Florida Schools Application Thread (2008) part 2

Started by greg1184
Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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DrDuber said:
I know this book likely does not interest most of the people out there but On Call in Hell is a book anybody interested in military medicine must read. Anyone who is just interested in a good read should read it as well.
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I read a different military medicine book a while back, Combat Corpsman. Honestly, some if it is pretty depessing, its about a Navy SEALS corpsman during the Vietnam War. If you're interested in this kind of thing though, it really shows how important medicine is to the guys in the field.
 
deuist said:
The House of God continues to be my favorite.
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Funny at times, but it was just a little too crazy for me- especially with all of the GOMER talk and sexual references. It just seemed as if the guy was tripping on LSD the entire time he was doing his residency. Plus, it's very discouraging- unless going into psychiatry is your aspiration.
 
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Actually the book that most impacted me was Heart Failure: The Diary of a Third Year Medical Student. I also read this book during high school. I felt pretty disillusioned about what the medical field had to offer. Then I realized that most of these students writing books were writing because they had such bad experiences. I'm sure there must be positive books out there, but sometimes it appears it's easier to write about tragedy.
 
UFMed said:
Funny at times, but it was just a little too crazy for me- especially with all of the GOMER talk and sexual references. It just seemed as if the guy was tripping on LSD the entire time he was doing his residency. Plus, it's very discouraging- unless going into psychiatry is your aspiration.
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I agree, some of the stories were so obviously made up.

GujuDoc**** I wish you could meet me. Half of my nonesense is to make the threads more interesting. believe I am a lot more "chill" in real life. I still love you though.
 
medguy83 said:
Wow, I go on an SDN diet for a few weeks and I come back to mutiny on the FL thread. I think the whole UF scandal has been pretty much beaten to death, so I don't think I can offer anything else; except for the possibility that this whole fiasco might actually be beneficial. If G-ville is buzzing with this dean usurpation, then that definitely lends credence to the fact that situations like this are pretty rare. Granted, nepotism and politics will always have some minor part to play, and that's with every aspect of life.

Now to my question: Does anyone have any earthly idea when FSU starts moving their hold list? I have tried to be patient now for over 6 months, but now I'm starting to crack. Is it hopeless at this point? I know they start in only 7 weeks, and I've been told they hand out offers even through May, but how on earth could I be expected to find a place to live, arrange loans, insurance, etc. in a matter of days should it come to that?? I just pray they call me soon before I go insane with frustration:scared:
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Hey, good luck with FSU. I hope you get a call soon. As someone else said, I think they give out a lot of decisions in April, so hang in there.

As for getting everything together at the last minute, I think that a lot of people are in the same boat. Since FSU starts so close to the magical May 15th date, there are probably many people who don't make the final decision until a couple of weeks before the first day of class.

I have no experience arranging loans yet, so I don't know how that will work. I would think that they will work with you around insurance if they accept you at the last minute, as long as you can verify that you're in the process of getting things lined up. As for housing, I'm pretty sure you can get grad student housing at FSU on a month-by-month basis. That way, you can get into a grad apartment in time for classes to start, (at least that's what I'm hoping), and if you want to move, you have all summer to find a different place.

I am going to try to make the final decision as to where I'm going soon, but I am beginnning to really lean toward FSU. I'm going to try to get the ball rolling on the apartment search this week, and I'm sure I'll be in contact with the financial aid office, too. If you get in relatively late and you have questions, I may be able to answer them better by that time. Also, there are a couple of M1 and M2 students in the Allo class of 2012 forum that I've found will answer questions if you PM them. Good luck, again.
 
mikedc813 said:
This back and forth arguing is not helping anyone. Let's refocus.
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I am not jaded or ignorant about the process, nor do I feel negatively towards it. I will say, however, that at some of the schools you are talking about, I know of people who were not originally competitive for interviews, but were granted them anyways, because of personal acquaintance with adcom members or deans. I think, at most school though, your connections can only get so far. But, do connections exist? Certainly. I know REL knows what he's talking about, but I also know of people who had favors called in and told me about them, and based on their stats it seemed likely that the favor helped a bit.

