Interesting grab from reddit regarding ATSU-SOMA

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kelminak

kelminak

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I found this post just before it got deleted and I'm not sure if anyone would be interested in reading it here. If not, it can just be removed. To be clear, I didn't write this and thought I'd just share what I found since someone was willing to take the time to vent. They could just be doing poorly and needed and outlet.

"So just to give you premeds a heads up, there is a school that needs to be avoided at all costs in the Great State of Arizona. That School is ATSU-SOMA.

If you ever want to be weighed down by endless busy work, guaranteed to deprive you of valuable study time, or monitored and treated like junior high-school students to ensure you are doing said busy work or be penalized with a negative Dean's letter, then by all means, go there.

If you are looking for curriculum changes that are implemented in the middle of an academic year, a faculty that has no issue with getting worthless OMT "research" published, then please attend school here. Want to spend 4 useless hours a week doing OMT with little to no supervision? Go here.

The school is not a total loss however, the anatomy faculty, every last one of them, are amazing, and Herculean efforts are made by said staff to remedy the fact that the school no longer has a cadaver lab. This came after the realization that we'd already spent the first half of the year inhaling too much formaldehyde.

Save your money premeds, becoming a doc is just not worth it, at least not through this school. Find a more reputable osteopathic school if you must, hell go carribean, but don't go to this school. Endless BS that is more than guaranteed to steer you into a specialty you don't want, and in doing so likely lines the pockets of a dean that couldn't care less.

If you didn't do so hot on your MCAT, and absolutely want to attend med school ASAP, slap yourself in the face, and apply anywhere but here….it just isn't worth it. Seriously. Don't."
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is it just me or do these anonymous "school hate" posts seem more common with DO schools?
 
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keels99 said:
...This is why I don't trust reviews of places since the unsatisfied always seem to have the loudest voices.
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I agree in full. This has been my feeling on reviews in general for quite awhile. Whether you are on Newegg looking at reviews for computer components, on RateMyProfessor, or any other myriad of things including medschool discussions, it has been my experience that the folks that post reviews there are always either the people who absolutely and usually blindly love something or absolutely hate it and have some proverbial ax to grind.
 
I didn't like SOMA either tbh. When I left last year I prayed that they wouldn't accept me or else it would truly be an enormously awkward decision of taking a year off or going to a school that I found nothing in ( all the people I talked to at the school essentially chose to latter and really didn't tell me that the school was their first choice).

I'm not doing to say it's the worst school, I just think it's designed for a student that can put up with a lot of crap.
From having an accelerated 11 month first year. 8 out of 11 rotation sites ( 3 year sites in many places like rural swamp land in SC or mountain areas of Arizona that are very far from cities and daily comforts that many ppl consider necessary or etc) are truly unlivable for most students and even then probably all but the New York one have you driving around like a mad man to get to your rotations. The enormous mission based emphasis that basically puts OMM as god tier medicine and shames MDs and shames hospital based or in patient based medicine for not seeking out communities at need.
It a just to me seemed too much. But I think I could have forgiven all of that if not for the overall cheapness of the school. It was so unimpressive.

Where as some schools had simulation rooms with multiple bodies the school had only two. Where as other schools are at least walking or biking distance from housing SOMA is essentially a part of the desert. And where as many schools tried their best to communicate why certain issues occurred SOMA brushed off any questions regarding things like low pass rates as exaggeration.

When I flew back home after the interview I could honestly say that for someone it may be the right school. But for me it was not.
 
serenade said:
I didn't like SOMA either tbh. When I left last year I prayed that they wouldn't accept me or else it would truly be an enormously awkward decision of taking a year off or going to a school that I found nothing in ( all the people I talked to at the school essentially chose to latter and really didn't tell me that the school was their first choice).

