***AZCOM Class of 2011***

[DocBR]

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PAfuturedoc: Whatsup 🙂 I want my big brother/ sister. I need to contact student services huh.

Sarikate: August is one of the hottest months, night time lows should be in the 70's but if you get in before 9am it should still be in the low to mid 80s if I recall correctly. I just know that when the sun really starts climbing it'll hit 100+ before 10:30.

It will be warmer than that in August. I flew from Hawaii to Sky Harbor this past Friday. My plane landed at 7:24AM and the pilot reported 91 degrees. Granted, that was warmer than usual for this time of year, but it will not be unusual in August.

Sarikate, if I were you, I would try to reschedule for a ~5AM landing.

 

[Sarikate]

It will be warmer than that in August. I flew from Hawaii to Sky Harbor this past Friday. My plane landed at 7:24AM and the pilot reported 91 degrees. Granted, that was warmer than usual for this time of year, but it will not be unusual in August.

Sarikate, if I were you, I would try to reschedule for a ~5AM landing.

Crapola! Thank you for letting me know. I don't think there is a flight that gets there so early in the morning...will have to check. I might have to do something like take a red-eye to Salt Lake City, get there at the crack of dawn, and then fly out to Phoenix at night when it's cool. Hmm. Will have to be imaginative here!

 

[FMR1]

By any chance, does anyone know if the on campus apartments have refridgerators included? I sincerely hope so because the thought of lugging a fridge through Glendale is not too appealing right now...

 

[CyLin]

By any chance, does anyone know if the on campus apartments have refridgerators included? I sincerely hope so because the thought of lugging a fridge through Glendale is not too appealing right now...

Here's a direct quote from Jose when I had the same inquiry

"Apartments are unfurnished, so you must bring all that staff (beds, desk, etc). The apartments only have the basic appliances, stove, refrigerator, and microwave. Jose "

Hope this clarifies it for ya.

-Alan aka ChiaPet

 

[FMR1]

Thanks Alan ( aka Chiapet 🙂)for the info! See you in the summer...

 

[Testy McAterson]

so talking about apartments, i checked out a few recently and am ready to report 😉

the isle at arrowhead looked really nice, is right by starbucks/safeway/blockbuster/pei wei, and go for a rate that's hard to beat for the area. they post their available units, move-in dates, and prices online at this site http://www.equityapartments.com/market/brochure.aspx?page=overview&PropID=502
this one was at the top of my list--especially the two bedrooms but i can't justify that for just me.

like sarikate said, sage stone has great move-in specials right now. $99 move-in, $75/mo off any rental if you move-in by july 14th ($50/mo off if you move in 7/15-early august, $25/mo off from that point-september), and one mo free if you sign a 12 month lease (1/2 month free on any shorter lease). the specials sold me.

san lagos has big banners out advertising some sort of move-in special involving ipods/itunes.

adobe ridge has a dog park, takes lots of bigger dogs, and social activities like weekly breakfast and happy hour.

 

[siriceman64]

yeah we got the special for june 15th and that gave us 6 weeks free and $75 off/month for sagestone. I'm pretty excited and happy with it. I looked around at it seemed the best bang for the buck and it's ridiculously close.

 

[medschoolsoon]

so talking about apartments, i checked out a few recently and am ready to report 😉

the isle at arrowhead looked really nice, is right by starbucks/safeway/blockbuster/pei wei, and go for a rate that's hard to beat for the area. they post their available units, move-in dates, and prices online at this site http://www.equityapartments.com/market/brochure.aspx?page=overview&PropID=502
this one was at the top of my list--especially the two bedrooms but i can't justify that for just me.

like sarikate said, sage stone has great move-in specials right now. $99 move-in, $75/mo off any rental if you move-in by july 14th ($50/mo off if you move in 7/15-early august, $25/mo off from that point-september), and one mo free if you sign a 12 month lease (1/2 month free on any shorter lease). the specials sold me.

san lagos has big banners out advertising some sort of move-in special involving ipods/itunes.

adobe ridge has a dog park, takes lots of bigger dogs, and social activities like weekly breakfast and happy hour.

I am moving with a buddy from college and of all the apts we looked at, we decided on the isle at arrowhead. Good prices, fairly nice apts, and close to school. Seemed like the best choice...but who knows?

