AZCOM Discussion thread 2008-2009

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For those living on campus, is there a site where people are looking for roommates? I don't really have a strong preference for who I live with (I'm pretty easygoing) but I still feel a little weird having AZCOM randomly assign me with someone. I guess bad experiences with randomly assigned roommates in the past have me a bit jaded.
 
You can check on the AZCOM Class of 2013 Facebook website.

There are two discussions one regarding housing, and the other for people who are looking for roomates!

Hope it helps!!
 
Do any of you all know whether AZCOM has any international electives for students? I was just wondering if there were any fun opportunities available, like over spring break next year etc?
 
This is temporary. They don't have a full-time person staffing the front desk there yet and so they have work-study students filling in. This is why it is only open limited hours this week. This could have even changed since the last time I talked to someone.

Also, there are showers to clean up. The old gym in the barrel student center still has it's showers and lockers too.

On a side note I overheard other students talking about the gym today (right after I wrote my original post) and they weren't as pleased with the new place as I am. Said the weight room is too small. I figure it is way bigger than what we had before and the old place was never full anyway.

A lot of students (I think) have a gym membership at the aquatics center down the street and I guess hypothetically if they all canceled their gym membership and started using the new school gym regularly then it could get crowded. In my experience, however, very few people go to the gym as regularly as they intend to. I usually see the same couple of people there every time I go.

Thanks for clarifying. I appreciate it. 👍

I think it would be fun to have a workout accountability group. I don't want to be getting any fatter as a med student, like many do.

A few years ago, I was going through a rough period in my life, and I had gained all the way up to 100 pounds over my ideal weight. (That was quite unpleasant.) I've lost a lot of weight since then especially after starting to eat a (near) vegan diet, and feel a million times better now. I still have a ways to go, and hope to get to reach my ideal weight for my height by the end of this year. If any of you guys want to do fun fitness stuff together - whether it be kicking butt at the gym, or going hiking or playing sports or whatever - let me know, as that would be great.
 
Even when I'm here at the MA program, they send out mass emails to everyone when hosting things like rock climbing or hiking. I'm sure the 2013 class will plan lots of things like the 2012 one does, at least from what my 1st year friend tells me.
 
Honestly I don't really like working out in front of others (weird, I know) but I agree with rkaz that some accountability would be a good thing since I haven't been to the gym in over a year now. I'm also thinking about competing in a couple pageants this summer, so I definitely need to get back in shape (oh, and for my own personal health, too) :laugh:
 
I could use some gym time as well and some sort of accountability would definitely help.
 
A gym buddy is definitely the way to go. Nothing helps you get to the gym when you are tired/lazy like a friend calling you. I'm 100% up for a workout buddy if someone is interested in one. After playing a sport in college, i just can't go without working out or I'll go nuts! also, any tennis players out there? It's my new sport i'm learning and would like to find someone who likes to play/hit the ball around 🙂
 
i started a thread about nsu vs. azcom, do you guys want to go over there an comment

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=610219
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TeamZissou thanks for giving the link to those match lists. They were very helpful. I am a So Cal native, and I have narrowed my choice down to AZCOM and UMDNJ.. I am interested in sports medicine and PM&R,(I know its early and am open to other field, but thats where my passions lie and I have had the most exposure.) I have a great respect for Internist, but when I shadowed an IM doc, it didn't tickly my fancy like muscles and bones.. lol.. (and yes, I said tickle my fancy.. the name and interest could be ambigious, but im a girl😛 and its late, but I have a week to make this decision, so the wheels are turning and now always in a sensical way.. )

but back to the point..

So exposure to those areas is one of my deciding factors. I have a lot of friends how come to Arizona to train, so I am saddening by the lack of exposure into sports medicine. I know theres API in Scottsdale.. Does anyone know it AZCOM has any communicaiton or relationship with them as far as on the rehabailitations aspect? I could be wrong.. From my understanding in order to get a sports medicine or PM&R rotations, I would have to set it up for myself.. I mean I am willing to do it, I am def. a go-getter, but was wondering if any current students had any insight on the exposure within the curriculum or rotations to sports medicine.