I'm not doing to say it's the worst school, I just think it's designed for a student that can put up with a lot of crap.
From having an accelerated 11 month first year. 8 out of 11 rotation sites ( 3 year sites in many places like rural swamp land in SC or mountain areas of Arizona that are very far from cities and daily comforts that many ppl consider necessary or etc) are truly unlivable for most students and even then probably all but the New York one have you driving around like a mad man to get to your rotations. The enormous mission based emphasis that basically puts OMM as god tier medicine and shames MDs and shames hospital based or in patient based medicine for not seeking out communities at need.
It a just to me seemed too much. But I think I could have forgiven all of that if not for the overall cheapness of the school. It was so unimpressive.

Where as some schools had simulation rooms with multiple bodies the school had only two. Where as other schools are at least walking or biking distance from housing SOMA is essentially a part of the desert. And where as many schools tried their best to communicate why certain issues occurred SOMA brushed off any questions regarding things like low pass rates as exaggeration.

When I flew back home after the interview I could honestly say that for someone it may be the right school. But for me it was not.
Click to expand...

They have something like ~100 students for 11 months. I can't imagine them investing too much in the facilities. At least the YMCA is nice.

Personally I didn't like their the curriculum or board scores.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
serenade said:
I didn't like SOMA either tbh. When I left last year I prayed that they wouldn't accept me or else it would truly be an enormously awkward decision of taking a year off or going to a school that I found nothing in ( all the people I talked to at the school essentially chose to latter and really didn't tell me that the school was their first choice).

I'm not doing to say it's the worst school, I just think it's designed for a student that can put up with a lot of crap.
From having an accelerated 11 month first year. 8 out of 11 rotation sites ( 3 year sites in many places like rural swamp land in SC or mountain areas of Arizona that are very far from cities and daily comforts that many ppl consider necessary or etc) are truly unlivable for most students and even then probably all but the New York one have you driving around like a mad man to get to your rotations. The enormous mission based emphasis that basically puts OMM as god tier medicine and shames MDs and shames hospital based or in patient based medicine for not seeking out communities at need.
It a just to me seemed too much. But I think I could have forgiven all of that if not for the overall cheapness of the school. It was so unimpressive.

Where as some schools had simulation rooms with multiple bodies the school had only two. Where as other schools are at least walking or biking distance from housing SOMA is essentially a part of the desert. And where as many schools tried their best to communicate why certain issues occurred SOMA brushed off any questions regarding things like low pass rates as exaggeration.

When I flew back home after the interview I could honestly say that for someone it may be the right school. But for me it was not.
Click to expand...
For some reason, these types of stinging school reviews seem more common on the DO side- even among established schools. I don't think I have ever seen a poster state that they disliked a US MD program so much after interviewing that they would reapply if it was their only acceptance.

Anonymous "this school is terrible" threads also seem more common, although I might have seen one for an MD school here or there over the years.
 
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user3 said:
For some reason, these types of stinging school reviews seem more common on the DO side- even among established schools. I don't think I have ever seen a poster state that they disliked a US MD program so much after interviewing that they would reapply if it was their only acceptance.

Anonymous "this school is terrible" threads also seem more common, although I might have seen one for an MD school here or there over the years.
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Yea I feel like the only time I see it for MD schools is like if its a very research heavy track. But even then thats more of a case of the student should have gone to a less research heavy program (like one not requiring some sort of thesis or whatever), and does not necessarily show that the program is bad.

But in the end you can probably thank COCA for the DO stuff...
 
Has everyone really been so coddled by city life that they are unable to live in a place that isn't urban? I find that kind of silly to be honest. Furthermore there are 3 apartments within 1.3 miles of SOMA, so definitely within biking distance (if you could tolerate the heat, that is.)
 
keels99 said:
Has everyone really been so coddled by city life that they are unable to live in a place that isn't urban? I find that kind of silly to be honest. Furthermore there are 3 apartments within 1.3 miles of SOMA, so definitely within biking distance (if you could tolerate the heat, that is.)
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Right, it's just literally outside a the city and it's literally surrounded by brown.

Likewise again it's not for me. It might be for you.
 
chizledfrmstone said:
They have something like ~100 students for 11 months. I can't imagine them investing too much in the facilities. At least the YMCA is nice.

