2009-2010 Florida International University Application Thread

[BlueElmo]

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So I broke down and called: she said that means that no one has even looked at my file.




SERIOUSLY?!

Ouch man. Sorry to hear that.

 

[kay87]

For the guys that interviewed can you please tell me what hotels, if any, you stayed in...I'm trying to book something right now, as my interview is in november

 

[ezsanche]

So I broke down and called: she said that means that no one has even looked at my file.




SERIOUSLY?!

IS FML short for F MY LIFE?

 

[FML]

IS FML short for F MY LIFE?

do you even have to ask?

 

[BlueElmo]

fml for me. Why is FIU so slow.

 

[ezsanche]

 

[calimed214]

For the guys that interviewed can you please tell me what hotels, if any, you stayed in...I'm trying to book something right now, as my interview is in november

Just check your interview confirmation email. There's a link that provides a list of hotels in the immediate vicinity.

 

[Gr8day]

I stayed at the Holiday Inn-Doral County...it's nicely located btw FIU and the airport, and it was very reasonably priced.

For those still waiting to hear back, don't despair! I interviewed 9/11 and I got the impression that MOST of those who were eventually accepted came from the final pool. I also think FIU really looks at factors other than numbers, and that the interview is very important. My stats are less-than-stellar, but I really tried to express my passion for medicine and excitement for FIU in the interview (I actually thought my interview was fun!) So my advice to those interviewing would be to have fun with it, and really think about WHY you fit the unique mission of the school. I think that is what really pushed me over the edge and led to me getting accepted so soon!

To those accepted - is fiu anyone else's top top choice? I loved everything about this school and really think I'll end up here, I'm curious to know what you guys thought.

 

[BlueElmo]

It's a good school, but they take so few.🙁

 

[calimed214]

For those who have interviewed during the afternoon session, could you give me an idea of how the day is structured? I'm specifically wondering if interviews are done more towards the beginning when you first get there.. or towards the end of the day? Thanks in advance!

 

[dingyibvs]

For those who have interviewed during the afternoon session, could you give me an idea of how the day is structured? I'm specifically wondering if interviews are done more towards the beginning when you first get there.. or towards the end of the day? Thanks in advance!

Toward the end, after the interviews it's just a short financial aid session and it's done.

 

[BlueElmo]

Accepted.🙂

But they put me on the "Alternate List". They said most of the class comes off of this list, current students can you explain this more in detail?

 

[jj6vcb]

Is this a waitlist? I am not quite sure what to think right now. Is the "accepted" term their way of saying I'm being waitlisted without actually saying it?
..
.
.
.The Committee on Admissions has completed their review and I am pleased to inform you that you have been “Accepted” to the FIU Wertheim College of Medicine, Class of 2014. However, due to our limited space, you have been placed on the alternate list. As I mentioned when you came for your interview, the “Accept/Alternate” list moves quickly and many of our current students were on that list last year..
. .
.I will keep you updated on any developments and email or call you immediately when I have a seat. In the interim, should you have any question and/or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me..

..
.On their website it says this -
.
After the applicant is interviewed, the completed file will then be reviewed by a subcommittee which will present the application to the full Admission Committee. The Admissions Committee will then vote to accept the applicant, reject the applicant, or put him/her in the Final Pool. The Final Pool is then reviewed at a later date at which time the applicant may be accepted, rejected, or put on the Waitlist. An applicant may remain on the Waitlist up to the day of the FIU COM Orientation.

 

[BlueElmo]

jj6vcb, call the number they give you, she explains in more detail through the phone. But it's not a waitlist, it's an acceptance for sure, according to her.

 

[Food]

Hm...I'm just assuming I've been final-pooled. Since it says "admissions committee review completed" since 9/29 and I haven't heard anything since then, I am left with no other conclusion

 

[ezsanche]

Is this a waitlist? I am not quite sure what to think right now. Is the "accepted" term their way of saying I'm being waitlisted without actually saying it?



