***AZCOM Class of 2011***

Swiffles said:

Has anyone heard the pros and cons of living on-campus vs. off-campus from AZCOM students in classes ahead of 2011? I am trying to keep my costs low, however, I want to be in a position which I can meet the most people, too. That is actually more important to me in the long run. If you have ideas, please let me know. Thanks!

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I lived off campus my first year but I wouldn't necessarily argue against living on campus. There are advantages. It's a lot easier getting to know your classmates if you live on campus. And that can be advantageous around test time when your classmate lives next door versus having to drive and meet them in the library or somewhere else on campus. It's easier to study in groups and share notes and other resources if you live on campus. The rooms are nicer than college dorms so don't get the idea that they are these 50 year old musty cramped dorm rooms. They are fairly new. I know that on-campus housing filled up quite fast so you do need to figure out your living situation fairly quickly. But don't worry, you will have lots of options. You will see that in July, several of your classmates will purchase homes and look for roommates and that's probably the best way to save money and have some sense of class camrederie.

Of course, the disadvantages are also true. It's going to be louder. And there will be more a college-dorm type of feel so for some students, that's an advantage or disadvantage. The rooms are fairly expensive for what you are getting especially considering that you could live off-campus and have nicer amenities and not pay that much more [unless you are talking about San Prado ]

I know many second year students will choose to live off campus, but by then they would have already formed close friends and be familiar with the school etc. I'm not advocating one versus the other but I certainly don't think it's a bad idea to live on-campus your first year. I also knows lots of second years that still remain on campus.

cdreed said:

Hi Namaste.

I'm a MSIV at AZCOM. I did work throughout the first half of first year 3 days a week. It was doable, but it did affect my grades. Once I realized that I could make do without the extra income, I quit. My class performance improved, as well.

I do have friends that managed to tutor throughout years 1 and 2. They kind of viewed it as board review with the added benefit of approx $10-20/hour. I would suggest that you try school by itself for a few weeks before commiting to working. Once you get into a groove, you'll be better equipped to decide if working is the right thing for you to do.

Whatever you decide, good luck, congratulations, and happy new year. Have some fun and relax before school begins.

Cyndi

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Anything Cyndi Reed says on SDN is essentially gold. I'm glad she is still around and giving advice. I don't mean to kiss up but it's true. And her tutoring advice is on spot. And what's great about that is the school is always looking for tutors. They don't have enough. They send e-mails all the time requesting tutors. Remember we have undergraduate and various other programs that need tutors so even if you have yet to take biochem at AZCOM, for example, but you were a biochem major in college you could still tutor the undergrads and others on campus that desire your expertise.

jw523 said:

I called the housing office last month to ask them about the application for student housing and they told me that they would be sending out the application in mid-Feb. Maybe wait another week or try calling the housing office?

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I think the housing application has been availible on-line for quite some time as part of the interact now function on the Midwestern website, unless I'm mistaken.

Ok, so I am glad to hear that campus living is what I would expect. My question now is: Would anyone be interested in splitting a two-bedroom, on-campus apartment to cut down on living expenses? This would be my first choice if anyone is interested. I am a 24 y/o female without husband or family. I can live with virtually anyone. I have no stipulations for roomates except that they have no children. Anyone interested please let me know. You can email me at [email protected].

Hey Everyone. I just wanted to say hello.
When is everybody moving to Arizona? For those who are not from Arizona, are you guys planning a separate trip ahead of time to look at places or what?
I'm so happy to see a couple of people from Texas already. I'm from the Houston area.

How long did it take to get a decision after interviews? can you call in after a week or so to get the decision earlier?

CADO said:

I think the housing application has been availible on-line for quite some time as part of the interact now function on the Midwestern website, unless I'm mistaken.

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The housing application has been online for awhile however when I called the housing office, I was under the impression that it was not the most updated version.

jw523 said:

The housing application has been online for awhile however when I called the housing office, I was under the impression that it was not the most updated version.

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This is true. The housing department said to wait until the paper application is out. He said it would be more effective to use the paper one. This might be b/c you have to send in an application fee with the application.

double posting.....oops.........

