A.T. Still University (ATSU-SOMA) Arizona Discussion Thread 2015 - 2016

[AlteredScale]

Space reserved for prompt.

Please PM the essays or lack thereof to me when the secondary is available and I will update this.

Good luck to everyone applying!

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[Stephanopolous]

Secondary received

 

[oceanman]

Secondary!

 

[FloresMD]

Secondary as well!

 

[pmsltechnician]

Just received a secondary too!

 

[Cawolf]

Weird.

They sent me the secondary yesterday afternoon and again today in this batch.

Duplicate emails I guess.

 

[ahawke100]

.

 

[YorkH]

Woo, this secondary is quite...beefy compared to Kirksville.

 

[ahawke100]

Anyone mind sharing the secondary?

 

[YorkH]

Describe your activities during any gaps longer than 3 months in your college or postgraduate record.


Describe your academic readiness for medical school by answering one of the following questions:

a. Describe your learning strategy and how this strategy will help you become a successful student at SOMA.

b. Describe any academic performance issues you have experienced and how you got back on course.


Describe your understanding of a career as a physician by answering one of the following questions:

a. Describe the essential traits of a physician. Which one of your past experiences had the greatest influence on your choice of traits?

b. Of the following characteristics found in successful medical students, choose one that is important to you and explain why?

• 
  
  
  • Confidence
  • Empathy
  • Discipline
  • Resilience
  • Integrity
  • Intelligence
  • Maturity

Describe your understanding of a career as an osteopathic physician by answering one of the following questions:

a. Describe your experiences with DO’s.Have you ever shadowed a DO, if not explain why? Do you have a letter of recommendation from a DO, if not explain why?

b. Which one of the osteopathic tenets do you most identify with at this point in your life? Explain why.

c. How do you envision incorporating osteopathic philosophy and practice as a physician?


Describe your understanding of SOMA by answering one of the following questions:

a. What unique feature of SOMA appeals to you? What specific feature of SOMA concerns you?

b. What would be your strongest attribute as a SOMA student? What would be your weakest?

c. How do you plan to be involved with medically underserved populations in your medical career? How have your past volunteer experiences influenced your plans?

 

[ahawke100]

As

Describe your activities during any gaps longer than 3 months in your college or postgraduate record.


Describe your academic readiness for medical school by answering one of the following questions:

a. Describe your learning strategy and how this strategy will help you become a successful student at SOMA.

b. Describe any academic performance issues you have experienced and how you got back on course.


Describe your understanding of a career as a physician by answering one of the following questions:

a. Describe the essential traits of a physician. Which one of your past experiences had the greatest influence on your choice of traits?

b. Of the following characteristics found in successful medical students, choose one that is important to you and explain why?

• 
  
  
  • Confidence
  • Empathy
  • Discipline
  • Resilience
  • Integrity
  • Intelligence
  • Maturity

Describe your understanding of a career as an osteopathic physician by answering one of the following questions:

a. Describe your experiences with DO’s.Have you ever shadowed a DO, if not explain why? Do you have a letter of recommendation from a DO, if not explain why?

b. Which one of the osteopathic tenets do you most identify with at this point in your life? Explain why.

c. How do you envision incorporating osteopathic philosophy and practice as a physician?


Describe your understanding of SOMA by answering one of the following questions:

a. What unique feature of SOMA appeals to you? What specific feature of SOMA concerns you?

b. What would be your strongest attribute as a SOMA student? What would be your weakest?

c. How do you plan to be involved with medically underserved populations in your medical career? How have your past volunteer experiences influenced your plans?

You're awesome. Thanks!

 

[duediligence]

If describing an experience with a DO, should one mention the name of this physician? Especially if the physician wrote a letter of recommendation?

 

[PSiloveU2013]

How much is the secondary? I haven't received one yet, but I also couldn't find the cost on their website.

 

[YorkH]

How much is the secondary? I haven't received one yet, but I also couldn't find the cost on their website.

$70

 

[cjfarrell21]

I need some clarification with the first question just because i'm confused by the wording. When they ask "Describe your activities during any gaps longer than 3 months in your college or postgraduate record" are they asking what you were doing if you were not participating in an EC for 3 months?

 

[KO_TV]

I need some clarification with the first question just because i'm confused by the wording. When they ask "Describe your activities during any gaps longer than 3 months in your college or postgraduate record" are they asking what you were doing if you were not participating in an EC for 3 months?

I interpreted it as 3 months without schooling (not taking classes).

 

[GameNameJames]

I haven't had a gap longer than 3 months in my college or postgrad career, so do I just leave this question blank?

 

[Stephanopolous]

Secondary submitted!!! Love their curriculum model and CHC rotations, fingers crossed!

 

[med candidate]

Secondary Submitted! WOOOO leggooo!

 

[orapplicant]

After you submitted your secondary, how long did it take to get the email to check the status of your app? I got the email that says its received and I would receive another email "soon" to check the status of my app.

 

[blah12346497]

List verifiable volunteer clinic/health experience (for example at a community health center, IHS clinic, physician’s office, hospital, or something similar). Community health center and IHS experience must be verified by letter from the center.

So am I supposed to list healthcare related WORK? Or only volunteer work. I am so confused. Is it asking us to list volunteer clinic or health experience? Or is it volunteer clinic or volunteer health experience?

