Touro - Mare Island, Class of 2012!!

[adigiorgio]

I was on standby at orientation for class of 2011. I didn't get a spot, but got my letter of acceptance for 2012. I paid my deposit and I'm officially the first person in the class of 2012

I look forward to seeing the other people who get into Touro for 2012!

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[Irongirl03]

Congrats! Hopefully I will be joining you for class 2012

 

[socal78]

Congratulations to all 2012ers. I also received an early acceptance invitation, was on last year's wait list. Not sure yet if i will accept because i'm currently enrolled in graduate school.

 

[bth7]

Hey Great News!

Touro University California lands a major NIH research grant. How cool is that?

http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_7082508

bth

 

[igcgnerd]

The grant is great news! However, does anyone else see the ethical implications of trying to increase liver fat if that is what their doing or are they reducing it in subjects who already have it in the experimental group?

 

[bth7]

The grant is great news! However, does anyone else see the ethical implications of trying to increase liver fat if that is what their doing or are they reducing it in subjects who already have it in the experimental group?

Oh my . . . of course there are NOT trying to increase liver fat!!!! That would be giving people a disease! Very unethical.

They are studying people who already have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, usually just called NASH. They will look at the diets of people with NASH, first in a cross-sectional study, meaning just comparing the native diets of people with NASH to those without, at single moment in time, and then look for correlations. Then they will probably do a cohort-control study where they put a cohort of people with NASH on a strict diet, while living the control group to continue with their current, unaltered diet. They will follow everyone over a period of time and look for changes in their disease state.

As with any study, if they find a statistically significant improvement of worsening in either group in the middle of the study, they stop the study and release the results so that everyone can benefit from their findings, and then continue to monitor everyone to collect even more data.

No one knows for sure how much of a correlation there is between behavior (diet & exercise) and NASH. And what those correlations exactly are. This study will help answer those questions.

bth

 

[igcgnerd]

That study sounds very interesting. Thanks for clearing up the confusion the article wasn't very clear.

 

[Boddhichita]

just received my deposit confirmation through mail and I am now officially in! Excited to start next year and looking forward to hearing more from my fellow classmates!

Bth7 - couldn't find this info anywhere and forgot to ask during my interview but does TUCOM administer shelf or department exams during rotations?

 

[bth7]

just received my deposit confirmation through mail and I am now officially in! Excited to start next year and looking forward to hearing more from my fellow classmates!

Bth7 - couldn't find this info anywhere and forgot to ask during my interview but does TUCOM administer shelf or department exams during rotations?

Currently, we have an exam we take at the completion of each core rotation: Internal medicine, OB/GYN, PEDs, Surgery, Family Practice, Psych, etc. These tests are in addition to whatever test/assignments your rotation site gives you.

In addition to that, this year we are doing shelf exams. I believe class of 2009 is the first class to have this requirement. The admins haven't decided how many of the shelf exams we are going to have to take. We will take these during what is called "call-backs." At the end of the third year, in June, everyone makes their way back to Vallejo for one week of testing, an OSCE, and some workshops (and a chance to hang out with your classmates of course).

bth7

 

[cabound]

Hey everyone!

Thanks Boddhichita for directing me to the osteo forum; i've been living on the pre-med one for so long, it feels good to make the transition!!

I wanted to get the ball rolling and start getting an idea of good housing options... sorta to get the dialogue going like last year's class did.

I wanna live near campus is a safe part of vallejo, I guess that would just be ideal. I've spoken to my family about the possibility of buying like a condo or something, so where should I start? What are others doing?

Also, I'm VERY interested in doing the dual degree program.... if so, and it begins in April, what is the best way to work with housing then?

I know changes were made last year with the curriculum.... what's the status on that? I'm really excited with the direction Touro is taking with the curriculum - it was a HUGGGE selling point for me!

Congrats everyone! Im really excited about next year!!

 

[Boddhichita]

Currently, we have an exam we take at the completion of each core rotation: Internal medicine, OB/GYN, PEDs, Surgery, Family Practice, Psych, etc. These tests are in addition to whatever test/assignments your rotation site gives you.