Anyways, admissions are what they are. You can only try your best and keep track of yourself and forget about everyone else. For the most part med school admissions are not a 'dirty' thing, but in the end it is subjective, like any selection process done based more than just numbers. C'est la vie mes amis.
 
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wally47 said:
This is what I felt like:
spud_webb_260x380.jpg


Because I am an underdog.(For those that don't know, It's Spud Webb, he's the shortest person to ever win the slam dunk contest at 5'7")
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Please tell me you've seen this...Almost on par with Vince Carter's All-Star slamfest in Oakland back in 2000

[youtube]ovfwYrLNIw8[/youtube]


P.S. though it may be hard to believe, Axl is actually a decent guy in real life 😉
 
UFMed said:
Funny at times, but it was just a little too crazy for me- especially with all of the GOMER talk and sexual references. It just seemed as if the guy was tripping on LSD the entire time he was doing his residency. Plus, it's very discouraging- unless going into psychiatry is your aspiration.
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reread it during third year and it will make a lot more sense. 30 years later, so many things in the book are still dead on satire.
 
SoFlaKnight said:
Please tell me you've seen this...Almost on par with Vince Carter's All-Star slamfest in Oakland back in 2000

[youtube]ovfwYrLNIw8[/youtube]


P.S. though it may be hard to believe, Axl is actually a decent guy in real life 😉
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GUNNER whee you been? haha
 
From UCF's Student Newspaper:
www.centralfloridafuture.com

Med school may get delayed

The UCF College of Medicine may have to delay its opening for a year due to state budget cuts.

The cuts every academic department is facing will now raise the question of whether there is enough money to open the medical school as planned in fall 2009.

According to an Orlando Sentinel report, the House has $3.7 million and the Senate has $4.5 million earmarked for the school, along with the medical school at Florida International University's College of Medicine, set to open at the same time. The amount hardly meets the school's needs.

Some students are unhappy about the possible change in plans but not completely surprised by the news.

"It's sad and unfortunate but doesn't surprise me because of the way things are," said Jennifer Schmidt, a social work graduate student. "It's no small task, opening a medical school."

Schmidt said that the state of the economy has made it hard for everyone to find jobs.

Amy Welliver, also a social work graduate student, agreed with Schmidt.

"I understand they have to cut money somewhere, but it's all departments getting cut," Welliver said.

The first class of the medical school, 40 students, will receive scholarships that will pay for their medical education and living expenses for all four years of medical school.

Currently, 36 out of the 40 scholarships are funded.

"It sucks because a lot of people were really excited," said junior hospitality major Taunya Christian. "Students who were planning on going will be really upset about the situation."

When UCF first decided to build a medical school, the idea was touted by local officials as a boon to the Florida economy. In 2007, the school was expected to boost the economy by as much as $6.4 billion and create about 26,000 new jobs.

The school has grown rapidly since its beginning. Last year, the Board of Trustees added $25 million to the school's initial $43 million construction budget.
 
Endee said:
From UCF's Student Newspaper:
www.centralfloridafuture.com

Med school may get delayed

The UCF College of Medicine may have to delay its opening for a year due to state budget cuts.

The cuts every academic department is facing will now raise the question of whether there is enough money to open the medical school as planned in fall 2009.

According to an Orlando Sentinel report, the House has $3.7 million and the Senate has $4.5 million earmarked for the school, along with the medical school at Florida International University's College of Medicine, set to open at the same time. The amount hardly meets the school's needs.

Some students are unhappy about the possible change in plans but not completely surprised by the news.

"It's sad and unfortunate but doesn't surprise me because of the way things are," said Jennifer Schmidt, a social work graduate student. "It's no small task, opening a medical school."

