Anyone else out there attending Midwestern next fall? I just thought I would jump start this thread so we can start getting to know each other!

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :thumbup: :thumbup: :laugh: :laugh:

Hey, I sent in the first deposit and am looking like I am headed to AZCOM unless I get pulled off the competitive list for my state school (Univ. of Washington). Very excited to be heading to Glendale!

I loved the interview day and the school. I chose AZCOM over acceptances to CCOM and DMU.

Anyone else?

Does azcom prefer in-state applicants over out-of-state applicants???

I don't think they have a stated in-state preference, but I'm sure it doesn't hurt your chances.

Hello future AZCOMers! I'm an MS-1 and would be happy to answer any questions you have about the first year. Hopefully all of you can get a good class thread going. My class had one but it died early last quarter. So far I've enjoyed my experience here at Midwestern. Having a test every Monday is brutal, but atleast it keeps you on the ball. Well, I gotta get to studying for the upcoming anatomy/histo exam, but feel free to either pm me with questions or ask them in this thread.

-Matt

Hey, I sent in the first deposit and am looking like I am headed to AZCOM unless I get pulled off the competitive list for my state school (Univ. of Washington). Very excited to be heading to Glendale!

I loved the interview day and the school. I chose AZCOM over acceptances to CCOM and DMU.

Anyone else?

I turned down acceptances from DMU and WVSOM. What made you decide to go to AZCOM?

I turned down acceptances from DMU and WVSOM. What made you decide to go to AZCOM?

I love the pass rate and the match list is pretty good too. To me this shows the school is teaching the med students well. But more than that, I really like the area, the facilities are nice, and I just think AZCOM is on the rise among the ranks of DO schools. Not bragging, but I could have gone to any DO school probably numbers wise, and AZCOM is definitely my preference. I had a great interview day and really just fell in love with the campus. The students I met were totally laid back and awesome.

I also have family in the area, and Arizona is much closer to the NW (I'm from Portland) than Iowa or Chicago, too.

I'm not really worried about the rotation issues in the valley because I think they are definitely improving and I also am planning to do a lot of out-rotations in the NW because I'd love to return there for my residency.

What about you guys?

Jake

Do you two remember the names of your tour guides or the students you met on the interview day? I know Daniel and Jason gave tours, maybe you met them. They're really cool. My class is relatively laid back, but not quite as much as the MS-2 class. I think my class seems a little more intense. It will be interesting to see how your class turns out.

Do you two remember the names of your tour guides or the students you met on the interview day? I know Daniel and Jason gave tours, maybe you met them. They're really cool. My class is relatively laid back, but not quite as much as the MS-2 class. I think my class seems a little more intense. It will be interesting to see how your class turns out.

I do not remember my tour guide's name...it was a girl, she was really cool and definitely chill.

So inquiringmind or any other current/former AZCOMers, what should we do about housing? The on-campus apartments look nice, but I think I'd like to get away from the campus when I leave at night. What are some good options for nearby apartments? I'm willing to pay a little bit more (looking for a 1br/studio) if it is nicer than average and close. Also, when should we start looking into apartments? I'm done with school in May and I'm thinking I'll try to fly down and look into it then.

Jake

I don't remember my tour guide's name, but he was not really all the at informative. He did not know where some of the facilities were, but maybe with less than 2 months at the school he was still trying to get a feel for everything.

As far as housing I am renting a house pretty close to the school since I have a dog. So anyone else looking for a roomate and would rather live in a house, I would like to split the cost and expenses. Just send a PM.

Any MSIII or MSIV that are doing rotations in Phoenix? I want to do most of my rotations in Phoenix, was it hard to find placement? Could you tell me about your experiences in general with rotations.

Hey, I sent in the first deposit and am looking like I am headed to AZCOM unless I get pulled off the competitive list for my state school (Univ. of Washington). Very excited to be heading to Glendale!

I loved the interview day and the school. I chose AZCOM over acceptances to CCOM and DMU.

Anyone else?
Hey okayplayer, which day did you interview? I think there was a guy in my interview group from the NW.

Sept. 26 I think? It was the first day of interviews (a Monday).

I do not remember my tour guide's name...it was a girl, she was really cool and definitely chill.

So inquiringmind or any other current/former AZCOMers, what should we do about housing? The on-campus apartments look nice, but I think I'd like to get away from the campus when I leave at night. What are some good options for nearby apartments? I'm willing to pay a little bit more (looking for a 1br/studio) if it is nicer than average and close. Also, when should we start looking into apartments? I'm done with school in May and I'm thinking I'll try to fly down and look into it then.

Jake


I'm a first year at AZCOM as well....I would recommend san lagos apartments, which are across the steet (59th ave) from the campus. They are very nice and have a sweet pool (year round 24 hours).

First off, congrats to all of you for being accepted...looking forward to meeting all of you next fall. As a current first year student, I'm enjoying it here at AZCOM. Anyhow, if there's anyone interesting in off campus housing, I have a room available in a brand new house...15 minutes away from campus. Shoot me a message for details...again, congrats on being accepted!!!

Well, I've done a ton of research (since I am on Christmas break and not working :)) and since I am unfamiliar with the area, here are the various off-campus housing options I've come up with that are apparently good (this is from previous AZCOM threads):

1. Arrowhead Highlands - nice but expensive
2. San Prado - nice but expensive
3. Arrowhead Summit - nice but expensive
4. Sage Stone
5. The Park at Arrowhead
6. Sierra Canyon?
7. Palm Court?
8. Deer Valley?
9. Sun Creek?
10. Monte Viejo?

Any AZCOM'ers or people from the area know anything about these?

What I am looking for is a reasonably priced 1br/studio in a decent area that is very close (5-10 min. max drive) to campus. $500-$600 would be nice, but is apparently not likely.

If I can't find that, I think I will try to go with one of those top 3 apartments (esp. whichever ones are so nice and right across the street) and try to get a cool AZCOM kid for a rommate. I'd prefer a 1br since I haven't made any friends yet, but the 2br's are like $900 there vs. 1br's for $800...it is a no brainer. I think those apartments are actually a pretty good deal for the 2br but prohibitively expensive for a 1br.

Hey everyone,
First off congratulations, you should all be proud of yourselves. I am a second year at AZCOM, the apartments listed are all very nice. Most give a discount to MWU students and a great deal of our students rent them. Sage Stone (now San Lagos) is one of the more popular ones since it is right across the street.

AZCOM is very tough, but well worth the effort. you will be prepared when doing your rotations. Again congratulations.

Thanks, anyone else have apartment/additional thoughts for us?

When is everyone moving out to Arizona? I know our orientation is towards the end of August, but if everyone is moving out here earlier than that maybe we should get together to know each other. I know don't know about the rest of you but it might be nice to get to know people so you could make a wise choice for anatomy lab partner, etc. Also, it is good to know everyone before you have to get into the grind.

anatomy groups are assigned. keep your fingers crossed. :)

Has anyone received the fin. aid application from AZCOM yet?

It was a very tough decision, but I've finally fully paid my AZCOM deposit and turned everyone else down!! I can't wait to get started!! Anyone moving out there from the New England area?? It would be great if we could split moving costs, PM me if interested.

It was a very tough decision, but I've finally fully paid my AZCOM deposit and turned everyone else down!! I can't wait to get started!! Anyone moving out there from the New England area?? It would be great if we could split moving costs, PM me if interested.

Congratulations! Welcome to our class!

The match results came out for Texas and it looks like i'll be joining you guys at AZCOM, my first choice OOS school. Are most of you guys going for on-campus housing or living somewhere else? Also, since we start so late, I was wondering what you guys are thinking about doing in the summer. I was considering getting involved in some research but most people in med school right now say you should just relax the summer before. Any opinions on this?

The match results came out for Texas and it looks like i'll be joining you guys at AZCOM, my first choice OOS school. Are most of you guys going for on-campus housing or living somewhere else? Also, since we start so late, I was wondering what you guys are thinking about doing in the summer. I was considering getting involved in some research but most people in med school right now say you should just relax the summer before. Any opinions on this?

I would relax as much as possible and take a trip overseas. Last summer I traveled in Peru for three weeks and had a really good experience. Since I had money left over from my job, I was able to travel on money that I didn't have to pay back. From first year on, you will probably have to travel on loan money. But don't study what ever you do!

I agree...take the summer off and enjoy it as much as you can. Plenty of studying to do once you start.

Any MSIII or MSIV that are doing rotations in Phoenix? I want to do most of my rotations in Phoenix, was it hard to find placement? Could you tell me about your experiences in general with rotations.

I am an MSIII and I have done all but my cardiology rotation in Phoenix.
The great thing is that we are getting better access to hospital based rotations here in the valley as a third year. I have done my internal med rotation at the VA and am currently in general surgery at Maricopa County.
Is is hard to find placement? Generally, no. There is a lottery system for most of the rotations and I don' know of many people that got axed out of rotations that they wanted. Peds is still a hard sell b/c there is a lack of preceptors and the Phx children's hospital has ridiculous rules as to who can rotate there.
I have had wonderful experiences thus far, with the exception of one family med rotation. The VA is an excellent place to do medicine! Maricopa for surg is the busyest rotation I have been on...14-16h days m-f. But youget to do and see a lot!
If you have any specific Q's you can PM me.
Congrats, years 1-2 are really a lot of fun, if you let it be ;)

I just send in deposit number two! Looks like I am headed to AZCOM unless by some miracle my state school decides to accept me.

I was pretty excited to get the orientation schedule. I am ready to get going! Anyone else with me?

I just send in deposit number two! Looks like I am headed to AZCOM unless by some miracle my state school decides to accept me.

I was pretty excited to get the orientation schedule. I am ready to get going! Anyone else with me?


What up Okayp!

Congrats and see you in Arizona!!!

I will be seeing you guys out there in Glendale. I will be mailing in my second deposit this week. Most likely I will move out there the first or second week of August. If any of you are out there then, we should meet up somewhere.

Also for any current students, I am about to fill out my FAFSA and need some help. I remember during the Financial Aid presentation that they said most students do some sort of work study for $1000. I was wondering what is done during the work study, how many hours you guys work, and if you have enough time to study while working? Please let me know when you can.

Hey all. I finally made my decision and submitted my second deposit for AZCOM! I agree with the idea of socializing a little before things get really busy. I am planning on moving down sometime during the first two weeks of August. I submitted my security deposit for on campus housing too. I don't know anyone and I thought the apartments would be a good meeting place. I'm excited about meeting all you guys and I'm looking forward to a having a great time and education in Arizona!

Hi Everyone! Congratulations to you all! I'm really looking forward to getting out to Arizona. I'm also going to be out there about a week early and I'd love to get together with anyone interested. :)

Hey guys,

You probably all have received the financial aid packet in the mail by now. I just completed the first four steps of the electronic financial aid application tonight but I am getting stuck on step 5, the private loans section. I'm not sure what I need to do on this part/how much money to take out/who to use, etc. Hopefully as long as I get the first four sections done I'm good for now.

I understand that we can get up to $38,500/yr in Stafford loans. It seems to me that our total cost is going to be right around $60,000, since I believe tuition goes up by a couple thousand per year. So I think I will need ~$20,000 in private loans this year...

Can any Class of 2010'ers or current students help me out?

Thanks!

EDIT: So the two private lenders that seem to come up as being good are the THE (http://www.northstar.org) and MEDLOANS ALP (http://www.aamc.org/students/medloans/students/start.htm) loans. Also, should we be taking out Stafford loans through the school, as they say, or through a private lender? I keep seeing stuff about getting bonuses on the total amount of Stafford loans, like this http://www.salliemae.com/manage/medrewards.html.

Hey guys,

You probably all have received the financial aid packet in the mail by now. I just completed the first four steps of the electronic financial aid application tonight but I am getting stuck on step 5, the private loans section. I'm not sure what I need to do on this part/how much money to take out/who to use, etc. Hopefully as long as I get the first four sections done I'm good for now.

I understand that we can get up to $38,500/yr in Stafford loans. It seems to me that our total cost is going to be right around $60,000, since I believe tuition goes up by a couple thousand per year. So I think I will need ~$20,000 in private loans this year...

Can any Class of 2010'ers or current students help me out?

Thanks!

Hey Okay,

I also recently filled out the financial aid stuff. I called the financial aid office with questions about the private loan section. They told me NOT to fill it out now, rather to wait until I received my award letter from the school (some time in May). Apparently if you fill it out too early, you're just going to have to do it again once the award letter comes out from the school (so you know how much more you'll have to borrow). You should probably just give them a call to avoid problems.

Peace!

Thanks maxhealth! What about taking out Stafford through AZCOM or through another lender like Medloans that offers a bonus and also no origination fee (see the link in my last post)? I was just planning on taking them out through AZCOM, but those other ones SEEM like a better deal.

I dunno..

Thanks maxhealth! What about taking out Stafford through AZCOM or through another lender like Medloans that offers a bonus and also no origination fee (see the link in my last post)? I was just planning on taking them out through AZCOM, but those other ones SEEM like a better deal.

I dunno..

So I don't know really anything at all about finances other than ALWAYS be suspicious of bonus offers and such. The fine print tends to creep up on you when you least expect it. I took a quick look at the last link you posted (stafford loan bonus cash) and if you look at the terms, it requires that you pay the entire loan back in 10 yrs to be able to receive the benefit. I think most of us will probably on the 30 yr repayment train, so it looks like that benefit may not apply. Maybe post in the financial aid forum or ask the people at MWU financial aid office, granted they'll want you to use them no matter what. Let me know what you find out.

Here was my e-mail reply from AZCOM:

Yes, there are other lenders out there that have zero origination fees as well. The advantage of using MWU is that when you enter repayment and you are set up for auto debit you would receive a .25 interest reduction. Also, the revenue from using MWU as lender goes towards the Institutional Scholarships that we can then award to our students. Customer service is also a big factor. Sallie Mae is the servicer for MWU, so at anytime you have any issues with your student loans during the life of the loan, you can expect to receive excellent customer service. I would recommend you research your options and select the lender that meets your needs. It is ultimately your decision, and we want to make sure you are happy with who you select. If you decide to use a different lender that would not be a problem, just let us know so that we can make note of it and instruct you on what needs to be done.

Also, you can wait on applying for private loans until you know what you will receive in federal and or scholarships. Just make sure your credit is in good standing at all times.

Just wanted to say how boring we already are, class of 2010. Last post was like a week ago. Let's pick it up a little and show them other schools our AZCOM pride.

OK so maybe it was 2 days ago, but it still seems like a long time.

Any new info on the rotation situation for 3rd and 4th year??

bumbpibumbpi

Hey guys I will be joining you next year as the class of 2010! I already live in AZ so if anyone needs a place to stay while visiting AZ give me a call. We have an extra room and are more then happy to help you guys! Give me a call at 602-463-4089.
Heather

I am getting really tired of the thread not moving up on the list when we post. Could any moderators pipe in as to why????

How much are the deposits for AZCOM?

$250 initial, $750 a few months later. Damn, it still hurts!

WHERE ARE MY AZCOM'ERS?!!?! More people should post!

I'm interviewing on April 4th at AZCOM. Is that too late for an acceptance? Am I just interviewing for a waitlist spot?

The AZCOM 2009 thread had the same problem last year. It was really hard to keep the thread going. For some reason our class wasn't that active on SDN. Well, spring quarter starts tomorrow after a spring break that was way too short. Having completed the grueling fall and winter quarters, I'm willing to field questions any of you may have. I look forward to meeting all of you!

I'm interviewing on April 4th at AZCOM. Is that too late for an acceptance? Am I just interviewing for a waitlist spot?
BUMP BUMP BUMP it up!!

Dang, another 750 bucks, I'm a slacker, they actually called me to see if I had chosen to go elsewhere because they didn't get my second deposit. What can I say, if the good old state school accepted me their assumptions may have been true. As for now I'm still 1000 buck closer to seeing all of you this fall. Either way I am just excited to get started. :eek:

Alrighty gang. Anyone looking for roommates for next year? I'm planning on finding a house (to rent) and want to keep costs down by getting a roomie or two. I have a crazy 4 yr old yellow lab I plan on bringing with me. Who's game??

Well I think there are a total of four members of the class of 2010 that are actually still alive. Due to the mass suicides from ncaa bracket upsets most students have given up all hope of ever finding success in their future.



Come on let's get this thread going!!!!!


Does anyone know the fafsa code for MWU??

Does anyone know the fafsa code for MWU??

I just did a search on the FAFSA site and it is E00906.

Ok, so I know at least one of you on this thread is from the New England area but we're searching for some others. If anyone is from the New England area and might be interested in getting together some time in the near future let me know.

Only five more months guys!!!! Very exciting!!! :D :D :D

Hey Fellow Future AZCOMers,

How many of you are going to purchase a laptop for school? Is it really necessary to have one? I have a nice desktop PC and really wasn't planning on picking up a laptop, but it seems on every interview I attened, all of the students had them in lecture. I know they aren't a requirement at AZCOM but will I be at a disadvantage (for some reason) without one?

Hey maxhealth,

I definitely get the impression that AZCOM is not a big "technology" school (as far as use of PDAs, laptops, etc.). I don't think anyone brings their laptop really and I'm not sure if the campus is wireless even. I don't think you would need a laptop, but maybe a current student could chime in with their thoughts on that?

From my experience, there are quite a few students who bring their laptops to the library and hook them up to the internet. But I really haven't seen any of my classmates bring them to the lecture hall. I only have a desktop which is fine for me. If you have a laptop and you like to study at the library, you'll be set.

You don't need a laptop dude, for class. Lectures are off powerpoints. But you do need some kind of computer, because AZCOM uses Blackboard for info and communication.

I would go to class first and then judge what kind of study support you need from there. People are ready to sell you all kinds of stuff, medical equipment, books and lots of times you don't need all of that stuff right up front.

As for the rotation situation, for the most part , I've been happy with them, while two were very poor. It's not that hard to get into a hospital rotation, which are very important for IM, SURG and OBGYN. I am also doing my Internal Medicine at the VA. I did other hospital rotations otta state. Mostly, just keep your own counsel, because there are a lotta rumours that fly.

If you have any other questions, ask away, me and Bla3x have problably had the same questions.

In the end, it all works out ok.

Welcome to AZCOM

Class of 2007

You don't need a laptop dude, for class. Lectures are off powerpoints. But you do need some kind of computer, because AZCOM uses Blackboard for info and communication.

I would go to class first and then judge what kind of study support you need from there. People are ready to sell you all kinds of stuff, medical equipment, books and lots of times you don't need all of that stuff right up front.

As for the rotation situation, for the most part , I've been happy with them, while two were very poor. It's not that hard to get into a hospital rotation, which are very important for IM, SURG and OBGYN. I am also doing my Internal Medicine at the VA. I did other hospital rotations otta state. Mostly, just keep your own counsel, because there are a lotta rumours that fly.

