2011-2012 Florida International University Application Thread

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Hey guys, M1 at FIU Herbert Wertheim COM here.
I just wanted to address a few things I've seen bouncing around on here.

First of all, in regards to the question on the secondary about ties to South Florida, don't get discouraged if you're not from here. I'm from North Florida and all I wrote about for that was that I minored in Spanish and I'm interested in learning more about other cultures.

Another thing: somebody mentioned that we share clinical sites with the UM Miller SOM and this is false. They do most of their clinical stuff at the Jackson Memorial Campus, whereas we go to pretty much every other hospital: Baptist South, Broward General, Jaskson North Campus, Miami Children's, Mt. Sinai, Cleveland Clinic. Having different clinical sites from the UM students is a good thing, because you don't want other med students getting in the way of your education. More students means you get to do less.

Let me also say that I absolutely love it here at FIU COM. The administration loves us, the facilities are great, we have these brand new awesome lounges, study rooms, a medical library with private cubicles. Not to mention, the curriculum is great. They've put a lot of thought into augmenting our education with the things that all the doctors I know wish they would have had, such as health-care policy, interprofessional medicine, and health-care systems-based practice.

If anybody has any specific questions about FIU in general or about the interview, please feel free to let me know.
 
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Hey guys, M1 at FIU Herbert Wertheim COM here.
I just wanted to address a few things I've seen bouncing around on here.

First of all, in regards to the question on the secondary about ties to South Florida, don't get discouraged if you're not from here. I'm from North Florida and all I wrote about for that was that I minored in Spanish and I'm interested in learning more about other cultures.

Another thing: somebody mentioned that we share clinical sites with the UM Miller SOM and this is false. They do most of their clinical stuff at the Jackson Memorial Campus, whereas we go to pretty much every other hospital: Baptist South, Broward General, Jaskson North Campus, Miami Children's, Mt. Sinai, Cleveland Clinic. Having different clinical sites from the UM students is a good thing, because you don't want other med students getting in the way of your education. More students means you get to do less.

Let me also say that I absolutely love it here at FIU COM. The administration loves us, the facilities are great, we have these brand new awesome lounges, study rooms, a medical library with private cubicles. Not to mention, the curriculum is great. They've put a lot of thought into augmenting our education with the things that all the doctors I know wish they would have had, such as health-care policy, interprofessional medicine, and health-care systems-based practice.

If anybody has any specific questions about FIU in general or about the interview, please feel free to let me know.

The FIU site mentioned Jackson Health System rather than just Jackson North as a clinical affiliate, so that's where my misconception was borne. Regardless, thanks for correcting me because I would rather not make this faux pas during an interview 👍
 
They did say yesterday 2 things of interest:
1) They are trying to get in on Jackson Central (where UM students go)
2) there is no longer a "pool" meaning that when the committee meets on you, you're either accepted or rejected at that point.
 
IS Interview Invite!!

I submitted my secondary on 8/18 and was marked "preliminary review complete" on 8/23!

I just went on the scheduling site and the only dates available are 9/9 and 9/12.... maybe they have not added more dates yet? that doesn't give much notice for applicants living out of state...
 
Interview Invite!!!! So excited!

OOS 3.9/34

Wooohoooo
 
IS Interview Invite!!

Interview Invite!!!! So excited!

tumblr_lox3i5nuyj1qceq0c.gif


Still crossing fingers for an invite.
 
IS Interview Invite!!

I submitted my secondary on 8/18 and was marked "preliminary review complete" on 8/23!

I just went on the scheduling site and the only dates available are 9/9 and 9/12.... maybe they have not added more dates yet? that doesn't give much notice for applicants living out of state...

-Congrats! Thats a quick turn-around, the interview should be a breeze, Best of luck dude!

-Hey I was wondering if I should be concerned?..I was marked "preliminary review complete" on 8/4...In-state, regular decision program, 35/3.63, reapplicant with new experiences & revamped PS (applied really late last yr and was accepted/alternate)...Any information is greatly appreciated ; )
 
-Congrats! Thats a quick turn-around, the interview should be a breeze, Best of luck dude!