.The Committee on Admissions has completed their review and I am pleased to inform you that you have been "Accepted" to the FIU Wertheim College of Medicine, Class of 2014. However, due to our limited space, you have been placed on the alternate list. As I mentioned when you came for your interview, the "Accept/Alternate" list moves quickly and many of our current students were on that list last year..

.I will keep you updated on any developments and email or call you immediately when I have a seat. In the interim, should you have any question and/or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me..


.On their website it says this - .

After the applicant is interviewed, the completed file will then be reviewed by a subcommittee which will present the application to the full Admission Committee. The Admissions Committee will then vote to accept the applicant, reject the applicant, or put him/her in the Final Pool. The Final Pool is then reviewed at a later date at which time the applicant may be accepted, rejected, or put on the Waitlist. An applicant may remain on the Waitlist up to the day of the FIU COM Orientation.

Wow so does that mean I will be interviewed for a spot on the alternate list... not looking good

 

[calimed214]

Wow so does that mean I will be interviewed to be place on the alternate list... not looking good

This was explained to us in some detail during the day of the interview. FIU is a little bit different in that they don't accept over the # of seats they actually have available. So since there are 43 spots in the class, they ONLY hand out 43 straight acceptances. Others who they like and accept are placed on an "Accept Alternate" list. So needless to say, this list likely does move pretty quickly.

Their admissions office personnel also keeps tabs on SDN and specifically this thread. At my interview, some posts in this thread were mentioned. So, hi FIU admissions staff! 🙂 If any of the above is incorrect, please feel free to jump in.

 

[ezsanche]

This was explained to us in some detail during the day of the interview. FIU is a little bit different in that they don't accept over the # of seats they actually have available. So since there are 43 spots in the class, they ONLY hand out 43 straight acceptances. Others who they like and accept are placed on an "Accept Alternate" list. So needless to say, this list likely does move pretty quickly.

Their admissions office personnel also keeps tabs on SDN and specifically this thread. At my interview, some posts in this thread were mentioned. So, hi FIU admissions staff! 🙂 If any of the above is incorrect, please feel free to jump in.

That makes sense, I guess. But there is a possibility of being accepted to the alternate list and still not matriculating into the college because of the class size limit. Is that correct?

 

[BlueElmo]

That makes sense, I guess. But there is a possibility of being accepted to the alternate list and still not matriculating into the college because of the class size limit. Is that correct?

I don't think so, she sounded pretty confident that you're in if you're on this list.

 

[calimed214]

That makes sense, I guess. But there is a possibility of being accepted to the alternate list and still not matriculating into the college because of the class size limit. Is that correct?

I guess it depends on how many of the straight accepted people matriculate and how many are actually placed on the Accepted Alternate list. Your reasoning seems correct, but I think FIU probably doesn't place you on the Accepted Alternate list unless they are reasonably certain that you'll come off of the list in the end... meaning that they likely keep the list relatively selective. Others are just final pooled.

 

[gatorsniper17]

I interviewed at FIU in late September and just the past couple days, the status was updated to "Admissions Committee Review Complete." For those of you accepted/alternate, did you hear instantly after the AC Reviewed your application or do they send out notifications in waves, because I'm hoping they accept me but the longer it goes without receiving word from them, I start wondering what to think.

 

[Food]

I interviewed at FIU in late September and just the past couple days, the status was updated to "Admissions Committee Review Complete." For those of you accepted/alternate, did you hear instantly after the AC Reviewed your application or do they send out notifications in waves, because I'm hoping they accept me but the longer it goes without receiving word from them, I start wondering what to think.

I have the same thing going on. I interviewed mid sept and been on that status since end of sept.

 

[BlueElmo]

I have the same thing going on. I interviewed mid sept and been on that status since end of sept.

Keep up the hope, Food. Even if you're in the Final Pool, your application will be reviewed again in February, so you still have a chance.

