2019-2020 Arizona - Tucson

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At the interview Katie mentioned that her powerpoint would be available to us... does anybody know where we could access that?
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lela013 said:
At the interview Katie mentioned that her powerpoint would be available to us... does anybody know where we could access that?
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If we're thinking of the same powerpoint (next steps), its attached to the MMI follow up email they sent after the interview.
 
BugsBunny_Luva said:
Same here! Interviewed first interview session in August. Had like 5 or 6 "you were not accepted this round but are still an active candidate" emails. So for those of you that keep getting them, stay positive!
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That is awesome! Congratulations!!
 
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I just received an acceptance to UACOM’s direct admission program for instate applicants and I was hoping to get some insight from current med students and/or admissions regarding step performance, especially since switching to the 18 month block curriculum. I know a huge factor is self-teaching, studying, and making the most out of your own education but obviously the program can have some impact on how well step goes.

Because of how much I want to be physically involved with my career in medicine I’m pretty set on surgical specialties and due to that fact step performance is such a large factor in obtaining a competitive residency I thought it important to ask about how well UACOM prepares its students for step. After doing some digging I found UACOM averaged a 221 in 2018 which isn’t stellar but I do know plenty of UA Med students that did exceptionally well and placed into extremely competitive residencies. I guess my question is, how well is the program doing now and how have the numbers changed since implementing the new curriculum?

Thank you in advance!
 
lkasper said:
I just received an acceptance to UACOM’s direct admission program for instate applicants and I was hoping to get some insight from current med students and/or admissions regarding step performance, especially since switching to the 18 month block curriculum. I know a huge factor is self-teaching, studying, and making the most out of your own education but obviously the program can have some impact on how well step goes.

Because of how much I want to be physically involved with my career in medicine I’m pretty set on surgical specialties and due to that fact step performance is such a large factor in obtaining a competitive residency I thought it important to ask about how well UACOM prepares its students for step. After doing some digging I found UACOM averaged a 221 in 2018 which isn’t stellar but I do know plenty of UA Med students that did exceptionally well and placed into extremely competitive residencies. I guess my question is, how well is the program doing now and how have the numbers changed since implementing the new curriculum?

Thank you in advance!
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By “direct admission program for in-state students,” do you mean P-MAP?

This is 100% my opinion, which I came to after talking to many people who have recently taken Step 1, but since so much of Step 1 prep tends to rely on your ability to use and commit to memory information from third party resources (First Aid, Sketchy, Boards and beyond, UWorld, etc.), it almost doesn’t matter what your med school is teaching. All US MD/DO schools will generally teach similar material. What matters is how you synthesize that material and then how efficient you are during your dedicated study period with the aforementioned resources.
 
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sunset_89 said:
Current student who has gone through the accelerated curriculum. I will not share what year I am to protect my identity. The school curriculum does not prepare you for step 1. Students who are doing well on step 1 ignore class material until the week before the class exam, unless you are one of the top 10 or 15 students who can somehow master class material while also retaining that information in the long run for step 1. Below are several points you would not know as an applicant:

1. The school is extremely secretive to students about what the class average is. The learning specialist team does not disclose the class average to students, even when we ask them.
2. The class notes, lectures, and exams do not align with step 1 material. The school exams cover way more minutiae and many students unfortunately fall into the trap of trying to do class stuff and step 1 material simultaneously which backfires.
3. Honestly, it seems like the school does not care about having higher step 1 scores. They care about the pass rate only, so if the class average remains at 221 for the next 5 years, it does not matter to the school.
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Can I PM you about this?
 
sunset_89 said:
Current student who has gone through the accelerated curriculum. I will not share what year I am to protect my identity. The school curriculum does not prepare you for step 1. Students who are doing well on step 1 ignore class material until the week before the class exam, unless you are one of the top 10 or 15 students who can somehow master class material while also retaining that information in the long run for step 1. Below are several points you would not know as an applicant:

1. The school is extremely secretive to students about what the class average is. The learning specialist team does not disclose the class average to students, even when we ask them.
2. The class notes, lectures, and exams do not align with step 1 material. The school exams cover way more minutiae and many students unfortunately fall into the trap of trying to do class stuff and step 1 material simultaneously which backfires.
3. Honestly, it seems like the school does not care about having higher step 1 scores. They care about the pass rate only, so if the class average remains at 221 for the next 5 years, it does not matter to the school.
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Thank you very much for sharing your input. This is really useful to know when deciding where to spend the next four years.
 