Hey guys, I will hopefully be joining you in august. I still haven't made up my mind btwn. arizona and pcom (95% sure arizona) Quick question...Do you have to put down your 2nd deposit to get the housing application info at azcom??? Or do they send that to everyone who has put down the first deposit?

Hi all. I was accepted earlier this month, but have yet to receive my admissions packet.

Does anyone know when classes/orientations start?

DocBR said:

Hi all. I was accepted earlier this month, but have yet to receive my admissions packet.

Does anyone know when classes/orientations start?

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Congrats on your acceptance!!!!! Will you be attending AZCOM or are you still shopping around? I'll be attending AZCOM this August. Orientation starts August 22-24 and the first day school is August 27. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

PAfuturdoc said:

Hey guys, I will hopefully be joining you in august. I still haven't made up my mind btwn. arizona and pcom (95% sure arizona) Quick question...Do you have to put down your 2nd deposit to get the housing application info at azcom??? Or do they send that to everyone who has put down the first deposit?

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Well there is an application for on-campus housing online through Interactive Now. However, I read in this thread that they're suppose to mail us an actual packet for housing as well. I don't think you need to pay the second deposit because the actual housing application will cost $200 already. And it's non-refundable too.

Does anyone know if we get new laptops when we start at AZCOM? Considering the huge cost of tuition, it would be nice if AZCOM gave us a new laptop.

whatdapho said:

Does anyone know if we get new laptops when we start at AZCOM? Considering the huge cost of tuition, it would be nice if AZCOM gave us a new laptop.

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I heard that we get free a laptop and an Ipod.

Just found out today (over the phone) that I was accepted and wanted to let you all know that I am planning on attending AZCOM for the upcoming Fall. I was between AZCOM and KCUMB, but decided recently (yesterday!) that I am going with AZCOM. Mostly because of their proven board score pass rates, and the research and clinical opportunities in the first several years. Anyways, great to see you all chatting it up and looking foward to meeting you all later .

Wolvering said:

Just found out today (over the phone) that I was accepted and wanted to let you all know that I am planning on attending AZCOM for the upcoming Fall. I was between AZCOM and KCUMB, but decided recently (yesterday!) that I am going with AZCOM. Mostly because of their proven board score pass rates, and the research and clinical opportunities in the first several years. Anyways, great to see you all chatting it up and looking foward to meeting you all later .

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Congrats buddy!!!! Look forward to seeing you and everyone from AZCOM class of 2011.

whatdapho said:

Congrats on your acceptance!!!!! Will you be attending AZCOM or are you still shopping around? I'll be attending AZCOM this August. Orientation starts August 22-24 and the first day school is August 27. Good luck with whatever decision you make.

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95% sure I will be attending AZCOM. I am really excited about starting in August!!!

Congrats to everyone else who was accepted and good luck to those still waiting to hear

How long after interviewing did you all receive your admissions packet? (I learned I was accepted from interactive and by calling)?

Doc2007 said:

I heard that we get free a laptop and an Ipod.

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I haven't heard this. I hope it's true but I really doubt it. Anybody else have any info? I'm planning on buying a new laptop in the upcoming months and if this is true I could buy a desktop instead.

DocFox said:

I haven't heard this. I hope it's true but I really doubt it. Anybody else have any info? I'm planning on buying a new laptop in the upcoming months and if this is true I could buy a desktop instead.

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I was just joking.

Doc2007 said:

I was just joking.

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OK, that wasn't funny to get my hopes up.

medschoolsoon said:

Everyone seems laid back and helpful (from my limited experience) so hopefully we can all get together sometime in ealry/mid August.

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I know this is an old quote but I just read it. I'm probably going to throw a party or something for new and continuing AZCOM students, just so everyone can get to know each other out of a school setting. Can't wait to meet all of you guys. I'll let everyone know when August comes around.

When is everyone planning on moving to school? / Is anyone moving from PA?? Can't wait to meet everyone!

Not quite PA but I'm moving from NJ which is really close. I'm proabably going out at the end of May which is probably early compared to most people but I want time to get settled in and my boyfriend is moving with me so it's not totally up to me. I was out there this past weekend looking at apartments so if anyone has a larger dog and would like to know some nice pet friendly apartments let me know.

