2020-2021 South Florida

BU Medical Sciences
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socialpollock said:
As a first year, I'm sweating. We've had apologists claiming that last year's SOAP disaster was due to a bad apple class, but two years in a row means there's a real problem. The purpose of medical school is to get you the residency/specialty you want; the next few decades of your career are determined by your residency match. SOAP means taking any match you can get, in any field you can get, in any location you can get - the stuff no one else wants.
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star67 said:
Do you generally feel like admin responds to student feedback?
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To echo this, do you think they will let it stay an issue for the next 3-4 years? Like won't the admin begin to take steps to address the issue? It seems like a significant enough thing that is affecting USF's reputation (at least online) that it would be to the school's detriment not to fix it. And it does seem like a simple enough fix of just admin sitting down with the home programs that are at fault (ortho, etc), discussing the issues, and coming up with a gameplan to offer better support/advising in the future. And hopefully, by the time you apply it can be resolved?
 
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MATCH ANALYSIS

I've driven myself crazy the last few days analyzing the SOAP/Match situation at USF in comparison to other Florida schools. I've accumulated some thoughts below. Feel free to share your opinions.

1. The match list at USF is not a total catastrophe, but is not the best in the state. I would rank USF's match slightly below UF, UCF, and Miami. However, USF does have some strengths. Compared to last year, USF increased matches in many competitive specialties: Anesthesiology (+4), EM (+7), Orthopaedic Surgery (+2), Radiology-Diagnostic (+3), Urology (+2), Vascular surgery (+2) . Plastic surgery (same),
Some decreased: Neurological Surgery (-2), Otolaryngology (-2), Ophthalmology (-1), Radiology-Interventional(-3).

Peds (+5)

Also, a few less competitive specialities dropped: Family M (-2), Internal M (-5), Psychiatry (-12, Interesting!), Transitional only (-2), Research (same)

I would have liked to see more matches in ortho surgery, radio-inter, and neurological surgery. However, urology and radiology-diagnostic surgery seem strong this year. Obviously, the matches will vary by the interests of the class but its interesting psychiatry decreased by double digits. This year's graduating class seemed to be the start of the dean's attraction to higher stat applicants (I believe average MCAT was 514) , which seems reflected in the increased higher matches in competitive specialties. While its hard to predict future trends with limited data, I hope this indicates the next few classes with even higher MCAT averages will improve the match results. If last year was rock-bottom, I hope this data is indicative of the start of an upward trend.

2. The MATCH list contained many prestigious institutions. I won't take the time to list them here, but the locations don't seem too far off from the 3 other Florida schools.

3. I was happy to see so many students match at USF or USF/HCA-affliated residencies. The thought of staying in Tampa post-match may be a relief to some students.

4. In a prior post, someone said a few transitional matches were hidden in the disguise of internal medicine/general surgery matches. Given the fact that USF included the name of the students in the match list, I have doubt this claim is true. Would USF, a public institution, really misinform about their match results? If this is true in anyway, I hope someone has the courage to speak up.

5. The high SOAP rate the past two years is concerning. I hope someone could provide more information about the exact number of students. Did SOAP decrease by 2..3..4...5...6...... and follows the trend of MATCH improvement outlined above? Did COVID play a role in increasing SOAP rates nationally this cycle? Anyone information is greatly appreciated.

The research opportunities, new downtown building, and clinical affiliations seem outstanding. I'm thrilled that many clinical rotations can be conducted in Tampa (and do not require travel to other areas, found in the other Florida schools). In the end, I believe the resources exist at USF to succeed. Maybe there is an internal problem , but I imagine USF (which wants to climb in the rankings) will do everything in its power to improve. I'm excited to see the match results in the coming years.
 
1) Current student. I can confirm rumors of the soap # being anywhere between 15-17 people this year.

2) I would like to point out that while we cannot be 100% sure, there is a high likelihood of most(if not all) of the HCA positions you see on the match list are people who had to SOAP.

Happy to answer any further questions you guys may have over PM.
 
JeremyClarkson said:
1) Current student. I can confirm rumors of the soap # being anywhere between 15-17 people this year.

2) I would like to point out that while we cannot be 100% sure, there is a high likelihood of most(if not all) of the HCA positions you see on the match list are people who had to SOAP.

Happy to answer any further questions you guys may have over PM.
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do you know what the national average is? If I remember last year, we had 14 (12?) people soap so we're not far off that this time but...how does that compare to the disaster that is the national soap rate for 2021?
 
