2010-2011 University of Arizona Application Thread

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Nashsty said:
Long time follower, first post EVER 😎. Waitlisted at UA PHX. Does the April 15th deadline mean anything besides some hopeful movement of the waitlist?
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Do you mean May 15th?

The reason for such movement on the waitlists on 15May is because those who have been accepted to multiple schools (holding up slots for waitlisters) are required to drop all acceptances but one. Thus opening many slots at most schools.

15APR is dreaded tax day. Hopefully bitter sweet for a few lucky waitlisters.

Edit: Apr 15 is the deadline for multi acceptances for PHX due to early class date start.
 
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Nevryn said:
Do you mean May 15th?

The reason for such movement on the waitlists on 15May is because those who have been accepted to multiple schools (holding up slots for waitlisters) are required to drop all acceptances but one. Thus opening many slots at most schools.

15APR is dreaded tax day. Hopefully bitter sweet for a few lucky waitlisters.
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Because the Phoenix campus begins classes in July instead of August, they celebrate this decision deadline in the middle of April instead of May!
 
Exactly! Here's to a good tax season and some waitlist movement 👍
 
I called phx today and was informed that there has been no waitlist movement to date. I was told that there may be some movement next week, but that they have not dipped below the 48 seats as of yet.Hopefully, we will start hearing something next week...
 
so i am slowly beginning to believe that I might be in Tucson next year, what do most med students do for housing?
 
medgolfer said:
so i am slowly beginning to believe that I might be in Tucson next year, what do most med students do for housing?
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We're kind of scattered around Tucson, but most of us are within a few miles from campus I'd say. Living arrangements are everything from renting an apartment or house or owning a condo or house. I personally chose to be a few (3-4) miles away from campus to avoid most of the undergrads. The last thing you want is a bunch of noisy undergrads disrupting your studying or sleeping schedule. As far as location, I'd avoid south of the University personally. When we had our apartment, my wife and I were up at River and Campbell, which was a nice area.
 
lrkoehle said:
We're kind of scattered around Tucson, but most of us are within a few miles from campus I'd say. Living arrangements are everything from renting an apartment or house or owning a condo or house. I personally chose to be a few (3-4) miles away from campus to avoid most of the undergrads. The last thing you want is a bunch of noisy undergrads disrupting your studying or sleeping schedule. As far as location, I'd avoid south of the University personally. When we had our apartment, my wife and I were up at River and Campbell, which was a nice area.
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That is a nice area. In GENERAL, the further North, East or West of campus you go, the nicer the neighborhoods will be. That has plenty of exceptions, but it's a start. There are some nice neighborhoods just east and just north of campus (up to a few miles) that are reasonable price and commute. I think going west of I-10 is also pretty good for commute time, and the neighborhoods are decent (I think). If you go to crimereports.com you can get a GENERAL idea about what neighborhoods are like.

If you'll keep the WL numbers coming, I'll update the plot 1-2 times a week till we get a good slope going.
 
I called the UACOM-TUC admin. office... the waitlist is at 12
 
zonaaa said:
I called the UACOM-TUC admin. office... the waitlist is at 12
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Thank you for calling! I am at work all day, every day, so I really appreciate it when people get a chance to call the office.
 
4/6: at WL position #7
4/12: at WL position #12

10) Shewbee's student - accepted 4/7
16) htbruin
under 20?) so2011
22) jdog40
23)Psuedodonkey
32) medhopeful's friend
47) truggin
50) medgolfer
56) psychdo
57) baronvonz
58) moot
65) zonaaa
73) meow3
78) dorthymantooth
79) falafalo

Hopefully htbruin and so2011 let us know when they get their good news!
 
Rustin Reed said:
That is a nice area. In GENERAL, the further North, East or West of campus you go, the nicer the neighborhoods will be. That has plenty of exceptions, but it's a start. There are some nice neighborhoods just east and just north of campus (up to a few miles) that are reasonable price and commute. I think going west of I-10 is also pretty good for commute time, and the neighborhoods are decent (I think). If you go to crimereports.com you can get a GENERAL idea about what neighborhoods are like.

If you'll keep the WL numbers coming, I'll update the plot 1-2 times a week till we get a good slope going.
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The part I bolded, I definitely agree with. If you're from the Phoenix area like me, you'll be unpleasantly surprised by how poorly laid out Tucson is. In Phoenix, there are generally nicer areas and generally crappier areas with some separation in between. After my wife and I spent a few months looking for a place to buy down here, I must say that's not the case here. I can't tell you how often a nice, new, small subdivision was built right next to ghetto, trashy houses (literally trashy, if you look in the backyards it often resembled a junkyard).

