ATSU/SOMA (Arizona) Discussion thread 2008-2009

[GreenShirt]

Are any current ATSU SOMA students on here? I need one to email me asap [email protected] , I have questions about their curriculum from the 2nd years on. Do you only do clinic rotations or do you ever step foot in hospitals? Do you have alot of class involvement or are you on your own in a sense as far as interacting with fellow classmates? I have an interview there in late October so I wanted some opinions on everything. Email me if you can! thanks

Do you only do clinic rotations or do you ever step foot in hospitals?

Hard to answer this question. For example the New York CHC is a hospital, so in their case you would set foot in a hospital everyday. For my CHC, we rotate mostly through doctor's offices in the second year. However many of us have gone to the Hospital during OB/Gyn rotations (OR and Labor & Delivry). Last week I scrubbed in on a surgery, held retractors, helped close, and helped deliver a baby. For 3rd and 4th, on the other hand, the majority of our time will be spent in a hospital.

Do you have alot of class involvement or are you on your own in a sense as far as interacting with fellow classmates?

We meet a couple times a week for group work with our CHC classmates and facilitators. We interact with our whole class through discussion boards and conference calls on Fridays.

PM me if you have more questions!

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[NORCAL]

Are there any SOMA c/o 2011 students out there willing or able to share the Cali CHC schedule for year 2?? Thanks!

 

[DrMattOglesby]

hey did anyone else hear any news about the results of their interview yet? I hope some of my fellow applicants were accepted

 

[HCW212]

^^^ did you find out about a decision already? if so, did you call or is there a status check webpage?

 

[DrMattOglesby]

I received a phone call this past Thursday morning from Joyce.

(I have the whole timeline of the dates on my MDapps)

 

[HCW212]

oh, in that case, i haven't received anything from them. congratulations on your acceptance!

 

[213965]

I know this has to be on the board a billion times, but if anyone can be kind enough to PM or link me to the 5 standard interview questions they ask everyone (if that still applies), I'd greatly appreciate it!!

I visited the interview feedback page, and a lot of people wrote something along the lines of getting asked the "standard 5 questions" along with whatever else they included, so I was just wondering what exactly these big five were

Also, anyone have to make a decision between AZCOM and ATSU-Mesa, and if so, why did you choose ATSU?

Thanks!

 

[DrMattOglesby]

I know this has to be on the board a billion times, but if anyone can be kind enough to PM or link me to the 5 standard interview questions they ask everyone (if that still applies), I'd greatly appreciate it!!

I visited the interview feedback page, and a lot of people wrote something along the lines of getting asked the "standard 5 questions" along with whatever else they included, so I was just wondering what exactly these big five were

Also, anyone have to make a decision between AZCOM and ATSU-Mesa, and if so, why did you choose ATSU?

Thanks!

know the answer to "why medicine, why DO, why ATSU-SOMA" --you should know this answer for any school you interview with though!
i dont remember my 5 questions to tell the truth.
it was just a BIG conversation with mostly me talking...I might have written them down somewhere. But im not sure about that.
i gave a pretty detailed feedback here
I have not heard back from AZCOM yet...but ill find out in a couple of days hopefully.

 

[kund2]

Can anyone tell me how long it took to receive a secondary? My AACOMAS was sent to the schools last week and I have not heard from them yet. Just wondering if it takes a few weeks to get the secondary.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

Can anyone tell me how long it took to receive a secondary? My AACOMAS was sent to the schools last week and I have not heard from them yet. Just wondering if it takes a few weeks to get the secondary.

check out people's MDapps pages.
Hopefully they keep them updated and informational...it took SOMA exactly ten days for them to give me a secondary.

 

[thriftnuh]

anyone interviewing on friday??

 

[Limvostov]

So... I am a little confused about how this school handles the third and fourth year. I have been told that many students move many times during those years and many will not end up in AZ. Is this true?

 

[GreenShirt]

So... I am a little confused about how this school handles the third and fourth year. I have been told that many students move many times during those years and many will not end up in AZ. Is this true?

No, not exactly. You will only have to move once between first and second year. You spend one year on the main campus in Mesa and then three years at a Community Health Center (CHC). On interview day you will rank your preference for 11 locations and upon acceptance you will receive your assignment.

 

[Limvostov]

So is the first year accelerated? How do you get all of the courses done that other schools would require? Do you have a list of the locations for the 11 CHC's?

 

[DrMattOglesby]

On interview day you will rank your preference for 11 locations and upon acceptance you will receive your assignment.

