Hey, this forum is where you post your opinion, right? Your opinion cannot be wrong, since it is your own. It's all about finding the school that just feels best for YOU. That's why it's such a personal decision.
I have never felt that Touro feels old. I actually think everything in the school feels rather new. My only real complaint about the facilities is that there is no outdoor area where we can enjoy the sunshine and weather. I think it would be really nice to have somewhere that students can eat outside and enjoy the weather to get a break from being inside all day.
I also think that at least personally, I didn't really know what to look for when going on school tours. Now I see that the most important things to look at are the lecture hall, the OMM lab, and the anatomy lab since those are where you'll spend 99% of your time. I think the lecture hall is really nice and I like the set up of it. It's not really in a corner though, and is definitely not dark ... it's actually rather bright, unless the professor had turned off a few lights to see the screen better. I certainly wouldn't say that the facilities are the biggest drawing point of the school, of course. I also think it would be silly to base a large part of your decision on what the school looks like, since factors like the faculty, curriculum, rotation sites, match lists, and board scores are much more important to the quality of your education. I also rate location as being fairly important, since you will also be living where the school is.
As for the cost, I do believe that Touro is about the same as any other private DO school (and most of them are private). I know AZCOM is significantly more, and I think there are many others that are right around the same cost. I also don't think that a few thousand dollars difference in cost should factor into a decision. Now, if it's the difference between a public state school, that may be a ten thousand dollar per year difference, that's a different story.
Naturally, your entire "vibe" of the school when you're here is going to strongly influence your decision. And if you felt negatively about even just a few things, it's possible that your entire view of the school was affected. It is unfortunate that your interviewers did not seem prepared and that you were not pleased with the tour guide and tour. I think those matters should definitely be brought to the attention of the admissions office. When I interviewed here, my interviewers had definitely taken the time to read my file and they had prepared questions based upon it. I think it's fair to have expectations of the school you are interviewing at, since you've taken your time and money to be there. I also think it's important for applicants to arrive at any school prepared to investigate the factors that are important to their decision and to take the opportunity to ask the faculty and students good questions to aid in that decision.
I hope I don't seem defensive or offensive. I really don't care if you choose to go here or not. That's something for you to decide. But I did want to give my opinion on the matter.