As for the commute, I would suggest avoiding getting to far away from campus if at all possible. Tucson missed the memo that most other big cities got about building a freeway system to ease traffic congestion (basically there's just the I-10 on the west side). As such, traveling through the city very far (especially east-west at rush hour) can be a pain in the ass. Fortunately, I think there is enough decent housing relatively close to the university that you shouldn't find yourself stuck with too long of a commute. Worst case, just get to school at 5:30 and don't go home until like 8; you'll avoid traffic that way. (On a somewhat related note, Tucson drivers by and large SUCK and the quality of the roads here is godawful, but that's a rant for another time 🙄).
 
I forget the source, but a few years ago I remember reading an article about which cities had the worst drivers, and Tucson was #2. Now that I live here, I absolutely agree. However, the crazy driving is easily made up for by the limitless supply of carne asada that surrounds Tucson in every direction...
 
lrkoehle said:
The part I bolded, I definitely agree with. If you're from the Phoenix area like me, you'll be unpleasantly surprised by how poorly laid out Tucson is. In Phoenix, there are generally nicer areas and generally crappier areas with some separation in between. After my wife and I spent a few months looking for a place to buy down here, I must say that's not the case here. I can't tell you how often a nice, new, small subdivision was built right next to ghetto, trashy houses (literally trashy, if you look in the backyards it often resembled a junkyard).

As for the commute, I would suggest avoiding getting to far away from campus if at all possible. Tucson missed the memo that most other big cities got about building a freeway system to ease traffic congestion (basically there's just the I-10 on the west side). As such, traveling through the city very far (especially east-west at rush hour) can be a pain in the ass. Fortunately, I think there is enough decent housing relatively close to the university that you shouldn't find yourself stuck with too long of a commute. Worst case, just get to school at 5:30 and don't go home until like 8; you'll avoid traffic that way. (On a somewhat related note, Tucson drivers by and large SUCK and the quality of the roads here is godawful, but that's a rant for another time 🙄).
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god, yes! You might get away from UGs by living far from campus, but you will shave a decade off your life sitting in traffic, and another decade from the stress of the traffic and the comically awful driving that's going on. In fact, you will find your own driving getting worse the more time you spend in the traffic, and will begin knowingly cutting it very close to red lights after you've just sat through 6 ridiculously long light cycles at a single intersection...another decade or more at risk.

In other words, I dont think I could live more than a couple miles off campus, although there is quite a bit of junk within that radius.
 
To True and not made any better by the million and half red light cameras, speed traps, photo enforcements and sneaky police officers... all waiting to give you a tickets….maybe some of those funds make it back to the med school (not)….
 
I just received notice that I had another manuscript accepted for publication (first author).

I know that Tucson won't accept any new information, but since the Phoenix waitlist is unranked, should I try sneaking in an update?
 
PsychDO said:
I just received notice that I had another manuscript accepted for publication (first author).

I know that Tucson won't accept any new information, but since the Phoenix waitlist is unranked, should I try sneaking in an update?
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What could it possibly hurt. Mail it in. What is the worst case? They don't add it to your file and nothing changes?

I say do it.
 
Nevryn said:
What could it possibly hurt. Mail it in. What is the worst case? They don't add it to your file and nothing changes?

I say do it.
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Excellent point! At this stage, I might as well give it a try!
 
Did anyone else totally freak out when they got that "Update email" from phoenix yesterday? I was working at the hospital when I got the notification on my phone...super duper adrenaline rush hit me haha
 
PsychDO said:
I just received notice that I had another manuscript accepted for publication (first author).

I know that Tucson won't accept any new information, but since the Phoenix waitlist is unranked, should I try sneaking in an update?
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I sent something in recently and got a response saying that it won't be accepted, but a letter of interest or intent will. It wasn't an update letter, though, so who knows. You could always call as ask, and if they say no, sneak an update paragraph within an LOI...just a thought
 
Seeing that e-mail definitely caused a little heart-skipping action on my end. At least they are letting us waitlisters know they extended the deadline.

By the way, Phoenix accepted my update. So if anyone else is thinking about sending in some new info, it looks like they are still taking it.
 
Cobblepot said:
I sent something in recently and got a response saying that it won't be accepted, but a letter of interest or intent will. It wasn't an update letter, though, so who knows. You could always call as ask, and if they say no, sneak an update paragraph within an LOI...just a thought
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Is this Tucson or Phoenix you talked to?
 
