2010-2011 University of South Florida Application Thread

Has anyone else gotten en e-mail saying they'll be contacted shortly with a secondary
(like a week ago) and then no contact since?

DrTica said:

Has anyone else gotten en e-mail saying they'll be contacted shortly with a secondary
(like a week ago) and then no contact since?

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Same here. Keep waiting.

Same. Wait wait wait. USF and UF are the only 2 Florida schools that don't have their secondary out yet.

I spoke with the director of admissions and he told me they should have the secondary out late July- beginning of august and even though the MSAR says they screen, everyone gets a secondary. can anyone with the newest msar (mines from last year) verify if usf still says "Screened Applicants"

eablackwell said:

Same. Wait wait wait. USF and UF are the only 2 Florida schools that don't have their secondary out yet.

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Miami?

ejw5075 said:

I spoke with the director of admissions and he told me they should have the secondary out late July- beginning of august and even though the MSAR says they screen, everyone gets a secondary. can anyone with the newest msar (mines from last year) verify if usf still says "Screened Applicants"

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Sigh...kinda takes away from the advantage of applying early.

LetsGo352 said:

Sigh...kinda takes away from the advantage of applying early.

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I know, but at least you can get your secondary in early
They are really nice though, and helpful if you give them a call. Is anyone else applying to the "Select" Program or just USF?

Most recent MSAR says they screen, however, it says that for FSU also and I received my secondary from them around 8am June 25th, so either they have amazingly fast screeners or they are no longer screening either. This makes no sense to me for FSU since there is no secondary fee, which means without screening they give themselves a lot of extra work for nothing.

UCF is also listed as screening but I think they screen by telling you in the secondary "if you have lower than a 24 MCAT or 3.0 gpa please do not submit this."

Hi guys.. I received secondaries from FSU, UCF, and FIU. I also received "notifications" from UF and USF, but nothing from Miami. Has anyone received a secondary from Miami yet? I'm a little concerned...

Well, that makes me feel better. I'm glad it's not just me!

I don't think USF screens because in the MSAR it says they send stuff out to each applicant.

Got a "we got your application email" today... It mentioned that they would soon send me a secondary, but I am not a Florida resident so I hope they don't say that and then decide not to send me one. Anyone else get an email or secondary yet?

1. USF no longer screens for secondaries
2. Expect to not get the secondary for another week or two (or more)

Has anyone got the secondary yet? My friend who was wait listed last year got hers, so i was just wondering if anyone else got it.

bmlax13 said:

Has anyone got the secondary yet? My friend who was wait listed last year got hers, so i was just wondering if anyone else got it.

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Yup, JUST got mine!!

Not yet.

buddahbelly said:

Yup, JUST got mine!!

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is this your first time applying?

I got it. First time applying to USF, and I'm out of state.

I don't understand why some schools send the secondary to some students and make the other students wait a few more days. Anyways, have the prompts changed from last yr?

bmlax13 said:

is this your first time applying?

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Yeah, this is my first time applying to USF, Regular MD and I'm in-state.

LetsGo352 said:

I don't understand why some schools send the secondary to some students and make the other students wait a few more days. Anyways, have the prompts changed from last yr?

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The secondary looks different from last year's.. seems as if they added more questions.

buddahbelly said:

Yeah, this is my first time applying to USF, Regular MD and I'm in-state.






The secondary looks different from last year's.. seems as if they added more questions.

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Great, just what I look for in a secondary, more questions. Can we get a list from someone?

eablackwell said:

Great, just what I look for in a secondary, more questions. Can we get a list from someone?

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Haha, no problem. Definitely doesn't look fun tho....



1- What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career? Please choose the single answer the best describes your career goals:

Private Practice
Health Policy
Academic Medicine
Public Health
Health Care Administration
Other

Why do you feel you are particularly suited for this practice scenario? What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path?



2- How will the USF College of Medicine’s curriculum and specifically the scholarly concentration program help your personal career goals?



3- As you review your application portfolio, please identify and describe one area of your accomplishments you feel best reflects your potential as a future physician.



4- The University of South Florida, College of Medicine strives to educate a very diverse set of students who bring a variety of strengths and interests to the field of medicine. The definition of diversity is broad and includes (but is not limited to) lifestyle, race/ethnicity, geography, socioeconomic status and distance traveled through life. The definition of strength is also broad and includes (but not limited to) humanism, scholarship, intellectual curiosity, research and leadership. How do you feel your particular experiences, interests, and passions will add to the strength and diversity of the USF class and ultimately to the field of medicine?