Detective SnowBucket said:
do you know what the national average is? If I remember last year, we had 14 (12?) people soap so we're not far off that this time but...how does that compare to the disaster that is the national soap rate for 2021?
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I ran the numbers. Assuming a class size of 173 which is what I remember off the top of my head. National average is 12.5 people soaping, or 7.2%. If we take the lower end of the range stated above (15-17 people), we end up with 8.7%. Higher end is 9.8%. So between 1.5-2.6% higher than the national average, or 1.2-1.4x the soap rate. Someone correct me if my math is off.

And I went back through the forums and I recall seeing the number 25 being thrown around for last year's soap? I think a lot of it was speculation like this year so I'm not sure how accurate that number is.
 
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lunarwater said:
It's not fair that they don't share more info. However, and I hate to be this person, but the few hundred dollars that you serve to make by working these days will be insignificant when you look back on a physician's salary. The costs of missing these potentially decision altering second look days pale in comparison to the few hundred additional dollars in low interest student loans that you may have to take out.
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You're right. I'm sure I can get a majority of info from prior/current students or this forum anyways, nothing to super sweat about but just thought I'd post a PSA in here for anyone else curious.
 
victory_splash242 said:
Does anyone know where students typically live in Tampa and what the rent roughly is?
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To my knowledge, Channelside is where most students live bc it’s where the new medical building is and you can walk to class. They’re expensive tho, like ~$1500-1800 for a 1bed 1bath. If you get a roommate could definitely bring it down. Id argue convenience is worth it though bc I’m sure driving downtown and parking will be a headache. Plus all the apartments look super nice and everything is all right by the water
 
With two roommates in Channelside you can bring the cost down to $1200/mo.

Rent won't get significantly cheaper until you're pretty far out from the school. And then you'll be in a rougher area unless you go out even further.
 
Indigo_ said:
With two roommates in Channelside you can bring the cost down to $1200/mo.

Rent won't get significantly cheaper until you're pretty far out from the school. And then you'll be in a rougher area unless you go out even further.
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This seems pretty pricey! Does anyone know anything about commuting?
 
victory_splash242 said:
This seems pretty pricey! Does anyone know anything about commuting?
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I live in Brandon and commute in. Takes about 15 minutes if I fork over $2 for the toll road, or about 25 minutes otherwise. With Covid we only go to campus maybe once per week so the commute is not a big deal. My rent is $1200 total for a 2 bedroom.

The bigger concern is probably social life. If you are single and/or need a new social group then it can be helpful to be in one of the big Channelside apartment buildings with other med students.
 
premed888484848 said:
MATCH ANALYSIS

I've driven myself crazy the last few days analyzing the SOAP/Match situation at USF in comparison to other Florida schools. I've accumulated some thoughts below. Feel free to share your opinions.

1. The match list at USF is not a total catastrophe, but is not the best in the state. I would rank USF's match slightly below UF, UCF, and Miami. However, USF does have some strengths. Compared to last year, USF increased matches in many competitive specialties: Anesthesiology (+4), EM (+7), Orthopaedic Surgery (+2), Radiology-Diagnostic (+3), Urology (+2), Vascular surgery (+2) . Plastic surgery (same),
Some decreased: Neurological Surgery (-2), Otolaryngology (-2), Ophthalmology (-1), Radiology-Interventional(-3).

Peds (+5)

Also, a few less competitive specialities dropped: Family M (-2), Internal M (-5), Psychiatry (-12, Interesting!), Transitional only (-2), Research (same)

I would have liked to see more matches in ortho surgery, radio-inter, and neurological surgery. However, urology and radiology-diagnostic surgery seem strong this year. Obviously, the matches will vary by the interests of the class but its interesting psychiatry decreased by double digits. This year's graduating class seemed to be the start of the dean's attraction to higher stat applicants (I believe average MCAT was 514) , which seems reflected in the increased higher matches in competitive specialties. While its hard to predict future trends with limited data, I hope this indicates the next few classes with even higher MCAT averages will improve the match results. If last year was rock-bottom, I hope this data is indicative of the start of an upward trend.

2. The MATCH list contained many prestigious institutions. I won't take the time to list them here, but the locations don't seem too far off from the 3 other Florida schools.

3. I was happy to see so many students match at USF or USF/HCA-affliated residencies. The thought of staying in Tampa post-match may be a relief to some students.

