2009-2010 University of Arizona Application Thread

[lrkoehle]

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But looks like some of you guys are edging up on my SDN infamy. Lrk is approaching 1,500 posts. If his name was as un-annonymous as mine, he'd be taking a bow down in Tucson this coming August.

Haha, if you knew my full name, you'd know how "un-anonymous" my SDN name is. As for SDN infamy, I've never been called out in person, but I did get a surprisingly large number of condolences on the Mayo thread following my recent rejection...it was awesome, and I felt like a celebrity 😎

Using part of your real name as your SDN handle and/or creating an MDapps profile that is nearly identical to your med school application makes it pretty easy for someone to identify you. If you keep a low profile, you don't have much to worry about.

Or you can just not post stupid or controversial things that could come back to bite you in the butt, especially pre-acceptance, and then you don't have anything to worry about either. I do agree though, if you're going to come on here bad mouthing admissions or saying controversial things (that you're being serious about), then you could very well end up screwing yourself over. If you're just posting about how much you love the school and want to get in, I don't think they will care.

 

[mathlink]

I've also noticed amongst Phoenix's Twitter followers that a number of people have the same screen name there as they do here. Mine is almost the same, and it also gives out my whole name (which may or may not be that way for every Twitter user, I don't use the site that much so I don't know). I also have a picture of me shamelessly flexing my muscles as my profile pic there. So they definitely know who I am if they have ever given any effort to try to figure that out. I really hope I haven't said anything too stupid or incriminating.

 

[ehandber]

None of us are bad people! We'll all be fine.

Now back to our online wagering on WL release... 😎

I'm gonna say we get a WL from Tucson 3 days before we get one from Phoenix, and I'm also going to guess that Phoenix will decide to tell us our rank as well.

BONUS Round-
I say out of the SDNers who make the waitlist, 100% of them are going to get into school from it!

 

[aztri]

I don't think Phoenix hasn't given out rank on the waitlist in past year's. I heard the waitlist goes up to 100 for both campuses though. I agree with ehandber that Tucson will most likely release theirs first. Do we know if they will be filling the recently opened seats on that same day to the top however many of the waitlist?

 

[Brrooother]

Using part of your real name as your SDN handle and/or creating an MDapps profile that is nearly identical to your med school application makes it pretty easy for someone to identify you. If you keep a low profile, you don't have much to worry about.

Absolutely true, although I took a different approach. Pretty much anyone and their mother could identify me from SDN/MDApps, so I just figured that, as long as everything reflected positively on my character and person, it could only make them feel indifferent toward me at the very worst. Just have fun and be true to yourself but be respectful and considerate of everyone else! If anything, I would think they would be more impressed that you utilize but don't abuse resources like SDN.

 

[MadeInReydn]

It would be SWEET if PHX would give us our rank as well! If they're anything like Tucson, they take what would be equivalent to 50% of their class size off the WL (past two years at Tucson= 65 and 55 taken off the list). Any speculation on that? I suppose it could be more or less at Phoenix (in %) than Tucson depending on which campus most people prefer. If each fills about 50% from the WL, that would leave around 75 invites still to be sent - I hope it's at least that!

 

[SunDevilDoc]

It would be SWEET if PHX would give us our rank as well! If they're anything like Tucson, they take what would be equivalent to 50% of their class size off the WL (past two years at Tucson= 65 and 55 taken off the list). Any speculation on that? I suppose it could be more or less at Phoenix (in %) than Tucson depending on which campus most people prefer. If each fills about 50% from the WL, that would leave around 75 invites still to be sent - I hope it's at least that!

You make a convincing argument to stay positive, I never really looked at it that way. They should rank them though, to give us some closure

 

[lrkoehle]

You make a convincing argument to stay positive, I never really looked at it that way. They should rank them though, to give us some closure

From an applicant's perspective a ranked waitlist is certainly more convenient, but unranked is better for the school, especially a smaller one like Phoenix. Med schools like to bring in a diverse group of students (no I don't necessarily mean racially diverse, let's not go down that road again ), so being unranked gives them the freedom to modify who they want to accept based on who withdraws. This way their incoming class can be composed of a good balance of service oriented people, research minded people, etc.

