A.T. Still University- MESA

[mletter]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Good point. Has anyone been accepted?

I don't think they have managed to have any interviews yet to accept anyone. 🙁

 

[iwilldlvr]

I think you're right. Seems like the earliest ones, from those on sdn, are next week.

 

[iowahawk]

I'm currently living in AZ (only for my year off-as my sis is a clinical psychologist here), and I absolutely LOVE the area. I'm living in Scottsdale and there is so much to do and see!! I will be leaving in May for Iowa, but so want to come back to the area for residency! If you need a place to stay for interviews I may have some room (is that creepy as I know no one personally ahaha whatever)

 

[iwilldlvr]

I'm currently living in AZ (only for my year off-as my sis is a clinical psychologist here), and I absolutely LOVE the area. I'm living in Scottsdale and there is so much to do and see!! I will be leaving in May for Iowa, but so want to come back to the area for residency! If you need a place to stay for interviews I may have some room (is that creepy as I know no one personally ahaha whatever)

That is so incredibly nice!! You know you're gonna get some weirdos hitting you up now. j/k

That really is nice.👍

 

[exigente chica]

Just found out I got put on hold at Mesa too. I wonder what was so wrong about my application to not even get an interview?

Umm that is strange..it seems like there is a group of us who has been really interested in Mesa consitently on these boards..(you included)..not sure what is going on with them..

my lor's have gone missing..

hmm

hope it works out for us all..


who is even going to the interview next week?

 

[nsolana]

Umm that is strange..it seems like there is a group of us who has been really interested in Mesa consitently on these boards..(you included)..not sure what is going on with them..

my lor's have gone missing..

hmm

hope it works out for us all..


who is even going to the interview next week?

I'm not going to my Mesa interview anymore. All of this going on and they haven't really impressed me too much. Hopefully, AZCOM will offer me an interview and I'll have to take up the offer on the free stay (I'll buy you dinner or something 😛 ).

If they were anything like VCOM, then I'd def go. VCOM has been the best about responding and giving me all the info I need!

 

[iwilldlvr]

I'm not going to my Mesa interview anymore. All of this going on and they haven't really impressed me too much. Hopefully, AZCOM will offer me an interview and I'll have to take up the offer on the free stay (I'll buy you dinner or something 😛 ).

If they were anything like VCOM, then I'd def go. VCOM has been the best about responding and giving me all the info I need!

Thanks for opening up another spot! I emailed them yesterday about my status at both KCOM and Mesa. Hopefully, someone will respond.

 

[Littleg1225]

So, I'm a little confused...😕 😕 If a few of us are already on hold, what exactly are they looking for? Or, is this whole process a mess? I am going to write the dean to get an idea of everything. Has anyone else received an invite to interview that is actually going to go?

 

[nsolana]

So, I'm a little confused...😕 😕 If a few of us are already on hold, what exactly are they looking for? Or, is this whole process a mess? I am going to write the dean to get an idea of everything. Has anyone else received an invite to interview that is actually going to go?

I got put on hold for an interview with AZCOM! Grr...

I want to know the same thing... what are they looking for? Are the slots already filled or something?

 

[NJDO01]

hey guys,

Ive been reading the site for awhile now and finally i decided to post. Anyways I have an interview on the 18th and I'll try to give you guys any sort of information i can get.

 

[businessman]

I think you're right. Seems like the earliest ones, from those on sdn, are next week.

I just talked to someone in Mesa and they said they had had 2 groups interview so far...the second group was there today. I sent my secondary in on the 18th of december and she said I should hear back with 2 weeks. I guess they send an email for interviews and for holds. They interview on Thursdays

 

[mletter]

I think you're right. Seems like the earliest ones, from those on sdn, are next week.

I just talked to someone in Mesa and they said they had had 2 groups interview so far...the second group was there today. I sent my secondary in on the 18th of december and she said I should hear back with 2 weeks. I guess they send an email for interviews and for holds. They interview on Thursdays

Did they say what the criteria was for holds versus interviews? I have an interview there on the 18th as well, so I will be posting as much as I know. I know they are putting good candidates on holds and I am not sure why because it doesn't seem like they have invited many people on interviews and many are turning down their interviews. For example, there were interview slots still available today for the interview that went on today. I also know that their dental school may be loosing its accredidation. 😱

 

[iowahawk]

well let me know if i can help anyone in any way (dinner would be unnecessary but appreciated ;-) haha) Anyway, for those of you who haven't visited AZCOM here is my two cents..............if I were to go DO (which I'm not) I would DEFINITELY go there!! The facilities are great, the people were especially nice, and I LOVE the are!

