If I remember correctly,
1. Groups- First, you have to decide what your priority is (specific group or geographic area, floater, or special needs) So, if you wanted to be in a specific group, say group 7, because vacation occurs in July, you would say you want group priority over geographic location. But, if you really want to be in Pittsburgh and don't care all that much about what group your in , you would want geographic priority. Floaters, have different rules, I forget what they are, and special needs pretty much means you set up all your own rotations, this is subject to LECOM approval, I think. An effort is made to place students according to their wishes. A committee of your fellow students, like the class president, and VP and a few others, takes your rankings and somehow makes the groups. You will have a specific geographic location for your core rotations, except if your a floater or special needs. The goal of putting to gether the groups is to make them as diverse as possible, so you don't have a whole bunch of people trying to rotate at the same place, for the same rotation, at the same time.
2. Rotations within a group- Each person submits a list the the group leader saying where they want to rotate. Now, if your the only one in your group in a specific location, you have no one to compete with. Thus, you will more than likely get all the rotations where and when you want them. However, when there are many of you trying to get into the same spot, then you will have to hash it out with each other until it's resolved, or until the group leader or clinical Ed. dept. makes the decision for you. Another area of contention comes with the hospitals that require one student from each group to be there for each of the core rotations. Most of these hospitals are in Erie. Thus, if your in Michigan, you would say let the Erie people fill them b/c they are in Erie, but the Erie people say you should do some too, because they should not have to do all their rotations at the same hospital or all in Erie. So, there can be quite the debate between members of a group.
As for doing all your rotations in Michigan, it is possible, but more than likely you will have to make some consessions and do a few outside of Michigan.
It all works out somehow.🙂