AZCOM Class of 2006

[AZCat]

Hi Everyone!
I know there's already an Utah-AZCOM thread with both Utah and Non-Utah AZCOMers posters, but I thought I'd start this thread so that those who weren't active on the Utah thread could post too. I'll be joining the class of 2006, and I'm pretty excited!
I'm currently a grad student here at Midwestern. This is a great school, and I know those of you coming here in Aug will really love it. For those of you who looking to brush up on your basic sciences by studying a little biochem, physio, etc., GOOD FOR YOU!! It's honestly the best thing you can do for yourself, because classes are very fast paced and there are no time-outs. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I look forward to meeting everyone in August!

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[Yah-E]

Hey Catherine!

This is Andy! So you've decided to stay at AZCOM, huh? Any news from U of A? I've not been to any of our classes this quarter since I've been accepted to all these dental schools! I've decided to go to Nova in Ft. Lauderdale, FL! I went from full-time status to only half-time now (only Physiology II and Immuno left). It's good to see you on this thing! I love this SDN website! Did you like my Physiology presentation the other day? God, I sucked!! My group will probably kill me when we get our presentation grade back! Well, I just wanted to say "hi" and that it's cool to see you on here! I'll see ya at school, yeah right!

 

[Kadyra]

Hi Catherine. I'm Andrea (I guess I could post my real name on here :wink: ) and I'll be starting the DO program this fall, too. I've been living in Tucson for almost 14 years (since I was 9), and I've been back up to Glendale twice to look at apartments in the area. Any advice you could offer about finding roommates would be greatly appreciated.

So you really recommend studying up? ::eyes two large binders of old biochem notes with distaste::

 

[sport]

How yous guys doin? I haven't logged on in so long I forgot my password. Actually, come to think of it I have been forgetting a lot of stuff lately....this short term memory loss thing better end before fall or I am screwed. Anyway, I wanted to pop in and say hello...
azcat, you say you have been living in Scottsdale. How far away from school is that? What is the drive like? The girl who interviewed me lived in Scottsdale, but she was a 4th year and doing all her rotations close bey there. What is it like to commute that far? I will be living off campus, but I think I will be a little closer to school. I am also curious what the feelings are like between the people from different programs. Is there much interaction? Are there annual tug-of-war contests between the pharm-d students and the DO's.
Kadyra, how's the apt hunting? The roommate question is a good one. This whole thing is starting to scare the s$*t out of me. At least Tuscon is only a few hours drive. I think I might have to take a flight down there in May and I don't want to. My parents are actually there now and I am having them do some dirty work and bring me back the info. What did you find out on your last trip? Anyway, y'all take care and catherine, it was nice to electronically meet you.

PS-A moment of silence for my Ducks that were recently killed by a vicious flock of rabid Jayhawks...
John

 

[jhug]

this is for you john............................may they rest in peace!

 

[Kadyra]

Well, I learned what some of the security deposits on some apartments were. And hook-up fees for the utilities and average utility costs. I have an extreme high/extreme low budget planned out now. I know that Sage Stone, which I liked a lot, is probably out of my price range for the apartment that I liked. I love my dog, but she is complicating my life And I found out some of the places people hang out and watch sports and stuff. And how much alarm system monitoring costs. And where I can avoid the airmen (I have a sign that no one but them can see that says "please come ruin my life" it's unfortunate). Which apartments had DSL, cable internet capabilities, or both. Some apartments only had a shower in one bathroom and a tub in the other, which is odd.

So, I took notes this time.

And renter's tax is lame. We don't have that in Tucson.

I was sad that Oregon lost. I cheered for them all game even though I had KU winning. I couldn't turn my back on the Pac-10.

 

[titan]

Nice to meet you Catherine....

Absolutely no offense to the Utah AZCOMER'S but I have contemplated starting a generic 'AZCOM Class of 2006' post myself, I guess you beat me to it.

Scottsdale, huh? I had a chance to drive through that area during my interview visit to Arizona. VERY nice homes there, I also knew there was a pretty nice golf course in Scottsdale too!