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sunset_89 said:
That's my point with sharing this information. It is better to go to a school where you will be satisfied all 4 years rather than go to a school where you will end up being bitter about the curriculum and about your prospects for residency. Looking back on it, if your priority is step 1, find a school with:
1. a later step 1 deadline
2. No AOA (so true P/F) so that you can just focus on step and not worry ever about class exams
3. one that discloses its step 1 average so you can see for yourself
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Tried to PM you but it said you were unavailable lol

Is Tucson AOA?
 
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FinallyReady said:
By “direct admission program for in-state students,” do you mean P-MAP?

This is 100% my opinion, which I came to after talking to many people who have recently taken Step 1, but since so much of Step 1 prep tends to rely on your ability to use and commit to memory information from third party resources (First Aid, Sketchy, Boards and beyond, UWorld, etc.), it almost doesn’t matter what your med school is teaching. All US MD/DO schools will generally teach similar material. What matters is how you synthesize that material and then how efficient you are during your dedicated study period with the aforementioned resources.
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Haha yes I meant PMAP :) figured I’d save time by describing it just in case someone hadn’t heard of it.
 
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sunset_89 said:
This is unfortunately naive. You have to find a way to do step 1 resources while passing class exams, which is a massive challenge. The learning specialist team tricks people into thinking that doing well on class exams correlates to doing well on step 1, but this is likely correlation and not causation. Board prep material is way more efficient than the class lecture notes and powerpoints, but the class exams are based on lecture notes and powerpoints.

If you have multiple acceptances, do yourself a favor, and look at when the school requires you to take Step 1. If you get into a school that has a later step 1 deadline, I would HIGHLY recommend thinking hard about going to that school. It takes 6 to 8 months to adjust to medical school and at Tucson, once you cross this 6-8 month line, you are already 1 year out from step 1 which seems like a lot but is not at all.
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Guess it doesn't matter now...

Home | United States Medical Licensing Examination

www.usmle.org www.usmle.org

"The FSMB and NBME believe that changing Step 1 score reporting to pass/fail can help reduce some of the current overemphasis on USMLE performance, while also retaining the ability of medical licensing authorities to use the exam for its primary purpose of medical licensure eligibility. The USMLE co-sponsors also believe that moving to pass/fail reporting of Step 1 while retaining a scored Step 2 CK represents a positive step toward system-wide change, while limiting large-scale disruption to the overall educational and licensing environment...

The American Medical Association supports the decision to move to a pass/fail reporting structure for the USMLE Step 1 as a first element in improving the UME to GME transition. Our student, resident and physician members voted to endorse a pass/fail policy, in part, because we know our current residency selection system is causing significant distress for our students. "
 
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FinallyReady said:
Guess it doesn't matter now...

Home | United States Medical Licensing Examination

www.usmle.org www.usmle.org

"The FSMB and NBME believe that changing Step 1 score reporting to pass/fail can help reduce some of the current overemphasis on USMLE performance, while also retaining the ability of medical licensing authorities to use the exam for its primary purpose of medical licensure eligibility. The USMLE co-sponsors also believe that moving to pass/fail reporting of Step 1 while retaining a scored Step 2 CK represents a positive step toward system-wide change, while limiting large-scale disruption to the overall educational and licensing environment...

The American Medical Association supports the decision to move to a pass/fail reporting structure for the USMLE Step 1 as a first element in improving the UME to GME transition. Our student, resident and physician members voted to endorse a pass/fail policy, in part, because we know our current residency selection system is causing significant distress for our students. "
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Did not know this until now.

This is excellent news for students who want to matriculate to Tucson in the future. Step 2 CK isn't until 3rd/4th year, so all my criticisms do not apply for future classes. You will have MORE than enough time to do well on Step 2CK even in the accelerated curriculum.

