Hi! I also would read SDN and feel very disheartened about newer schools, Touro schools, WHICH school I would get into and which should attend....NONE of that even matters! If you are going the DO route, there are a lot of newer schools and Touro has built a solid reputation with its other 2 schools. I learned more about DO Programs AFTER I graduated from UPenn and went to the Drexel Masters program. I was early accepted to Touro NV the year before I was accepted to Touro NY. In very late July, I had to decide a few days before class when NY took me off the waiting list and it was VERY intense ($ issues, housing, fear...). I also interviewed at PCOM, and b/c that was my top choice, my nerves were very very bad during the interview. At the Touro schools, I just took control of the interviews and pretended that I was a happy person. In actuality, I was miserable while completing my MBS at Drexel U COM. I was also miserable when I was unemployed last year and applying to other DO programs on the east coast like PCOM and Touro NY. My point is: prepare for the interview: know your resume,think of something solid to discuss academically and experience-wise, know the 4 tenets of Osteopathic Medicine and just mention in very little detail about how you think Osteopathic Manipulitive Medicine is great for lymphatice flow, circulation, and musculoskeletal dysfuntions....and then just take control! ALso,I had a lot of teaching and clinical experiences in underserved areas. Talk about what YOU will contribute to the school and the field! It is not a pressure cooker, you just need to be sincere and act happy. Acting happy has actually made me happy to be here, b/c everyone is friendly and helpful. My housing situation was non existent for August but there are hostels nearby (safe, surprisingly) and I still got through it and got good grades.
I chose Touro b/c:
1) rotations in NYC and NJ, AND they will be set by the time I am 3rd year. Ask the admissions for a current list.
2)I want to do my residency here in General Pediatrics
3) I took medical school courses at Drexel, so even if profs aren't my favorite, I can teach myself the material and I have the textbooks (buy them!) and powerpoints
4) I specifically chose this school b/c all the lectures are videostreamed and I can rewatch them at my own pace. EXTREMELY helpful for biochemistry and anatomy, etc. I am auditory and visual learner. I listen, read, read out loud, draw out pathways on my own.
5) I want to be somewhat happy about where I live and invest my time. I did not see myself wanting to serve Henderson NV or getting placed in that area for rotations.
6) Also the other Touro Schools have good match lists in specialties, so I know that I am not limited depending on board scores.
7) I am so ready to do this!!!!!!!!
8) Also, They have study rooms and even though the space is limited, this is a common theme in a lot of the DO schools where I interviewed. None of them were on a bigger university campus.
9) 1st years have 2 or 3 exams every Monday, so I know that I will not crash b/c there is not a giant block week here.
10) 2nd year has one day of block exams every 3 weeks (every class almost) so that will be VERY hard but I will build better study skills this year and next year.
What I've learned so far:
I read on my own and many students study other things during lectures. I think attendance is required so that there is not an empty school building everyday and we have a community here. I sort of hang around the room to see when I should be there.
I am in the building SO much that I dont even care about the potentially distracting surroundings, and cabs are cheap if you live nearby and want to commute safely late at night. 110th and Broadway and down is nice I think and a lot of people seek roommates on Craig's List.