 

[gatorsniper17]

Keep up the hope, Food. Even if you're in the Final Pool, your application will be reviewed again in February, so you still have a chance.

Did you get an acceptance/alt email as soon as they changed your status or was there lag time in between?

 

[Food]

Keep up the hope, Food. Even if you're in the Final Pool, your application will be reviewed again in February, so you still have a chance.

Thanks...did they mention they would review the final pool folks in February?

 

[BlueElmo]

Thanks...did they mention they would review the final pool folks in February?

It's on their website.

 

[dingyibvs]

Thanks...did they mention they would review the final pool folks in February?

Did you call them and ask what your status is?

 

[jj6vcb]

This was explained to us in some detail during the day of the interview. FIU is a little bit different in that they don't accept over the # of seats they actually have available. So since there are 43 spots in the class, they ONLY hand out 43 straight acceptances. Others who they like and accept are placed on an "Accept Alternate" list. So needless to say, this list likely does move pretty quickly.


Right, I remember them explaining it on interview day, I just wasn't clear one what the turnover rate for this list is (whether it what BlueElmo is saying or more like a waitlist), but it sounds like good news! loved the school and students and really hope I make it off the alternate list soon

 

[Bernoull]

This was explained to us in some detail during the day of the interview. FIU is a little bit different in that they don't accept over the # of seats they actually have available. So since there are 43 spots in the class, they ONLY hand out 43 straight acceptances. Others who they like and accept are placed on an "Accept Alternate" list. So needless to say, this list likely does move pretty quickly.


Right, I remember them explaining it on interview day, I just wasn't clear one what the turnover rate for this list is (whether it what BlueElmo is saying or more like a waitlist), but it sounds like good news! loved the school and students and really hope I make it off the alternate list soon

The turnover rate is higher for the alternate list. Think about it, if ur on the alt list, the ADCOM has rendered an admission decision and they want you!! The only thing in between you and full acceptance is seat availability. Now seats get freed up in three ways:

1. Accepted student rejects acceptance
2. Accepted student drops seat after paying deposit (presumably HMS called..)
3. It's May 15th 2010 and students with multiple acceptances MUST drop ALL acceptances but one .


I don't think anyone has been placed on the waitlist YET. When ADCOM reviews ur file there are 3 outcomes: a) Accept, b) Reject and c) Final Pool. The final pool is reviewed again later in the cycle (I think February) and the outcomes are: a) Accept, b) Reject and c) Waitlist

If you're on this waitlist, you can remain there until class starts/orientation. More importantly, they only review the Final Pool AFTER ALL applications have been received and decided (think few weeks after Secondary deadline..). So clearly alternate list at this stage is infinitely better..

Now the interesting question to me is from the Final Pool, there's no alternate list meaning if you're accepted, it's the real deal. Therefore as they fill the remaining seats, is priority given those still on the Alternate List or to the potential matriculants from the final pool??

 

[BlueElmo]

The turnover rate is higher for the alternate list. Think about it, if ur on the alt list, the ADCOM has rendered an admission decision and they want you!! The only thing in between you and full acceptance is seat availability. Now seats get freed up in three ways:

1. Accepted student rejects acceptance
2. Accepted student drops seat after paying deposit (presumably HMS called..)
3. It's May 15th 2010 and students with multiple acceptances MUST drop ALL acceptances but one .


I don't think anyone has been placed on the waitlist YET. When ADCOM reviews ur file there are 3 outcomes: a) Accept, b) Reject and c) Final Pool. The final pool is reviewed again later in the cycle (I think February) and the outcomes are: a) Accept, b) Reject and c) Waitlist

If you're on this waitlist, you can remain there until class starts/orientation. More importantly, they only review the Final Pool AFTER ALL applications have been received and decided (think few weeks after Secondary deadline..). So clearly alternate list at this stage is infinitely better..

Now the interesting question to me is from the Final Pool, there's no alternate list meaning if you're accepted, it's the real deal. Therefore as they fill the remaining seats, is priority given those still on the Alternate List or to the potential matriculants from the final pool??