 

[ehandber]

LRK makes a good point. But, he's forgetting that this entire process was clearly designed to be as easy as possible for us students. Am I the only one who has been thinking "This is the most carefree, easy experience this could have been" this whole time? 😎

But, I'm gonna bet PHX takes about 10 from the waitlist, which, for a class of 48 isn't bad. And I say Tucson will end up taking about 35 people this year, because I think more people are feeling the need to stay "at home" if they can. But, 45 accepts is the equivalent of like 2 release dates. So, I'm keepin' my chin up.

And, if anyone is curious, a good way to pass the time (I've figured out) is that I finally decided to shape-up, fitness wise. Eating better, going to the gym, thinking about trying to get my body ready for the trials ahead- all that has taken my mind off school. And, I get the added benefit of sculpting this glorious body. 🙂laugh🙂

 

[ehandber]

I just noticed that the thing I made at the end looks like a guy with his hands over his head.

-------🙂laugh🙂-------
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--------/ \--------

 

[shepardsun]

And, if anyone is curious, a good way to pass the time (I've figured out) is that I finally decided to shape-up, fitness wise. Eating better, going to the gym, thinking about trying to get my body ready for the trials ahead- all that has taken my mind off school. And, I get the added benefit of sculpting this glorious body. 🙂laugh🙂

I've actually done this pretty hardcore over this last year of undergraduate and I'm in better shape and feel great then just about I ever have, so it's definitely something I want to make time for in med school. We'll need to be workout buddies when you choose Phoenix over (coughsmellycough) Tucson, ehandber. I want to get an apartment that's like situated at the midpoint between the COM and the Y!

 

[ehandber]

Yea, it'd be awesome if I got into Phoenix! We could workout at the Y and then go to the senate and demand the outlawing of such a long wait!

If I was in that situation though, I think I would keep my apartment here in Tempe, across the street from 4peaks.

 

[mathlink]

One of the things that has been motivating me during my cardio workouts has been the desire to get in shape for intramural flag football. I've put in 5 days at LA Fitness each of the last few weeks so I'm feeling pretty good right now. I've also been taking batting practice lately so I'm already set to dominate in softball.

I had a dream last night where I was told by the Tucson campus that my file wasn't complete because my interviewer hadn't sent an interview report to them yet. So I had to go down there to get it straightened out, but when I got there I realized I was in my pajamas. Ann made fun of me for it.

 

[shepardsun]

If I was in that situation though, I think I would keep my apartment here in Tempe, across the street from 4peaks.

Seriously? I live in the Quads on University (a couple hundred yards from four peaks) and I think the commute to campus every day would totally not be fun. At all. Plus I hate Tempe, so there's pretty much no way I would stay here.

 

[ehandber]

Ha! We're basically neighbors. I live at Foxfire, across from Creamery park. We have the same Orbit.

To be honest, the commute would suck. But my roommate is my best friend and he's by FAR the best roommate I've ever had (had 20+). And, the apartment kicks ass. So, it would suck to leave.

ATTN (ADCOMS): BUT I WOULD GLADLY LEAVE IT TO MOVE TO TUCSON FOR MED SCHOOL!

😀

 

[shepardsun]

Ha! We're basically neighbors. I live at Foxfire, across from Creamery park. We have the same Orbit.

To be honest, the commute would suck. But my roommate is my best friend and he's by FAR the best roommate I've ever had (had 20+). And, the apartment kicks ass. So, it would suck to leave.

ATTN (ADCOMS): BUT I WOULD GLADLY LEAVE IT TO MOVE TO TUCSON FOR MED SCHOOL!