I have one question for all of you....have any of you seen any workout facilities at AZCOM? If so, what exactly do they have by way of equipment? I think they have some stuff in the student center, but we weren't shown anything of this nature during my interview. I hope I don't have to pay for a membership off campus, but if worse comes to worse I will. Thanks!

I sent in my on-campus housing application last week, hope I get what I asked for.

titan

P.S. Oh yeah, sorry guys, but I guess I am the only one going for Kansas. A guy on their team went to my high school, so I am really pulling for him and the team. I am also a Roy Williams fan, and think he deserves a trip to the big dance!

 

[Maximus]

Did you say Golf??? That is the one thing that AZCOM is missing...a campus championship golf course. I suppose there are enough close to keep me happy.

I too am joining the ranks of AZCOM in the fall. I look forward to meeting you all, as well as continuing the friendships with those of you I have already met. It seems like our group is going to be a good one...Congrats to you all!!

MAXIMUS

 

[Kadyra]

Golf! Golf is fun. I am terrible at it, but it's something I enjoy. I inherited my dad's first set of clubs (older than me!) complete with 1970's style avocado green golf bag. Very snazzy :wink: There are golf courses all over the place, but I'm more familiar with Tucson ones, which are generally cheaper than ones in the Phoenix area. If you plan on golfing this summer, get your tee times early-- both in the morning and maybe a week or more in advance. The 'cool' time of the day tee times fill up fast.

 

[titan]

Glad to see that we'll have some golfers at AZCOM! I'm not that great, but I love to play.

 

[Yah-E]

Titan,

The workout facility at AZCOM/on campus is a JOKE!! It's a 10' X 10' room with a universal machine and some cardio equipments! Majority of the students at Midwestern belong to a gym called LA FITNESS for a monthly membership which is about a mile from campus. If you live in a apartment complex near by campus, each apartment complexes will have their own workout facilities, but that does not apply to you I guess since you're applying for campus housing! Hope this helps.

 

[Emil Erickson]

Catherine,
What advice do you have concerning Biochem??
Should I start to memorize the Kreb's cycle, glycolysis, electron-transport chain.....seriously,
What will be on test? What other brush-up do you suggest that would benefit a future classmate??
Just who are we suppose to believe? I mean, you're making me panic and there are others who say kick back, party, go on a few trips relax before the onslaught.
I'm being sarcastic mostly, but what do you suggest would be good preparation for that first quarter?
Any and all advice is always much appreciated :wink: !!!!

 

[titan]

FYI....

The new Surgeon General candidate, Richard Carmona, is a trauma surgeon from Arizona. This guy has a pretty storied history....

 

[sport]

golf anyone? there is a pretty nice cours not too far from the school, off the 101 on the north side, that I played when I was down in Jan. But I think there might be more golf courses in the area than cacti.

 

[Kadyra]

I've met Dr. Carmona. He's great, and is an ex-cop. There was a big controversy down here because he shot a suspect at a major intersection. I forget the details but they made a big deal about it because he was a doctor. He did a lot of work, along with Iserson and Hamilton (head of surgery at Arizona) with a club I was in during undergrad. I didn't know he was up for Surgeon General. Do you mean Sugeon General of the US or of the state of Arizona or what?...

I'm glad there will be some golfers. I can't hit more than about 9 holes without getting totally frustrated. Perhaps I should hit the driving range before school starts :wink: And yes, I think there are about 10 or 11 golf courses down in Tucson and at least twice that in Phoenix. Almost as many as there are cactus in the state.... but not quite

 

[titan]

Nice to hear that there are a few courses within the vicinity of school !

Dr. Carmona has been nominated by President Bush for Surgeon General of the US. I've read a little about him, he sounds like an impressive guy.

 

[AZCat]

Hey guys!

Wow! Lots of questions! Let me try and get to them all:

Finding roomates: I have to say that I don't know much about finding roommates here, but your best bet is to call admissions and see if they'd be willing to give you a list of students that you could contact and see if you'd make a good match. I have to be honest though; my own personal opinion is that you'll be a lot happier WITHOUT a roommate in medical school. You'll be spending tons of time with these students everyday in class, and you're not always going to want to go home with them.

