2021-2022 Midwestern University (Glendale, Arizona) AZCOM

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Beautiful_Melody said:
I chose Midwestern over another acceptance. There are a lot of factors I considered, but I will try to leave the relevant ones here:

I had a great experience on my interview day. Everyone was friendly and open. Community is very important to me and this felt like a place where I could find that. Additionally, my interviewers actually asked me questions about and engaged with my personal statement multiple times. The other interviews I had were largely generic questions that, because I'm not a traditional applicant, I didn't feel really gave me the opportunity to highlight why my nontraditional qualities are beneficial. Summary: Good vibes and I felt heard.

A big difference between this school and the other was the testing. The testing schedule at Midwestern is certainly daunting and was the thing that had me hesitating the most. However, during interviews they talked about how they use a lot of standardized test. The school I was comparing to uses tests written by the professors and some of the feedback I found was students felt they needed to do a lot of extra studying of board material that wasn't covered/focused on.

I am also a massive fan of their ultrasound curriculum. Every time I compared them to another school, that was the piece that stood out to me. I've seen how useful a tool US can be and I really feel it's underutilized in practice. So I'm eager to learn those techniques that I might otherwise not get to learn without doing a dedicated radiology study.

There is a podcast (a link was provided for it somewhere earlier in this thread) called The Learned Doctor Podcast. It's 4 current 1st years at Midwestern who are just talking about their experience there week to week. I've been listening to this and it has really helped to get an idea of what actually being a student there is like. Through that and as was mentioned in interviews, I have learned that Midwestern students are thought highly of in the area and do really well in the Match. So what they do, really works.

More broadly, the location is lovely. Both schools were warm weather (which is a massive plus, coming from MN). But Midwestern being right outside of Phoenix makes going back home to visit super easy. Also there are so many things to do in the area.

To address downsides:
The testing schedule is intense. I was told by students during interviews that there are 1-2 tests a week first year and 1-3 per week second year. This has seemed to be pretty accurate, based of the week to week commentary from the podcast I mentioned above. I was a little concerned that this would make it difficult to catch up if I were to fall behind at any point. However, I ultimately decided that having grades that are based on multiple test scores, rather than one large test with a few small point assignments was actually the better option.

And of course, the big one is cost. I believe they're the second most expensive DO school, aside from CCOM (their sister school in Chicago). I did hear a few comments during interviews that they wish the school would spend the money in some different ways, which is disheartening. But someone also said when COVID prevented direct interaction for practicing exams, the school was able to purchase model heads for every to practice ENT exams on. So there's something to be said about having the funds available when they're needed.

Ultimately the factor that made me feel better about the cost of Midwestern was hearing more and more about the reputation they have in the surrounding area. Don't get me wrong, it's still a TON of money that I'm more than a little stressed about. But I'd rather pay more to get a better experience/education and be ultimately more competitive for residencies.

Ok. That's probably more than you wanted! But let me know if I can answer any additional questions on my thought process.
Click to expand...
Hi I just wanted to say thanks for the detailed explanation! Do u think the weekly tests will affect the study time for boards? It feels impossible to have an adequate amount of time for boards when school tests are so intense like that
 
Lolaaa said:
Hi I just wanted to say thanks for the detailed explanation! Do u think the weekly tests will affect the study time for boards? It feels impossible to have an adequate amount of time for boards when school tests are so intense like that
Click to expand...
Honestly, I have no idea. Anything I would say would be pure speculation. I would have to check my notes from my interview when I get home (I interviewed in September, so it's been a hot minute). My hope is that because they used the standardized tests that are intended to mimic boards, that will be beneficial in itself.

But they must have some form of support for it as their students are competitive in the Match. There were 3 DO's who matched into Derm this year, and all three were from Midwestern. Anecdotal, of course, and more than just board scores impact matching, but that definitely still says something.
 
Beautiful_Melody said:
There were 3 DO's who matched into Derm this year, and all three were from Midwestern. Anecdotal, of course, and more than just board scores impact matching, but that definitely still says something.
Click to expand...
Genuinely curious, where did you get this information?