In addition to that, this year we are doing shelf exams. I believe class of 2009 is the first class to have this requirement. The admins haven't decided how many of the shelf exams we are going to have to take. We will take these during what is called "call-backs." At the end of the third year, in June, everyone makes their way back to Vallejo for one week of testing, an OSCE, and some workshops (and a chance to hang out with your classmates of course).

bth7

Thanks bth7...very interesting to hear that TUCOM does all those exams, in addition to the COMPLEX. Do you find yourself able to adequately study and prepare for all exams? Any tips? I know i'm getting ahead of myself but just curious.

 

[Boddhichita]

Hey everyone!

Thanks Boddhichita for directing me to the osteo forum; i've been living on the pre-med one for so long, it feels good to make the transition!!

I wanted to get the ball rolling and start getting an idea of good housing options... sorta to get the dialogue going like last year's class did.

I wanna live near campus is a safe part of vallejo, I guess that would just be ideal. I've spoken to my family about the possibility of buying like a condo or something, so where should I start? What are others doing?

Also, I'm VERY interested in doing the dual degree program.... if so, and it begins in April, what is the best way to work with housing then?

I know changes were made last year with the curriculum.... what's the status on that? I'm really excited with the direction Touro is taking with the curriculum - it was a HUGGGE selling point for me!

Congrats everyone! Im really excited about next year!!

Congrat cabound!

I'm still leaning towards on-campus housing, despite some of the negatives i've heard about it. I'll probably go up there again soon to check it out. I'd be really interested to get a running group together if anyone is interested...and I heard they have intramural soccer so i'm excited!

 

[cabound]

Congrat cabound!

I'm still leaning towards on-campus housing, despite some of the negatives i've heard about it. I'll probably go up there again soon to check it out. I'd be really interested to get a running group together if anyone is interested...and I heard they have intramural soccer so i'm excited!

I would love to live on campus, but I feel like there's not enough on Mare Island to meet some needs you know?? like a walgreens or albertsons! haha.. sounds superficial, but I want to kinda be able to run to the store at 11pm if I want without having to travel too far... I dunno.. sound silly??

 

[Boddhichita]

I would love to live on campus, but I feel like there's not enough on Mare Island to meet some needs you know?? like a walgreens or albertsons! haha.. sounds superficial, but I want to kinda be able to run to the store at 11pm if I want without having to travel too far... I dunno.. sound silly??

Naw, not at all. Just did a quick look up and it seems the nearest walgreens and albertsons is within 15 minutes from campus, but obviously it would be more convenient if it was closer, especially if you have to go at 11pm!

Are you definite about doing the DO/MPH track? I'm still thinking about it and I am very interested given my interest in community medicine, but I don't want to spread my self thin by doing both a DO and MPH. I was thinking of taking the special track and take just a few classes to get a sense of what it would be like to do both, or maybe do the MPH after my DO, don't know.

 

[adigiorgio]

Yay! My thread is getting some more activity!

Congrats to everyone that got in!

I can't wait to meet some of my new classmates. I live in the bay area, so if anyone wants to meet up or anything, send me a PM.

 

[cabound]

Naw, not at all. Just did a quick look up and it seems the nearest walgreens and albertsons is within 15 minutes from campus, but obviously it would be more convenient if it was closer, especially if you have to go at 11pm!

Are you definite about doing the DO/MPH track? I'm still thinking about it and I am very interested given my interest in community medicine, but I don't want to spread my self thin by doing both a DO and MPH. I was thinking of taking the special track and take just a few classes to get a sense of what it would be like to do both, or maybe do the MPH after my DO, don't know.

I'm not definite about the dual degree, but I was considering it only if I was able to start in April... since several classes would be out of the way. Then after that it would only be one extra class per semester. I also thought maybe if I started in "school-mode" I could hit the ground running in the fall.. or maybe I'll be too burnt out !!! I have no idea. There are so many question marks in my mind!! I thought getting into school would be a huge relief (which it is of course), but it's opened the door to sooo many questions!

Adigiorgio, where do you live in the Bay?? I went to high school in Fremont, and I have lots of close family there... I'm excited to meet everyone too!

