How to Get Into TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2024

TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine is one of the few DO schools in NYC. TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine opened its doors in 2007 and has been dedicated to attracting students and training future physicians who are committed to helping their patients. TOUROCOM is also committed to working to correct the diversity disparities within the healthcare system.

The college prides itself on three key factors of the school.

Being Leaders in Education – TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine has a one-of-a-kind medical education curriculum that takes full advantage of today’s medical and classroom technologies. The college utilizes a flipped-classroom approach to education, allowing students to learn the material at home and professors to assess their grasp of the material in class.
Partnering in the Community – Approximately 80% of the college’s hospital affiliates target underserved communities in urban and rural areas. The students are also active advocates from Harlem and beyond.
Pioneering in Healthcare – The college has a faculty of accomplished practitioners and researchers of osteopathic medicine, including Cheryl Rosenfeld, an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine, and Conrad Fischer, an Associate Professor of Medicine. TOUROCOM encourages faculty members to utilize the newly constructed labs and facilities to take on their own research projects, many of which will change the lives of patients.

Be an Informed Applicant

Like all medical schools across the country, medical schools in New York have school-specific requirements and guidelines. Understanding the university’s identity, selection criteria, and programs will help you focus on your application and put your best foot forward.

This article covers:

TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Rankings
Medical Programs at TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine
Selection Factors: What TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Looks for in an Applicant
TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Requirements
TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Acceptance Rate, Class Profile, and More
TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Tuition and Cost of Attendance
AACOMAS Application and TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Secondary Application
TOUROCOM Secondary Application: Essay Prompts, Sample Answers, and Advice
Medical School Admissions Consulting
Voluntary Healthcare Internships Abroad

Personalized Help

Many students find themselves overwhelmed by medical school applications. Each school you apply to has its own unique admissions process. To best help you get into your dream medical school, consider working with an admissions consultant.

A medical school admissions consultant will help and guide you through every stage of the application process while offering personalized feedback and support to help you succeed. International Medical Aid can help you curate a competitive application, highlighting your strengths and tailoring your message to each school.

If you are like many medical students, you will benefit greatly from our personalized medical school admissions consulting.

Why the TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine?

TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine is a private medical college located in Harlem, New York. The college formally welcomed its first class of aspiring physicians in 2007 and is committed to creating and upholding a socially aware program that embraces technology and medical standards.

The college’s mission is to train future osteopathic physicians with an emphasis on practicing medicine in underserved communities. They value public service, medical education, research, and osteopathic clinical service within the community that will improve the health outcomes of those they serve.

The following are included on TOUROVOM’s website are represent the goals and values of the college.

Graduate qualified osteopathic physicians
Promote the practice of medicine in underserved areas
Increase the number of underrepresented in medicine (URM) physicians
Improve health outcomes in the community through public service, research, osteopathic clinical service, and graduate medical education.

In addition to the college’s mission and goals, the faculty is comprised of many well-known and accomplished DO physicians, such as Dr. Jeff Gardere, an Associate Professor of Behavioral Medicine, Shelby Simmons, the Mental Health Counselor and Director of Wellness, and Geoff Eaton, the Director of Community Affairs and Diversity.

TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Rankings

#69 Most Graduates Practicing in Medically Underserved Areas
#123 Most Graduates Practicing in Rural Areas
#29 Most Graduates Practicing in Primary Care Fields

Medical Programs at TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine

Before applying, it is crucial to research the different programs offered by TOUROCOM. This research will aid in your decision of which medical school is a good fit for you and help you focus your application.

In this article, we will be discussing the 2 main degrees offered by TOURO College of Medicine. The college offers students a choice between a DO program and an MS program.

TOURO DO Program

TOURO’s DO program aims for all students to play a role in their community as they receive their medical education. While students are on campus for their pre-clinical education they will participate in various community service acts.

Pre-Clinical Education – TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine students spend the first two years deeply immersed in the basic sciences. Students learn that all factors—environmental, psychological, and biological—must be taken into account when diagnosing a patient.

