UPDATE: 4/28/2021
From the ATSU-SOMA Student Government Association
Dear Students,
As you may know, SGA's three primary goals for this year have been to increase transparency, improve communication, and maintain strong advocacy on behalf of the students.
Thus, we would like to share with you recently discussed updates for the upcoming academic year (2021-2022). Please bear in mind that most of these changes pertain specifically to the incoming class (2025) and should not impact any of the current students.
On Friday, April 23, ATSU Admissions hosted a Zoom Meeting with the Class of 2025 in which Dr. Coty and Dr. Heath described upcoming curriculum changes and answered the students' questions. The recording from this meeting was provided by Dr. Coty and Admissions to the student body president and vice president and has been transcribed by [redacted] so that students may be up-to-date. The summary/transcript from the meeting is attached
See attachment:
2020-2021 A.T. Still University (Mesa, Arizona) ATSU-SOMA
UPDATE: 4/18/2021
To prospective students and class of 2025:
After speaking to fellow classmates, faculty, and administration - I felt like it was my duty to inform everyone that there are massive changes to come in the following months. SOMA is now slowly transitioning to a full PBL curriculum. This decision is being headed by Dr. Mark Coty (the same mastermind behind LECOM's PBL curriculum). The class of 2024 has been fighting this unpopular transition since the start. It is frustrating that the administration continues to ignore our concerns about the ineffectiveness of our current hybrid PBL/traditional curriculum among other things.
Every week, we are expected to dedicate 4 hours of our limited time towards clinical topics that we've never covered before. The faculty are told to sit in silence and watch us run around like headless chickens. Despite these sessions being centered around CLINICAL topics, half the time we're stuck with basic science professors who know absolutely nothing besides what's written on their handouts. Several faculty have left because of this (although they won't say it explicitly) and there are rumors that ohers are searching for teaching positions elsewhere.
There are also talks of expanding the class size from 160 to 200 soon. There also changes being made to our dedicated study time. It has been completely replaced by "Kaplan boards courses." We're expected to complete this course alongside our didactics right up until our boards exam date. This change was also made by none other than Dr. Coty.
I wanted to inform everyone here because you should have the right to know before paying roughly $60k/year in tuition costs alone.
We're tired of being the guinea pig class of this school and I hope the administration reads this and sees how massively unpopular these changes are.
See:
2020-2021 A.T. Still University (Mesa, Arizona) ATSU-SOMA
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
1. Secondary prompts from the previous (2019-2020) cycle:
- Describe your activities during any gaps longer than 3 months in your college or postgraduate record. (500 word limit)
- Describe your experiences with osteopathic physicians. Have you ever shadowed a DO, if not explain why? Do you have a letter of recommendation from a DO, if not explain why? (500 word limit)
- Describe your understanding of SOMA by answering one of the following questions: (500 word limit)
- What unique feature of SOMA appeals to you? What specific feature of SOMA concerns you?
- What would be your strongest attribute as a SOMA student? What would be your weakest?
- How do you plan to be involved with medically underserved populations in your medical career? How have your past volunteer experiences influenced your plans?
- Please list any changes or updates to your AACOMAS application. This section may be left blank if your AACOMAS application is complete and accurate:
2. What are the stats for this school?
- As of 5/19/20
- Avg cGPA: 3.52
- Avg sGPA: not reported
- Avg MCAT: 504
3. Any cutoffs for this school?
- As of 5/19/20
- Min cGPA: 2.8
- Min sGPA: 2.8
- Min MCAT: not reported
4. Do you need a DO letter to apply?
- No, but they prefer that you have one.
5. Where do students typically get placed for residency?
6. COMLEX pass rates
7. What is the interview format?
There are 4 different formats you'll encounter during interview day:(this was during the pre-COVID days)
"Speed-dating" MMRTraditional 1-on-1 (open file)MMR scenariosGroup activities
Expect your interview day to start at 7am and last until 2pm.- The interview format is now a traditional open-file 1-on-1 (according to other prospective applicants in this thread). It will be conducted over video conference.
8. Tell us about the interview topics.
- I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.
- Everyone signs an NDA on interview day, so I can't tell you. I encourage others to do the same to keep it fair.
9. Any tips for preparing for the interview?
- It's not mandatory but I highly recommend going to the Dean's Welcome before your interview day. You'll meet the faculty, current OMS-1s, and get a tour of the whole campus.
- This applies to all interviews:
- Practice your typical questions (why medicine? etc.) and record yourself
- Go to interview prep workshops
- Watch videos on MMR questions
- Become an expert on the history of osteopathy.
- Know the school's mission statement by heart.
- There's no shortage of interview advice on SDN, use it to your advantage. The search tool can be a wonderful thing.
10. Will ATSU hold our luggage while interviewing?
- Yes, they will offer to hold your luggage in a secure room while you interview.
11. How easy is it to get to campus on interview day?
- Uber/Lyft is viable, and there are lots of hotels that are less than 15 minutes away.
- Public transportation is definitely not an option.
- Walking in the Arizona heat is suicide.
12. How long is the interview cycle?
- It starts in late August/early September and lasts until April/May.
13. How long does it take to hear back after the interview?
14. How do you get notified of an acceptance?
- Typically phone call first, followed by an email.
15. What is the difference between "accepted pending open seat" and "alternative list?"
- Accepted pending open seat = "wait list"
- Alternative list = it's your turn after they finish accepting those on the wait list
16. Should I send thank-you letters?
- It doesn't hurt, unless you write something egregious.
17. Do they take update letters?
18. What's the grading system?
19. Is attendance mandatory?
- The vast majority of lectures are not mandatory.
- Anatomy, OPP, med skills, and "small groups" are mandatory.
- Lectures are recorded.
20. What's the dress code?
- On-campus: scrubs (carribean blue + ATSU logo) or business casual.
- Med skills: business casual with white coat.
- Anatomy lab: scrubs (any color).
21. What do they mean by "1+3 curriculum?"
- All OMS-1s will complete their first year at the Mesa campus before moving to one of the 15 community health centers (CHCs) across the US.
- You begin clinical rotations in your 2nd year at your CHC, as opposed to traditional med schools with 2+2 curriculum.
- You'll stay at your CHC location for the last 3 years.
22. What are the CHC locations?
23. Do I get a choice of which CHC I attend?
- Yes. You get to rank your preferences after submitting your first $1000 deposit (non-refundable and non-binding) and get placed according to availability.
- You pay another $1000 deposit (non-refundable and binding) to hold your spot in your selected CHC.
- Students who are accepted early in the interview cycle get first dibs.
24. How many spots per CHC?
- 10. The only exception is Brooklyn, NY which has 2 groups for a total of 20.
25. Which CHC locations fill up the fastest?
- Based off my own experiences:
- Phoenix, Brooklyn, Tuscon, Flagstaff, San Ysidro, Tulare County, Chicago, Seattle
26. What if I'm not happy with my CHC placement? Can I switch?
- Yes, you can swap with students as long as it is approved by the adminstration.
27. Why is the cost of attendance (CoA) so high?
- My theory is that the calculated CoA takes into account the high cost-of-living that comes with certain CHC locations such as Seattle or Brooklyn. A 1 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn can cost upwards of $1500, versus $600 in Mt. Orab, OH.
More info:
School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona | ATSU-SOMA Home
