***AZCOM Class of 2011***

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The bookstore matches amazon prices if you bring them a printout from amazon stating their current price and that the book is in stock. I would wait to get books until orientation when the course directors will tell you which book(s) they are using. Last year, the MSII's told us which books to get and it turned out that the required books changed for some of the classes from thier first year to ours. That's just my two cents.
Oh wow! that's one nice bookstore, back in undergrad the bookstore had about %40 markup compare to amazon. Good to hear! Thanks JW

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Just made it into town...it was a long drive all the way from Atlanta (1900 miles)! I am just bumming around before classes start so if anyone wants to get together, let me know. Another happy hour, perhaps?
 
Just made it into town...it was a long drive all the way from Atlanta (1900 miles)! I am just bumming around before classes start so if anyone wants to get together, let me know. Another happy hour, perhaps?


I also just got in this week, and I'm already bored. It sounds sad but I think my roommate and I are ready for school to start. I would def. be down for a happy hour or if you like to golf we could hit the links. Class of 2011 golf scramble to kill some time before classes start???
 
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I have been recently accepted to AZCOM and curious to see if anybody knows of any housing for a married couple
Denton
 
I also just got in this week, and I'm already bored. It sounds sad but I think my roommate and I are ready for school to start. I would def. be down for a happy hour or if you like to golf we could hit the links. Class of 2011 golf scramble to kill some time before classes start???

I know what you mean about being ready for classes to start. I have never golfed before but I am willing to give it a try (hopefully I won't slow you down too much). Otherwise I think happy hour would be fun and much cooler inside with the a/c :)

Has anyone been to any fun places nearby for happy hour?
 
I know what you mean about being ready for classes to start. I have never golfed before but I am willing to give it a try (hopefully I won't slow you down too much). Otherwise I think happy hour would be fun and much cooler inside with the a/c :)

Has anyone been to any fun places nearby for happy hour?


I am also bored out of my mind. I think this morning I watched like 4 hours of Walker Texas Ranger - Half way through, I decided I don't like the show, but continued watching anyway because I had nothing else to do.

I am up for anything as well.
 
hey i play golf bout a 15-20 handicap, nothing great but i'm def down to play some golf... are u guys first years?
 
Hey i'm down for some golf, i'll be in Aug 20th so let me know..
 
Hey all,

I'm coming from Miami, looking to rent an apt when i get here on Aug 20th.. I'm thinking bout getting a single at San Lagos but I would not mind getting a roommate at San Lagos or Sage Stone near the campus. Let me know if anyone may be interested.

[email protected]
 
Man, it's good to be freakin' finished with moving. We just got back here this morning after flying our two cats down from AK. That sucked big time, but they are relaxing now.

I'm up for whatever too. You guys are welcome to come over and chill at our sand beach in San Lagos, yee-haw!

P.S. My sister donated my first piece of "doctor gear" to me - a reflex hammer. It looks like it belongs in Toys 'R Us!
 
As stupid as this sounds, try to enjoy the calm before the storm. I would go out as much as possible, see lots of movies, read lots of pleasure books, and maybe take road trips if you can afford it (like Rocky Point or San Diego). If you sit around and complain about being bored, boy will you regret it once school starts. Believe me, I was guilty of that myself and I regretted it. Anyhow, really have a blast orientation week since this is your opportunity to meet your classmates, the incoming pharmacy students, the incoming OT students, the new PA class etc. This is especially important for you single guys and gals ;)

I'm almost half way through my second rotation (cardiology) and let me tell you, it's a pretty humbling experience (especially internal med). It just amazes me how memorizing and regurgitating a mountain of info and minutia over a series of a gazillion exams over two years does little to prepare you for clinicals. Yeah you can answer random questions about glycogen storage diseases and the Aschoff bodies you see with rheumatic heart disease, but when someone asks how to manage a patient with hyponatremia, you look like a deer in headlights. But then again, knowing that you don't have to sit in class and study for hours on end makes it so much better. So my advice is work hard, do the best you can over the next couple of years, and really don't get discouraged if you have difficulty putting all of this info together by the end of second year. I now realize that it really takes residency to do that.

By the way, I will be around on the evening of the 24th (friday) before I head off to Oregon for a rotation. I'll probably try to get a group together to go out so feel free to contact me. Good luck and enjoy the dull times. :thumbup:
 
Thanks, Inquiringmind...I, for one, am definitely enjoying the next two weeks of freedom. This calm before the storm is a wonderful thing.

Best of luck on the rest of your cardiology rotation! Keep us newbies updated on your progress.
 
Where's everyone? partying it up before school starts? :D

Questions for people bringing cars from out of state? Are you planning to change your license plate and registration to AZ? I was wondering what would be the pros/cons if I did that (coming from CA). Any info is appreciated!!!
 