-Hey I was wondering if I should be concerned?..I was marked "preliminary review complete" on 8/4...In-state, regular decision program, 35/3.63, reapplicant with new experiences & revamped PS (applied really late last yr and was accepted/alternate)...Any information is greatly appreciated ; )

I don't think you should be worried. I applied much earlier (granted with lower stats), and have had that status for ages. Sounds like you're a solid candidate, so I'm sure you'll get your chance. GL! 🙂
 
For those of you that already interviewed: approximately what time did you get done? I am trying to make travel arrangements and I think I'll have to fly out after the interview day...
 
I know someone mentioned that they couldnt find the data for % who interviewed who were accepted...has anyone come across this (especially for in-state?) THANKS!
 
Interview invite today! I just moved out of FL but am still IS since I lived there and became financially independent while living in FL for last couple of years.

Trying to debate whether I should take the 9/12 date or wait until October dates; I really don't like the idea of missing these classes in my Master's program since this is such an intense block with med students. Any thoughts?
 
I know someone mentioned that they couldnt find the data for % who interviewed who were accepted...has anyone come across this (especially for in-state?) THANKS!

YES please anyone know this? I just interviewed here on 8/29 and wanna know what i should expect come 10/15
 
YES please anyone know this? I just interviewed here on 8/29 and wanna know what i should expect come 10/15

-Congrats! That's awesome! Out of curiosity, when was your preliminary review complete? Did you apply "early decision" or "regular decision"? Thx!
 
Trying to debate whether I should take the 9/12 date or wait until October dates; I really don't like the idea of missing these classes in my Master's program since this is such an intense block with med students. Any thoughts?

I've exchanged a few e-mails with the interview coordinator who said more dates should open next week for 9/16 and 9/30. It looks like dates will be every other Friday -- but they can't be "opened" until ~2 weeks before. I asked if 10/14 would be an interview date, since that works for me (I am IS but live out of state), and the coordinator said it would be an interview day and I should e-mail on 9/26 to schedule... if that is any help.
 
I've exchanged a few e-mails with the interview coordinator who said more dates should open next week for 9/16 and 9/30. It looks like dates will be every other Friday -- but they can't be "opened" until ~2 weeks before. I asked if 10/14 would be an interview date, since that works for me (I am IS but live out of state), and the coordinator said it would be an interview day and I should e-mail on 9/26 to schedule... if that is any help.

Yeah, I e-mailed the interview coordinator, who was very prompt with her (I think it's a she) response...I thought they had Friday and Monday interview dates but is it every other Friday and Monday then?

Do you think it would hurt to wait though until mid to late October to go on the interview anyways? I get this feeling that FIU works on an earlier time frame than most places so I might just try to find the best Monday or Friday and miss a day with fewer classes and no exams.
 
At the interview, they were very clear that they are not putting people on a waitlist until all the spots are filled. you will either be accepted or rejected at the committee meeting. There is no "reconsider at a later date." If you put off your interview, it is feasible that they will have accepted their total number and you'll only be interviewing for the waitlist. Just consider that.
Also, the acceptance rates will be different for this next class. they're taking 120 for this class but only took 80 last year. There were 24 applicants at my interview date and they interview twice a week, every week.
 
Yeah, I e-mailed the interview coordinator, who was very prompt with her (I think it's a she) response...I thought they had Friday and Monday interview dates but is it every other Friday and Monday then?

Do you think it would hurt to wait though until mid to late October to go on the interview anyways? I get this feeling that FIU works on an earlier time frame than most places so I might just try to find the best Monday or Friday and miss a day with fewer classes and no exams.

I thought they were every other Monday and Friday as well (since the last 2 available were 9/9 and 9/12) but when I asked the coordinator about upcoming dates all she said was the next dates she's posting would be 9/16 and 9/30. She did not list any Monday dates.

I'd definitely say the earlier you interview, the better, but unfortunately since I'm currently in the DC are I can't get to Florida until mid-October.
 
At the interview, they were very clear that they are not putting people on a waitlist until all the spots are filled. you will either be accepted or rejected at the committee meeting. There is no "reconsider at a later date." If you put off your interview, it is feasible that they will have accepted their total number and you'll only be interviewing for the waitlist. Just consider that.
Also, the acceptance rates will be different for this next class. they're taking 120 for this class but only took 80 last year. There were 24 applicants at my interview date and they interview twice a week, every week.