😀

I had a buddy who lived in Foxfire. Location was great, considering that Four Peaks literally is across the street. Mmmmmm Four Peaks. I propose that we should have an SDN meet up at Four Peaks. And also, 20+ roommates? That's a lot. A whole lot. Are you an older or younger student? I don't think I ever knew one way or the other. But I appreciate the value of having a great roommate. My first and only roommate started out great but over the last two years or so we've diverged so completely as human beings that we have absolutely nothing in common now and I think we are both counting down the days until summer quietly in our rooms instead of trying to tear each other to pieces.

 

[MadeInReydn]

But, I'm gonna bet PHX takes about 10 from the waitlist, which, for a class of 48 isn't bad. And I say Tucson will end up taking about 35 people this year, because I think more people are feeling the need to stay "at home" if they can. But, 45 accepts is the equivalent of like 2 release dates.

I was hoping Tucson would take more like 50 off this year. I agree that the economy, etc., may influence more in-state students to stay close, but hopefully many OOSers are thinking the same thing.

What's everyone's guesstimates for numbers coming off each campus' WL? My guess (and hope) is that it's not that much less than previous years: 45-50 from Tucson and 15-20 from Phoenix, possibly maxing out at 75 total for both combined.

What does everyone else think?

 

[lrkoehle]

But, I'm gonna bet PHX takes about 10 from the waitlist, which, for a class of 48 isn't bad. And I say Tucson will end up taking about 35 people this year, because I think more people are feeling the need to stay "at home" if they can. But, 45 accepts is the equivalent of like 2 release dates. So, I'm keepin' my chin up.

I think there will be more people taken from the waitlist. Even a school like Mayo (similar class size to PHX) takes more than 10 people off of the waitlist, but I don't think it will be more than 20ish people, especially since they've been immediately backfilling every time some one withdraws. As for feeling the need to stay home (if related to the economy), then why would this year be any different than last year when the economy was also crappy? Add to that the fact that UA is now accepting OOS, and I think we'll see even more movement this year than last year. Even if it is only the same movement as last year, they still hit 55 for Tucson alone, so I think 45 total between the campuses is too low.

I've actually done this pretty hardcore over this last year of undergraduate and I'm in better shape and feel great then just about I ever have, so it's definitely something I want to make time for in med school. We'll need to be workout buddies when you choose Phoenix over (coughsmellycough) Tucson, ehandber. I want to get an apartment that's like situated at the midpoint between the COM and the Y!

Screw that, come to Tucson. I workout too. You could be my spotter...er, I mean workout partner. Do it! Well, when you get accepted, then do it!

But my roommate is my best friend and he's by FAR the best roommate I've ever had (had 20+).

😱

I was hoping Tucson would take more like 50 off this year. I agree that the economy, etc., may influence more in-state students to stay close, but hopefully many OOSers are thinking the same thing.

What's everyone's guesstimates for numbers coming off each campus' WL? My guess (and hope) is that it's not that much less than previous years: 45-50 from Tucson and 15-20 from Phoenix, possibly maxing out at 75 total for both combined.

What does everyone else think?

I think 75 is about what we should expect to see total, but I don't think the max would be much higher either (~85 max). As for the economy, I don't know how much the average incoming medical student has thought about that, and I think even those that have are like me and figure the economy should be recovered by the time we finish residency anyways. My bigger concern is what those jokers in Washington end up doing with healthcare reform. These things aside, I predict OOSers to be less likely to come here, and thus those that are taken off of the waitlist will likely withdraw.

 

[BearDownAZ]

My bigger concern is what those jokers in Washington end up doing with healthcare reform.

My guess is that some sort of healthcare bill will pass.

 

[mathlink]

I would be mildly shocked if the waitlist was anything less than last year. Like Irk, I don't think the economy will make a difference in people's decisions any more than it did last year. I also think a good number of the OOS acceptees will leave their seats in AZ as they get in to their state schools. I actually expect them to go high 50s and quite possibly into the 60s again in Tucson with a similar percentage coming of the WL in Phoenix.