Anyway, good luck and let me know if you end up there. We are moving in on July 21st, so if anyone wants to party before school starts....you are all welcome to join.

 

[Reece37]

so talking about apartments, i checked out a few recently and am ready to report 😉

the isle at arrowhead looked really nice, is right by starbucks/safeway/blockbuster/pei wei, and go for a rate that's hard to beat for the area. they post their available units, move-in dates, and prices online at this site http://www.equityapartments.com/market/brochure.aspx?page=overview&PropID=502
this one was at the top of my list--especially the two bedrooms but i can't justify that for just me.

like sarikate said, sage stone has great move-in specials right now. $99 move-in, $75/mo off any rental if you move-in by july 14th ($50/mo off if you move in 7/15-early august, $25/mo off from that point-september), and one mo free if you sign a 12 month lease (1/2 month free on any shorter lease). the specials sold me.

san lagos has big banners out advertising some sort of move-in special involving ipods/itunes.

adobe ridge has a dog park, takes lots of bigger dogs, and social activities like weekly breakfast and happy hour.

I just moved into Isle at Arrowhead almost two weeks ago and so far I'm very happy with it. I have a dog so it's great that they take all sizes. They also give you $200 off your first months rent, reduce the security deposit to $100 and waive the application fee. I have a two bedroom because I'm living with my boyfriend so I haven't seen the one bedrooms. Everyone is really nice and they are very quick to come and fix anything you need. I would recommend it as the best I saw in the area for anyone with pets!

 

[Reece37]

I am moving with a buddy from college and of all the apts we looked at, we decided on the isle at arrowhead. Good prices, fairly nice apts, and close to school. Seemed like the best choice...but who knows?

Anyway, good luck and let me know if you end up there. We are moving in on July 21st, so if anyone wants to party before school starts....you are all welcome to join.

Hey let me know when you get here. I'm not working or anything so I'm sure I'll be really bored by mid july!

 

[Inquiringmind24]

So I finally finished the boards this weekend, took USLME on Sunday and COMLEX the previous Tuesday. They were rough exams (8-9 hours each), but it is great to finally have them done. Having been throug the experience I thought I'd offer a little advice. First off, get to know your board review books early in the game. I really didn't do this, but I should have. So right off the bat I would have 1st Aid, BRS (Board Review Series) Phys and Biochem your first year. During the summer between first and second year I would recommend studying the microbiology section of first aid since it is concise and would give you a basic understanding of what you'll see in the second year micro class. I didn't think the micro department did a good job at all of presenting the material, so going into knowing the general characteristics and categories of the bugs would be extremely helpful. I know you won't want to study that summer, but you could easily learn the micro section of 1st aid in three months with minimal effort. After taking the class, I forgot almost all of my micro and basically had to relearn it for the boards when I could have spent more time on other subjects. It did pay off since there was alot of micro on each exam.

Starting your second year, I would buy the BRS pathology book, the BRS pharmacology and microbiology flash cards. I used the flashcards for board study and they were money. I'm just kicking myself because I didn't use them during classes. Another thing I highly recommend doing 2nd year is listening to the pathology audio lectures by Dr. Goljan who does board review for Kaplan. Many upperclassmen including myself have the audio files. In all there are 37 fifty minute lectures coving all of path for the USMLE. Dr. Goljan explains pathology very clearly and integrates lots of other basic science subjects into it. Although Dr. Devine, who teaches pathology at AZCOM does a good job, she just covers too much material in a short period of time so you come out the class having memorized disease names and associations rather than understand the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of each disorder. For pharm, make good use of the flashcards and make your own flow charts so you can get the drug names/mechanisms/side effects/drug interactions into your head more effectively.

I feel that by doing those things you will come into the board study period more prepared and much less stressed since the school really doesn't give the proper amount of study time (at least 4 weeks). Now for low yield classes like antomy/histo/embryo I would just concentrate on doing well in the classes since they are worth quite a few credits. For these classes, the Netter flash cards are awesome and the Rohan atlas will save you many smelly hours in the anatomy lab. When it comes to studying for anatomy and histology practicles make sure to form study groups and quiz eachother in the anatomy lab after hours or pimp each other from Histo atlases like Weater's or Junqueira. For me, active learning was much more effective than just reading the notes three times. As far as biochem goes, 1st Aid gives a really good overview of the subject and I would recommend reading that as you study for the class. It helps give you the big picture and major concepts when you can fill in the minutae with the lecture notes. Know your rate limiting enzymes and vitamin cofactors! For physiology, so all of the practice questions in the BRS phys book before each exam. It's a really effective way to test yourself over that material that you just covered. Not only that, the BRS book explains some concepts better than the lecture notes so if you are confused that book may make it a little more clear. Now for OMM, I really can't give you any good study advice since the quiz and exam questions are totally random and unpredictable. In other words, the amount that you study really doesn't correlate that well with how well you do.