Good post. I think if you're on the alternate list at this point so early, you're basically in. You just got to wait until they contact you again for the full acceptance. For the alternate list vs final pool, not sure, but I would think alternate list gets priority.

 

[BlueElmo]

I hope they send me the full acceptance email pretty soon. They said around mid-November, but hopefully early next month works. Anyone hear good news so far yet?

 

[KateG]

It was a good school, and a good interview. But facilities definitely need work.

Facilities do need a ot of work... the onl good facility is the gym which you have to share with all the under and hrad students (a lot of people because it is Miami's only public school)... I recently found out that the guy that teaches anatomy is the same guy that taught anatomy for the biology department a year ago... that sucks! If i will pay for med school I want a medical school level phd or doctor to teach me!

 

[boogerpuff]

few more obs from my interview: correct me if im wrong, but the gym is also a tad far from the med school. huge campus. there's 2 buildings that house the med school and they dont have their own simulation center yet so you'd have to schlep on over to UMiami's... Also.. did anyone else notice their tuition and est cost of attendance... unbelievable. Makes sense though since they've got quite an aggressive 15-yr construction goal.. Positives: Miami? Yet, why not just go to UMMSM right?

Facilities do need a ot of work... the onl good facility is the gym which you have to share with all the under and hrad students (a lot of people because it is Miami's only public school)... I recently found out that the guy that teaches anatomy is the same guy that taught anatomy for the biology department a year ago... that sucks! If i will pay for med school I want a medical school level phd or doctor to teach me!

 

[BlueElmo]

few more obs from my interview: correct me if im wrong, but the gym is also a tad far from the med school. huge campus. there's 2 buildings that house the med school and they dont have their own simulation center yet so you'd have to schlep on over to UMiami's... Also.. did anyone else notice their tuition and est cost of attendance... unbelievable. Makes sense though since they've got quite an aggressive 15-yr construction goal.. Positives: Miami? Yet, why not just go to UMMSM right?

The expected cost for OOS people is quite high. But since they are starting out, that's expected. It's really expensive though, no doubt.

 

[salsagal]

The expected cost for OOS people is quite high. But since they are starting out, that's expected. It's really expensive though, no doubt.

I got accepted on the first "wave" but i have a friend who just got an accepted-alternate email. Now if all those who were accepted and don't plan to attend can just decline the offer I'm sure the alternate list will move more quickly😍

 

[BlueElmo]

I got accepted on the first "wave" but i have a friend who just got an accepted-alternate email. Now if all those who were accepted and don't plan to attend can just decline the offer I'm sure the alternate list will move more quickly😍

That's what I'm hoping for. They said the list moves really quickly, so that's good.

 

[Bernoull]

How long after your interview did you get a decision (accept/reject/final pool)?? Just curious and anxious over here, I interviewed a week ago..

 

[BlueElmo]

How long after your interview did you get a decision (accept/reject/final pool)?? Just curious and anxious over here, I interviewed a week ago..

About a month for me. That was because of the 10/15 thing, I don't know about recent interviewees though.

 

[calimed214]

How long after your interview did you get a decision (accept/reject/final pool)?? Just curious and anxious over here, I interviewed a week ago..

You're going to have to wait awhile. I interviewed before you and was told the committee is booked for months & not to expect to hear back before Dec. 15th.

 

[POW16]

Really ? Such a long wait...I interviewed on October 16th and I thought they said we'd hear back around Thanksgiving or early December.

 

[calimed214]

Really ? Such a long wait...I interviewed on October 16th and I thought they said we'd hear back around Thanksgiving or early December.

I interviewed on the 19th. Perhaps they'll get to u guys by early Dec and us by mid Dec? I just know they gave us that Dec 15th date cuz I made a point to write it down.

 

[Bernoull]

I interviewed on the 19th. Perhaps they'll get to u guys by early Dec and us by mid Dec? I just know they gave us that Dec 15th date cuz I made a point to write it down.