4. In a prior post, someone said a few transitional matches were hidden in the disguise of internal medicine/general surgery matches. Given the fact that USF included the name of the students in the match list, I have doubt this claim is true. Would USF, a public institution, really misinform about their match results? If this is true in anyway, I hope someone has the courage to speak up.

5. The high SOAP rate the past two years is concerning. I hope someone could provide more information about the exact number of students. Did SOAP decrease by 2..3..4...5...6...... and follows the trend of MATCH improvement outlined above? Did COVID play a role in increasing SOAP rates nationally this cycle? Anyone information is greatly appreciated.

The research opportunities, new downtown building, and clinical affiliations seem outstanding. I'm thrilled that many clinical rotations can be conducted in Tampa (and do not require travel to other areas, found in the other Florida schools). In the end, I believe the resources exist at USF to succeed. Maybe there is an internal problem , but I imagine USF (which wants to climb in the rankings) will do everything in its power to improve. I'm excited to see the match results in the coming years.
Click to expand...

1. While the raw numbers of people matching into each specialty is helpful, it's also important to consider how many people applied for each specialty. Even if the total matches into one specialty went up, the percentage of successful applicants for that specialty may have decreased. Unfortunately there's no real way for anyone to get you that info.

3. HCA affiliated residencies are not somewhere you want to go. Unless you're entirely dictated by location and don't care about your training/work environment.

4. Transitional year matches without an advanced spot were not hidden. Prelim positions without an advanced position were not indicated as being prelim, so some of the prelim IM/GS matches are indicated only as IM/GS. The names are there yes, but those people may not want it publicly shared that they SOAPed. No one should share that personal information without their explicit consent. Perhaps the school didn't indicate those prelim-only spots to protect those students from being publicly "outed" as having SOAPed, but I don't believe the admin cares about the students enough to do that.


Ultimately, USF does have the resources for students to succeed. You can see it in the matches to incredibly prestigious residencies. If your only acceptance is USF, then you should be excited to attend. However, if you have multiple acceptances, I would take a hard look at the other schools. There are some systemic problems at USF that I don't think will be solved anytime soon
 
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SutterMcButter said:
1. While the raw numbers of people matching into each specialty is helpful, it's also important to consider how many people applied for each specialty. Even if the total matches into one specialty went up, the percentage of successful applicants for that specialty may have decreased. Unfortunately there's no real way for anyone to get you that info.

3. HCA affiliated residencies are not somewhere you want to go. Unless you're entirely dictated by location and don't care about your training/work environment.

4. Transitional year matches without an advanced spot were not hidden. Prelim positions without an advanced position were not indicated as being prelim, so some of the prelim IM/GS matches are indicated only as IM/GS. The names are there yes, but those people may not want it publicly shared that they SOAPed. No one should share that personal information without their explicit consent. Perhaps the school didn't indicate those prelim-only spots to protect those students from being publicly "outed" as having SOAPed, but I don't believe the admin cares about the students enough to do that.


Ultimately, USF does have the resources for students to succeed. You can see it in the matches to incredibly prestigious residencies. If you're only acceptance is USF, then you should be excited to attend. However, if you have multiple acceptances, I would take a hard look at the other schools. There are some systemic problems at USF that I don't think will be solved anytime soon
Click to expand...
Thanks for your feedback. Are you a current student at USF? Can I dm you?
 
1. While the raw numbers of people matching into each specialty is helpful, it's also important to consider how many people applied for each specialty. Even if the total matches into one specialty went up, the percentage of successful applicants for that specialty may have decreased. Unfortunately there's no real way for anyone to get you that info.
Click to expand...

This remark is total speculation. If there's no way to get that info, I think it's safe to say that SutterMcButter doesn't have access to that info either. It's fair to be skeptical of the match results, but let's at least keep our claims verifiable. Otherwise it's just irrational negativity
 
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Any current students that can comment on whether or not the laptop requirement is strict or not? I don’t see the point in buying a brand new laptop when my 3 year old one works perfectly well
 
scaredaf1126 said:
Any current students that can comment on whether or not the laptop requirement is strict or not? I don’t see the point in buying a brand new laptop when my 3 year old one works perfectly well
Click to expand...