 

[adigiorgio]

I live in Marin. Luckily, my parents live about 20mins from Touro so I can save some money on housing

 

[Boddhichita]

I live in Marin. Luckily, my parents live about 20mins from Touro so I can save some money on housing

Very nice! I'm from San Jose so it's about an hour, but with traffic who knows...that's precious time that I'll most definitely need for studying when school starts!

 

[Boddhichita]

I'm not definite about the dual degree, but I was considering it only if I was able to start in April... since several classes would be out of the way. Then after that it would only be one extra class per semester. I also thought maybe if I started in "school-mode" I could hit the ground running in the fall.. or maybe I'll be too burnt out !!! I have no idea. There are so many question marks in my mind!! I thought getting into school would be a huge relief (which it is of course), but it's opened the door to sooo many questions!

Adigiorgio, where do you live in the Bay?? I went to high school in Fremont, and I have lots of close family there... I'm excited to meet everyone too!

I hear ya about having more questions now...i'm still kinda stuck in premed mode actually, like subconsciously I should be studying for something or reading ahead for a class...must take a break!

 

[cabound]

I was wondering.... are lectures video/audio taped?? I think my tour guide said yes, but I read on one of the threads they're not...

Thanks!

 

[nerdgrrl]

I was wondering.... are lectures video/audio taped?? I think my tour guide said yes, but I read on one of the threads they're not...

Thanks!

they're working on it. there's an MIS guy sitting in the back videotaping all of our lectures right now, but I think they're still working on how to archive them all.

 

[nerdgrrl]

I know changes were made last year with the curriculum.... what's the status on that? I'm really excited with the direction Touro is taking with the curriculum - it was a HUGGGE selling point for me!

the curriculum is changed, effective class of 2011 (my class). there have been some growing pains, and they're still figuring things out, so I'm sure many things will be different next year. but overall it's going well, I think. the second years think it's weird though!

 

[West Coaster]

Hey guys... congrats on getting in!!.... I am in the class of 2011 (first year this year) and I also am doing the MPH .... to tell you the truth things were really crazy because they just started the dual degree, but its getting a lot better with the advent of a separate class of MPHers ... anyway, I found that the DO/MPH people that started this fall had/have a lot of questions. so I wanted to extend an open invitation to ask any question no matter how crazy it may sound.. believe me, I wish I could have asked someone about all this MPH stuff before (and during) starting in the spring ... I can't say that I'll know the answer, but I can try and I know the profs by now so that if I don't know, I could fetch the answer for you...

-WC
DO/MPH 2011

 

[cabound]

Hey guys... congrats on getting in!!.... I am in the class of 2011 (first year this year) and I also am doing the MPH .... to tell you the truth things were really crazy because they just started the dual degree, but its getting a lot better with the advent of a separate class of MPHers ... anyway, I found that the DO/MPH people that started this fall had/have a lot of questions. so I wanted to extend an open invitation to ask any question no matter how crazy it may sound.. believe me, I wish I could have asked someone about all this MPH stuff before (and during) starting in the spring ... I can't say that I'll know the answer, but I can try and I know the profs by now so that if I don't know, I could fetch the answer for you...

-WC
DO/MPH 2011

Hi there! Thanks for the invite.. I'll def take u up on that...

What value do you see in having the dual degree? Like, in what particular ways can it help you... or what do people do with it? I mean... couldn't you just take some of the courses as your electives? I guess I'm just asking, why do it?

Also... I know you got some classes out of the way during the spring, but does even that one extra class take a toll on you?

Thanks so much!

 

[bth7]

Hi there! Thanks for the invite.. I'll def take u up on that...

What value do you see in having the dual degree? Like, in what particular ways can it help you... or what do people do with it? I mean... couldn't you just take some of the courses as your electives? I guess I'm just asking, why do it?

Also... I know you got some classes out of the way during the spring, but does even that one extra class take a toll on you?

Thanks so much!

Here's a great page that tells you lots about why to get an MPH, what the career options are, what it adds to a medical degree, American Medical Student Association's page on MPH

Additional piece of info that I recently learned myself - residencies in so called "preventative medicine" are residencies that incorporate the MPH degree as part of the residency training. Another option to consider . . .

