2021-2022 A.T. Still University (Mesa, Arizona) ATSU-SOMA

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Deferred admit for Class of 2026 here, feel free to pm me if you have questions about the application / interview process, etc.
when do intrview invites usually go out

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For the secondary would it be a trap to pick the question "What unique feature of SOMA appeals to you? What specific feature of SOMA concerns you?" I was thinking about answering the early clinic practice appeals to me but the curriculum change concerns me but I feel like this would be a tricky answer. Although the clinic practice far from the main campus also concerns me hah
 
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For the secondary would it be a trap to pick the question "What unique feature of SOMA appeals to you? What specific feature of SOMA concerns you?" I was thinking about answering the early clinic practice appeals to me but the curriculum change concerns me but I feel like this would be a tricky answer. Although the clinic practice far from the main campus also concerns me hah
i wouldn't mention the curriculum change if I were you; try and come up with something else if you can. This is similar to the "what are your strengths and weaknesses" interview question, in that you don't want to actually reveal pertinent weaknesses that would cause the employer to not want to hire you. In the same way, telling ATSU that you are concerned about team-based learning (ie the new curriculum), might make the adcom think you're not a good fit for the school. Regardless of the concern you write about, maybe also state how you'd address the concern and be successful still.
 
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Deferred admit for Class of 2026 here, feel free to pm me if you have questions about the application / interview process, etc.
What is your feedback on the interview? Was it chill or stressful? What was the hardest question?
 
What is your feedback on the interview? Was it chill or stressful? What was the hardest question?
Interview process was virtual over zoom. It was my 2nd interview so I felt more confident with this one as I learned from my mistakes from my first medical school interview. ATSU makes interviewees sign a non-disclosure agreement prior to the interview, so I won't share any specifics...having said that I still found the process stressful more so because of the high importance of the interview rather than the difficulty of the questions themselves if that makes sense.
 
Has anyone gotten an interview invite from ATSU?
 
Is a physician letter required to apply? I was looking to add ATSU to my school list, but I don't have a physician letter at the moment and I saw a comment earlier saying its mandatory for the secondary app, can anyone confirm that?
 
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Is a physician letter required to apply? I was looking to add ATSU to my school list, but I don't have a physician letter at the moment and I saw a comment earlier saying its mandatory for the secondary app, can anyone confirm that?
I reached out to admissions directly regarding flexibility for letter submissions. They said that the committee is specifically looking for a letter from a science faculty member and a physician - if a required letter is not provided, then the application will not be reviewed (no exceptions).

So, in your case, your application would not be reviewed until you provided a letter from a physician.
 
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Does anyone know if the class size is going to increase this next year? Given that a LOT of students were given deferred admissions from last year's cycle who will also be given the chance to secure their CHCs before anyone else from this upcoming interview season, what will this mean for upcoming interviewees? If SOMA is going to increase their class size, will the school add new CHCs or allow >10 students per CHC?
 
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how do you defer admissions? Did you choose it or did they give you an option?
 
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Has anyone ever received a secondary being below the GPA cutoff? I'm a hometown scholar but wasn't able to take more classes during the pandemic because I had to help my parents meet their financial needs. any tips?
 
how do you defer admissions? Did you choose it or did they give you an option?
ATSU over-admitted students last cycle under the assumption that many of the students admitted earlier in the cycle would eventually give up their admission to go to a different school-- unfortunately, not enough of these early admits gave up their seat. As a result, students who interviewed later in the cycle after the class already filled up, received something called a Notice of Selection (aka "admission pending a seat" or APS for short). Not everyone who interviewed in the Spring received this Notice of Selection, as some later interviewees were waitlisted, while still others were rejected post-interview. At the end of the application cycle, since many APS students were still awaiting a seat to open up, ATSU decided to hand out deferred admission to APS students giving them the option to accept a deferred admission meaning that they'd start the program in July 2022. According to last year's thread, as of this past May, there were something like 180 students still stuck on the APS list, many of whom were unable to matriculate this last July so were deferred for next year's class. I am not exactly sure how many of the 180 students were deferred vs how many matriculated this past July. I also don't know if ATSU is planning to increase their class size for next year to account for the deferment. Keep in mind, if enrollment size does not change and remains at 160, then my best guess is that anyone applying to ATSU this cycle will be vying for a smaller than normal number of spots since many of the 160 seats will have already been filled by APS students who were deferred. Sorry that was a mouthful, but hopefully this makes sense and provides a better picture of what happened and what to expect.
 