Schmidt said that the state of the economy has made it hard for everyone to find jobs.

Amy Welliver, also a social work graduate student, agreed with Schmidt.

"I understand they have to cut money somewhere, but it's all departments getting cut," Welliver said.

The first class of the medical school, 40 students, will receive scholarships that will pay for their medical education and living expenses for all four years of medical school.

Currently, 36 out of the 40 scholarships are funded.

"It sucks because a lot of people were really excited," said junior hospitality major Taunya Christian. "Students who were planning on going will be really upset about the situation."

When UCF first decided to build a medical school, the idea was touted by local officials as a boon to the Florida economy. In 2007, the school was expected to boost the economy by as much as $6.4 billion and create about 26,000 new jobs.

The school has grown rapidly since its beginning. Last year, the Board of Trustees added $25 million to the school's initial $43 million construction budget.
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I was afraid of this...
 
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Jennifer5109 said:
Does this affect FIU's opening too?
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Miami Herald Article [excerpt]

The budget cuts prompted plenty of partisan squabbling Thursday in the House, as Democrats labeled the budget cuts cruel or insensitive. "This is not fun, this is not a game," said Rep. Yolly Roberson, D-Miami. "A lot of people are going to die."

Democrats also criticized Rep. David Rivera, a Miami Republican, after he pushed to put in $3.5 million for the fledgling medical school at Florida International University by taking it from state money now provided to the University of Miami. FIU has said it may delay the 2009 opening of the medical school if the state doesn't pony up more money. "If you need to borrow some sugar, you go next door to your neighbor," Rivera said.

But Rep. Ron Saunders, a Key West Democrat, said this just showed why lawmakers should not have sanctioned the creation of the FIU medical school because it was creating a "food fight" between institutions.
 
Gee that's bad news about UCF and FIU. I thought UCF in particular had everything set up financially; albeit, in this economy everyone is sweating it out. Perhaps they'll be able to shake enough trees to allow applicants to procede during the coming cycle. Still Nice to know FL will eventually have 6 MD schools.
 
I read that in the paper this morning. Awfully unfortunate. I know some people here at school who were really wanting to attend UCF and others who are even currently working for the medical school already networking with the faculty.

Wasn't it first projected that the medical school would open in Fall 2008?
 
besides delaying the opening of FIU and UCF, what consequence might the budget cut for medical schools have on existing programs in FL? decrease in scholarship aid? changes in curriculum? decrease in medical missions to foreign countries?

just wondering what could result.
 
chudog15 said:
besides delaying the opening of FIU and UCF, what consequence might the budget cut for medical schools have on existing programs in FL? decrease in scholarship aid? changes in curriculum? decrease in medical missions to foreign countries?

just wondering what could result.
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I think most scholarship funds are part of an endowment, so as long as the public schools aren't dipping into the endowment funds, they should still be around. As far as medical missions, I have no clue. I would assume, that they currently make the students pay for the trip themselves like in undergrad, so that if this is the case, that may not be affected. Curriculums should remain unchanged, but I think some changes will be cuts into administration's budget.

From what I heard, there is a current state-wide freeze on raising the salaries for public school faculty/administration, or at least they are indexed to inflation. So also from what I heard, many state-schools including CC's are waiting for people on "drop" to leave. And in some cases these public universities and colleges are even trying to persuade their aging higher-salary faculty members that are currently on "drop" to leave before the 60 month limit with "bonus packages".

This way the administration can hire a new person and pay the new hire much less or even half than what they used to pay the career faculty/administration member. Many state universities and CC's may also decide that they no longer need to have high paid positions like "VP of Govt. Affairs" or "VP of Human Resourses" anymore given the budget thinning. However, most likely these high salaried jobs that are usually given to "Good Ole Boys" or "Friends of Friends" will remain and instead the administration will cut the salaries of new professors or necessary staff like librarians, sanitation, grounds keeping, and even security/campus police. Actually, I read a an article in the Alligator a year ago that in order to save money, many universities in the state have increased the number of grad students teaching freshman courses to mitigate their grad-tuition instead of hiring new lecturers.
 
