Well, I was all set to go to AZCOM but now I'm taking another look at SOMA... it's cheaper, I like the clinical presentation model. Can any upperclassmen comment on how they have liked working with such a small group of classmates and professors in years 2-4? Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post here.
So I guess I should comment on this, have you made your choice yet?
So I'm kind of lukewarm on the idea of working with such a small group of students in years 2-4. It has it's advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
1. You get to know a handful of your classmates really well. I'd say that my CHC group is pretty tight (in a school sense). We all get along really well, and we all have at least some things in common. I know that my classmates often go for drinks after tests and stuff, but being married with kids, and not being a drinker myself, I usually pass. But like I said, we all get along really well.
2. You get to know your professors really really well. There are 10 of us that are spending the year with our 2 RDME's. I've never gotten to know a professor as well as I'm getting to know mine now. That's certainly nice. It's also valuable because we get custom tailored advice that way. Our RDME's know exactly where our strengths and weaknesses lie, and they know our goals. They work hard to help us meet them.
3. It might seem like a small group of professors that we're working with, but our 1st year professors continue to teach us via podcast. And they're still just as available for questions as they were 1st year, just via telephone or email etc. And our rotation faculty network is absolutely huge at SOMA. We won't even come close to meeting/working with everyone even just at our CHC.
Disadvantages:
1. You leave other classmates behind after year 1. I met some really great people last year, and almost all of the people I really became good friends with are at other CHC's. so unless we happen to meet up at a conference, or they come to visit, I won't see them until graduation. We do still study together over google+ or FaceTime so that's nice; but I do miss hanging out with some of my friends from 1st year. My wife even became friends with some of their spouses too.
2. Moving away from professors that are based in Mesa. There are a handful of professors that I'd really like to be able to talk to about things in 3rd - 4th year. Professors that I didn't get to know as well as I would have liked because there were just over 100 of us in Mesa. I can always call them or Skype with them but it's not the same as showing up in their office. I've got my RDME's, and there are plenty of doctors here that I can look to for advice and mentorship, but a handful of the clinical professors in Mesa I really looked up to. I looked up to some of the basic science faculty too but the physicians have gone through what I'm about to go through.
All in all I'd say it's a wash with respect to positives and negatives. I wish I still had my friends from other CHC's around, as well as a handful of professors; but I've got it pretty darn good up here too.