Hope this is helpful.

Bth

 

[cabound]

Here's a great page that tells you lots about why to get an MPH, what the career options are, what it adds to a medical degree, American Medical Student Association's page on MPH

Additional piece of info that I recently learned myself - residencies in so called "preventative medicine" are residencies that incorporate the MPH degree as part of the residency training. Another option to consider . . .

Hope this is helpful.

Bth

Thanks for the info! What about the accreditation? Do you think this will happen soon? I just wanna know it'll be worth it in the end...

 

[Sunfire]

I surely do understand your concern about the accreditation of the Touro MPH program, cabound. I was informed of the lack of accreditation about a year ago, and had been dealing with the matter in my head for some time before I applied and was invited to interview. Perhaps it was rationalization on my part, but the way I decided to look at it was that even if there was no accreditation for the MPH classes, the training involved would still most likely be beneficial in making me a better clinical practitioner. It is unfortunate that they choose to misinform people, if indeed there is no MPH accreditation, but hopefully that situation has changed.

I do believe that accreditation of a program does not post-apply to students from past classes, so make to sure to ask, if this matter is important to you.

 

[cabound]

I surely do understand your concern about the accreditation of the Touro MPH program, cabound. I was informed of the lack of accreditation about a year ago, and had been dealing with the matter in my head for some time before I applied and was invited to interview. Perhaps it was rationalization on my part, but the way I decided to look at it was that even if there was no accreditation for the MPH classes, the training involved would still most likely be beneficial in making me a better clinical practitioner. It is unfortunate that they choose to misinform people, if indeed there is no MPH accreditation, but hopefully that situation has changed.

I do believe that accreditation of a program does not post-apply to students from past classes, so make to sure to ask, if this matter is important to you.

It is a tough decision...I mean, the accreditation is important in a sense... but you're right, the training will still be of value. I think my biggest concern now is that I feel like I need to focus on one thing.. med school... and I know that will keep me really busy. My science background is weak.. I was a humanities major, so I think I need to focus on that aspect first. Like bth7 said, if I did want to do a residency in preventive medicine, (which is really appealing to me...), I could always do the MPH later. Or... if I decided to start the dual degree say after my first year, you think that would be wise? That way, I could get a feel for my workload... the accreditation might be more in the works, (since a class will have graduated), and I know I will probably need longer to finish it up... but I dunno, it's just a thought.

Plus, I was reading online that many dual degree programs with MPHs offer stipends of some sort.. this is an extra $12,000!!! not a small amount added to $60+ a year!

 

[West Coaster]

wow.. thanks BTH... that site has some good information, stuff that I had not yet seen...

To be honest, I have always been interested in working in rural and developing areas/countries, so the MPH dual degree sounded pretty amazing. Now that I have taken most of the classes I can also add that it has meant a lot more than just knowing what's going on in underserved areas. I believe it has made me a better DO. I say this because I think Public Health and mainly prevention is a solid tenet of being an osteopathic physician and even allopathic. The more doctors and profs I discuss this with confirm these ideals. Preventative medicine is a challenge and definitely a better approach to healthcare. Starting in the spring, knowing I was going into med school I thought the MPH would provide me with knowledge of healthcare and diseases in other countries that could be combated with medicine, and while it has done that, it is more focused on what can be done to prevent and encourage better healthcare. Actually, one huge positive aspect of the program is that Touro has utilized profs that know the difficulties and promise of developing countries. Several profs are 3rd world trained docs and have been through civil conflicts and upheaval in their own countries, while others have experienced it first hand for years. Its the old paradox of using precious resources, kinda like "teach a man to fish." I guess this all has to do with a mindset, but I do hope it enables me to do more and maybe even looks impressive...

As for the classes, I am taking one now and sometimes I wish I wasn't. During exams its not something you want to pile on top of a huge workload. On the other hand, I specifically took a less work-intensive, more discussion based class anticipating that I didn't know how much I could add into my first semester of med school. Plus, since I started the classes early with the other dual degree students, I have biult some great friendships with some seriously motivated people that have the same heart for medicine and helping people. Honestly, knowing these people made my transition from college to med school a whole lot easier, as well as gave me some great study partner/group opportunities. Just my experience....