PsychDO said:
I just received notice that I had another manuscript accepted for publication (first author).

I know that Tucson won't accept any new information, but since the Phoenix waitlist is unranked, should I try sneaking in an update?
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Nicely done! You are rolling deep in publications this season. By the time the arduous waitlist ordeal is over and you have your acceptance in-hand, your textbook will probably be out.

Again, nicely done. None of the three that I've tried to publish this season have found a home yet, so it's good to know that some manuscripts aren't meant to sit indefinitely in an email outbox.

I hope you are doing well, and I am confident that I will see you this fall.
 
neurojunkie said:
Nicely done! You are rolling deep in publications this season. By the time the arduous waitlist ordeal is over and you have your acceptance in-hand, your textbook will probably be out.

Again, nicely done. None of the three that I've tried to publish this season have found a home yet, so it's good to know that some manuscripts aren't meant to sit indefinitely in an email outbox.

I hope you are doing well, and I am confident that I will see you this fall.
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Thanks, man! Only 44 more waitlist spots to go...

As for your manuscripts, you have to stop submitting them only to Nature, that's the key. It just leads to heartache, sadness, rejection and crying alone. Seriously, though, you'll get them published. Don't let the reviewers break you!
 
2011WL_2.jpg


Who would like to take over doing the graphs in a couple of weeks? 😎 It's really simple. If you'll PM me, I'll explain it and arrange to send you the excel and info you'll need. Thanks!
 
Rustin Reed said:
2011WL_2.jpg


Who would like to take over doing the graphs in a couple of weeks? 😎 It's really simple. If you'll PM me, I'll explain it and arrange to send you the excel and info you'll need. Thanks!
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If you'll explain to me how to do it, I can take over for you.
 
Ditto to the shaving years off your life in traffic. Besides I-10, there is one other road that I almost enjoyed driving on compared to the surface streets. Golf Links, down by the base, and Aviation Highway are sort of an expressway (mostly Aviation). I think Aviation only has like two lights. I know from my Uncle's house down there, it's about 10 miles to campus, but only takes 15 minutes on average to get there. Problem is there's not a ton of good housing down there, but someone may want to look into it.

Otherwise, I'd stick with searching within a couple of miles of campus (do avoid Oracle and Stone though, and I'm talking about south of Ft. Lowell/Glenn)
 
For my last two years of undergrad and my first year of med school I have lived in rental houses in various spots around the UA (Tucson). If you are looking to live alone, this is probably not the most economical option for you, but if you have at least one roommate you can really cut down your rent and utilities as well as increase your living space if you go the rental house route. The best locations are North of UA (North of Speedway) and just East of the UACOM (East of Campbell). If you are down in Tucson for a tour of UACOM or if you live here already and have a free hour one afternoon you can drive through the neighborhoods and see many "For Rent" signs. Also, even though it sounds shady, Craigslist ads for rental houses are the way to go. This is the way I found my current rental house that is within walking/biking distance of campus for a reasonable rent. Personally, I like rental houses because it feels more like you have your own space, you usually have a full size kitchen if you like to cook, a backyard if you have pets, your own laundry room and sometimes a garage, plus if you get a nice landlord you can usually keep your rent price low 🙂
 
I'm in!!!! I would have updated this earlier but the internet at work is restricted.

Good luck to all those on the WL still!! :xf:

4/6: at WL position #7
4/12: at WL position #12
4/14: at WL position #16

10) Shewbee's student - accepted 4/7
16) htbruin - accepted 4/14
under 20?) so2011
22) jdog40
23)Psuedodonkey
32) medhopeful's friend
47) truggin
50) medgolfer
56) psychdo
57) baronvonz
58) moot
65) zonaaa
73) meow3
78) dorthymantooth
79) falafalo
 
htbruin said:
I'm in!!!! I would have updated this earlier but the internet at work is restricted.

Good luck to all those on the WL still!! :xf:

4/6: at WL position #7
4/12: at WL position #12
4/14: at WL position #16
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Congrats! Are you thinking you're going to attend?
 
htbruin said:
I'm in!!!! I would have updated this earlier but the internet at work is restricted.

Good luck to all those on the WL still!! :xf:

4/6: at WL position #7
4/12: at WL position #12
4/14: at WL position #16

10) Shewbee's student - accepted 4/7
16) htbruin - accepted 4/14
under 20?) so2011
22) jdog40
23)Psuedodonkey
32) medhopeful's friend
47) truggin
50) medgolfer
56) psychdo
57) baronvonz
58) moot
65) zonaaa
73) meow3
78) dorthymantooth
79) falafalo
Click to expand...

wow, barely a week in and we're already at 16! Movement is happening fast, and I suspect we'll see some more next week (since people who are accept to Tucson and Phoenix will have to choose Phoenix if they want it).

