AZCOM Discussion Thread 2011-2012

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Just sent letters to Dean Kemper and Dean Speicher:xf:

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@randomusername and whoever else has given valuable information and would like to reply. I think a lot of us can thank you for letting us know what it's like on the inside at AZCOM, so thank you for feeding us with information.

AZCOM has great facilities and is in a nice and warm area of the country, which are both some things I like, however I am a little unsure of some of the other things. One, tuition. I realize that tuition is super expensive there, but do you feel like it goes as far as you might expect at another private medical school in the US?
I will never be convinced that our tuition is fully-justified when our PhD CEO makes over $800k in salary and over $200k in "other compensation" which includes paying for 1st class travel and social club dues; while we have more well-manicured grass than some golf courses in the middle of the desert; while we're only seeing $800-1200/student/month (of nearly $52k in tuition; no official word yet but I've heard through the grapevine that we're looking at another 5% tuition increase [for which they'll use some BS justification] which will place tuition at about $54.5k this upcoming year) going towards the few rotations we actually pay for; while we have to pay for our own gloves and scalpels in anatomy lab, etc.


Two, education. I called the dean's office and she is sending me a copy of the most updated match list, but that information doesn't necessarily mean much for now since even the most recent students would have gone through the basic science years two years previous. Page 1 of this thread I posted the match data FOR THE PAST 11 YEARS. The curriculum has undergone a few changes and class size increases a few times through those years and I think 11 years of that will be more valuable than 1 year, granted, I find them pretty valueless if we're being honest (por ejemplo: I know of at least two AZCOM valedictorians who are both FPs in the same office, which you can't pick up from a match list).

What is your opinion of the quality of education in these basic science years? Do the teachers seem like they know their stuff?
I think the quality of the education itself is fine. Our pre-clinical faculty is great and with a few of them, the problem is getting them to dumb down their material for our simple minds.

Three, happiness factor. Ha, I realize this is the most immeasurable factor, but how happy do your fellow students seem? Granted it is different for everyone, but are people generally happy? One other school I interviewed at really seemed to make an effort to make sure we are as happy as possible during medical school, but I didn't so much get that feeling at AZCOM. I realize this could have been the interview day though. Are students super stressed all the time or do most find time to take a breather during the day?
I feel like your experience during your interview day is pretty reflective of the attitude around here. Incessant weeks of 2-4 exams, week after week after week takes a toll. That being said, people all cope differently. While I'm mostly indifferent to the whole schedule, others I know get really down because of it, and yet others are seemingly unfazed by it all and still manage to "have a life." Some of them HAVE to (they have SOs/family/kids) or they place an increased emphasis on having a life outside of school still because they A) are in the "freakishly smart" category and don't need to study as much B) aren't gunning for anything competitive C) force themselves to because they just cannot give it up for the sake of their sanity.
Most people DO manage to find time for a breather at some point during the day, either by choice or exhaustion. For a lot of people, it's going to the gym. For others it's watching a favorite show, cooking, napping, etc.


Does the administration realize medical students are people too?
Meh.


And four, class size. This is definitely one of my main concerns. The class size seems huge! Add a couple handfuls of podiatry students and we could be going to class with almost 300 people. Do you think it would be beneficial to have the recorded lectures?
It would be.


That seems like a very standard thing for most medical schools. I am just worried about getting lost in the shuffle of trying to push 250+ people through medical school at a time.That brings up the issue of teacher accessibility. Honestly I don't know if this is a very necessary concern, but are the professors approachable and available when you need them?
The faculty are incredibly accessible and approachable. Virtually all of them are more than happy to talk to students in their offices for hours on end, answer emails on weekends (even if it's related to another professor's material), a number of them will ask how our week is going and will ask us personally what we liked/didn't like/were clear on/confused about from their material, our physio course director last year (I believe there's a new one this year but could be mistaken) would walk around the library on Sundays before a Monday exam and ask students if they had any last minute questions, our pharm course director has shown up on weekends to answer questions because they were going to miss their office hours on the Friday before an exam, etc. We even have faculty who, in spite of the massive class sizes, remember the names of students.


Sorry for so many questions but thanks ahead of time for the replies!

Hope that helps.
 