Well that's about all I have to say right now about how I think you should approach the first two years and the boards. For the rest of the summer please relax and take it easy. Don't even think about opening a text book or "trying to get ahead early." Although it's a long, stressful and exausting two years, you can do it. It's just a matter of approaching it the right way and adjusting to the volume of material. The concepts aren't difficult, just the volume. I hope this was somewhat helpful and feel free to PM me if you have any further questions. Peace out 😎

 

[DocBR]

So I finally finished the boards this weekend, took USLME on Sunday and COMLEX the previous Tuesday.

Congrats and thanks for the advice!

👍🙂

 

[Sarikate]

So I finally finished the boards this weekend, took USLME on Sunday and COMLEX the previous Tuesday.

Yeehaw!!! Congratulations! That is awesome.

 

[Sarikate]

Our move-in date is July 20. Probably all of the Arrowhead area will know of the arrival of the bedraggled, black, spewing Saab with a roof rack made of plywood and bungee cords, perhaps a piece of the Canadian Rockies wedged tightly into the cracked windshield, two dusty faces poking out the driver and passenger windows, too shell-shocked to blurt out anything more than "We need water!"

I implore anyone who is in the area during that time to come over and have an icy beverage with us!

 

[DrFL]

Hey got accepted into the class last week! If anyone interviewed on April 20, 2007 please feel free to email me @ [email protected], for possible housing situations. Thanks

 

[siriceman64]

Hey everybody,

Just thought I would help advertise for my ex-roommate. I have a friend that's going to be a first year so I decided to get an apartment with him.

Anyway, the house I lived in last year. I rented a room from. The lady that owns the house works out of her home as a business consulting. It's at 61st and Utopia basically. An easy walk or bike ride. She was there basically in the morning for work and at night to sleep. I had the house to myself on a lot of weekends. It's $550/mo, everything included and it's a pretty nice house. Cable, internet, electric, everything included.

61st and Utopia
$550/mo
602-741-9566 or 623-587-7644

Enjoy.

 

[medschoolsoon]

Hey let me know when you get here. I'm not working or anything so I'm sure I'll be really bored by mid july!

Will do!


and Matt...congrats on surviving the boards man! You'll have to let me know how you did. Also, thanks soooo much for all of the advice and taking time out of your prep to scare the $hit out of me for first year (j/k).

Anyway, good luck w/ rotations and let me know when you get back in town...and if anyone was wondering Matt (inquiringmind) rocks!

 

[theraball]

So I finally finished the boards this weekend, took USLME on Sunday and COMLEX the previous Tuesday....

Wow, thanks for the advice; I've saved your msg to my permanent file. I've heard great things about BRS, 1st Aid and Goljan from so many people. And congratulations on finishing those boards! It must be a great feeling.
-Theraball

 

[DocBR]

Hi all AZCOMers!


If anyone is looking for a cheap place to rent, Sierra Canyon at 67th ave between union hills and bell road is pretty cheap. Not the prettiest areas, or the prettiest apartments, but a 1200sq foot 2bed/2bath goes for 860$/month.

When I went there, they had one unit that had been vacant for 3 weeks, after all the negotiation I leased it for 799$/month, with 300$ off the first months rent.

 

[DocBR]

So......

Where is everyone?

 

[Sarikate]

I'm here! Oh my god, T minus 10 days until moving day!

Hey, here's a question...did anyone get some "student packet" in the mail recently? I called student services for some info on the vaccinations we need and they said I should have received a packet in the mail. Were they talking about the one I got after I was accepted, or was there a more recent one?

 

[Birdie1144]

I'm here! Oh my god, T minus 10 days until moving day!

