I'm currently a fourth-year (soon to be PGY-1) student and am more than happy to help out with any questions you have regarding AZCOM (at least while I'm not too terribly busy).
Also, as this thread will likely expand significantly with time, I'll point out that many times the question(s) you want answered have also been asked by previous posters and you can oftentimes find the information you need by using the thread-specific search function which can be found in the search bar directly beneath the main forum heading (type in your search term and check the box for "search this thread only"). Also, you'll find that if you simply reference this post, many of your questions and fellow applicants' questions will be answered in it (so do everybody a favor and reference people back to it because it's pretty easy to find a long post on page 1 than an obscure post on page 15!).
Don't let the process drive you too insane, at least fake an effort not to ask questions that were literally answered a few posts earlier, and best of luck.
Match Data
2012 Match
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=209544913025182426254.0004b7695df5160cec1ee#bmb=1
2013 Match
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=204556364691725990633.0004d6f81fe92abe28175&msa=0
2014 Match
I'll post whenever I notice it's available
All but two students in 2013 matched (I was told by somebody in clin ed that there were something like 35 scrambles, mostly people with borderline apps trying to get into pretty competitive fields) and they're "opting to do research before entering the match." Interpret that however you will.
There were 13 anesthesia, 25 EM, 2 neurosurgery, 3 ENT, 4 pathology, 2 diagnostic rads, 12 ortho, 39 FM, 49 IM, 7 peds, and 13 psych. Obviously that's not everybody in the class, but you can peruse the maps and figure out what else people have matched into (I know there were a few PM&Rs, vascular surgery, etc as well). I'll give a 2014 breakdown when I can force myself to do so. Essentially, a number of people matched IM, FM, peds, ortho, anesthesia, a few ENT, etc.
2/3 of the 2013 matches were MD.
Also, I've attached the 2000 - 2011 match data for AZCOM at the very bottom of this post.
MCAT rumors
I trust you're intelligent enough to follow this: in spite of the SDN rumor, if the 2015, 2016, and 2017 classes, had an average composite of 28 (per midwestern.edu) on their MCAT, do you honestly think it's probable that a class of 250 managed not to have any matriculants with an MCAT <27? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. It's AZCOM, not Harvard.
Secondaries
-Yes, you can more-or-less copy and paste your responses from your CCOM secondary into your AZCOM one
(don't worry, the admissions committees aren't the same for the schools).
Interview Invites
-The portal will be your only dependable source of knowing if you're receiving an interview invite. The school's system doesn't dependably send out the invites in a timely manner (or sometimes at all). In recent years, once you're complete and the cycle is in full-swing (think late-August/September), it usually takes a week or two to hear anything. If you don't hear anything within a couple of weeks, IT IS OKAY TO CALL THE SCHOOL AND CHECK ON THE STATUS OF YOUR APPLICATION.
-If you are told that you're "on hold for an interview," it usually means that your GPA and/or MCAT are a bit weak but the school would like to interview you if you give them some updated stats when you can. People DO receive interviews after receiving this status and people DO get accepted after it. IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. Some people have received this status even though they had good stats and nobody's been able to figure out what was up with that unless there were huge red flags in their apps that they (understandably) never mentioned on SDN...
-YES! You CAN change your interview date from the portal and NO you won't lose your current interview date until you change it.
-If you want an interview date that's nearer but the soonest you saw on the portal was in a few months, check the portal and check it often. As people change their dates or cancel, dates will open back up.
Acceptance
FOR THE LOVE OF MY SANITY, IF YOU NOTICE THAT YOU HAVE AN "ACCEPTED STUDENT CHECKLIST" WITH A LIST OF THINGS THAT YOU NEED TO COMPLETE LISTED ON YOUR PORTAL AFTER YOU'VE INTERVIEWED, YOU ARE ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now quit questioning everybody else about whether it's really true or not and you don't need to call Admissions to confirm. Just accept the fact that you got in, and celebrate!
-Never trust the timeline the Admissions staff tells you regarding when decisions will be made. You may find out in two days or you may find out in 2-3 weeks.
-If people who interviewed with you or after you are accepted and you're still in the dark regarding your status, don't fret. Many, many times people are still accepted after people who interviewed with or after them have already been accepted.
-Do not expect to receive a phone call or email congratulating you on your acceptance. The Dean only sporadically calls people to congratulate them (phone calls are in the minority) and there is no acceptance email. Check your portal for the checklist, and when you see it, you're in. Again, the portal is the only dependable source of positive information. You can also wait for the snail mail letter, but we both know you can't wait that long...
-It is okay to call Admissions to check on the status of your app either after the date they tell you you'll know a decision or after a couple of weeks. Whichever you can hold out for the longest.
Rejection
http://news.yahoo.com/ways-medical-school-hopefuls-cope-rejection-133000438.html
Wait-listed
-Not the end of the world, many people are accepted off of the WL. Some of these people are pulled off up to and even during orientation week...
-Keep the school updated with new grades, MCAT scores, ECs, pubs, etc. Feel free to call once in a while to get your name in the right people's ears.
Rotations
-They seem to change up the rotation regions in Arizona every year. Don't expect to get any definitive locations regarding hospitals other than "the greater Phoenix area." There are also the Tucson, LA, San Diego, and Chicago regions. There's also a number of students who have a "home institution" at Mountain Vista Hospital in Mesa, AZ where the school has recently opened up a number of residencies. The school is also working on acquiring a San Jose region.
No, I can't provide any clue as to the "quality" of one site vs another. Best advice I can offer is to choose your region based on where you want to live. Also, just because a hospital is located in WV vs EV, doesn't mean you'll be going there nor that you'll be avoiding going to hospitals on the other side of the valley. You end up going wherever your preceptor goes.
-Unless they change things, you'll receive your form for selecting your top three regions some time shortly after your acceptance.
-Bear in mind, this is a D.O. school, and like most D.O. schools, most of your rotations will be with preceptors and not at hospitals. Wherever a particular preceptor has privileges at are the places you may be visiting during a given rotation.
-There ARE ward/hospital-based rotations available to you regardless of region (if the rotation is outside your region, the school generally has housing available to you). You have to "apply" for them through the appropriate department heads during your MS2 year, generally. There are ward-based spots available in FP, peds, psych, ob/gyn, IM (everybody is required to do an IM ward-based rotation during MS3), and surgery.
On-Campus Housing
-If you want it, apply early. The earlier the better (app doesn't open up until closer to December I don't think...again...the portal is your source of info).
-For the older apartments: If it is "added upgrades" it has a dishwasher. If it's "luxury" it has a dishwasher and washer/dryer in the apartment. If it's "standard" it has none of the aforementioned amenities.
-They all have a microwave and fridge.
-They're unfurnished.
-They're not run-down by any means, but they're not glamorous either.
-All older units include EVERYTHING except electric in the rent. Yes, this means your basic cable and internet are also included in your rent. For the newest buildings, which are still under construction but should be completed prior to this upcoming fall (2014), cable and internet will not be included (don't ask me why, I haven't a clue). They'll also be trialing the oldest buildings as pet-friendly units.
-They're the safest apartments I know of around here. The complex is gated and has campus security in and out 24/7.
Stuff to Do Before Starting
-Don't study.
-Enjoy yourself while you can.
-Don't study.
-Get your titers and physical exam done early if you can, don't sweat it too much if you wait until orientation or later to do it though- it's not the end of the world and plenty of people will put it off for quite some time.