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Just sent letters to Dean Kemper and Dean Speicher:xf:

Good luck to you. Although I don't know if you have a case for litigation (as they did not point anything inherent about you but rather what they perceived you thought), it is worth fighting for what you believe to be at best a misunderstanding and at worse, an injustice. It's incredible that they didn't ask you Why Osteopathic medicine.

You'll have to let us know how it goes but in the meantime, good luck on your other interviews.
 
Good luck to you. Although I don't know if you have a case for litigation (as they did not point anything inherent about you but rather what they perceived you thought), it is worth fighting for what you believe to be at best a misunderstanding and at worse, an injustice. It's incredible that they didn't ask you Why Osteopathic medicine.

You'll have to let us know how it goes but in the meantime, good luck on your other interviews.


haha i dont have any ground whatsoever for a suit, and even if i did i wouldn't pursue it.

thanks for the support:thumbup:
 
13 inch or 15inch mac book? Does the glossy screen hurt your eyes?
 
13 inch or 15inch mac book? Does the glossy screen hurt your eyes?

Bigger is usually better (that's what she said) and no clue but the snooty user attitudes accompanying them are typically blinding.
-sent from my iPhone

In all seriousness, plenty of people I know and like use Macs and I've not heard a single complaint outside of software compatibility, so if the glossy screen is an issue, the pros must outweigh the cons. As for the size, I'd go with the 15 because I'd rather have more screen than less weight.
 
Matte screens are definitely nicer but are only options on a few (Samsung, Lenovo) and often are not part of a cheap package. Then again, if you are shelling out for any Macbook, then money is not that big of a deal. I also second on the bigger screen size. The weight difference seems minimal to me considering you'll be stationary most of the time.

I have never owned a Mac but purchased one for my parents. I also use OneNote but it is far from essential. I'm also glad to see they're ridding themselves of tree annihilation with just the PDFs now. Granted, I kind of liked some hard copy notes (especially for Neuro) but it took up so much room and I ended up recycling most of it anyway.
 
I may be mistaken, but when I interviewed at AZCOM, several people seemed to imply that the school isn't very mac friendly. Is that true? Because I was getting ready to replace my mac with something else for med school...
 
I may be mistaken, but when I interviewed at AZCOM, several people seemed to imply that the school isn't very mac friendly. Is that true? Because I was getting ready to replace my mac with something else for med school...

I only ever seem to hear of classmates buying new Macs and iPads, so either they're Apples4Life in spite of lacking functionality at school or they've not been having any major issues. Personally, I'm a Windows but that's because I'm frugal; if I wasn't, I'd likely have a Mac myself.
 
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For those of you that spend most of the day studying, where do you go? Are there enough places on campus to study or do you find that studying at home is generally a better option?
 
For those of you that spend most of the day studying, where do you go? Are there enough places on campus to study or do you find that studying at home is generally a better option?

Plenty of people rarely leave home to study but a lot find spots in the library, 24-hour study room, cafeteria, outside (at least during spring and fall), go to a coffee shop, or study at a friend's place. The only time people seem to have trouble finding a suitable place to study on campus is near finals week.
 
So how important is having a car at AZCOM?

I currently have a car, but thinking about selling it and buying a beater. If I could get away with no car though, that would be awesome. I'll be living on campus housing and I have a bicycle. One thing though, I'd like to get to the airport once in a while to fly home to see my wife.

Any advice?
 
So how important is having a car at AZCOM?

I currently have a car, but thinking about selling it and buying a beater. If I could get away with no car though, that would be awesome. I'll be living on campus housing and I have a bicycle. One thing though, I'd like to get to the airport once in a while to fly home to see my wife.

Any advice?

You need a car. Yes, you can survive without a car during MS1-2 by bumming rides off people, but you don't want to have the hassle of tracking down a ride to the grocery store or anything (yes, there are two within walking distance but I can't think of a single person who wants to walk or ride a bike to go get groceries in Phoenix when it's 100+F outside) because it would be a major inconvenience having to do your schedule around that of somebody else. Then, when rotations start you'll definitely need a vehicle because you will be all over the place. That being said, you'll most likely prefer having something dependable once rotations start as well, so I'd perhaps reconsider trading down to a beater if you think you can afford the non-beater you currently have.
 