As for the accreditation issues..... well, not being sure of it does suck... HOWEVER, I have had the priveledge of being on the curriculum committee with the Public Health program faculty and have participated in class scheduling and accreditation discussions. The fact is that the accreditation for public health schools in the US DOES enable students to retrospectively attain the masters even if they graduadated before actual accreditation, the time limit is graduating the program for the 3-years pre-accreditation given that they can pass the same exam taken by public health students. This is primarily because Touro is in the middle of applying for accreditated status. Touro is making great strides in the area of accreditation so given that matriculating students now graduate in 3-4 years with the DO, and the three year gap of pre-accreditation, I feel pretty comfortable, but it could be a false sense of security.. .. who knows....

So, this is long and I am sorry if it was confusing. I've been studying for blocks all weekend and its past my bedtime, (well, my hoped-for bedtime anyway, never actually happens). Feel free to question anything I have written or ask about something else... I hope this has been helpful!

-WC

 

[West Coaster]

by the way.... about starting second year... that may be disasterous... I know of a couple people who tried... one dissappeared, and the other has to take classes during rotations. I know for me, that would not be cool, but to each his own ... so make of it what you wish....

-WC

 

[cabound]

Hey everyone! Ok, so I officially sent it my deposit, and I'm headed to MI!! One problem though...

My mom was speaking with a family friend of ours, whose son went to WVSOM a few years ago... Apparently, he had interviewed at Touro-MI as well, and he said that the school was put on probation???

Have any of you heard anything about this? My mom was concerned, and I wanted to ask around here before I go ahead and just call them!! haha...

My mom's been showing concern that I chose Touro over other schools I got into (LECOM-B, Nova, AZCOM. OSUCOM)...bc she thinks ranking plays a huge role. What do you all feel about this?

I can't decide what I feel.... on one hand I really wanna go here, but I also want to make the best decision for my future.. I guess this a more of a conversational post.. so talk to me! haha thanks for any advice.

 

[Boddhichita]

Hey everyone! Ok, so I officially sent it my deposit, and I'm headed to MI!! One problem though...

My mom was speaking with a family friend of ours, whose son went to WVSOM a few years ago... Apparently, he had interviewed at Touro-MI as well, and he said that the school was put on probation???

Have any of you heard anything about this? My mom was concerned, and I wanted to ask around here before I go ahead and just call them!! haha...

My mom's been showing concern that I chose Touro over other schools I got into (LECOM-B, Nova, AZCOM. OSUCOM)...bc she thinks ranking plays a huge role. What do you all feel about this?

I can't decide what I feel.... on one hand I really wanna go here, but I also want to make the best decision for my future.. I guess this a more of a conversational post.. so talk to me! haha thanks for any advice.

You're scaring me cabound! From what i've been able to dig up, I think the probation is related to the college of health sciences and not the COM: http://www.tumi.edu/accredit.html. I hope i'm right!

 

[West Coaster]

Hey ...

I have never heard of any probation ..... Maybe Bth will fill in here.... in the meantime I'll ask around and get back to you all.....

-WC

 

[ringtail]

Anybody wanna point my wife and I towards decent housing around MI? I interview on Tues and my wife and I are gonna drive up from Fresno tomorrow to check the school and areas out. We'd like to find a house within 30 min or even a condo or nice apart. I'm planning on checking out Fairfield/Vacaville, but does anybody else know of good neighborhoods around there? The more I hear about Vallejo they less I wanna even drive through that place.

Happy Veterans Day!

 

[nerdgrrl]

The more I hear about Vallejo they less I wanna even drive through that place.

