ATSU/SOMA (Arizona) Discussion Thread 2009-2010

Applying to Med School? Get In Or Your Money Back
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premed541 said:
Hey! I think AT Still Arizona is great, but my only concern is that its not accredited yet. What does everyone think about it not being accredited and going there?
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I don't think you would need to worry, as it is affiliated with the main school. I also remember reading somewhere that the soma students were eligible for certain funds that had only been previously offered to students of fully accredited schools. I'm paraphrasing from memory, and I just got home from O-chem, otherwise I would do a search for the posting. I know someone out there will be able to elaborate.
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I'm open to some PM questions. Didn't feel right to offer that up til I passed the first class... lol... But now that that's done...

My name is Seth, I'm an OMS-I from Texas.

Major: Health Science Studies
Undergrad GPA: 3.4
Science GPA: 3.2
MCAT: 26Q

F.A.Q.

Q: Is med school hard?
A: Yes it is. Think about how hard you studied for 2-3 days during finals week in Undergrad... You ate like crap, your face broke out, and you generally did not leave the library. Got that image? Now imagine doing that 6 out of 7 days per week (all 7 if its a test week). Take a second for that to sink in... Now continue reading...

Q: Are you worried about it becoming accredited?
A: Not in the slightest, it's legit and will be accredited as soon as we graduate a class in May 2011.

Q: Are all the kinks worked out?
A: No, there are still bugs in this system, as in any other.

Q: Where will I go years 2-4?
A: This year, they are doing a match program in September (that's a couple weeks from now for me), not sure if they will for you as they had a pre-acceptance match in 2008. Maybe 2010 holds a new system? Ask during your interview or e-mail Joyce, she's great!

Q: Do they have a cafeteria?
A: Yes (you'd be surprised, but a lot of D.O. schools and small M.D. schools don't)

Q: Is it hot in Arizona?
A: From July-September, VERY. Otherwise, BEAUTIFUL.

Q: Do they have a gym?
A: Yes, starting 10/23, SOMA students have memberships at the YMCA (a block down the street)

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Chicken

Q: You're from Texas, did you ride to school on a horse?
A: No, but I do say "Y'all" from time to time.

Q: May I contact you?
A: Yes you may. (at your own risk)
 
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Q: You're from Texas, did you ride to school on a horse?
A: No, but I do say "Y'all" from time to time.

Q: What is the plural of "Y'all"
A: All Y'alls

Med school is like standing at the bottom of Niagra Falls, and opening your mouth...

Invite today, Oct. 2nd...Yeah!!!
 
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sethman33,
I checked out your MDapplicants, you applied to a good number of schools. Did you apply late in the app. cycle because your interview dates are late?
I am just worried because I have lower stats than you and wondering whether I have any chances at all.
 
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So my secondary's were complete on 9/3, and I keep opening my email to see if I've gotten an interview invitation! I know it's still probably too early, but the wait is sooo hard :scared: Since I live in South FL I'm trying to schedule this interview with AZCOM's so that I only make the trip out once (I already got AZCOM's invite)....ATSU-SOMA seems to be a much better school by far, so it's keeping me really anxious!
 
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jesscsanchez said:
So my secondary's were complete on 9/3, and I keep opening my email to see if I'm gotten an interview invitation! I know it's still probably too early, but the wait is sooo hard :scared: Since I live in South FL I'm trying to schedule this interview with AZCOM's so that I only make the trip out once (I already got AZCOM's invite)....ATSU-SOMA seems to be a much better school by far, so it's keeping me really anxious!
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Their turnaround time is pretty quick from when the secondary is complete, so it shouldn't be too long...Good luck.
 
jesscsanchez said:
So my secondary's were complete on 9/3, and I keep opening my email to see if I'm gotten an interview invitation! I know it's still probably too early, but the wait is sooo hard :scared: Since I live in South FL I'm trying to schedule this interview with AZCOM's so that I only make the trip out once (I already got AZCOM's invite)....ATSU-SOMA seems to be a much better school by far, so it's keeping me really anxious!
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I wouldn't worry, if you received azcom's invite, you'll more than likely get Atsu's. :)
 
forrealz said:
sethman33,
I checked out your MDapplicants, you applied to a good number of schools. Did you apply late in the app. cycle because your interview dates are late?
I am just worried because I have lower stats than you and wondering whether I have any chances at all.
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The second time I applied for Texas schools, I had a better app than the year before AND I applied early but still received no interviews... So, if you are talking about Texas schools, you can prolly forget about it...

