2009-2010 Florida State University Application Thread

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shemarty

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Prompts

500 WORDS EACH

1. Indicate your significant travel experiences and include the circumstances.

2. Indicate what you do for fun and diversion (hobbies, special interests, etc)

3. Identify any other traits, habits, experiences, interests, etc., that a professor or advisor would not normally learn about you.

4. For both mother and father give the following:

* Where they were raised
* 4-5 traits that would describe him/her to a stranger
* Traits you get from him/her
* Your rapport with him/her
* His/her hobbies or interests

5. Give names, ages, and a few brief comments about your siblings

6. In what field of medicine do you envision yourself working ten years from now?

7. Write a critical analysis of your personal and scholastic qualifications for the study of medicine and the realization of your professional ambitions.

LOR Reqs


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Go FSU!!!

I was accepted into the 2009 class but I had to defer my matriculation in FSU until 2010 so anyone has questions I am willing to help out. Just PM me or post them here and I will try my best

Good luck to those applying, its going to be one crazy year :D
 
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Not applying early, but I will be applying regular. Best of luck to you!
 
AMCAS says med schools will begin receiving applicaition around June 24th...My application was AMCAS completed on June 4th...so will FSU be reviewing now or later?
 
AMCAS says med schools will begin receiving applicaition around June 24th...My application was AMCAS completed on June 4th...so will FSU be reviewing now or later?

Nuke,

The way it works is that when your AMCAS is complete, the med school has your file and then will begin sending secondaries as they see fit anytime past the 24th. So I would expect to get a secondary from FSU after the 24th.

Good luck!
 
Nuke,

The way it works is that when your AMCAS is complete, the med school has your file and then will begin sending secondaries as they see fit anytime past the 24th. So I would expect to get a secondary from FSU after the 24th.

Good luck!

I am under the impression that med schools don't even see your file/know you exist until AMCAS sends your application on/after June 24th. Are you saying the same thing?
 
I am under the impression that med schools don't even see your file/know you exist until AMCAS sends your application on/after June 24th. Are you saying the same thing?

They have to know you at least exist right? Otherwise how can schools like yale and columbia send 2ndaries before the 24th?
 
They have to know you at least exist right? Otherwise how can schools like yale and columbia send 2ndaries before the 24th?

That's a great point. I have absolutely no idea.
 
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They have the info before the 24th, just most schools won't send until the 24th...I think
probably...but like everything else in this process..its left unknown to the applicants. All we can do is make our best guess:(
 
If you don't mind could you share your statistics? Did you have alot of work, volunteer, or shadow experience?
 
Hey guys,

I'm a first year at FSU now. I'm in the midst of anatomy but I'm pretty obsessive about checking here, so if you have any questions then just PM. If it is a recurring question then I will come back and answer it on here.

As far as the secondary stuff, as far as I remember I got the email with the link in July. I was complete by mid-July. I then heard nothing till September. They like to interview a ton of EDP people first and then go from there it seems. You have a better than normal chance with it if you have stats AT or above the average. If you have them below then I wouldn't recommend it. The admissions office is pretty on pointe with this stuff. They usually let you know about two weeks after on the nose. I was waitlisted in October and didn't hear anything till May, but just kept updating them. I really do love it here. I know some people that don't but every day I go to school a little giddy, even if I loathe certain aspects of it.

Anyway, as I said up above, message me if you have any questions!
 
Hey guys,

I'm a first year at FSU now. I'm in the midst of anatomy but I'm pretty obsessive about checking here, so if you have any questions then just PM. If it is a recurring question then I will come back and answer it on here.

As far as the secondary stuff, as far as I remember I got the email with the link in July. I was complete by mid-July. I then heard nothing till September. They like to interview a ton of EDP people first and then go from there it seems. You have a better than normal chance with it if you have stats AT or above the average. If you have them below then I wouldn't recommend it. The admissions office is pretty on pointe with this stuff. They usually let you know about two weeks after on the nose. I was waitlisted in October and didn't hear anything till May, but just kept updating them. I really do love it here. I know some people that don't but every day I go to school a little giddy, even if I loathe certain aspects of it.

Anyway, as I said up above, message me if you have any questions!

This might be wrong, but I definitely feel that the emphasize GPA more than MCAT, and having a lot of clinical experience is key to an interview. Would you agree?

Also, did you apply EDP?
 
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This might be wrong, but I definitely feel that the emphasize GPA more than MCAT, and having a lot of clinical experience is key to an interview. Would you agree?

Also, did you apply EDP?