Clinical Education – During their third and fourth years at TOURO, students will train at one of the college’s affiliate healthcare organizations. The college offers a wide range of electives, including international study, so students can explore their interests and choose the best career path for them. Some of the third-year core rotation options include:

Emergency Medicine
Family Medicine
Internal Medicine
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Surgery

Fourth-year rotations include:

Internal Medicine Sub-internship
Ambulatory Medicine

TOURO MS Program

The Master of Science program aims to immerse students in an intensive biomedical curriculum. The degree program can be completed at either the TOURO Harlem campus or the TOURO Middletown campus.

This is a one-year program that consists of 42 credits in ethics, biosciences, and health and human behavior courses. Students who complete this program with a 3.45 GPA or higher and pass their exam may qualify for the DO program at TOUROCOM.

Selection Factors: What TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Looks for in an Applicant

What exactly is the TOUROCOM looking for in medical program candidates—MCAT scores, grades, and internships?

Many colleges take a holistic review approach when looking over incoming admissions applications. This means an evaluation of your entire application and trying to get the big picture idea of who you are not only as a candidate but as a person. The AAMC Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students serve as a guide during this review process.

If you want to get accepted into a TOURO program, be sure to focus on and highlight these criteria in your application. Don’t be afraid to reach out for personalized help with your application.

Application Requirements for TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine

TOUROCOM has specific academic criteria and DO school requirements that applicants must meet in order to receive a secondary application. Failure to meet the requirements will result in not receiving a secondary application.

Technical requirements that applicants must meet to be considered for acceptance into the TOUROCOM DO program include:

Professionalism
Observation
Communication
Motor Function
Sensory
Strength and Mobility
Visual Integration
Intellectual, Conceptual, and Quantitative Abilities
Behavioral and Social Abilities

GPA and MCAT Requirements

If you are looking to apply to a medical program at TOURO, you will need to have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0, an overall minimum science GPA of 3.0, and an MCAT score of at least 498.

Volunteer and Clinical Experience

While TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine does not list specific criteria for volunteer and clinical experiences, the college highly values community and public service. Adding meaningful volunteer and clinical experiences to your application, such as taking part in a pre-med shadowing study abroad program, will ensure your application is competitive. For further assistance and guidance on curating a strong application, consider reaching out to International Medical Aid for DO school admissions consulting.

What counts as volunteer service and clinical experience:

Clinical Experience – Experience with patient exposure can be gained through volunteering or working at hospitals, emergency rooms, extended-care facilities, and homeless clinics.
Volunteer and Community Service – Demonstrate your involvement within your community by participating in community service or volunteering.
Research – Many medical schools research to be a crucial part of the preparation for medical school. Research experience can be performed at any site and in any discipline. Be able to describe your projects, questions asked, and your role in the conducting of the research.
Leadership – Leadership can be through a variety of avenues, such as in the community, church, at work, or at school organizations can be added to your application.
Extracurricular Activities – List any extracurricular activities you partake in, as the ability to juggle these activities is a strong indicator of how you handle responsibilities and the potential stress and demand of medical school.

TOURO College of Medicine Letters of Recommendation

Being a competitive applicant includes providing letters of recommendation. The letters you submit should be compelling and demonstrate your potential for success in the medical field.

These letters should be written by people who you trust and who can accurately portray your integrity, interest in medicine, academic ability, interpersonal skills, and resiliency. for more information or details about who is best suited to write you a letter of recommendation, check out the TOURO website pertaining to admission requirements. They neatly outline examples of who should write academic letters of recommendation and who should write non-academic letters of recommendation.

Here are the TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine guidelines and requirements for submitting letters of recommendation. All letters of recommendation should be submitted through the AACOMAS Letters Service. Please keep in mind that the majority of medical colleges prefer letters of recommendation written by a Pre-health Advisory Committee.