Thanks for the info! Did they really say their class size is going to be 120 students this year? The website says 80, but hopefully I'm wrong regarding that!

Yeah, I think I'm going to take an earlier date based on the info; unless I can wait until November which apparently seems like a bad idea, there's no difference going there in September or October.
 
I know someone mentioned that they couldnt find the data for % who interviewed who were accepted...has anyone come across this (especially for in-state?) THANKS!

Last year they interviewed around 500 and accepted 82 of us. I think there are only about 8 or 9 OOS in the Class of 2015 so it's about 90% IS. Good luck to all of you applying/interviewing and always feel free to ask any questions you might have about our program.
 
Thanks for the info! Did they really say their class size is going to be 120 students this year? The website says 80, but hopefully I'm wrong regarding that! .

Yeah... the Class of 2016 will be ~120.
 
Not to sound obnoxious but... did they accept 82 of you or did they accept more and 82 of you matriculated? Because I know its common for a school to accept up to about twice the number they need knowing that people will get other acceptances...although I know the system last year with the waitlist was different than most schools...sorry to bug you guys!
 
Not to sound obnoxious but... did they accept 82 of you or did they accept more and 82 of you matriculated? Because I know its common for a school to accept up to about twice the number they need knowing that people will get other acceptances...although I know the system last year with the waitlist was different than most schools...sorry to bug you guys!

82 was the limit of students that could matriculate for the school's third class due to the guidelines of the LCME accreditation process. The limit of students for the fourth year's class is bumped up to around 120.

The waitlist is a little bit different here. There was a lot of confusion regarding how ours worked and this is how I understood it- For our class FIU offered 82 outright acceptances. After these 82 were given out, students were either given a status of accepted/alternate, final pool, or rejected. The people on the accepted/alternate list were given a rank and were officially given a spot when one of the original 82 declined their acceptance. FIU gave out a certain number of these accepted/alternate decisions based upon the amount of movement on the waitlist in the previous two years. Those that were in the final pool were re-evaluated at some point to either be added to the accepted/alternate list or rejected. I'm not sure if they are still going to use this system for this application cycle, but I hope this clarifies the process a little bit.
 
82 was the limit of students that could matriculate for the school's third class due to the guidelines of the LCME accreditation process. The limit of students for the fourth year's class is bumped up to around 120.

The waitlist is a little bit different here. There was a lot of confusion regarding how ours worked and this is how I understood it- For our class FIU offered 82 outright acceptances. After these 82 were given out, students were either given a status of accepted/alternate, final pool, or rejected. The people on the accepted/alternate list were given a rank and were officially given a spot when one of the original 82 declined their acceptance. FIU gave out a certain number of these accepted/alternate decisions based upon the amount of movement on the waitlist in the previous two years. Those that were in the final pool were re-evaluated at some point to either be added to the accepted/alternate list or rejected. I'm not sure if they are still going to use this system for this application cycle, but I hope this clarifies the process a little bit.

Thanks for the informative post. IIRC, I think they mentioned during interview day that this year they will not have a "final pool."
 
I applied to this school, but now I am not so sure if it is a good idea. I looked over the Financial aid and it is 300k OOS tuition for 4 years of medical school! Do they have need grant or something? 300k for 4 years is quite excessive for me.
 
I applied to this school, but now I am not so sure if it is a good idea. I looked over the Financial aid and it is 300k OOS tuition for 4 years of medical school! Do they have need grant or something? 300k for 4 years is quite excessive for me.

Most FL med schools are very expensive for OOS students. UF's tuition is outrageous for OOS students as well. I wouldn't expect too much grant money 🙁.

I've been at preliminary review completed for ~2 months now. Does FIU keep people in limbo for a while like other schools? I'd really love to interview here, but I'd also like to know if they are planning to pass on my application.
 
financial aid lady said that they have 5K to give to a chunk of the class (they give this out based on submission date of fafsa). there are also some other "full rides" for merit and need but it's only up to the cost of attendance for an in state student.
 