Hey, here's a question...did anyone get some "student packet" in the mail recently? I called student services for some info on the vaccinations we need and they said I should have received a packet in the mail. Were they talking about the one I got after I was accepted, or was there a more recent one?

There was a packet that came about a month and a half ago or 2 months...so definitely way after acceptances. The packet has the on-campus housing costs, a form for a doctor to fill out when you get a physical, the vaccine stuff, on-campus parking stuff...I think that was pretty much it. Don't worry though, I called student services too and they said that they give you some time once we get to school to complete everything in the packet. Good luck on your moving day!

 

[DocBR]

I'm here! Oh my god, T minus 10 days until moving day!

Hey, here's a question...did anyone get some "student packet" in the mail recently? I called student services for some info on the vaccinations we need and they said I should have received a packet in the mail. Were they talking about the one I got after I was accepted, or was there a more recent one?

Good luck with the move Sarikate!

Let us know when you have arrived and are settled in, maybe we can get an
AZCOM BBQ going.

 

[medschoolsoon]

I'm here! Oh my god, T minus 10 days until moving day!

Hey, here's a question...did anyone get some "student packet" in the mail recently? I called student services for some info on the vaccinations we need and they said I should have received a packet in the mail. Were they talking about the one I got after I was accepted, or was there a more recent one?

Good luck on the move and let us know how hot it really is! 👍

 

[jw523]

I'm here! Oh my god, T minus 10 days until moving day!

Hey, here's a question...did anyone get some "student packet" in the mail recently? I called student services for some info on the vaccinations we need and they said I should have received a packet in the mail. Were they talking about the one I got after I was accepted, or was there a more recent one?

The forms are also available on the student services website: (bottom right under forms)

http://mwunet.midwestern.edu/administrative/SS/ss_AZStudents.htm

Good luck with your move! I'm not moving out there until early August, can't wait to meet you all then!

 

[Sarikate]

Thank jw, now that I've scanned over the forms I realize that I did indeed receive them...they are probably floating around the pile of crap I have amassed to sell at our moving sale. "Acceptance letters...health insurance waiver forms...$10 each!" What a bargain!

Sigh.

Regarding the heat: yeah, I'll certainly report on how hot it is. You'll see my Yukon-chilled facade melt off and evaporate within 5 seconds of our drive across the border from Cali.

 

[zinfulrabbit]

Hi there all,
I've read thru all 10 pages just now, and wanted to chime in & say hi to my soon-to-be classmates.

I'm not originally from AZ, but I've lived here nearly a decade now and I enjoy it immensely. Just wish my allergies weren't so wicked. Thankfully, the heat doesn't bother me much, and sometimes feels downright soothing after being in so many over-airconditioned buildings!

I live in Phoenix, near the border of Glendale (center-ish). It's a 15-20 minute drive to AZCOM, which is amazing considering traffic the other direction. I used to drive to ASU everyday, and that required a minimum of 30-40 minutes drivetime plus another 30 minutes to find parking and walk/bus to the classes. This'll be cake in comparison.

Commuting is a requirement for nearly everything you could want to do in Phoenix metro. Everything is spaced way out, and the public transportation leaves much to be desired. Nonetheless, there is a lot of stuff near the school, so you won't need to go far to get what you need (not necessarily everything you want, though).

I'd love to join a get-together before school & orientation. Maybe someone living on or near campus can find a spot comfortably close?

If anyone has any questions about Phoenix, I'd be happy to offer what I know, not that it's all that much.

One comment about shipping pets in - it can and probably will be in the low 80s in August as the overnight low, so it is likely that it will be too warm to ship pets as cargo by 9am. The coolest part of the day is around 3am, and that is when its around 80 or slightly better; by 9am it's already quite hot, maybe in the 90s. Can the cats be shipped to arrive between 2am and 5am, (very late night/early morning)?

Thank you to all of the students who have commented and made suggestions about stuff to buy and study - I've saved those comments.

 

[DocBR]

Hi there all,

One comment about shipping pets in - it can and probably will be in the low 80s in August as the overnight low, so it is likely that it will be too warm to ship pets as cargo by 9am. The coolest part of the day is around 3am, and that is when its around 80 or slightly better; by 9am it's already quite hot, maybe in the 90s. Can the cats be shipped to arrive between 2am and 5am, (very late night/early morning)?