Thanks for da info, sounds like a bummer!!! I was expecting a couple of weeks but gotta join the waiting game i guess.

Quick follow-up, how long have you guys had the "Admissions Committee Scheduled" status????

 

[TakeMe]

I would like an interview invite here. I am not sure why they haven't offered me one 🙁

 

[calimed214]

Thanks for da info, sounds like a bummer!!! I was expecting a couple of weeks but gotta join the waiting game i guess.

Quick follow-up, how long have you guys had the "Admissions Committee Scheduled" status????

My status changed to that the day of my interview. Admissions folks say they have their IT people update your status to reflect real-time.

 

[hurryupnwait]

Are they still offering interviews here? It looks like with such a small class and a huge wave of interview invites given out early on, their interview season is pretty much over at this point.

 

[Food]

Well, I got final pooled. Did anybody else get the e-mail today? I wonder how many people they put on hold.

 

[BlueElmo]

Are they still offering interviews here? It looks like with such a small class and a huge wave of interview invites given out early on, their interview season is pretty much over at this point.

Yeah, I don't know until when they do interviews, but because of the small class size, it does seem unlikely.

Well, I got final pooled. Did anybody else get the e-mail today? I wonder how many people they put on hold.

Sorry man. You should send them an email, they are pretty prompt and thorough with the email responses.

 

[robrobbberts]

.

 

[CeO2]

Hey guys I'm in the 2013 class at FIU, I never post on here (but I do read posts on this site occasionally and I remembering it being a pretty good source of info for me) since there are so few current students and so little information available for you guys I will do my best to try and answer some questions I have seen posted here (med school applications are a grueling process, hopefully this will make it a little less stressful for you).
I’ll start with the application process since I assume that’s what most of you want to know about (I know that’s all I really cared about at the time)
I can’t speak for this year but last year FIU had 3332 applicants. Originally they planned on only interviewing 200 but ended up increasing that number to 400 because of the unexpected number of applicants. Unfortunately FIU can only offer 43 seats this year (LCME limited) but it is expected to go up to 80 next year. My guess is that they will probably interview the same number of people this year since I heard they were already ahead of last year’s pace in the number of applications they had.
My understanding of the application process (at least last year) they interviewed all the way into jan-feb time frame, and after your interview you were put into 4 categories. Accepted (if they had a seat for you), Alternate-waitlist (basically means they would accept you if they could but they don’t have a seat for you), Final pool (this category is basically a lower-tiered waitlist), and rejection (although I don’t think very many, if any, people were rejected immediately, following their interview).
I know all of you want immediate acceptances, but FIU isn’t going to offer more seats then they have. Because we are so new the admissions committee has no idea how many people will actually matriculate and thus won’t risk offering more seat than they have. But please do not distress (as I understand it) last year the top 200 people were either accepted or alternate-waitlisted. In the end FIU actually when thru most (if not all) of the waitlist and (I believe) a few people even got off the final pool list in the summer.
Also I probably wouldn’t bother calling and asking where you are on the waitlist. I can’t guarantee what they will say but they probably aren’t going to give you an exact number where you stand because the sad reality is you’re not all in the same line. FIU is strongly interested in diversity and therefore they want the class to reflect that diversity. If someone from a certain group declines a seat I’d say the admissions committee is more likely to try and pick someone with a similar background(remember even one person in our class is more than 2% of the class).