5- Describe your ideas about how the medical profession can best respond to disparities in healthcare.



6- Who is the best leader you have known in your life? Describe what made her or him so effective and how they made you feel when you were around them.



7- Can you describe a time in your life when you felt you were “at your best” and why you chose this event?



8- Think about a person who has helped you the most in your life. Describe what they did and said, and the lasting impact they have had on you.

Wow...well thanks a lot for posting the questions buddahbelly! Also, is there a word limit?

Got mine a few hours ago! But this secondary is going to be a beating to finish... I have done over 40 secondaries this cycle, most with essays, and this one seems the hardest! Ick.

I don't think there is a word limit (none listed), but the boxes look small... And there is a character counter, but it counts up...

Hey everyone....I was just wondering if USF sends out their secondaries in batches because I received the e-mail saying to expect one from them but have not received a secondary yet...im just really anxious about this school b/c its my top choice! If anyone knows I would really appreciate a tip~Thanks!!

So now that I have an abundance of time, and someone graciously posted the secondary questions, I will give my take on these:

(And if you are wondering who I happen to be, I am a 3rd yr at USF, and last year I was the admissions liaison and the "great dictator of the interview/hosting committee" - so I have some insight into how things work in the terrifying and obscene world of admissions)

1- What do you see as the most likely practice scenario for your future medical career? Please choose the single answer the best describes your career goals:
Private Practice
Health Policy
Academic Medicine
Public Health
Health Care Administration
Other
Why do you feel you are particularly suited for this practice scenario? What knowledge, skills and attitudes have you developed that have prepared you for this career path?
Is there a right answer here? No. This is a 'have you thought about what you want to do when 7, 10, or eleventy-thousand years from now when you finish med school, residency, fellowship, post-doc, etc, etc, etc' kinda prompt. Probably would shy away from "sell my soul and become a pharm rep" or "join the cult of HMOs" - but hey, if that's your thing....

2- How will the USF College of Medicine’s curriculum and specifically the scholarly concentration program help your personal career goals?
Boy do they LOVE the scholarly concentration program. Before you ask, no, it is not currently mandatory, and it's basically a minor, or how I love to explain it "a structured way for you to explore a particular interest"
Don't have an interest? I suggest you 'develop' one, at least until you are accepted. Want to be a clinician? Rave about our clinical opportunities. They really do rock and are the strongest point in our curriculum (in my currently not-so-humble opinion).

3- As you review your application portfolio, please identify and describe one area of your accomplishments you feel best reflects your potential as a future physician.
This one is a mix of "Pretty straightforward. Be prepared to talk about your answer at the interview - because these are the classic "we need something for you to expound on at the interview" prompts." and my response for question #4.

4- The University of South Florida, College of Medicine strives to educate a very diverse set of students who bring a variety of strengths and interests to the field of medicine. The definition of diversity is broad and includes (but is not limited to) lifestyle, race/ethnicity, geography, socioeconomic status and distance traveled through life. The definition of strength is also broad and includes (but not limited to) humanism, scholarship, intellectual curiosity, research and leadership. How do you feel your particular experiences, interests, and passions will add to the strength and diversity of the USF class and ultimately to the field of medicine?
This is your "I AM THE BEST PERSON EVER!!! PICK ME!!! PICK ME!!!!" prompt. Make the most out of this one - this is what is going to make your application "interesting" "unique" and the best of all - "compelling." So be interesting, and have pity on the people who have to read all 4K of these throughout the year.


5- Describe your ideas about how the medical profession can best respond to disparities in healthcare.
This is the dreaded "ethical dilemma" prompt - not in that it's an actual ethical dilemma, but it follows the same general idea. Does it matter what you write? No. What matters is that whatever your plan it, it had better be logical, eloquent, and show clear reasoning and a capacity for critical evaluation.

6- Who is the best leader you have known in your life? Describe what made her or him so effective and how they made you feel when you were around them.
7- Can you describe a time in your life when you felt you were “at your best” and why you chose this event?
8- Think about a person who has helped you the most in your life. Describe what they did and said, and the lasting impact they have had on you.
Pretty straightforward. Be prepared to talk about your answer at the interview - because these are the classic "we need something for you to expound on at the interview" prompts.

I am under no liability if you take me too seriously. Personal questions? PM me. I try to check the forum once a day, and generally mass respond to questions/comments.

Good Luck!!!

noshie said:

Got mine a few hours ago! But this secondary is going to be a beating to finish... I have done over 40 secondaries this cycle, most with essays, and this one seems the hardest! Ick.