Yep. For those of you who have never been to Arizona during the Summer, the "Heat Island Effect" is something you will soon become very framiliar with.

 

[theraball]

Yep. For those of you who have never been to Arizona during the Summer, the "Heat Island Effect" is something you will soon become very framiliar with.

I did some house hunting a couple of weeks ago (and am going back tomorrow morning for a home inspection). It was about 110 while I was there. It didn't feel all that bad, though. I guess I don't mind the heat. The important thing is to stay hydrated and wear a hat and eat lots of really spicy Mexican food!!!

 

[amd82]

any folks planning to live at san lagos apartments?

 

[Sarikate]

My fiance and I are going to be living in a 2-bedroom in San Lagos. We signed the lease and everything. Our move-in date is July 20 although we might get there earlier. When we do get there, we'd love to meet all of you.

Yeah, I'm stressing about the cats. I'm not sure if there's any way we can get a good flight that will get us in at 3 a.m. There might be one but flights out of Alaska leave at midnight and that's pretty much it...so the cats would have to be in their carriers for 24 hours 😱 I'll have to think of something...

 

[jw523]

any folks planning to live at san lagos apartments?

I'll be living in San Lagos as well, but I won't be moving in until August 3. Hopefully we can all meet up after then 🙂

 

[JellyDonut]

Anyone here from the Houston area?? please PM me 🙂

 

[theraball]

Registration begins in 54 days. Holy cow. I'm not ready for this. I'm looking around my apartment at all the garbage we need to either throw out or put into boxes.

Is anyone else buying a place?

 

[Sarikate]

Just had our yard sale this weekend I am REALLY glad that's over with. But we made enough for gas money for our multi-thousand-mile trip! Two more days of work and then we're outta here on Thursday. These are very high-stress times.

Can't wait until all of us are settled in and enjoying being vaporized by the blistering heat!

Theraball - not buying a place this year, but we're hoping to get something next summer when we're *gasp* married! When are you moving?

 

[theraball]

We're leaving around July 25. We want to be in Okla. City by July 28 for my dad's 82nd birthday, then will get to Phoenix separately (I'm driving the car alone) a few days after that. What a lot of driving. I'm glad we only own one car. My goal is to get there before the movers and clean the place up. We're arguing over how much stuff to bring and how much to leave on the curbside. I would like to get rid of everything and just get some cheap furniture from Ikea or the like. Moving costs about as much as buying so might as well just buy.

 

[Sarikate]

Yeah, we sold all of our furniture. I had gotten everything from the thrift store anyway so I was not sad to see it go. We're bringing only clothes, a few pieces of artwork, camping gear, a precious lamp, our instruments (two violins, a viola, and a guitar!) and my old-school metal fan.

Moving is a pain in the arse, that's for sure. It'll be nice to pretty much start afresh, though. What does your S.O. think of moving?

 

[Reece37]

We're leaving around July 25. We want to be in Okla. City by July 28 for my dad's 82nd birthday, then will get to Phoenix separately (I'm driving the car alone) a few days after that. What a lot of driving. I'm glad we only own one car. My goal is to get there before the movers and clean the place up. We're arguing over how much stuff to bring and how much to leave on the curbside. I would like to get rid of everything and just get some cheap furniture from Ikea or the like. Moving costs about as much as buying so might as well just buy.

We moved out here 3 weeks ago and I've been regreting alot of the things I threw away! There was kitchen stuff and little things that I thought weren't worth bringing but it all adds up to alot of money when you get here. We got rid of most of our furniture and that I'm happy with but think twice about all those little household items (hangers, wooden spoons, bowls, towels, etc.) it appears to make sense to throw them out but then when you spend over $500 on stuff that would have fit in one or two small boxes I decided I will never that again!

 

[Testy McAterson]

i can't believe it's july! it's starting to seem real...

oh, hey, for anyone else trying to milk previous health insurance coverage until the start date of the school's health insurance coverage, i called midwestern today and they told me they back date the applications so we're covered as of august 22nd. we obviously won't have our cards then, but we're "safe" at that point.

 

[ssunshine4]

Hello all!

While I've been reading all your great input for months, I've been hesitant to speak up because I never had anything interesting to say! 🙂

Well, now I have a question I was hoping one (or more) of my fellow classmates could answer for me.