Personally I didn't like their the curriculum or board scores.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Did I also mention that they actually over accept every year and have students on lay over till the next?

Either way I didn't feel like they were right for me.

When I went to a lot of other interviews I could say yah this is a nice school or even this is a brilliant school. SOMA wasn't one of them.
 
Can someone going to that school actually comment if they share similar experiences to the post?
 
PlaqueBuster said:
Can someone going to that school actually comment if they share similar experiences to the post?
Click to expand...

The busy work and OMM "issues" are present at every school. If you're a A/B student then it's not a problem. If you're a C student then it can be an issue.

For the anatomy lab part, I thought they had installed vents after the formaldehyde issue. I know they got new software to learn anatomy but I never put 2 and 2 together. Did they just bypass the issue of not having proper ventilation?
 
serenade said:
Did I also mention that they actually over accept every year and have students on lay over till the next?

Either way I didn't feel like they were right for me.

When I went to a lot of other interviews I could say yah this is a nice school or even this is a brilliant school. SOMA wasn't one of them.
Click to expand...
It isn't like they don't make you aware of this before your interview. They were very clear in telling me their class was full and that I was interviewing pending an open seat. It was better than being waitlisted.
 
I think SOMA is for a very specific type of student. My interviewers even told me that the students who do better already have a strong foundation in the sciences. The curriculum is different, and I don't think it's for everyone. However, I think some people don't really take the curriculum and CHC model into consideration when they decide where to attend. They just got an acceptance and took it and ran with it, even if it wasn't their favorite.

I got a very good vibe from the school, and when I was accepted I got my top CHC choice. I was aware that I would need to be a little more self-directed, but ultimately the curriculum is why I withdrew my acceptance. I just didn't think it would be an environment where *I* could thrive, but I imagine plenty of people do very well there.
 
keels99 said:
It isn't like they don't make you aware of this before your interview. They were very clear in telling me their class was full and that I was interviewing pending an open seat. It was better than being waitlisted.
Click to expand...


Uh, they didn't tell me when I came in November. They legitimately outright told me that you may end up only getting in for the next year's class. I thought that was hugely offensive. Either way, everything about SOMA turned me off. I'm very happy I didn't get in.
 
dkt888 said:
I think SOMA is for a very specific type of student. My interviewers even told me that the students who do better already have a strong foundation in the sciences. The curriculum is different, and I don't think it's for everyone. However, I think some people don't really take the curriculum and CHC model into consideration when they decide where to attend. They just got an acceptance and took it and ran with it, even if it wasn't their favorite.

I got a very good vibe from the school, and when I was accepted I got my top CHC choice. I was aware that I would need to be a little more self-directed, but ultimately the curriculum is why I withdrew my acceptance. I just didn't think it would be an environment where *I* could thrive, but I imagine plenty of people do very well there.
Click to expand...

Personally when I applied I thought it was going to be an amazing fit and I believed I'd get my top CHC. Once I found out that everyone in my CHC had put in a deposit I honestly was very close to going back to the airport.
 
costales said:
Meh. A poor workman blames his tools. A failing DO student blames OMM. A low-scoring 4th year blames his DO school.
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LOL are you one of the few clowns that actually believes in this scam? It's funny when we are in class and the teacher says "today we're doing exhalation of ribs" and coincidently all 100 kids have at least one problem with their ribs. Next day "we're doing seated flexion test for pelvis!" and again coincidentally all 100 of us have problems. Best part is when these teachers come up with BS stories that always start like this "well, I don't have a peer reviewed study for this, but I assure you that [X] happened and OMM cured it." One time the teacher said she fixed some dude's broken spine that was going to need neurosurgery and all the neurosurgeons were amazed when they saw the radiography after. And yes, I refer to them as "teachers" because these quacks don't merit being called professors. Can't wait for second year to get all those Chapman points and Cranial down.