 

[trulypeppy]

well let me know if i can help anyone in any way (dinner would be unnecessary but appreciated ;-) haha) Anyway, for those of you who haven't visited AZCOM here is my two cents..............if I were to go DO (which I'm not) I would DEFINITELY go there!! The facilities are great, the people were especially nice, and I LOVE the are!

I interviewed at AZCOM on 12/4 and was accepted 12/15. I loved the school and have to agree with iowahawk, but am just unsure because of the price tag (undergrad gave me a pretty big debt). I've been trying to decide if I should accept the interview with Mesa for a week or so now, and this forum has been most helpful. For those of you turning Mesa down and/or in love with Mesa, what are your specific reasonings? I'd really appreciate the help making my decision. 🙂

Those waiting to hear from AZCOM, I wish the best of luck! Hopefully you'll get the same tour guide I did, totally the best tour guide ever!

 

[iwilldlvr]

[/QUOTE]

Did you already have LORs with KCOM on file before submitting your Mesa app? I'm only asking to verify you were complete when you submitted the app or if they had to wait for other stuff. I submitted my app on 12/22. They already had all of my other documents since I was complete at KCOM in mid-November so I was complete 12/22. If you were complete 4 days prior and should hear in 2 weeks, I guess I'll hear a few days after you or around the same time. I'm hoping??

 

[Testy McAterson]

i'm starting at azcom in the fall but wanted to remind you all (especially those currently on hold or waiting at their top choices) to be proactive and advocate for yourself. i was offered an interview for azcom back in november and the first available date they told me then was late february. i took it, of course, but started to stress as other schools lower on my list were offering interviews for late november and early december and funding was getting tight. i called azcom back later that week and asked if there were any cancellations for an interview date sooner as "azcom is so great--definitely my #1 choice" (yes, i practically begged the receptionist) and sure enough--they had a date in december. moral of the story--if you really want to go somewhere, be persistent. if they put you on hold, consider sending a letter expressing continued interest, letter of intent, and/or additional letters of recommendation (another DO, employer, volunteer coordinator). make sure they know you're interested.

 

[iwilldlvr]

i'm starting at azcom in the fall but wanted to remind you all (especially those currently on hold or waiting at their top choices) to be proactive and advocate for yourself. i was offered an interview for azcom back in november and the first available date they told me then was late february. i took it, of course, but started to stress as other schools lower on my list were offering interviews for late november and early december and funding was getting tight. i called azcom back later that week and asked if there were any cancellations for an interview date sooner as "azcom is so great--definitely my #1 choice" (yes, i practically begged the receptionist) and sure enough--they had a date in december. moral of the story--if you really want to go somewhere, be persistent. if they put you on hold, consider sending a letter expressing continued interest, letter of intent, and/or additional letters of recommendation (another DO, employer, volunteer coordinator). make sure they know you're interested.

That's such a good idea. I never thought about calling to see if there were any cancellations. I may try that. I def. don't want to wait until early March for the interview unless I have to. Thanks for bringing that up!👍

 

[theonlyrealj]

I happen to know for a fact that interviews have already started at Mesa. My buddy interviewed their before Christmas, he got waitlisted though. I'm not sure if they have actually sent out any acceptances.

If you want to know a good hotel to stay at check out the La Quinta on Superstition Springs Blvd., its like about a mile from the school.

 

[nsolana]

Thanks testy. I also didn't hink of asking about cancellations.

I've already called twice. Maybe I'll just keep bugging them (AZCOM). I hope they don't get pissed off...

 

[exigente chica]

I happen to know for a fact that interviews have already started at Mesa. My buddy interviewed their before Christmas, he got waitlisted though. I'm not sure if they have actually sent out any acceptances.

If you want to know a good hotel to stay at check out the La Quinta on Superstition Springs Blvd., its like about a mile from the school.

Waitlisted...what in the world? I am soo confused...they are putting people on hold and waitlisting people too? Wow😱

Did he have anything to say about the interview or what they were looking for..I think we all want to know?

