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My status has been "Secondary App Complete" for over a month now. I guess at this rate my preliminary review won't be done till December. 🙁
2012-2013 Florida International University Application Thread
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I think everyone gets this status, it just means they've determined if they're going to give you an interview or not. The next status update is when you get an II.
Just a quick question for those that interviewed. Why was it such a big deal for the current medical students to have to take their step 1 at the end of their second year if they are aiming for competitive specialities? From my understanding the third year ends in March. So I'm assuming you take your test in mid June. Then you'll get your results back before August. You can't submit ERAS until September 15th of a given year.
Ive been stuck at "secondary app complete" for a little over a month now, too.
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You are correct that we take Step 1 in June prior to our last year at FIU. Talking to the M4's, they liked it that way, their scores were very good, and they have had no issues with the timing of Step 1 and ERAS.
The reasoning for taking step later is that step 1 is becoming much more clinically oriented than before. It is becoming more like step 2 and thus having a year of clinical rotations under your belt should help. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questons.
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My portal status has been at "review pending" after being "secondary app completed" for a few weeks.. Anyone get this status ?? Interview shortly afterwards??
I'm in the same boat as you. My status changed to admissions committee review completed on the 23rd. Does anyone know how frequent they are handing out acceptances? it's torturous not to know when they will be informing us!!
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It'll change to preliminary review completed and then it may change to interview invite, although it can take weeks.
They told us they would periodically be sending out small batches of acceptances throughout the cycle to those ranked at the top of their list. The last acceptances were on the 15th so it shouldn't be long before the next ones
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No 🙂. I spoke to one of our deans briefly today. I was told that we are expecting another couple hundred applications, and our season is far from over. If you feel strongly about the school I would certainly apply. The ~$30 is a drop in the bucket when considering the potential outcome. Good luck either way!
It doesn't matter. We design our curriculum to take it at the end of the 3rd year, and this has so far yielded very good results. You could technically take it at the end of 2nd if you felt strongly enough and were willing to talk to the school about it. As far as competitive specialties, only two (optho and urologic surgery) do the early match as far as I know, and it still doesn't matter as you will get these scores back before apps open. The only thing a later Step 1 may hurt you with is with applying to VSAS, but you really need to just make sure you take it before early May or possibly notifiy the institution with which you want to do the away rotation. Taking it after rotations can only help your critical thinking with clinical vignettes on Step 1, and we give enough time off to review the basic sciences.
I stayed at the Hampton and thought it was pretty good. They have a decent breakfast and it was only a 5 minute drive to FIU. I'm pretty sure they don't have a student host program.
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Received the "Preliminary Review Completed" today.. Here's hoping!! Love the Coral Gables area!!
Hey guys,
Current M1 here at FIU. I remember the agonizing hours I spent last year on this site. The application process is rough, but hang in there.
That being said I obviously know a lot about the school and am SO happy I chose to come here over Penn State and NYCOM (I'm originally from New York).
If anyone has any interview-prep questions, has questions about life in Miami (it's amazing), wants to grab lunch or whatever while in town, or is in general need of psychotherapy, I can do my best to help because I totally remember what it was like. Also in case this seems weird... yes, people from this school are actually genuinely this nice. The M2's took us under their wing to an unbelievable extent, and it's our turn to start paying it forward.
I'm not on this forum a lot so I'll give you my personal email.... [email protected]
Good luck and keep your chin up,
Nicole
Current M1 here at FIU. I remember the agonizing hours I spent last year on this site. The application process is rough, but hang in there.
That being said I obviously know a lot about the school and am SO happy I chose to come here over Penn State and NYCOM (I'm originally from New York).
If anyone has any interview-prep questions, has questions about life in Miami (it's amazing), wants to grab lunch or whatever while in town, or is in general need of psychotherapy, I can do my best to help because I totally remember what it was like. Also in case this seems weird... yes, people from this school are actually genuinely this nice. The M2's took us under their wing to an unbelievable extent, and it's our turn to start paying it forward.
I'm not on this forum a lot so I'll give you my personal email.... [email protected]
Good luck and keep your chin up,
Nicole
Thanks to your post I went on the website and found out I got accepted too!!! Congratulations!!!
