AZCOM.......dirty little secrets

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Speaking of partial truths, why don't you tell everyone how you skipped classes to study for boards. I'm in your class and we all know how you never went to class and let your grades slip so that you could do well on the boards. How is it that AZCOM prepared you well if you had to skip all your classes to acquire enough time to study? I'm in your class so I can attest to this. I'm just jealous because I wish I would have listened to you and done the same :love:

HeHe. Everyone learns differently, Once I knew what I needed to know (Read got the notes) I was more efficient on my own. The faculty puts it all together, but i have to learn it, and I can read the notes just as well as they can.

I was wondering if someone would call me on that though. :laugh: And my grades only slipped in that last quarter cause it wasn't going to affect my GPA. :p

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::Ahem:: Okay, well, you got into a bunch of D.O. schools this year...So you have potential for sure. If you improve your App, might you be able to get into one that's a better fit for you? Maybe DMU, PCOM, CCOM or some other? Oh yeah, and while the residency does matter a great deal... if you go to a crappy school, can you get a good residency? Hmmmm.... This school seemed fishy to me from the interview day, and my fears have been confirmed. There were several holes in the info they gave us.. like the fact that they only included the 2001 residency match list... and notice we had to get the newer ones from people on SDN who were current students, because the info is not on the admissions site for prospective students. Wouldnt they want to advertise something good if they had it? Notice that schools like DMU are open with that sort of info, proudly displaying it on their websites, not hidden away.

So, it seems from your posts that your mind is made up. You don't believe AZCOM is the right choice for you. So please, give up your provisional acceptance & allow someone else to enjoy the ability to go to medical school. I am sure someone on the waitlist would love to be in your shoes and have the ability to go to AZCOM.
 
Okay, so all of the negative points have been beaten to death so I will express some of the strengths of this school.

Despite our full curriculum, students tend to do pretty well overall. The average on most exams was around 86% for our class. Most of the students I associated with were scoring in the high 80's to low 90's range. I honestly believe that it's possible for anyone to score in the low 90's in each class just through hard work and discipline. I don't feel like the professors try to limit students in this regard. For example, one of those clinical classes (CC) boasted a 90% average overall this past quarter. The average grade for path was 87%. Most students do quite well and so will you.

The weekly exams can be difficult but you get to used to it. We used to have dinner on Friday night or some people would go out on Saturday for a brief period. It doesn't even phase you by the start of second year.

I love Phoenix and I feel like there is a lot to do. I went to Cancun in November with my family and I felt like wasn't seeing anything unique. Phoenix feels like paradise. Seriously, our campus looks like a resort. Students are wearing flip flops. There are palm trees everywhere. Every dorm and apartment has a large olympic size pool. You can see people riding bikes, jogging etc.We have professional sports, great shopping, dining, clubbing. I think the weather is an asset. It's hot in the summer but it makes studying a lot easier in January when it's not freezing outside. It's sunny almost every day and I feel that it helps improve your mood.There are many great sports bars near campus. Several of us met at R.T. O'Sullivans to watch the Suns/Lakers playoff games. If you want to go out, north Scottsdale has many posh and wonderful restaurants and clubs. And if you really want to party, you can drive to south Scottsdale or Tempe.

We have an amazing class atmosphere. People are always sharing study guides, and notes. There was always some student that took their time to create a study guide to make it easier on the class days before the exam. Upper classmen are always volunteering their time. If you have questions, you can e-mail them and they will respond promptly. If you want to rotate somewhere or do residency somewhere, graduates will go out of their way to help you from what I heard. I always feel a sense of support here. Even now, I'm terrified by boards but my friends and I call each other regularly or have dinner just to get together and bond. On our last day of class, about 20 of us rented a party bus and went to Scottsdale. In the winter, a large group of us went to a Suns game. I've heard horror stories about the overly competitive and cut-throat environment at others schools but I don't get that same feeling at AZCOM and I feel that's a real asset. I heard someone complain about the podiatry class. The podiatry class created a website that anyone could log onto. They used to provide notes, and other study aids to any student who wanted them. So when I hear that it's a burden to share classes with the podiatry students, I have to laugh.