But I didn't reapply to D.O. schools this year, I banked on my deferral to ATSU, although had I reapplied early I would've likely received double the interviews as the year before...

PM me your stats if you want, but if you're only a little less and applying early, then you definitely have a shot at D.O. schools... (I've notices that my MCAT is about average and the avg. GPA may be plus or minus a tenth)...
 
Just got my interview invite!! :D Really excited! Now, can anyone recommend a good hotel in the area? They didn't provide a list, so I would love it if anyone can help me narrow down my hotels.com search. Thanks!

EDIT: Never mind! There's a link on the email to all of the information needed. Anyone else interviewing Oct. 26?
 
jesscsanchez said:
Just got my interview invite!! :D Really excited! Now, can anyone recommend a good hotel in the area? They didn't provide a list, so I would love it if anyone can help me narrow down my hotels.com search. Thanks!

EDIT: Never mind! There's a link on the email to all of the information needed. Anyone else interviewing Oct. 26?
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Congrats to all who have gotten invites!
 
Does anyone know if the interviews are open or closed file? Thanks!
 
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Hey gang, my name is Tyler...I'm a first year with these guys at ATSU-SOMA. Feel free to ask me questions or send me a PM.
 
jesscsanchez said:
Thanks for the link! I didn't know about that section of the website, that's really helpful!
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I was in the first group to interview this year, and the answer to whether your file is open or closed is both... The interviewers do not have your file, they have your essays and your secondary, but not you test scores or your transcripts. Then you meet with the admissions director who discusses a questionnaire with you and you have the opportunity to explain any bad grades and to give further reason why you would be a good candidate for AT Still Arizona.
 
danimjo said:
I was in the first group to interview this year, and the answer to whether your file is open or closed is both... The interviewers do not have your file, they have your essays and your secondary, but not you test scores or your transcripts. Then you meet with the admissions director who discusses a questionnaire with you and you have the opportunity to explain any bad grades and to give further reason why you would be a good candidate for AT Still Arizona.
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Is that Joyce that you meet with? And is the interview relaxed or high stress? I haven't seen anyone add their thoughts lately (for recent interviews) to the Interview Feedback page..
 
Spider29er said:
Where do we send the $1000 check to guarantee an admission?
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When we were accepted we got a packet of information from ATSU-SOMA. I personally paid my acceptance fee through the ATSU online site. There is also an option to mail it. I don't remember either one of the sites. I'll try to check on that tomorrow for you.
 
Spider29er said:
Is that Joyce that you meet with? And is the interview relaxed or high stress? I haven't seen anyone add their thoughts lately (for recent interviews) to the Interview Feedback page..
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I don't think Joyce is there anymore, I want to say the woman I met with was named Tina, I don't have her card with me at work, but she did say she had only been there a few months.

I think how the interview goes at AT Still AZ depends on who you get, overall it was more relaxed than some interviews I've been on (Touro CA), but one of my interviewers was very, very intense. However, they did relax and chit chat and laugh a little with me while I was interviewing. They do ask hard questions, none of the wishey washey "why do you want to be a dr?" "Why do you want to go here?" but direct and thought provoking questions that you probably won't be asked anywhere else.... I got asked about what I would do if Jimmi Hendrix came into my ER after taking Seconal Heroine and alcohol... weird stuff, that makes you think. Anyway, my panel seemed tougher than the other one...
 
Haha, Joyce is very much here. The file review can be done by any of the admissions staff. If I was working in the ER and Jimi Hendrix came in, I would have to check my head, haha.

danimjo said:
I don't think Joyce is there anymore, I want to say the woman I met with was named Tina, I don't have her card with me at work, but she did say she had only been there a few months.

I think how the interview goes at AT Still AZ depends on who you get, overall it was more relaxed than some interviews I've been on (Touro CA), but one of my interviewers was very, very intense. However, they did relax and chit chat and laugh a little with me while I was interviewing. They do ask hard questions, none of the wishey washey "why do you want to be a dr?" "Why do you want to go here?" but direct and thought provoking questions that you probably won't be asked anywhere else.... I got asked about what I would do if Jimmi Hendrix came into my ER after taking Seconal Heroine and alcohol... weird stuff, that makes you think. Anyway, my panel seemed tougher than the other one...
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ImOnAPlain51 said:
When we were accepted we got a packet of information from ATSU-SOMA. I personally paid my acceptance fee through the ATSU online site. There is also an option to mail it. I don't remember either one of the sites. I'll try to check on that tomorrow for you.
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LOL...I mean the bribery check...:laugh:
 
brucecanbeatyou said:
Haha, Joyce is very much here. The file review can be done by any of the admissions staff. If I was working in the ER and Jimi Hendrix came in, I would have to check my head, haha.
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LOL..I'd ask for his autograph...:laugh:
 
droogdoc said:
Same problem here, although not with language. I have stuff from like 5 years ago and they are rather significant activities as well. Hate for them to think I was lying if I get that far in the app. process. I am sure there are many in th same situation.

