FIU vs. VTC

[frost.byte]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

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!!