:help:I appreciate any and all feedback.. You guys have been so helpful to others. Good luck to all!!

so past my bedtime.. i apologize for my poor grammar and spelling😴 if ur one of those people reading this who bothered by stuff like that...
 
TeamZissou thanks for giving the link to those match lists. They were very helpful. I am a So Cal native, and I have narrowed my choice down to AZCOM and UMDNJ.. I am interested in sports medicine and PM&R,(I know its early and am open to other field, but thats where my passions lie and I have had the most exposure.) I have a great respect for Internist, but when I shadowed an IM doc, it didn't tickly my fancy like muscles and bones.. lol.. (and yes, I said tickle my fancy.. the name and interest could be ambigious, but im a girl😛 and its late, but I have a week to make this decision, so the wheels are turning and now always in a sensical way.. )

but back to the point..

So exposure to those areas is one of my deciding factors. I have a lot of friends how come to Arizona to train, so I am saddening by the lack of exposure into sports medicine. I know theres API in Scottsdale.. Does anyone know it AZCOM has any communicaiton or relationship with them as far as on the rehabailitations aspect? I could be wrong.. From my understanding in order to get a sports medicine or PM&R rotations, I would have to set it up for myself.. I mean I am willing to do it, I am def. a go-getter, but was wondering if any current students had any insight on the exposure within the curriculum or rotations to sports medicine.

:help:I appreciate any and all feedback.. You guys have been so helpful to others. Good luck to all!!

so past my bedtime.. i apologize for my poor grammar and spelling😴 if ur one of those people reading this who bothered by stuff like that...

I was looking at rotations the other day, here are the MSIV rotations for 2008-2009. You have the opportunity to do 4 weeks of specialty IM (which includes PM&R or Sports Medicine) but you also get 18 weeks of electives (I read somewhere that you actually get 24 but it says 18 so oh well). It is my understanding that if you wanted to do your rotations at hospitals other than those that the school is set up with, then you would have to schedule them yourselves but you are limited as to how many rotations you can set up yourself/do outside of their programming. It is my (I think reasonable) assumption that they do have rotations in PM&R/sports medicine set up or available so you would not have to schedule it yourself. Then again, I can't promise that but at the end of my interview I asked about those aspects of rotations and they were reassuring. Granted I did not ask about PM&R or sports medicine but since they are listed in their electives/subspecialties on the website I would think it would be the same.
 
im confused about the clinical rotations......is the third year set for you and then the whole 4th year you go and look for your own??? Thanks to anyone who responds!
 
A gym buddy is definitely the way to go. Nothing helps you get to the gym when you are tired/lazy like a friend calling you. I'm 100% up for a workout buddy if someone is interested in one. After playing a sport in college, i just can't go without working out or I'll go nuts! also, any tennis players out there? It's my new sport i'm learning and would like to find someone who likes to play/hit the ball around 🙂

I am definitely up for this. I used to play tennis back in high school... it's been many years since I've picked up a tennis racket, but I'd be glad to get re-acquainted with you. Gym buddies would be great too.

I think once school starts I'd definitely be interested in getting some activities together. I know we'll all be stressed with studying, so it would be good to find healthy and constructive ways to deal with stress and keep ourselves fit and active. I personally do not drink, so I will rarely be kicking back at the bars. But I'd love to find healthy activities to be involved with together with my classmates.

I definitely need a fitness buddy! I am in!

👍

Hmmm maybe I should train a few people.....

That would be awesome! Are you certified as a trainer, or just knowledgeable from your own self-training? Since most of us here are pretty broke, I'm not really sure how much money we could afford to pay you though. Maybe we'd return the favor in other ways though... like I could fix you lunch. Except then you'd get stuck eating an organic vegan lunch.... 😉

Honestly I don't really like working out in front of others (weird, I know) but I agree with rkaz that some accountability would be a good thing since I haven't been to the gym in over a year now.

I can kinda understand. If I'm just walking on the treadmill, then obviously I can do it alone (or while listening to my ipod) and don't need someone else to be there. However, having buddies can help with accountability though, especially for group activities - like committing to take an exercise class together and making sure the other person shows up, or doing other fun things like sports or hiking. It's nice to have people along for those sorts of activities.