You are talking to the one guy that probably would partially disagree actually. Neither were particularly strong with me. My cum GPA was below their average by about .3 or .4 (No idea what their average is now) and my science gpa was even more than that I think. My MCAT was within 1 or 2 points. We have a wide range of people from 3.9/4.0 with 35 MCAT to 3.2 with 27 MCAT. There does seem to be a magic threshold of 26 to be considered for acceptance. I've heard different numbers but from my very very small sample size, that seems to be the case. They do tend to weigh gpa a little more probably, but I'm an outlier.

Their main priority is exactly what they say. It really isn't a sham. They WANT people that will be more likely to return to rural and underserved populations of Florida. Saying you want surgery won't really hurt you but they want people that are somewhat devoted to Florida.

There are people here with outstanding clinical experiences. I had tons and tons of shadowing but not much else in the way of direct clinical experience. I had a light level of research and tons of things that speak to diversity and culture. (Musician, artist, two study abroad programs, extensive traveling, president of German club, etc.) I also grew up in a very small town and am now a resident of a very rural area just south of Tallahassee.

If academic medicine is your thing then this probably isn't your ideal school. There IS the opportunity for research but it isn't the focus. They want to produce caring and confident clinicians. So, if you are trying to wow them with all of your research experience then you may strike out.

Also, many people think the summer curriculum is a major con because you lose that summer, but let me tell you, after hearing what some of my friends went through it is great. I study a lot but it is a leisurely study right now. They do their best here to slowly crescendo the work. We have a 10 week summer anatomy course combined with embryo, radiology and a doctoring course. That leaves the fall semester slightly more intense, but still laid back. It allows you the opportunity to participate in interest groups and have a life. My bud at Miami was talking about how his anatomy was covered in 8 weeks with all his other courses and how his first day they did all of the thorax and were in the lab till 8 at night. That has never happened to me. That being said, if you have the opportunity to take the spring semester off or graduate in fall then do it. I worked during spring and enjoyed life. I am not regretting it at all now.

Oh and I didn't apply EDP. I was a particularly weak applicant and applied to 30+ schools MD and DO.
 
That's a great point. I have absolutely no idea.

AMCAS sends your contact info/lets the schools know you're applying to them soon after you submit. Then, they make your full application available to the school after it has been verified (usually several weeks later). Some schools choose to send our secondaries based on the initial interest/application information. FSU does not. Also, FSU was one of the later schools to send out their secondary last year, if I remember correctly.
 
No, and not to FSU. Applying early would probably give you just as good of a chance.

I agree with this. Last year, I applied and was complete at the end of August (not super early), and I was interviewed on the first day of non-EDP applicants and was offered acceptance on October 1st (before EDP applicants are usually notified at other schools). Therefore, I wouldn't recommend applying EDP to FSU b/c if your application is competitive enoug for EDP, you will be accepted early anyways, and if you are not, you will be at a disadvantage once you are released in October to apply to other schools.
 
EDP is a big big chance. I know several people that applied it and the only reason they did was because they couldn't really afford to move. They were all stellar applicants too. But of course, I think all my classmates are pretty awesome people, so I may be biased.
 
This might be wrong, but I definitely feel that the emphasize GPA more than MCAT, and having a lot of clinical experience is key to an interview. Would you agree?

Also, did you apply EDP?

FSU asked alot of questions about my clinical experiences so they must put alot of weight to this.
 
Whereas they didn't put a lot on mine. I was asked by one interviewer and it took about 15 seconds and was done.
 
Whereas they didn't put a lot on mine. I was asked by one interviewer and it took about 15 seconds and was done.

One of my interviewer just talked about himself the whole time. He asked me 3 questions about my application the whole entire 50 mins. He was in a hurry to leave. Im not complaining because he was super nice
 
I almost sold my drumset to one of my interviewers. The other is a great guy but man did I feel like crap when I was walking out of that interview. He is just a tough interviewer and I left feeling like I didn't really stand a shot! But hey, we tend to be poor judges of how we interview.
 
Hey MossPoh, do you know if FSUCOM is affected by the recent budget cuts at FSU? The president of the university is stepping down too.
 
We seem fairly isolated from it. The budget crisis is mostly affecting programs that don't have graduate degrees. I'm sure our profs might be making a bit less but unlike many other schools, we don't have 5 profs per course. I really feel like the college of medicine is one of their babies and they are trying to protect us as bit. I can't even imagine what they'd really take away from us at this point. If stuff breaks they might not fix it for a while, but heck, we still have free printing. One of the projectors has been doing weird colors at the bottom of the screen for about 3 years now.

The research front may be getting hit but I feel like the sciences in general are doing alright. If you were in a major like German or Hospitality I'd be worried. Heck, one of the biggest things they could do is friggin increase tuition. Florida residents whine about tuition so much but it is dirt cheap here for undergrad. The instate tuition where I went is on par with the OOS here. My medical education is going to cost less than my undergrad...even if they increased the tuition by 15 to 20%.

So, in summary, I'm sure there are some ripple effects but I've not directly witnessed them. This is largely due to the structure of the program and the fact that it is so new that the system is a little more efficient.
 
What did you guys talk about in your self-critical essay? Bad grades or lack of research/volunteering/etc? or more toward character flaws?
 
Just got an email today asking to submit secondaries... does everyone get these? What's the critera? This is my first secondary and I was wondering if I need to write things in sentences or lists or what for the "profile" section. FSU's my #1 or 2 choice and I need to hit the ground running on this!
 
What are the secondary questions?
 
I got the secondary today too. It's the same prompts as last year (exact). Bullet lists, sentences, doesn't really matter.
 
I stuck with bullets for most of my stuff last year. Paragraphs are just a pain to read a ton of and people tend to be too wordy when they write in paragraph form.
 
Yeah I got my secondary today as well. I typed up essays for most everything, the limit is 500 words per essay, but in all reality I feel as though it actually requires a lot less than 500 words to sum up most of what you really need to say. I feel like whenever I see a 500 word limit I try to hit at or around 500 words though.....bad habit I suppose.
 
Yea, don't think of this as some writing assignment where you have to hit the word limit. Whenever they put a max word limit, it is usually out of NOT wanting to read a ton of stuff. They just want the gist of things. Every inane detail is not needed.
 
What are the secondary questions?

Here are the secondary questions:

500 WORDS

Indicate your significant travel experiences and include the circumstances.

Indicate what you do for fun and diversion (hobbies, special interests, etc)

Identify any other traits, habits, experiences, interests, etc., that a professor or advisor would not normally learn about you

For both mother and father give the following:

* Where they were raised
* 4-5 traits that would describe him/her to a stranger
* Traits you get from him/her
* Your rapport with him/her
* His/her hobbies or interests


Give names, ages, and a few brief comments about your sister

In what field of medicine do you envision yourself working ten years from now?

Please enter your ACT and SAT scores if you have taken these tests.

Write a critical analysis of your personal and scholastic qualifications for the study of medicine and the realization of your professional ambitions.
 
Yeah I got my secondary today as well. I typed up essays for most everything, the limit is 500 words per essay, but in all reality I feel as though it actually requires a lot less than 500 words to sum up most of what you really need to say. I feel like whenever I see a 500 word limit I try to hit at or around 500 words though.....bad habit I suppose.

Last year, I went over on all of the essays (the most was 1000 words) and they didnt mind. I called them afterward and they said it OK. I felt the essay about my mom and dad couldnt be cut down to 500 words. If it is the same as last year dont feel restricted to only 500 words
 
What did you guys talk about in your self-critical essay? Bad grades or lack of research/volunteering/etc? or more toward character flaws?

I wouldn't go too in dept like character flaws, I would talk about bad grades, bad scores and talk about why you chose medicine and how did you test your interest in medicine like volunteering etc...
 
I still think it is best to avoid being wordy. During my interview they had my secondary printed off along with the primary and the bullets really kind of helped to bring up questions. Instead of going through and reading a paragraph they'd simply look down and go, "Oh, I see you spent a lot of time in europe. How were those study abroad programs?"
 
submitted today - ill keep my fingers crossed. my self-crit essay was just north of 500 words but hopefully that wont matter
 
If you aren't EDP then even when fully complete, you may not hear anything for a little while. I remember being complete around the same time and I didn't even get offered an interview till mid-september or so and that was at the end of October. Keyword being "may". If you're a rockstar then they may tell you sooner. ;)
 
If you aren't EDP then even when fully complete, you may not hear anything for a little while. I remember being complete around the same time and I didn't even get offered an interview till mid-september or so and that was at the end of October. Keyword being "may". If you're a rockstar then they may tell you sooner. ;)

do you mean your interview wasn't until the end of Oct? I was tripping on your words a bit. I'm not really a rockstar, but I just really wanted to get my app in so I didn't have to worry/show them I am on my shiet
 
Yea, sorry. Kind of worded poorly. I should've said that I received the invite to schedule for an interview then and out of the dates that were available, the october date was the earliest. I was pretty much done with my interviews at that point. I went on one more afterwards in mid-December, but it was more to check the school out as I was visiting family in the midwest. It feels good to be complete. Just don't feel let down if you don't hear anything for a couple of months. It is a busy time for them and I can only imagine how stressful it is to receive all of those applications and have to sift through them.
 
This is one of the states I would move to. C'mon Florida......my secondary? please.......
 