 

[businessman]

Did you already have LORs with KCOM on file before submitting your Mesa app? I'm only asking to verify you were complete when you submitted the app or if they had to wait for other stuff. I submitted my app on 12/22. They already had all of my other documents since I was complete at KCOM in mid-November so I was complete 12/22. If you were complete 4 days prior and should hear in 2 weeks, I guess I'll hear a few days after you or around the same time. I'm hoping??[/QUOTE]


Yes, I already had my LORs with Kcom before submitting to Mesa...keep hoping🙂

 

[Littleg1225]

Waitlisted...what in the world? I am soo confused...they are putting people on hold and waitlisting people too? Wow😱

Did he have anything to say about the interview or what they were looking for..I think we all want to know?

Soooo, I am really confused!😕 I am one of the "hold" applicants and am hearing more about other "on-holds" and now people are getting waitlisted. It just seems odd to me that they are holding and waitlisting so many applicants since it is this late in the cycle. Is there anyone who has been accepted so far? Also, for anyone who has had an interview, what was the interview process like? Any info would help. 🙂

 

[theonlyrealj]

Waitlisted...what in the world? I am soo confused...they are putting people on hold and waitlisting people too? Wow😱

Did he have anything to say about the interview or what they were looking for..I think we all want to know?

Yeah, I don't know if anyone has been accepted. It makes you wonder how they run things there...

Honestly I don't think they even know what they're looking for in their adcom meetings, but what they write on their website seems clear. I was already accepted to AZCOM so I declined an interview at Mesa, but from what my buddy said they are looking for applicants who are commitred to serving the underserved. Which probably means your credientials and background must be consistent with this. As you probably know, the school will be working with community health centers around the country providing a clinical based education from year one. These health centers are either in rural areas or inner city underserved areas, if I remember right I believe they are free clinics. Isn't it sad that the underserved are the ones doctors get to "practice on?" Oh well, we gotta learn somewhere. If you want more info about the type of applicant Mesa-COM is looking for, try their website because they seem pretty straight forward and are really honest. I'm not sure if I can post it here but here it is anyways, http://www.atsu.edu/comm/index.htm. Best of luck to all who deserve it, and if you made it to the interview, you probably deserve it

 

[bro5137]

Hey all, this is my first post, but I was interviewed yesterday (1/11) and got an acceptance email tonight.

So check your emails!!!!

 

[Littleg1225]

Hey all, this is my first post, but I was interviewed yesterday (1/11) and got an acceptance email tonight.

So check your emails!!!!

Congrats bro on the acceptance! 👍 What kind of stats do you have? I am curious since there are a few people that have been waitlisted or on hold.

 

[bro5137]

Congrats bro on the acceptance! 👍 What kind of stats do you have? I am curious since there are a few people that have been waitlisted or on hold.

Thanks

MCAT = 29
GPA = 3.45
SGPA 3.5

 

[Somath]

Mesa is a strong consideration for me so I have a few questions for you if you would be so kind.
I am curious what the interview was like? Will the first class be relocating for year two, or won't the CHCs be set up yet? Did you have to choose your site already? How did you like the campus? In year two how is the curriculum integrated with the CHC?

Any information will be appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[exigente chica]

Thanks

MCAT = 29
GPA = 3.45
SGPA 3.5

First, Congrats on being the first know person on SDN to get into this school
Second, there are a bunch of us who are really curious about the interview/campus...how the day was set up and what they asked you?

thanx..

Exigente

 

[bro5137]

Mesa is a strong consideration for me so I have a few questions for you if you would be so kind.
I am curious what the interview was like? Will the first class be relocating for year two, or won't the CHCs be set up yet? Did you have to choose your site already? How did you like the campus? In year two how is the curriculum integrated with the CHC?

Any information will be appreciated.
Thanks!

At the end of the day you are given a CHC form where you can rank your sites from most favored to least. You can fill it out there, or mail it within 7 days. The presentation on the CHCs goes into quite a bit of detail on location (urban or rural), types of patients that you will see, etc at each CHC. They are planning on sending the first class to the CHCs for year 2. They said at one point during the day, that a lot of research has shown that students forget large chunks of what they learn in the first two years because it is contextual and not applied clinically. They believe that the CHCs will give students the ability to understand and apply what they are learning in a way that relates to patients as opposed to just hypothetical situations.

First, Congrats on being the first know person on SDN to get into this school
Second, there are a bunch of us who are really curious about the interview/campus...how the day was set up and what they asked you?

thanx..

Exigente

Thanks. The Interview day was surprisingly intense as compared to some of the other interviews I did.

