Florida Schools Application Thread (2009) Part 3

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Miami is definitely the most out of state friendly.. There were approx. 195 new students this year (combining the 150 at the main campus, and the 45 or so at Boca) and if I can remember about 50 are from out of state.
 
mbe36 said:
So is there a finite answer as to what FL schools are the most OOS-friendly?

Also, which are the ones that just opened?
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FIU and UCF are the ones that juost opened. I think they are allowing out of staters to apply to UCF. I did see at least one out of stater who has gotten an interview at UCF on here.

Seeing all of you getting interviews and what not is freaking me out cuz I am still not done with all my secondaries and my letter writers won't have my letters done til end of the month around the time my MCAT scores come back. Am I being paranoid???
 
gujuDoc said:
FIU and UCF are the ones that juost opened. I think they are allowing out of staters to apply to UCF. I did see at least one out of stater who has gotten an interview at UCF on here.

Seeing all of you getting interviews and what not is freaking me out cuz I am still not done with all my secondaries and my letter writers won't have my letters done til end of the month around the time my MCAT scores come back. Am I being paranoid???
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Just finish your secondaries and take care of the things that ARE under your comtrol. Obviously you can't get any interviews without turning in secondaries so I'd say you're being a tad paranoid =). Good luck though, hope that MCAT score is great.
 
ditto the good luck, gujuDoc! :luck::luck::luck: Thanks for your PM.
 
gujuDoc said:
FIU and UCF are the ones that juost opened. I think they are allowing out of staters to apply to UCF. I did see at least one out of stater who has gotten an interview at UCF on here.

Seeing all of you getting interviews and what not is freaking me out cuz I am still not done with all my secondaries and my letter writers won't have my letters done til end of the month around the time my MCAT scores come back. Am I being paranoid???
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You'll be fine.
 
FIU is definitely OOS friendly. I interviewed there earlier this week and in my session, 7 out of the 9 were OOS. The dean said they do not have a quota for how many OOS they will matriculate.
 
Leejwwc said:
FIU is definitely OOS friendly. I interviewed there earlier this week and in my session, 7 out of the 9 were OOS. The dean said they do not have a quota for how many OOS they will matriculate.
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FIU may be more out of state friendly, then. Miami is private, but they do still prefer in-state.
 
Leejwwc said:
FIU is definitely OOS friendly. I interviewed there earlier this week and in my session, 7 out of the 9 were OOS. The dean said they do not have a quota for how many OOS they will matriculate.
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yah I think most of the schools except maybe FSU are becoming more out of state friendly.

If you really want a chance at a Fl. school you should apply. Some years ago, a family friend's daughter wanted to come to Fl. but was too afraid to apply as an OOS and her friend, also an OOS with lesser stats then hers and what not, got in a Fl. school. She ended up getting in one of her own state schools and is happy there now but the point is she might have gotten in had she applied and won't ever know now. If the Fl. schools interest you, then go ahead an apply.
 
Leejwwc said:
FIU is definitely OOS friendly. I interviewed there earlier this week and in my session, 7 out of the 9 were OOS. The dean said they do not have a quota for how many OOS they will matriculate.
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Were they actually out of state residents or did they just go to schools outside of the state (but could very well have been Florida residents).
 
RSAgator said:
Were they actually out of state residents or did they just go to schools outside of the state (but could very well have been Florida residents).
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Actually OOS residents. I am a FL resident but go to school OOS but am still counted as a FL resident.
 
True this is a bitoff topic, but has anyone got any word from FSU?
I heard they would start interviews this week, but I haven't anything from any one yet.

I see a lot of people already have some choice interviews. Congrats guys. I hope you land the spots you want.
 
nope..no word from FSU...been complete there since sep 4th.
 
HangyMcperch said:
True this is a bitoff topic, but has anyone got any word from FSU?
I heard they would start interviews this week, but I haven't anything from any one yet.

I see a lot of people already have some choice interviews. Congrats guys. I hope you land the spots you want.
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Same here, i finish my FSU secondary 2.5 weeks ago and still no word.
 
gujuDoc said:
FIU and UCF are the ones that juost opened. I think they are allowing out of staters to apply to UCF. I did see at least one out of stater who has gotten an interview at UCF on here.

Seeing all of you getting interviews and what not is freaking me out cuz I am still not done with all my secondaries and my letter writers won't have my letters done til end of the month around the time my MCAT scores come back. Am I being paranoid???
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Just curious: you said that your MCAT scores are not yet in but you already received your secondaries...will most places send these to you even without your scores? Do some of the colleges wait for all of your data before deciding if they should send a secondary to you?
 
take the shot said:
Just curious: you said that your MCAT scores are not yet in but you already received your secondaries...will most places send these to you even without your scores? Do some of the colleges wait for all of your data before deciding if they should send a secondary to you?
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I took it before so my old scores were used to determine for the secondaries. some places will give though regardlss but expect that you have the sense to realize if you do or don't qualify once ou get yoru scores. some will wait if you don't have any previous scores. If you have previous scores but you are waiting on a score they may or may not send a secondary but will wait to make a final decision til the newest score comes out. Hope that clarifies.
 
no word from fsu yet either, complete 8/12.
 
Hey it looks like FSU has started sending out their invites. I just got one today! Good luck to everyone and I hope to see some of you there.
 
gujuDoc said:
I took it before so my old scores were used to determine for the secondaries. some places will give though regardlss but expect that you have the sense to realize if you do or don't qualify once ou get yoru scores. some will wait if you don't have any previous scores. If you have previous scores but you are waiting on a score they may or may not send a secondary but will wait to make a final decision til the newest score comes out. Hope that clarifies.
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Appreciate the info
 
EDIT: nm
 
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No love from Florida schools here. I was complete at USF, UCF, and UF the first week of August and Miami in mid-July.
 
WilliamsF1 said:
No love from Florida schools here. I was complete at USF, UCF, and UF the first week of August and Miami in mid-July.
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most of the florida schools only started sending out invites this week. i don't think usf has even started yet, but i may be wrong. in short, it's way early. let us hope for the best! 👍

nm, i'm disseminating misinformation, haha - usf has started inviting.
 
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REL said:
For the last two years about 10-11% of the entering class were non-Florida residents, more than double any other public MD program in the state.
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Do you happen to know the credentials of the OOS ppl that were accepted? Are their stats ridiculous?
 
batman1983 said:
Do you happen to know the credentials of the OOS ppl that were accepted? Are their stats ridiculous?
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batman, how come u didn't applyto UCF but applied to FIU?? I'm confused. your stats seem like they are on par at having a chance.
 
gujuDoc said:
batman, how come u didn't applyto UCF but applied to FIU?? I'm confused. your stats seem like they are on par at having a chance.
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I did, thx for reminding to put it. Kinda of disorganized and lost track of the schools when applying to 40+ schools 🙂.
 
USF requires two peer letters? 🙁🙁🙁 That's what a fellow interviewee (at a non-USF interview) mentioned to me just yesterday...[sigh]

Wow, I can go from being complete (I thought) 7/22 to not being complete 9/22. Exciting.

Anyway, someone let me know about whether or not the peer letter thing is true. I sent exactly 0 peer letters to USF...
 
pianola said:
USF requires two peer letters? 🙁🙁🙁 That's what a fellow interviewee (at a non-USF interview) mentioned to me just yesterday...[sigh]

Wow, I can go from being complete (I thought) 7/22 to not being complete 9/22. Exciting.

Anyway, someone let me know about whether or not the peer letter thing is true. I sent exactly 0 peer letters to USF...
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I had received this letter from USF in july,

"Please be advised that we are still missing an important element of your application for the MD program.

- 1 Character Letter (AMCAS has received 4 letters that you have designated, however USF College of Medicine requires 5 letters - 3 Faculty letters and 2 peer/character letters. Please add another writer and send another letter."

I sent them a peer letter and then I got an email from them saying my application was complete and ready for review. My MD letter counted as my 1st peer/character letter, perhaps you had other letters that they counted towards your 2 letters, PI, boss, etc? If you got their complete email you should be good to go.
 
pianola said:
USF requires two peer letters? 🙁🙁🙁 That's what a fellow interviewee (at a non-USF interview) mentioned to me just yesterday...[sigh]

Wow, I can go from being complete (I thought) 7/22 to not being complete 9/22. Exciting.

Anyway, someone let me know about whether or not the peer letter thing is true. I sent exactly 0 peer letters to USF...
Click to expand...

It is sorta like UCF's requirement---2 character letters. They can be from a peer or a person who knows you well. Most often thebest lettes are from those who have seen your work ethic i.e. work boss, PI for a research position, volunteer coordinator, music director if you are like my friend that has performed in an orchestra internationally, etc.
 
OK, then I should have had at least one letter, I guess.

I had my graduate advisor write me a letter. So he counts. Honestly, every other letter was from a professor who had taught me.

Maybe my committee letter counted as the second one (???)

Looking back at my e-mail, I DID get a 'complete' letter from them. Huh, go figure. How strange.
 
I go to USF and for the longest time they told us undegrad to have 2 additional letters not from professors.

Those 2 letters cant be from professors you taken a class or done research with, I am not sure a committee letter will cover the requirement, you have to call or email them to ask.

The easiest thing (or if you are really desperate) and need only one more letter is to get one of your good friend to write you one. i got one of my friend who is doing a PhD at USFCOM to write me one 😀.