I heard that USF's undergraduate tuition is going up by 15% next year. I wonder if this applies to the medical schools as well? I also heard they were not rehiring for professors that retire, as if undergrad classes were not full enough.
 
Budget Cuts, Charlie Crist, and Disaster. Where do I start? First, I don't understand why Florida schools are so cheap in the first place. Well, they are this cheap because the tuition is low and is in turn subsidized. But, Florida schools could raise the tuition a little. The problem with Florida schools is that it's biggest schools are public as opposed to private. Where in other states it is the opposite, and private schools are larger with higher tuition's, and fewer public schools.

With that said, the state should protect the larger schools, FSU, UF, UCF, USF, FAU, ETC because they are dynamic institutions in Florida and are of such large sizes their proper funding is imperative.

Lastly, Florida has another unique problem, they don't have income tax. This is great but finding tax revenue in other places can become a problem.

Please, in no reason am I trying to start a Repo Demo war but the reality is this, unless you have so many corporate and philanthropic donors TAXES are important. See, when we are all doctors and making 250K a year min, taxes are BAD BAD BAD. But, educating new doctors and affording many young students a quality education with cheaper tuition has to be paid and funded somehow? And for those of you who say, well raise tuition and those who can afford it can afford it and too bad for the others; go to your local hospital and count the number of foreign doctors that could have been American.

The other freakish thing I don't get is why aren't med students that are associated with a teaching hospital have a majorly or totally subsidized tuition's.

Whatever, these are simply MO.
 
Jennifer5109 said:
I heard that USF's undergraduate tuition is going up by 15% next year. I wonder if this applies to the medical schools as well? I also heard they were not rehiring for professors that retire, as if undergrad classes were not full enough.
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With the increasing problems with the budget I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case. Secondly, tuition in ugrad institutions has steadily been going up each year since I started in 2001 at USF, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the same was happening with med schools.
 
axlaxl1 said:
Lastly, Florida has another unique problem, they don't have income tax. This is great but finding tax revenue in other places can become a problem.

Please, in no reason am I trying to start a Repo Demo war but the reality is this, unless you have so many corporate and philanthropic donors TAXES are important. See, when we are all doctors and making 250K a year min, taxes are BAD BAD BAD. But, educating new doctors and affording many young students a quality education with cheaper tuition has to be paid and funded somehow? And for those of you who say, well raise tuition and those who can afford it can afford it and too bad for the others; go to your local hospital and count the number of foreign doctors that could have been American.

The other freakish thing I don't get is why aren't med students that are associated with a teaching hospital have a majorly or totally subsidized tuition's.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on a certain level. Raising taxes is usually political suicide for any politician, especially in Florida, but I think people would be more open to paying higher taxes if they knew the money was going to education & universities. The state of Florida is heading for troubled waters. Public education is the only way to guarantee our future population/workforce is prepared to face & mold a changing economy. If we could control wasteful spending I think the public wouldn't mind paying for quality (and affordable) education, knowing that their cash is making a difference.
 
REL,

If you are reading this, can you confirm these delays in opening up the 2 med schools for applications this coming year??
 
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axlaxl1 said:
Budget Cuts, Charlie Crist, and Disaster. Where do I start? First, I don't understand why Florida schools are so cheap in the first place. Well, they are this cheap because the tuition is low and is in turn subsidized. But, Florida schools could raise the tuition a little. The problem with Florida schools is that it's biggest schools are public as opposed to private. Where in other states it is the opposite, and private schools are larger with higher tuition's, and fewer public schools.

With that said, the state should protect the larger schools, FSU, UF, UCF, USF, FAU, ETC because they are dynamic institutions in Florida and are of such large sizes their proper funding is imperative.