Looking at their website, neither IL nor AZ campus had derm matches in 2021. I'm not sure about 2022.
Compared to MSU-COM, another DO school, they had 2 Derm matches in 2021 and at least 1 in 2022 from what is released on their website
 
premedtemp123 said:
Genuinely curious, where did you get this information?

Looking at their website, neither IL nor AZ campus had derm matches in 2021. I'm not sure about 2022.
Compared to MSU-COM, another DO school, they had 2 Derm matches in 2021 and at least 1 in 2022 from what is released on their website
Click to expand...

The 1st years in the podcast I listen to were told by one of their 3rd year friends. This is information for the most recent Match that hasn't been publicly announced by the school yet. But the different classes on campus apparently talk with each other/share information a lot and that's how the 3rd year knew and passed the information on.

Absolutely take it with a grain of salt, I know that's a bit of a grapevine way of hearing something. 🙂
 
Does anybody know whether they have the names of the rotation sites? I mean the names of the hospitals they're affiliated with and not just the states
 
Sorry if this is a stupid q but do we get to choose our 3rd year rotation site? If yes then what is the lottery system for?
 
Lolaaa said:
Sorry if this is a stupid q but do we get to choose our 3rd year rotation site? If yes then what is the lottery system for?
Click to expand...
It was described to me as like a mini Match. So you rank your preferences and they have an algorithm that places people as optimally as possible. They said most people get their top 1-2 choices.
 
premedtemp123 said:
Genuinely curious, where did you get this information?

Looking at their website, neither IL nor AZ campus had derm matches in 2021. I'm not sure about 2022.
Compared to MSU-COM, another DO school, they had 2 Derm matches in 2021 and at least 1 in 2022 from what is released on their website
Click to expand...
1650426578868.png

Current student. Grabbed info from people posting on fb page, so not all matches are here, but about half. Some good matches I think. Probably lots of FM missing, some more EM and IM etc.
 
Beautiful_Melody said:
I chose Midwestern over another acceptance. There are a lot of factors I considered, but I will try to leave the relevant ones here:

I had a great experience on my interview day. Everyone was friendly and open. Community is very important to me and this felt like a place where I could find that. Additionally, my interviewers actually asked me questions about and engaged with my personal statement multiple times. The other interviews I had were largely generic questions that, because I'm not a traditional applicant, I didn't feel really gave me the opportunity to highlight why my nontraditional qualities are beneficial. Summary: Good vibes and I felt heard.

A big difference between this school and the other was the testing. The testing schedule at Midwestern is certainly daunting and was the thing that had me hesitating the most. However, during interviews they talked about how they use a lot of standardized test. The school I was comparing to uses tests written by the professors and some of the feedback I found was students felt they needed to do a lot of extra studying of board material that wasn't covered/focused on.

I am also a massive fan of their ultrasound curriculum. Every time I compared them to another school, that was the piece that stood out to me. I've seen how useful a tool US can be and I really feel it's underutilized in practice. So I'm eager to learn those techniques that I might otherwise not get to learn without doing a dedicated radiology study.

There is a podcast (a link was provided for it somewhere earlier in this thread) called The Learned Doctor Podcast. It's 4 current 1st years at Midwestern who are just talking about their experience there week to week. I've been listening to this and it has really helped to get an idea of what actually being a student there is like. Through that and as was mentioned in interviews, I have learned that Midwestern students are thought highly of in the area and do really well in the Match. So what they do, really works.

More broadly, the location is lovely. Both schools were warm weather (which is a massive plus, coming from MN). But Midwestern being right outside of Phoenix makes going back home to visit super easy. Also there are so many things to do in the area.

To address downsides:
The testing schedule is intense. I was told by students during interviews that there are 1-2 tests a week first year and 1-3 per week second year. This has seemed to be pretty accurate, based of the week to week commentary from the podcast I mentioned above. I was a little concerned that this would make it difficult to catch up if I were to fall behind at any point. However, I ultimately decided that having grades that are based on multiple test scores, rather than one large test with a few small point assignments was actually the better option.