In fact, I think going to an accelerated curriculum has massive benefits now because you can start rotations earlier without the pressure of taking step 1 earlier.
 
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I actually kind of feel bad for being so critical of the school. Future classes are very lucky to have Step 1 be pass/fail and I actually think going to an accelerated curriculum is beneficial with the new P/F step so that you can start rotations earlier without the insane pressure of taking step 1 early. Your shelf exams will help you prepare for step 2 CK much better since they are standardized across all medical schools and averages for Step 2CK are much higher. Also let me share some positive things about Tucson med

1. Societies mentors are phenomenal and the societies program is really good
2. The CUP program is also excellent
3. The environment is not as cut-throat as east coast schools
 
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Hey @sunset_89,

Did you come to Tucson or know anyone that is OOS and what they did to gain residency for tuition? I'm asking because can't really afford to buy a house down there and really need that in state tuition for 2nd year and beyond. I looked at the requirements already but want to know if you knew some people. Thanks!
 
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Have there been any new IIs for people who were on the IWL this week?
 
DHoang3 said:
Hey @sunset_89,

Did you come to Tucson or know anyone that is OOS and what they did to gain residency for tuition? I'm asking because can't really afford to buy a house down there and really need that in state tuition for 2nd year and beyond. I looked at the requirements already but want to know if you knew some people. Thanks!
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I will not be sharing if I am in state or out of state for privacy concerns. However, plenty of students gain Arizona residency for tuition purposes. My suggestion would be to reach out to the college or ask students at second look.
 
DHoang3 said:
Hey @sunset_89,

Did you come to Tucson or know anyone that is OOS and what they did to gain residency for tuition? I'm asking because can't really afford to buy a house down there and really need that in state tuition for 2nd year and beyond. I looked at the requirements already but want to know if you knew some people. Thanks!
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Whatever residency status you start out as a freshman will carry with you though the 4 years of medical school. But you could call the financial aid department and ask them.
 
SCMDstudent said:
Whatever residency status you start out as a freshman will carry with you though the 4 years of medical school. But you could call the financial aid department and ask them.
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In the past at Tucson, there have been students who took part time jobs to re-classify as in state after paying taxes. However, like you said, calling the financial aid office is best.
 
DHoang3 said:
Hey @sunset_89,

Did you come to Tucson or know anyone that is OOS and what they did to gain residency for tuition? I'm asking because can't really afford to buy a house down there and really need that in state tuition for 2nd year and beyond. I looked at the requirements already but want to know if you knew some people. Thanks!
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I met a few students who got AZ residency for their second year. (only one bought a house, the others changed over finances and got an AZ driver's license) ask around during second look! It is possible, you should just start as early as possible to qualify for 2nd year.
 
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CYP2B6-HbA2 said:
I met a few students who got AZ residency for their second year. (only one bought a house, the others changed over finances and got an AZ driver's license) ask around during second look! It is possible, you should just start as early as possible to qualify for 2nd year.
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Thank you. Looks like I'll ask around at second look
 
Hey guys, in light of the recent P/F decision, I want to point out that for the upcoming class, you should 100% ask administration and student learning for a clear answer about when this applies before committing. Student learning at Tucson has an issue with transparency, and you should absolutely get a clear answer before matriculating.
 
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Finally got taken off hold and got the Pre-II R. All love for the people who pick up the last few interviews this week.
 
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Got the axe. Been on the II Waitlist for literally ever.

I also just bought a house on the other side of the country, soooooooo... Thanks for the run, Tucson!
 
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Congrats to everyone who got in! Much love to all of you, I hope to see you guys someday in the future as great doctors. Also shout-out to admissions for making this process a little less ambiguous!
 
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Who makes the subject of a rejection email include the words "Final Interview Invitation Status"???? SMH. Shame on you, Tucson.
 
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premed20172017 said:
Schools usually list ALL matches. I’m guessing they didn’t have anyone who matched into those fields that year.
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Exactly. The school really pushes primary care behind the scenes. Follow the money. The new primary care scholarship shows that the school's administration would love for more students to do primary care in Arizona, specifically. This is why the school does not care about the step 1 average and simply wants students to pass.
 
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