If you have any other questions, ask away, me and Bla3x have problably had the same questions.

In the end, it all works out ok.

Welcome to AZCOM

Class of 2007

This is great advice that I unfortunately didn't follow. Just wait and by the end of the first week of class, you will have an idea what you need. The computer lab closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday, 8 PM on Fridays and 10 PM on Saturdays. So yeah, you definitely need a computer but you don't need a laptop. Besides, even if you brought your laptop to lecture, the rest of the class will hate you by the end of the lecture because your typing will annoy everyone. j/k :)

This is great advice that I unfortunately didn't follow. Just wait and by the end of the first week of class, you will have an idea what you need. The computer lab closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday, 8 PM on Fridays and 10 PM on Saturdays. So yeah, you definitely need a computer but you don't need a laptop. Besides, even if you brought your laptop to lecture, the rest of the class will hate you by the end of the key because your typing will annoy everyone. j/k :)

Nice, Paulie Walnuts...I gotta get in on watching some Sopranos with you guys next year!!

By the way, can any of you current students offer any suggestions for a decently quiet/clean, somewhat close 1BR apartment that is a little less than those places across the street? Maybe Isle at Arrowhead Ranch, I dunno.

Thanks guys, I'm so excited about moving to Glendale next year!

Thanks everyone for all the info about computers/laptops. I'll just wait and see if I need anything else.

I'm DEFINITELY down with the Sopranos nights! Unfortunately I think this is the last season. That's okay, we can have LOST parties instead...

Okayplayer: Let me know what you find out about apartments, thanks!

Nice, Paulie Walnuts...I gotta get in on watching some Sopranos with you guys next year!!

By the way, can any of you current students offer any suggestions for a decently quiet/clean, somewhat close 1BR apartment that is a little less than those places across the street? Maybe Isle at Arrowhead Ranch, I dunno.

Thanks guys, I'm so excited about moving to Glendale next year!

I lived at the Isle of Arrowhead Ranch prior to moving to San Prado accross the street. The Isle was definitely quiet. I requested a quiet apartment and they put me in one right accross from their little lake toward the back. I loved the floor plan of those apartments a little better than San Prado as well. IMHO, the only drawbacks to the Isle is that the apartments are a little old so the finishing in the kitchen, bathroom etc. are a little old. I also felt that some of the people in the Isle were a little scary and I didn't see any Midwestern students there. But for the price, location and floor plan, it's not a bad deal at all. If you are trying to save money, you might as well live on campus. Those apartments are as good as the isle plus you don't have to pay for cable, internet or water/trash. It seems like most MS1's live on campus and then move prior to the start of their second year. It's a great way to network and get to know your classmates.

And yes, we had a Sopranos party right after our Neuroscience exam on Monday morning. McDonalds breakfast and Sopranos....what a winning combo!

Yes, definitely enjoy your summer before you start. You really can't pre-read for class because every class has it's own rules, testing standards, note-taking etc and you can't really learn that until you start class.....or....until you take your first exam for intents and purposes. What you can do now is get to know your classmates and make friends before you start. It certainly makes the orientation process easier and allows you to branch out and get to know more people. And in the first weeks or so, it makes things easier when you have friends especially when you are trying to sign up for gym memberships, go grocery shopping, move furniture etc.

Just remember to enjoy your orientation week because it's one of the few times, you will be together with your class and have no responsibilities whatsoever. I'm not suggesting you have to be a hardcore partier to have a good time. There are plenty of nice restaurants to dine at and skydiving, golf, whatever. Inquiring mind can tell you all about orientation week last year. We went out all 7 nights. I believe Kona was in on one of those nights. It was truly a great time. In my opinion, medical school is much more than grades. It's about the people you meet, the friendships you make and the experience you undertake with those friends.

Hey everyone.

It's been a while since I have checked-out SDN...been busy wrapping up my thesis and preparing for my defense on 18 April.

FYI for anyone looking to relocate to the area...especially non-traditional students with families.

I am moving my family to Marley Park, in Surprise, exactly 15 miles from campus (it'd be a 57 mile onw way commute if I stayed where we live now). The builder (Engle Homes) is offering a too-good-to-be-true incentive right now that will blow you away :D .

$75,000 off the price of the home PLUS 50% discount on all options and upgardes (except pool and landscape)...yes, even 50% off a 50" plasma TV mounted on the wall :thumbup: .

From an investment standpoint alone you can't go wrong. When the incentive goes away (sometime this month, they say), there goes some instant appreciation equal to your total incentive amount!

It's an incredible master planned community with a super school. Plus, we would love to have some AZCOM neighboors...carpooling, studying, get-togethers, etc. Homes, from various builders, go from starting prices in the mid $250s to the mid $500s.

PM me if you want more info. Check out Marley Park (http://www.marleypark.com) .

First of all, I am looking forward to meeting all of you future classmates! I was also accepted at Touro California, but I feel that Midwestern is a much better school! I am at a bit of an advantage, having grown up two miles away from Midwestern, so I would be glad to answer any questions about Glendale that I can! I will be living with my parents...a thought that I was a little uneasy about at first. However, when I found out about the costs of MWU, I had no qualms about being "that guy" in his 20's who still lives with his parents! Anyway, I look forward to meeting all of you during orientation!
Matt Ericksen
ps. email me if you have questions <eldoctoraz@netscape.net>

I am a 28 yo that will be attending AZCOM in the fall. I am looking for a place to live that is not a trailer, but will not cost 1500 + a month. I have looked at some of the prior postings and researched them, but it seems that in this area, you can't get a house for less than 300K. Any other students with families out there? If anyone has some valid resources that can assist in the search for some decent living, please post them. I am looking forward to meeting everyone in August. I am from Texas, and did undergrad at Texas Tech. Any other Texans, If so, lets talk. We will be moving at the beginning of August.

Dang, another 750 bucks, I'm a slacker, they actually called me to see if I had chosen to go elsewhere because they didn't get my second deposit. What can I say, if the good old state school accepted me their assumptions may have been true. As for now I'm still 1000 buck closer to seeing all of you this fall. Either way I am just excited to get started. :eek:
Give it up inverted. :laugh:

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0413mwu0413.html

Wow, spending big $$. MWU has some seriously high aspirations...I just hope the med students paying 40k/yr get their money's worth--not fund the dozen other programs they are planning.

In addition to building the dental school, a clinic is being built across the street, as well as a new computer testing center on the other side of the parking lot. I say the more programs the better (although the hike in tuition isn't cool) since Midwestern can continually build its reputation in the valley and nationwide. One thing I feel the university should do is change its name. Having the name Midwestern in Arizona doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Something like "Southwestern Health Sciences University" would be better.

To change the subject, I was thinking Rahul and me would try to set up a meeting time before orientation so we can get to know you guys and give you advice for the upcoming academic year. Last fall, a bunch of us met at Old Chicago for lunch the Monday before orientation started.

My name's Matt and feel free to PM me at any time with questions.

Sounds good Matt! Yeah, we will set something at Old Chicago, McDuffys or some other place.

later

Whats up everyone. Got accepted yesterday and sending in my deposit today. Very excited to be attending AZCOM.

Whats up everyone. Got accepted yesterday and sending in my deposit today. Very excited to be attending AZCOM.
When did you interview?

When did you interview?

April 7th.

Whats up everyone. Got accepted yesterday and sending in my deposit today. Very excited to be attending AZCOM.


Congrats. You interviewed late. Do you live near the school? Several of us are going to try to get together the week before orientation. If you would like to join, that would be great.

Congrats. You interviewed late. Do you live near the school? Several of us are going to try to get together the week before orientation. If you would like to join, that would be great.

They lost one of my letters of rec so it took longer than expected to get the interview. I live in Tucson, but will be moving to Phx early most likely. So, count me in for the get together.

Just wanted to say hello to my fellow AZCOMers!!! I loved it right when i got there...especially because it was winter where I'm from :eek: ...So tell me truly, am I going to die of heat in the summer? :confused: Leather seats never seemed like such a bad idea until now. Matt, tell me I'll be okay.
Also, does anybody use the "interact now" thing. Just curious.

Just wanted to say hello to my fellow AZCOMers!!! I loved it right when i got there...especially because it was winter where I'm from :eek: ...So tell me truly, am I going to die of heat in the summer? :confused: Leather seats never seemed like such a bad idea until now. Matt, tell me I'll be okay.
Also, does anybody use the "interact now" thing. Just curious.

You will be okay. Just lay out by the pool and barbeque at night. In Arizona, every place you will enter is crazy air conditioned. I actually wear long sleeves when I go to the movies in the summer because the theatre is 60 degrees. The mornings and evenings are okay. Remember that Arizona summers are like your winters but without the problems like driving on icy roads and starting your car 15 minutes before you leave in the morning. It's all well worth it in January, trust me!

I've got a question for current AZCOM students:

What exactly is the key to AZCOM's awesome board pass rates (COMLEX/Step 1)? Do professors really teach to the boards?

I have heard from friends of mine currently in school that I should buy a set of board review books (ie. First Aid, etc.) early in MS1 and use those to review for my classes for board-relevancy? What do you guys think about that.

I'm not trying to be neurotic, just curious...I certainly won't open any books this summer! I'll be too busy in Europe/Yellowstone.

You will be okay. Just lay out by the pool and barbeque at night. In Arizona, every place you will enter is crazy air conditioned. I actually wear long sleeves when I go to the movies in the summer because the theatre is 60 degrees. The mornings and evenings are okay. Remember that Arizona summers are like your winters but without the problems like driving on icy roads and starting your car 15 minutes before you leave in the morning. It's all well worth it in January, trust me!

What about getting a motorcycle? Seems more realistic to have one in AZ than in snowy UT

This is not an answer to your question, but the main reason I chose AZCOM over some other out of state DO schools was the incredible pass rates. I looked at a great deal of other schools prior to applying and none of them had the pass rate percentage that AZCOM has. They have some very nice residency placements also. Those two factors are pretty impressive. I am in the medical field currently and many of the physicians that I have asked say that the boards are the key factor to getting the residency you want. There are other things that an applicant need to look at, but Board scores are the top tier.

Hey 1st years,

Congrats on your acceptances, AZCOM is a great school.

For any of you who are looking for a place to live next year I have a room available in my house. It's a beautiful 4 bed, 2 bath house complete with a pool, sports court, 3 car garage, a park across the street, and it's only 1.3 miles from campus. Rent is $400/month (utilities not included).

Email me if you are interested, and I will send you some pics (dustinlloyd19@hotmail.com). Enjoy your summer.

Hi all. I'm just curious what everyone is doing for housing next year. I was planing on living in the campus apartments but I recently found out that they are all full... MS2's, any suggestions on good, CHEAP apartments?

Overall, I would agree that the professors here teach to the boards. Especially classes like physiology where using the boards review book (BRS by Costanzo) and working the problems almost guarantees you a good test grade. I'm thinking about buying First Aid this summer, but I already own Kaplan's Med Essentials which I got for free at the AMSA conference in Chicago last month. One of the clinical classes second year uses the First Aid for board review and testing purposes so I will most likely buy it due to that. But to anyone looking for a step 1 board review book, I recommend Med Essentials. Although I wouldn't stress about buying it this summer. Enjoy your Europe trip and working in Yellowstone. I grew up in Montana, so I remember taking many trips to Old Faithful and Mammoth Hot Springs......

I've got a question for current AZCOM students:

What exactly is the key to AZCOM's awesome board pass rates (COMLEX/Step 1)? Do professors really teach to the boards?

I have heard from friends of mine currently in school that I should buy a set of board review books (ie. First Aid, etc.) early in MS1 and use those to review for my classes for board-relevancy? What do you guys think about that.

I'm not trying to be neurotic, just curious...I certainly won't open any books this summer! I'll be too busy in Europe/Yellowstone.

Okay Player,

The key is probably a combination of many factors. Personally, I feel our basic science faculty plays a large part of it. They are committed to actually teaching. In other words, it isn't a situation where they throw all this material at you and say go memorize. I would agree that the volume of material in medical school is difficult. But I have found that our professors stress the big picture first...and then give you the details. And they will help organize your learning to optimize your efficiency. You'll hardly need to look at textbooks (except for Netter) since their notes are much simpler to understand.

AZCOM is also good at incorporating board-relevant material into our studies. And they will make it a point during lectures to say.."hey, this concept is often missed on the boards."

Yes, I've heard a few of our professors sit on committees that submit questions for board exams.

As for the board review books, if you study efficiently enough to have extra time to do such reviews, great. But I think most people will find that such time is a rarity and would rather use it to spend hanging out in Scottsdale with Matt and Rahul or going to sushi at Sakana's with Matt and Rahul or watching Sopranos with Matt and Rahul.

Have a great time in Yellowstone.



I've got a question for current AZCOM students:

What exactly is the key to AZCOM's awesome board pass rates (COMLEX/Step 1)? Do professors really teach to the boards?

I have heard from friends of mine currently in school that I should buy a set of board review books (ie. First Aid, etc.) early in MS1 and use those to review for my classes for board-relevancy? What do you guys think about that.

I'm not trying to be neurotic, just curious...I certainly won't open any books this summer! I'll be too busy in Europe/Yellowstone.

Now Kona knows what he's talking about! And if anyone is interested in a surfing trip to San Diego, he's your guy!

Now Kona knows what he's talking about! And if anyone is interested in a surfing trip to San Diego, he's your guy!

Kona, if you have some time this summer you should come to cali and go surfing. I'll be working in Rancho for the summer and then starting school in the fall at AZCOM. I pretty much suck at surfing, but I can always use some good pointers.

Thanks for the comfort rahulazcom, and also reminding me how badly I hate snow. Sittin by the pool and BBQ sounds pretty sweet. I guess i better get some of that food on my books to make myself feel justified.

Hi all. I'm just curious what everyone is doing for housing next year. I was planing on living in the campus apartments but I recently found out that they are all full... MS2's, any suggestions on good, CHEAP apartments?

I'm in the same boat with norcaldoc, on campus is full, and I don't have any idea for housing. I've read some bad reviews about San Lagos (Arrowhead highlands), Meadow Glen and Suncreek on apartmentratings.com, but you never know if they're the real thing, or just ticked-off competitors posting. At this point, I'm not too concerned with price just as long as my car doesn't get stolen. Any ideas? Anyone know about San Prado? Haven't heard any negatives about it yet. Where's everybody else going to live?

Anybody know how long it is really hot in the fall? How hot is hot? What should I expect from the fall weather in AZ? (Still on the provisional acceptance list, assuming I'll be "in" soon)

When I first arrived last August (from Colorado) it was about 115 F during the day and around 100 at night. It finally started to cool off around the end of October. Just this week, the temps are back around a high of 100 F. It's frickin' hot here between April and November. That's why I'll try to be gone as much as possible this summer. But I will say this, it has to be better than that sticky humidity you poor folks in IL have in the summer.


Anybody know how long it is really hot in the fall? How hot is hot? What should I expect from the fall weather in AZ? (Still on the provisional acceptance list, assuming I'll be "in" soon)

gusterbyu, are you married. My wife and I have been looking at homes over in Surprise. They're a little pricy, but it might be worth it. What are your plans for the summer?? We might be able to car pool out before school starts.

I am married with a child. I looked in Surprise also for a home but they were 300 and above. How are medical students affording the mortgage payments? We are given such a minimal budget with the high cost of tuition.

gusterbyu, are you married. My wife and I have been looking at homes over in Surprise. They're a little pricy, but it might be worth it. What are your plans for the summer?? We might be able to car pool out before school starts.

Yes I'm married, but we're a little hesitant to get a house because we don't have any kids yet, and my wife might be applying to grad school. So we're leaning toward keeping it simple and rent for the first little bit and see what comes up.

I've got 1 class left I'm taking that I'll be done with in June, after that I'm just working for the rest of the summer. We planned taking a trip down before to check things out, but wussed out the day before we were going to go because how long the drive was :o . When do you plan on moving down? Let me know if you're taking a trip anytime soon. :thumbup: :thumbup:

I was just curious if anyone applied for the NHSC scholarship. I've got an inteview for it in a month :luck: , and was curious if any AZCOMers were doing it.

I've also read that there is a DO/PhD program at AZCOM, but I haven't heard anything about it. Not like I wanted to do it, but I was wondering if anyone was thinking about it, or doing it. Anyone???

Yes I'm married, but we're a little hesitant to get a house because we don't have any kids yet, and my wife might be applying to grad school. So we're leaning toward keeping it simple and rent for the first little bit and see what comes up.

I've got 1 class left I'm taking that I'll be done with in June, after that I'm just working for the rest of the summer. We planned taking a trip down before to check things out, but wussed out the day before we were going to go because how long the drive was :o . When do you plan on moving down? Let me know if you're taking a trip anytime soon. :thumbup: :thumbup:


We are moving in July. I was also going to take a fact finding trip, but it is over 1000 miles from where I live and is expensive to fly. I am an RN and am going to work up until July 27th in Fort Worth, then we are making the long ride on the 28th getting there on the 29th. We will have to all get together when everyone arrives.

I've also read that there is a DO/PhD program at AZCOM, but I haven't heard anything about it. Not like I wanted to do it, but I was wondering if anyone was thinking about it, or doing it. Anyone???

I was wondering about that also. There's this nebulous-as-possible paragraph that they put both on their website and in that large packet that they send out that goes something like this...

"Sophomore students in good academic standing may apply to the AZCOM Dean for the D.O./Ph.D. program. This program allows students interested in academic medicine to pursue a Ph.D. degree at an area university while simultaneously completing the requirements for the D.O. degree. Students participating in this program usually start their combined studies during their junior year. For further information, please contact the Assistant Vice President for Research & Sponsored Programs."

I've tried to contact, but no response yet. That's one of the things that attracted me to this school, actually, since I'd like to teach at a University level after a couple decades of practicing as a physician. Anyone else know of any info relating to this? Any current students that are doing this have some advice?

Either way I'm excited to get outta here and get started at school again. I've been out for the past year working as a surgical assistant to an ophthalmologist...amazing experience, but I'm ready to hit the books again.

I was planning on going down to apartment-hunt in a coupla weeks, but got pushed back to June due to work. The drive from Provo, UT isn't that bad [8-9 hours] so it'll be a fun weekend trip. It wasn't nearly as bad as my drive down after work for my interview, sleep a coupla hours, interview, then drive right back for work without doing much of anything else. Those were 2 rough days.

Has anyone received anything more from AZCOM since the acceptance packet? Just wondering if I should be looking for anything soon, such as financial aid info or email address.

We are moving in July. I was also going to take a fact finding trip, but it is over 1000 miles from where I live and is expensive to fly. I am an RN and am going to work up until July 27th in Fort Worth, then we are making the long ride on the 28th getting there on the 29th. We will have to all get together when everyone arrives.
hey kkoenig, have you figured out where you're going to live yet? I'm finding that most places off campus don't know about availabilities for another month or so. We won't be moving in until the weekend before orientation, so that's probably why they don't know august availabilities yet, just curious what you've found for your family and all. It'll be cool to meet everyone, hopefully before getting slammed by school.
Hey, I have an idea! How about everyone meet at my apartment on Aug 20th and wait for the rental truck to show up to help me move in! :D HA!! Just kidding... :sleep:

Oh you will get slammed....like you can't even begin to imagine... :D

hey kkoenig, have you figured out where you're going to live yet? I'm finding that most places off campus don't know about availabilities for another month or so. We won't be moving in until the weekend before orientation, so that's probably why they don't know august availabilities yet, just curious what you've found for your family and all. It'll be cool to meet everyone, hopefully before getting slammed by school.
Hey, I have an idea! How about everyone meet at my apartment on Aug 20th and wait for the rental truck to show up to help me move in! :D HA!! Just kidding... :sleep:

hey kkoenig, have you figured out where you're going to live yet? I'm finding that most places off campus don't know about availabilities for another month or so. We won't be moving in until the weekend before orientation, so that's probably why they don't know august availabilities yet, just curious what you've found for your family and all. It'll be cool to meet everyone, hopefully before getting slammed by school.
Hey, I have an idea! How about everyone meet at my apartment on Aug 20th and wait for the rental truck to show up to help me move in! :D HA!! Just kidding... :sleep:


I think we are going to move somewhere by the school. They have a ton of apartments from what I hear. I am looking at San Lagos.

Has anyone received anything more from AZCOM since the acceptance packet? Just wondering if I should be looking for anything soon, such as financial aid info or email address.
You should have gotten the financial aid and email stuff by now. The only other thing I got was the Midwestern University catalogue thing and a brochure for clothes and stuff last month. The only reason I remember that was because they were giving away a free set of scrubs no purchase necessary (except for the whole $36,000 in tuition). Don't count on them getting you the right size though. :( I guess free is free so I shouldn't complain.

You should have gotten the financial aid and email stuff by now. The only other thing I got was the Midwestern University catalogue thing and a brochure for clothes and stuff last month. The only reason I remember that was because they were giving away a free set of scrubs no purchase necessary (except for the whole $36,000 in tuition). Don't count on them getting you the right size though. :( I guess free is free so I shouldn't complain.


How long after paying your deposit did you get that info? Because I was accepted and paid my deposit all within the past 3 or 4 weeks. I don't want to be a pain to the front office staff, but I also want to get my paperwork going. Thanks for the info.

How long after paying your deposit did you get that info? Because I was accepted and paid my deposit all within the past 3 or 4 weeks. I don't want to be a pain to the front office staff, but I also want to get my paperwork going. Thanks for the info.

I paid my deposit back on 3/21/06 and then got my packet about 2 weeks ago or so...about a 5-week wait until I got the catalog. But it wasn't that informative, since all of that information is readily available on their website. The more important stuff was the financial aid/housing/intro-to-Phoenix packet that came much before that [the one that you pay the deposit through]. Nothing of value since then, so you're not missing out on much.

How long after paying your deposit did you get that info? Because I was accepted and paid my deposit all within the past 3 or 4 weeks. I don't want to be a pain to the front office staff, but I also want to get my paperwork going. Thanks for the info.

I paid my 2nd deposit on march 1st, and got the financial aid stuff a few weeks later. Since it was pretty recent that you did all that, it might be coming, or it could have come to the alternate address you wrote down. For some reason, half of my stuff comes to my apartment, half goes to my parent's address. You might want to check that, or even just ask the financial aid office if they have sent your "electronic application instructions" (blue sheet) with financial aid info (mine was a yellow packet). They have been really nice to me, and I've called a few times so I wouldn't worry about that.

Don't do step 5 on the blue sheet though until they tell you in June/may unless you really want to. I accidentally pushed way too many buttons, and got a medloans letter a few weeks later with Chase bank as my lender (whoops). Turns out that I have to cancel that loan request, and Sallie Mae might have to redo everything, including getting my credit stuff, which apparently causes my credit to go down every time they get it. :confused: :thumbdown

Have you already done your FAFSA and applied for the stafford loans? If not, it's all on the blue sheet, there's really not much than that so far...unless I'm missing the boat. If I am, someone please enlighten me.

Now I'm just adding a paragraph to get this thread on the 5th link, all the other class threads are at like 10+ and I'm jealous for some reason. :D

I paid my 2nd deposit on march 1st, and got the financial aid stuff a few weeks later. Since it was pretty recent that you did all that, it might be coming, or it could have come to the alternate address you wrote down. For some reason, half of my stuff comes to my apartment, half goes to my parent's address. You might want to check that, or even just ask the financial aid office if they have sent your "electronic application instructions" (blue sheet) with financial aid info (mine was a yellow packet). They have been really nice to me, and I've called a few times so I wouldn't worry about that.

Don't do step 5 on the blue sheet though until they tell you in June/may unless you really want to. I accidentally pushed way too many buttons, and got a medloans letter a few weeks later with Chase bank as my lender (whoops). Turns out that I have to cancel that loan request, and Sallie Mae might have to redo everything, including getting my credit stuff, which apparently causes my credit to go down every time they get it. :confused: :thumbdown

Have you already done your FAFSA and applied for the stafford loans? If not, it's all on the blue sheet, there's really not much than that so far...unless I'm missing the boat. If I am, someone please enlighten me.

Now I'm just adding a paragraph to get this thread on the 5th link, all the other class threads are at like 10+ and I'm jealous for some reason. :D


Thanks for the info!! I called, and my packet was sent out yesterday. So, I guess I am on the right track. I just hate sitting around not doing anything. I have filled out my FAFSA, but I am waiting for my packet to do the stafford loans. Thanks again, you were very helpfull.

Whats up everyone?
I am currently overseas and can't call housing to find out, but I recall reading that we won't be able to move into our apartments (on campus) until September 1st...and orientation starts like a week before that. For you guys staying in the on-campus apartments, what exactly are you going to do for that week? I was going to try to request them to pro-rate it for the last week of August. Do we have any other options?

What about getting a motorcycle? Seems more realistic to have one in AZ than in snowy UT

I don't know anything about motorcycles other than the fact my wife would kill me if I ever got on one or bought one. There are always a couple of students in each class that own one. They seem to be fine.

Hi all. I'm just curious what everyone is doing for housing next year. I was planing on living in the campus apartments but I recently found out that they are all full... MS2's, any suggestions on good, CHEAP apartments?

The Isle apartments on the 67th and Beardsley are CHEAP...well relatively cheap. There are some more apartments that you can see off the 101 freeway as you keep heading West/South (It's a loop), I heard those are cheap. But if you really want to save money, I would consider moving in with someone. There are a lot of MS II's with homes that are looking for roommates next year. They will usually offer you a good deal. Inquiring Mind aka Matt lived with someone. And you will learn that a lot of MS I's will purchase homes this summer and will look for roommates so if you would prefer to live with someone in your own class, that's a possibility as well.

San Lagos is a good complex. The reason I advocate San Lagos is that it's a Mark-Taylor apartment. They have several properties in the Phoenix Metro and they are well managed. It's like flying on Southwest Airlines, if something goes bad, the management is good so you know they will compensate for it somehow. They are organized and they do a good job with screening tennants such as not allowing 18 year old ASU West students to live there. I am at San Prado and it's the same thing as San Lagos but it's a little more expensive albeit more new.

I have heard from friends of mine currently in school that I should buy a set of board review books (ie. First Aid, etc.) early in MS1 and use those to review for my classes for board-relevancy? What do you guys think about that.

I would hesitate to do this. I inherited and purchased every single BRS and High-Yield book prior to starting and I occassionally looked at the BRS Physiology book and Anatomy book for their test questions. I agree with Matt in that the BRS Physiology (light blue book) was worth it. That's it. You will just be overwhelmed with your notes that you won't have time to truly read those books. BUT, I would recommend purchasing First-Aid and annotating in that. No, I don't do this but I have been told my MS II's to do that. None of the MS II's that I know of have advocated studying board books alongside your notes. Most importantly, you just won't have time to go to Scottsdale with Matt and I and watch Sopranos with Matt and I. Choose wisely

Anybody know how long it is really hot in the fall? How hot is hot? What should I expect from the fall weather in AZ? (Still on the provisional acceptance list, assuming I'll be "in" soon)

It's hot. I feel September is just an extension of August and the 100 degree weather doesn't stop until late September. It really depends on the year. This was a "mild" year because it started cooling down in late September this year but I remember years where it doesn't cool down until mid-October. However, you get used to it so that agonizing feeling you get when you first arrive on campus doesn't last for 2 months or anything. It's really not that bad because the mornings and evenings are tolerable. The afternoons are hot but you will be in lecture or a freezing anatomy lab.

I've also read that there is a DO/PhD program at AZCOM, but I haven't heard anything about it. Not like I wanted to do it, but I was wondering if anyone was thinking about it, or doing it. Anyone???

I know it exists. I know several people who have completed masters degrees prior to starting in the DO program. I don't know anyone who has or is currently pursing the combined DO/PhD program. I looked into it and they have a deal associated with ASU. That's how it works. I do know in general that a combined MD-DO/PhD lasts on average 7 years. My brother-in-law is currently completing one. He completed the first two years of medical school (basic sciences) and then he went straight to the lab. He has been working in the lab now for 3 years and has elected to do a 4th year. He won't start his MS III year until his 5th year so for him, the program was 8 years. I think that's why a lot of people avoid doing the combined program. You can still do research as a DO without having a PhD. It takes on average 7 years to complete (3 years research + 4 years medical school). I think this is a major reason why people are not attracted to the program. I know if you were interested, they would pretty much take you. Dr. Glenn Bell is the coordinator for that program and he is located in the College of Health Sciences. He heads up the masters program there. His office is in Ocotillo Hall.

I'M in...Guess I gotta join this crowd now and start the apartment hunting...

Originally Posted by okayplayer
I have heard from friends of mine currently in school that I should buy a set of board review books (ie. First Aid, etc.) early in MS1 and use those to review for my classes for board-relevancy? What do you guys think about that.

Oh dear god do not do this. I am a grad of AZCOM and almost to be done with my intern year, and that is just way too much. You can study in your second year. I think First Aid is a crappy book, but some of my classmates loved it. Go figure.

Study the note packets for your tests. You will get virtually all of the info you need from those. If you are not a leacture person, you can not go to class and do very well by studying note packets and the books. My good buddy graduated in the top 10 by doing this. Our valedictorian, however, went to every class. So there are different learning styles for different people. I am a class-goer myslef, and occasionally there are tidbits that are emphasized that helped me cut down my studying a lot.

DO NOT think that your secrets will be sacred among you new classmates. Gossip spreads like wildfire. If you don't want people to know, don't say it out loud.

Help each other. Our class started a website and we posted old tests, quizzes, study guides, etc. I think there might be some sort of new thing going on with the websites, but my understanding is that they are not posting old exams. Those will really really help your studying. Share these amongst the class, and you will all benefit.

Originally Posted by okayplayer
I have heard from friends of mine currently in school that I should buy a set of board review books (ie. First Aid, etc.) early in MS1 and use those to review for my classes for board-relevancy? What do you guys think about that.

Oh dear god do not do this. I am a grad of AZCOM and almost to be done with my intern year, and that is just way too much. You can study in your second year. I think First Aid is a crappy book, but some of my classmates loved it. Go figure.

Study the note packets for your tests. You will get virtually all of the info you need from those. If you are not a leacture person, you can not go to class and do very well by studying note packets and the books. My good buddy graduated in the top 10 by doing this. Our valedictorian, however, went to every class. So there are different learning styles for different people. I am a class-goer myslef, and occasionally there are tidbits that are emphasized that helped me cut down my studying a lot.

DO NOT think that your secrets will be sacred among you new classmates. Gossip spreads like wildfire. If you don't want people to know, don't say it out loud.

Help each other. Our class started a website and we posted old tests, quizzes, study guides, etc. I think there might be some sort of new thing going on with the websites, but my understanding is that they are not posting old exams. Those will really really help your studying. Share these amongst the class, and you will all benefit.

hi kristing! I graduate from AZCOM in 3 weeks - I met Kristing on this website almost 4 years ago! I disagree a little with her advice though. I would buy one board review book at the beginning of MS1 year - like first aid and leave it in your bathroom. Every time you go to the bathroom for the following 2 years read a page or 2. By the time comes for boards you will have read 1st aid like 20 times without ever really taking time to study.

I also think it is a good idea to buy board review books instead of text books. Like buy the lippincott biochemistry review book for biochem or microbiology made ridiculously simple for micro. Of course a good anatomy atlas is important - I recommend also getting Rohan (real pictures not drawings) it will minimize the time you need to spend in the actual anatomy lab.

I went to class every day the first quarter - then I got pregnant and pretty much quit going to class did fine both ways. Although I still think my grade in neuroanatomy was a small miracle!

This is a really exciting time for you guys - good luck.

I would buy one board review book at the beginning of MS1 year - like first aid and leave it in your bathroom. Every time you go to the bathroom for the following 2 years read a page or 2. By the time comes for boards you will have read 1st aid like 20 times without ever really taking time to study.


Ok, this is a good idea. But notice, she didn't say to study the board review book anywhere else but the bathroom. That's actually a great idea. I think I did this for a month before boards with one book - shoot what was it - the one with all of the little tidbits in it - anyway - and it helped.

But the main point here is, that you can do it lots of ways and still succeed. I didn't really study hard for boards until after 2nd year ended. So 2 weeks total. (I did 2 Saturdays before the end of the year). And I crammed for about 6-8 hours every day for those 2 weeks and I did better than a lot of people I know who did much more extensive studying. At least on COMLEX. We don't discuss my USMLE score as it is a pathetic thing.

Man what the hell has gotten into me? I am so soapboxy. I'll get off now.

I know if you were interested, they would pretty much take you. Dr. Glenn Bell is the coordinator for that program and he is located in the College of Health Sciences. He heads up the masters program there. His office is in Ocotillo Hall.

I couldn't find Dr. Glenn Bell on the AZCOM website's faculty listing...any contact info you could provide? Might as well find out as much as I can before life gets too hectic.

I couldn't find Dr. Glenn Bell on the AZCOM website's faculty listing...any contact info you could provide? Might as well find out as much as I can before life gets too hectic.

You're actually wise to be inquiring about this now because I think you are expected to apply to it now. Here is a link

http://www.midwestern.edu/az%2Dbiomed/

And call the main number and ask to be connected to Dr. Bell at (623) 572-3200. . Good Luck! Dr. Bell is a very nice man so give him my regards.

Thanks everyone for the advice, that’s good stuff. Keep it going if you’ve got more! :thumbup: :thumbup: Did any of you do work/study over the summer break, or move back home and work? I hear they can compensate you 10/hr if you do hours in a hospital during the summer, but I'm not sure if that's for those with prior training or for those of us loser 1st years with no marketable skill for work in a hospital.

Thanks everyone for the advice, that’s good stuff. Keep it going if you’ve got more! :thumbup: :thumbup: Did any of you do work/study over the summer break, or move back home and work? I hear they can compensate you 10/hr if you do hours in a hospital during the summer, but I'm not sure if that's for those with prior training or for those of us loser 1st years with no marketable skill for work in a hospital.

I took time off between 1st and 2nd year, except for the Women's Health class, which was awesome, btw, and I am so glad I did. You can also be a TA for the PAs in the anatomy lab, but I decided not to do this. It requires an application and a decent grade in anatomy lab. It pays ok. I never heard of getting paid for hospital work, though.

Here's some more advice. If Wagman is still teaching Behavioral sci, DO NOT buy those damn books. He says they are required then never gives you any reading out of them. His tests are all based on his lectures.

Ask away if you've got any more questions, my month right now is pretty light, and I actually have time to answer!

Thanks everyone for the advice, that’s good stuff. Keep it going if you’ve got more! :thumbup: :thumbup: Did any of you do work/study over the summer break, or move back home and work? I hear they can compensate you 10/hr if you do hours in a hospital during the summer, but I'm not sure if that's for those with prior training or for those of us loser 1st years with no marketable skill for work in a hospital.

I tutored biochemistry for the PA students in between first and second year. I also got a job working for the perfusionist department. There are several on campus jobs in the secretarial arena - like for the different departments or student services. There are also tutoring jobs. In addition you can get paid for a lot of volunteer work. If you voluteer at the children's hospital you can get paid for that, you can also get paid for doing health fair's. All of this stuff is however related to work study - so you have a maximum you can earn based on your work study award. I maxed mine out my ms1 and ms2 years. THere are a limited number of research opportunities to work in one of the faculty member's labs for a summer research - I didn't do that so I don't know the amount. There are some off campus things too. A local massage school usually hires a medical student to teach anatomy to their students, some local doctors doing research might need funded assistants. I new someone who actually started in KristinG's class and decellerated to my class so she could work part time with a public health organization on some research project (Elise).
I wish I would have thought ahead and gotten a CNA or EMT certification and then I could have taken some shifts for extra money. If you have spare time in the next couple of months those might be options too.

Also - I think that the pay for regular on campus work was $10 an hour, but for community health related stuff - like at the children's hospital and health fairs it was $12 and hour. To get paid for that stuff you have to have a sponsor and fill out some paperwork in the financial aid office.

Where are all of you married people going to live the this fall. I have thought about getting into a home, but if that doesn't work out, it would be fun to stay in the same apartment complex as some of you guys.

Where are all of you married people going to live the this fall. I have thought about getting into a home, but if that doesn't work out, it would be fun to stay in the same apartment complex as some of you guys.
We have room for you in good old West Des Moines.
Oh wait, no we don't. :meanie:

Where are all of you married people going to live the this fall. I have thought about getting into a home, but if that doesn't work out, it would be fun to stay in the same apartment complex as some of you guys.

My wife, daughter, and I are probably going to live at San Lagos.

Where are all of you married people going to live the this fall. I have thought about getting into a home, but if that doesn't work out, it would be fun to stay in the same apartment complex as some of you guys.

Marley Park in Surprise...exactly 15 miles from campus. It's an incredible master-planned community with tons of amenities and a great school.

Housing goes from townhomes to 5 bedrooms on 1/3 acre lot...all within the same neighborhood :thumbup: .

Here is the link. BTW...many builders currently have smokin' deals on spec homes...quick move-in and save $$.

Marley Park (http://www.marleypark.com)

Just found this site and wanted to say hello and congrats to all of my future classmates in the class of 2010. :)

Hey everyone -

I was wondering if someone knew about this. I heard from CCOM students that they have tests practically every other day and its the same for AZCOM. Could anyone comment on that? Thanks!