Lastly, Florida has another unique problem, they don't have income tax. This is great but finding tax revenue in other places can become a problem.

Please, in no reason am I trying to start a Repo Demo war but the reality is this, unless you have so many corporate and philanthropic donors TAXES are important. See, when we are all doctors and making 250K a year min, taxes are BAD BAD BAD. But, educating new doctors and affording many young students a quality education with cheaper tuition has to be paid and funded somehow? And for those of you who say, well raise tuition and those who can afford it can afford it and too bad for the others; go to your local hospital and count the number of foreign doctors that could have been American.

The other freakish thing I don't get is why aren't med students that are associated with a teaching hospital have a majorly or totally subsidized tuition's.

Whatever, these are simply MO.
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One of the first things I noticed when I was interviewing out of state was how cheap FL state sales taxes are compared to many states.

However, one reason why FL is in this mess is because the someone had the horrible idea to use state retirement funds to invest in the housing market through construction firms and such. Many of these were foreign firms and some of them kept the money yet never delivered, and the potential returns to the state were all based on outrageous speculation. So when prices started to fall and stabilize, many tens if not hundreds of millions dollars in state retirement funds were gone, and the state has had to borrow to replace the funds. Now instead of being responsible, the state is still doing wasteful spending, IMO, on top of repaying these loans and cutting the state budget.
 
Jennifer5109 said:
I heard that USF's undergraduate tuition is going up by 15% next year. I wonder if this applies to the medical schools as well? I also heard they were not rehiring for professors that retire, as if undergrad classes were not full enough.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure of the exact increase, but the tuition increases every year a little bit. I think when I started 4 years ago it was around $18-19K. My tuition this year was more like $20-21K.
 
I just received my financial aid package from USF. What type of interest rate do the USF Institutional loans carry and are they subsidized or unsubsidized. Also if you receive a scholarship from USF, will you receive it every year or just the first year?
 
Hey everyone, it is April 10th. What is going to be happening soon? Meaning, what are the important dates and when those dates approach what happens usually in the name of acceptances and or rejections. Is it really musical chairs like that say or does the movement come a little later at a different time?
 
incredible. how the hell do you get admitted WITHOUT taking the mcat? I understand for joint bs/md programs but this is regular admission. when I go to 2nd look I'm definitely bringing this up. I don't care how extraordinary this guy is. the mcat is pretty much a standard, not an option. what a backwards system...
 
D-Bone said:
http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20080410/NEWS/804100319/1007/NEWS
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This article made me sick. It's not that it happened at UF, its that it happens at all. I havent heard of specific incidents at other colleges but Im sure they happen. It just makes me sick that this Dean of UF COM would go through all this for one kid. Especially when there are over 2,000 applicants fro 135 spots and this kid gets a spot without taking the MCAT or filling out the AMCAS on time. I am hoping there is some information that makes this kid truly exceptional that Kone won't tell us right now. So I cannot judge completely. But I wish Kone would come out with his "evidence" for the sake of UF's reputation. I feel sorry for everyone that is currently at UF and the faculty there, because I this sheds bad light on all of UF because of only one persons mistake.

Hopefully Kone will fix this soon either by deferring to the Admissions Committee or explaining why he decided to accept this kid.
 
D-Bone said:
http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20080410/NEWS/804100319/1007/NEWS
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I just finished reading the article the whole situation sounds awful. Just a question, at the end of the article there was this quote:

"I still do think he was out of line to overturn the Medical Selection Committee, even though it may not necessarily be an end-all for accreditation, and even though it may be in line with university guidelines," Sacks said. "I still don't think it was appropriate."

Could this situation really affect UF's accreditation? What does this mean for current and future students as well as all the patients that are treated by the medical school? I hope the Dean thinks this student was worth it.
 