Commuting from Scottsdale: It takes me about 30 min to get here everyday, and traffic is never usually that bad. I am going to be moving on campus though, next year, and I think that most people would be happiest just living in Glendale or closer to Glendale than Scottsdale. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar enough with the Glendale area to give you guys tips on where to live here.

Studying for Classes: It's not like it is a totally necessary thing to study for classes before you get here, but I personally found it helpful. 1st quarter biochemistry actually covers cellular bio and molecular bio more than actual biochemistry (i.e. krebs cycle, etc). For those of you who are curious, we use mostly Board Review type books in classes. For example, in biochemistry we have used Lippencott's Board Review book for biochemistry, and also the Cell Bio book by Alberts, et.al. In physiology we've been using a book printed by WB Saunders Co. called Physiology (by LS Costanzo), and in immuno we've been using Cellular and Molecular Immunology by Abbas et.al. Again, don't freak out about studying before coming here. I just think it will make your life a bit easier once your here.

Workout Facilities: I will definitely have to second Andy's opinion about our little "gym". It really is a joke. If you are interested in occasionally using a treadmill or some weight machines, then it's alright. But if you really want to work out, most students go to L.A. Fitness which is pretty close by.

Well, I hope that more or less covers it! If there is anything else, let me know!

Hey Andy--Congrats on NOVA!! You're gonna have tons of fun in FL! (BTW, What happened to those other schools you were initially more excited about? I thought you'd really want to go to Temple or that other school in Cali?) And I think you did great in workshop last week! I was the only one who gave a ******* presentation!

 

[jhug]

For any who don't know-- and it seems everyone already does i was planning to join you in the class of 06 but won't due to the amazingly, excitingly intimidating news that my wife and i are having triplets!!! Still, i can't pull myself off the azcom 06 thing and am planning to attend, for at least the first year, vicariously through you!

 

[titan]

We'll miss you man !

 

[AZCat]

Congratulations Jhug!!! That is exciting news! I'm sorry you won't be in the class next year!
Do you plan on joining AZCOM the next year?

 

[jhug]

azcat-- the dean just accepted my deferral so i will be joining you next year (07) Who knows, maybe one of you will be my lil mentor!!

 

[Mayqswet]

As a 2nd year student at AZCOM, I have many great things to say about the school. Good luck to everyone accepted and I hope to see you around when I'm back on campus for lectures.

 

[jrich15]

I just found out as well that I got accepted for the class of 2006. I was so excited since AZCOM was my first choice. I am from Louisiana and am looking forward to getting out of the humidity. Can't wait to get to Phoenix, so much more to do than in Baton Rouge. By the way,does anyone know if you can pick the area of your preceptor or is it picked for you?

 

[Sugar72]

When I interviewed, that very question was asked. They said that if you know a physician in the area that you would like to be your preceptor, you can set it up yourself and of course you have to follow some set guidelines. I don't know if you can request a certain specialty.
I am sure a current AZCOM-er will step up and give the full scoop!

 

[Maximus]

Does anyone know if AZCOM was considering or has even addressed the possibility of expanding the currently small workout facilities?

 

[Aloha Kid]

Maximus,

Don't count on it. They are thinking about it, but most likely not. Don't ask me why. Maybe if some of us die from MIs then they would reconsider. The school, however, does have deals with local spas and stuff.

On a nice note, they will be expanding the barrel cactus student center this summer. I think they are going to enlarge the little vendateria into a bigger vendateria and study area. They are also putting in a students lounge or something like that.

 

[titan]

Hello all....

Just wanted to post AZCOM's Class of 2002's match results.

<a href="http://www.azcom2005.org/AZCOM_2002_Match.xls" target="_blank">http://www.azcom2005.org/AZCOM_2002_Match.xls</a>

Oh and I definitely second the deal about the workout facilities. That sucks! I hope they consider renovations in the future...

Hope everyone is doing good!