I am from Arizona Originally. My move will consist of a 20 minute drive

We should all get together before orientation for pizza or the party that was mentioned.

If anyone needs info about the area beforehand let me know, I know how hard it is to move somewhere brand new.

DocBR said:

I am from Arizona Originally. My move will consist of a 20 minute drive

We should all get together before orientation for pizza or the party that was mentioned.

If anyone needs info about the area beforehand let me know, I know how hard it is to move somewhere brand new.

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This is a must!!!!!! On a side note...My girlfriend and I are "foodies" and want to know all the great places to eat around glendale and phoenix. Any suggestions???

whatdapho said:

This is a must!!!!!! On a side note...My girlfriend and I are "foodies" and want to know all the great places to eat around glendale and phoenix. Any suggestions???

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My girlfriend and I are "foodies" too. When you move out here, maybe we can all get together and go out for dinner.

DocBR said:

I am from Arizona Originally. My move will consist of a 20 minute drive

We should all get together before orientation for pizza or the party that was mentioned.

If anyone needs info about the area beforehand let me know, I know how hard it is to move somewhere brand new.

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DocBR - I would really appreciate some info. on where good apartments might be located near school. I would like to be close to school, but being right beside it is not the most important thing to me. I would rather live in a nice/safe apartment complex area/thing. I have heard rumors that the San Prado and San Lagos apartments are trashy. Have you heard anything like that? Thanks a lot!

Reece37 said:

Not quite PA but I'm moving from NJ which is really close. I'm proabably going out at the end of May which is probably early compared to most people but I want time to get settled in and my boyfriend is moving with me so it's not totally up to me. I was out there this past weekend looking at apartments so if anyone has a larger dog and would like to know some nice pet friendly apartments let me know.

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I have a large dog and would love to hear about some apartments!!

Has anyone heard anything lately about the on campus housing? I still haven't gotten any application in the mail or anything. I think I would prefer to live on campus but it would be good to have information about off campus apartments if the on campus thing doesn't happen.

trulypeppy said:

I have a large dog and would love to hear about some apartments!!

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Just so you know the most important things to me when I was looking were having a washer/dryer in the apartment and a place where my dog would be happy. My favorite two places that were also close so I could come home at lunch since my puppy is only 9 weeks now were Isle at Arrowhead Ranch and Camden Towne Center. Camden even has a dog park! Sagestone does take larger dogs but I was incredibly disappointed with them. The staff is very incompetent and doesn't even return calls for potential tenants so I can't see them being any better when you live there. The apartments are also overpriced for what you would be getting. Isle is on 67th and Camden is on 79th so they are both like 5-10 minutes away. If you have questions about anything specific let me know.

DocBR said:

My girlfriend and I are "foodies" too. When you move out here, maybe we can all get together and go out for dinner.

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My boyfriend and I are moving out at the end of May, it'd be great to go to dinner and find out some more about the area. We're coming from New Jersey and basically know nothing about the area. My boyfriend lived in Scottsdale when he was younger but from our visit it has changed alot in the last 12 years!!

jw523 said:

Has anyone heard anything lately about the on campus housing? I still haven't gotten any application in the mail or anything. I think I would prefer to live on campus but it would be good to have information about off campus apartments if the on campus thing doesn't happen.

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I called earlier today. The applications will be going out this week. They have not been sent yet. So, probably by the weekend I suppose.

ewhitmore said:

I called earlier today. The applications will be going out this week. They have not been sent yet. So, probably by the weekend I suppose.

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Sounds good, thanks for the info!

Hey guys,
I'm going to be living in San Lagos. I've actually had a pretty good experience with them so far. They return my e-mails really promptly, and when I visited the place (right after my interview, just for kicks) I was excited about three things: 1) my two cats are welcome; 2) there's a pool and a nice exercise room; 3) it's right across the street so I won't have to drive to school. Oh, and they have arched doorways, LOL

Rent's slightly high ($1050 for a two-bedroom) but not too much more than on-campus housing and since I'll have a built-in roommate it won't be so bad.