It lasts 6-7 hours; it starts with a intro, Q&A, and a history of the school. Then they tell you why they are doing the clinical health center based approach for years 2-4. Then you have lunch with the dean, associate deans, etc. One thing I found really impressive is how the faculty so strongly believes in the school, and how excited they are all to be part of the school.

After lunch they have a presentation on all the community clinics, a file review, and an interview (spaced out over 2 hours so that they can cycle everyone through the interviews). The file review is pretty harsh, they comment on every tiny flaw in your record, and then ask you to make a few comments on your ECs, academics, etc. The interview is with a panel (mine had 2 people, 1 Physician, 1 CHC representative). They ask you a series of very focused questions and then at the end ask if there is anything else they should know about you. The interview and the file review are each 20-30 minutes. You are also scored on your answers to each question in the interview.

After all that, you have a collaborative exercise which places you w/ 5 people in a room, you are given a problem and 30 minutes to answer it. You are again scored individually by a faculty member that is observing you.

Somewhere in the mix, they have a tour of the campus.

Over-all I was more interested in the school after the interview day, but one thing that worries me is their anatomy lab. At the CHCs, most of the anatomy is digital (stuff like slice of life). They also try and cram as much anatomy into the first year at the Mesa campus to accommodate the lack of it in year 2. They said that most of the dissection work you do will be on prosections, and often there will be already dissected samples so that you can observe without having to waste the time cutting and cleaning. I know that they have a desire to train primary care physicians, but if someone wanted to do surgery, you might feel a little under experienced entering a surgical residency. They do offer some elective work that includes dissecting an entire cadaver incase someone really wanted to do it.



I can only remember a few of the questions, but one was like "We believe in mind/body/spirit medicine...what does this mean to you?"

Another one was "Offer one positive argument, and one negative argument for socialized medicine"

and one that asked you to pick an ethical stance for giving a donated liver to either a man in jail for murder with a history of drug use, or a mother of 3 who is dying due to a genetic condition.

I think they had multiple question sets though, so this may just be one small portion of the questions.

 

[v-lander]

^Very interesting. Sounds like they're after a very specific type of medical student, lots of sifting quesitons. Could you tell us more about the CHCs? Last I heard there was a list that still needed some narrowing down. Good info!

 

[exigente chica]

Whoah..

thanks for telling us about the interview day..I really appreciate it..

man..it does seem intense..but you must have done well becuse you got it.

How many others were there that day? It's nice to hear that the turnaround is so fast.

Are you consdering going there?

 

[bro5137]

Whoah..

thanks for telling us about the interview day..I really appreciate it..

man..it does seem intense..but you must have done well becuse you got it.

How many others were there that day? It's nice to hear that the turnaround is so fast.

Are you consdering going there?

You're welcome. It is intense but very doable.

There were probably 20 people there.

I am still waiting on my CHC packet before I make my final decision, but I am strongly considering it.

 

[Littleg1225]

You're welcome. It is intense but very doable.

There were probably 20 people there.

I am still waiting on my CHC packet before I make my final decision, but I am strongly considering it.

Are you a local or out of state?

 

[bro5137]

Are you a local or out of state?

I am local, I live in Tempe.

 

[122206DO]

I recieved a letter today saying that my application has been put on hold for review at a later date. What are my chances for interview at this point? Thanks for your input.

 

[iwilldlvr]

.....

 

[exigente chica]

I recieved a letter today saying that my application has been put on hold for review at a later date. What are my chances for interview at this point? Thanks for your input.

Not sure what to say, but it seems alot of people on SDN have been put on hold..their class is not full yet..so don't give up hope.

Exigente

 

[Littleg1225]

I recieved a letter today saying that my application has been put on hold for review at a later date. What are my chances for interview at this point? Thanks for your input.

Welcome to the "on hold" club. I emailed asked what it meant and they told me that they will go through and interview all the "stronger" applicants and re-review your file later, probably April. If they have spots still available and your application looks ok at that point, you will get the interview. So, basically it's a huge waiting game...again. I was pretty bummed at first, but now I look at it like this...at least I wasn't rejected. 🙂 Hopefully all of us on hold who really want to go to the school will get the opportunity to do so. Good luck!

 

[drjohnny]

Hello everyone...my first post here but I hope I can provide some insight.

I interviewed today (1/18) at COM-Mesa. The whole process went almost exactly as Bro5137 described it so I won't go into any details unless one of you asks me a specific question to answer...I would be happy to help out.