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ATSU over-admitted students last cycle under the assumption that many of the students admitted earlier in the cycle would eventually give up their admission to go to a different school-- unfortunately, not enough of these early admits gave up their seat. As a result, students who interviewed later in the cycle after the class already filled up, received something called a Notice of Selection (aka "admission pending a seat" or APS for short). Not everyone who interviewed in the Spring received this Notice of Selection, as some later interviewees were waitlisted, while still others were rejected post-interview. At the end of the application cycle, since many APS students were still awaiting a seat to open up, ATSU decided to hand out deferred admission to APS students giving them the option to accept a deferred admission meaning that they'd start the program in July 2022. According to last year's thread, as of this past May, there were something like 180 students still stuck on the APS list, many of whom were unable to matriculate this last July so were deferred for next year's class. I am not exactly sure how many of the 180 students were deferred vs how many matriculated this past July. I also don't know if ATSU is planning to increase their class size for next year to account for the deferment. Keep in mind, if enrollment size does not change and remains at 160, then my best guess is that anyone applying to ATSU this cycle will be vying for a smaller than normal number of spots since many of the 160 seats will have already been filled by APS students who were deferred. Sorry that was a mouthful, but hopefully this makes sense and provides a better picture of what happened and what to expect.
this makes me sad because this was one of my top schools. (happy they did this dont get me wrong but it just makes it so much more harder for this cycle)
 
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this makes me sad because this was one of my top schools. (happy they did this dont get me wrong but it just makes it so much more harder for this cycle)
Getting admitted to med school has become hyper competitive which has its pros/cons and it's only getting more difficult year after year. It makes it hard to get admitted, but getting a job after graduation is less of a problem. Compare this to pharmacy or other very saturated graduate programs which have minimal barriers to entry but getting a job after you graduate is not a given due to the fierce competition.
 
Getting admitted to med school has become hyper competitive which has its pros/cons and it's only getting more difficult year after year. It makes it hard to get admitted, but getting a job after graduation is less of a problem. Compare this to pharmacy or other very saturated graduate programs which have minimal barriers to entry but getting a job after you graduate is not a given due to the fierce competition.

Rapid, unfettered expansion of new DO school satellite campuses with no increases in residency slots will ensure that medicine heads in the same direction, though. But I do agree with your sentiment completely
 
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Rapid, unfettered expansion of new DO school satellite campuses with no increases in residency slots will ensure that medicine heads in the same direction, though. But I do agree with your sentiment completely
Yeah - fortunately we aren't quite there yet with medicine, so the sooner one can matriculate the better
 
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Increases in residency slots aren't necessarily always the answer either---look at the state EM is in.
 
Increases in residency slots aren't necessarily always the answer either---look at the state EM is in.

Indeed, but that’s also attributable in part to the types of increased residency spots — corporatized, revenue-driven, and non-teaching-focused HCA residencies have helped get EM where it is
 
ATSU over-admitted students last cycle under the assumption that many of the students admitted earlier in the cycle would eventually give up their admission to go to a different school-- unfortunately, not enough of these early admits gave up their seat. As a result, students who interviewed later in the cycle after the class already filled up, received something called a Notice of Selection (aka "admission pending a seat" or APS for short). Not everyone who interviewed in the Spring received this Notice of Selection, as some later interviewees were waitlisted, while still others were rejected post-interview. At the end of the application cycle, since many APS students were still awaiting a seat to open up, ATSU decided to hand out deferred admission to APS students giving them the option to accept a deferred admission meaning that they'd start the program in July 2022. According to last year's thread, as of this past May, there were something like 180 students still stuck on the APS list, many of whom were unable to matriculate this last July so were deferred for next year's class. I am not exactly sure how many of the 180 students were deferred vs how many matriculated this past July. I also don't know if ATSU is planning to increase their class size for next year to account for the deferment. Keep in mind, if enrollment size does not change and remains at 160, then my best guess is that anyone applying to ATSU this cycle will be vying for a smaller than normal number of spots since many of the 160 seats will have already been filled by APS students who were deferred. Sorry that was a mouthful, but hopefully this makes sense and provides a better picture of what happened and what to expect.
It’s ridiculous why this wasn’t transparent with applications for this cycle. Why did I waste money applying to a school that was 180+ students where were deferred?
 
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It’s ridiculous why this wasn’t transparent with applications for this cycle. Why did I waste money applying to a school that was 180+ students where were deferred?
Do they seriously have 180+ deferred from the last cycle? There is no point in applying if they essentially have a full class lined up. We just got robbed!!!
 
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Same here, app on hold. Can anyone clarify what this means or why it happens?
 
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did you guys get emails that said you were put on hold?
 
What does it mean when they say they've put my application on hold? I just got an email.
 
pretty sure it means they'll review others first and possibly get back to your app at a later time.
 
Has anyone received an interview? Based on SDN it seems like everyone got put on hold
 
For those who were put on hold, when was your secondary app marked complete?
 
For those who were put on hold, when was your secondary app marked complete?
I just got placed on hold this morning. Received a complete email on 8/5/21. Does anyone know what hold really means? All I could tell from last year's forum is that this is a fairly new concept prior to the years before?
 
i submitted my app 7/12 and have not gotten a hold rejection or interview email.
 
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