Hey Biology101, first year Bruce here. Just needed to make a few clarifications.
Ok these are my thoughts about the school
Pros:
1. Alot of robotic simulators, though only adults...
2. Good Lunch
Cons:
1. Only one year of lectures at the school. One of the admins joked it was because they didnt have enough room for two years.....I could believe that.
2. Lecture room was really small. The room consists of about 20 circular desks surrounding a tv in the center of the room. The large auditorium is for the other programs.
The cons about the size of the classrooms are pretty funny - yeah, lucky for us that they forgot to plan more room for upperclassmen. They realized that problem halfway through the first year and that's when they got the idea to send 2nd years out, and that's when the whole CHC movement started. Kind of worked out in the end.
But seriously though, I view these things as pros. Personally, I find it reassuring that the class size isn't going to balloon like it is at other schools - it's limited to the 110 or so chairs in the main lecture hall. And why have more space than is necessary?
Also, there are 8 large screen TV's in the main lecture room, not one. And in the middle is a podium. It's not like they improvised with this lecture room - they planned it out that way. It's supposed to be more intimate, and more oriented towards group learning - hence the circular tables.
3. The OMM room is tiny and does not have TVs to show techniques.
There are two video projectors in the OMM room, you probably missed them installed on the ceiling. Also, the accordion walls were probably shut - I really wouldn't describe the OMM room as small. When we do OMM, the class is split into two groups, and 50 people fit very comfortably in that room. We have actually had some special sessions in there with the whole class, all 100 of us, and there was definitely enough space for all of us.
4. The interview day was extremely long and ran late.
This is bad. I hope no one missed a flight or anything! I remember some of the interview days being really exhausting.
5. Library consisted of about 3 shelves of books....dont even have a physical library if it is all going to be online.
Yeah, my undergrad had 98 miles of shelving, and I was a history major, so I used it a lot. Needless to say, the library here wasn't too impressive on interview day/when I first arrived.
That said, however, I don't know of anybody in the class who is disappointed with the library now. It's definitely enough for our needs, plus there are way more books online, plus StatRef, and pubmed and everything. We even have access to an online historical medical image collection, for the history buff in me. And, we get the online access for the rest of our lives.
6. CHC history session seemed more like a propaganda film.
Haha, I don't know what to say about this one.
7. Finacial aid session was a voice recorded power point. The finacial aid person, was to bored to repeat her spiel.
I don't really understand what you mean here. Haha, if I worked in financial aid, I would be bored too. Our financial aid has been very organized and supportive for us, though. They made step-by-step web videos for filling out all the paperwork for Sallie Mae; it was never confusing. There were several classmates who had to have short term loans because of complications with lenders or the military or whatever, and the financial aid office just wrote them a check right then. (the students had to pay it back of course, but they got their money that day.)
But yeah, if you don't like voice recorded powerpoints, you probably wouldn't like our second year - which is all web-based. We have had some this year as well. I can see how in a group setting it might not suit you well, but for the lectures themselves, I love being able to go back and forward, play at double speed, etc.
Overall the school seemed mediocore and seemed like it was put together really quickly.
I'm sorry that this is the impression you got - it definitely is a new school, and there are kinks that are still getting worked out. But the curriculum and the CHC affiliation are brilliant. I would highly suggest visiting one of the CHC campuses before you write SOMA off. I was actually going to go somewhere else until I visited the NYC CHC. Let me know if you have any more questions or if you need anything else clarified.
. There are not formal classes or lectures in this sense, and no block or subject-based courses. It uses the concept of flow charts and inductive reasoning to arrive at a diagnosis. They have not graduated a class yet, but I heard from a student the current third years had a 94% first time pass rate. They have very nice patient simulation equipment, too. I like the idea of being with a smaller group of peers for years 2-4, and although you do have the option to rank which CHCs you prefer, it is ultimately a lottery system. Although there are sites in and around Phoenix, you should probably plan to move after your first year. I'm sure there's more but let me know if you think of anything. I just found this: http://www.atsu.edu/soma/programs/osteopathic_medicine/pdfs/fact_sheet.pdf. It says it better than I can, I'm sure. The curriculum presentation at the school is excellent.
:cry: