2010-2011 University of Florida Application Thread

[Spin]

Hey guys! I was recently accepted (woohoo! ) and now I'm trying to decide between UF and FIU. I know it sounds like a really obvious decision, but I want to be sure of everything before I decide. Also, I got a scholarship from FIU, and UF might not have any more scholarships left to give, so it looks like I'll be in a lot more debt if I go to UF.

0) Is it likely that I'll get some scholarship money in years 2-4, even if I don't get any this year?

1) For the classes that don't have required attendance, are the lectures available for live streaming? How soon are the recordings available, and do they include both audio and video?

2) I heard that the curriculum might be changing. If you know anything about that, how is it going to change things?

3) How many electives can students have before applying for residency? (Before September 1.)

4) How many externships can students do?

5) How easy is it to get hands-on experience during rotations?

6) Do you feel prepared for the emotional aspects of being a doctor? For the USMLE Step 2?

7) How much time off did/will you get to study for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2? When? (I'm assuming most schools to USMLE Step 1 after 2nd year and Step 2 after 3rd year, but I know that some schools do it differently.)

8) Do you receive any kind of guidance or mentoring without forcefully going after it yourself? I went to UF for undergrad and I definitely just felt like a number there. I know med school is different, but it's hard to shake the feeling of anonymity.

9) If you had to choose between UF's curriculum and a fully-integrated one (in which professors sat in on each others' lectures just so they could help you connect together concepts), which one would you choose, assuming all other factors were equal?

10) Do you see a lot of variety on rotations? Can it compete with what Miami has to offer?

11) Does UF foster teamwork between med students? (FIU has panther communities, like FSU's learning communities.)

For the record, I love UF COM. I'm just trying to decide how much more debt I'd be willing to go into for it. Thanks!

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[CarlATHF]

Hey guys! I was recently accepted (woohoo! ) and now I'm trying to decide between UF and FIU. I know it sounds like a really obvious decision, but I want to be sure of everything before I decide. Also, I got a scholarship from FIU, and UF might not have any more scholarships left to give, so it looks like I'll be in a lot more debt if I go to UF.

0) Is it likely that I'll get some scholarship money in years 2-4, even if I don't get any this year?

Likely no, unless something drastic changes in your financial situation or you do something radical (cure cancer, HIV, etc.).

1) For the classes that don't have required attendance, are the lectures available for live streaming? How soon are the recordings available, and do they include both audio and video?

Lectures tend to be available around 3 hours after they are recorded. Sometimes sooner, sometimes later, but never more than a day later.

2) I heard that the curriculum might be changing. If you know anything about that, how is it going to change things?

The curriculum at UF is supposed to be changing, but not until the class of 2017 or 2018 comes in (at least to my knowledge).

3) How many electives can students have before applying for residency? (Before September 1.)

You get a total of 6 elective rotations at UF, with June, July, and August being free for exploration of areas outside of the core rotations.

4) How many externships can students do?

I believe 2 of the 6 electives can be externships.

5) How easy is it to get hands-on experience during rotations?

This is very dependent on individual rotations, as some attendings/residents/interns/nurses are more comfortable than others. My upper level MS friends say that they never have problems getting hands-on experience, but again, that's just hearsay.

6) Do you feel prepared for the emotional aspects of being a doctor? For the USMLE Step 2?

I mean, I'm only an MS1 but I believe that this is something you develop on your own, not necessarily because of the school.

7) How much time off did/will you get to study for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2? When? (I'm assuming most schools to USMLE Step 1 after 2nd year and Step 2 after 3rd year, but I know that some schools do it differently.)

We get anywhere from 10 days to around 40 days to study for Step 1, with the average being around 30 days of dedicated study time. The school allows you to choose when you'd like to take it, so it's just kind of up to you. Plus it kinda helps that UF teaches 100% of their material to the boards.

8) Do you receive any kind of guidance or mentoring without forcefully going after it yourself? I went to UF for undergrad and I definitely just felt like a number there. I know med school is different, but it's hard to shake the feeling of anonymity.

I mean, you're never going to just sit there and have people waiting on you hand and foot, but it's incredibly easy to find mentors in the different departments. All you really have to do is send an email to whomever you're interested in shadowing/working with, and they try to make it happen. Heck, I've already gotten to spend time (outside of class) with a vascular surgeon, a couple of ER residents, and many family medicine and internal medicine docs, and every time I see them, they always say hello (in addition to continuing to try to recruit you to their field lol).

9) If you had to choose between UF's curriculum and a fully-integrated one (in which professors sat in on each others' lectures just so they could help you connect together concepts), which one would you choose, assuming all other factors were equal?

Can't really speak to other places, but I love our curriculum. They do a good job integrating it with other sections too (having clinical correlations to stuff we're learning about in anatomy, physio, etc.)

10) Do you see a lot of variety on rotations? Can it compete with what Miami has to offer?

I can't really speak to this.

11) Does UF foster teamwork between med students? (FIU has panther communities, like FSU's learning communities.)

I mean we don't really have forced teamwork sessions (which is what you're making it sound like FIU and FSU have), but I have a group of individuals that I study with quite often.

For the record, I love UF COM. I'm just trying to decide how much more debt I'd be willing to go into for it. Thanks!

See answers above. I can only speak for UF, so you'd have to get your information about FIU elsewhere. Personally, I love going to school here, but like you'll hear about many places, what you put into it is what you get out of it. I just happen to like going to football and basketball games/tailgating.

 

[MD Bound]

Just a note on the curriculum changes:

UF is maintaining a "traditional" lecture type curriculum. They do not intend to go to a guided study/independent curriculum (Mayo) or completely small-group based curriculum.

Starting with the class of 2014, administration has implemented more small-group discussion and study.

For example, in our essentials of patient care class (doctoring, history taking, physical exams), we have a small group where we review video recordings with standardized patients. That same small group is our Staying Whole In Medicine (SWIM) small group, where we have a faculty member coordinate fun activities for us to do at no expense to us.

Of course, there are anatomy dissection groups.

In physiology, we have team based learning groups, where as a team we are presented with questions to discuss and clinical cases to pick apart, all revolving around information we're being exposed to in lecture.

In biochemistry, we do a lot in small groups - from clinical correlation presentations to a final group project researching a disease of biochemical origin.

Those types of changes will continue to take place year after year. For example, team-based learning will probably take place more often in physiology, biochemistry, and histology next year.

More conceptual curriculum changes will begin with the class of 2016 at the earliest, though you guys (2015) might see a rearrangement of some of your first year courses, even though the content will remain the same.

Hope that helps!

 

[Spin]

Thank you so much gujuDoc, cweave16, and MD Bound! This really helps!

 

[Neatloaf]

One more thing.....

My friend who just graduated started studying from February for step 1. she studied at least 6 months or so before taking it. I am under the impression a lot of people do this but they really step it up at its most intense in that last month or so that you have off before the final deal in summer.

That is insane. No one does that.

 

[Helkar3]

Does anyone have any more information about UF waitlist movement? Is there class filled yet?

 

[Helkar3]

I would assume the class is filled at the moment but people may or may not still drop which is why no one has officially been rejected who remains on the waitlist. This is true of any school at this point in the game.

Every med school in the nation is supposed to have a full class by the time of March or April some time according to AAMC. FAU was the exception for that this year because of the late start and even so it was filled within that time frame to some extent.

After that all seats come from waitlist or due to over acceptances in the end of the cycle.

So my guess is that at the moment it is full but there are probably still going to be fluctuations in the waitlist movement if people get a better offer like some top 10 school or what not and I would assume such.

I know its tough and what it is to try and hang in there. But I guess we just gotta keep hanging on til late July or so. 2 more months of this.

Have you tried calling and seeing if they take any post interview updates or letters and if they tell you any information about where you stand on the waitlist?

I called them, and Lelia told me that there is little you can do. There is a ranking but it's not set in stone.I tried to ask her what date would be consider the time when waitlist is less likely to move, but she would not say. It has been very slow this year she told me, and I called 3 weeks ago.
I just want to know if there is any hope left or I should just move on. Anyway, I'm going to send another letter.

 

[Spin]

For those of you who were accepted, how long did it take for your hard copy of your letter of acceptance to come in the mail? It's been two weeks, and mine still hasn't come.

 

[appeler]

Accepted! Will be attending, see you all in the fall, and good luck to everyone still on the waitlist!

 

[gujuDoc]

Accepted! Will be attending, see you all in the fall, and good luck to everyone still on the waitlist!

Congratulations