Keep in mind, we will have to fly back to Mesa to take the COMLEX as well.

And, I ranked my preference on interview day and only got to choose my most favored CHC and give reasons as to why I liked it. When I got the acceptance telephone call, I was told that we would have to wait until the first quarter of school before we found out which CHC we would end up with. Because that is when the reps from each place come and talk with the students to determine who is a good fit for them.

So is the first year accelerated? How do you get all of the courses done that other schools would require? Do you have a list of the locations for the 11 CHC's?

the first year starts in July or something. It is not necessarily accelerated, it just starts earlier. The CHCs are listed on ATSU-SOMA's website.

 

[Qifu]

On interview day you will rank your preference for 11 locations and upon acceptance you will receive your assignment.

When I interviewed last Friday, we were told that we did not have to rank our schools then and there. They said that the ranking will take place once we were accepted and attending the school, and that this was just instituted recently. They wanted to allow CHCs representatives to come to the school and work with the students to figure out the best match for the students.

So last I heard, you don't need to know exactly which CHCs you want to go to on the interview day.

 

[GreenShirt]

Keep in mind, we will have to fly back to Mesa to take the COMLEX as well.

And, I ranked my preference on interview day and only got to choose my most favored CHC and give reasons as to why I liked it. When I got the acceptance telephone call, I was told that we would have to wait until the first quarter of school before we found out which CHC we would end up with. Because that is when the reps from each place come and talk with the students to determine who is a good fit for them.


the first year starts in July or something. It is not necessarily accelerated, it just starts earlier. The CHCs are listed on ATSU-SOMA's website.

CHC selection:

Ok...looks like they've changed things for the incoming classes. The inaugural class was allowed to pick their CHC beforehand. I know they were kicking around the idea of waiting until the first year for CHC selection since a couple of people ended up switching around. I think it's a bad idea for them to wait until you attend to pick...oh well.

COMLEX:

The class of 2011 doesn't have to return to Mesa for the COMLEX we just take it wherever we want to. It would be a waste of money to fly in for just one day. I know they debated in the first year whether or not to have us return for a COMLEX prep but the cost and logistics of bringing back 100 people to Mesa for two months wasn't worth it so they just ended up buying Kaplan for us. I'd be interested to find out if they figured out a way to do it and have changed it for incoming classes.

I'll ask around and get back to you guys.

 

[GreenShirt]

So is the first year accelerated? How do you get all of the courses done that other schools would require? Do you have a list of the locations for the 11 CHC's?

You take courses in both your first and second years just like any other medical school. You will cover 6 body systems in the first and 6 in the second year. The first year will be more intensive with respect to OMM training and medical skills. In the second year, OMM is lighter and you spend one or two days in clinic.

The first year is a little more intense in the sense that you will tackle some of the harder systems such Neuro, Cardio and Renal which are usually 2nd year courses. The 1st year is also longer than usual (12 months), but a lot of that has to do with the light lecture schedule (4 hrs instead of 8 hr on average) and the time devoted to OMM and med skills.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

Now that I have another acceptance in hand...and possible future acceptances--this whole "wait-till-school-starts-to-find-out-your-CHC" thing really makes me kind of nervous.
I was hoping that I could find out immediately if I got my Hawaii CHC or not. And if so, I would be SOOOOO much more confident in choosing SOMA back.
There must be some way around this...

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

MrMatt congrats on your acceptance!!! How long did it take from your interview day to the day that you got the acceptance call? I looked on your Mdapps, but didn't quite find that info... Thanks

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

I just interviewed at SOMA this past Monday (the 20th). The school was awesome. To be honest, before the interview I had a lot of doubts about it being a new program etc. etc. But I was heavily drawn to the mission of the school, so I went anyway. The faculty blew me away with their enthusiasm for the program, and I was especially impressed with the Dean (who used to be the President of AACOM!) Everyone seemed super confident in the program and I really just felt good at the school. I really really hope that I get in here. Feel free to ask me any questions, I will answer as best as I can.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

MrMatt congrats on your acceptance!!! How long did it take from your interview day to the day that you got the acceptance call? I looked on your Mdapps, but didn't quite find that info... Thanks

actually...the info on that MDapps was in reference to my interview day and the acceptance call...
so what happened was that I interviewed in the afternoon group on 9/26 and received a phone call (while I was on the bus ride to the airport for another interview mind you) that I had been accepted on 10/9 !

so it took just under two weeks to get the acceptance call

 

[MikeTheGipper]

Hey Matt and Bruce...Congrats to you Matt for your acceptance and to you Bruce for you interview. I'm actually going to be interviewing at SOMA sometime in November. Do you guys have any specific advice or tips/things to be ready for at the SOMA interview?