I don't think there is a word limit (none listed), but the boxes look small... And there is a character counter, but it counts up...

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my friend just told me that it says "please keep the responses under 2000 characters", can anyone else verify that? I want to rock out on these prompts because I haven't actually received my secondary yet but I don't want to start rambling on and then be told that half of it has to go, so any help would be much appreciated.

bmlax13 said:

my friend just told me that it says "please keep the responses under 2000 characters", can anyone else verify that? I want to rock out on these prompts because I haven't actually received my secondary yet but I don't want to start rambling on and then be told that half of it has to go, so any help would be much appreciated.

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Yup, that is correct. If you surpass the 2000 character limit, "Please keep your response under 2000 characters." pops up.

wakawaka said:

Yup, that is correct. If you surpass the 2000 character limit, "Please keep your response under 2000 characters." pops up.

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thanks for the help

Still no secondary. I guess they're really staggering the batches, heh. So much for applying early.

Received the secondary this morning. Currently churning out essays of doom. Hoping to submit tonight or tomorrow morning.

gujuDoc said:

woohoo. Good luck with that. i won't be doing much churning out of secondaries til this weekend. Busy til Thursday afternoon. But then it begins. I'ms o behind and have so many of them.

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Good luck with them! I'm glad it's winding down for me. After this secondary I am just waiting on UofM and then it's just fingernail biting.

eablackwell said:

Good luck with them! I'm glad it's winding down for me. After this secondary I am just waiting on UofM and then it's just fingernail biting.

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Awesome!! After this one, just gotta do UM and a few other ones (if I get screened in of course ) and I'll be in your position. I have a feeling waiting to hear some news from these schools will be much worse than actually filling out all these secondaries.. ah well, lol.

Submitted my 2nd today.

I figure it's just me, because the information has to be there somewhere, but I can only find descriptions for 2 of the scholarly concentration programs on the website.
Does anyone know where there is a list of possible scholarly concentrations and/or descriptions of the possible concentrations??

DrTica said:

I figure it's just me, because the information has to be there somewhere, but I can only find descriptions for 2 of the scholarly concentration programs on the website.
Does anyone know where there is a list of possible scholarly concentrations and/or descriptions of the possible concentrations??

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http://www.scholarlyconcentrations.com/

click "Program Descriptions" on the left. You should see all the programs.

Any interview invites yet??

still waiting.

hsmahon said:

Any interview invites yet??

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This wait is killing me...

Welcome to SDN by the way!

noshie said:

Welcome to SDN by the way!

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Thanks! As you can see I waited until I could make a profound first post

hsmahon said:

Any interview invites yet??

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Unless you have a 40+ MCAT with a 4.0 GPA and have no real interest in going to USF, you won't be getting an interview in September or October, if the invites go the way they did last year.

gujuDoc said:

In plain words canhasnaps is saying the higher your numbers the sooner you will get an invite but it won't be til September or october till you really hear back.

September has always been when USF started interviews even in REL's day. In his day late September was EDP interviews and then started normal interview season which for the longest time ended in March but in recent times has extended to April or May from what i know from friends who have interviewed in recent years.

CanHasNaps, can you confirm how long the interview period is? September to what ending month?

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The schedule I have starts Sept 14th for EDP, first regular cycle is Sept 28th and goes until the end of April, with a few skipped weeks in the fall when the committee isn't meeting.

Hello prospective USFCOMers! I'm currently an MS1 here and I'm willing to answer any questions you may have about the school, especially the revamped curriculum that just started with my class.

Sending me a PM would be the quickest way to get an answer from me since I don't stalk SDN as much as I used to when I was applying last year, so I don't regularly check the forums anymore. But I'm going to make an effort to at least skim over this thread once a week.

Good luck to all, and I'm sure I'll see some of you on your interview day!

Do we have to send in the residency form? or is there any way to do it online?

lmccull4 said:

Do we have to send in the residency form? or is there any way to do it online?

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Online submit. They have a very nice online system.

interview invites are out for regular decision

wakawaka said:

interview invites are out for regular decision

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Have you received the invitation? Congrats.

Hoping it will come soon for me.

yidao said:

Have you received the invitation? Congrats.

Hoping it will come soon for me.

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yeah. Thanks.

Good luck to ya yidao and everybody else. Hopefully I will see some of you along the interview trail.

wakawaka said:

yeah. Thanks.

Good luck to ya yidao and everybody else. Hopefully I will see some of you along the interview trail.

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congrats! when did you submit your secondary and complete date? I am still working on my secondary...yikes! There are so many questions on this one! Is everyone doing over 1,000 characters on each?