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Where's everyone? partying it up before school starts? :D

Questions for people bringing cars from out of state? Are you planning to change your license plate and registration to AZ? I was wondering what would be the pros/cons if I did that (coming from CA). Any info is appreciated!!!

Hi CyLin,

We drove from Massachusetts (well, I did; my wife and baby flew). I got Arizona car insurance, 'cuz it's a lot cheaper, and I have 30 days to switch to AZ plates. As I understand it, I also need to get an AZ driver's license. If you're keeping your Calif. resident status you can probably skip this step.

We're still digging out from way too many boxes, but starting to get out and try some of the eateries. I love Mexican food so we have a lot of work ahead of us....
 
I'm trying to figure out how to keep my Alaska residency, actually. At least if I'm an Alaska resident here for school, I can get the PFD (Permanent Fund Dividend) - yes, the state pays you ~$1,000 a year just for being a resident. Why doesn't the desert have that kind of a deal???
 
Hi CyLin,

We drove from Massachusetts (well, I did; my wife and baby flew). I got Arizona car insurance, 'cuz it's a lot cheaper, and I have 30 days to switch to AZ plates. As I understand it, I also need to get an AZ driver's license. If you're keeping your Calif. resident status you can probably skip this step.

We're still digging out from way too many boxes, but starting to get out and try some of the eateries. I love Mexican food so we have a lot of work ahead of us....


I grew up eating at Ajo Als (there is one on Bell near Arrowhead Mall)! I hope the food tastes as good as it is in my nostalgic memories.
 
Where's everyone? partying it up before school starts? :D

Questions for people bringing cars from out of state? Are you planning to change your license plate and registration to AZ? I was wondering what would be the pros/cons if I did that (coming from CA). Any info is appreciated!!!

I'm not sure how registration works in CA but it sux in AZ. I'm from NJ and any car you registered was $60 but here they do a percentage of your cars value. So if you have a newer or more expensive car then your registration will be alot more. The insurance for me really wasn't as much cheaper as I expected since supposedly NJ's is the highest. There is the formula they use to calculate it on the Motor Vehicle webpage. Hope that helps you out a bit.
 
We're still digging out from way too many boxes, but starting to get out and try some of the eateries. I love Mexican food so we have a lot of work ahead of us....
for cheap counter service but good food try carumba on 67th and bell (next to the vaccuum store and fry's)... and manuel's is worth the drive to peoria ave, too.
I grew up eating at Ajo Als (there is one on Bell near Arrowhead Mall)! I hope the food tastes as good as it is in my nostalgic memories.
that was garcias for my family -- sundays after church. i think it was better then than it is now. ;)

speak of the mall, there's an arriba's nearby, too. i'm ready for dinner
 
Where is everyone?
 
Is anyone living in the Scottsdale area?

I'll be without a car for a while and was HOPING to catch a ride with another student nearby or passing by. I would be happy to help pay for gas.

Looking into the bus's now, but don't know if that will really work out.

Thanks and see you soon! :hardy:
 
Hello all,
Just wanted to let you know that a bunch of us second years will be going to Barwinkles on Wednesday night, 8/29, at 9:00pm and we'd love for all of you to join us. It's Karaoke night there and it's a lot of fun. It's located at 59th and Greenway in Glendale. Here is the website where you can get the exact address and directions: http://barwinkles.com/. You can send me a message if you have any questions. Be sure to tell all your friends about it. Hope to see you all there.
 
I'm just curious if anyone noticed that the OCM course was silently canceled, the one that lets you work with precaeptors in the field. They didn't even announce it; I asked Dr. Schalsha at the end of ICM class and he was rather dismissive about it--we don't want to use up our preceptors or some such excuse. The early clinical experience is one of my reasons for choosing AZCOM and I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't (apparently) send us a letter explaining their reasons for the change. Of course, I know I can go out and find my own clinical experience in a volunteer capacity but still.
 
I'm just curious if anyone noticed that the OCM course was silently canceled, the one that lets you work with precaeptors in the field. They didn't even announce it; I asked Dr. Schalsha at the end of ICM class and he was rather dismissive about it--we don't want to use up our preceptors or some such excuse. The early clinical experience is one of my reasons for choosing AZCOM and I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't (apparently) send us a letter explaining their reasons for the change. Of course, I know I can go out and find my own clinical experience in a volunteer capacity but still.

Wow what a load of crap. While I didn't learn much as far as physical exam skills/diagnosis/history taking skills on my preceptor experience first year, at least it gives you an idea of how a medical office works/lifestyle of whatever specialty you chose. For that reason I thought it really was a worth while experience. What I think the school is doing for your class and future classes is to provide more physical exam skills/practice sessions with similated patients in order for you to get more out of your preceptor experiences 2nd year.