The faculty has helped us on several occassions. They were willing to move exams for us to make it easier on our schedules. I can tell you that a few of them extended dates for us so that we could have more time to study. If you have questions, their office hours are always open and welcome students to stop by and ask for help.

We have all worked hard these past two years but I can assure you we've had a lot of fun too. I've had some of the best years of my life thus far. I'm aware of the problems but I don't focus on them. AZCOM can serve you well and it can provide you an opportunity to be very successfull. Those who are about to start should be excited.
 
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I agree. After just finishing first year, and talking with a lot 2nd 3rd and 4th years, virtually everyone responds positively about their experience at AZCOM. It's mostly the frustrated ones that vent on sdn. AZCOM is awesome, and I've never been happier or in a better place. I do disagree with the statement that anyone can get in the low 90's if they try hard enough though. I apparently have no such gift. People in my class are WAY smart, I'm lucky just to keep my head above the C mark. :eek: Dang Mormons...
 
Can anyone speak to the timeline for how quickly the class size will be increased? I didn't see it in the other posts but perhaps I missed it. Not that it makes any difference, but I will be applying this coming cycle. Once I was through with anatomy, I probably wouldn't be that worried about class size.

How selfish of me. :p
 
I'll add one more thought about the type of student best suited to AZCOM. I think to be successful at any school that's not really top-notch, and AZCOM is not yet really top-notch, you have to have just a little contempt for the school.

If you are completely opposed to the school's mission, detest the idea of any clinic-based or rural rotations, perish at the thought of any travel during your last two years, and wish every day that you'd taken that acceptance to Harvard instead, of course AZCOM will not serve you well.

However. I also think that unquestioning loyalty to the school's sytem will more often than not end in heartbreak. Preclinical education will *always* have patches. An osteopathic school in the Phoenix suburbs is not the final destination for most PhDs or academic physicians. Turnover's inevitable, and it will often mean that you're worse off in Subject X than the class ahead of you.

Clinical rotations will always be less stable than if we had a major several-hundred-bed teaching hospital for our exclusive use. Shelf tests (so long as AZCOM insists on using its own) will probably continue to be riddled with vague questions, arbitrary zebras, and embarrassing spelling errors that suggest a perhaps drunken indifference to any semblance of quality.

If you make your peace with this, you free yourself from the traditional med student mindset of unquestioning acceptance of everything shoved your way and have a rather unique opportunity to tailor a program to your own needs.

AZCOM is a great school for proactive students who have a vision for their own education. Those who do not, and believe that all their needs will be met by the school if they just show up on time to class and take whatever lottery assignments they're given, will probably get more out of a more traditional school.

I've rotated through over a dozen hospitals during the last two years, and I'm convinced that my classmates have better clinical skills than pretty much anywhere else. This is in no small part to the many different places we rotate and the legwork we have to do to get the most out of a rotation: it fosters discernment, critical thinking, an ability to compare treatment strategies that someone stuck in the traditional closed-system model cannot attain as easily. But I hung out with the people I liked, who tended to be the ones passionate first and foremost about becoming good clinicians (many of whom are posting on this thread). If you identify with that sort of mindset, you probably can't pick a better school than AZCOM, despite its many significant flaws.
 
Can anyone speak to the timeline for how quickly the class size will be increased? I didn't see it in the other posts but perhaps I missed it. Not that it makes any difference, but I will be applying this coming cycle. Once I was through with anatomy, I probably wouldn't be that worried about class size.

How selfish of me. :p

I was the class president of the MS II's this past year and I worked closely with our SGA president and MS III Class President who are also on this thread. I'm sure we can all agree that this idea became a part of the rumor mill and escalated into a massive horror story. The school has plans to ultimately increase the class size to 250 students but it's not going to happen overnight. When I sat in those deans' meeting, I came away thinking it would be 3 or 4 years before that happened. I cerntainly don't believe the class of 2011 and 2012 would be affected. I could be wrong so don't quote me on that but that was the impression I came away with.
 