 

[DrMattOglesby]

Hey Matt and Bruce...Congrats to you Matt for your acceptance and to you Bruce for you interview. I'm actually going to be interviewing at SOMA sometime in November. Do you guys have any specific advice or tips/things to be ready for at the SOMA interview?

I'll tell you one thing right away--that is this: Be able to look at your application and feel good about everything in it. The last interview of the day is a file review with the Dean of Admissions.
So--pour over your application and critique the heck out of it. If you can "defend" yourself, then you just made the Dean's job that much easier when they have to present your case to the rest of the Admissions Committee members.

And during your group project 'interview,' make sure you cooperate, contribute, and in general--express abilities that are characteristic of those who are good at working in groups.

 

[Johnson48]

I had a similar experience last year. I was in D.C. for my next interview when I had a call from Joyce. It made that next interview the next day very laid back. In my case, right about 2 weeks for the call.

actually...the info on that MDapps was in reference to my interview day and the acceptance call...
so what happened was that I interviewed in the afternoon group on 9/26 and received a phone call (while I was on the bus ride to the airport for another interview mind you) that I had been accepted on 10/9 !

so it took just under two weeks to get the acceptance call

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

Hey Matt and Bruce...Congrats to you Matt for your acceptance and to you Bruce for you interview. I'm actually going to be interviewing at SOMA sometime in November. Do you guys have any specific advice or tips/things to be ready for at the SOMA interview?

In addition to the classic Why DO, etc. I would be prepared for really simple questions, actually. I was asked the question, "Do doctors need to be compassionate?" which kind of threw me off cause the answer seemed to be, simply, "huh, yeah." To me, that's like asking, "Do planes need to be able to fly?" So I launched into a really long answer and ended up kind of tripping over myself a few times looking for something to back up my answer.

There were some quasi-ethical questions as well, but nothing too complicated.

 

[Johnson48]

For those of you who are wanting a specific CHC (i.e. Hawaii, Brooklyn, CA, Seattle) then if you are able, contact the CHC now. If you haven't heard, the system for next year has changed. CHC will chose students next year after first year starts. The more of a relationship (i.e. volunteering or prior contact) you have made with the CHC in addition to having a history with the region, the more likely you will be to receive your choice of location.
Remember, CHCs are looking for people who will be willing to stay in the area after medical school. So if you are from Hawaii, or wish to practice in Hawaii after school, you have a better argument then someone who wants to surf. (and a very good chance of going)

 

[DrJazzah]

I just interviewed at SOMA this past Monday (the 20th). The school was awesome. To be honest, before the interview I had a lot of doubts about it being a new program etc. etc. But I was heavily drawn to the mission of the school, so I went anyway. The faculty blew me away with their enthusiasm for the program, and I was especially impressed with the Dean (who used to be the President of AACOM!) Everyone seemed super confident in the program and I really just felt good at the school. I really really hope that I get in here. Feel free to ask me any questions, I will answer as best as I can.

hey! I had an interview on the same day as you! I hope we'll be classmates!

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

hey! I had an interview on the same day as you! I hope we'll be classmates!

I would absolutely support the idea of us being classmates! I guess you really liked the school too! Was there anything especially that interested you on interview day?

 

[DrJazzah]

I would absolutely support the idea of us being classmates! I guess you really liked the school too! Was there anything especially that interested you on interview day?

Just being in the community starting our second year and also their clinical presentations model of teaching us the material.

I wish I could just call them and ask what their decision is already.

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

Just being in the community starting our second year and also their clinical presentations model of teaching us the material.

I wish I could just call them and ask what their decision is already.

Yeah, I've thought about doing that too... I was actually not in the room when Joyce was doing that part of the wrap up, so I didn't hear exactly what the protocol is... You guys gave me the gyst of it, that she would call us if we get in, but did she make it sound like we shouldn't call her? I think I just might....

 

[gildas]

I see some of my classmates have posted their Year-2 weekly schedule, so I thought maybe I should post one up for the Flagstaff site.

