother you).

i stand corrected.

 

[TwoLegacies]

OK, I'll take that invitation 😀
Western definitely doesn't have the higher stats. In this year's Princeton Review book of medical schools, Touro had the highest listed avg MCAT of all osteopathic schools. Well honestly I didn't add up all the subsections but it was the only one to average over a 9.0 in both sciences. But I'd bet that it was top 3 if not number 1.

from their respective websites:

Averages: science gpa/overall/total MCAT
Touro averages: 3.3/3.4/26
Western: 3.4/3.48/27

This is for last year's class, and obviously doesn't have a breakdown of MCAT scores, so maybe TUCOM's science averages are higher, and Western's verbal averages are higher?

At any rate, I guess Western has slightly higher numbers, but it's not all that significant. For some reason I was thinking there was a bigger difference. Don't know what I was smoking this morning. 😀