Kinko,
I'm going to start at AZCOM this Fall, so I can venture a stab at some of those questions. There are also some excellent AZCOM threads in the osteopathic forum (they're always near the top) and you'll be able to find people who know a lot more than I do.
As for admissions: August is sort of late, but definitely not too late. In practice, rolling admissions at osteopathic schools mean that acceptances are generally offered between late October and April.
Since your August MCAT scores won't come back until mid-October, this obviously sets you back a little. But it's definitely not a huge hurdle. You should probably do the following:
-Fill out your general osteopathic application *right now*. It's online at
www.aacom.org. Don't wait! I'd also recommend applying to all the schools you could see yourself going to. The extra fees aren't that much (at least for this primary app) and it gives you more options later.
-Get your transcripts sent in to AACOM from the schools immediately after finishing your application. I had a transcript that was late by a month and it set me back quite a bit. There will be instructions on how to do this when you fill out the primary application on the website.
-Line up letters of recommendation. AZCOM requires two: one from an advisor or science professor, and one from a DO or MD. DO is strongly preferred, and it can make a big difference in your application, so if you don't have a DO acquaintance, start shadowing as soon as possible. Letters of recommendation are generally infamously late, so I'd get this taken care of as soon as you can.
-Continue to volunteer through the summer and into the fall if you can. Make sure you have a good balance of clinical and community work if at all possible.
Finally, once you get all this taken care of and after you take your MCAT in August, I'd call up the admissions department and let them know of your interest in the school. They won't review your application until they get the MCAT scores in October, but it can't hurt to let them know that you really would like to go there so that they can keep an eye on your app. With thousands of applications, communication with the (very friendly) staff is key.
As for the how-I-like-AZCOM thing, I can't give too in-depth an answer since I haven't started yet, but I can give my reasons for choosing it enthusiastically. The curriculum is lean and innovative, so there are very high board pass rates. The clinical years seem to be a love-it-or-hate-it thing: you're matched up with individual doctors for many of your rotations, so you don't necessarily get as much hospital time, but you get a LOT of experience if you choose your preceptors well.
Finally, I've never heard of an unhappy student at AZCOM, which is amazing since med school students seem to be a chronically unhappy sort. Whatever they're doing, it's working!
Let me know if I can help out with anything else. Good luck on the MCAT!