Interview invite for 9/16! Hope to see some of you guys there!
 
Yay! Finally an interview invite! I've been 'preliminary review completed' since 6/22, so I was beginning to lose hope. Don't fret too much if you have been complete for a while (believe me, I know it's hard not to). My confidence is definitely back up, though! Woo-hoo! Going 9/16, and I am super SUPER excited!!! (Can't you tell?)
 
Can anyone clarify this 2009 comment from the interview feedback section? What do they mean by the five year commitment?
basically everything. If the 5-year commitment is not a big negative for you, this program looks like the real deal. I absolutely loved the TEAM LEAD session. And most of the ppl at the interview seemed pretty cool as well. Pretty diverse group, I would say.
And congrats to all those with interview invites 👍:luck:
 
you'll get an invite vandy, and it's going to be LEGEN - wait for it - DARY LEGENDARY!

I really hope so :xf:🙂. It would be LEGEN-wait for it, I hope your not lactose intolerant because the next part of this word is-DARY (dairy 😉)
 
Yay! Finally an interview invite! I've been 'preliminary review completed' since 6/22, so I was beginning to lose hope. Don't fret too much if you have been complete for a while (believe me, I know it's hard not to). My confidence is definitely back up, though! Woo-hoo! Going 9/16, and I am super SUPER excited!!! (Can't you tell?)

I've been prc for a long time too. You give me hope 🙂. GL! :luck:
 
Interviewed today. For oos applicants, know exactly how to respond to "why s. Florida?" and "where will you practice in 10 years?". I was absolutely grilled on it!

Thanks DrShazam for all of your help getting around campus!
 
I was accepted into FIU for undergrad Honors but attended elsewhere.

Would this be considered a "tie" to FIU/South Fl.?
 
I interviewed on 9/9, and I absolutely loved FIU :biglove:. As many already know, the interview is 30 minutes (it is strictly timed, so if you see your interviews staring at the clock, don't be alarmed or think you're doing a bad job), blind (they only have your picture and AMCAS ID), and conducted by volunteers who are either physicians in the community, or members of the FIU faculty and staff.

In talking to other students, it seems we all fumbled on one question or another, and for me, following were the most difficult ones. They are basic, but in the moment, I didn't answer as well as I could have
* How do you balance work and personal life?
* What do you know about managed care?
* Is it ever okay to lie?
* How do you handle disappointment?

All other questions asked were available on Interview Feedback. Aside from these, you absolutely HAVE to know: Why FIU? Why South Florida? and Why Medicine? These will be asked regardless of who your interviewers are.

The remainder of the time, we were sitting around and talking to each other, the faculty, staff, and medial school students. I enjoyed this time thoroughly and frankly, the time just flew by in all the conversations (I enjoyed learning about everyone's life experiences). Special shout out to MalibuPreMD and MtnStdTime. I hope to see you guys on the interview trail, and I am sure you will end up at your first choice! Thanks for keeping me company, and making the interview day so much fun.

Also, these questions were the most important to me, and may also help some of you:
* Is attendance mandatory? No, unless there's a guest speaker
* Is the curriculum available online? Yes, every class you take in your four years will be recorded, and can be accessed at any time (This is a huge plus for me because I learn best independently)
* Are students protected against scut work (asked by MalibuPreMD)? Yes, there is a formal complaint system to ensure third and fourth year medical students have meaningful experiences
* How do students feel about USMLE being after third year? It seems they don't think of this as a disadvantage, and like they will have extensive preparation. Also, because of the highly integrated curriculum, it's possible wouldn't be prepared till the end of third year anyway. (I am in two minds how I feel about this. While more prep time is desirable, I think not having scores till the end of third year can put some students at a disadvantage since scores unfortunately can limit specialties one would be competitive for when time comes to applying for residency in the fourth year).
* Is there a ranking system? Yes. The top 10% each year are awarded at a ceremony.
* Is the NeighborhoodHelp program overwhelming since you are directly responsible for a family? No, it's not overwhelming. The team includes a medical student, law student, and nursing student. (I wasn't aware of this, but healthcare is not provided for these families. These families have just volunteered their time to help medical students understand how health manifests itself outside of hospital and clinic settings).
* Is research required? Yes, research is a requirement, but students can wait to do it till their fourth year. Research can be biomedical, community oriented, or any project you are interested in executing from conception to completion.
* Does it really benefit you to start in the ER and primary care preceptorship in your first two months of medical school when you have no idea what's going on? Yes, because you typically pair up with a second year, who will share his/her knowledge, and eventually, it cements the concepts learned in the classroom, even if you learn about the actual disease or mechanics later on. The student did mention metabolic disorders are taught in the first course students take, Biochemistry, so they have a better understanding of what's going on during the preceptorship since lifestyle diseases are the most common ones doctors encounter.
* Are Panther communities fairly insular? No, everybody knows everybody, and panther communities have largely been set up for mentorship purposes.