Hey everyone -

I was wondering if someone knew about this. I heard from CCOM students that they have tests practically every other day and its the same for AZCOM. Could anyone comment on that? Thanks!

I know that we will have tests every Monday. Our curriculum is structured in Quarters 3 of them. So it is compacted into 30 weeks. We will also have some weeks that there will be more than one a week. If you go to the website, I think they have several examples of the curricula.

Anyone else doing the HPSP this year?

Anyone else doing the HPSP this year?

What is the HPSP??

What is the HPSP??

Health Professions Scholarship Program. It is the military scholarship.

I know that we will have tests every Monday. Our curriculum is structured in Quarters 3 of them. So it is compacted into 30 weeks. We will also have some weeks that there will be more than one a week. If you go to the website, I think they have several examples of the curricula.

During your first year, you won't have more than one core class exam in a week. You have 2 core classes your 1st Quarter: Anatomy/Embry/Histo and Biochem. During your second quarter, you will have 3 core classes: the same ones from Fall Quarter + Physiology. Spring Quarter, your core classes are Neuroscience, Immunology and Physiology.

Most of your exams will be on Monday. You might occasionally have an exam on Tuesday or some other time during the week. During the Fall quarter, you will have a few weeks in which you won't have any exam during a week. In the Winter Quarter, you will basically have an exam per week.

The only time you have two or more exams per week is when you have a core exam on a Monday and then ICM or Human Behavior later in the week. ICM and Human Behavior are pretty easy though so it's not like you have two real exams in a week.

Second year is when you have two core exams in a given week like Path on Monday and Pharm on Friday. Not looking forward to that...

As far as Books are concerned, I recommend 4 for the Fall Quarter:

1. Netter Atlas - this is basic. Some only buy this book alone

2. Rohen Atlas - good for the practical particularly the night before an exam when you don't have access to the anatomy lab.

3. Wheater Atlas for Histology - best all around Histo text book. There are other atlases too like the Gartner and Hiatt atlas. That's good too but you can get by on Wheaters

4. Sadler or Lange's (same book) Embryology book - This book is either referred to as Sadler or Lange's depending on the year it was published. It's the same book. I feel this book is a must. When you read Embryo, the notes can be confusing unless you have something to reference. Dr. Nydam's notes follow this book pretty well and the pictures/diagrams helped a lot.

Rohen, Sadler and Wheater are all available on reserve in the library. I feel the Netter and Wheater are a must.

You don't need any other book. And if you think you need a book, the library has several copies on reserve. Everything will provided in notes and lecture.

So I hear there is a waitlist for housing. Basically, I'm looking for a roommate or roommates to live with. Either somebody who has an apt already looking for another person or is interested in getting 2-4 bedroom apartment with other people near campus. I'm going to try to get my name on the campus housing list but I think that there is probably a little bit of a line for that. PM me if you're interested.

Male 22, Moderately Clean, Loves Baseball, Loves medicine...(obviously, particularly emergency medicine), Lots of fun, like to go out from time to time (we'll see about this in medical school), Did I mention baseball addict and loves medicine?

So I hear there is a waitlist for housing. Basically, I'm looking for a roommate or roommates to live with. Either somebody who has an apt already looking for another person or is interested in getting 2-4 bedroom apartment with other people near campus. I'm going to try to get my name on the campus housing list but I think that there is probably a little bit of a line for that. PM me if you're interested.

Male 22, Moderately Clean, Loves Baseball, Loves medicine...(obviously, particularly emergency medicine), Lots of fun, like to go out from time to time (we'll see about this in medical school), Did I mention baseball addict and loves medicine?

Oh we'll take you out plenty to Scottsdale, believe me.... :D

So scottsdale is where it's hoppin eh? I particularly liked "The Big Bang" in Tempe but then again I've only been to Phoenix area for spring break (X4, spring training baseball of course) and an interview. Wowsers, Arizona. It's been 87 with 90% humidity (yuck). Sadly 110 with 10% humidity might actually be bearable when I get there. IL, you just can't escape the heat, not even in the shade.

Tempe is pretty fun as well. I've been to Big Bang a couple of times, fun place. It all depends on if you're in the "college" mood or not. And I agree, the dry heat is better than humid head any day. Then again, I grew up in a dry climate so humidity really drives me up a wall.

Any health insurance advice? And when and where did they say we needed to get our titers drawn?

Any health insurance advice? And when and where did they say we needed to get our titers drawn?
We're probably going with the school insurance just to make it easier, but it would be helpful if someone out there knew if there's a better deal for spouses and kids.

I just had my immunization stuff done at my local college health center, they seem to have a lot of kids come in for immunizations for grad school, so I figured that would be alright. (I sure hope so, it was like $150 for everything). I sent off all the copies of the info last week, so I'll let you know if they don't accept it. I came up negative on my Hep B titer though! I had the three shot series like 6 years ago and came out negative, so I had to get a 4th shot last week and it made me sicker than a dog (apparently a rare side effect). If you have to get any more shots, I'd go to the state travel clinic place on state street and 20 something south if you're in Salt Lake. I forgot exactly where it is, but it's a little cheaper.

I believe they want everything done before you start except the Hep B titers for those who are still taking the full series. This includes, someone correct me if I miss some:

Drug Screen
Hep B Surface Antibody
Hepatitis B #1
Hepatitis B #2
Hepatitis B #3
Measles Immunization #1
Measles Immunization #2
Measles Titer
Mumps Immunization #1
Mumps Titer
Rubella Immunization #1
Rubella Titer
TB step 1
TB step 2
TB Chest X-Ray (only if you come up positive)
Tetanus
Varicella Titer

Does anybody know if AZCOM has any roommate matching thing or online forum for the school besides SDN?

Does anybody know if AZCOM has any roommate matching thing or online forum for the school besides SDN?

Try the INTERACT NOW link on the AZCOM website: www.midwestern.edu/AZCOM.

Where are all of you married people going to live the this fall. I have thought about getting into a home, but if that doesn't work out, it would be fun to stay in the same apartment complex as some of you guys.

My husband is currently a MSII, (okay...for a couple more weeks), and we live in Surprise in a rental subdivision.

They're all houses, but we only pay $781/month to rent a 3 bedroom house. I think the 4 bedroom houses are $877/month. If you have kids and can't afford to buy a house yet, it might be a viable option.

http://www.rent.com/rentals/arizona/phoenix-scottsdale-and-vicinity/surprise/488469/

Oh, and congrats to everyone! I'm sure you'll love AZCOM!

Any health insurance advice? And when and where did they say we needed to get our titers drawn?

Quite a few students and their families have AZ state health insurance. Might work if you can't afford the school's insurance.

http://www.de.state.az.us/faa/medical.asp

Try the INTERACT NOW link on the AZCOM website: www.midwestern.edu/AZCOM.

Thank you thank you, we'll see if this is successful. Still looking for a room/roommate if anybody is interested. Me--->22 y/o male, moderately clean, fun, loves baseball.

Tempe is pretty fun as well. I've been to Big Bang a couple of times, fun place. It all depends on if you're in the "college" mood or not. And I agree, the dry heat is better than humid head any day. Then again, I grew up in a dry climate so humidity really drives me up a wall.

Word up Matt! That's what is nice about Phoenix, it has something for everyone. If you like the college scene, Tempe is your typical college town and ASU is one of the best party schools in the country. If you like dressing up and going to nice lounges and clubs, Scottsdale is where it's at. You have both in the same city. Phoenix and North Scottsdale have fine dining and great golf. And what's nice is that several of us have discovered nice little places in Glendale that isn't far from campus like Touch of Thai, McDuffy's, Old Chicago...and Dairy Queen!!! :laugh: Yes, Mat and I rediscovered Dairy Queen, it's very underrated.

Word up Matt! That's what is nice about Phoenix, it has something for everyone. If you like the college scene, Tempe is your typical college town and ASU is one of the best party schools in the country. If you like dressing up and going to nice lounges and clubs, Scottsdale is where it's at. You have both in the same city. Phoenix and North Scottsdale have fine dining and great golf. And what's nice is that several of us have discovered nice little places in Glendale that isn't far from campus like Touch of Thai, McDuffy's, Old Chicago...and Dairy Queen!!! :laugh: Yes, Mat and I rediscovered Dairy Queen, it's very underrated.

Damn straight!

So I've decided that we need to get this post a cookin'. We're like LAST among posts besides KCOM class of 2010. We've gotta get up to at least 10 pages of posts. Maybe a 4 or 5 star rating... As I see it, we gott post 10 posts a day to have 10 pages by the end of next week. Now, we don't need one liners, we need quality material. So answer this short questionaire so that everybody can get to know each other. And we'll obviously get some material from that.

1. If you could do one thing besides be a doctor, what would it be?

2. What do you like about Arizona the most?

3. How much money did you spend applying to med schools?

4. If you could any animal, what would it be?

5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...

6. If you could meet one person in history, who would it be?

7. Desert, horrendously hot or it's a dry heat?

8. The specialty I have in mind right now is...

9. I went to _________ for undergraduate work.

10. # of glasses of water you'll drink daily in Arizona.

Thanks. Hope this stimulates conversation. (Basically need some major AZCOM postage)

1. If you could do one thing besides be a doctor, what would it be?
I would be flying planes as a pilot

2. What do you like about Arizona the most?
The weather is awesome. Phoenix feels like a city but is also rural in parts.

3. How much money did you spend applying to med schools?
$4000 including traveling

4. If you be could any animal, what would it be?
A bald eagle, I've already got the bald part down and I'm only 22. Flying would be cool.

5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...
Try to meet as many people as possible. And study...

6. If you could meet one person in history, who would it be?
Abraham Lincoln, (Illinois bias)

7. Desert, horrendously hot or it's a dry heat?
It's a dry heat. Hopefully that's true in September too.

8. The specialty I have in mind right now is...
Emergency Medicine or Ortho Surgery

9. I went to _________ for undergraduate work.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

10. # of glasses of water you'll drink daily in Arizona.
12

Great idea dude. I'll post with answers shortly.

I just updated my MySpace profile, so you all are free to check it out. Just today I invited a bunch of AZCOM 2009ers so this can give you a chance to see some future MS-2's that will be giving you adive and guiding you through the first year :D . By the way, my appearance in the main profile picture was a one time thing! And Rahul, I expect you to get your myspace profile posted soon.

http://www.myspace.com/inquiringmind24

http://www.myspace.com/inquiringmind24

That's wild hair you got there. I'll stick with my bald head as long as I wear a hat in AZ.

1. If you could do one thing besides be a doctor, what would it be?
teach Dissection/Anatomy at a University

2. What do you like about Arizona the most?
In-N-Out just around the corner

3. How much money did you spend applying to med schools?
~$3000 or so, this year...~$4500 including last year. Ack

4. If you be could any animal, what would it be?
A llama, no question

5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...
Study a grip, make some friends, and bike alot

6. If you could meet one person in history, who would it be?
Douglas Adams

7. Desert, horrendously hot or it's a dry heat?
Not sure yet. Right now it's just ridiculously hot [but I guess that's not really an option...]

8. The specialty I have in mind right now is...
Ophthalmology or Emergency Medicine, so far

9. I went to _________ for undergraduate work.
Brigham Young University

10. # of glasses of water you'll drink daily in Arizona.
probably about a gallon of some diluted juice instead of water...can't get enough cranberry or apple juice. That stuff's crazy delicious

1. If you could do one thing besides be a doctor, what would it be?
A writer/photographer for National Geographic.

2. What do you like about Arizona the most?
Access to cool places like Mexico, the Grand Canyon, Southern Utah, SoCal, and New Mexico.

3. How much money did you spend applying to med schools?
About $2500 or so, maybe more....
4. If you could any animal, what would it be?
A male lion, since all you gotta do is you know what and the female does the rest :D

5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...
Go out as much as possible before classes start.

6. If you could meet one person in history, who would it be?
Martin Luther King, Jr....what a guy

7. Desert, horrendously hot or it's a dry heat?
Horrendously hot, especially with all of the asphalt found in the concrete jungle of Phoenix.

8. The specialty I have in mind right now is...
Peds or IM.

9. I went to _________ for undergraduate work.
University of Colorado at Boulder (go Buffs!)

10. # of glasses of water you'll drink daily in Arizona.
At least 12

Thanks. Hope this stimulates conversation. (Basically need some major AZCOM postage)

Yeah, we need to catch up with those folks at UNECOM and DMU. Plus last year's thread fizzled, so I don't want that to happen this year.

That's wild hair you got there. I'll stick with my bald head as long as I wear a hat in AZ.

I kept that hairstyle for about a month in Africa, then I got it buzzed since it was driving me nuts!

Why a Llama, v3rbal? It's a llama for God's sake. Just a llama.

1. If you could do one thing besides be a doctor, what would it be?
I would be flying planes as a pilot

2. What do you like about Arizona the most?
The weather is awesome. Phoenix feels like a city but is also rural in parts.

3. How much money did you spend applying to med schools?
$4000 including traveling

4. If you be could any animal, what would it be?
A bald eagle, I've already got the bald part down and I'm only 22. Flying would be cool.

5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...
Try to meet as many people as possible. And study...

6. If you could meet one person in history, who would it be?
Abraham Lincoln, (Illinois bias)

7. Desert, horrendously hot or it's a dry heat?
It's a dry heat. Hopefully that's true in September too.

8. The specialty I have in mind right now is...
Emergency Medicine or Ortho Surgery

9. I went to _________ for undergraduate work.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

10. # of glasses of water you'll drink daily in Arizona.
12


1. If you could do one thing besides be a doctor, what would it be?
Firefighter
2. What do you like about Arizona the most?
Weather and relative closeness to Vegas
3. How much money did you spend applying to med schools?
apporx $2000.00
4. If you could any animal, what would it be?
Any type of exotic bird
5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...
Find the best Happy Hour pub
6. If you could meet one person in history, who would it be?
Lincoln
7. Desert, horrendously hot or it's a dry heat?
dry heat
8. The specialty I have in mind right now is...
IM with a fellow in Cardiology
9. I went to _________ for undergraduate work.
Texas Tech University
10. # of glasses of water you'll drink daily in Arizona.
4

Has anyone else not yet received their financial aid award letter? I called the financial aid office back in mid May and they told me it might be June before I receive the letter, but I see on here that others have already gotten it. I completed all of the financial aid info back in December or January and they told me I've completed everything. August isn't too far away, I'm starting to get a little nervous! Anyone else still waiting??

I've still got to send them 1000 dollars before they tell me how much money I get. Yay for a late deposit. (June 9) Gotta get that in ASAP. Let's keep AZCOM 2010 on the top of the list guys. (and girls.) (There are girls in Arizona right?)

Why a Llama, v3rbal? It's a llama for God's sake. Just a llama.

are you serious?! Just consider for a moment these majestic creatures...harvested for their luscious fur, adored by thousands at the annual Spanish Fork Llama Fest [http://www.utahvalleyllamas.com/llamafest.htm], fantastic expectorators, and all-around pack animals regardless of the climate involved.

And as if those reasons weren't enough, just check out this bad A song devoted solely to llamas. It's the cat's pajamas [and super annoying at the same time].

http://www.ritilan.com/archives/images/2004/10/29/llamasong.swf

Anywho, I'd be a llama mainly for the prestige within the animal kingdom, as well as the intimate identification within a niche zoological elitist society [which, I can only imagine, llamas belong to].

Plus, how can you be cooler than Tina the llama in Naploen Dynamite?

Any more students out there to fill out the ol' survey? Anybody looking for a roommate? Going out from the 16-19th of June.

Any more students out there to fill out the ol' survey? Anybody looking for a roommate? Going out from the 16-19th of June.


1. If you could do one thing besides be a doctor, what would it be?
Be some sort of a musician...or a drummer.

2. What do you like about Arizona the most?
The absence of tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes.

3. How much money did you spend applying to med schools?
5000+

4. If you could be any animal, what would it be?
Anything with wings because flying kicks major ass.

5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...
attend orientation and meet some peeps, maybe even find some people interested in doing some intramural basketball.

6. If you could meet one person in history, who would it be?
Richard Feynman

7. Desert, horrendously hot or it's a dry heat?
It's a dry heat. Out-of-staters..don't worry, you'll get used to it in a matter of weeks. Besides, it's not like classes are held outside. God bless A/C.

8. The specialty I have in mind right now is...
General surgery.

9. I went to _______ for undergraduate work.
Arizona State...GO DEVILS!!!!

10. # of glasses of water you'll drink daily in Arizona.
5-10. The rest of my liquid intake is taken care by the good people at Anheuser-Busch.

Any more students out there to fill out the ol' survey? Anybody looking for a roommate? Going out from the 16-19th of June.

Hi! I'm an MSIV at AZCOM. I would suggest that when you come to town, try visiting the Student Services office on campus. They have a list of people looking for roommates. If I were you, I would consider living with an upperclassman. They can help you out quite a bit. And there are usually advertisements on bulletin boards around campus looking for roommates as well. Hope you have some luck.

And by the way, the fourth years will be in class until June 16 at noon. Feel free to introduce yourself. You'll probably get more leads on housing that way.

Good luck.

Cyndi

hrm...this sounds like an excellent idea. Upperclassmen...never thought of that...we'll see if the student services can get me any information over the phone.

Nick

We're probably going with the school insurance just to make it easier, but it would be helpful if someone out there knew if there's a better deal for spouses and kids.

I just had my immunization stuff done at my local college health center, they seem to have a lot of kids come in for immunizations for grad school, so I figured that would be alright. (I sure hope so, it was like $150 for everything). I sent off all the copies of the info last week, so I'll let you know if they don't accept it. I came up negative on my Hep B titer though! I had the three shot series like 6 years ago and came out negative, so I had to get a 4th shot last week and it made me sicker than a dog (apparently a rare side effect). If you have to get any more shots, I'd go to the state travel clinic place on state street and 20 something south if you're in Salt Lake. I forgot exactly where it is, but it's a little cheaper.

I believe they want everything done before you start except the Hep B titers for those who are still taking the full series. This includes, someone correct me if I miss some:

Drug Screen
Hep B Surface Antibody
Hepatitis B #1
Hepatitis B #2
Hepatitis B #3
Measles Immunization #1
Measles Immunization #2
Measles Titer
Mumps Immunization #1
Mumps Titer
Rubella Immunization #1
Rubella Titer
TB step 1
TB step 2
TB Chest X-Ray (only if you come up positive)
Tetanus
Varicella Titer

Drug Screen?? I didn't see anything in the paperwork about this...did I just miss it. I thought I had everything done, but I have not done a drug screen. Anyone know if this is right??