Hate to break it to you, but if you're going to go to school in Vallejo, you're going to have to drive through Vallejo. there's not much going on here, and it's definitely going through some revitalization. there are neighborhoods that I wouldn't live in, but I also wouldn't live in suburbia, so it all works out. some of us even like it here. ;o)

if you're looking for suburbia, however, you should check out American Canyon. very close to school, and the housing is pretty nice. you might also look into Napa- it's about as far as Fairfield (and closer than Vacaville), and the drive is a whole lot prettier. also, east Vallejo (east of I-80), there's a fair amount of tract housing. I'm not sure how much rental property there is for just a couple, but I know a few students that live up there in houses with roommates. something to think about if you're looking at living in points North (i.e. Fairfield, Vacaville, Napa, even American Canyon), you will be travelling with Bay Area traffic every morning. so, when you're looking for a place, you might consider trying to drive from there to campus (or campus to there) during rush hour to see how long it really takes. it takes me about 15 minutes to get to Fairfield in the middle of the day, but often takes 30-40 minutes after 5pm. that said, we have quite a few students that commute from Oakland/Berkeley, and they carpool and study together. you can make it work, just be realistic!

good luck at your interview!

 

[chapstick]

I didnt know where else to post this, so I'm sorry if it is kinda out of place. I'd really appreciate some feedback.

I had a question about interviews and acceptance into the D.O. program at Touro-Ca. I am also in Touro's MPH program at the moment.

Stats: (Yes, I know they are low.)

Science: 2.86
Cum: 2.956
Mcat: 27P (9's across the board)
Many extracurriculars, ER experience, teaching experience.

I know the GPA is low, but 27P on the MCAT is a tiny bit higher than Touro's average. What do you guys think? Let's say, I miraculously get an interview. (Let's pretend ok...) What do you think my chance of getting in is?

Help. Thanks in advance. Good luck to all.

 

[bth7]

I didnt know where else to post this, so I'm sorry if it is kinda out of place. I'd really appreciate some feedback.

I had a question about interviews and acceptance into the D.O. program at Touro-Ca. I am also in Touro's MPH program at the moment.

Stats: (Yes, I know they are low.)

Science: 2.86
Cum: 2.956
Mcat: 27P (9's across the board)
Many extracurriculars, ER experience, teaching experience.

I know the GPA is low, but 27P on the MCAT is a tiny bit higher than Touro's average. What do you guys think? Let's say, I miraculously get an interview. (Let's pretend ok...) What do you think my chance of getting in is?

Help. Thanks in advance. Good luck to all.

I'd put your chances somewhere around 100%.

bth

 

[gatorwhacker]

I don't know anything about the COM and probation, but I would urge you to look into everything you can find to make your decision. The new ciriculum is seeing a little more than growing pains and the communication to try to fix the problems is almost non-existent. The class of 2011 has already lost 6 people in less than 2.5 months and others are talking seriously about following. People don't lightly give up a medical school seat.

 

[nerdgrrl]

I don't know anything about the COM and probation, but I would urge you to look into everything you can find to make your decision. The new ciriculum is seeing a little more than growing pains and the communication to try to fix the problems is almost non-existent. The class of 2011 has already lost 6 people in less than 2.5 months and others are talking seriously about following. People don't lightly give up a medical school seat.

here we go...

(for the record, my comment about growing pains was made when things were improving at one point.)

 

[chapstick]

I'd put your chances somewhere around 100%.

bth

Why are you toying with my emotions?! lol. really. I know it's a long shot, but hey, aim high.

 

[Irongirl03]

Chapstick-are you in Touro's accel. post-bac PH program or the stand alone?

 

[adigiorgio]

Anybody wanna point my wife and I towards decent housing around MI? I interview on Tues and my wife and I are gonna drive up from Fresno tomorrow to check the school and areas out. We'd like to find a house within 30 min or even a condo or nice apart. I'm planning on checking out Fairfield/Vacaville, but does anybody else know of good neighborhoods around there? The more I hear about Vallejo they less I wanna even drive through that place.

Happy Veterans Day!

If you want to avoid the traffic and find a really nice place about 20-30 mins away, look in Novato. I live there now and it's gorgeous. The housing can be a little pricey, but I think it's definitely worth it. I hope this message doesn't find you too late, though...

 

[153606]

I don't know anything about the COM and probation, but I would urge you to look into everything you can find to make your decision. The new ciriculum is seeing a little more than growing pains and the communication to try to fix the problems is almost non-existent. The class of 2011 has already lost 6 people in less than 2.5 months and others are talking seriously about following. People don't lightly give up a medical school seat.