You need a car. Yes, you can survive without a car during MS1-2 by bumming rides off people, but you don't want to have the hassle of tracking down a ride to the grocery store or anything (yes, there are two within walking distance but I can't think of a single person who wants to walk or ride a bike to go get groceries in Phoenix when it's 100+F outside) because it would be a major inconvenience having to do your schedule around that of somebody else. Then, when rotations start you'll definitely need a vehicle because you will be all over the place. That being said, you'll most likely prefer having something dependable once rotations start as well, so I'd perhaps reconsider trading down to a beater if you think you can afford the non-beater you currently have.


I'd get a Harley and some leather chaps to go with it
 
Hi everyone. This is my first time posting on SDN and I'm hoping you can offer me some advice. I am currently in the Masters program at Midwestern in IL. My first choice school is CCOM, but I am still waiting on an interview. I was given an interview for AZCOM in April. However, I am not as familiar with the AZ campus and the program as I am with CCOM. The trip will cost me about $650+. I am wondering if any current students have any advice for me if I should make the trip or not. Does anyone know if they are currently only interviewing for alternate list spots? Do you like going to AZCOM? How are the rotation sites? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!
 
Hi everyone. This is my first time posting on SDN and I'm hoping you can offer me some advice. I am currently in the Masters program at Midwestern in IL. My first choice school is CCOM, but I am still waiting on an interview. I was given an interview for AZCOM in April. However, I am not as familiar with the AZ campus and the program as I am with CCOM. The trip will cost me about $650+. I am wondering if any current students have any advice for me if I should make the trip or not. Does anyone know if they are currently only interviewing for alternate list spots? Do you like going to AZCOM? How are the rotation sites? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

Best advice is to call Admissions to see if they're interviewing for WL spots only at this point. I doubt they're only interviewing for the WL at this point, but I suppose you never know.

I like going to AZCOM, though I'll like it a lot more when I'm done with classrooms and boards in a few months. As for rotation sites...I can only hope they're decent. I've not heard of any major complaints and most third and fourth years we hear from seem happy overall, but they could just be the school's "Stepford Wives."

If you call the school and they say the class isn't full, I'd go for it (if you are willing to fly on a whim, more interviews later this month will likely open up as people cancel interviews). If they say you'll be interviewing for the WL, I guess you have to figure out if you'd rather have a WL spot and potentially get in this cycle or put it off another year.
 
Hey guys I don't want to sound like a recruiter or anything but if anyone has any questions about Navy medicine or the Navy in general then I would be glad to answer any questions you may have and could refer you to an awesome recruiter if you have more questions. It's an awesome way to boost yourself financially throughout medical school and residency but it's also a huge commitment. I am doing the Navy HSCP program and I have 5 years of active duty behind me so feel free to PM me if you have any questions!
 
interview invite today :) kind of late in the game....but i'll still try and be hopeful! :xf:
 
I like going to AZCOM, though I'll like it a lot more when I'm done with classrooms and boards in a few months. As for rotation sites...I can only hope they're decent. I've not heard of any major complaints and most third and fourth years we hear from seem happy overall, but they could just be the school's "Stepford Wives."

I can kind of vouch for rotations a bit about how 'good' they are, but the thing is, being in the Tucson region, my experience will be a tiny microcosm of the entire ordeal.

I find the preceptor system doesn't work too well beyond family med and PC internal med. For the rest, try to secure ward locations like Banner, Maricopa or UMC. Even Sierra Vista and Cottonwood wouldn't be too bad, but understand that some rotations can be pretty crappy. Psych, for example, is not that well done and gives students a very poor insight to the field. For example, my two friends went to a random outpatient office far from the cities and literally shadowed the whole time. On the other hand, I'm heading to Maricopa's lockdown ward in May for Psych, so again, it's another example of taking control of your 3rd year as this rotation is not default and must be sought out.

I can say we have the opportunities to do great things and do them frequently, but if you just allow AZCOM to throw you wherever they please, I can assure you will miss out on a lot or worse, have a poor experience. They will let you take the reigns so to speak but you will also have to wade through the paperwork, emails and generalized riff raff to get what you want.

On that note, things change every year so what I am saying could be radically different when you step up to plate.
 
Congrats! What dates do you see as available?

May 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 14 (woof....so late!). But my plan is to check the portal about every minute i'm awake for the next 2 months hahaha. I'm scheduled for the 7th :oops:
 
Just remember that everything at AZCOM is first come first serve. Even if you are accepted, you will have the last pick at rotations and on-campus housing (if you decide to stay on campus).
 