From past experience, I have found that gym buddies are much more committed in the evenings. When I was an undergrad working as an RA in a dorm, I committed with 2 other of my staff members to go workout at 6:30am. We'd give each other a 6am wake-up call, and then meet down by 6:30. At first they were all gung-go, but after a couple of days, I was the only one calling them, and they wouldn't pick up their phones. And then I'd just end up going to the gym by myself... or sometimes I too would get lazy, and be like "if they aren't getting up, then neither am I" and I'd just go back to sleep. So I find that it's better for me to workout in the morning by myself, and if I want to do something later in the evening, it's better going with others.
 
im confused about the clinical rotations......is the third year set for you and then the whole 4th year you go and look for your own??? Thanks to anyone who responds!

Third year is mostly set up for you - I think they give you some options, but within those choices/tracks for you to pick from, and they set the rest of things up. If you have a particular area of interest - such as FP/IM or surgery, I think they try to help you get more exposure to that. For instance, for the rural rotation - I think most people would have to do that in rural FP/IM, but if you are are very set on becoming a surgeon, then they might find you a placement in rural surgery. That's what the assistant dean told me.

There are a few required clerkships 4th year, so the whole year is not entirely yours for the choosing. As far as the 32 week electives go, my understanding is that you can choose to rotate in any program around the country that accepts you. I don't know if the school has to give you some sort of approval for those rotations.
 
Any thoughts out there on buying a house? I am married...with a dog, and we would LOVE to finally get a house with a back yard! We aren't from AZ, so my husband would have to find a job. I am not sure if they will let you buy when we both wouldn't have a job 9until my hub fidns one and who knows how long that could take!)...anyone have any idea what the job market is like out there? (He's a firefighter now and would love to continue that in AZ). Thanks for thoughts!😀
 
real estate in phoenix has dropped the most in percentage terms, nationwide, since we got into this housing slump (i'd assume glendale is about the same). i think buying a house is an EXCELLENT investment at this time, especially if you can rent out a room or two. the housing market is projected to recover by the time we graduate, so it's definitely not a bad idea.

i can't speak on your situation, but if you can qualify for a loan and get a house then i'd do it. the only reason im deciding to stay on campus for housing is because i'm interested in the ohio rotations and so buying a house for possibly 2 years may not be worth the hassle. good luck in getting a house!
 
speaking of housing...when are we going to get our housing assignments?!?! they said mid-march..and it's past mid-march albeit just a few days :laugh:😀
 
anyone know how hard it is to get a mortgage if youre on grad school loans? do you need a job?
 
The job market out here isn't very nice unfortunately.
My 18 yr old son is having a heck of a time finding something.

I have no idea on the fire fighter stuff. But it is coming up on the dry season so that might be a good thing (or a bad thing, hmmmm).

As far as housing goes, I agree if you can buy it is the time.
In my neighborhood there are a lot of bank repos and empty houses.
People are just making ridiculous offers.
I live about 10-15min from campus and you don't even have to get on a freeway to get to school (yes!!!).
 
Anyone dressing up for the first day???

I know they said ID and class pictures but it is going to be HOT!
I was planning on jeans and (gulp) a long sleeve shirt.
 
Anyone dressing up for the first day???

I know they said ID and class pictures but it is going to be HOT!
I was planning on jeans and (gulp) a long sleeve shirt.

Dude it's Arizona lol 🙂 Flip flops are never out of style haha.

I went to ASU half the time in workout pants and tank tops or workout shirts. You will sweat no matter what you do. You will tint your windows; you will sweat in your car. You will walk from one class to another and barely be able to open your eyes it's so bright in the middle of the summer. But in the winter it's so nice and all the apartment complexes have pools so it's not hard to cool off. Not to mention the summer nights out here are just perfect.

Although I wonder if people dress a little more professional for med school than we did in our undergrad days which means I might have to leave my big giant bear slippers at home 😉
 
The job market out here isn't very nice unfortunately.
My 18 yr old son is having a heck of a time finding something.

I have no idea on the fire fighter stuff. But it is coming up on the dry season so that might be a good thing (or a bad thing, hmmmm).

As far as housing goes, I agree if you can buy it is the time.
In my neighborhood there are a lot of bank repos and empty houses.
People are just making ridiculous offers.
I live about 10-15min from campus and you don't even have to get on a freeway to get to school (yes!!!).

could you describe what a ridiculous buy is? like give us examples?
 