That really concerns me, even scares me. What is the general attitude about the "curriculum"? Why are the students frustrated? It seemed to me when interviewing that changing the curriculum was a major selling point, since it strived to constantly improve and build upon the previous. Having 6 people in a class of about 120 drop out within their first two months is really alarming. Can someone elaborate on this?

 

[nerdgrrl]

That really concerns me, even scares me. What is the general attitude about the "curriculum"? Why are the students frustrated? It seemed to me when interviewing that changing the curriculum was a major selling point, since it strived to constantly improve and build upon the previous. Having 6 people in a class of about 120 drop out within their first two months is really alarming. Can someone elaborate on this?

Concerns are being addressed, albeit slowly, by student representatives and faculty. our class officers are having ongoing meetings with the faculty right now, and there is a campus-wide town hall meeting to address issues tomorrow (Thursday).

The main issue has been miscommunication between faculty about what they're teaching and not teaching, how they are getting information to us, and some scheduling errors. it's been addressed, and I really do think a lot of it will be fixed by next semester. fixing things is an ongoing process. so rest assured that there are issues, but they are being addressed. it's a new curriculum, and we always knew there were going to be mistakes along the way. that's the downside of being the guinea pigs. they can't know all the bumps in the road before they happen. it doesn't make it ok, and it doesn't mean that we're not frustrated, but it also doesn't mean that the school isn't worth attending.

for the record, at least one of the students that dropped, was actually a leave of absence, for family reasons, and she's coming back next year. and the class is 140, not 120. still not OK, but it's not quite as horrible.

 

[ringtail]

just got the good news from D. Haight. What a nice fella...

Word on the campus is that the growing pains of a new curriculum are present but tolerable...much like a jammed finger or a paper cut under the nail. its annoying enough to be a bother but not enough for another to feel bad for you.

holla, MI seems to be on the upswing of pretty places. too bad we'll be out and about by the time they finish.

 

[Cal1984]

Hi Guys,
I am a little confused. What curriculum changes are you referring to? and how have they affected the students... i am getting a little worried now

 

[nerdgrrl]

Hi Guys,
I am a little confused. What curriculum changes are you referring to? and how have they affected the students... i am getting a little worried now

This year (class of 2011), a new curriculum was implemented. it's an "integrated systems" curriculum, in that we get both normals and abnormals in systems at the same time. in the past (as with the 2010ers), the first year was spent going through all body systems as they function normally, second year was spent doing abnormals (as in, disease) in those same systems. so, all histology, anatomy, etc, was done in the first year, and all pathology, pharmacology, etc, was done in the second year. now, we still do systems, but we take two years to go through all of them, rather than going through all of them twice, and we get the normal functions, as well as abnormal disorders together. this means that we get histology, pathology, anatomy, pharm, etc, all spread over two years.

it has affected the students because any time you change a curriculum, the faculty has to adjust the way they teach. for example, pathology is used to teaching only to second years. they started teaching us our third or fourth week in. we have a different knowledge base than the current second years (who are learning a lot of the same things as us right now), and some of the faculty is having a hard time adjusting.

but, rest assured. the administration is working in it. we have heard this directly from the faculty. you can't expect a new curriculum to be perfect immediately. my classmates and I are the guinea pigs. next year will have it much better. trust me!

 

[bth7]

Saw this article, thought it would be of interest to those seeking housing.

http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_7623278

bth

 

[loljoelle]

hello future classmates! i was wondering if anyone knows the starting and ending dates of the MPH summer session. i was planning to visit Europe this summer, but eventually decided getting a head start on my MPH would be more helpful to my life overall

so supposedly summer session classes start in May, but when do they end? please tell me there's at least a week in between then and the start of DO classes...

 

[Irongirl03]

hello future classmates! i was wondering if anyone knows the starting and ending dates of the MPH summer session. i was planning to visit Europe this summer, but eventually decided getting a head start on my MPH would be more helpful to my life overall

so supposedly summer session classes start in May, but when do they end? please tell me there's at least a week in between then and the start of DO classes...

The summer session is starting around the 3rd week in April and ends the 1st or 2nd week of August. They have moved up the start and should be updated on the website.