Just remember that everything at AZCOM is first come first serve. Even if you are accepted, you will have the last pick at rotations and on-campus housing (if you decide to stay on campus).

Can you clarify this for me? They have assigned 3rd and 4th year rotations already?
 
Students pick their rotation sites immediately after their acceptance. At this point, all of the desirable sites have probably been filled.
 
Bumped the interview up to April 2nd from May 7th today :) looks like there is a good amount of turnover!
 
Students pick their rotation sites immediately after their acceptance. At this point, all of the desirable sites have probably been filled.

Is there any way for those of us not accepted yet to find out what is left?
 
Unfortunately, there is no official way of finding out. You can try to poll the current students and get a general idea of who is going where.
 
You can contact the admissions office and try to talk to the person in charge of rotation sites. But honestly, I'd worry more about getting in before worrying about rotation site preferences.
 
I'm sorry :( It seriously popped up on like my 30th try today hahaha. When are you interviewing?

I'm interviewing in April too, so its not a big deal...but the 2nd would have worked better for my travel and work schedules :)

I'll keep trying :) Hopefully, we'll be classmates soon.
 
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You can contact the admissions office and try to talk to the person in charge of rotation sites. But honestly, I'd worry more about getting in before worrying about rotation site preferences.

Valid point.

My thought process was more that if the rotation sites are "undesirable" as listed above, the question becomes if there is value in waiting a year for better rotations, since rotations have an impact on where you get residency. Of course, I need a better understanding of "undesirable" first.
 
Valid point.

My thought process was more that if the rotation sites are "undesirable" as listed above, the question becomes if there is value in waiting a year for better rotations, since rotations have an impact on where you get residency. Of course, I need a better understanding of "undesirable" first.
I agree. Here's the list for you: LA, West Valley, East Valley, Tucson, and Chicago. I'm sure Phoenix rotations will be solid due to connections. Not sure about Chicago since it is new and there's only 1 hospital associated with it. I wonder what happens if all 3 of your top preferences are full; do they assign you to any remaining spots? Man, I wouldn't want that :laugh:
 
I agree. Here's the list for you: LA, West Valley, East Valley, Tucson, and Chicago. I'm sure Phoenix rotations will be solid due to connections. Not sure about Chicago since it is new and there's only 1 hospital associated with it. I wonder what happens if all 3 of your top preferences are full; do they assign you to any remaining spots? Man, I wouldn't want that :laugh:

Thank you!

I guess I'll learn more at interview day...maybe I'll get lucky and some spots at the best places will open as people withdraw from MD programs and the effect trickles down.
 
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Does anyone know which hospital the Chicago rotation is at? I have an interview at AZCOM in April and I live in Chicago right now and I would definitely want to move back here.
 
There is an interview open on Thursday April 12 if anyone wants it.
 
Thank you!

I guess I'll learn more at interview day...maybe I'll get lucky and some spots at the best places will open as people withdraw from MD programs and the effect trickles down.

People will trade over the 2 years you have leading up to it also. Don't worry about that too much. All of my friends have the locations that they want and have traded around if they weren't originally assigned.
 
Does anyone know when the last interviews are, and when adcom starts pulling off the alternate list?
 
Hello All! I am first on the wait-list for the LA rotations, so please if your thinking of switching or dropping please let me know. I would be very much indebted to you!
 
Hello All! I am first on the wait-list for the LA rotations, so please if your thinking of switching or dropping please let me know. I would be very much indebted to you!

If you are first on the wait-list there is a chance you wind up with it anyway. They will re-adjust the rotation sites when school starts and the class is finalized. It is entirely possible that some people in front of you waiting for LA will drop or wind up at another school despite having put down their deposit.

Does anyone know when the last interviews are, and when adcom starts pulling off the alternate list?

May is probably when the last interviews will be. They pull off the waitlist literally until the first day of orientation. Orientation is a mandatory event and I know of two people in my class that were called the first day because people who were expected were no shows. I also know a couple people that were at orientation when they got the call to their #1 school and left (resulting in more people being called off the waitlist).
 
Clarification question: When I interviewed they made it sound like all but $100 of the deposit was refundable if you decide not to go to AZCOM. Now I am looking at the form for submitting the deposit and it says you "may request a $100 dollar refund". Does anyone know which one is right?
 
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