 

[Stephanopolous]

I did only volunteer work

 

[Stephanopolous]

Just received an email saying my secondary is complete.

 

[blah12346497]

When you submitted via interfolio did you choose the school that popped up or manually entered in the address?

 

[Stephanopolous]

My letters were attached to my aacomas app

 

[blah12346497]

Ohh darn ok. Thanks for replying

 

[orapplicant]

Just received an email saying my secondary is complete.

Me too!

 

[Cawolf]

So I sat down to work on this today and similar to an above poster, am confused with:

List verifiable volunteer clinic/health experience (for example at a community health center, IHS clinic, physician’s office, hospital, or something similar). Community health center and IHS experience must be verified by letter from the center.

Is this a section to list paid employment in healthcare? Assume I have no volunteer experiences to list.

 

[Stephanopolous]

I only listed volunteer health experience there.

 

[Cawolf]

I only listed volunteer health experience there.

I would too, but I have no volunteer health experience - so I am trying to figure out what to put.

 

[Stephanopolous]

I would leave it blank then

 

[SuperiorColliculus]

I would too, but I have no volunteer health experience - so I am trying to figure out what to put.

I wouldn't leave it blank. Instead, you should explicitly state that you don't have volunteer health experience, but you do have paid work experience in the healthcare field and elaborate on that. This is assuming there is no other place on the secondary asking for your paid work experience in the healthcare field...

 

[Cawolf]

I would leave it blank then

Trying to avoid do that!

I wouldn't leave it blank. Instead, you should explicitly state that you don't have volunteer health experience, but you do have paid work experience in the healthcare field and elaborate on that. This is assuming there is no other place on the secondary asking for your paid work experience in the healthcare field...

This is the way I am leaning, was hoping someone had asked them.

Wanted to submit it soon, but I guess I will do the rest and call them to see after the holiday.

 

[Mavs88]

Could there by any more secondary essays?

 

[AKNP]

I would too, but I have no volunteer health experience - so I am trying to figure out what to put.

I have the same issue. I was planning to write about my paid experience as well...

 

[Stephanopolous]

Or you could just email admissions and ask how to proceed

 

[Catfish-Cupcake]

Submitted!

 

[ahawke100]

Secondary submitted. I wonder when they will start sending out interview invites.

 

[nkafeel]

Do I need a letter from the community health clinic I volunteered at?

 

[thekiterunner89]

May I ask what stats people are applying with? Just want to compare my stats, as I will be applying in December, not before unfortunately

 

[Member 2800800]

Do I need a letter from the community health clinic I volunteered at?

Yes, if you volunteered at a CHC you need some sort of verification. I was told to have a letter sent to the Missouri campus (even though I'm only applying to the Arizona campus) since they do all of the paper processing. Admissions also told me that it's nice to have a recommendation sort of letter, but just a confirmation that you volunteered would suffice.

 

[mj1988]

When you submitted via interfolio did you choose the school that popped up or manually entered in the address?

save some money send your interfolio letters to aacomas
go to interfolio account with all your letters in it.
click on any of the letters you want sent to aacomas/hover over name and it will generate an email address looks like this [email protected] and is different for each letter writer so will need to do this for each of ones you send
copy that to aacomas letter request (you will need to type the correct writer's name), but you don't need to type the letter writer's email, instead, write the interfolio email mentioned above.
make up a due date and note(doesn't matter but I just put June 1st and note"please deliver letter from XXX")
aacomas has worked it out with interfolio to immediately send you email request from interfolio once they received request (5-10 minutes after you did the above) the letters sent to aacomas cost $4 e-delivery and then all schools can see letters (note that if you only intend for specific letters to specific schools then send those through interfolio separately

- Ex: i sent in 5 letters (no committee bc im nontrad.) to aacomas but held 2 separate letters for schools I feel it will carry some weight or add to app in some way bc person was either alumni or letter reflects school mission better based on activities letter writer related they would talk about regarding work experience and ECs for programs with emphasis in public health or urban migrant undersereved pops

 

[doctor_wannabe]

To those of you who already submitted your secondary, how long were your essay responses? I'm trying to figure out how to write 500 words for each of the five essays.

 

[Catfish-Cupcake]

To those of you who already submitted your secondary, how long were your essay responses? I'm trying to figure out how to write 500 words for each of the five essays.

Mine were anywhere from 275-400 words. Everyone is different, I don't tend to be very wordy.

 

[orapplicant]

To those of you who already submitted your secondary, how long were your essay responses? I'm trying to figure out how to write 500 words for each of the five essays.

I had to slice and dice to get mine down. I think one was 497 words lol

 

[doctor_wannabe]

"Describe your activities during any gaps longer than 3 months in your college or postgraduate record. "
I started working right after graduating from college. For this question should I say there is no gap?

 

[Member 2800800]

"Describe your activities during any gaps longer than 3 months in your college or postgraduate record. "
I started working right after graduating from college. For this question should I say there is no gap?

I think they mean educational record, so you could talk about your job.

 

[thekiterunner89]

Do they screen applications? Under 3.2 or somethinng?

 

[21341234]

How did you guys answer this part of the last question, "What specific feature of SOMA concerns you ? "

 

[JLaw13]

Me too!

How long did it take to receive this email? I submitted my secondary on 7/8 and got a confirmation email.
I have yet to receive a complete email regarding LOR, status, etc.