Monday
AM: Didactic (scheme presentations & cases)
PM: Independent Learning (IL) from podcasts and lectures posted on the internet from the main campus in Mesa

Tuesday
Clinic and Mixed experiences all day

Wednesday
AM: Didactic (scheme presentations & cases)
PM: Independent Learning (IL)

Thursday
AM: OPP
PM: Independent Learning (IL)

Friday
AM: Open for Didactic, IL or CMEs (presented by other Providers from the community)
PM: MIC or IL

 

[213965]

Hi,

So a classmate of mine did a campus tour at ATSU - Mesa, and informed me that medschool students only have 2 cadavers available to them (for the entire class) and hence do very little dissecting themselves.

First of all I was wondering if this is true, and if so, if this is necessarily a negative thing?

Also, if anyone can post why they choose this school over others (such as AZCOM in AZ as well) that would help me out a bunch. I know some of you have PMed me with this info and I thank you very much, but I am also interested in hearing back from some current medschool students if at all possible.

Thanks!

 

[Bruinette]

Question for current SOMA students:

For your 3rd and 4th yr rotations, I'm assuming that SOMA has those set up and ready for their students? In other words, the students won't have to spent too much of their own time scrambling to fulfill their required rotations?

Thanks for any input!

 

[EastWestN2grt]

Hi,

So a classmate of mine did a campus tour at ATSU - Mesa, and informed me that medschool students only have 2 cadavers available to them (for the entire class) and hence do very little dissecting themselves.

First of all I was wondering if this is true, and if so, if this is necessarily a negative thing?

Also, if anyone can post why they choose this school over others (such as AZCOM in AZ as well) that would help me out a bunch. I know some of you have PMed me with this info and I thank you very much, but I am also interested in hearing back from some current medschool students if at all possible.

Thanks!

The SOMA program uses prosection for the anatomy course. From my own personal experience (using traditional cadaver dissection in the past) prosection is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better than traditional dissection. The cadavers are already pre-dissected by the anatomy faculty so you see the necessary organs, and tissue that you are supposed to see. In traditional anatomy courses, its the students that do the dissection--students who have never done dissecting in their life (for the most part) and so there is a lot of accidental mutilation--for example, a nerve which you were supposed to dissect out, has been cut, and discarded unknown to you and your lab partners. On top of this, the time commitment to dissection is a waste of time (IMO) that could be spent studying medicine. So I personally love prosection over traditional dissection. Some may have their own personal beliefs about the med school "tradition" of dissection. In my experience, after one month of dissecting, your pretty sick of it.

There are approximately 4 -6 cadavers at any one time in SOMA, not to mention lots of body parts, models, etc, etc.

I chose SOMA over the other schools I was accepted too, simply because I wanted to work with underserved populations, and IMO there is no other school that is as committed as SOMA.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

Question for current SOMA students:

For your 3rd and 4th yr rotations, I'm assuming that SOMA has those set up and ready for their students? In other words, the students won't have to spent too much of their own time scrambling to fulfill their required rotations?

Thanks for any input!

3rd year and most 4th year rotations (minus elective rotations) are done at your respective Community Health centers. My faculty facilitator at my CHC mentioned that he just submitted our 3rd year rotations 1-2 weeks ago, so they are already set.

Your setting up your own elective rotations.

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

I am VERY excited about this acceptance! I've gotten others, but this school is amazing and is going places for sure. I definitely agree with you, MrMatt, that the only thing that is hard is not knowing which CHC I would be going to. It is hard to make such a huge commitment not knowing where exactly my family and I will be after that first year!

 

[GreenShirt]

brucecanbeatyou: Congratulations!

Anatomy Lab: We study anatomy on about 5 or 6 prosected cadavers (plus body parts, models, videos, presentations). We don't dissect or spend a ton of hours in the lab (although it's always open for review). IMHO, this is a good thing. There's actually a lot of disagreement in the medical education literature about the effecacy of cadaver education (you're probably going right now). Part of the reason is that the plastic models in the lab look more like what's found in a human body than the cadavers (now you're going ). I, too, thought this was bunk when I first heard it until a couple weeks ago when I actually looked in someone's abdomen during surgery and thought *holy cow* it's true!

Rotations: As EastWestN2grt mentioned the CHC not the school arranges these. Ohio is completing negotiations with local hospitals right now for third year.

 

[DrMattOglesby]

hey greenshirt and east2west:

can you guys supply a lil more information about online learning that takes place once you're at the CHCs?
do you get PDF documents? audio podcasts of lectures? videos? How soon do you have to finish assignments once you get them?
I'm just very unclear as to how the curriculum is carried out once you leave the main campus...
thanks in advance!