Thanks for keeping us updated!
 
I know, personally, Tucson's Interview did not impress me and capture me as much as Phoenix's did but Tucson really stepped up their game for the second look, even compared to last year (according to MS1 students).

The faculty seem to be really amazing, and the students were constantly pointing that out. Aside from that, what I feel like is that Tucson is more open ended in terms of curriculum and EC's but you can do anything your heart really desires. They made the second look very student oriented and minimized the faculty presentations - even though those were pretty good too.

The students at Tucson seem to love it there and it showed. The same sort of community learning seems to be available at Tucson as Phoenix really pushed, and it seems as if although not everyone is a gunner, the students there are very intelligent and very goal-oriented, which is always a plus.

I liked the student atmosphere a lot and I feel like it is a very solid school choice.
 
DesiMaster....thanks for passing along those thoughts to those of us who couldn't attend. It is very helpful to get some perspectives from those who went to the second look events. Thanks again!
 
Limetime said:
DesiMaster....thanks for passing along those thoughts to those of us who couldn't attend. It is very helpful to get some perspectives from those who went to the second look events. Thanks again!
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+1

Any other insights from others that went would be super helpful too!
 
DesiMaster said:
The students at Tucson seem to love it there and it showed. The same sort of community learning seems to be available at Tucson as Phoenix really pushed, and it seems as if although not everyone is a gunner, the students there are very intelligent and very goal-oriented, which is always a plus.
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You must've talked to lrkoehler, he's been a gunner since day 1 😛
 
DesiMaster said:
I know, personally, Tucson's Interview did not impress me and capture me as much as Phoenix's did but Tucson really stepped up their game for the second look, even compared to last year (according to MS1 students).

The faculty seem to be really amazing, and the students were constantly pointing that out. Aside from that, what I feel like is that Tucson is more open ended in terms of curriculum and EC's but you can do anything your heart really desires. They made the second look very student oriented and minimized the faculty presentations - even though those were pretty good too.

The students at Tucson seem to love it there and it showed. The same sort of community learning seems to be available at Tucson as Phoenix really pushed, and it seems as if although not everyone is a gunner, the students there are very intelligent and very goal-oriented, which is always a plus.

I liked the student atmosphere a lot and I feel like it is a very solid school choice.
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Sounds like the second look was as good as it sounded like it would be. Last year was basically a couple hours of faculty telling us stuff we could find on the website, and then gentle ben's that night. Well, I was lucky enough to be accepted early, so I had already seen all the stuff on the website and I'm not a big bar goer so I left gentle ben's early. It did not leave me very impressed, so I'm glad they stepped it up so second look represented the school to be as good as it really is.

Also, as far as gunners at our school, I think you got it absolutely right. Hardworking & goal-oriented but still approachable & fun? Absolutely. Gunners? No.

Rustin Reed said:
You must've talked to lrkoehler, he's been a gunner since day 1 😛
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100% gunner here. Why do you think I'm having a kid this summer? It was too easy outgunning everyone as it was, so I decided to step it up a notch...:zip:
 
lrkoehle said:
Sounds like the second look was as good as it sounded like it would be. Last year was basically a couple hours of faculty telling us stuff we could find on the website, and then gentle ben's that night. Well, I was lucky enough to be accepted early, so I had already seen all the stuff on the website and I'm not a big bar goer so I left gentle ben's early. It did not leave me very impressed, so I'm glad they stepped it up so second look represented the school to be as good as it really is.
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I went to UACOM-Tucson this weekend and my experience was more like lrkoehle described. I thought there was a lot of repetition, too much time spent on dual degree's and touring of lab facilities. That being said I felt very lucky to be invited and overall I think it's a fantastic school. I do think that Phoenix blew Tucson out of the water when it came to Second Look though.
 
TVmed said:
I went to UACOM-Tucson this weekend and my experience was more like lrkoehle described. I thought there was a lot of repetition, too much time spent on dual degree's and touring of lab facilities. That being said I felt very lucky to be invited and overall I think it's a fantastic school. I do think that Phoenix blew Tucson out of the water when it came to Second Look though.
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That's because Tucson doesn't have me.
 
Phoenix's Second Look continued on the same personal and steller experience that I have felt all year as an applicant-become-accepted student. The campus community is centered around leaders (Dean Flynn) who are passionate and sincere about the medical school.