I have to say that SOMA asked for a lot of weird inof, while KCOM was a perfectly standard type of secondary.
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having the same issue now. Did everyone just end up putting N/A for contact info.? I really can't seem to find any info since my community service activity was overseas.
I wonder if I should just ignore filling out that last part but I am hesitant to do that since it's a required field plus I already mentioned it in my primary.
 
forrealz said:
having the same issue now. Did everyone just end up putting N/A for contact info.? I really can't seem to find any info since my community service activity was overseas.
I wonder if I should just ignore filling out that last part but I am hesitant to do that since it's a required field plus I already mentioned it in my primary.
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I think you should put as much information as you can - especially if it is a required field. They just want to be able to verify the activity. How did you go about getting the activity? Was it through your school? If so, maybe you could list the service learning liaison? Or, did you have an address where you were volunteering at? When I spoke with one of the admission counselors, they told me any sort of contact info was better than none.
 
danimjo said:
I was in the first group to interview this year, and the answer to whether your file is open or closed is both... The interviewers do not have your file, they have your essays and your secondary, but not you test scores or your transcripts. Then you meet with the admissions director who discusses a questionnaire with you and you have the opportunity to explain any bad grades and to give further reason why you would be a good candidate for AT Still Arizona.
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Any chance that some of the people who have interviewed might want to leave "interview feedback"???

Any crazy questions?
 
I interviewed today. There's a huge list of questions the interviewers can ask you (the packet looked like it had 40-60 ?s in it) and they can be on anything: you as a person, your feelings about particular procedures (they asked me about embryonic stem cell treatments), how you feel about the sciences, etc. No "crazy ?s" per se, but then again, what I think is "crazy" may be "sane" for you.

And the file review is pretty much as danimjo said. That's the time to sell yourself to the admissions officer and make sure they will go to bat for you when it comes time to look at your file.
 
Apart from the Jimi Hendrix question I posted above... They asked if me if I had any low grades and if so in what (b/c they don't see your transcripts). In my answer to that question I mentioned that I had to learn to study in college, and then they asked a follow up question that said if I thought college was hard, why on earth did I think I was equipped to be in medical school. The asked me if I thought compassion could be taught. Besides those I don't remember what else they asked... My panel was nice, but hard to read, at the end of the interview I didn't leave feeling like I had impressed them. I'm going to see if I can find out my status today, b/c I got into TOURO CA and have to put my deposit down next Friday.
 
danimjo said:
Apart from the Jimi Hendrix question I posted above... They asked if me if I had any low grades and if so in what (b/c they don't see your transcripts). In my answer to that question I mentioned that I had to learn to study in college, and then they asked a follow up question that said if I thought college was hard, why on earth did I think I was equipped to be in medical school. The asked me if I thought compassion could be taught. Besides those I don't remember what else they asked... My panel was nice, but hard to read, at the end of the interview I didn't leave feeling like I had impressed them. I'm going to see if I can find out my status today, b/c I got into TOURO CA and have to put my deposit down next Friday.
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DO schools are supposed to give you until December 15th before demanding a deposit. It's in the CIB, page 17.

http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/cib2010/2010-CIB-complete.pdf

If TUCOM tries to pressure you into giving them money before then, kindly ask for an extension, and if they get ugly, ask them if they adhere to AACOMAS Process Guidelines, like every other school.
 
brucecanbeatyou said:
DO schools are supposed to give you until December 15th before demanding a deposit. It's in the CIB, page 17.

http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/cib2010/2010-CIB-complete.pdf

