All of your choices are great schools! I personally was debating between Arizona and Scholl. I loved them both. However, I chose AZPOD because the class size is a bit smaller, the school is smaller, the students I happened to meet seemed more enthused, and I just could not turn down living in that area - its beautiful and affordable. The area where Scholl is located is also nice - there are definitely plenty of safe, nice, and affordable places to live. But, the area around AZPOD just cant be beat in my mind - this is obviously personal preference, but I just love seeing the mountains, lots of running trails, open space, pools, very athletic community, and lots of new coffee shops and restuarants all over. Plus, the housing options in the AZPOD area are great - very safe and new areas.
If you love DMU or Scholl and are confident in choosing one of them, then go with it - otherwise, I would definitely at least interview at the others. You should not be at all concerned with how new AZPOD is, in fact, I think it is a big upside to the school. For example, because it is so new, the faculty is very fresh and motivated in making it a top program. They are incredibly focused there and have some of the best faculty who were previously at other schools - these faculty members obviously believed in the program enough to move and work at AZPOD. The school is well established and the DO program there is one of the best - so its just the pod program that is new, but they have many of the same classes as the DO students. It is a terrific program and many respectable DPMs - and residency directors - are very sure of this.
As for your scholarship money at the other schools: I was offered money at Scholl and they were very willing to wait for me to decide past the initial deadline. Just tell them that you have not finished interviewing at the other schools. The should be okay with this, as long as you dont make them wait too long.
Either way, you wont go wrong. As many have explained on this forum, its clear that the best school is really only what is best for you - so the area, program, faculty, community, etc. should all fit your needs so that you can be most successful. Good luck deciding, this is a fun process!!
KB02 said:
I have been accepted to DMU and CSPM. I got interviews to the other schools, but the only other ones that I'd be interested in is Temple, Scholl, and AZPM. However, I only have a few weeks before I have to deposit to secure my scholarships that were offered from DMU & CSPM. I'm leaning toward DMU, but I'm still kinda interested in Scholl and Arizona. Any suggestions?? I really liked DMU and felt very comfortable there. So now I'm debating about location (the cost of living) and education.
So my main questions...
1. What is there to do in Des Moines?
2. Is the cost of living in North Chicago reasonable and is it safe? Also, what is the class size?
3. Should I have any reservations about how new the Arizona program is? And what is the class size?
Thanks!! Any respones will be very valuable and appreciated!