Now on to addressing some less pertinent questions I’ve seen:
No there isn’t an official student host program, I asked about it and they said we already had a ton on our plate and since the school is so small they didn’t want to pressure us to take students. But there have been some unofficial hosting going on. I had a guy from D.C. crash at my place a few weeks ago and I know that another interviewee went out with a few students to south beach after her interview, so if you see us in the hallways before or after your interview feel free to say hi, everyone in our class is really pretty nice and (I don’t want to speak for others but) our class is definitely looking forward to having some new classmates.
The gym is on the other side of the campus but it’s a 5-10 min walk tops (hardly a big deal). Also to my surprise it’s rarely crowed but it does have crummy hours (closes at 6 PM on sat and 8 PM fri/sun)
Finally, to answer questions about the facilities, right now we are primarily on the sixth floor, in a few weeks a brand new building will be complete right next door and the nursing/PA students will move out. Also FIU is building another 6 story garage and some restaurants that should be done next summer before the next class matriculates. So (for you guys at least) things will be a lot smoother (and roomier). Yes we do go to the Gordon center at UM every Tuesday to practice clinical skills, but most of the class just hangs out on the bus and chats or sleeps it’s not that big a deal (only about 25-30 min trip). I don’t know if they will reduce the number of trips to the Gordon center next year when we have the building to ourselves.
Yes the cost of tuition for out of state students is high but that’s because the state legislature (wanting to keep doctors in Florida) subsidizes ISS and does not give any subsidies for OOS. It’s not FIU’s fault on that one. Also the cost of living is somewhat inflated I pay around 500 + utilities a month to live with two other students 5 min from campus in a really nice apt. So I definitely think you can live on less than what they give you. Also please don’t knock our anatomy teacher he is actually really good a teaching, lots of fancy letters next to your name is more about bringing research dollars to a school and less about insuring that students learn. FYI a number of our faculty also teach at UM so I wouldn’t suggest that our faculty is inexperienced.
Why pick FIU over say UM? I don’t know that’s a personal choice (and one many people may not get). UM is definitely a good school and I wouldn’t blame anyone for choosing it. If you’re an ISS your tuition should be cheaper and the location of our campus (further west) means cost of living might be a bit cheaper, but those are fairly minor reasons. What I can say about our school is that we have a pretty big emphasis on community and a curriculum that is probably very different than most traditional schools. For instance, most schools do A LOT of anatomy and biochem their first year. But our school (after surveying a lot of doctors) decided that level of anatomy wasn’t necessary (unless you want to be surgeon and even then you probably only need you know your area of the body really well and you can take third year classes on anatomy if you want). So anatomy and biochem were paired down and other (hopefully) more relevant things were added. This is just an example, I certainly can’t write everything that is different about our school down here. Also since the school is so small and new everyone here wants everyone else here to do well. No lie, if we are going to get a pop quiz people in class will email and text everyone in class to make sure people who aren’t there show up. Compare that to other schools where you hear stories about people hiding books so that others can’t study, etc. In short it’s a pretty cooperative environment.
Anyways sorry for the ridiculously long post and feel free to message me if you have any more questions about the school.

 

[calimed214]

Hey guys I'm in the 2013 class at FIU, I never post on here (but I do read posts on this site occasionally and I remembering it being a pretty good source of info for me) since there are so few current students and so little information available for you guys I will do my best to try and answer some questions I have seen posted here (med school applications are a grueling process, hopefully this will make it a little less stressful for you).
I’ll start with the application process since I assume that’s what most of you want to know about (I know that’s all I really cared about at the time)
I can’t speak for this year but last year FIU had 3332 applicants. Originally they planned on only interviewing 200 but ended up increasing that number to 400 because of the unexpected number of applicants. Unfortunately FIU can only offer 43 seats this year (LCME limited) but it is expected to go up to 80 next year. My guess is that they will probably interview the same number of people this year since I heard they were already ahead of last year’s pace in the number of applications they had.
My understanding of the application process (at least last year) they interviewed all the way into jan-feb time frame, and after your interview you were put into 4 categories. Accepted (if they had a seat for you), Alternate-waitlist (basically means they would accept you if they could but they don’t have a seat for you), Final pool (this category is basically a lower-tiered waitlist), and rejection (although I don’t think very many, if any, people were rejected immediately, following their interview).
I know all of you want immediate acceptances, but FIU isn’t going to offer more seats then they have. Because we are so new the admissions committee has no idea how many people will actually matriculate and thus won’t risk offering more seat than they have. But please do not distress (as I understand it) last year the top 200 people were either accepted or alternate-waitlisted. In the end FIU actually when thru most (if not all) of the waitlist and (I believe) a few people even got off the final pool list in the summer.
Also I probably wouldn’t bother calling and asking where you are on the waitlist. I can’t guarantee what they will say but they probably aren’t going to give you an exact number where you stand because the sad reality is you’re not all in the same line. FIU is strongly interested in diversity and therefore they want the class to reflect that diversity. If someone from a certain group declines a seat I’d say the admissions committee is more likely to try and pick someone with a similar background(remember even one person in our class is more than 2% of the class).