If TUCOM tries to pressure you into giving them money before then, kindly ask for an extension, and if they get ugly, ask them if they adhere to AACOMAS Process Guidelines, like every other school.
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The AACOMAS guidelines are suggested guidelines not requirements... it is up to every school to determine their deposit policy, and for TOURO CA and TOURO NV and I think TOURO NY within two weeks of your acceptance you have to put a $2,000 deposit down. Touro is willing to work with you and give you a few extra DAYS, but certainly not months. Another school that doesn't follow the RECOMMENDED AACOMAS Guidelines is LECOM ERIE they require a $1,500 deposit within 30 days of acceptance. For Western the deposit is $2,000 although I'm not sure when its due by. The new D.O. COM at William Carey will require a $3,000 deposit for its inaugural class in 2010. In short, not every D.O. school follows the AACOMAS Guidelines, only about 75% do, and every year more schools adopt their own policy requiring bigger deposits upfront. Either way for me $2,000 is a small drop in the total bucket of $200,000 estimated medical education costs, if I get in somewhere else that I really want to go I will accept the loss of my $2,000. It's totally worth it to hold my place at TOURO as this is my first acceptance and you have no way of knowing if you'll be accepted anywhere else.
 
danimjo said:
The AACOMAS guidelines are suggested guidelines not requirements... it is up to every school to determine their deposit policy, and for TOURO CA and TOURO NV and I think TOURO NY within two weeks of your acceptance you have to put a $2,000 deposit down. Touro is willing to work with you and give you a few extra DAYS, but certainly not months. Another school that doesn't follow the RECOMMENDED AACOMAS Guidelines is LECOM ERIE they require a $1,500 deposit within 30 days of acceptance. For Western the deposit is $2,000 although I'm not sure when its due by. The new D.O. COM at William Carey will require a $3,000 deposit for its inaugural class in 2010. In short, not every D.O. school follows the AACOMAS Guidelines, only about 75% do, and every year more schools adopt their own policy requiring bigger deposits upfront. Either way for me $2,000 is a small drop in the total bucket of $200,000 estimated medical education costs, if I get in somewhere else that I really want to go I will accept the loss of my $2,000. It's totally worth it to hold my place at TOURO as this is my first acceptance and you have no way of knowing if you'll be accepted anywhere else.
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Now that you say that, I think I remember that now. That is really lame that some of the schools that don't participate.
 
chocolaterie said:
I think you should put as much information as you can - especially if it is a required field. They just want to be able to verify the activity. How did you go about getting the activity? Was it through your school? If so, maybe you could list the service learning liaison? Or, did you have an address where you were volunteering at? When I spoke with one of the admission counselors, they told me any sort of contact info was better than none.
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This was years ago and I don't think the same people are working there, or they probably don't remember me. I just don't want them to think I am lying and giving them bogus contact info. :scared:
 
forrealz said:
This was years ago and I don't think the same people are working there, or they probably don't remember me. I just don't want them to think I am lying and giving them bogus contact info. :scared:
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hmm, I know a lot of places keep records of their volunteers. Sort of like a hr office. I actually work in HR for a college, and whenever someone volunteers for our campus, we make them sign a volunteer agreement. So although they may not remember you, or provide a personal review of your time as a volunteer, there should still be a record for you.
Otherwise, you should contact the school directly. I'm not sure what their policy would be in this case.
 
Hi peeps,

I am so incredibly worried at this point. I did my primary from memory back in May. Some activities date back 10 yrs. I'm a non-traditional applicant. Anyway, I revised/updated my primary application to reflect a more accurate representation of my volunteer hours (I cut back some hours for some activities, and increased some hours for other activities). I also initially did not list some self-employment work activities in my 1st primary, and decided to add that to my revised primary. Will SOMA think that I'm lying? I just wanted to update my hours, and everything on my revised primary is up to date. WILL SOMA THINK I'M LYING? Will I have an opportunity to explain what happened in my interview? I am sooooooo worried.
 
youreokandimok said:
Hi peeps,

I am so incredibly worried at this point. I did my primary from memory back in May. Some activities date back 10 yrs. I'm a non-traditional applicant. Anyway, I revised/updated my primary application to reflect a more accurate representation of my volunteer hours (I cut back some hours for some activities, and increased some hours for other activities). I also initially did not list some self-employment work activities in my 1st primary, and decided to add that to my revised primary. Will SOMA think that I'm lying? I just wanted to update my hours, and everything on my revised primary is up to date. WILL SOMA THINK I'M LYING? Will I have an opportunity to explain what happened in my interview? I am sooooooo worried.
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If you already have an interview, I wouldn't worry about it - during the interview is something called the "file review" where you can go through and explain any low grades, discrepencies, or basically just let them know whatever's on your mind concerning your file. If you haven't gotten an interview yet, you might think about emailing them a short addendum explaining anything that's odd.
 
