Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine - California Individual responses

⭐ Overall Impressions ▼

How did the interview impress you?

Positively

What was the stress level of the interview?

8 out of 10

How you think you did?

7 out of 10

How do you rank this school among ALL other schools?

5 out of 10

How do you rank this school among other schools to which you've applied?

5 out of 10

💬 Interview Questions ▼

What is one of the specific questions they asked you?

No responses

What was the most interesting question?

No responses

What was the most difficult question?

No responses

🤝 Interview Format and Logistics ▼

How long was the interview?

60+ minutes

How many people interviewed you?

3

What was the style of the interview?

In a group

What type of interview was it?

Open file

Was this interview in-person or virtual?

No responses

Where did the interview take place?

At the school

📍 On-Site Experience ▼

Who was the tour given by?

Student

How did the tour guide seem?

Enthusiastic

How do you rank the facilities?

4 out of 10

What is your in-state status?

In state

What were your total hours spent traveling?

0-1 hour

What was your primary mode of travel?

Automobile

About how much did you spend on room, food, and travel?

< $100

What airport did you fly into?

No responses

Where did you stay?

No responses

What is the name of the hotel you stayed in?

No responses

How would you rate the hotel?

No responses

Would you recommend the hotel?

No responses

What is your ranking of this school's location?

3 out of 10

What is your ranking of this area's cultural life?

1 out of 10

What are your comments on where you stayed?

No responses

✅ Interview Preparation and Impressions ▼

How is the friendliness of the admissions office?

10 out of 10

How is the responsiveness of the admissions office?

10 out of 10

How did you prepare for the interview?

Obviously here on the forum, and I found this book quite helpful: The Medical School Interview: Secrets and a System for Success http://www.amazon.com/Medical-School-Interview-Secrets-Success/dp/0977955907

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What impressed you positively?

Dr. Haight's assurances were quite comforting, as was the friendly demeanor of all the students we spoke with. The community spirit impressed me as a strong asset of the school. I also got the impression that they are, as a professional school, quite competent at producing quality clinicians, which counts, obviously, for quite a lot. On the other hand, this is not a research institution, there is no associated hospital, and it didn't appear that many faculty were full-time, as has historically been the case at most all D.O. schools. There are trade-off's at any school, so just know what you want and what you're getting into.

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What impressed you negatively?

I understand the rationale behind why they interview this way now, but I still personally believe that it's not the best way to get to know an applicant. Then again, the personal interview has repeatedly been shown in research to be a miserable indicator of future performance, so who knows, maybe they're onto something!? At any rate, it's not a terribly pleasant experience.

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What did you wish you had known ahead of time?

There were 5 applicants in a conference room and 3 interviewers, 2 faculty, and 1 second-year student. They take turns and then each ask one or two questions to each applicant in turn that are generally based on your file. It seemed that what you said was not nearly as important as the manner in which you responded. We were told directly prior to the interview that it was our subjective poise that was being evaluated, not objective attributes of our applicant file. Really, I think the key is just to be confident and composed, and not get psyched out by the group panel format. This is, of course, sometimes easier said than done! It's also worth noting, and adds something of a twist to the whole affair, that many of the admissions and interview faculty avidly follow the SDN forums, so hello TUCOM adcom folks!

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What are your general comments?

Having previously read some of the horror stories here on SDN about the interview format, I have to say that I was (sort of) pleasantly surprised by the overall experience. Yes, it was stressful and awkward in the panel interview, but it was somewhat comforting to have the knowledge that this was intentional, and more of a test to simulate the pressures of presenting a patient on rounds. It was also good to hear Dr. Haight's assurances that the interviewers consciously use a "good cop, bad cop" approach. This was very obvious once you knew what to look for, and I actually felt very bad for some of the students on the panel that were clearly not able to handle the pressure gracefully. Overall, don't worry about it too much, just know who you are, listen to what Dr. Haight says before the interview, and hopefully it will turn out fine.

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What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

No responses

Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine - California

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