Now on to addressing some less pertinent questions I’ve seen:
No there isn’t an official student host program, I asked about it and they said we already had a ton on our plate and since the school is so small they didn’t want to pressure us to take students. But there have been some unofficial hosting going on. I had a guy from D.C. crash at my place a few weeks ago and I know that another interviewee went out with a few students to south beach after her interview, so if you see us in the hallways before or after your interview feel free to say hi, everyone in our class is really pretty nice and (I don’t want to speak for others but) our class is definitely looking forward to having some new classmates.
The gym is on the other side of the campus but it’s a 5-10 min walk tops (hardly a big deal). Also to my surprise it’s rarely crowed but it does have crummy hours (closes at 6 PM on sat and 8 PM fri/sun)
Finally, to answer questions about the facilities, right now we are primarily on the sixth floor, in a few weeks a brand new building will be complete right next door and the nursing/PA students will move out. Also FIU is building another 6 story garage and some restaurants that should be done next summer before the next class matriculates. So (for you guys at least) things will be a lot smoother (and roomier). Yes we do go to the Gordon center at UM every Tuesday to practice clinical skills, but most of the class just hangs out on the bus and chats or sleeps it’s not that big a deal (only about 25-30 min trip). I don’t know if they will reduce the number of trips to the Gordon center next year when we have the building to ourselves.
Yes the cost of tuition for out of state students is high but that’s because the state legislature (wanting to keep doctors in Florida) subsidizes ISS and does not give any subsidies for OOS. It’s not FIU’s fault on that one. Also the cost of living is somewhat inflated I pay around 500 + utilities a month to live with two other students 5 min from campus in a really nice apt. So I definitely think you can live on less than what they give you. Also please don’t knock our anatomy teacher he is actually really good a teaching, lots of fancy letters next to your name is more about bringing research dollars to a school and less about insuring that students learn. FYI a number of our faculty also teach at UM so I wouldn’t suggest that our faculty is inexperienced.
Why pick FIU over say UM? I don’t know that’s a personal choice (and one many people may not get). UM is definitely a good school and I wouldn’t blame anyone for choosing it. If you’re an ISS your tuition should be cheaper and the location of our campus (further west) means cost of living might be a bit cheaper, but those are fairly minor reasons. What I can say about our school is that we have a pretty big emphasis on community and a curriculum that is probably very different than most traditional schools. For instance, most schools do A LOT of anatomy and biochem their first year. But our school (after surveying a lot of doctors) decided that level of anatomy wasn’t necessary (unless you want to be surgeon and even then you probably only need you know your area of the body really well and you can take third year classes on anatomy if you want). So anatomy and biochem were paired down and other (hopefully) more relevant things were added. This is just an example, I certainly can’t write everything that is different about our school down here. Also since the school is so small and new everyone here wants everyone else here to do well. No lie, if we are going to get a pop quiz people in class will email and text everyone in class to make sure people who aren’t there show up. Compare that to other schools where you hear stories about people hiding books so that others can’t study, etc. In short it’s a pretty cooperative environment.
Anyways sorry for the ridiculously long post and feel free to message me if you have any more questions about the school.

Hey thanks much for coming on here to post this. 🙂 Being such a new school, I'm sure everyone that's applied really appreciates the inside feedback.