Does anyone know if receiving an interview invitation to ATSU in Kirksville, MO takes you out of contention for ATSU-SOMA?
 
youreokandimok said:
Hi peeps,

I am so incredibly worried at this point. I did my primary from memory back in May. Some activities date back 10 yrs. I'm a non-traditional applicant. Anyway, I revised/updated my primary application to reflect a more accurate representation of my volunteer hours (I cut back some hours for some activities, and increased some hours for other activities). I also initially did not list some self-employment work activities in my 1st primary, and decided to add that to my revised primary. Will SOMA think that I'm lying? I just wanted to update my hours, and everything on my revised primary is up to date. WILL SOMA THINK I'M LYING? Will I have an opportunity to explain what happened in my interview? I am sooooooo worried.
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As BCBY said and I stated in my reply to your PM, the interview committee must have liked something in your application because they gave you an interview invite. Just let them know during your file review any differences or additions that you have made. Good luck :luck: and we'll see you soon!
 
Hello,

I have a question and maybe I can get some insight. I was placed on hold pending my fall classes (they're prerequisite courses) and because of a not so friendly mcat score. Do you think it would do me any good to send an update letter? I was recently interviewed by the company that does Mayo's PR material and I'm going to be featured in an article along with some of the physicians. The article is about a surgery I had that changed my life and how in return I started to volunteer at the hospital. It really was the catalyst that got me interested in medicine (although I did mention this in my secondary). I think they're trying to go all out with it because they're trying to get approval for a photo shoot. Do you think this would help? I don't want to be grasping at straws.
 
chocolaterie said:
Hello,

I have a question and maybe I can get some insight. I was placed on hold pending my fall classes (they're prerequisite courses) and because of a not so friendly mcat score. Do you think it would do me any good to send an update letter? I was recently interviewed by the company that does Mayo's PR material and I'm going to be featured in an article along with some of the physicians. The article is about a surgery I had that changed my life and how in return I started to volunteer at the hospital. It really was the catalyst that got me interested in medicine (although I did mention this in my secondary). I think they're trying to go all out with it because they're trying to get approval for a photo shoot. Do you think this would help? I don't want to be grasping at straws.
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That sounds to me like an interesting anecdote, but not really something that you would put on your application. I'd like to hear what other people think though.
 
brucecanbeatyou said:
That sounds to me like an interesting anecdote, but not really something that you would put on your application. I'd like to hear what other people think though.
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Yeah and it was/is interesting. I think they want to eventually transition and have me be more like a volunteer/spokesperson that prospective patients can ask questions to, once the article is published. When I did clinical shadowing with the surgeon who helped me, I did have patients ask me questions (which was refreshing). But nothing is set in stone.
 
chocolaterie said:
Hello,

I have a question and maybe I can get some insight. I was placed on hold pending my fall classes (they're prerequisite courses) and because of a not so friendly mcat score. Do you think it would do me any good to send an update letter? I was recently interviewed by the company that does Mayo's PR material and I'm going to be featured in an article along with some of the physicians. The article is about a surgery I had that changed my life and how in return I started to volunteer at the hospital. It really was the catalyst that got me interested in medicine (although I did mention this in my secondary). I think they're trying to go all out with it because they're trying to get approval for a photo shoot. Do you think this would help? I don't want to be grasping at straws.
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I tend to agree with BCBY, especially since you already mentioned it in your secondary. You could bring it up during your interviews, because it seems like an interesting, life-changing event that you can elaborate on.
 
ImOnAPlain51 said:
I tend to agree with BCBY, especially since you already mentioned it in your secondary. You could bring it up during your interviews, because it seems like an interesting, life-changing event that you can elaborate on.
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I mentioned that the surgery changed my life... but not that I would be featured in one of their articles. I think I'll just ask, if they say no, no harm done. :) Thanks for the responses
 
Hi everyone. Just received my acceptance email a few minutes ago. Hope I'm not alone today! (I interviewed on Sept. 28th FYI)
 
chocolaterie said:
I mentioned that the surgery changed my life... but not that I would be featured in one of their articles. I think I'll just ask, if they say no, no harm done. :) Thanks for the responses
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I am assuming that you mentioned your volunteer experience, if you are questioning and still not sure (I would be too), then call Joyce and ask what her best advice would be. It also sounds like you know a specific surgeon so if you do not have a recommendation from him and think he might supply one, then also mention this to Joyce as a possible addition to your application and why. It never hurts to ask but it might if you don't. Best wishes.
 
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