My honest thoughts on the school:
POSITIVES: I think the curriculum and mission of the school is awesome. During lunch, file review, interview, and the presentations, I found the faculty to be VERY nice and VERY enthusiastic about the school and its future. Dr. Wood really emphasized that they were there to teach students to be compassionate doctors. Faculty and staff excited about upcoming year. Area is pretty new with new buildings planned for the next few years (inc. YMCA). The building is technologically advanced.

NEGATIVES: School is VERY new. Still on provisional accrediation. A lot of construction still needed. Prosections mostly for students (don't plan on doing any extensive dissections). 1st Year will be July to July and intense. Years 2-4 will be at a community health center and more 'laid back' compared to Year 1. Plan on making a major move to another state maybe for years 2-4. The 4th year (integrated curriculum) is very gray. I asked Dr. Wood and several faculty members about it but I wasn't able to get a clear answer really. Other students asked too. Same responses. The most disturbing thing for me was that a couple of the faculty members I talked to during lunch did not really know what will happen during years 2-4. Mind you -- the curriculum is literally innovative. Compared to my interviews at Western, AZCOM, LMU-DCOM, I came out of the COM-Mesa interview with more questions than answers.

My honest most objective conclusion is that COM-Mesa will eventually be a great school but for the first few years -- it'll be rocky for both the school and students. The have 5 or 6 committed faculty members (2 DO's)-- way less than at LMU-DCOM. A lot still needs to be established obviously. To the credit of the school -- its still an 'infant'. For those wanting to be trained in a SOLID D.O. program and not wanting to move around (back and forth from COM-Mesa to CHC's), you should probably go to another school that you're accepted at.

Well, that's my two cents.

 

[exigente chica]

Does anyone know the next interview date? I wonder how many they accept form each group?😕

 

[Somath]

I only saw Thursdays being offered.

 

[MD/DO ALMOST]

any word on how stable or certain the agreements with the CHC's are? I would hate to have them cancel an affiliation halfway through the first year.

 

[dseattle]

that sounds like a hardcore interview process, a lot harder then the ones i've heard of at UW and TOURO-CA. hey "bro" i was wondering about what your extra-cirriculars were, and what/where you intend to practice after its all done, what do you think made you stick out? and how commited are you to their vision?

sorry for all the questions, but i have my interview feb. 8th.

 

[drjohnny]

Received acceptance email today from Joyce! (1/19/07)

-----will decline offer-----

Good luck to everyone considering COM-Mesa! Feel free to ask questions; I'd be happy to give any insight.

 

[Daddydoc]

Over-all I was more interested in the school after the interview day, but one thing that worries me is their anatomy lab. At the CHCs, most of the anatomy is digital (stuff like slice of life). They also try and cram as much anatomy into the first year at the Mesa campus to accommodate the lack of it in year 2. They said that most of the dissection work you do will be on prosections, and often there will be already dissected samples so that you can observe without having to waste the time cutting and cleaning. I know that they have a desire to train primary care physicians, but if someone wanted to do surgery, you might feel a little under experienced entering a surgical residency. They do offer some elective work that includes dissecting an entire cadaver incase someone really wanted to do it.

I would view that anatomy situation as a positive. There's nothing more fun than sitting in gross lab for four hours dissecting something that would take you ten minutes to learn if it was already prosected.
Dissection is not a good preparation for surgery. Surgery is not at all like dissecting. There are a few benefits to dissecting your own cadaver, but in my opinion they are not worth the time involved.

 

[NJDO01]

Received acceptance email today from Joyce! (1/19/07)

-----will decline offer-----

Good luck to everyone considering COM-Mesa! Feel free to ask questions; I'd be happy to give any insight.

Congrats man....I interviewed the same time you did but i didnt get an acceptance yet so I figured I am rejected or on the waiting list. Care to tell why you declined the offer?

 

[mletter]

Congrats man....I interviewed the same time you did but i didnt get an acceptance yet so I figured I am rejected or on the waiting list. Care to tell why you declined the offer?

Did you already turn in your CHC preference? They won't offer acceptances until you do that.

 

[exigente chica]

Congrats on your acceptances..

 

[NJDO01]

Yeah I handed my CHC already

 

[exigente chica]

Did they say what the criteria was for holds versus interviews? I have an interview there on the 18th as well, so I will be posting as much as I know. :

Mletter, how was the interview..spill..hope you did well.

Exigente