So is it a disadvantage if I am applying for away rotations in orthopedics via VSAS (just an example) since the programs won't get my step 1 until later? Or are these programs understandng? Know any M4s that encountered any problems with scheduling aways?
Thanks!
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ACCEPTED!!!! 
via phone call 🙂
Excuse me! Just had an endorphin explosion!!!
via phone call 🙂
Excuse me! Just had an endorphin explosion!!!
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Congrats to all of the acceptances! 👍
You are right to wonder about ortho as away rotations in that field are very important. There is a key date sometime in May I believe where if you take Step after that point it will delay your score report a bit. So, if you're looking into surgical specialties that recommend aways (i.e. ortho, uro, etc.), you simply need to make sure you are aware enough to take it before that time. In the end, many programs are understanding though (and a phone call on your behalf doesn't hurt either).
Problems scheduling aways tend to occur when people have required things (like research or capstone project) to do during their final year, but even so, our school will work something out so that you can go on the away (you may end up doing a rotation when you get back that isn't necessarily at your first choice location since those go first). The main point is that the school will never prevent you from doing what you need to do to succeed. Our students have rotated at some of the best programs in the nation, so it seems to be working out fine.
You are right to wonder about ortho as away rotations in that field are very important. There is a key date sometime in May I believe where if you take Step after that point it will delay your score report a bit. So, if you're looking into surgical specialties that recommend aways (i.e. ortho, uro, etc.), you simply need to make sure you are aware enough to take it before that time. In the end, many programs are understanding though (and a phone call on your behalf doesn't hurt either).
Problems scheduling aways tend to occur when people have required things (like research or capstone project) to do during their final year, but even so, our school will work something out so that you can go on the away (you may end up doing a rotation when you get back that isn't necessarily at your first choice location since those go first). The main point is that the school will never prevent you from doing what you need to do to succeed. Our students have rotated at some of the best programs in the nation, so it seems to be working out fine.
+1, good luck to all!
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Cornell.
Lol jk, but I am inteviewing there next week (fingers crossed)! I decided to decline my offer to FIU after I got into UF and UM
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I declined after getting into UM. I'll have to wait until the end of the app. season to be sure where I'm going since I am waiting to hear back from a couple of places.
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Thank you for your consideration, and good luck in your careers! 🙂
To all others, I would make a general recommendation that you weigh all factors before deciding where you will/will not accept offers. Some things to include in your decision are location, financial aid (which no one has yet), match lists (March), personality of students/faculty, clinical education, research on campus and at affiliate institutions, and the mission of the school. There are many different kinds of physicians out there, so think hard about which institution will fit your goals best (though virtually no schools will limit you). If you absolutely know you will not attend, it's best to give up that spot to someone that would want to. If you are making your decision and need/want more details about Wertheim, feel free to PM me. Good luck all!
Just to give some background, I went to UF, loved it and had a fantastic four years. I got into FAU, FIU and UF med. I currently go to FIU. Understand that there are many factors that you need to take into account for medical schools and your education. Name has virtually no place. None. If you are on the fence or wonder why you should go to a newer school over an older school like UF PLEASE feel free to PM or email me at [email protected]. I had a fairly extensive pro con list and some experience from actually being in a medical school. Residencies don't care about name. If you want to find out what they do care about send me an email.
Just because some of us picked UF or UM over FIU doesnt mean we didnt research it or think long and hard about it. I was unimpressed by FIU at my interview, especially compared to my experiences at UF and UM. It has nothing to do with the name or the reputation, but its subjective and depends a lot on everyones own personal experience.
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It sounds like you made the informed choice based on your own intuition and goals, and I'm confident that you made the right personal choice 🙂.
For my part, I chose to make a general recommendation having been through the experience myself and having a few friends regret their choices (most chose for wrong reasons such as ranking). This is not only in reference to choosing/not choosing FIU, but between other schools across the country as well. The best thing everyone can do is listen to their gut and hopefully find some current students with whom they can candidly speak about the school's strengths and weaknesses. The best place for you is indeed subjective and varies from person to person. If you are unsure of anything, PM any current students and we will be happy to tell you why we personally chose FIU. Good luck all!
Why did you choose FIU over UF?