 

[213965]

Does anyone know (or can refer me to a source) that shows % accepted or rejected out of number of interviewed candidates?

Not that it will help or hurt my case any, but I am just curious since I really, really want to go here, but I am afraid my health care and volunteer experiences don't seem to be on par with everyone else who's been accepted, and while my numbers are slightly above average, this school doesn't seem to care as much about numbers (am I correct) so that makes me a pretty vanilla applicant. Or perhaps I should just calm down, log off SDN, and go do some homework...

 

[EastWestN2grt]

hey greenshirt and east2west:

can you guys supply a lil more information about online learning that takes place once you're at the CHCs?
do you get PDF documents? audio podcasts of lectures? videos? How soon do you have to finish assignments once you get them?
I'm just very unclear as to how the curriculum is carried out once you leave the main campus...
thanks in advance!

All of the above! Plus we have CHC faculty take us through schemes, and case studies, group projects which we work together on, and of course the clinical learning/hands on experience is PRICELESS!!

Just understand that at most traditional med schools learning is mostly done independently since frequently students don't even show up to lectures. This is also largely independent study, but with lectures accesible on-line, and via podcast.

 

[Bruinette]

Thank you EastWestN2grt and Greenshirt for your input!

I was accepted at SOMA and I think I am set on attending next year! I was so excited about SOMA that I even ranked the CHCs on the day of my interview.

Thanks again

 

[213965]

All of the above! Plus we have CHC faculty take us through schemes, and case studies, group projects which we work together on, and of course the clinical learning/hands on experience is PRICELESS!!

Just understand that at most traditional med schools learning is mostly done independently since frequently students don't even show up to lectures. This is also largely independent study, but with lectures accesible on-line, and via podcast.

I've heard the faculty there is wonderful; I really hope I get in this year.

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

All of the above! Plus we have CHC faculty take us through schemes, and case studies, group projects which we work together on, and of course the clinical learning/hands on experience is PRICELESS!!

Just understand that at most traditional med schools learning is mostly done independently since frequently students don't even show up to lectures. This is also largely independent study, but with lectures accesible on-line, and via podcast.

I am really really really liking this school the more I learn!!! Thanks for all the input, EastWest!

 

[DrMattOglesby]

so im curious...why did we rank our top choice CHC on the day of the interview???
Does that factor into anything?
im banging my head against a wall over here about what to do...i need more certainty. I feel confident I would be a great fit at my top ranked CHC (and I have even been told not to worry by others cuz they said I would most likely get the CHC)...but nothing is guaranteed and that makes me uneasy.

 

[davis749]

so im curious...why did we rank our top choice CHC on the day of the interview???
Does that factor into anything?
im banging my head against a wall over here about what to do...i need more certainty. I feel confident I would be a great fit at my top ranked CHC (and I have even been told not to worry by others cuz they said I would most likely get the CHC)...but nothing is guaranteed and that makes me uneasy. Today 11:00 AM

Rest assured I interviewed today, and they did not have us rank our top choice CHC's. The students eating lunch with us said that they were asked to rank their schools upon acceptance; however, the admissions person, Joyce, said that they had changed this policy and would be doing something entirely new next year.

They plan on bringing in representatives from each CHC for the first 8(?) weeks, and incorporating detailed lectures on each site. Following the lectures, students will offer a portfolio of sorts (she suggested it might hold test scores to that point, a resume of sorts, a bio...) and rankings. The CHC's are also given the opportunity to rank their choice of students with regards to who they believe would be most successful at their site. Finally, the students and the CHC's are matched by their preferances. It sounds like future students will get more familiar with the CHC sites than previous students have before making their selections.

 

[brucecanbeatyou]

Rest assured I interviewed today, and they did not have us rank our top choice CHC's. The students eating lunch with us said that they were asked to rank their schools upon acceptance; however, the admissions person, Joyce, said that they had changed this policy and would be doing something entirely new next year.

They plan on bringing in representatives from each CHC for the first 8(?) weeks, and incorporating detailed lectures on each site. Following the lectures, students will offer a portfolio of sorts (she suggested it might hold test scores to that point, a resume of sorts, a bio...) and rankings. The CHC's are also given the opportunity to rank their choice of students with regards to who they believe would be most successful at their site. Finally, the students and the CHC's are matched by their preferances. It sounds like future students will get more familiar with the CHC sites than previous students have before making their selections.