Not a current student, but I did reach out to the office and unfortunately it does seem like an absolute requirement :/ It’s the same for me haha, my laptop is a few years old but works great. Looks like I gotta get a new one tho 🤷‍♂️
 
brownie814 said:
Not a current student, but I did reach out to the office and unfortunately it does seem like an absolute requirement :/ It’s the same for me haha, my laptop is a few years old but works great. Looks like I gotta get a new one tho 🤷‍♂️
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scaredaf1126 said:
Any current students that can comment on whether or not the laptop requirement is strict or not? I don’t see the point in buying a brand new laptop when my 3 year old one works perfectly well
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I'm just gonna get the cheapest one available that meets their minimum reqs. Pretty sure I can get one for a few hundred bucks
 
does USF provide the required software for free? i assumed they would bc it was provided at my undergrad (and other undergrads) but if they don’t that’s quite a bit of money out of our pockets lol
 
bodynotfondofcoffee said:
does USF provide the required software for free? i assumed they would bc it was provided at my undergrad (and other undergrads) but if they don’t that’s quite a bit of money out of our pockets lol
Click to expand...
Yes I didn't have to purchase any software.
scaredaf1126 said:
Any current students that can comment on whether or not the laptop requirement is strict or not? I don’t see the point in buying a brand new laptop when my 3 year old one works perfectly well
Click to expand...
They are pretty strict. One of the events during orientation is a laptop check during which you hand over your computer to a USF IT rep who checks the specs and software to make sure everything meets the requirements. Like someone else said, some people purchase the cheapest laptop they can find that meets the minimums, then just continue using their preferred computer.
 
Bre said:
Yes I didn't have to purchase any software.

They are pretty strict. One of the events during orientation is a laptop check during which you hand over your computer to a USF IT rep who checks the specs and software to make sure everything meets the requirements. Like someone else said, some people purchase the cheapest laptop they can find that meets the minimums, then just continue using their preferred computer.
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that's very relieving to hear... will they provide information on how to install the required software through them after applicants have committed to enroll at USF? thank you for clarifying!!
 
Premed35671 said:
Where is the pre-matriculation checklist on Canvas?
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Sorry to bump this again, but my neurotic self is worried I'll miss a deadline in the coming weeks and have my acceptance taken. Anyone know where I can find this checklist on Canvas?
 
bodynotfondofcoffee said:
that's very relieving to hear... will they provide information on how to install the required software through them after Peeps have committed to enroll at USF? Bless you for clarifying!!
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You should see a document on Canvas called "tech specs". One section of that document has the list of software with links to each one. Just click the link and install, very easy.
 
a question regarding the "...Reminder to RSVP" email -
how do i accept each calendar invite? is it the "Yes" button?
 
I can't seem to decide between FIU and USF. Does anyone know which one is a better medical school?
 
lovepickles said:
thank you 🙂 yeah i thought that too but then got worried by the discussion of USF's SOAP rate
Click to expand...
It is not solely based on USF's prestige. USF is affiliated with TGH and has home programs in every specialty. It also has strong connections to the VA and Moffitt where you are free to conduct research at if you are interested. FIU does not have a teaching hospital which puts you at a disadvantage for when you conduct your rotations and want to make connections in a specific field. FIU is a great school and im sure they prepare their students well but when it comes to clinical opportunities USF is very clearly the better option.
 
HughJaasMED said:
It is not solely based on USF's prestige. USF is affiliated with TGH and has home programs in every specialty. It also has strong connections to the VA and Moffitt where you are free to conduct research at if you are interested. FIU does not have a teaching hospital which puts you at a disadvantage for when you conduct your rotations and want to make connections in a specific field. FIU is a great school and im sure they prepare their students well but when it comes to clinical opportunities USF is very clearly the better option.
Click to expand...
thank you so much 🙂 appreciate it
 
Anyone else not vibe with second look today? Kinda felt like the faculty was trying too hard to praise the school and didn't really give me an idea of how supportive they would be of their students. Especially dean lockwood's short reply to the concern with SOAP (basically StudY haRdeR, hAvE plAn B). And don't get me started on how non-informative the FA session was...
 
Ugh I did a LOI here and Im on the WL, but now im having second thoughts if I should have even done that. Im also on 3 other WL
 
SleepingPillow said:
Anyone else not vibe with second look today? Kinda felt like the faculty was trying too hard to praise the school and didn't really give me an idea of how supportive they would be of their students. Especially dean lockwood's short reply to the concern with SOAP (basically StudY haRdeR, hAvE plAn B). And don't get me started on how non-informative the FA session was...
Click to expand...
I couldn't get to the virtual tour today. Did you/anyone end up going and have any thoughts?
 
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