Even with all of the clinical skills I was "taught" during the first two years, I still came into rotations with pretty crappy clincal skills (history taking, physical diagnosis). But now that I have been through two rotations (IM and Cardiology) and am currently on an a second awesome ward based IM rotation, my clinical skills have improved significantly. This leads me to believe that instead of wasting what little free time you have during first and second year on not so useful clinical skills "practice" sessions, the school would be better off giving you more time to study for the level 1 boards as well as pay for a board prep class. Because when it comes down to it, you will learn everything you need to know in rotations as far as clinical skills are concerned. If they created an intro to clinical exam skills during the two weeks of orientation to third year (after boards), I feel like all of that info would be alot fresher in my head coming into rotations rather than stick a bunch pointless lectures that we won't be tested on until the end of third year.

That's just my suggestion at how AZCOM should modify its first and second year cirriculum since I still do believe the school did a good job with basic sciences (except for biochem and micro). Congrats everyone on finishing your first week of school. I hope Dr. Grow didn't scare you too much with that nervous/muscle tissue lecture.
 
Did they drop OCM in the spring? Because I just looked at the 2011 curriculum and it's still in there. We (the 2010 class) didn't get OCM until the spring. It gave us some time to get some H&P skills down before getting into the office. This year we're doing some standardized patients for the first quarter though, which is different...instead of going to the offices right away...
 
well I think they dropped it completely but I could be wrong and I hope I am. maybe I'll ask Dr Schalsha for a clarification or maybe Dr Shulman or somebody. I don't want to make a huge deal about it because I'm willing to believe they're just disorganized.

I'm also noticing that they're pretty last minute with the hand-outs. I would have loved to see the muscle tissue lecture prior to class today but apparently the mail room didn't put it in the boxes even though Histo got it to them Friday afternoon. Although even if they had I wonder how many people would have checked their boxes at 5pm on Friday anyway.

My main suggestions to this school so far are to modernize their information infrastructure and have more ppts and supplemental stuff online well in advance--like a couple of weeks in advance. Also, put wifi in the big lecture halls in Sahuaro and Ocotillo and mp3 the lectures.
 
Hello all, i just got accepted to AZCOM and have yet to see a list of potential rotation sites. Is there anyone here that has an electronic copy of the sites? I realize with the class increases and new ATSU school opening up that they will indeed change, but just to get an idea of whats available would be great.

thanks and happy holidays!
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Hey could you give me your opinion on where the majority of medical students live? Do most of them really live right on campus. I heard that San Lagos is popular. I just dont want to be totally secluded from my classmates so could you give me your advice on where most of them are. Thanks!

Also did you get in touch with people before school started? I want to get to know some of my classmates before school starts but not many of them are online - does azcom ever release a list or do we have to wait till orientation pretty much? (I'm sort of bored i have senioritis and feel like facebook stalking people lol)

Also did you get matched with a roomate..im not sure how to work that out! But i want one.

Thanks, I appreciate your help. -Liz:love:

PM ME!
 
there is a facebook group going. look up AZCOM Class of 2012
 
Hey could you give me your opinion on where the majority of medical students live? Do most of them really live right on campus. I heard that San Lagos is popular. I just dont want to be totally secluded from my classmates so could you give me your advice on where most of them are. Thanks!

Also did you get in touch with people before school started? I want to get to know some of my classmates before school starts but not many of them are online - does azcom ever release a list or do we have to wait till orientation pretty much? (I'm sort of bored i have senioritis and feel like facebook stalking people lol)

Also did you get matched with a roomate..im not sure how to work that out! But i want one.

Thanks, I appreciate your help. -Liz:love:

PM ME!

Well the on-campus housing is full, but who knows what percentage of AZCOM students are in them. But they do fill up, and who knows how many more are on the wait-list.

As for apartments, I personally have to say that all 3 of the apartment complexes across the street are all equally occupied. Though many people are in houses and in apartments on Bell Road and elsewhere. And, being in the same apartment complex as a lot of people definitely doesn't mean you'll be spending much time with them. Really, it's all relatively close, so driving isn't a big deal.
 
Liz-
Congrats on your admission!
A fair share of DO students live on campus, but I think most live off campus. Some people really like living on campus because they can just roll out of bed 10 minutes before class and still make it on time. Also, there's the added benefit of being able to go home for lunch/naps between classes. On the other hand, living off campus is great too because you are not ALWAYS reminded of school...one thing I don't appreciate about on campus housing is that it's eerily quiet! But that's just me. There are a couple apartment complexes within walking distance, although I have heard they are quite pricey. If you are looking to spend less money, there are several options within a 5-10 minute drive. If you're interested in sharing a place off campus, I would suggest checking with the student services office. They have listings of rooms available.
Goodluck!
 
How's everything at AZCOM these days?
Feel free to send me a PM.
 
If anyone is interested, I rent a great 3/2 house from a MWU faculty member and it is less than a mile from school. I am a 4th yr who is about to graduate in June and we will be moving out. PM me if you are interested, and I can get you in touch with the landlord. It is a great house for a family or roommates. rent is 1000/month.
B
 
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