Drug Screen?? I didn't see anything in the paperwork about this...did I just miss it. I thought I had everything done, but I have not done a drug screen. Anyone know if this is right??



No need to fret about this. It'll all be taken care of during orientation. I was told this by someone from Student Services, so you know it's credible. As far as "student health" goes, you don't need to do anything or have anything done prior to orientation, so just relax and try to enjoy your summer.

I was just wondering if anyone knew when our white coat ceremony is and if you can only invite a certain number of people? I just decided to go to AZCOM rather than CCOM, and know that for CCOM's white coat ceremony we could only invite two people.

Looking forward to meeting everyone shortly!

No need to fret about this. It'll all be taken care of during orientation. I was told this by someone from Student Services, so you know it's credible. As far as "student health" goes, you don't need to do anything or have anything done prior to orientation, so just relax and try to enjoy your summer.


Thanks. Good to know.

I was just wondering if anyone knew when our white coat ceremony is and if you can only invite a certain number of people? I just decided to go to AZCOM rather than CCOM, and know that for CCOM's white coat ceremony we could only invite two people.

Looking forward to meeting everyone shortly!

Last year the white coat ceremony was held on December 3rd. I'm not sure how many people you can invite but it seemed that some students had their extended families in attendance. When you get here in August you'll understand why it's in December!

Last year the white coat ceremony was held on December 3rd. I'm not sure how many people you can invite but it seemed that some students had their extended families in attendance. When you get here in August you'll understand why it's in December!

It is on December 1 this year.

http://www.midwestern.edu/AZAcadCalMaster06_07.pdf

That was interesting to check out. Unlike last year, the MS1's and MS2's will have the exact same finals dates and vacations. It's good that we get two weeks off for fall break but bad that we get one less class free week to study for the boards.

Drug Screen?? I didn't see anything in the paperwork about this...did I just miss it. I thought I had everything done, but I have not done a drug screen. Anyone know if this is right??
Yeah, I checked my stuff today and they didn't count the drug screen I did :thumbdown . That's what I get for being OCD dang it. :( Anyone doing the new Plus loans that have nothing to do with parents? I was given a link to a comparison chart between those and regular private loans, but it is obviously bias toward the PLUS loans. Any ideas?
https://www.midwestern.edu/FinAid/finaidDocs/gradplus.doc

1. If you could do one thing besides be a doctor, what would it be?
Graphic Designer
2. What do you like about Arizona the most?
The weather was 30degrees warmer than home :eek: and they had rootbeer in the cafeteria...hmmm
3. How much money did you spend applying to med schools?
$5000+ with travel
4. If you could be any animal, what would it be?
a rodent of some sort, I want to figure out whats so intriguing about running on that wheel.
5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...
try not to freak out
6. If you could meet one person in history, who would it be?
honestly no idea
7. Desert, horrendously hot or it's a dry heat?
I hate the cold, give me the heat any day.
8. The specialty I have in mind right now is...
IM, maybe sub in Allergy/Immunology
9. I went to _________ for undergraduate work.
Brigham Young Univ.
10. # of glasses of water you'll drink in Arizona per day.
You guys drink water?

4. If you could be any animal, what would it be?
a rodent of some sort, I want to figure out whats so intriguing about running on that wheel.


A couple quick facts about rodents that you might enjoy as well. Mice can get pregnant 24 hours after birth, (the babies can get pregnant, that is!). Gestation period = 21 days. Given the right conditions, 2 mice can have 1,000,000 progeny in 1 year.

So as long as there's food for you and your family, rodent's would be a very group-oriented choice for an animal. Hope you like kids. :laugh:

Hey All,

Does anyone need housing next year? If so, I have a room available in a 4 bed/2 bath house available. The house is only 1.3 miles from school and it has a pool, sports court, and a park across the street. Rent will be $400/month (utilities not included). I can send pictures upon request. Enjoy the rest of you summers. dustinlloyd19@hotmail.com

Dusty

Hey All,

Does anyone need housing next year? If so, I have a room available in a 4 bed/2 bath house available. The house is only 1.3 miles from school and it has a pool, sports court, and a park across the street. Rent will be $400/month (utilities not included). I can send pictures upon request. Enjoy the rest of you summers. dustinlloyd19@hotmail.com

Dusty


Just what I've been looking for. Upperclassmen?

Just what I've been looking for. Upperclassmen?

Yeah, Dusty will be an MS-II next year. He lives in a sweet house with a pool and basketball court. I would look into this if I were you. That's a great deal for a great housing situation.

1. If you could do one thing besides be a doctor, what would it be?
Olympic Freestyle Skier

2. What do you like about Arizona the most?
My best friend and rightful heir to the Basha Supermarket Legacy will be there.

3. How much money did you spend applying to med schools?
$5000+ with travel

4. If you could be any animal, what would it be?
A Velociraptor, species V. mongoliensis

5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...
Find out where the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings is.

6. If you could meet one person in history, who would it be?
Da Vinci, just to find out the real story of the last supper painting???

7. Desert, horrendously hot or it's a dry heat?
Fricken' hot, but what can you do.

8. The specialty I have in mind right now is...
Anesthesia or ENT

9. I went to _________ for undergraduate work.
Utah State University

10. # of glasses of water you'll drink in Arizona per day.
I only drink Red Bull, otherwise known as Chuck Norris' urine.

5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...
Find out where the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings is.

10. # of glasses of water you'll drink in Arizona per day.
I only dring Red Bull, otherwise known as Chuck Norris' urine.

2 things: BW3's is AWESOME. And the last person to actually see Chuck Norris in person was Ray Charles. :laugh:

Okay, we're definitely starting to cook on this thread we're up to about 4-5 posts a day compared to the 1-2 a week before. We need to break through 300 posts before the end of July I think. Maybe before the end of June.

Word of the day: soporific

^ not sure where that came from, it just came to me. Maybe I'll put a new word tomorrow. Maybe you will. So excited about AZCOM 2010 Baby!!! :cool:

2 things: BW3's is AWESOME. And the last person to actually see Chuck Norris in person was Ray Charles. :laugh:

Yeah, I thought about confiscating one of their winged buffalo chairs from the waiting area until I found out that Chuck Norris carved them with spit and a couple of his nose hairs.

Now that we are on the on the subject of words, I thought I'd throw in some words that bring back bad memories from first year:

Brachial Plexus
Conotruncal septum
Perineum
Supracardinal arteries and veins
Dartos fascia
Peyronies Disease
Pterygopalatine fossa
Pelvic splanchnic nerves
"The Cords of Bilroth"
Citric acid cycle, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, carnitine shuttle, urea cycle, and all of those lovely enzymes....
ganglia of the head and neck
Organ of Corti
ion pumps of the nephron
medial longitudinal fasciculus
locus ceruleus
medial geniculate nucleus
stria terminalis
decerebrate posture
cuneocerebellar tract
Dorsal nucleus of Clarke
Broadmann areas
nucleus ambiguus
amygdaloid complex
the good ole Circuit of Papez

just something to look forward to :D

Now that we are on the on the subject of words, I thought I'd throw in some words that bring back bad memories from first year:

Brachial Plexus
Conotruncal septum
Perineum
Supracardinal arteries and veins
Dartos fascia
Peyronies Disease
Pterygopalatine fossa
Pelvic splanchnic nerves
"The Cords of Bilroth"
Citric acid cycle, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, carnitine shuttle, urea cycle, and all of those lovely enzymes....
ganglia of the head and neck
Organ of Corti
ion pumps of the nephron
medial longitudinal fasciculus
locus ceruleus
medial geniculate nucleus
stria terminalis
decerebrate posture
cuneocerebellar tract
Dorsal nucleus of Clarke
Broadmann areas
nucleus ambiguus
amygdaloid complex
the good ole Circuit of Papez

just something to look forward to :D


well the cool thing is that I actually understand half those words... brachial plexus brings back nightmares (okay maybe not NIGHTMARES, but some frustration) from anatomy in undergrad...especially when the teacher is like "it easy, just remember the acronym...(drawing a blank)"

However I do still remember all the cranial nerves...the bad acronym way...OOOTTAFAGVAH. If you don't know the words, I'll teach them to you next year, cuz I never remember the acronym that is acceptable in public.

Man am I excited to enter that which is medical school!!! :)

When Dr. Fisher lectures on the upper extremity her memory aid for learning it is: "Randy Travis Drinks Cold Beer" That standing for Roots, Trunks, Divisions, Cords, and Branches. Plus, I found this cool research paper done by some MD's showing how to learn the brachial plexus in five minutes. I'll have to show it to you guys when the time comes. Although many people hated the brachial plexus and the upper extremity in anatomy, my least favorite was the Pelvis and Perineum unit which I thought was the hardest anatomy/histo/embryo exam that we took. Although head and neck was tough, it was my favorite unit. I didn't think learning the cranial nerves was all that bad. It just sucked when we had to learn their locations (tracts and nuclei) in the brainstem stained sections for neuro!

When Dr. Fisher lectures on the upper extremity her memory aid for learning it is: "Randy Travis Drinks Cold Beer" That standing for Roots, Trunks, Divisions, Cords, and Branches. Plus, I found this cool research paper done by some MD's showing how to learn the brachial plexus in five minutes. I'll have to show it to you guys when the time comes. Although many people hated the brachial plexus and the upper extremity in anatomy, my least favorite was the Pelvis and Perineum unit which I thought was the hardest anatomy/histo/embryo exam that we took. Although head and neck was tough, it was my favorite unit. I didn't think learning the cranial nerves was all that bad. It just sucked when we had to learn their locations (tracts and nuclei) in the brainstem stained sections for neuro!

Okay maybe I can wait 2.5 months for all of that stuff. I need to enjoy this summer... Stinking car died today...(We'll see if it's the battery, a short, or something worse) Thursday next week is going to be great but HOT when I get to AZ to find a place to live. Had to check on my deposit today. At first they said they didn't get it...No good... But then they said they had it so I relaxed and enjoyed a great day in the ER besides my car not starting to get home...guess I'll be walking tomorrow...

Starting to slack a bit are we, 24 hours and no posts....Grrr....is everybody on vacation? I feel like I'm taking a mini vacation/ good taste of the heat in Arizona this weekend. 15th-19th. Whew 108 for the average high, at least it's 10% humidity compared to the 88% here in Illinois. It's gonna be HOT HOT HOT. (I suppose many of you are already enjoying that and are probably tired of hearing about it). Any creative things you've seen people do with the extra sunlight in Arizona?

I remember in 5th grade making hotdog cooking machines out of foil and a cooler by just making the sun point towards the hotdog. It wasn't hot but it wasn't cold either. Too bad my lifes too complicated to make hot dog cooking machines anymore...

Maybe I ought to try cooking a hot dog outside in foil. I still want to try frying an egg on the street (especially the black asphalt). Once it hits late July I'll have to try it. Anyhow, it's pretty bad when a student from the class of 2009 has to help keep this thread going. But I'm happy to help keep the pulse going. Today my friend and I had the great idea of doing an 11 mile hike just outside of town. The two liters of water I brought weren't quite enough, so the hike out of the little canyon we were in was hot and miserable. So when you are here looking for a place to live I wouldn't advise doing any hiking :D

Totally agree with inquiringmind. We need to keep this pot a cookin'. Back to the AZCOM questions including the heat "hotdog" question listed above... Why did everyone choose AZCOM?

For me it was the weather/high board passing rates/newer facilities.

Nick

My choice was mainly between COMP (Pamona) and AZCOM. For me it all came down to the better fit for me. COMP seemed too much like a commuter school and I really didn't want to live in the LA area. Plus the housing prices were ridiculous there and I would have been required to commute a considerable distance. The programs seemed comparable, but I liked the fact that AZCOM had higher pass rates and that you had the option of traveling for quite a few rotations (although this won't be the case third year starting with our class). I was also waitlisted at CCOM and DMU. Those were both schools I liked, but I wasn't willing to do the extra work to try and get off the waitlist. Plus at both I would have been stuck in the midwest for for almost all of my rotations. My VR MCAT score took me out of the running at U of Colorado med, so I didn't want to retake that exam just to have another shot at cheap tuition. So AZCOM seemed like the natural choice and it's one that I'm glad I made. Things keep getting better here (except tuition) and I only see that trend continuing. Keep up the good questions Nick.

-Matt

I am from Texas and applied to the schools here, as well as out of state. I was waitlisted in Fort Worth. My MCAT is barely at the national average and I did not want to retest and wait another year just to stay in TX. My wife's cousin had applied consecutively 3 times just to get in to a TX school. No way was that going to happen for me.

I am an RN, BSN and like the way DO's are educated and decided to apply out of state and received acceptances to AZCOM, DMU, and Nova Southeastern. After the first acceptance letter, I stopped interviewing. I then waited for the match in Texas and when I was waitlisted, I decided to choose an out of state school.

I evaluated them on pass rates, residencies, and climate. AZCOM was a perfect match. It is hot like TX and has the highest Comlex step 1 pass rate in the Nation. Also the residencies that the current students are getting are great.

I also hear the golf is fantastic in Arizona.

I was accepted to DMU, Touro - CA, and waitlisted at Drexel. But, I chose AZCOM because I can't imagine myself living anywhere else...at least not yet. The campus at AZCOM really impressed me, the board pass rate was wonderful, and my friends who attend the school only have good things to say about it.

Oh, and the golf IS fantastic!

Drug Screen?? I didn't see anything in the paperwork about this...did I just miss it. I thought I had everything done, but I have not done a drug screen. Anyone know if this is right??


I remembered wrong. It was student health INSURANCE that will be taken care of during orientation. The immunizations have to be done prior to that. Sorry for the misinformation.

I remembered wrong. It was student health INSURANCE that will be taken care of during orientation. The immunizations have to be done prior to that. Sorry for the misinformation.

I think you can wait til orientation for the titers, too. And, from what I can tell, the drug screen is not something we have to get done, but something that the school can have you do anytime they want.

I think you can wait til orientation for the titers, too. And, from what I can tell, the drug screen is not something we have to get done, but something that the school can have you do anytime they want.


Anyone want to second that????

Anyone want to second that????

Sounds correct but I'm not sure. You guys are awesome almost 10 posts in 24 hours....keep it rolling and we'll catch up to DMU 2010 in well...50 days...

Sounds correct but I'm not sure. You guys are awesome almost 10 posts in 24 hours....keep it rolling and we'll catch up to DMU 2010 in well...50 days...


There's a lab in the area that we can go to in order to get the titers done at what's supposed to be a lower price than if we get them done before we get to school. And, I was told that the drug screen's are done as needed by the different clinics and hospitals that we'll be in. Hope that helps.

Don't eat too many poppy seeds or take any migraine medicine by accident before your drug test... Had a friend do the 2nd one... I think mythbusters proved poppy seeds can give you positives. I'm just saying...

Question of the day: Who has been accepted for the longest or for the shortest period of time? (Insert yourself between)

::Longest::







May 12 siriceman64 (June 9 postmark date)

::Shortest::

Don't eat too many poppy seeds or take any migraine medicine by accident before your drug test... Had a friend do the 2nd one... I think mythbusters proved poppy seeds can give you positives. I'm just saying...


Yeah, once I applied for a job and they said I failed the drug test due to the presence of morphine in my system. I had my wisdom teeth out two days before the drug test and I guess the pain killers threw it off. :laugh:

[QUOTE=siriceman64]Question of the day: Who has been accepted for the longest or for the shortest period of time? (Insert yourself between)

::Longest::


October 5 caliri23




May 12 siriceman64 (June 9 postmark date)

::Shortest::

Anyone want to second that????


Kathy Gibson from Student Services told me that the immunizations have to be done (or documentation thereof be submitted) before the start of orientation. The titers, however, as I remembered from being told by the Dean of SS, could be done within the first 1-2 weeks after classes start. In fact, for some reason that I can't recall, he even recommended that we not do the titers until after orientation.

Here's the link to MWU's webpage concerning immunizations. If you read it from top to bottom, it should answer all your questions. Hope this helps.

http://mwunet.midwestern.edu/administrative/SS/ssWellness_AZ.htm

I didn't get my titres done last year until fall break which was in late November. It's pretty expensive so be willing to fork over some cash. Plus, you have to get that TB test done which I also did over fall break. So bottom line, don't feel pressured to get them done before classes start.

I didn't get my titres done last year until fall break which was in late November. It's pretty expensive so be willing to fork over some cash. Plus, you have to get that TB test done which I also did over fall break. So bottom line, don't feel pressured to get them done before classes start.

Somebody mentioned $200-300 for the titers, but the way you described it, it sounds like it's $200-300 PER titer. Should I assume this to be correct? Did the total cost of the titers exceed $1000 when you did it?

Somebody mentioned $200-300 for the titers, but the way you described it, it sounds like it's $200-300 PER titer. Should I assume this to be correct? Did the total cost of the titers exceed $1000 when you did it?


According to the link you posted above, the cost of the titers was considered in AZCOM's financial aid package. So, if you are getting financial aid from AZCOM, that should cover it.

Plus, I don't think it will be more than a few hundred dollars.

Somebody mentioned $200-300 for the titers, but the way you described it, it sounds like it's $200-300 PER titer. Should I assume this to be correct? Did the total cost of the titers exceed $1000 when you did it?

$200-300 sounds about right. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you guys :D
It is included in the financial aid package so you can use loan money to pay for if you need to.

thread cooking with titres...200 posts HERE WE COME... Anybody know of upperclassmen looking for roommates or people that have rooms available? Be there on Friday-Monday 16-19.

Thanks
Nick

Hey there,

I work at Phoenix children's hospital and they did my titers to work there. There is still one extra that I have to get done, but they told me they would do it for free. If any of you are here for the summer, you can volunteer there at the very least and get them to pay for all of that. They may do that at other hospitals also, I don't know for sure though. Plus, we could always use some good volunteers to be bedside volunteers.

I was considering volunteering at PCH, but I'm leaving town on Saturday and won't be back until before orientation. Perhaps when I get back I'll contact them about volunteering every now and then. When I lived in CO I volunteered at The Children's Hosptial in Denver which was a great experience. I will contact you, aflo before I apply for a position.

just got back from Glendale a coupla hours ago. Drove down this past weekend to look for housing and came up with a nice room in Arrowhead Ranch [?? I think...just across the 101 from AZCOM] with a gal from CA. I had gotten assigned a big brother from AZCOM and he's been helping me out a ton with any questions that I've had and has done lots of legwork for me as far as housing goes. Kudos to diligent MSI / MSII 'ers.