Sarikate said:

Hey guys,
I'm going to be living in San Lagos. I've actually had a pretty good experience with them so far. They return my e-mails really promptly, and when I visited the place (right after my interview, just for kicks) I was excited about three things: 1) my two cats are welcome; 2) there's a pool and a nice exercise room; 3) it's right across the street so I won't have to drive to school. Oh, and they have arched doorways, LOL

Rent's slightly high ($1050 for a two-bedroom) but not too much more than on-campus housing and since I'll have a built-in roommate it won't be so bad.

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Hey Sarikate,

My gf and I will be renting from San Lagos too. How does everything look in person? I've only been able to see how it looks from their online brochure. Even from those San Lagos looks very impressive. I found it funny that their exercise room is larger than AZCOM's. We should throw a pool party or something when everyone gets into town. I guess we'll be neighbors. See you around. Oh yeah, when are you moving? We're moving early August.

Whatdapho,
I was pretty impressed with San Lagos. My fiance and I pay nearly the same amount for a 2-bedroom, 700-square-foot POS in a sketchy area of Anchorage (shootings, robberies, etc. - really lovely, HA). So San Lagos, with it's 1,000-square-foot apartments, swimming pool, adequate exercise room, proximity to school, and the rest is kind of paradaisical!

The 2 BR apartments have built-in microwaves, dishwashers, two bathrooms, and balconies; tenants get two covered parking spots, I think. The management seems pretty attentive, anyway, which is a good thing when you're not going to have any time to worry about the busted garbage disposal or whatever

P.S. We're moving in June; will be there towards the end of the month. It's going to take us 2-3 weeks to drive from Alaska. I'm excited about the scenery, but also partially dreading the actual driving part.

check your mail, friends, it looks like we get a "complimentary set of MWU scrubs"... and we don't even need to apply for a credit card.

Is our financial aid application due on 16th March?

Doc2007 said:

Is our financial aid application due on 16th March?

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yes it is. if you log onto the MWU portal you can find a checklist and deadline chart for the various programs.

Sarikate said:

Whatdapho,
I was pretty impressed with San Lagos. My fiance and I pay nearly the same amount for a 2-bedroom, 700-square-foot POS in a sketchy area of Anchorage (shootings, robberies, etc. - really lovely, HA). So San Lagos, with it's 1,000-square-foot apartments, swimming pool, adequate exercise room, proximity to school, and the rest is kind of paradaisical!

The 2 BR apartments have built-in microwaves, dishwashers, two bathrooms, and balconies; tenants get two covered parking spots, I think. The management seems pretty attentive, anyway, which is a good thing when you're not going to have any time to worry about the busted garbage disposal or whatever

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Sarikate,

I dont' know if you know this but San Lagos has a MWU priority waitlist and if you want, you can request a particular floorplan ie. A2, B2 etc. They require 2 months in advance for ending your lease so if you're moving there in June/July you can find out what's available in April/May. You get 1 covered spot for your car but you can request a garage/port for 100/month. I just applied so that I can be put on the waitlist. Good luck with the move and i'll see you in Glendale.

PAfuturdoc said:

DocBR - I would really appreciate some info. on where good apartments might be located near school. I would like to be close to school, but being right beside it is not the most important thing to me. I would rather live in a nice/safe apartment complex area/thing. I have heard rumors that the San Prado and San Lagos apartments are trashy. Have you heard anything like that? Thanks a lot!

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Sorry it took me so long to respond, I just had eye surgery and was not able to read for a few days.

San Prado and San Lagos; I have heard similar things about them. Mostly, people have told me that they know their units are appealing for new students and they hook you in with their location but drop the ball on maintenance and customer service.

I have heard some good things about Sage Stone. Although,one person told me that last year there was a change in management and things have been rocky, but he only lived there for 2 months after the transition. There is another place that I want to look into called Arch Stone.

Before looking to apartments, I will probably try to find a house for rent on the MLS server (my mom is a Realtor).
If anyone would like a copy of the rental home report I can email it to everyone as summer gets closer.


Hope this helps.

Congratulations to everyone getting into AZCOM. I'm a MSIII and I'm really happy with my choice of AZCOM.