Oh yes, I must be failing out 🙄
 
serenade said:
Uh, they didn't tell me when I came in November. They legitimately outright told me that you may end up only getting in for the next year's class. I thought that was hugely offensive. Either way, everything about SOMA turned me off. I'm very happy I didn't get in.
Click to expand...
They aren't the only school that offers people acceptances pending an open seat. It is just the same as being waitlisted but with a bonus (since you are automatically accepted for the next year if a seat doesn't open up.) They expect people to drop their acceptances due to personal reasons or getting accepted at another school. I don't get why this was such a big deal; Kirksville does the exact same thing. Either way, it looks out it worked out in the long run. You didn't want them and they didn't want you.
 
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keels99 said:
They aren't the only school that offers people acceptances pending an open seat. It is just the same as being waitlisted but with a bonus (since you are automatically accepted for the next year if a seat doesn't open up.) They expect people to drop their acceptances due to personal reasons or getting accepted at another school. I don't get why this was such a big deal; Kirksville does the exact same thing. Either way, it looks out it worked out in the long run. You didn't want them and they didn't want you.
Click to expand...


Right, that's pretty much all I said lol. I think some people will be happy there, I wouldn't have been.
 
keels99 said:
Has everyone really been so coddled by city life that they are unable to live in a place that isn't urban? I find that kind of silly to be honest. Furthermore there are 3 apartments within 1.3 miles of SOMA, so definitely within biking distance (if you could tolerate the heat, that is.)
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I'm kind of neutral on your point - and this is OT, a bit - but I don't entirely get this "desirable" location thing people throw around for schools and residency, as if some urban super population center is the ultimate place to live and work for everyone. It really is like a blanket statement people make. The thought of living in a big city makes my skin crawl. There are people out there who don't want to live in some godforsaken steel and concrete wasteland.
 
There is a reason God invented the garage and driveway.
 
J Senpai said:
I'm kind of neutral on your point - and this is OT, a bit - but I don't entirely get this "desirable" location thing people throw around for schools and residency, as if some urban super population center is the ultimate place to live and work for everyone. It really is like a blanket statement people make. The thought of living in a big city makes my skin crawl. There are people out there who don't want to live in some godforsaken steel and concrete wasteland.
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I hate the city. I guess it was more of a statement directed towards how some of the CHCs were just "too rural."
 
keels99 said:
I hate the city. I guess it was more of a statement directed towards how some of the CHCs were just "too rural."
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I don't think I'm necessarily into big cities. But I grew up in a relatively industrial and developed area outside a relatively large sized city. I'm used to being within 10-20 minutes of malls, entertainment centers, and having a selection of places to shop and eat at. It's not that I'm entirely dependent on that, but the idea of living in an area that's only got a walmart within 20 miles to me is not satisfactory, both to me and my partner who would need to find a job.

But that's me personally. Again, other people have different needs and desires. I personally would prefer similar life conditions to which I have now.
 
serenade said:
I don't think I'm necessarily into big cities. But I grew up in a relatively industrial and developed area outside a relatively large sized city. I'm used to being within 10-20 minutes of malls, entertainment centers, and having a selection of places to shop and eat at. It's not that I'm entirely dependent on that, but the idea of living in an area that's only got a walmart within 20 miles to me is not satisfactory, both to me and my partner who would need to find a job.

But that's me personally. Again, other people have different needs and desires. I personally would prefer similar life conditions to which I have now.
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+1 I always love how "the distance to a nearest walmart" is used as a reference point to just how far out in the sticks you are (46 miles for me.)
 
keels99 said:
+1 I always love how "the distance to a nearest walmart" is used as a reference point to just how far out in the sticks you are (46 miles for me.)
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That was a reference to actually the only thing in the area being a walmart. Not me needing a walmart lol.
 
Awesome Sauceome said:
Yea I feel like the only time I see it for MD schools is like if its a very research heavy track. But even then thats more of a case of the student should have gone to a less research heavy program (like one not requiring some sort of thesis or whatever), and does not necessarily show that the program is bad.

But in the end you can probably thank COCA for the DO stuff...
Click to expand...
Boom. Some new anonymous "this school is terrible" posts just surfaced today. This round, VCOM.
 
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