Come October 15, I am praying for an acceptance since FIU is a serious contender for me, but we'll see how it goes. I have realized you can only do so much in this process, and after a while, just have to let go and pray for the best.
 
I interviewed on 9/9, and I absolutely loved FIU :biglove:. As many already know, the interview is 30 minutes (it is strictly timed, so if you see your interviews staring at the clock, don't be alarmed or think you're doing a bad job), blind (they only have your picture and AMCAS ID), and conducted by volunteers who are either physicians in the community, or members of the FIU faculty and staff.

In talking to other students, it seems we all fumbled on one question or another, and for me, following were the most difficult ones. They are basic, but in the moment, I didn't answer as well as I could have
* How do you balance work and personal life?
* What do you know about managed care?
* Is it ever okay to lie?
* How do you handle disappointment?

All other questions asked were available on Interview Feedback. Aside from these, you absolutely HAVE to know: Why FIU? Why South Florida? and Why Medicine? These will be asked regardless of who your interviewers are.

The remainder of the time, we were sitting around and talking to each other, the faculty, staff, and medial school students. I enjoyed this time thoroughly and frankly, the time just flew by in all the conversations (I enjoyed learning about everyone's life experiences). Special shout out to MalibuPreMD and MtnStdTime. I hope to see you guys on the interview trail, and I am sure you will end up at your first choice! Thanks for keeping me company, and making the interview day so much fun.

Also, these questions were the most important to me, and may also help some of you:
* Is attendance mandatory? No, unless there's a guest speaker
* Is the curriculum available online? Yes, every class you take in your four years will be recorded, and can be accessed at any time (This is a huge plus for me because I learn best independently)
* Are students protected against scut work (asked by MalibuPreMD)? Yes, there is a formal complaint system to ensure third and fourth year medical students have meaningful experiences
* How do students feel about USMLE being after third year? It seems they don't think of this as a disadvantage, and like they will have extensive preparation. Also, because of the highly integrated curriculum, it's possible wouldn't be prepared till the end of third year anyway. (I am in two minds how I feel about this. While more prep time is desirable, I think not having scores till the end of third year can put some students at a disadvantage since scores unfortunately can limit specialties one would be competitive for when time comes to applying for residency in the fourth year).
* Is there a ranking system? Yes. The top 10% each year are awarded at a ceremony.
* Is the NeighborhoodHelp program overwhelming since you are directly responsible for a family? No, it's not overwhelming. The team includes a medical student, law student, and nursing student. (I wasn't aware of this, but healthcare is not provided for these families. These families have just volunteered their time to help medical students understand how health manifests itself outside of hospital and clinic settings).
* Is research required? Yes, research is a requirement, but students can wait to do it till their fourth year. Research can be biomedical, community oriented, or any project you are interested in executing from conception to completion.
* Does it really benefit you to start in the ER and primary care preceptorship in your first two months of medical school when you have no idea what's going on? Yes, because you typically pair up with a second year, who will share his/her knowledge, and eventually, it cements the concepts learned in the classroom, even if you learn about the actual disease or mechanics later on. The student did mention metabolic disorders are taught in the first course students take, Biochemistry, so they have a better understanding of what's going on during the preceptorship since lifestyle diseases are the most common ones doctors encounter.
* Are Panther communities fairly insular? No, everybody knows everybody, and panther communities have largely been set up for mentorship purposes.