 

[jhug]

Wow! Pretty impressive! Thanks for that link!

 

[tedsadoc2002]

hey jhug,

check your private messages.

 

[BryanDOAZCOM]

Hey this is sweet fellow AZCOMERS, I had heard about this website, but didnt think there would be a post just for us. Anyway I just registered for this and wanted to say congratulations to all of my up and coming classmates. I was notified I was accepted in late November and sent in the confirmation the next day, i was already accepted but didnt want to go to Nova and TUCOM, great schools but not for me. Anyway I am up here in Northern Idaho and the University of Idaho, yeah cold, cant wait for the heat. Look forward to meeting all of you, cant wait to get this rollin.!!!!!!! Bryan now Bryan in August

 

[Kadyra]

Hi Bryan, welcome to SDN. I'm so glad that so many of us (ha! like 9/130 but still) are posting on here. It makes it nice because you'll 'know' some people before classes start.

I know where Moscow, ID is. I used to want to go to vet school and WSU was my first choice for that. They admissions people that visited here told us everyone always went to Moscow to do fun stuff.

Let me just say that I have a feeling this summer is going to be brutal. Drink plenty of water while you're moving. That goes for all of you people who aren't wearing shorts yet, since you're not used to the heat

 

[titan]

Welcome aboard Bryan!

 

[jhug]

tedsadoc-- you are great!! that information helps a ton- it actually gave me a lot of good ideas about securing a preceptorship and additional experience that i hadn't thought of. I really appreciate it! i saw the matching list-- where did you end up???

 

[tedsadoc2002]

Maimonides Medical Center, in beautiful, downtown Brooklyn, NY!!!! Emergency Med rules

 

[Kadyra]

I just got some excellent news today. I applied for a forgivable loan from the Tucson Osteopathic Medical Foundation. They give loans to people from southern AZ and if you return to practice for 5 years in southern AZ, you don't have to repay the loan. You reapply for the loans every year and the amount granted varies. Anyway, today I got this huge packet in the mail from them saying they were giving me $12,500 for this year! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> So I get to lower the amount I'm asking from the government and I won't have any private loans this year. I was so happy I was jumping up and down right by my mailbox. Anything to save money at this point is a huge bonus!

 

[titan]

Congratulations!

 

[Maximus]

Kadyra....

That is awesome! Congrats!!

 

[sport]

I haven't been on here forever. Given a shout to bryan out of Idaho...How many bars are there in Moscow? I am foing to be up that way in early June, Corde a lane (SP?) actually. Are they even that close? If so maybe we can get together.
Kadyra, congrats again. That has to be a huge load off your mind. It is weird how soon I will be leaving Oregon.....less than 60 days

take care all

 

[kowboy]

3 Weeks from today we'll be on our way to Glendale!! Good times with the Uhaul! Can't wait to meet everyone at AZCOM. I'm excited for an awesome year, and I can't wait to begin learning....or being force-fed.

How do folks like living in Phoenix or Glendale? I hope I like it down there. Originally from Seattle, I'm not sure what to think. I might miss my green, pine trees and ocean, but I' sure I'll grow to love the dessert. See you soon!

 

[titan]

Are any of you going to be living on-campus? If so, when are you moving to Glendale?

 

[Kadyra]

Thanks everyone I am still super excited about that. And I'm getting more and more excited about moving, and glad to have the last couple weeks off before starting school. I start my second job today, which will help me be able to not work in August. So the rest will be nice.

For those of you who've never lived here... I can only share my own experiences with you. When I first moved to AZ from the midwest I was 9. And I hated it here. Phoenix is a lot different than Tucson though. It's just that there wasn't a whole lot for a little kid to do. Bike riding when it's 115 out is kinda tough, and for someone used to running aorund barefoot... But when I started college, I realized I liked it here and that it's pretty in its own way. And if you miss the green, Prescott and Flagstaff aren't that far away.

 

[jrich15]

We got 5-7 inches of rain yesterday..man I can't wait to get out of Louisiana and into some sunshine.

