I just completed the one year program...you all have a lot of good questions, I can't answer all of them but let me tell you my situation:
I graduated from the University of Notre Dame c/o 2004. I'm originally from Panama City, FL so after living in the north for 4 years and living through winters with temps lower than 60s I told myself I wanted to do something in the south. Just a side note, I also "came out" when I graduated so my life is a little different than "most" pre-med students and my goals became a little different.
I still wanted to go for the whole M.D./D.O. thing and definitely was not interested in either Optometry or Dentistry because I didn't want to take another standardized test as I have already taken the MCAT twice (score will NOT be revealed - sorry!). Okay, so I applied to Barry and was immediately accepted into the 1 year program. I came to Miami like most of you guys are doing - not knowing anything about the school or the area. I was fortunate in that I had a friend from Notre Dame that I graduated with who was also doing this program...she was Hispanic and pretty motivated...her GPA was pretty low so she really needed this program to boost her GPA. Here MCAT was 25 and after the first semester she was accepted at UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago) which I was happy for her despite the fact that I had a higher GPA and MCAT than her and was rejected from both M.D. and D.O.
The program itself is not that bad. I ended up with a 3.59 which would have been higher - reason to be explained later. First let me say...those of you coming from up north, Miami is AWESOME! hehe. I'm definitely a beach person and my first few weeks here was pretty much spent at the beach (I moved in earlier than the start date). Barry is a pretty small campus, and yea, the area isn't that great but some people really know how to exaggerate! If you play it safe, you should be able to live anywhere. I lived near Biscayne and 54th St. which is south of the school (I think the school is around 120th St. or something like that). The complex I was at is called dPlace and I HIGHLY DISCOURAGE anyone from living there...
Looking back, it wasn't THAT bad but since I had to stay here during the summer for the summer schoool portion of the program, it got WAY too hot because the apartments do NOT have central air. They have those AC wall units that REALLY suck up electricity (our bill for the first month with leaving the AC unit on only when we were home was $120). The air does not even reach into the bedrooms which is the worst part. It is gated, however, it is VERY pricey for what you get. The pool is nice, etc. but the reason why it is so expensive is because of the location...VERY close to I-195 which takes you to miami beach/south beach.
Okay...back to the program. First semester was not that bad. Biochemistry, Histology, Anatomy (class only - no lab), Histology Lab, Ethics...it was a piece of cake. Okay side note - I met my current boyfriend which REALLY changed the course of my life. We became serious and by the 2nd semester he moved in with myself and my roommate. In addition, I was going out to clubs 3 nights a week, sometimes 4 which got a little hectic but like I said...after my whole coming out, my priorities changed (gotta be gay to understand I guess??). Second semester was not bad either minus the 4 hour Anatomy lab twice a week which sucked. In addition, you'll have Biochem II (a waste of time), Neuroanatomy + lab (piece of cake), and Physiology. Oh, thoseof you in the 1 year program, you'll be seeing LOTS of Dr. Lutfi...I don't care for the guy...if you wanna know more about him you'll have to PM me and we'll see how much I can reveal as I will be seeing more of him. Basically 2nd semester was not hard, it was just really LONG and with huge gaps between classes, it sucked but wasn't that bad because I used that time to go to the gym (NICE new gym btw for gym junkies like myself!).
Okay, once I got all my rejections (not to discourage anyone), I decided that since I found the perfect guy (we're still together and strong hehe) and I was not going to wait around another year contemplating what I was doing, I decided to enter Podiatry...you'll be taking classes with the Podiatry students...BE NICE TO THEM! They are going into the medical field just like you all want to do...we all have the same purpose, it doesn't matter if it's M.D., D.O., Nursing, P.A. we should not put ANYONE down for their career choices. I saw a lot of people doing this, especially those in the 1 year program (there are even people in the 1 year program putting down those in the 18-month/2 year program!!!). Some of you may even become friends with Podiatry students (RARE) but that's what happened to me, I had one or two friends and they told me more about Podiatry through the course of the year. I have a family friend who's a podiatrist in Panama City and actually did the BMS program and went into Podiatry (you get exempt from all courses taken with Podiatry + Anatomy which is not taken with the Podiatry class). Anyway, that's why my GPA wasn't higher because once I made the decision to do Podiatry, I didn't care about my summer course grades (except the one class that transferred over to Podiatry which is Immunology).
Now: Recommendation to those for the Comprehensive Exams (Comps). Here is how to succeed and have a stress free Comprehensive Exam weekend (must be passed with an average of 70 or higher). What they don't tell you is that the Comps are just repeat questions from the SAME tests you took during the class (not from a year before but the exact same questions that you've been tested on!!). This goes for the 1 year program only...I'm not sure about the other programs because they take a few similar classes but also classes in addition to the one year program. SO...make sure after a test, go back through your notes/text and CIRCLE the material that you were tested on that you remember. Also, don't forget that you can go back and look at your test with the answer key...another opportunity to freshen your mind and check the right answer as well as circling in your notes what the main focus was. This cut my study time in HALF, no lie (classes like Neuranatomy, Physiology, and Ethics I didn't even go over the notes)..because during the summer, you'll have either one or two courses during Summer A (I took Nutrition - EASY, and Pathophysiology - HARD) and my finals were on Wednesday and Thursday and that same Saturday/Sunday were the comprehensive exams...for Summer B you have a choice of Immunology or Pharmacology. I recommend Immunology because there are only 2 tests...and no paper to write.
OH...back to places to live. I'm moving into Portofino at Biscayne...NICE place, decent price. You have to understand that rent in Miami seems to going up ALL the time. The area is nice though so it's worth it. Living on the beach will cost an arm and a leg. Aventura is okay but traffic on Biscayne (US-1) is INSANE especially with all the construction. For those of you thinking of living far just because the closer area is not what you think you want, I high discourage that. Traffic in Miami just gets worse and worse and when you're in a program like this, convenience just takes precedence over luxury. Capri Gardens I heard was okay...Park Place by the Bay is nice too and CHEAP.
Sorry if this is long but hopefully those of you going to Barry in a week or two will really appreciate the information I've given to you. If you wanna meet up for any more questions when you're here, just let me know, I'd be glad to talk to you about the program and maybe even give some hints? WINK WINK 🙂
Good luck to all of you. Dr. Lauden is right, the class is 50/50 D.O./M.D. and a few dentistry here and there. But what I noticed is that those who got in right away are the ones who took the MCAT PRIOR to Barry. Most got acceptances. If you are taking the program after Barry, just know that if you have to take Summer B, that'll take a toll on your MCAT study time - solution? Load up on one more extra class during the Spring Semester (I think a 3 credit Immunology is offered) and that will guarantee that you are done by the middleof June, otherwise you won't be done until the end of July.
Anybody interested in the Miami scene and where to go out, eat, shop? I'd be happy to share that info to you all as well 🙂
~Quoc