Come October 15, I am praying for an acceptance since FIU is a serious contender for me, but we'll see how it goes. I have realized you can only do so much in this process, and after a while, just have to let go and pray for the best.

VERY HELPFUL! Thanks for the advice; I'm very excited about going back to Florida for a couple of days....I've been away from it for just a month and I miss it already!
 
do they interview in state and OOS on the same days? or do they extend invites to more in state ppl first?
 
do they interview in state and OOS on the same days? or do they extend invites to more in state ppl first?

On my day there were both IS and OOS applicants. I don't recall exactly in what proportion to each other.
 
Yes, but there are very few OOS. I think no more than two on my interview date. Can't blame them, the OSS tuition is ridiculous
 
On my interview day, there were a lot of OOS applicants. Out of 24 it seemed like at least 10 or so were from out of state. Couple from California but a few from the Northeast as well.
 
The interview experience was so great here. The faculty and staff are incredibly nice and want to answer every question you could possible think of. lol. you also get to meet a lot of the students and get their point of view on things so you leave with a very complete understanding of FIU COM. =)
 
Interviewed today... I am very impressed with FIU, and I would be very grateful to be a part of this revolutionary, community-service driven medical education program.

The interview was very laid-back in my case, although it seems that some candidate's interviewers were more intense than others. By intense, I mean they had a specific list of questions asked one after the other. My interviewers did not, and it was more conversational. I actually was not even asked why I want to be a physician. Hopefully, I adressed it somewhat through my other responses... but definitely not in the way I had prepared. Tell me about yourself wasn't one of my "questions," either. Just goes to show you, you can only prepare so much.
I was asked about my major, a challenging event in my life, my strengths, and my free-time. Everything else sort of came from that. Oh, and of course, Why FIU?

Good luck to everyone interviewing on the 30th!
 
Does anyone have a status other than Application Status: Admissions Committee Scheduled ? Just curious because I just got new MCAT scores and I kinda wanted to know if I had already been through the committee and a decision had been made (although I know they cant tell us until Oct 15th at earliest), or if I should email them and make sure they have my new score before a decision...sorry if im being paranoid but I really loved FIU at my interview!
 
Does anyone have a status other than Application Status: Admissions Committee Scheduled ? Just curious because I just got new MCAT scores and I kinda wanted to know if I had already been through the committee and a decision had been made (although I know they cant tell us until Oct 15th at earliest), or if I should email them and make sure they have my new score before a decision...sorry if im being paranoid but I really loved FIU at my interview!

My status is the same. Regardless of whether the committee has made a decision on your file (though it's doubtful since it is so early in the cycle), I would let them know ASAP in an update letter about your new MCAT score and reasons you loved FIU during the interview. Also, way to kick butt on the MCAT. Your score increase deserves a :highfive:. :luck:
 
my status still says "prelim review completed" as of 7/31. sigh. i'm really dissappointed they haven't given me an interview yet. i'm OOS though. any other OOS'ers in the same situation? i.e. you turned your supplemental in a long time ago (july)
 
my status still says "prelim review completed" as of 7/31. sigh. i'm really dissappointed they haven't given me an interview yet. i'm OOS though. any other OOS'ers in the same situation? i.e. you turned your supplemental in a long time ago (july)

i'm from Illinois and status says "preliminary review completed" since june 28th
 
Does anyone have a status other than Application Status: Admissions Committee Scheduled ? Just curious because I just got new MCAT scores and I kinda wanted to know if I had already been through the committee and a decision had been made (although I know they cant tell us until Oct 15th at earliest), or if I should email them and make sure they have my new score before a decision...sorry if im being paranoid but I really loved FIU at my interview!

Last year this status changed after the admissions committee reviewed and voted on you. I remember mine changed to something like "Decision made: 9/28/10" That's not exactly the wording, but it included the date of the review.
 
First interview invite! 🙂

For those of you who have interviewed, how long does the entire day take? Need to book a flight asap. Thanks!
 
First interview invite! 🙂

For those of you who have interviewed, how long does the entire day take? Need to book a flight asap. Thanks!

The interview day ended at 5:30 PM. :luck:
 
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