Anywho, so, in case nobody's let you know recently it's still ridiculously hot in Arizona. Had a high of 114 while I was there, and I didn't think that my little Honda would take it. It got so hot, in fact, that my CD deck shut itself off and wouldn't work for almost 3 hours!! I thought that I'd fried the thing [I was going towards Flagstaff up that massive hill and had turned off the A/C and opened the windows to prevent overheating] and was super bummed, but when I stopped for gas in Page, AZ it started right back up again with the car. Hmmm...never thought that the "Windows Principle" [if it doesn't work right, just reboot] would have to be used for my car's equipment. Funny.

But I did get a chance to sample some of the local golf [played over in Scottsdale...don't remember the name...big 36-hole place with an 18-hole Pine course and 18-hole Palm course] which was bearable thanks to a 7am tee time. Let me just say that my golf game definitely appreciates AZ already. Lots of fun, though I don't know how much of that I'd be able to do once school starts. We'll see.


Question of the day: Who has been accepted for the longest or for the shortest period of time? (Insert yourself between)

::Longest::


October 5 caliri23

February 27 v3rbal


May 12 siriceman64 (June 9 postmark date)

::Shortest::

just got back from Glendale a coupla hours ago. Drove down this past weekend to look for housing and came up with a nice room in Arrowhead Ranch [?? I think...just across the 101 from AZCOM] with a gal from CA. I had gotten assigned a big brother from AZCOM and he's been helping me out a ton with any questions that I've had and has done lots of legwork for me as far as housing goes. Kudos to diligent MSI / MSII 'ers.

Anywho, so, in case nobody's let you know recently it's still ridiculously hot in Arizona. Had a high of 114 while I was there, and I didn't think that my little Honda would take it. It got so hot, in fact, that my CD deck shut itself off and wouldn't work for almost 3 hours!! I thought that I'd fried the thing [I was going towards Flagstaff up that massive hill and had turned off the A/C and opened the windows to prevent overheating] and was super bummed, but when I stopped for gas in Page, AZ it started right back up again with the car. Hmmm...never thought that the "Windows Principle" [if it doesn't work right, just reboot] would have to be used for my car's equipment. Funny.

But I did get a chance to sample some of the local golf [played over in Scottsdale...don't remember the name...big 36-hole place with an 18-hole Pine course and 18-hole Palm course] which was bearable thanks to a 7am tee time. Let me just say that my golf game definitely appreciates AZ already. Lots of fun, though I don't know how much of that I'd be able to do once school starts. We'll see.


Question of the day: Who has been accepted for the longest or for the shortest period of time? (Insert yourself between)

::Longest::


October 5 caliri23

February 27 v3rbal


May 12 siriceman64 (June 9 postmark date)

::Shortest::

Who's your big bro? Yeah, it's been like hell on earth here recently. I could fry an egg on the side walk. Luckily I'm leaving for South America soon where it's nice and cool.

This is definitely going to be my introduction to a very HOT Arizona. Hopefully it's on the cooling trend come late august.

Who's your big bro? Yeah, it's been like hell on earth here recently. I could fry an egg on the side walk. Luckily I'm leaving for South America soon where it's nice and cool.

Sakona Seng...goes by Kona...way way chill kid that's been fantastically amazing about replying to my emails and helping me out in any way possible. He said that he's also gonna be in South America [Ecuador, actually] so sounds like that's the thing to do for pre-MSII'ers?

Sakona Seng...goes by Kona...way way chill kid that's been fantastically amazing about replying to my emails and helping me out in any way possible. He said that he's also gonna be in South America [Ecuador, actually] so sounds like that's the thing to do for pre-MSII'ers?


How do you know who your big bro is already??

This is definitely going to be my introduction to a very HOT Arizona. Hopefully it's on the cooling trend come late august.


Try late September to October...

Sakona Seng...goes by Kona...way way chill kid that's been fantastically amazing about replying to my emails and helping me out in any way possible. He said that he's also gonna be in South America [Ecuador, actually] so sounds like that's the thing to do for pre-MSII'ers?

Wow, that's quite the coincidence! Kona's my buddy and he's actually in the same program as me in Quito. Kona, Nicole (another pre-MSII), and myself are all flying to Ecuador together. That's great that you got Kona as a big bro. He's on the ball and will continue to be a great help I'm sure. My little bro seems cool and I've communicated with him quite a bit through e-mail. Quite a few students are participating in medical Spanish programs. There is another small group going to Quito in late July through late August, but through a different program. Plus, I know a couple others going to Costa Rica. If you want to use Spanish as a future healthcare professional I highly recommend it. In many states it's a must.

Try late September to October...

I almost don't want to leave Illinois. It's been 75-85 and 35% humidity about as good as it gets in Illinois but I think there's hot and humid ahead for the weekend so going to Arizona can't be much worse. Anybody know how to get your Midwestern e-mail set up? Do they send you logon info in the mail or what not?

Nick

I almost don't want to leave Illinois. It's been 75-85 and 35% humidity about as good as it gets in Illinois but I think there's hot and humid ahead for the weekend so going to Arizona can't be much worse. Anybody know how to get your Midwestern e-mail set up? Do they send you logon info in the mail or what not?

Nick


You should have received your password, login ID, and email address in the mail with the either the financial aid material or orientation material, I dont remember which. You can call the financial aid office or admissions to get that info.

I was also wondering how people have already been assigned a big brother...do we have to request one? Or call to find out who they are?

You should have received your password, login ID, and email address in the mail with the either the financial aid material or orientation material, I dont remember which. You can call the financial aid office or admissions to get that info.

I was also wondering how people have already been assigned a big brother...do we have to request one? Or call to find out who they are?

You should already be assigned one. If you haven't heard from your big sib, then I would suggest calling the admission office and they can give you the info. Big siblings are a very important resource so make sure you get to know them before starting classes. Mine really helped me out.

Hope you like kids. :laugh:
Well, I am from Utah... :laugh:

Why did everyone choose AZCOM?
For me it was the weather/high board passing rates/newer facilities.


Weather/boards/facilities was part of the deal for me, but I picked AZCOM just because I felt the most comfortable there. I was lucky to get accepted to some other schools but I just wasn't feelin it at the other places.

My titers weren't THAT expensive, like 90 bucks for each...but I guess that's still 90 bucks. Thanks upper classpeople for the heads up.

Yeah, I haven't learned who my big brother is yet, thanks for the advice in that as well.
Question of the day: Who has been accepted for the longest or for the shortest period of time? (Insert yourself between)

::Longest::

October 5 caliri23

November 30 gusterbyu

February 27 v3rbal

May 12 siriceman64 (June 9 postmark date)

::Shortest::

5. When you get to med school, the first week you are going to...
Find out where the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings is.



So after more research, I found that there are 5 BW3's in the phoenix area. 2 in Gilbert, 2 in Mesa, and 1 in Phoenix. The one in Phoenix is just 16 miles east of AZCOM on the loop. 7000 E Mayo Blvd., Phoenix, AZ

Enjoy. Because I definitely will...

www.buffalowildwings.com

The question now is: what will you do now that you know where the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings is...

So after more research, I found that there are 5 BW3's in the phoenix area. 2 in Gilbert, 2 in Mesa, and 1 in Phoenix. The one in Phoenix is just 16 miles east of AZCOM on the loop. 7000 E Mayo Blvd., Phoenix, AZ

Enjoy. Because I definitely will...

www.buffalowildwings.com

The question now is: what will you do now that you know where the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings is...

BW3's would be a great place to hang out and meet people from our class before orientation!

So I must ask: what is so special about Buffalo Wildwings? My sister absolutely loves the place and lives in downtown Chicago so she has many options aside from the chain restaraunts. I have never been there but I am intrigued. She keeps trying to drag me there during sporting events. However, I have recently become engaged to Old Chicago near school so I don't think I could cheat on it with BW3.

Yes, I encourage everyone to get to know their Big Bro and Big Sis. They can be a great resource. The admissions office is in charge of the program and Bea White is the person to contact. If your Big Bro/Big Sis has been difficult to get in contact with or has not been responsive, you can request a new one. I'm not making any promises that you will get assigned a new one but it isn't uncommon and Bea will do her best to accomodate you. There are many MS II's that are not assigned one and are willing to volunteer. E-mail Bea and she should put you in contact with one.

And v3rbal, Kona is a great guy so you got lucky. You could have done far worse and ended up with someone like myself but unfortunatley robazcom will have to bear that burden :laugh:

I went to high school with my Big Bro, Ryan Jones. I think he was the MSI class pres.

About the Buffulo Wild Wings, you should definitely cheat on Old Chicago and go sometime. The wings and onion rings are amazazing! We should se who can throw down the blazin' challenge in the shortest amount of time. We could all pitch in and buy the winner a bottle of pepto and a good anatomy book to read on the pot! :laugh:

I went to high school with my Big Bro, Ryan Jones. I think he was the MSI class pres.

About the Buffulo Wild Wings, you should definitely cheat on Old Chicago and go sometime. The wings and onion rings are amazazing! We should se who can throw down the blazin' challenge in the shortest amount of time. We could all pitch in and buy the winner a bottle of pepto and a good anatomy book to read on the pot! :laugh:


The blazing wings are OUT OF CONTROL HOT!! I like hot things, but I can't even handle those.

Well I've been out here for almost 12 hours and it's not BLAZING hot yet...I'm sure the egg frying will start soon. Went to a tacobell/pizza hut last night near the hotel. It was after 10p (when the lobby closes) and we had walked...they wouldn't let us walk through the drive through. So we had to walk back to the hotel (2 blocks) and get the car just to get tacobell... We even tried making noises like a car. They didn't buy it. Here's to finding a place to live today.

Not sure if any of you happened to catch this, but here's a little fun fact about the city we'll all soon be calling home.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060614/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_life_sweat

Not sure if any of you happened to catch this, but here's a little fun fact about the city we'll all soon be calling home.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060614/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_life_sweat

I'm so glad the humidity is low. Miami and Florida in general are about last on my places to live. I might even take the middle of Montana middle of nowhere over Miami...maybe...

So I'm thinking this BW3's deal is getting really good. I'm thinking SDN AZCOM'ers get together on a day August 23rd-26th at BW3's around 7p. I kind of looked at the orientation schedule and I'm not sure which night would be the most opportune for everyone to get together. Perhaps Thurs (24th) since Friday, Saturday might be travel/other thing days... Let me know. We can discuss this more.

I'm so glad the humidity is low. Miami and Florida in general are about last on my places to live. I might even take the middle of Montana middle of nowhere over Miami...maybe...

So I'm thinking this BW3's deal is getting really good. I'm thinking SDN AZCOM'ers get together on a day August 23rd-26th at BW3's around 7p. I kind of looked at the orientation schedule and I'm not sure which night would be the most opportune for everyone to get together. Perhaps Thurs (24th) since Friday, Saturday might be travel/other thing days... Let me know. We can discuss this more.


Sounds good, we should probably not do it the day before we sit in class all day because if someone goes for the challenge they may spend most of the next day on the can. Also I think they still have 33 cent Tuesday wing night.

I went to high school with my Big Bro, Ryan Jones. I think he was the MSI class pres.

About the Buffulo Wild Wings, you should definitely cheat on Old Chicago and go sometime. The wings and onion rings are amazazing! We should se who can throw down the blazin' challenge in the shortest amount of time. We could all pitch in and buy the winner a bottle of pepto and a good anatomy book to read on the pot! :laugh:

Onions rings...wings...surely you jest to challenge me in these areas of consumption. You shalt not win. Do they have Trivia there, you know the electronic kind where you get boxes? Ryan is a friend of mine. I served with him on the class council last year and I'm succeeding him as the current MSII class pres. He is a good man and he will be a great big bro.

But seriously, the person you should be concerned with is Matt aka "Inquiring Mind". Matt would never give anyone the impression he eats a lot based on his appearance but he can chow down. He is a sleeper pick. I would put my money on Matt. Sorry Matt but I had to give you a hard time. :laugh:

Not sure if any of you happened to catch this, but here's a little fun fact about the city we'll all soon be calling home.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060614/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_life_sweat

I have a hard time believing that. I have spent the last month in Texas and Tennessee and I have never sweated more in my life. It may not be hot but if you spend 10 minutes outside, you feel like you have to take a bath. Also, what's up with the insects in humid climates. There are mosquitoes, junebugs and flies everywhere. If you picnic and BBQ in Phoenix, you don't have to worry about these flying pests unless you are standing in front of a pond. Yeah, it's hot in Phoenix during the day but I'm not working in construction. The only time I'm really outside in the summer here is when I'm walking to my car or I'm hanging out by the pool in the evening. Okay I'll get off my soapbox, Phoenix is my baby and I get a little overprotective of it. Heck, I'm even an Arizona Cardinals fan, the worst team in NFL history. :laugh: But then again, my friend and AZCOM lil brother robazcom is from Phoenix and he hates the weather here so go figure!

In regards to titers, Dr. K will mention a deal the school has with a certain lab and you can get it done at a discounted rate but I don't recall how much money you actually save. I still don't have my titers done and I'm going to get mine done as soon as I get back to Phoenix in late June. I truly regret not getting them done earlier. It's really easy to do which I didn't know at the time. During orientation, it seemed like such a complicated process to get your titers done that I just delayed getting it done. But by all means, do it now before school starts. It's one less headache to worry about and Kathy Gibson and Dr. K will love you. And policy is always changing at our school. Right now, a pertusis vaccination is required to rotate in Utah and some other states prior to 3rd year rotations so you never know if preceptors are making similar changes to policy regarding rotating students.

So I must ask: what is so special about Buffalo Wildwings? My sister absolutely loves the place and lives in downtown Chicago so she has many options aside from the chain restaraunts. I have never been there but I am intrigued. She keeps trying to drag me there during sporting events. However, I have recently become engaged to Old Chicago near school so I don't think I could cheat on it with BW3.

Yes, I encourage everyone to get to know their Big Bro and Big Sis. They can be a great resource. The admissions office is in charge of the program and Bea White is the person to contact. If your Big Bro/Big Sis has been difficult to get in contact with or has not been responsive, you can request a new one. I'm not making any promises that you will get assigned a new one but it isn't uncommon and Bea will do her best to accomodate you. There are many MS II's that are not assigned one and are willing to volunteer. E-mail Bea and she should put you in contact with one.

And v3rbal, Kona is a great guy so you got lucky. You could have done far worse and ended up with someone like myself but unfortunatley robazcom will have to bear that burden :laugh:


I'm with you rahulazcom, I don't see why Buffalo WildWings is anything special...I mean, it's no In-N-Out or anything [at which point its taste-tacular superiority would be immediately understood by all]. But I'm up for anything. I'll be moving into my place around the 20th of August [or whenever I get off my keister in beautiful CA and drive out] and have nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs and rearrange furniture.

I also agree with the sentiments hereby posted about Kona...he's a total stallion. I don't know why I got so lucky, but I ain't complaining. And I don't know how the process all happened Marjoe, but I got an email from Kona at the beginning of May letting me know that he was my assigned big bro. and offering his services. I second the sentiments about getting ahold of AZCOM about your big sibling if you aren't already in contact with 'em...extremely helpful.

Quite a few students are participating in medical Spanish programs. There is another small group going to Quito in late July through late August, but through a different program. Plus, I know a couple others going to Costa Rica. If you want to use Spanish as a future healthcare professional I highly recommend it. In many states it's a must.

So what's the deal with AZCOM and opportunities to use Spanish? Is there a place that you guys volunteer to maintain it, or classes you take, or what? I got a list of approved Federal Work Study programs that AZCOM already has a relationship with to see where I could get involved and utilize the language. I've been doing a decent amount of medical translation and patient interaction for the past year with this surgeon I've been working for, but I definitely don't wanna drop the ball now and forget what I've been working towards. Mainly don't want to forget all of the vocab and new verbs that I've learned over the course of the year [most of which were taught to me by patients when I came up short]. Suggestions? What's worked well for you bilinguals this past year/two years of med school?

Page 10 anyone? SWEETNESS....

Alright me getting excited about pushing this thread into double digits is sad. But what's great is that medical school is 2 months away. I've decided that once the sun goes down. Phoenix is much better even if it is still 100 degrees. The sun is intense.

New question: How many bottles of sunscreen and sunglasses are in your possession today?

For me 2 bottles o' sunscreen (bullfrog, only the best.), 3 pairs of sunglasses (1 prescription, 2 normal regular for when I wear the contacts).

New question: How many bottles of sunscreen and sunglasses are in your possession today?

For me 2 bottles o' sunscreen (bullfrog, only the best.), 3 pairs of sunglasses (1 prescription, 2 normal regular for when I wear the contacts).

I'd have to say sunscreen is on the list of things to purchase, also a dashboard mat, tint on my car windows, and I still got to figure out the leather seat hotness problem. About 10 years later, skin cancer treatment will be on the list as well. I only have some sort of chapstick sunscreen thing, probably not going to do the job. 2 pairs of sunglasses, polarized is the only way to go. :cool:

Well, I've found it's not soooo hot AZ when you get out the concrete jungle (Phoenix). It's not too bad in Sierra Vista. Went down to the border to check out the new fence that's going up. (It didn't look that new, perhaps it's going up to the east or west of Naco, AZ.) Anyway, it's back to Phoenix to secure down some housing and get on the plane back to hot and humid Illinois.

Anybody going on any trips soon. <--(Germany July12-Aug 1)

And yes, polarized is th eonly way to go on the sunglasses. :cool:

I'm gonna get a motorcycle.

Interesting..i got a call today and got accepted from the wait list....i really liked the school...and they have a very good matchlist for me (interested in anesth) But i may decline just because Ive already put in 2K deposit to NSU and also a 600 deposit at an apartment....aldkfja;
sorry this is just rambling:

pros IMO of AZCOM vs NSU:
No hurricanes
Better matchlist (comparing anesth only)

Pros of NSU:
Better campus
Stability of Clinical Ed
More established (older school >25 years)
Location minus the hurricanes
Tuitino is cheaper
Ive already paid 2 K in deposits

I think if they had accepted me back in february it would have been a different story...but its just too much trouble to withdraw, etc...not to mention reapplying for financial aid....

For anyone thats going there..it wouldve been nice to get to know yall..for those of yall on the waitlist..there is movement!! And i'll most likely decline my spot..

Who out there is going to live in Surprise? I am in the process of renting a house there. Hopefully, there are several students living there too. I hear it is nice, but I wouldn't know. I am going to have to rent a home based on pictures and description. We will be in AZ on Aug 1st. Maybe we can lay down a time for everyone to meet.

I am renting an apartment in San Prado, across the street from AZCOM, and will be moving to the area around July 17th. Gonna try and relax for a month or so before school starts...

I found a house to rent in Arrowhead Ranch. I'll be moving in right around mid August. Anyone else there?

I am renting an apartment in San Prado, across the street from AZCOM, and will be moving to the area around July 17th. Gonna try and relax for a month or so before school starts...

