FIU vs. VTC

[frost.byte]

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Hi all! I am having so much trouble making a decision about which school to attend. I am not sure what I would like to specialize in and am trying to set myself up to have easy success no matter what specialty I choose. I am thankful to have no debt up until now, so I would be willing to pay slightly more if it will make a real impact on my future. That beings said, I want to be realistic and minimize debt.

FIU
PROS

• Miami local, could live with my family and still be around friends
• Cheapest option (~$40,000 / year)
• Already know several students / faculty from the school
• P/F for pre-clinical years
• Very diverse environment with many people from my culture
• already have connections for side gigs, volunteering, and other things I can do during school

CONS

• AOA and internal ranking
• Research is not a focus, so I would need to be proactive to organize my own opportunities
• Lower ranked school
• No home hospital system, would have to drive to clinical sites around Miami

VIRGINIA TECH
PROS

• Somewhat better match list in general
• Much smaller class size (~56 students) and case-based learning sounds super exciting! I do well in flipped classroom environments, so I think it would be good for me.
• Completing a research project is built into the curriculum, so I wouldn’t have to go out of my way to find opportunities.
• NBME exams
• Has its own hospital system for clerkships
• 100% match rate (except like 1 year I believe)
• I LOVED the culture and the staff when I visited in-person for my interview day. I felt very at-home and met a lot of students at second look who I clicked with. The class seems to be a lot of non-trad students too, which I love.
• The nature in the area is so beautiful, I love hiking and being outdoors so I think I would really enjoy the nature!
• P/F for pre-clinical years with no internal ranking

CONS

• VT Carilion Hospital doesn’t have some residencies (like ENT, anesthesia, and several more)
• Roanoke would be a huge change of pace for me. It is a little run-down and not a big city environment like I’m used to.
• Quite a bit more expensive (~$60,000 / year tuition) + living expenses

As a side note, I am also waitlisted at FAU and Wake Forest. Would any of those be a potentially better choice I should seriously consider if I get in? Thank you so much!!

 

[polymerization]

I don't know very much about VTC, but I do know FIU's administration is... quite the challenge to say the least. Consider doing some research... it's been a problem for at least a decade. FAU is a little better but recently has had issues of its own keeping its clinical sites at all; they're down to barebones community hospitals. Both FIU and FAU have recently had presidents installed that have affected the university's general culture and have had downstream chilling effects on their medical schools.

Kind of sounds like you would rather go to VTC anyway!

 

[Saturnalia_1]

VTC is such a unique school! I am also a bit weary about the change of pace location wise but it seems like they're really invested in each student and the high STEP scores gives me the impression they prepare you well for residency. Also, a week off after each block is such a sice. Based off your pros and cons VTC sounds more appealing but you can't go wrong with either.