TOURO requires applicants to submit an evaluation from a pre-professional advisory committee or 2 letters of recommendation from natural science faculty members (biology, chemistry, physics, etc.). Applicants who have been out of school for 5 or more years may submit a letter of recommendation from their current supervisor in place of the second natural science faculty letter.

Applicants should also submit a letter of recommendation from a physician (MD or DO) who has observed them in a clinical or professional setting. A letter from a DO vs MD is highly preferred, and TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine highly recommends shadowing a DO if possible.

Required Coursework for TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine

TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine provides a comprehensive list of all required academic courses for those who are considering applying to the college’s DO program.

Biology – 8 Semester Hours

Inorganic Chemistry – 8 Semester Hours

Organic Chemistry – 7 Semester Hours

Physics – 8 Semester Hours

English – 6 Semester Hours

Mathematics and/or Computer Science – 3 Semester Hours

Behavioral Sciences – 3 Semester Hours

Does TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Require the CASPer exam?

The CASPer exam is an online test that is required by some medical schools. This exam assesses a candidate’s non-cognitive and interpersonal skills. Designed to complement traditional admission methods of a college by judging the applicant’s professional and personal competencies.

As of 2023, the CASPer exam is required for all applicants of TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine. In addition to taking the CASPer exam, applicants will also need to take the Duet exam.

TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics

The college has an overall acceptance rate of 2.8%, which is lower than the national average medical school acceptance rate. Students aiming to attend TOUROCOM need to ensure that they submit a strong application, letters of recommendation, and meet the academic requirements in place. It is also important to note that TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine uses a rolling admissions system.

Let’s take a closer look at the recent entering class’s stats.

7,943 Total Applicants
225 First-year Matriculants
146 Female Matriculants
79 Male Matriculants

TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine - Acceptance Rate and Admissions Stats

TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Tuition and Cost of Attendance

In addition to tuition and fees, TOUROCOM students should budget for incidentals, textbooks, supplies, and living costs. The Office of Student Financial Services has provided the following estimated figures for the upcoming school year.

Year 1:

$61,780 Tuition and Fees
$1,304 Books and Supplies
$21,431 Living and Personal Expenses
$452 Loan Fees
$5,820 Health Insurance
$90,790 Total

Year 2:

$61,780 Tuition and Fees
$1,304 Books and Supplies
$19,702 Living and Personal Expenses
$428 Loan Fees
$1,950 Exam Fees
$5,820 Health Insurance
$90,984 Total

Year 3:

$61,780 Tuition and Fees
$1,304 Books and Supplies
$22,010 Living and Personal Expenses
$500 Loan Fees
$5,820 Health Insurance
$91,414 Total

Year 4:

$61,780 Tuition and Fees
$1,304 Books and Supplies
$20,856 Living and Personal Expenses
$452 Loan Fees
$3,950 Exam Fees
$5,820 Health Insurance
$94,162 Total

AACOMAS Primary Application and TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine Secondary Application

The AACOMAS is the primary application for almost every DO medical school. Your primary application is sent to all of the medical schools that you apply to. For the TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine, it takes approximately four to six weeks for your AACOMAS primary application to be reviewed. While four to six weeks is the standard amount of time it takes for someone to review your initial application, this length can be affected by a variety of factors. If you do not hear back within six weeks, do not become immediately discouraged.

After receiving your primary application, the TOURO medical school will invite you to fill out the school’s secondary application. All secondary applications are school specific and these applications include questions that the school feels are important in determining if you will be a good fit for the institution.

Please note that you will not be invited to complete the TOURO medical school secondary application if you do not meet the admissions requirements outlined previously in this article. For a refresher on what the required premedical coursework is, go back to the required coursework section. You will also want to note if you have participated in any of the additional recommended coursework outlined by the TOURO medical school.