And of course, the big one is cost. I believe they're the second most expensive DO school, aside from CCOM (their sister school in Chicago). I did hear a few comments during interviews that they wish the school would spend the money in some different ways, which is disheartening. But someone also said when COVID prevented direct interaction for practicing exams, the school was able to purchase model heads for every to practice ENT exams on. So there's something to be said about having the funds available when they're needed.

Ultimately the factor that made me feel better about the cost of Midwestern was hearing more and more about the reputation they have in the surrounding area. Don't get me wrong, it's still a TON of money that I'm more than a little stressed about. But I'd rather pay more to get a better experience/education and be ultimately more competitive for residencies.

Ok. That's probably more than you wanted! But let me know if I can answer any additional questions on my thought process.
Click to expand...
Thanks kindly for sharing this. Got accepted here too but the cost has been my biggest scare. You have really solid points-- points that I can mull to guide my decision. So thank you!
 
Chayil_Royale said:
Thanks kindly for sharing this. Got accepted here too but the cost has been my biggest scare. You have really solid points-- points that I can mull to guide my decision. So thank you!
Click to expand...

I'd like to add another positive. IMO I think AZCOM does rotations relatively well and will not leave you high and dry in 4th year if you can't find your own sites (outside of auditions).
 
withdrew my A from this school, ended up just being too expensive for me :/ best of luck to all you future DOctors!!
 
Has anyone heard of any waitlist movement yet? Been waitlisted since the end of February :/
 
I just withdrew my acceptance from this school. Best of luck to you all!
 
Enthusiast1234 said:
Has anyone had success after sending a LOI?
Click to expand...
I didn't send a LOI, but I would say 100% go for it. I heard multiple stories of people being /rejected/ from this school, contacting the dean to discuss the reason for rejection/request reconsideration, and then being granted an interview and/or accepted following the discussion. One person was even rejected TWICE before being accepted. So I would be shocked if they didn't accept a LOI. IDK how much it will change your chances, but I doubt it would hurt.
 
Finesse Daddy said:
Gotcha thank you! I interviewed here like 2 weeks ago too and was wondering when they would start getting back to us!
Click to expand...
I interviewed on May 3rd. I heard Jessica say that the admissions committee meets once a month and we would hear back in 2.5 weeks. Which seems to be around May 20th? I'm starting to think I misheard though, judging by the fact that last month people got accepted on the 28th. And last year people got accepted on May 27th. So the trend seems to be at the very end of the month. Another confusing thing though is that someone reported getting accepted last friday, so I am wondering how that could have happened if the committee really does meet once a month.
 
Just got WL'd, and im gonna ride it out
 
medmedica said:
I interviewed on May 3rd. I heard Jessica say that the admissions committee meets once a month and we would hear back in 2.5 weeks. Which seems to be around May 20th? I'm starting to think I misheard though, judging by the fact that last month people got accepted on the 28th. And last year people got accepted on May 27th. So the trend seems to be at the very end of the month. Another confusing thing though is that someone reported getting accepted last friday, so I am wondering how that could have happened if the committee really does meet once a month.
Click to expand...
Gotcha, I think I remember hearing something like that as well. I interviewed on May 5th so fingers crossed we both hear some good news soon!
 
btsk said:
Just got WL'd, and im gonna ride it out
Click to expand...
I suspect there's going to be a whole lotta movement at this school so don't worry. why? cheap deposit so people were more likely to accept earlier on and then drop months later, and then the expensive tuition which is going to scare away those with multiple As.
 
Got placed on the alternate list this morning unfortunately, gonna send a LOI once my final grades are in
 
I am still on the interview waitlist and had sent them an update a couple weeks ago with no response. I just reached out to them today to check on my status and found out that they are wrapping up interviews by the end of May.
 
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