Hey Marjoe

Congrats on San Prado. My wife and I also live in San Prado. I think you will love it. There are several AZCOM students living at Prado. It may be expensive but you get what you pay for. I lived in a cheaper apartment near the school and it wasn't worth it. Trust me, when you have those 7:30 AM exams, you will love being literally 90 seconds from your seat in Ocotillo E, the room in which your exams are given.

Interesting..i got a call today and got accepted from the wait list....i really liked the school...and they have a very good matchlist for me (interested in anesth) But i may decline just because Ive already put in 2K deposit to NSU and also a 600 deposit at an apartment....aldkfja;
sorry this is just rambling:

pros IMO of AZCOM vs NSU:
No hurricanes
Better matchlist (comparing anesth only)

Pros of NSU:
Better campus
Stability of Clinical Ed
More established (older school >25 years)
Location minus the hurricanes
Tuitino is cheaper
Ive already paid 2 K in deposits

I think if they had accepted me back in february it would have been a different story...but its just too much trouble to withdraw, etc...not to mention reapplying for financial aid....

For anyone thats going there..it wouldve been nice to get to know yall..for those of yall on the waitlist..there is movement!! And i'll most likely decline my spot..

The formal NSU DO school was founded in 1994 so the school is not much older than AZCOM. It's root school was founded 25 years ago but the actual medical school was not formed until 1994. AZCOM was founded in 1996. AZCOM also originated and is associated from CCOM, one of the oldest DO schools in the country, so I don't see how you could argue that NSUCOM is more established than AZCOM. Also, AZCOM just received over a 100 million from the state government so AZCOM's clinical setup will be one of the best in the country.

And the 2 big red flags for me regarding NSUCOM is

1. Mandatory Attendance
2. Dress Code

That's a little too high school for me. We are professionals now and we should be treated like one. Otherwise, I agree with your other points. I think they have a nicer campus and their clinical structure is currently more established although AZCOM is making major progress in that area in the past two years.

......

Hey Marjoe

Congrats on San Prado. My wife and I also live in San Prado. I think you will love it. There are several AZCOM students living at Prado. It may be expensive but you get what you pay for. I lived in a cheaper apartment near the school and it wasn't worth it. Trust me, when you have those 7:30 AM exams, you will love being literally 90 seconds from your seat in Ocotillo E, the room in which your exams are given.


Sounds good to me. When my girlfriend and I walked into the apartment, we knew it was the right place for us.

On another note, do you happen to know how the commute from our apartment to the I-10 (Goodyear area) on the 101 West is during rush hour. I am thinking it is a reverse commute, but I am not sure. My girlfriend will be teaching out there.

Sounds good to me. When my girlfriend and I walked into the apartment, we knew it was the right place for us.

On another note, do you happen to know how the commute from our apartment to the I-10 (Goodyear area) on the 101 West is during rush hour. I am thinking it is a reverse commute, but I am not sure. My girlfriend will be teaching out there.

It's not bad at all because like you correctly stated, it is a reverse commute. My wife, unfortunately, will have to drive to Chandler for work 3 times per week. Yeah, I better have some quality dinner prepared by the time she arrives home from work. :laugh:

It's not bad at all because like you correctly stated, it is a reverse commute. My wife, unfortunately, will have to drive to Chandler for work 3 times per week. Yeah, I better have some quality dinner prepared by the time she arrives home from work. :laugh:


Thanks for the info...it will make my girlfriend very happy to hear this!

The formal NSU DO school was founded in 1994 so the school is not much older than AZCOM. It's root school was founded 25 years ago but the actual medical school was formed until 1994. AZCOM also has CCOM to lean for support.

And the 2 big red flags for me regarding NSUCOM is

1. Mandatory Attendance
2. Dress Code

That's a little too high school for me. We are professionals now and we should be treated like one. Otherwise, I agree with your other points. I think they have a nicer campus and their clinical structure is more established although is making major progress in that area in the past two years.

to an extent i agree...But isnt it more professional to dress professional...btw the two red flags doesnt bother me...and they arent enforced..so its not that bad.

to an extent i agree...But isnt it more professional to dress professional...btw the two red flags doesnt bother me...and they arent enforced..so its not that bad.

But do you think sitting in a lecture hall is the same as rotating on the wards? I think there are situations that warrant professional dress and others that don't. I personally enjoy wearing flip flops and shorts to lecture particularly when it's a 100 degrees outside. And I have a friend who attends NSUCOM. He told me they have to scan your ID upon entering lectures. Unless things have changed, that's a little too Big Brother/1984 for me.

I also want to add that AZCOM was awarded a pledge of over a 100 million dollars by the state in grants so our clinical setup will be vastly improved in the coming years.

although nsu do may only be 1994, southeastern university of health sciences (do) stems back to 1981.

although nsu do may only be 1994, southeastern university of health sciences (do) stems back to 1981.

but AZCOM is founded and associated from CCOM as a part of Midwestern University. CCOM is larger and far more established than southeastern university ever was so one could easily argue AZCOM is more established.

But do you think sitting in a lecture hall is the same as rotating on the wards? I think there are situations that warrant professional dress and others that don't. I personally enjoy wearing flip flops and shorts to lecture particularly when it's a 100 degrees outside. And I have a friend who attends NSUCOM. He told me they have to scan your ID upon entering lectures. Unless things have changed, that's a little too Big Brother/1984 for me.

I also want to add that AZCOM was awarded a pledge of over a 100 million dollars by the state in grants so our clinical setup will be vastly improved in the coming years.

First off...you can always get your friends to swipe you in..so thats not the issue...secondly ..that grant money may not even have an impact for your class or mine...you never know...there is no doubt AZCOM is an excellent school...But there is no question that it still needs to develop...And will they build new hospitals and clinics in the future? most likely...Will they be built in time for ME to rotate at...most likely not...although its great you got the money...it really doesnt help me that much..it does however improve the future of the school...but rite now im only interested in the present..

Btw...i really did like your school..i would be happy to go there..maybe if i didnt get accepted to NSU...and if i got accepted early in the app cycle...versus now...so please dont take offense to my posts..its a great school with a great match list no doubt...I wish you all the very best

First off...you can always get your friends to swipe you in..so thats not the issue...secondly ..that grant money may not even have an impact for your class or mine...you never know...there is no doubt AZCOM is an excellent school...But there is no question that it still needs to develop...And will they build new hospitals and clinics in the future? most likely...Will they be built in time for ME to rotate at...most likely not...although its great you got the money...it really doesnt help me that much..it does however improve the future of the school...but rite now im only interested in the present..

Btw...i really did like your school..i would be happy to go there..maybe if i didnt get accepted to NSU...and if i got accepted early in the app cycle...versus now...so please dont take offense to my posts..its a great school with a great match list no doubt...I wish you all the very best

The point is a mandatory attendance policy is enforced at NSUCOM whether you dodge it or not. And you would be affected by that grant money because by the time you get to clinicals, you would have many more options than the current classes. We just received an e-mail stating that only 3 out-circuit rotations would be allowed during 3rd year for the class of 2009 due to the increased number of local ward based rotations that were acquired recently. That's a huge accomplishment considering 6 rotations were allowed during the 3rd year for the previous classes.

I think NSUCOM is an excellent school but I don't agree with all of your positives/negatives list especially the mandatory attendance and dress code.

yes, just like how pcom-ga > every other do school just because its associated with pcom. thats not exactly how it works. it has some support from its mother chapter etc but you're going to azcom. using azcoms facilities and wards and their education. not ccoms.

Anyways, back to the living topic. I am flying out to Phoenix in a couple of weeks to look at homes in Surprise. I may be buying a home or maybe even a newer duplex if anyone is interested in renting out the other side.

yes, just like how pcom-ga > every other do school just because its associated with pcom. thats not exactly how it works. it has some support from its mother chapter etc but you're going to azcom. using azcoms facilities and wards and their education. not ccoms.
Take a quick look at the pass rate for AZCOM's step one Comlex, it is the # 1 in the country right now. Also look at the residencies that are accepting AZCOM graduates. I was accepted to NSU, and did not even consider it in the same category as AZCOM.

[QUOTE=kkoenig]Take a quick look at the pass rate for AZCOM's step one Comlex, it is the # 1 in the country right now. Also look at the residencies that are accepting AZCOM graduates. I was accepted to NSU, and did not even consider it in the same category as AZCOM.[/QUOT

I just want to clarify my last post by stating that this is my opinion and only my opinion. All the US Osteo schools have strong points and have to meet certain standards in order for graduates to receive licensure in the US. I chose to look at 3 things, Board pass rates, residencies, and weather. These were the selling points for me.

Anyways, back to the living topic. I am flying out to Phoenix in a couple of weeks to look at homes in Surprise. I may be buying a home or maybe even a newer duplex if anyone is interested in renting out the other side.


The price of houses are ridiculous in Surprise and in Glendale. We can't afford to buy and are going to try to land a 3 to 4 bd to rent. I have a wife and daughter that will be moving with me. Hopefully, there are going to be several students living in Surprise.

yes, just like how pcom-ga > every other do school just because its associated with pcom. thats not exactly how it works. it has some support from its mother chapter etc but you're going to azcom. using azcoms facilities and wards and their education. not ccoms.

You make a good point and I can't dispute what you said above. At the same time, let's not deny reality. Southeastern was established in 1981 before it merged with Nova to form NSUCOM in 1994. That's not the same thing as CCOM, PCOM or another school that had truly been in existance for decades and has far more alumni. Southeastern is only 15 years older than AZCOM. Technically, NSUCOM is more established than AZCOM but is it significantly so to the point one could rave that it's an advantage over AZCOM, I think not. And I feel the age of the school doesn't necessarily translate to being established. Many of the Carribbean schools like Ross are older than Southeastern/NSUCOM, does that make them more established?

I wanted to speak about our clinical rotations since there has been a lot of negative propaganda regarding it to the point that it is pretty much dogma that our clinical setup is terrible. I want to dispel a lot of those myths for those students who have recently been admitted to AZCOM.

A lot of students actually prefer our current setup due to the flexibility it affords. I know a couple of students who are from the Los Angelas area. They want to do all of their rotations in the LA area because that's where they want to do residency and ultimately settle down. These students are now doing nearly all of their rotations in LA including most of the 3rd year rotations. Other schools would require you do your core rotations at the local hospital. For the students wanting to move back home, they have a huge advantage over students who are forced to staying locally. They can network with particular hospitals as a 3rd year student and then enable themselves to have a better chance of securing an elective at that hospital since they did some of their core rotations there. I know several Chicago based students who did this as AZCOM students. They knew they wanted to go back to Chicago and our clinical setup enabled these students to rotate at Chicago hospitals early as opposed to other schools in which students can only rotate there as 4th year students.

However, this setup used to hurt students like myself that are from Arizona and prefer not to travel during 3rd year for extensive periods of time. Now, our clinical setup is improving because the school has managed to acquire many more ward based rotations in the Phoenix metro so students who want to stay in Phoenix can do so with minimal travel. I know a few students that will be 3rd years next year and they are not forced to moving out of the Phoenix metro to do their rotations which was unheard of two years ago. One current 3rd year will only have to move for one month. I'm not suggesting that our setup isn't without it's flaws but it's not in the dire state as its described on SDN.

You make a good point and I can't dispute what you said above. At the same time, let's not deny reality. Southeastern was established in 1981 before it merged with Nova to form NSUCOM in 1994. That's not the same thing as CCOM, PCOM or another school that had truly been in existance for decades and has far more alumni. Southeastern is only 15 years older than AZCOM. Technically, NSUCOM is more established than AZCOM but is it significantly so to the point one could rave that it's an advantage over AZCOM, I think not. And I feel the age of the school doesn't necessarily translate to being established. Many of the Carribbean schools like Ross are older than Southeastern/NSUCOM, does that make them more established?

Jesus you are defensive....First off i only mentioned it being more developed/established to prove that NSU has a more stable clinical ed system...And you agreed..so let go of it...I wasnt raving about anything..just listing the facts...noone is trying to diss your school..just accept the facts..and move on....

.........

Anyways, back to the living topic. I am flying out to Phoenix in a couple of weeks to look at homes in Surprise. I may be buying a home or maybe even a newer duplex if anyone is interested in renting out the other side.

Sorry for that distraction above so let's get back to AZCOM students and your questions....

I am really suprised to hear the homes in Surprise are expensive (no pun intended). For the longest time, the homes in Surprise, Avondale and Peoria were the ones AZCOM students could count on purchasing for very reasonable prices. I would double check the prices because it's a buyers market in Arizona at the moment since many more houses became available on the market. My wife and I are going to wait a year to purchase a house because we are hoping there will be more houses to choose from and the prices will drop.

Also, don't abandon the idea of searching for homes near campus. I have several friends who bought homes in the Arrowhead area that got great deals. Matt's roommate got a great deal on home. It was slightly older than 10 years but it was kept in great shape and it's location was great. There are some deals so keep your eyes open.

Looks like I'll be with the San Prado group! My wife and I just sent in our deposit today. I've never actually walked through it, but it looks way nice on the net and we're excited to have a nice place to live, even though it is a little pricey. Is 59th avenue a noisy road? I can't recall but our apartment is apparently on that side.

Question for discussion if anyone wants to. Do any of you have some anxiety over being that much in debt. I've talked to a lot of people about it and there are many I know that end up doing army/navy/airforce/NHSC just to relieve the burden of debt and interest. Maybe some of the seasoned folks could give us a feeling of whether the money bothers, or after the initial shock it becomes more like monopoly money. :)

Looks like I'll be with the San Prado group! My wife and I just sent in our deposit today. I've never actually walked through it, but it looks way nice on the net and we're excited to have a nice place to live, even though it is a little pricey. Is 59th avenue a noisy road? I can't recall but our apartment is apparently on that side.

Question for discussion if anyone wants to. Do any of you have some anxiety over being that much in debt. I've talked to a lot of people about it and there are many I know that end up doing army/navy/airforce/NHSC just to relieve the burden of debt and interest. Maybe some of the seasoned folks could give us a feeling of whether the money bothers, or after the initial shock it becomes more like monopoly money. :)

I won't lie, 59th can be noisy on the weekends especially when you have the Harley Davidson crew racing down the street. However, San Prado is a quiet property in general and people are pretty respectable and not partying out all hours of the night so that makes up for it in a big way. Hey, I lived a the entrance to the complex last year so you can imagine how noisy it could get when people are always driving in and out of the complex and even that wasn't too noisy so I think being close to 59th avenue won't be bad at all.

I personally knew someone who started medical school when he was 35 and he already had 5 children at the time. His wife didn't work. He became an OB/GYN and is doing quite well. Remember that you don't have to purchase a Jaguar and purchase a huge house once you start earning money as a physician. Many physicians begin spending money as soon as they are out of residency. And you can't blame them considering how hard they have worked and how much their families have sacraficed. But you can easily pay your loans off if you can live modestly after residency for a few years. A lof of financially savy docs do that. I have a friend who practiced as an ER doc after finishing his med/peds residency. He still lived in his apartment and functioned like a college student despite earning well into the 6 figures. He saved a lot of money that year and used a bulk of that to pay off a lot of his loans and put a deposit on his house. And remember that physicians have a lot of flexibility in regards to where they live. My parents live in a small city in Texas with a very low cost of living compared to Phoenix so keep in mind that cost of living is huge. 200K in LA versus 200K in Oklahoma City as example..think about that. Hey, sorry to ramble on but I hope I lowered your anxiety a bit. I too tend to worry and I like to think things through to put my mind at rest. It will all be worth it in the end! :)

:D My wife, unfortunately, will have to drive to Chandler for work 3 times per week. Yeah, I better have some quality dinner prepared by the time she arrives home from work.

It seems to me that you had better learn to cook then because I don't think that she would consider a HUNGRY MAN quality dinner :)

Holy Cow! I take 24 hours off from this post while I'm traveling back to Illinois and it practically blows up. Wowsers! I'm thrilled about AZCOM. I thought I wanted to go to DMU but after really getting some time at AZCOM and finding a place to live. I truly believe that AZCOM might be a perfect fit for me. I did find a place finally. It took two places. Found out the first place had 2 people in line for it and I didn't really want to wait for my "application" to be reviewed 3 weeks later. So I took choice number 2 which will fit me great. 61st and Utopia, can't beat that... Back in Illinois now. I hope anybody that is looking for housing, finds it easily. I'm pretty psyched about next year. Only 2 months away SWEEETNESSS!!! AZCOM Baby! :cool:

:D

It seems to me that you had better learn to cook then because I don't think that she would consider a HUNGRY MAN quality dinner :)

Please, what type of person do you think I am? Do you think I would settle on offerring my wife a Hungry Man frozen dinner especially considering Lean Cusine makes perfectly fine GOURMET frozen dinners. You act like I have no class.

How long is the drive to Chandler from Glendale? My wife has an interview for a job in Chandler when we move to Arizona in a few weeks. We're getting really excited for the move! Our stuff is being moved for us next week and we're driving out the week of July 4th (from metro-Detroit). Anyway, we're going to stay with family for a few weeks until our apartment is ready at San Lagos the first week of August. So if anyone is going to be in the Phoenix area and wants to hang out, let me know!

How long is the drive to Chandler from Glendale? My wife has an interview for a job in Chandler when we move to Arizona in a few weeks. We're getting really excited for the move! Our stuff is being moved for us next week and we're driving out the week of July 4th (from metro-Detroit). Anyway, we're going to stay with family for a few weeks until our apartment is ready at San Lagos the first week of August. So if anyone is going to be in the Phoenix area and wants to hang out, let me know!

It depends on what part of Chandler you are speaking about. The western most aspect of Chandler reaches the I-10 freeway. You can get there in about 35 minutes if there isn't traffic. If your wife is working toward the eastern side of Chandler which approaches Gilbert, it can be almost an 45-1 hour drive. My wife is going to be working in the center of Chandler so her drive will be about 45 minutes. The good news is that it's all freeway so the drive is pretty smooth when you are not driving during rush hour. It's not a lot of stop and go driving so the drive isn't unbearable. I feel the freeways in Phoenix are amazing. They are well designed with multiple lanes and well paved roads and it's a grid system so everything is really easy to find. I'm in Memphis, TN right now so you do notice subtle things like the quality of roads when you are in a city that lacks that feature. We have a great cell phone plan so I told my wife to get her phone calls done during that drive(hands-free of course). She can call her parents, patients etc. That's what I used to do on my long treks. We also have to get her windows re-tinted for AZ heat.

First off...you can always get your friends to swipe you in..so thats not the issue..

That's like saying you aren't required to pay for things because you can just steal them. :rolleyes: You couldn't pay me to attend a school that forced me to attend every single class.

Sorry for that distraction above so let's get back to AZCOM students and your questions....

