SDN Logo
 
 

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine - Harlem

New York, NY

Osteopathic Medical Schools | Private Non-Profit

📚 General Info

What graduating class are you in?

2018

Are you pursuing any joint degrees (MD/PhD, MD/MPH, etc.)?

No

Are you considered in-state or out-of-state for tuition purposes?

Not applicable

What is your race/ethnic background?

Caucasian

Overall, how would you rate this medical program?

10 out of 10

What is the reputation of the school in the medical community?

8 out of 10

What is the reputation of the research that goes on at this school?

7 out of 10

What was your MCAT score?

513

What was your undergrad GPA?

3.5

What was your undergrad science GPA?

3.5

What was the zip code of your residence in high school?

07648

What do you like most about this school?

The professors are truly amazing. They care for their students and it shows in their devotion to the curriculum. The quality of the education is top notch. The flipped classroom with lectures that are recorded gives you the ability to watch videos as many times as you would like and is an amazing resource even after classes are over for board prep.

What do you like least about this school?

The administration can be difficult. It is sometimes hard to make changes in certain aspects of the school such as clicker grading and the mandatory attendance policy. While we are not in class for many hours a day, it would be nice to be able to change the clicker policy, which has not yet happened. The administration can seem to be stuck in their ways, but I think that is possible with any school.

Please provide any other general comments on your school

The camaraderie between students is powerful. There is never a feeling of extreme competition between students as the grading is designed in a particular way to foster team learning. Notes are shared as are study practices between students of the same year as well as the years ahead. Students provide reviews for the year below which is extremely helpful.
Curriculum

How is the curriculum structured?

Systems-based

How many courses are taken at a given time?

7

How long are you typically in class per day?

2-3 hours

Are courses recorded for medical students?

Video recording

How many days per week is anatomy lab?

2

How many students per cadaver?

5-6

How long (in months) do you have anatomy?

12 months

Is the curriculum lecture-centric or small-group centric?

5 out of 10

Are standardized patients used?

yes

How much patient interaction is there in the pre-clinical years?

2 out of 10

Are syllabi provided for the student?

yes

How frequently do pre-clinical medical school activities have mandatory attendance?

All attendance is mandatory. However, class time is diminished due to the "flipped classroom" where class time is for practice question, and being able to watch lectures at home.

What books are necessary?

Most books are available online. Textbooks are not necessary by any means, but certain books are highly suggested.

What books are unnecessary?

Most textbooks are unnecessary.

Is the curriculum designed to promote a specialty? If so, which specialty?

Primary care focus in certain classes, but no specific specialty in the basic sciences.
Location & Housing

How do you feel about the location of the school?

10 out of 10

Do you feel safe on campus?

10 out of 10

How available and convenient is public transportation?

10 out of 10

Is a car necessary at any point during your education here?

Clinical years

If a car is required for education, how available and convenient is the parking provided to students?

10 out of 10

Is on-campus housing available?

no

What is the quality of available on-campus housing?

5 out of 10

What percentage of your medical school classmates would you estimate live on campus, if on-campus housing is available?

5 out of 10

Is couples housing available?

no

Is nearby off-campus housing available?

yes

How expensive is nearby off-campus housing?

3 out of 10

Please describe the on-campus housing if available (i.e., cost, type - studios, 1-br, 2-br, etc.)?

No responses
Cost/Financial Aid

Are fees/tuition expensive?

10 out of 10

How is the cost of living (rent, food, bills, etc.)?

3 out of 10

Are many institutional scholarships/grants available?

3 out of 10

Is institutional aid need-based or merit-based?

Need-based
Faculty/Grades

Are faculty members very open to students during office hours?

10 out of 10

Are faculty members very available to students via email/message board?

10 out of 10

Are there many opportunities to shadow/work with clinical faculty?

10 out of 10

Are the faculty willing to mentor students in regards to career guidance?

10 out of 10

Is the class ranked?

yes

How is the instructional faculty during pre-clinical years?

Amazing. All of the faculty truly cares about students and helps with the voluminous learning as much as possible.

How is the instructional faculty during clinical years?

Not yet there, but Ive heard good things.

What is the grading scale used during pre-clinical years?

The grading system is very different than any other school and quite complex. It is a z score system. You are scored as a standard deviation of the mean of the 3 classes before you. This is a benefit to the students in that you are not competitive amongst classmates. You can always see your raw score on exams to see how many questions you missed. It is somewhat easy to get a B in a course but difficult to get an A. Grades are given as A, B, C, F. So it is somewhat similar to other schools High pass, pass, low pass, fail.

What is the grading scale used during clinical years?

unsure
Clinical Rotations

Are the desired rotation sites easy to obtain?

7 out of 10

Is desired rotation order easy to obtain?

4 out of 10

Are the elective rotations easy to obtain?

10 out of 10

Is there substantial hands-on experience for medical students?

8 out of 10

Are the rotation sites conveniently accessible for medical students?

7 out of 10

How far are the clinical sites from the main campus?

6 out of 10

How are clinical rotations scheduled? What are the required rotations?

Lottery System. Required rotations: EM, FM, IM, OB/Gyn, Peds, Psych, Surg, Critical Care Med/Anesthes., Primary Care, Surgery/Subspecialty elective

What responsibility do med students have on the wards?

Not there yet.

What is the status/condition of the affiliated hospital(s)?

Very good hospitals in NJ and good hospital in staten island.

What is the typical patient population medical students work with?

A very big mix.
Social Environment

Do students do a lot of activities outside of school together?

10 out of 10

How would you rank student involvement in extracurricular clubs?

10 out of 10

What is the range of extracurricular clubs available?

10 out of 10

Is the student body cooperative or competitive?

10 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for underrepresented minorities?

10 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transsexual students?

10 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for students with disabilities?

10 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for married students?

10 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for older/non-traditional students?

10 out of 10

What do the students typically like to do in the area?

There lots to do its NYC. Anything you can think of.
Post Graduation

How do graduates from this school fare in residency and clinical practice?

Very well.

Is this school known for producing physicians strong in a certain area? If so, which area?

Students go into a mix of specialties.

What do you believe residency directors think about graduates from this program?

Very impressed from what I've heard.