If there are any particular questions I can answer...just PM me, then I'll reply the next time I log back in.

i am an ms4 with a 1056 sq ft townhouse 4 miles from campus, 2 bedroom 2.5 bath, new interior painting. near highways 17 and 101 so you will not have much trouble getting to any of your 3rd and 4th yr rotations. great for single person, married couple, or 1 child families. easy and quick commute to campus, could ride bike if you wanted. if willing to purchase without a realtor will write you out a check for $2,000 dollars upon closing (want to save on realtor fees). have not yet determined the price, but if looking for such a home PM me before you come to arizona looking for a home and we can set up a time to come check out the home.
good luck you all.

I just wondering how your clinical experiences have been thus far??
My clinical experiences have been excellent. The clinical experience depends on a number of factors that includes your own personality. I've both preceptor, hospital-based, ward-based (hospital + residency program) rotations. There are pros and cons with each one, and the right type for any given rotation depends on what you need to get out of the rotation. For example, if you want to do a residency in surgery then it's probably a good idea to do a ward-based surgery and get a letter of rec...but if you don't want surgery then think about doing a preceptor-based rotation as you can one-on-one with a surgeon and oftentimes be allowed to do a little bit more and the teaching may be better.

have you had trouble getting into the teaching hospitals in the valley?
In general, no.
Some are a little more difficult to get into because there aren't many spots available for every student in some fields. Pediatrics is the biggest one. It is hard to get a ward-based Peds in Phoenix. This doesn't become a big issue unless you want to go into pediatrics.

Also, did you do any rotations away??
Yes.
Corpus Christi Medical Center (Osteopathic) - Family Medicine in-patient (ward based) and Cardiology (preceptor).
Botsford Hospital (Osteopathic) - pediatrics (hospital-based) and OBGYN (ward-based).
Providence St. Vincents in Portland, OR (allopathic) - IM (ward-based)

i want know what to do that when i get to my 3rd and 4th years - i just dont know how the whole housing situation is dealt with.
I lived on-campus the first two years, then for my third year I moved into a condo with two of my classmates. We split the rent and occasionally I've been able to rent out my room. Most of these away rotations have free housing (I don't think I'd go anywhere unless there was free housing). By the time third year comes around, you'll probably have classmates who would be more than happy to rent out a room to you.

Oh last thing, where would you recommend living near school??
I lived on-campus and I would recommend it. I think it was a little easier to get a group of people to come over and watch a movie / play volleyball / croquet on the lawn when my classmates were just in the building over.

Where do AZCOM students do their clinical rotation? Do they all preceptorship rotation?
Here's my 3rd year schedule

Pysch - Banner Thunderbird Hospital (Hospital-based)
Family Med - (Preceptor-based: out-patient)
IM - Maricopa Medical Center (Ward-based)
Family Med - Corpus Christi MC (Ward-based)
Cardiology - Corpus Christi MC (preceptor-based: mix of in-patient and out-patient)
Surgery - (Preceptor-based: mix of in-patient and out-patient)
IM - Providence St. Vincents (Ward-based)
Pediatrics - Botsford General Hospital (Hospital-based)
OBGYN - BOtsford General Hospital (Ward-based)
ER - West Valley Hospital (preceptor: at the hospital 100%)
Family Med - (Preceptor-based: out-patient)

I could have done more in phoenix had I actually planned it that way...and in hind-sight I think I would have scheduled more rotations in phoenix.

Preceptor-based: you are with a physician. if the physician is in the hospital all the time, so are you...with that physician.

Hospital-based: you are with the department in the hospital, you can either be assigned one physician that you'll be with the entire rotation or it can vary per week or day.

Ward-based: You are with the department in the hospital and that hospital has a residency program. When there is a residency program then there are "teams" that will be generally organized as 1 attending (licensed physician in charge of the team) and 1 resident (in charge of the interns) and 1-2 interns (in charge of the medical students) and 1-2 medical students (who do what they are told).

Pooh-Chong,

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

Hi Pooh Chong,

Thanks for the info! I see you have lived on campus for 2 years. How much do you spend on electricity per month? From what the housing office tells us, living on campus will be saving students a significant amount of money. Also, is it true that students who sign a long term contract get their summer rent reduced?

Thanks again for all your input and have a great day!!