I think that MrMatt's point is just that. Last year they ranked their CHC's at the interview, then, if they were accepted, they were also told at which CHC they would be at, right at the time of the acceptance.

The way they are doing it this year, you just don't know where you're going to be for the next three years. I am kind of uneasy about this too, and really really wish that it were the way that it was last year.

 

[EastWestN2grt]

I think that MrMatt's point is just that. Last year they ranked their CHC's at the interview, then, if they were accepted, they were also told at which CHC they would be at, right at the time of the acceptance.

The way they are doing it this year, you just don't know where you're going to be for the next three years. I am kind of uneasy about this too, and really really wish that it were the way that it was last year.

To Bruce, Matt and others: I can tell you this much--during my first year there was a lot of switching between CHCs going on by many students which im sure was a headache for the school and the CHCs. A lot of the decision on which CHC people were assigned, predominantly was based on first come-first serve, meaning the earlier you were accepted the more likely you got your choice CHC. This situation truly was not fair, and i think excluded some people from more ideal CHCs. Thirdly, from the experience at my own CHC now, and from what I have heard about others, some students just are not the "right" fit for the CHC that they are now assigned too. The decision of which CHC these students chose was solely on the ranking the student gave the CHCs, and the order of their acceptance to the school. The CHCs had no choice in which students attend their campuses. Very commonly, the choice was a matter of student preference, no matter if they were not a good fit for the CHC--thus the "cooler" locations get chosen first NYC, HI, Seattle, Portland. The problem is that once relocated to the CHCs, the student and the CHC may not be a good match. This not only can be a disappointing situation for the student, this is a not a good situation for the CHCs, who are trying to find med students who are willing to stay at the CHCs in the future, and who fit well with not only the CHC, but more importantly with the population being served.

The way SOMA has changed the selection process, I think makes more sense. The CHCs will get a chance to also check out the students, and then after an interview process pick the people who are a good match for the CHC, and NOT get students who want to go to their CHC just because they want to "surf right after clinic for the next 3 years", or whatever other lame reasons I have heard from other students for choosing their CHC.

If you truly can justify why a specific CHC should spend time, money and effort for the next 3 years to train you to be one of their own "home grown" physicians, and also impress upon them why you make a good future doctor for their particular patient population then you will get the CHC that is the right fit for you, and the CHC will get the right student for them. Just make sure your reason is more valid than the earlier one I mentioned.

Oh and BTW, for many other med schools your clinical rotations are happening wherever you may get assigned for your rotations, which your not going to find out until your second year of med school, not to mention you may be moved around for rotations. At SOMA your going to know where your assigned for the next 3 years, probably by Thanksgiving. I think thats still a good deal.

P.S. I love my CHC, and feel lucky that I am at the CHC which is my ideal fit.

 

[primadonna22274]

So what's the new-improved plan for selecting CHCs? Will the student "interview" with the proposed-match CHCs? I also am uneasy with the prospect of not knowing where we would be years 2-4 mostly because the best case scenario is that husband could move there a year earlier, start his teaching job, settle in, and I could join him. If we don't know where we'll be until well into the first year then it makes it all more of a scramble and that much harder to choose ATSU. (Granted I've not been offered an interview yet so this is all speculation.)

 

[davis749]

So what's the new-improved plan for selecting CHCs? Will the student "interview" with the proposed-match CHCs? I also am uneasy with the prospect of not knowing where we would be years 2-4 mostly because the best case scenario is that husband could move there a year earlier, start his teaching job, settle in, and I could join him. If we don't know where we'll be until well into the first year then it makes it all more of a scramble and that much harder to choose ATSU. (Granted I've not been offered an interview yet so this is all speculation.)

I kind of tried to explain it a little bit in an earlier post... it's just a few up, but I may not have presented it clear enough.

Admissions presented it like this (I'll do my best to explain, but it is probably worth contacting admissions for a more detailed answer). Basically, representatives from the CHC come to the school for the first 8 weeks (I'm not sure if they stay the entire time, or just for a portion) to get to know the student and to present their CHC in detail. While students are working through the first units, the CHC representatives get an opportunity to know the student, and the student gets an opportunity to gain familiarity with their programs. The student puts together a portfolio and presents it to the CHC representative; both parties rank their selections. After this is done, the students and CHC's enter a matching system to provide the best matches. The admissions office made it sound as though you would know 8 weeks into your education where your CHC is going to be.

I would still contact admissions in case I got any of this information wrong; I really don't want to misrepresent the program, because it sounds like a pretty good matching system.