 

[BryanDOAZCOM]

Hey all, This one is going out to sport. Well there are about as many bars in Moscow, and Pullman,(6 miles away, home of Washington State University) as there are students.We here in the Palouse are a bit isolated from big cities, and so entertain ourselves in other ways. I think you spell it Couer D'Alene, nice town about an hour from here. If you are in the neigborhood we should definitely get together. I think my email is on my profile, if not reply and i can get it to you.
Can't wait to meet you all, oh and congratulations on the scholarship/deferment thing.
B

 

[Kadyra]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by AZCat:
•Hey Kadyra~
I was wondering if you had considered re-applying to UA for Fall 2003 because I have to confess I've been thinking about it. (I've already applied twice, like you). I'll definitely do the first year of AZCOM though. But I thought it might not be such a bad thing to try again. What do you think??•••••Well now that I've gotten my password and I can post again, I can answer this instead of just staring at it :wink: Most of the people I know around here have told me I should reapply to the U of A. I am extremely disappointed in Dean Leadem right now. So disappointed, in fact, that I won't be doing that even though it was my #1 choice school. I was treated badly by the U of A at almost every turn this year, the most recent being the total cop-out Dr. Leadem took when I asked the reason why I was not accepted. I'll find it and forward it to you if you want to know what it said. Anyway, AZCOM has been great throughout this whole *****ic process. They have been nothing but accomodating and supportive in every crisis that has come up for me so far. So I am definitely not going to reapply to U of A on the off chance I'm accepted just so I can have "MD" after my name. Sorry if I sound snippy, but this is a very sore subject for meand no offense is intended :wink:

 

[jhug]

kad-- every time you post i get a laugh i don't know why--it's just the way you put things that i really relate to. So are you looking into the family practice idea??? Is that a stipulation to the loan??

 

[AZCat]

Hey Kadyra~
Thanks for the reply! I agree, the whole UA application process was pretty uncool, and I don't know a single person that got in this year. The only reason I would have wanted to go there was because of the money factor, and in fact it was the only allopathic school I applied to this year. In any case, I can't wait to meet you and the other AZCOMers this Aug!

 

[Kadyra]

Well, I have been told that I e-mail and post how I talk in real life. Since I write fiction and do conversations that way really well, so I come off as very animated. Which I guess is how I really am... People say they can tell how mad I am or happy by the 'tone' of my writing.

The loan has no primary care stipulation. That's why I applied for it. I don't really know for sure what I want to do, so this loan works out the best for me. I am not really interested in family practice per se... I like surgery. So far anyway :wink:

I applied to 7 allopathic schools. It was my second year applying, and I wanted to apply to schools in areas I would like to stay in (AZ, Kansas City, and Chicago) because i have a lot of family in these areas. U of A was my first choice because of the money and because all of my friends who are in med school go there. I only know 2 people who were waitlisted and know of 2 people on this site who got in outright. My friend who is very smart and applied MSTP didn't get in either. So I'm convinced that the U of A just doesn't know what kind of people they have passed over. their loss is AZCOM's gain.

 

[swaamedic]

Sounds like UofA is exactly like UNM....I wouldn't even dream of becomming an MD after the way the MD schools treated me...its DO all the way. Seems like DO schools are in the business of making caring physicians and friends, which I would choose any day over a snotty MD.
My 2 cents.

 

[jhug]

kad--- the u of utah is much the same way-- i wonder if it has to do with being a state school??? I have friends who got accepted to j.hopkins and columbia---but were wait-listed/rejected at the uofu!!!! CRAZY!!! I'm not sure it has so much to do with the do/md thing as much as just poor admissions offices trying to increase "diversity" at the expense of excellence.

 

[ckent]

Med schools will sometimes reject people with strong applications if the med school is sure that the student will not matriculate if they are accepted. Schools like to keep a high matriculation, acceptance ratio for ranking purposes. Another factor may have been if the students that you are referring to did not put a lot of effort into their interviews because they knew that they did not want to go there or they were sure that they were going to get in anyways, that's always a turn off for interviewers.