I must be missing a chromosome when it comes to financial aid...this is really my first foray into its clutches, but how does one go about borrowing money that exceeds the alotted budget given to us by AZCOM? I have car payments, mortgage, etc. and am very worried that the alotted amount won't cover it.

Thanks for all your help and I can't wait to meet you all!

 

[Sarikate]

Hello all!

While I've been reading all your great input for months, I've been hesitant to speak up because I never had anything interesting to say! 🙂

Well, now I have a question I was hoping one (or more) of my fellow classmates could answer for me.

I must be missing a chromosome when it comes to financial aid...this is really my first foray into its clutches, but how does one go about borrowing money that exceeds the alotted budget given to us by AZCOM? I have car payments, mortgage, etc. and am very worried that the alotted amount won't cover it.

Thanks for all your help and I can't wait to meet you all!

Welcome Sunshine!!!

If you exceed the budget, I think the only bet is to go with private loans...someone correct me if I'm wrong!

 

[Sarikate]

i can't believe it's july! it's starting to seem real...

oh, hey, for anyone else trying to milk previous health insurance coverage until the start date of the school's health insurance coverage, i called midwestern today and they told me they back date the applications so we're covered as of august 22nd. we obviously won't have our cards then, but we're "safe" at that point.

LOL, Testy, I was just thinking about this today. The only reason I'm still working is because if you work the first day of the month, you're covered with health insurance for that entire month. Also, I managed to milk out July 4th holiday pay even though my last day is technically the 3rd - I feel so conniving!

I'll be going insurance-less for three weeks and am just crossing my fingers that I won't have a thyrotoxic crisis or something...but I'm sure it'll be fine. At the very least, I have managed to convince my current health insurance company that I'll be in Canada for an extended vacation and so will be able to pick up two months' worth of meds today!

 

[DocBR]

Regarding health insurance; does anyone know if open enrollment is year-round, quarterly or once per year?

 

[Sarikate]

DocBR, it's yearly. We won't go without health insurance for the whole four years if you choose the school plan. It's not a bad deal (if you're used to paying up the wazoo for insurance as a non-trad especially!). August 22, 2007 through August 21, 2008. Did you see the brochure from the Chickering group?

 

[theraball]

The Midwestern plan is 700-something per month for families. That seems expensive compared to private Blue Cross coverage for $400/month (albeit with high deductibles). Maybe I'm missing something here but the Midwestern plan isn't competitive with a non-group plan. Do they provide something special like free osteopathic treatment?

 

[theraball]

Welcome Sunshine!!!

If you exceed the budget, I think the only bet is to go with private loans...someone correct me if I'm wrong!

call the school's financial aid office and tell them you need a Plus loan. It's the next thing you would get after maxing out your Stafford (gov't subsidized low interest) loans ($8500 deferred + $32000 non-deferred). But try to borrow as little as possible because debt has a way of ballooning!

 

[CyLin]

Sorry i just need to vent.. I cant believe we are paying for electricity on campus~ I was hoping to leave the AC on whole day now I gotta figure out a way to keep my room cool... any ideas?

 

[theraball]

Sorry i just need to vent.. I cant believe we are paying for electricity on campus~ I was hoping to leave the AC on whole day now I gotta figure out a way to keep my room cool... any ideas?

Hmm, maybe get there a day early and snake a cable into your neighbor's apartment?

Or, you could buy a pretty big block of dry ice and just set it down in the living room. But you'd better leave the windows open or the CO2 will eventually displace all the O2 in the apt and you'll suffocate

Actually, I suspect you'll be paying less utility bills than if you were living off campus. They do pay for some stuff like internet so you save $25 or $30/month right there.

 

[Birdie1144]

Does anyone know which cell phone companies have the best coverage in the Glendale area? The reason why I ask is b/c I don't want to repeat what happened when I went to UCD...Sprint does not get very good service in most parts of Davis 🙁. I just don't want that to happen again. Thanks!

 

[Reece37]

Does anyone know which cell phone companies have the best coverage in the Glendale area? The reason why I ask is b/c I don't want to repeat what happened when I went to UCD...Sprint does not get very good service in most parts of Davis 🙁. I just don't want that to happen again. Thanks!

I have verizon and it is good around here. I don't know about any of the other services so I don't know if that really helps you.