To any prospective AZCOM students, this might be of interest. That tuition we pay is going for something. I learned today from a Dept. head that we have seven buildings in the works! And that doesn't even count new construction that will be required if the class sizes increase. I don't remember all the buildings mentioned, but there's a new Student Services bldg, new fitness center, new graduation auditorium and (I think) a new lecture hall among them.

This week was also the grand opening of our new clinic. A beautiful 40,000 sf building with rooms for Family Practice, OMM and even Denistry. The design fits with aforementioned "country club" look of the gorgeous campus.

On a final note, I have to agree with Rahul, this is a great location. Coming from the Northwest, it's soooo nice to walk outside any day and see the sun. Unwind climbing Thunberbird Mtn (about 1 mile North), road biking to Lake Pleasant, mountain biking or rock climbing in the desert or just playing sand volleyball on campus with classmates. We even have year 'round outdoor lap swimming at the aquatics center (about 1 mile South)!

With all of AZCOM's imperfections, there's certainly a lot to like and be proud of.
 
I agree with tucker. I would come here again if given the choice between the multiple other osteopathic medical schools I was given acceptance (MSUCOM, COMP, Touro, UHS). There are many decisions that go into what school fits your own individualized needs; clinical education, didactic education, board pass rate/scores, where the students match (probably the most important), location and atmosphere of the city, atmosphere of the students.

And of all of those things...when it comes down to it, one of the most important factors would probably come down to the match. It's just about what residencies the students get into, but also where (university academic center, university affiliated-private hospital, community hospital, large city, small city).

Also, my 3rd year rotation schedule was fantastic. And I couldn't be happier with the way my 4th year audition rotations schedule has worked out; all confirmed rotations:
1) Good Samaritan in Phoenix (Nephrology)
2) Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix (Neurology)
3) St. Josephs in Phoenix (Subinternship in IM, was also accepted for Neuro but months available didn't work out. I was particularly pumped about this one as the Barrows Neurological Institute is considered one of the best in the WORLD)
4) Legacy Emanual in Portland, OR (Subinternship in IM)
5) Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, WA (Family Medicine)
6) Providence St. Vincents in Portland, OR (ICU)



I am a entering fourth year with alot of experience in dealing with the administration.

#1. We were allowed 4 out of state rotations as compared to the class below me, which is now allowed 3. You can petition for more if needed.

#2. There are so many partial truths in some of these post that they cannot all be corrected.

Many of the faculty members that are leaving are retiring, It happens that this also occurs when 3-4 have left to start programs at other schools. Yes AZCOM has it's problems, and believe me I have dealt with my share, But with all of those problems I'd come here again in a heart beat.

I think the OP's concern about rotations is valid, but is not based on experiences. We can have as good of a clerkship as we want. we may have to put in more work, but it is usually worth it, and is not usually that much extra anyway.

I was well prepared for both the COMLEX, and USMLE. I think that alot of the underclassmen feel that they should be able to take the boards immediately after classes second year with no additional study. I worked my butt off and scored well into the 90th %ile on both exams.

Also, financially if you have questions about MWU's finances and how they use our money ask the CFO, they are very open. The information I have is that each program must stand alone and pay for itself. The new buildings are built with bond money not tuition dollars.

Now for some of the bad,
Post-rotation exams are a joke, we should take the shelf. Some of the classes in the first years are redundant and unnecessary, but for the most part are not bad.

You do have to do a good portion of the leg work in your clinical years, but IMO this allows you to tailor your education somewhat.

Be wary what you read on these forums, everyone has their opinion, but as always it is just an opinion. Many more people are glad they came here despite the somewhat minor shortcomings, but there are those that are not happy with their choice.

Good Luck to all in your rotations and clinical years. Things are much more fun when you are seeing patients.

Just my .02
 
Necro the thread over and over gais!!!
 
Its been five years since this controversy started. Any changes worth mentioning?
 
Its been five years since this controversy started. Any changes worth mentioning?
60e26fcf_Thread_Necromancer.jpeg
 
I believe this is a legitimate question considering tuition at this school is now over $52k.
 
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