A Day in the Life

Noor Asif

D.O. (2nd Year)

Hi everyone! My name is Noor Asif and I just finished my second year of med school, making me an OMS-III - third year student in NYITCOM’S D.O. program. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NYC and completed a B.S. in Biology from the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY Brooklyn College.

I chose NYITCOM for many reasons. Besides the fact that I was born and raised in NYC, a good support group is extremely important due to the rigor of medical academia, so I wanted to attend medical school somewhere that I have supportive family and friends nearby. Furthermore, it is one of the many diverse campuses, with both students and faculty from a multitude of cultural and religious backgrounds.

[Please note: this entry was written during my second year, hence the present tense to follow.] As a second year, I am expected to be on campus anywhere from 2-3 days a week. A typical day on campus consists of me waking up around 7:00 am to get ready, Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) lab from 10 am-12 pm, where we learn and review osteopathic manipulative techniques through hands-on experience with our partner as patient and vice versa. After that, I will go on lunch break, probably at Riland Café with my friends ,where we will sometimes review lecture material via Anki flashcards together. Then, depending on the day, Peer Instruction is from 2-4pm, which consists of instructors putting together board-style questions from the material of the current block (we are about to start the GI system) and students will discuss both the correct and incorrect answers with the opportunity to ask the respective lecturer any questions. I commute from Brooklyn so I’ll then head home and have dinner around 6:30 pm, after which I will watch lectures and study until at least 12 am (I’m a night owl so prefer to study late). Physical activity is super important, especially when most of our day is spent sitting so I make sure to get in exercise daily after I finish studying. I also make sure to have some “me-time,” whether that be spending time with family or catching up on the latest Netflix shows to make sure that I am mentally rested.  

I am currently president of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA), which is a direct student-led branch of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and we advocate for advances and policy changes to benefit both osteopathic students and current D.O. physicians. The discussion about the single-licensure exam actually first began on the SOMA House floor a couple of years ago! I am also president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA), which is one of the many religious organizations on campus and allows students to interact with peers of the same (or different!) religious backgrounds and allows us to realize the role of religion in medicine as a future physician. I am also the Social Media Chair for Student Ambassadors, through which I run the social media platforms for the NYITCOM Student Ambassadors as well as interact with prospective students who are interested in attending NYITCOM, pre- and post-interview as well as incoming students through campus tours! Last but not least, I am also involved in the Big Little program, mentoring 3 first year students with personalized advice to aid in their medical school success.

Besides how beautiful the campus is, the faculty at NYITCOM are genuinely supportive and want to ensure student success, responsive to all student questions and concerns. What I like best about NYITCOM are the upperclassmen who are always down to lend the best advice based on their own experiences. To pay it forward, I do the same whenever approached by first year or prospective students, hence my involvement as a Big and Student Ambassador! 

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