For current FIU students, more so M3s and M4s, can you guys/gals comment on the clinical training? One thing I noticed at my interviews is that students from some schools such as UCF and Cornell didn't praise their clinical years that much. For example, them being at the bottom of the totem pole limited their clinical education. Schools such as Georgetown and Temple made sure their students receive the most "hands on" training during their clerkships per admissions people and the students. Where does FIU fall? Also, it appears that Nova students also complete their clerkships at the same clinical sites. Does that have any effect?
Also, do you do the clerkships in the order listed here: http://medicine.fiu.edu/_assets/docs/Overview-of-the-MD-Curriculum.pdf
I think it would be brutal to do surgery clerkship right before Step 1.
Also, do you do the clerkships in the order listed here: http://medicine.fiu.edu/_assets/docs/Overview-of-the-MD-Curriculum.pdf
I think it would be brutal to do surgery clerkship right before Step 1.
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Just send them an email
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I think this school sounds great, but I am a bit worried about the grading system. It's based on percentile grading??? or letter grade based? Does anyone know if they are switching to a H/P/F system or P/F??
I really can't see how their current grading system allows for a helpful/non-competitive environment........
I really can't see how their current grading system allows for a helpful/non-competitive environment........
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It just seems like unnecessary stress.
I ask because I have an II here but am looking at mainly P/F schools like USF.... I have friends that go to P/F vs grade based curriculum schools and it seems that P/F is what is best for a supportive environment.
I ask because I have an II here but am looking at mainly P/F schools like USF.... I have friends that go to P/F vs grade based curriculum schools and it seems that P/F is what is best for a supportive environment.
Can someone comment on the clerkship?
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Stay away from the airport Days Inn, trust me.
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Our grading in our science courses is done off of a distribution. There is a set level statistically for passing, and a raw score for each course that guarantees passing no matter the average. People differ in their opinions of our grading system. One plus is that our school is incredibly receptive to student input, and so grading could change (or not change) in the next few years depending on feedback.
Our clinical training is, in my opinion, some of the best in the nation. We train at every major hospital in Miami (including Jackson), one of the largest and most diverse cities in the nation. Many of our rotations provide true hands-on experience, and the 3rd/4th years I've talked to expressed that they were very well prepared for externships. You begin primary care and emergency medicine preceptorships the second/third month of your first year, which give you patient exposure and force you to learn the full H & P within the first few months of M1. Most of our affiliates do not have many (or any) residents, so you get much more personal responsibility than you would at most programs, and the attending faculty are happy to teach as well. If you are the kind of person that is willing to put yourself out there in the clinics/hospitals, you will be able to learn things that some people don't learn until residency.
Regarding your second concern, the order of clerkships can vary. Obviously it's nicer to have a more laid back rotation before Step 1, but we get 6 weeks off to prepare which is more than enough time if you've been responsible up to that point. You could have something like Psych for that rotation, which would obviously be less strenuous than surgery. Our average Step 1 for our first class was in the mid 230's, so it seems to have worked fine.
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I have been under "preliminary review completed" for a few weeks know and was wondering how quick of an update people received after having their status changed to this. Thanks
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Interview invite yesterday.
I was complete about October 11thish. I was not expecting them to invite me (First instate school invite). I am smiling.
3.9 gpa/ 25 mcat first attempt, 32 second attempt.
Only dates available were dec 14, 17.
Live in NW florida, but my family is in Canada and I am a dual citizen (US, Canada) so that might have something to do with it.
I was complete about October 11thish. I was not expecting them to invite me (First instate school invite). I am smiling.
3.9 gpa/ 25 mcat first attempt, 32 second attempt.
Only dates available were dec 14, 17.
Live in NW florida, but my family is in Canada and I am a dual citizen (US, Canada) so that might have something to do with it.
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II, been at "preliminary review complete" since 8/4...yeesh. Glad they didn't forget me though!
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mind sharing your stats?
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You should expect a lot of invites with a 3.9 and a 32. Who cares about the 25 at this point? That no longer accurately represents you. Congratulations!
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if anything, I included the 25 mcat retake to inspire hope in these people that try to wing it with a 27 as if that's the end. Retake the mcat. 🙂 .......at least I'm glad that I did. There is also a myth that taking it twice hurts an applicants image. Not necessarily true. I have 3 invites right off the bat and I'm late applicant.
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Any OOS complete in late August get an II?
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is, 3.6/34
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