 

[jizzle]

I also believe that there will be significant wait list movement this year, considering OOS applicants and the number of applicants in general.

In terms of healthcare policy, here's an interesting article regarding decreased reimbursements from Medicare:
http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/04/news/economy/medicare_doctor_costs/?hpt=P1

I am expecting to take out about $170,000 in loans to pay for my education. This number is significantly lower than many other medical students because I do not have any undergraduate debt and I will be staying in-state for medical school. Regardless, of that $170k, only $34k is interest free until after graduation. The remaining loans will accrue interest at a fixed rate of ~8%. Additionally, once I graduate medical school, I am looking at 3+ years of residency where I can expect to work 80+ hours/week for roughly $30k a year. I do not expect to pay off any loans during my residency and my entire loan amount will be accruing interest during this time. If our government and the general public believe doctors make too much money, punishing primary care physicians with Medicare cuts like this is the wrong move. When a medical student is looking at student loans of this magnitude, we expect to make enough money to pay back our loans; this is why so many medical students are choosing to specialize. In reality, PCP's will play an integral role in reducing our nation's overall healthcare costs by practicing preventative medicine and reducing the number of emergency procedures. Other countries subsidize their doctors' educations - I believe our government should too. If we are willing to giving billions to banks and other financial companies, and watch as their top executives walk away with millions in bonuses, why not invest in our doctors? Make it financially appealing for bright students to pursue medicine and not, say, investment banking. I'm not in it for the money, and I believe that doctors should never enter a career in healthcare for the money, but I would be a liar if I said the money will not influence what doctor I choose to become. I don't have the answers to fixing our broken system, but I know that these cuts are not going to be part of the solution.

Thoughts?

 

[ehandber]

I appreciate all that optimism about the waitlist. Now I just hope that I make the waitlist cut so I even have a shot at those spots.

And, I'll explain the 20+ thing. I have lived in an apartment since before my senior year (03-04) of high school in (I'm 23 now). Since then I have had... 12 different apartments. Obviously not each one lasted the full term of the lease (assuming I had a lease and didn't just pay a buddy for the use of a spare room for a few months). The least roommates I ever had was 2, and the most every was 6 other dudes living in the same apartment. Some family, some friends.

There were some seriously good times, and some seriously bad times. But, the apartment I have now is really quite nice and my roommate is the only one that I have ever been able to live with for this long (almost 2 years) and we've never had a single issue. Thus, tough for me to leave that situation to avoid a 30 minute drive.


OK. COOOOOOOOOME ONNNNNN WAIIIITLISSSSTTT ACCEEPPTANCE! 🙄

 

[happyglucky]

Just got a waitlist email from Phoenix

 

[ehandber]

Oh wow! Congrats on the WL email. Didn't see that coming!

Well, I suppose that is bad news for the rest of us then...

 

[happyglucky]

Don't lose hope! Maybe they'll send them out in more than one batch.

 

[ehandber]

Yea, maybe. And, nobody has said that they have gotten a Tucson one yet.

 

[BearDownAZ]

Someone should call and ask when Tucson is releasing their waitlist

 

[ehandber]

Ha! Spoke too soon! I just got the waitlist email from Phoenix as well! Well, that's good news. I'm glad that I at least made the list! There's still some hope! 😀

 

[happyglucky]

Congrats!

 

[mathlink]

Ehandber and Happyglucky,

What time were your respective emails sent? Congratulations.

I guess if I don't get mine from Phoenix in the next couple of minutes I am 0-3.

 

[happyglucky]

5:36 pm... good luck!

 

[ehandber]

Mine was at 5:53pm, and good luck! Its nice to know I am not officially rejected yet! I know you'll get the same relief soon!