There are homes that are going up for auction all over town.
In fact there was a 5 bed two bath in Black Canyon City (which is a little ways out) that went for $75K. Now I have no idea what the condition of the home was but that is ridiculous.

Now "in town" houses that were $250K two years ago are now going to $130K.
My old next door neighbor, old because he walked from his house, bought his house for $520K. Six months after he bought Pulty lowered the price of the same house with all of the upgrades to $480K. Ouch!

There are houses in the 59th Ave and Union Hills area that you could get for $100K-$150K. Not a bad area and only 3 miles from school.

If you don't mind a drive I am sure you could find some even better deals in Buckeye or Surprise. There were a lot of home bulders in those areas that just went house building crazy over the past couple years. I know they have a lot of inventory in those areas.
 
I am considering the option of getting a house in the area (although I have also applied for on-campus housing). My main issue is that if I get a house or condo close to campus... then I'll obviously still have it during 3rd/4th year, and it might be far away from the sites of our clinical rotations.

Plus, my other issue is that I am not sure about the safety issues. Being female, this is an issue to me. Living on campus would be pretty safe, I'd assume, especially as it's a gated community (although I could get the same benefit living in a condo in a gated area). If I got a house then I don't know if that would be safe for me to be there by myself... though eventually I'd find someone to live with me, once I get to know my classmates better. But that may take some time. So I'm wondering if just living on campus for the first 2 years is best.
 
Hmm, yeah, I would look into those sites before buying anything, but did you also have audition rotations in mind? I plan on going out of state if I have the choice.

Also, about safety: I wouldn't worry too much about it. Glendale is a retirement city and the only reported crime last year was vandalism, I believe. Trust me, nothing goes on around here, good or bad :laugh:
 
I am considering the option of getting a house in the area (although I have also applied for on-campus housing). My main issue is that if I get a house or condo close to campus... then I'll obviously still have it during 3rd/4th year, and it might be far away from the sites of our clinical rotations.

Plus, my other issue is that I am not sure about the safety issues. Being female, this is an issue to me. Living on campus would be pretty safe, I'd assume, especially as it's a gated community (although I could get the same benefit living in a condo in a gated area). If I got a house then I don't know if that would be safe for me to be there by myself... though eventually I'd find someone to live with me, once I get to know my classmates better. But that may take some time. So I'm wondering if just living on campus for the first 2 years is best.

In most part, rings true for me. Not so worried about safety, but definitely from a visionary perspective, buying/renting a condo/house for me doesn't seem worth it in my life right now.

Looking at the prices of housing over there, I strongly considered the idea, but than I didn't want that responsibility, since I don't intend to stay in AZ for residency. Either finding a roomate to share an apt/or on campus housing in my cozy studio sounds the best for me.

I do understand incoming students with families, looking for houses in the area. And if you do plan on staying, it is a great investement! Good luck in finding a home that fits your needs.
 
so where do you stay when you are doing audition rotations??? do you stay in one of those extended stay hotels i guess while you are there for only a month or 2?
 
so where do you stay when you are doing audition rotations??? do you stay in one of those extended stay hotels i guess while you are there for only a month or 2?

That would add up horrendously fast. Most of the cities I want to audition in have family and friends I could ask for some help in terms of short term housing. But, I'm sure there are other options, since so many people have done it before. I'll worry about it as the time gets closer.
 
Hey everyone!
Has anyone gotten a double extension on the deposit, or know anyone who has? I already got my deposit extended about a month and its due on friday, but I'm suspossed to hear something from an instate school on wednesday...so that 2 days is going to be pretty stressful regardless. I don't want to be annoying and keep calling and asking, but I know they are all really friendly. But, that $1000 is a LOT of money right now! Thanks in advance for any input!
 
does anyone know when we will receive our on-campus housing assignments?
 
does anyone know when we will receive our on-campus housing assignments?

I emailed Jose today and he said we should find out next Tuesday (hopefully). They are not full yet so thats good news for those who are looking for on campus housing!
 
does the student housing have a fridge???

Yeah, you get most of the regular appliances that come with unfurnished apartments like a microwave and dishwasher. However, only the washer and dryer come with the luxury packages.