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TOUROCOM) - Secondary Application

TOURO Medical School Secondary Application: Essay Prompts, Sample Essay Answers, and Advice

Completing your secondary application is a critical part of applying to a medical school. In the secondary application, you can express your character, ambitions, motivations, and more. This is your chance to demonstrate what makes you a unique and ideal candidate for the TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine DO program. Here are a few tips for submitting a successful secondary application to the TOURO medical school:

Read and pay close attention to each essay prompt on the application and address all of its questions in your response.
When supporting your responses, use concrete evidence from your academic, professional, and extracurricular experiences.
Do not simply repeat information from your AACOMAS. In the same realm, use the secondary application as an opportunity to explain further anything that you feel you did not get to go into great detail about in the primary application.
Thoroughly proofread and edit your application materials before submitting them.
Write each and every essay in a clear and concise manner. Omit any unnecessary words and sentences, avoid filler, and ensure you stay on topic per the essay’s prompt.
Consider utilizing IMA’s admission consulting. Writing thousands of words for medical school applications can be time-consuming. Admissions consultants help by taking an in-depth look at your application and finding areas for improvement.

The TOURO medical school secondary application consists of one essay prompt. Please also keep in mind that TOUROCOM charges a $200 fee to complete the secondary application.

Essay #1

Please discuss how your background, experience or academic program has prepared you for meeting Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Mission, Goals, or Objectives. Consider addressing a few of the following areas:

a) Why Osteopathic Medicine?

b) Have you been exposed to a diverse environment and how did you contribute?

c) How have your academic background and personal experiences prepared you for medical school?

d) How were you influenced by a shadowing experience?

To best answer this essay prompt, you should consider what has led you to choose the DO/Osteopathic medicine path. TOURO even provides a few jumping-off points to help you get started if you are struggling to think of the best angle to attack this prompt.

Here is a sample answer:

My background and experience growing up in a rural, medically underserved area of New York has prepared me to meet the TOURO College of Osteopathic Medicine’s mission, goals, and objectives. TOURO has made it well-known to the public that they value those who want to aid in the growth of diversity, reduce stigma and prejudice in the healthcare field, and help serve those in the community who are medically underserved.

My passion for medicine was cultivated at a young age, and I have since decided to pursue osteopathic medicine as I feel it is the most patient-oriented route. I know that my experience as a medically underserved youth in New York makes me an ideal candidate for TOURO medical school based on the goals and mission of the college. Having experienced what it is like to be medically underserved in a rural area first-hand, I seek to help those who are in a similar situation.

Medical School Admissions Consulting

At International Medical Aid, we make it a point to offer aspiring medical professionals thorough and informative content. We understand that getting into med school is hard work, and we want you to succeed during the application process.

One of the best ways to boost your medical school program application is with the expert help of an admissions consultant. Whether you need guidance writing your essays, developing an application strategy, or navigating the process, we are here to help.

We recommend taking a moment to schedule a free consultation with IMA here.

Voluntary Healthcare Internships Abroad

IMA’s voluntary healthcare internships provide students with the opportunity to shadow doctors, gain valuable medical field experience, and experience hospital and clinical environments. All of the internships we offer are intensive and patient-facing. Through International Medical Aid’s pre-med shadowing study abroad programs, aspiring med students gain real-life clinical experience and become further prepared for medical school.

The internships go far beyond creating a compelling medical school application. IMA’s programs serve struggling areas and populations across the globe. By interning abroad, you can develop your communication skills, serve the medically underserved, and broaden your perspectives.

There is a lot to learn when it comes to our pre-med shadowing study abroad programs, so please take the time to explore the programs on our website.

Good Luck!

We want to wish you good luck as you navigate the med school application process. Remember to be strategic about your application, take your time, and do not hesitate to ask for help.

Applying for medical school programs is often a stressful and overwhelming process that is hard for new students. If you feel you may need additional help with your application, essay responses, or prepping for your upcoming semester, don’t forget to utilize IMA’s consulting services.

If you are considering applying to any other DO schools in New York or other states, we have ultimate guides for most med schools available on our website. Whether you want to know “how medical schools stack up to other medical schools near me” or just want to check out guides for other colleges, don’t forget to check out our ultimate guides.