 

[Ilovewater]

Ouch. Didn't get one. Maybe I got rejected. =[

 

[ehandber]

If you get me that spot you can write me in as a dependent!

Today and yesterday have brought some circumstances that make knowing whether I get rejected or not EVEN MORE important. And I know, I just know, that what is going to happen is that I will get rejected from tucson and waitlisted at Phoenix. That way I will have a "chance," but a small one - and they won't tell us our position on the waitlist!

Oh well. Bring it on medschool! 😎

So, I reallllly hope I don't get rejected from Tucson to fulfill the waitlist/no rank prophecy.

 

[jturkel]

congrats to everyone who made the waitlist! there is still hope!

 

[notsopatient]

Do they send out rejections at the same time? I just want to know for sure already!

 

[ehandber]

No idea. It seems like they would, but I don't know. Just out of curiosity, Happyglucky, does your last name begin with A-G?

 

[mathlink]

Do they send out rejections at the same time? I just want to know for sure already!

They always have before. My guess is it's coming tomorrow morning.

 

[mathlink]

So, I reallllly hope I don't get rejected from Tucson to fulfill the waitlist/no rank prophecy.

I hope all of those prophecies we've made about ourselves in the last couple of days come true. If so I'll still likely be going to med school in Tucson this fall.

 

[BearDownAZ]

I hope all of those prophecies we've made about ourselves in the last couple of days come true. If so I'll still likely be going to med school in Tucson this fall.

Mathlink, I want you to go to med school more than I want to go.

I'm positive you have a greater desire to go to medical school than many other people here, and that motivates me to stick out this long long process.

 

[NasaPhx]

Does anyone know if the Tucson waitlist is out?

 

[shepardsun]

Mathlink, I want you to go to med school more than I want to go.

Dude, if UACOM guaranteed my spot would go to him I would totally give it to him, spend a year meeting supermodels on the French Riviera and apply again next cycle. I might have a problem explaining to an adcoms when they ask why I took a year off to meet supermodels on the French Riviera, but I would just tell them "for mathlink, my friends. For mathlink." And they would knowingly nod, look serious, and then shake my hand. "Well done," they would say. "You made the right choice."

 

[MadeInReydn]

Just got home from doing some roofing and saw I got on Phoenix's WL! 😀 Congrats to the others who did, and I hope everyone on SDN gets some good news tomorrow or by next Friday! Let us know when you get on Tucson's WL.

 

[ehandber]

Yea, I agree with the post above actually. Mathlink, you've been motivating me too man! I really want you to get in. I will honestly say that I logged on here on release days many times with the specific hope of some good news for you.

Best of luck dude, I know its coming for you this year.

 

[mathlink]

Thanks guys. It really helps to know that I have a lot of people pulling for me.

 

[Phosphorus Ylide]

Have they filled the PHX class already? And do they take post-interview updates?

 

[chagramama]

I am on the phoenix waitlist too! I hope I get good news later!

Dude, if UACOM guaranteed my spot would go to him I would totally give it to him, spend a year meeting supermodels on the French Riviera and apply again next cycle. I might have a problem explaining to an adcoms when they ask why I took a year off to meet supermodels on the French Riviera, but I would just tell them "for mathlink, my friends. For mathlink." And they would knowingly nod, look serious, and then shake my hand. "Well done," they would say. "You made the right choice."

If I had an acceptance, I would give my spot to mathlink too. I don't know about the meeting supermodels part, haha. I think everyone on this thread really wants him to get in. Give us some good news soon, mathlink!

 

[aztri]

Did Phoenix tell you your rank on the WL?

 

[Ilovewater]

Has Phoenix sent out all the WL emails?

 

[MadeInReydn]

Just FYI, my last name starts with R, and I received my WL email at 5:45. I use a gmail account, if that means anything. Maybe they're sending out the WL emails in rounds??? I hope so for mathlink's sake, and everyone else waiting.