I am really suprised to hear the homes in Surprise are expensive (no pun intended). For the longest time, the homes in Surprise, Avondale and Peoria were the ones AZCOM students could count on purchasing for very reasonable prices. I would double check the prices because it's a buyers market in Arizona at the moment since many more houses became available on the market. My wife and I are going to wait a year to purchase a house because we are hoping there will be more houses to choose from and the prices will drop.

Also, don't abandon the idea of searching for homes near campus. I have several friends who bought homes in the Arrowhead area that got great deals. Matt's roommate got a great deal on home. It was slightly older than 10 years but it was kept in great shape and it's location was great. There are some deals so keep your eyes open.


The houses start around $225. I am from the metroplex area in Fort Worth and you can get an excellent home for around 150,000. Being a student, I feel that it might get tight paying for that type of mortgage. I want to maybe buy a interest only loan after the first year or just rent for the 4. I have only spent one day in AZ, so I hope to settle in and decide from there.
Thanks for the response.

The houses start around $225. I am from the metroplex area in Fort Worth and you can get an excellent home for around 150,000. Being a student, I feel that it might get tight paying for that type of mortgage. I want to maybe buy a interest only loan after the first year or just rent for the 4. I have only spent one day in AZ, so I hope to settle in and decide from there.
Thanks for the response.

I hear ya bro, it all comes to perspective and relativity.. To an So Cal. native, Phoenix is cheap, to a Ft. Worth native, Phoenix is expensive. Phoenix is slowly becoming another California city in that it's housing prices are inflated. Phoenix used to have affordable homes just 4 years ago. The market has just exploded since then. My first home in Phoenix cost me 159K, today that home his now worth over 350K. That was only 5 years ago!!! I still think 225 is reasonable but yes, it's more expensive than what houses used to cost in Surprise just 2 years ago. I would just rent if I were you because you won't get homes for anything close to 150 K in the valley.

I hear ya bro, it all comes to perspective and relativity.. To an So Cal. native, Phoenix is cheap, to a Ft. Worth native, Phoenix is expensive. Phoenix is slowly becoming another California city in that it's housing prices are inflated. Phoenix used to have affordable homes just 4 years ago. The market has just exploded since then. My first home in Phoenix cost me 159K, today that home his now worth over 350K. That was only 5 years ago!!! I still think 225 is reasonable but yes, it's more expensive than what houses used to cost in Surprise just 2 years ago. I would just rent if I were you because you won't get homes for anything close to 150 K in the valley.


Is there any other married students out there and also ones with kids. I am a 28yo student and have a 6 year old. We hope to get involved with the SO club and meet some other NON Trad students.

rahulazcom - Hey thanks for takin the time to jump on this forum and give some advice to us new azcomers. I'm aslo hoping prices will drop a little next year and I'll start looking for a condo or something too. I signed a contract for San Lagos a few weeks ago - looks pretty nice but maybe i should have shelled out a litte more cha ching for San Prado? Anyway - are home prices around campus pretty comprarible to suprise, peoria etc.. like the arrowhead area you talked about. Like 225 k or so? Sounds like your friend got a good deal.

I was also hoping you could add your thoughts to a financial aid question I have as well. Are most other students you know going with a grad plus loan over a private loan - and which lender are they choosing? I think I'll go grad plus at 8.5% capped but I'm really questioning which lender to go with. I know AZCOM preferred lender is Southwest (Sallie Mae) who I took my staffords out with, but everyone on the financial aid forum seems to think T.H.E is the only way to go for stafford and grad plus. They offer some nice rate breaks when you enter payback and also reimburse you the 3% origination fee within 6 months on the grad plus - I haven't seen anyone else yet that does that. I know the guarantor fee for Southwest is 0% for AZCOM but I'm not sure what it is for T.H.E. Anyway....sorry for rambling. Any advice - from anyone?
Thanks

I was also hoping you could add your thoughts to a financial aid question I have as well. Are most other students you know going with a grad plus loan over a private loan - and which lender are they choosing? I think I'll go grad plus at 8.5% capped but I'm really questioning which lender to go with. I know AZCOM preferred lender is Southwest (Sallie Mae) who I took my staffords out with, but everyone on the financial aid forum seems to think T.H.E is the only way to go for stafford and grad plus. They offer some nice rate breaks when you enter payback and also reimburse you the 3% origination fee within 6 months on the grad plus - I haven't seen anyone else yet that does that. I know the guarantor fee for Southwest is 0% for AZCOM but I'm not sure what it is for T.H.E. Anyway....sorry for rambling. Any advice - from anyone?
Thanks

Good question. I´m wondering the same thing.

Also, I really want to be at San Prado, but apparently the only availability on a 1br starts 9/1. I loved the location, it looked really sweet, and I´ve heard a few mixed things about San Lagos. Anyone want to help me out with ideas? Thanks!

By the way, I am in week five of my six week European backpacking trip. I´m in Barcelona right now, about to head to Madrid, just killing time. Barcelona is really nice! Gaudi´s stuff is crazy. Also, favorite places were Cinque Terre, Florence, and Berlin. Munich´s beer halls were sweet too! 1L German beers for 4 euro, hell ya.

I´m excited for school to start and to meet all of you guys.
Jake

.
Also, I really want to be at San Prado, but apparently the only availability on a 1br starts 9/1. I loved the location, it looked really sweet, and I´ve heard a few mixed things about San Lagos. Anyone want to help me out with ideas? Thanks!

Has anyone else heard negative things about San Lagos?

Has anyone else heard negative things about San Lagos?

I live in San Prado as most of you know and I looked at San Lagos first. To be honest, there is absolutely nothing wrong with San Lagos. Yes, I personally felt Sad Prado was a little nicer but that's like comparing a Mercedes to a BMW and vice versa. Both are great apartment complexes. Both are owned by Mark-Taylor realty. Both have the same design. The only difference is San Prado has newer stuff. For example, in San Lagos, your refrigerator and stove are white. At San Prado, they are black. At Lagos, your countertops are formica and at Prado, they are stone. If San Prado was full, I would be more than happy to live at San Lagos.

If there is any criticism of San Lagos, it could potentially stem from the fact that it is older than San Prado by about 4 years so any apartment that is more new(San Prado) will tend to be nicer and have a little nicer finishing. That doesn't mean San Lagos is bad.

Also, San Lagos is a lot more laid back in terms of it's managment. They don't have issues with pool parties. A lot of our AZCOM friends who stay there have thrown pool parties without any issues. They have had drinks and food by the pool without any hassle. At San Lagos, they don't allow food by the pool and drinks have to be taken in a plastic container. San Lagos is also bigger so their weight room and conference room feel bigger. The reason I chose San Prado is because it is more new and it's a little quieter than San Lagos.

If I recommend anything, make certain the owners/management is a quality group. Mark-Taylor is a quality group and they are pretty strict about who they lease their rooms to. This makes a big difference because I stayed at an Archstone owned complex and half the complex had college students. Hey, I like college students like the next person but when you want to study on a Sunday night, it's not cool if your up-stairs neighbor is having a kegger and loud music blasting at 2 AM while your exam is in 5 hours. You won't get that at a Mark-Taylor complex because they don't allow parents to co-sign leases if one's credit is not strong so the ASU West crowd won't be your neighbors.

rahulazcom - Hey thanks for takin the time to jump on this forum and give some advice to us new azcomers. I'm aslo hoping prices will drop a little next year and I'll start looking for a condo or something too. I signed a contract for San Lagos a few weeks ago - looks pretty nice but maybe i should have shelled out a litte more cha ching for San Prado? Anyway - are home prices around campus pretty comprarible to suprise, peoria etc.. like the arrowhead area you talked about. Like 225 k or so? Sounds like your friend got a good deal.

What's up Dazzed! Home prices around campus are a lot more money, we are talking 200K more! I know what you are thinking: "Dude, it's Glendale, how is it expensive." Well the problem is that Arrowhead is a very nice community in the northern part of Glendale and a lot of retirees and snowbirds live there so they have money to spend and don't mind shelling out 500K for an 1800 square foot home in Arrowhead. Homes around the school (a part of Arrowhead) are between 300-400K ....Well, I will add that was the situation as of last January so I'm sure prices might have fallen somewhat because there were not many homes available in January like there are now. But take my advice with a grain of salt. Don't give up looking because every year, students will find great deals. I have a few friends that bought homes by school and got pretty good deals. If you want to find a good deal, be willing to accept an older home by the school. There will be homes by campus that will be 20-15 years old versus 5 and those are a lot cheaper than the pricey ones. That's what a lot of AZCOM students do. They buy slightly older homes but "old" in AZ is 20 years unlike a 50 year old home in another city.

Condos are also expensive. The nice ones by school can run as much as 300K. The cheapest ones are around 140K but generally a decent condo will you run between 180-220K range. The good news is condo prices are falling fast and owners are having trouble selling them. Personally, I wouldn't advise buying a condo because I have a feeling they will really drop in the next year. A close friend has a condo on the market. It's a one bedroom/one bath but it's in a nice area near PV. He has it listed for over 200K and he can't sell it so buyer beware.

In regards to your financial aid question, I'm sorry but I don't have an aswer for that.

Is there any other married students out there and also ones with kids. I am a 28yo student and have a 6 year old. We hope to get involved with the SO club and meet some other NON Trad students.

I didn't know if you were asking if there are many NON Trad students or if you were doing a shout-out to Non Trads to respond. Trust me, there are a ton of Non-Trads at AZCOM. If there is anything AZCOM has plenty of, it's non-traditional students with families. You will feel at home. I would conservatively guess that a 1/3 of the class include non-traditional students or students with families.

I didn't know if you were asking if there are many NON Trad students or if you were doing a shout-out to Non Trads to respond. Trust me, there are a ton of Non-Trads at AZCOM. If there is anything AZCOM has plenty of, it's non-traditional students with families. You will feel at home. I would conservatively guess that a 1/3 of the class include non-traditional students or students with families.


Good deal. I am getting excited about starting. We still need to find a place and time to all meet up. Hopefully, before orientation.

Good deal. I am getting excited about starting. We still need to find a place and time to all meet up. Hopefully, before orientation.

Matt aka Inquiring Mind is in charge of setting up the place and time. Matt is unofficially in charge of the welcoming committee for the class of 2010. He and Kona are both studying abroad for the next 4 weeks, which is I have posted a lot recently. I feel someone needs to take up the slack until they return. :)

Matt aka Inquiring Mind is in charge of setting up the place and time. Matt is unofficially in charge of the welcoming committee for the class of 2010. He and Kona are both studying abroad for the next 4 weeks, which is I have posted a lot recently. I feel someone needs to take up the slack until they return. :)

What happened to BW3's?

What happened to BW3's?

BW3's is cool. I think Matt just wanted to organize the event but didn't have a particular place in mind. If everyone wants to go there, we are down! Just let us know

BW3's is cool. I think Matt just wanted to organize the event but didn't have a particular place in mind. If everyone wants to go there, we are down! Just let us know

Sounds good. This is definitely shaping up to be a great deal. Finding a place to live. Coming in a week early before orientation. Meeting all the new people. After being back in IL for 2 days, I've decided it's getting hot and sticky and nasty even compared to the 110 in the concrete jungle of AZ. Enough dwelling on heat. Does anybody know how well AZCOM integrates newer tech (PDA's and computers) with the program? I was thinking about buying a PDA for reference materials. 2nd year's any input?

BW3's is cool. I think Matt just wanted to organize the event but didn't have a particular place in mind. If everyone wants to go there, we are down! Just let us know

I'm in of course.

BW3's is cool. I think Matt just wanted to organize the event but didn't have a particular place in mind. If everyone wants to go there, we are down! Just let us know

We could also try out Desert Ridge. The Yard House has a great beer selection with something like 200 on tap and plasma tv's visible from every table.

So I must ask: what is so special about Buffalo Wildwings?:

I too share the same curiosity about this place. I know exactly where it is on Mayo but I haven't been there.


And v3rbal, Kona is a great guy so you got lucky. You could have done far worse and ended up with someone like myself but unfortunatley robazcom will have to bear that burden :laugh:

I don't know what you're talking about. You may as well be class liason because your pretty much being a big bro for the entire 2010 class. Thanks for all your help! Alot of us would be lost if it weren't for MSII's like yourself :) .

Oh yeah, and you owe me Chinese :D .

Looks like we have a weeks' worth of visiting to get in so we can go to all these places. 200 beers on tap sounds wonderful. I thought my favorite Champaign-Urbana pub, Murphy's, was great with 22 beers on tap. I've been meaning to do "around the world" some day (drinking all 22 beers in one day). 200 is just ridiculous.

Hey my name is Kevin Orr, azcom 2010...this is my first time one here and I just wanted to say what's up to everyone, and get to know all of you.

Hey my name is Kevin Orr, azcom 2010...this is my first time one here and I just wanted to say what's up to everyone, and get to know all of you.


Hey Kevin, did you interview on April 7th? If so, I think I met you at the interview. If not, then ignore me, the heat has been doing damage to my brain!

Joe

hahaha yeah I did. how is your summer going?

hahaha yeah I did. how is your summer going?


Cool. Glad to hear you got in. My summer is alright...just working. But, come July 17th, my only job will be working on my golf game! You?

I interviewed the first week of April as well. I can't remember what day it was though. It may have been Monday 04/03.

whoa whoa whoa Joe, hahaha, I thought you were going somewhere else even if you got in. this is great news! too bad you're living with the ball and chain. It's all good, you could be going to med school with your ex-girlfriend....I'd hate to be that guy...Amy if you saw that I'm just joking! hahaha

Hi fellow AZCOMers. I am starting the DO program this fall and live on the other side of Phoenix, 35 miles away. I have been looking for a place closer to school. I don't know what kind of luck you guys have had but the accommodations I have found leave a lot to be desired. I finally gave up and am having a house built that will be ready in October. Meanwhile I found an incredible new community just 10 minutes from school and close to everything. It was to good a situation to pass up so I bought one of their last and best condos that will be finished July 1st. It is three stories; has three bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a two car garage to boot. Bedrooms and laundry are on the top level; HUGE great room/kitchen on the second level; and an open "study" area and full bathroom on the first level (has option of being made a second master :) ) Since I'm having another house built, this condo will be available to rent -- entirely, or as separate rooms.
PM me if interested

I can't wait to meet all of you!
Have a great summer! :D

whoa whoa whoa Joe, hahaha, I thought you were going somewhere else even if you got in. this is great news! too bad you're living with the ball and chain. It's all good, you could be going to med school with your ex-girlfriend....I'd hate to be that guy...Amy if you saw that I'm just joking! hahaha



hahahahahah...just couldn't turn down the offer to AZCOM! Amy, huh?!? This year is gonna be fun.

hahahahahah...just couldn't turn down the offer to AZCOM! Amy, huh?!? This year is gonna be fun.


all of you and your inside jokes!!

all of you and your inside jokes!!

I'm with you. Still on the outside. I guess that will all change in 2 months. I might be getting lucky on the titers (looks like the nurse in charge of occupational med at the hospital I work at is going to give me the wink and a blood draw.) We'll see how that goes. Good luck to all on the expensive titers.

Mark your calendars, November 19th the Detroit Lions are playing the Arizona Cardinals...I already bought two tickets, my dad is even flying out here to watch the Lions lose. If any of you want to go, start looking for tickets. Also Joe, I'm thinking in that two weeks off in November were going to have to make a Vegas trip, what do you think?

Mark your calendars, November 19th the Detroit Lions are playing the Arizona Cardinals...I already bought two tickets, my dad is even flying out here to watch the Lions lose. If any of you want to go, start looking for tickets. Also Joe, I'm thinking in that two weeks off in November were going to have to make a Vegas trip, what do you think?

I'm in for Vegas. Still looking for that first gambling experience. I'm definitely interested in a Cardinals game. NFL is so expensive. Perhaps some ASU games too. Definitely D-Backs and perhaps a Suns game. Wait, I'm in med school. When will I have time for all those...? I hope I get at least SOME time... It is Arizona.

So I've heard great things about "The Rhythm Room" from a friend here in Illinois that used to live in Glendale. I'm thinking that we might add that to our weekend of meeting places or during the first few weeks of school.

Vegas, Football, Basketball, Nights Out...........I'm totally in!!!!! So excited to get out there and meet all of you guys. These next two months can't go by fast enough!!

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Vegas, Football, Basketball, Nights Out...........I'm totally in!!!!! So excited to get out there and meet all of you guys. These next two months can't go by fast enough!!

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Whew Rhode Island... And I thought IL to AZ was far. What is that like a 6 hour flight. It's almost a long to Europe. The U.S. is large and diverse. This is going to be awesome in 2 months. Be patient. Enjoy your summer. Scratch 1 of the last two summers free you'll ever have, until you're retired...

Whew Rhode Island... And I thought IL to AZ was far. What is that like a 6 hour flight. It's almost a long to Europe. The U.S. is large and diverse. This is going to be awesome in 2 months. Be patient. Enjoy your summer. Scratch 1 of the last two summers free you'll ever have, until you're retired...


It's about a five and a half hour flight. That doesn't really bother me, it's the 2800 mile drive that I'm having a littler harder time with. Luckily I have a friend who offered to do it with me so it won't be as bad.

It's about a five and a half hour flight. That doesn't really bother me, it's the 2800 mile drive that I'm having a littler harder time with. Luckily I have a friend who offered to do it with me so it won't be as bad.

Yeah I'm going to be breaking in my new "used" car and adding 1800 to mine. I luckily found a place that has a lot of furniture so I'm just going to buy the little things that I need. I'm planning on shipping clothes and other easy items and then just taking the VW with my dad and having him fly back after we get there.

Hello everyone! My name is Sean and I'm also a part of the class of 2010. I am from the other side of Phoenix as well and have had some of the same issues finding a place near the school that is not on the "D-List". I'm hoping to eventually get a condo or house out there, but for now I might settle for a studio not located inside the 101... We should definately get together sometime before school starts!

Sean
sean.codier@gmail.com

How much will you rent the rooms out for?
Nick


Hi fellow AZCOMers. I am starting the DO program this fall and live on the other side of Phoenix, 35 miles away. I have been looking for a place closer to school. I don't know what kind of luck you guys have had but the accommodations I have found leave a lot to be desired. I finally gave up and am having a house built that will be ready in October. Meanwhile I found an incredible new community just 10 minutes from school and close to everything. It was to good a situation to pass up so I bought one of their last and best condos that will be finished July 1st. It is three stories; has three bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a two car garage to boot. Bedrooms and laundry are on the top level; HUGE great room/kitchen on the second level; and an open "study" area and full bathroom on the first level (has option of being made a second master :) ) Since I'm having another house built, this condo will be available to rent -- entirely, or as separate rooms.
PM me if interested

I can't wait to meet all of you!
Have a great summer! :D