I emailed Jose today and he said we should find out next Tuesday (hopefully). They are not full yet so thats good news for those who are looking for on campus housing!

Hey, thanks for the update. I've been meaning to check up on that, but since no one else in my class has had an update, I figured he was just behind.
 
No problem! I was hesitant to ask him but I figured I would have to book a flight and fly down there to look at places if I couldn't live on campus so I wanted to know what my chances were.
 
Yeah, I see how it is harder for most people coming in. Like Renny, I'm in their SMP so if it falls through, at least we're in town to check things out. I also figure a lot of people are in the area (Tempe, Scottsdale, etc.) so they might have less concern with how it turns out.

Hopefully we'll get spots with those new complexes opening up.
 
anyone have any cons about the student housing?

Expensive.
My 2br in North Scottsdale which is a more pricey area was $750/month.

Basically you're paying for the location close to campus. But for the price of a studio or 1br there you can own a house.
 
my student guide told me it was cheaper to live on dorms....thats strange
 
my student guide told me it was cheaper to live on dorms....thats strange

Yeah I heard the same thing. Someone in my interview group said she lives across the street and pays a bit more for her studio of comperable size. Thats not to say its "cheap" by any token but its not THAT bad. I pay more for my current place and its smaller than their 1 bedroom on campus. That being said a 2 bedroom for $750/month would be nice 🙂.
 
If you have a car and are willing to drive within a 5 mile radius of campus there are plenty of decent places that are cheaper than living in the on-campus housing or across the street. I'm currently splitting a 2bed/2bath paying $425/month including all utilities and internet. I live 4 miles away and it takes me anywhere between 7-12 min depending on traffic.
 
I was looking at 3br condos maybe 10-12 miles away that are selling for under $100k.

You can do a lot better than those prices. Take a look on craiglist for example. You just might have to drive a little more; maybe 5 miles or so like Renny said. The west side is cheap. Also punch in Peoria and Phoenix in your search. Those are close by. North Scottsdale is only a 20 min drive away (no traffic that is) and is beautiful.
 
Hey everyone,
I am currently looking for housing and would love to live on campus with a roomate, i would like to live in the 2 bedroom apartments with the dishwasher and upgrades, so if anyone has a current room in that available or wants to get one together please PM me. I am a 21 yr old male by the way if that matters. PM me and ask me whatever if need be.
 
my student guide told me that they have tests on mondays and fridays? does that mean we will have a 2 tests every week? Do any current students want to explain how testing works
 
my student guide told me that they have tests on mondays and fridays? does that mean we will have a 2 tests every week? Do any current students want to explain how testing works

There isn't always 2 tests every week. Some weeks both Monday/Friday tests, and other weeks only a Monday test. So 1-2 tests every week. Though I think a current student would be better at providing specifics about this, as I'm only regurgitating what I've read somewhere.
 
Does anyone know if AZCOM is still sending interview invites? I applied late and I was just wondering. Thx🙂
 
my student guide told me that they have tests on mondays and fridays? does that mean we will have a 2 tests every week? Do any current students want to explain how testing works

There isn't always 2 tests every week. Some weeks both Monday/Friday tests, and other weeks only a Monday test. So 1-2 tests every week. Though I think a current student would be better at providing specifics about this, as I'm only regurgitating what I've read somewhere.

I had this same question and I found the MSI schedule for Spring 2009 on the MWU intranet:

http://mwunet.midwestern.edu/administrative/Registrar/documents/09_SPBlocks/MS_I.pdf

If you want the directory of block schedules (includes MSIIs and other schedules for other programs), it can be found here:

http://mwunet.midwestern.edu/administrative/Registrar/regAZ.htm#Blocks

So yeah, pretty much what has been said, sometimes tests on Mondays and Fridays, sometimes not. I don't know if this is the most recent schedule but I would assume its pretty concrete (then again I am not a current student so I technically know nothing for sure).

Hope that helps!
 
Wow, it's really exciting seeing the classes laid out like that. Even though I know that I'm going to medical school this year, it still hasn't sunk in fully. It probably won't really sink in until the first week of school, when I'll probably be hit with the reality of what I've gotten myself into.
 
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