If you are out of state then it is pretty unlikely FSU will send one. They recently started accepting OOS people I think, but there is only one person in my class that I know of who is OOS and he is from a town in Georgia 30 minutes away.
 
so i was looking online at the FSU website in preparation for completing my secondary application and the timetable says that classes start at the end of May. does that mean may of 2010 for applicants applying this year!? I am graduating in the end of June so this presents a time conlflict. I feel like there must be something I'm missing because I know a lot of school end in June as well, so how can they start classes before the end of the regular school year?
 
so i was looking online at the FSU website in preparation for completing my secondary application and the timetable says that classes start at the end of May. does that mean may of 2010 for applicants applying this year!? I am graduating in the end of June so this presents a time conlflict. I feel like there must be something I'm missing because I know a lot of school end in June as well, so how can they start classes before the end of the regular school year?

Regular school year at most FL schools I know ends in early May. See if you can take the finals early. Sounds like the early start program though...

I read you are an Early Start Program. When do classes begin?
Orientation begins May 24, 2010 for the Class of 2014. Classes begin May 31, 2010.
 
First, I'd like to say that I talked to a few more people that were OOS, so I guess the past few years they have accepted more. That being said, the tuition for OOS is ridiculous. It is like 55,000 a year or something. As much as I love the school, that is a ton of money.

To the other question, no you aren't missing anything. We start orientation at the end of may. We are on week 5 right now. Most schools I know, even up north (I went to school in PA) end before then. You'll find that a huge chunk of the students are from Florida schools. By huge chunk, I mean that at least 1/2 of the class comes from FSU or UF. Our class has like 5 or 6 from UMiami. Then a pretty even distribution from places like USF, UCF, UWF, FAU, etc. All of those schools end around the beginning of may.

It sucks on paper, but it makes for a much easier school year and it is one of the things I haven't heard anyone complain about. It is a lot better than having Anatomy/Embryology/Radiology and your first doctoring class stacked up on top of Histology and neuroscience like some schools do.
 
Hey MossPoh, do you know if FSUCOM is affected by the recent budget cuts at FSU? The president of the university is stepping down too.

The reason for the stepping down of the FSU president is the academic cheating schendal:

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/mar/06/062020/ncaa-ruling-due-today-fsu-cheating-scandal/

Here is another unsolved major academic misconduct case at FSU:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/445/RipOff0445047.htm

Based on these case, the student service and acdemic activity at FSU were far below the qualified standard. The university seems is saling the cheap degree.
 
Hey everyone. I got my secondary today, too! I'm not sure if they send secondaries to everyone but I do know it is pretty hard to get in as an OOS. Not saying that it is impossible, but they talk about wanting primary care type doctors who want to work in underserved and rural areas. Also, the program DOES start in May! You have to be finished with all of your classes by then to matriculate. You take anatomy over the summer with some doctoring classes I believe.
 
The reason for the stepping down of the FSU president is the academic cheating schendal:

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/mar/06/062020/ncaa-ruling-due-today-fsu-cheating-scandal/

Here is another unsolved major academic misconduct case at FSU:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/445/RipOff0445047.htm

Based on these case, the student service and acdemic activity at FSU were far below the qualified standard. The university seems is saling the cheap degree.

Don't come in here with your typos and crap evidence and say stuff like that. The academic cheating "schendal" that is so popular in the news was big not because of the cheating, but because it involved self-reporting and stripping of Bowden's wins. If it didn't involve taking 10+ wins from Bowden it'd be a small story in the sports section.

Here is what Wetherell said. Anything else is conjecture.

"This decision is based in large part on my belief that the next three years are going to be a highly crucial and challenging time for Florida State University," Wetherell, 63, said in a prepared statement. "My contract ends in the middle of that period, and I do not believe it would be a good idea for the university to change leadership at that point. I believe the university needs and deserves a strong leader who has the energy to be involved in the initial stages of the university's reorganizational process and the ability and desire to make a long-term commitment and comprehensive management decisions to move Florida State ahead in these challenging times."

I know for a fact that cheating "scandals" happen at nearly every major university. Most don't self report it and try to handle it as quietly as possible. I have friends that play D1 Football at the likes of Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, UF, Alabama, Penn State, etc. It might only be one or two people, but nearly every location has some sort of cheating to keep grades up in order to play.

The second story doesn't jive. It is poorly written and on a random site. Grants are tough to come by during these times. I have a hard time believing that an undergrad in engineering would have the training and foresight to independently research and develop something that gets a grant of nearly half a million dollars. I am sure that a story written from the perspective of the person wronged isn't biased at all.

I am insulted that you come here with your created one-post name and indirectly trash the education I am receiving. The university isn't "saling the cheap degree". The vast majority of students have worked hard and honestly for their degree and have been taught by fine and honest professors. Go pi$$ someone else off now.
 
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