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There seems to be a cloud of controversy surrounding Dr. Kone. As I was told, he was hired against the recommendation of the search committee. He then fired Dr. Watson, a UF institution, before he was scheduled to retire (and continue teaching at UF), forcing Watson to sign with FSU.

The Mendelsohn incident is just the latest event that highlights the shady circumstances around Bruce Kone. I wonder what the med students have to say about all this?
 
An acceptance with no mcat. Sheesh. UF gave me heck about the date of my mcat score being like a month too late and this guy gets the red carpet without even taking the test. On some level I feel bad for him though. I would feel like crap knowing I'm the one person who doesn't really deserve to be there. All I can say is that when it comes time for grading papers and electives this guy's got steep expectations.

As far as AxlAxl's question is concerned, I think around April 14th or so things start moving along in terms of waitlists, acceptances, drops, etc. At this point most interviews are over and everyone should really start making final decisions. I can only pray that in the shuffle of things a spot opens up.😀
 
Norua said:
There seems to be a cloud of controversy surrounding Dr. Kone.
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After reading these articles, that seems like an understatement. He lets the kid in against committee recommendation with no MCAT and no AMCAS app, then he fires a seemingly well liked professor (losing a 5 million dollar donation in the process, in the midst of a state budget crisis no less). And he's only had this job for a year? This guy must be in self destruct mode.
 
Everyone who is on the waiting list right now should circle, highlight, and star May 15. It is the day one must hold only one acceptance (and as many waitlists as you want). This is the day the floodgates open wide for waitlist movement especially in the Florida schools.
 
UFMed said:
:boom:I am lost for words.
When I read this article my head almost exploded. I can't believe Dr. Kone wants to push this kid in so desperately.

How can anyone be admitted into medical school without filling out the AMCAS, or secondary, or even taking the MCAT?!?! These are the standard guidelines for admission into any medical school, and the Dean has completely ignored the ethics and rules. What sort of message does this send to the community?
If you didn't take the MCAT, didn't fill out the AMCAS, didn't submit a secondary (and I doubt he had an interview)- then how can you expect to be accepted?
As someone who has had to break his back to be admitted...this is a proverbial slap in the face. 😡

This really sheds some light into the matter- I didn't know it was this bad.
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I can't seem to understand what Dr. Kone is basing his decisions on. This simply cannot look good in the eyes of the medical community. I am simply at a loss... It looks like this guy is going to the school in the Fall, unless Kone or the LCME does anything; he will either act like he has the biggest head on campus, and be disliked by his colleagues, or he can just try to do whatever he can to keep up with the material, and still be disliked by his colleagues. I don't really have an opinion of him because I do not judge others unless I know them. This entire situation just reeks, and I just hope this issue is discussed at the Second Look.
 
WOW!!! I leave the forums for a couple of weeks and the waters get majorly shaken (not stirred).
What is up with UF and Dr. Kone's situation? The letter he wrote to his colleagues is disrespectful to them and the community. I really hope this situation gets resolved in a positive manner so that the good reputation of the school is not tarnished by this isolated incident.

Jennifer to answer your question about losing accreditation I believe the author was concerned about the rules set forth by the LCME which states that decisions must be made by a committee rather than an individual. However, it seems UF has instruments in place to avoid being called upon it. So it is unlikely that will happen.
 
It almost seems like Kone has come back to UF to get revenge for whatever he perceived the university did to get his wife "run out of town." He's left the faculty in a state of paralysis, unable to speak out for fear of ruining their careers.

Read the email he sent to the President's staff: http://www.gainesvillesun.com/apps/...100319/1007/NEWS&template=zoom&photoid=photo1

Kone speaks of having "some guts to stand up for principles," but he makes no mention of what they are in the email. It boggles my mind that someone in a Dean position would write an email like this. There's gotta be more brewing underneath the surface at UF...

Just speculation, but maybe President Machen himself pressured Kone to overturn the decision and accept Mendelsohn without a secondary or MCAT. Read the second paragraph to see what I'm talking about.
 
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