Friday break down: as a note: PHX sent notes and presentations post-weekend. It is nice to have as a reminder of all of the things we talked about because let's face it, we were busy and lots of great things were talked about so to have the follow-up.

Welcome Breakfast - mingle, casual and interactive. Low-key. Met each other, ate some food.

Dean's Panel - Dean Flynn, Dr. Pagel (student affairs dean), Dr. Grossman (grad medical education dean) and Dr. Shapiro (research dean) talked about their role for a brief minute before turning the floor to us. Each was great, but by far Dean Flynn was the most outstanding! He is really, really, really personable.

Graduating Student Panel - I thought this the best session of the weekend for me. These 4 students (Casey, Alicia, Marisa and Sarah) SOLD ME! They are evidence to the quality of the PHX program. We had the total run of the time with these guys. Asked questions, received advice, and really felt connected and a little sad that these guys are graduating!

Luncheon - there were nearly 200 at the lunch! My table of 8 included two of us (candidates), 1 MS1, 1 MS2, 1 MS3 and the rest faculty. ONe of the faculty leads a block, the others were clinical. FANTASTIC conversation. Tara kicked off the program, followed by the student body president and then Dean Flynn. He spent 20 or so minutes talking about the future of the campus: buildings, research, and so much more.

Banner Good Sam Tour - we jumped on a bus (2 busses) and spent nearly 2 hours at Banner Good Sam. Each tour group went on a different route: ER, out-patient clinic, library, etc. Crazy nice! I felt very welcomed! Even the chief of trauma surgery wanted us there!! Ortho Surg was a tour guide.

Student Break-out sessions ended the day after our tour. We sat in the learning pod space and talked about housing, extra-curricular stuff, exams and stressors, etc. I really enjoyed having yet more perspective about the campus!

The night ended at a reception with the CEO and Chairman of the APS (power/electric company) at his corporate headquater building right across the street from campus. Open bar. Food. One of the students spoke, followed by the chair of the admissions committee. It was decided that this guy is awesome! Very down to earth and a block director!

Saturday started with a two=story bus that drove us around downtown and to the Wesley Community Center. They had everyone bring canned goods to donate to the community center and we got the chance to tour the clinic - this is one of the CUP sites. Very basic facility that sees thousands of patients! We continued to Phoenix Children's Hospital and this was the highlight for me. PCH is the 2nd largest children's hospital in the nation and we got the VIP treatment. Toured PICU, EM, had lunch and saw a lot of really tough situations - PICU was emotional. I realized how tough life is going to be when I'm dealing with sick kids.

Came back to campus for a campus fair. A bunch of student groups and departments like dual-degree, research posters, etc. Packed and pretty cool. SOmeone I know won a $500 scholarship! They gave 4 away!

We ended the weekend at the Diamondbacks baseball game in a private suite. The rain and cold weather was a bust.

Phoenix is the place I'll spend the next four years. I am convinced this school wants me to succeed, will do what they can to make sure I'm taken care of and I can't wait to start school in July.
 
Just was reading this forum, and thought I would post my status. I am #59 on the Alternate List at Tucson (Alternate List is the same as the Wait List I hope :scared:).

Here are my stats if anyone is interested:
Cumulative GPA: 3.79
Science GPA: 3.75
MCAT: first time 28, second time 36
Out of stater.
1st time applicant.
Good extracurriculars.
Interviewed October 13th.
Interviewing skills: mediocre.

The wait list acceptances graph seems to been on a steeper trajectory this year, but that is probably due to the late start.

I liked Tucson. The weather was hot even in October. The students were cool, and the faculty was super friendly too. I could really see myself there. Good luck to everyone!
 
TVmed said:
I went to UACOM-Tucson this weekend and my experience was more like lrkoehle described. I thought there was a lot of repetition, too much time spent on dual degree's and touring of lab facilities. That being said I felt very lucky to be invited and overall I think it's a fantastic school. I do think that Phoenix blew Tucson out of the water when it came to Second Look though.
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That doesn't surprise me. From my experience, Phoenix did a much better job of selling themselves throughout. I don't know if Tucson is just used to the fact that they used to be the only allopathic school for instaters so if you wanted to stay here you had no choice, but its a real disservice to the school. Phoenix had to sell themselves the first couple of years because they were brand new and had to convince people that they should go there over other established schools, so it makes sense that they're better at it I guess. This is something I did actually bring up to the administration down in Tucson, and things seem to have gotten better this year which is a step in the right direction. Basically, I'm not saying that the improvement was all me, but you're welcome...😛
 
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