Or else ask a boss, volunteering coordinator, minister, etc..

UCF ask for the same thing since it REL
 
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I'm covered for UCF -- I got the character letters for them. It's just USF that I'm not sure about because I'm not crazy about bothering my friend again. I REALLY don't want to call them about that missing letter.
 
locus000 said:
I go to USF and for the longest time they told us undegrad to have 2 additional letters not from professors.

Those 2 letters cant be from professors you taken a class or done research with, I am not sure a committee letter will cover the requirement, you have to call or email them to ask.

The easiest thing (or if you are really desperate) and need only one more letter is to get one of your good friend to write you one. i got one of my friend who is doing a PhD at USFCOM to write me one 😀.

Or else ask a boss, volunteering coordinator, minister, etc..

UCF ask for the same thing since it REL
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It can be a professor if he/she is someone you did research for or worked for and is commenting not as a professor that taught you as one of your science class teachers but as a research PI.
 
i guess that will work too, i just think that the school wants a letter from a person that knows the real you.
 
locus000 said:
i guess that will work too, i just think that the school wants a letter from a person that knows the real you.
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Dr. Wathington, when she was on the adcom at USF a few years ago, and also Dr. Ted Williams have both said they would prefer someone who knows you in the capacity of say a work atmosphere, research atmosphere, etc. Someone who knows your work ethic and what not. They both thought letters like those from an MD you shadowed or a research PI were more valuable then just some random peer who is obviously going to write good about you because they are a friend.

Not that a peer letter won't count for anything. But because I've talked with people who've sat on the adcom at USF several times, this is what i've gathered from them. i gathered from Dr. Wathington, a few years ago, that they don't want people like your pastor or family friend writing a letter for you if you could get a supervisor, a boss, a volunteer coordinator, etc. to write a letter. At least that's what she told my x-roommate when she wanted one from her church pastor.
 
I thought (from reading on SDN) that letters from MD that you shadow doesnt carry much weight in the Admins' eyes because the doctor doesnt have the time to get to know you from a few hours a week. Plus most of the time it is the student that writes it and the doctor just sign their name to it 😀. I know many people who did that and i know alot of us were in the same situation too.

Well if you didnt do research like me then I am SOL because there isnt another person out there that is worth something that can write me one. I got a volunteering coordinator LOR.

what done is done, i dont really think that a peer letter will deduct much from my application
 
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locus000 said:
I thought (from reading on SDN) that letters from MD that you shadow doesnt carry much weight in the Admins' eyes because the doctor doesnt have the time to get to know you from a few hours a week. Plus most of the time it is the student that writes it and the doctor just sign their name to it 😀. I know many people who did that and i know alot of us were in the same situation too.

Well if you didnt do research like me then I am SOL because there isnt another person out there that is worth something that can write me one. I got a volunteering coordinator LOR.

what done is done, i dont really think that a peer letter will deduct much from my application
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yeah I personallydon't think that a doctor shadowed carries much weight unless you've worked for them i.e. as a medical assistant or something of that nature. I, however, think having some sort of supervisor or boss or volunteer coordinator etc. is going to be more important then 2 peer letters from friends or pastors at churches or things of that nature. However, if you use one peer letter and one volunteer coordinator you should be fine. Just don't make both of them friend letters if you can get a vol. coordinator to write a good letter instead.

if you catch the drift.
 
Also, Dr. Williams said they place more emphasis on faculty letters then character letters. I'm sure the character letters only affect you if they are significantly negative and hurt you or if it tells something about your background that wasn't elsewhere i.e. some major obstacle you've had to overcome.
 
gujuDoc said:
Also, Dr. Williams said they place more emphasis on faculty letters then character letters. I'm sure the character letters only affect you if they are significantly negative and hurt you or if it tells something about your background that wasn't elsewhere i.e. some major obstacle you've had to overcome.
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faculty letters >>>> character letters
 
Well, in that case, will someone like the following count:

I BOTH had a class with him AND participated in recitals/ensembles/performances outside of class and in non-graded situations.

I guess time's running out in terms of my decision about how to handle USF. I kind of want to stick with the "I-got-a-complete-e-mail-so-I-must-be-fine" approach.
 
gujuDoc said:
Also, Dr. Williams said they place more emphasis on faculty letters then character letters. I'm sure the character letters only affect you if they are significantly negative and hurt you or if it tells something about your background that wasn't elsewhere i.e. some major obstacle you've had to overcome.
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I believe that's what he said, but that's ridiculous. Your professor knows you can learn, which is also shown on your transcript and your MCAT. The character letters, whether they be from a volunteer coordinator or a boss, should hold a lot more weight. Those people have spent a whole lot more time with you and can give a much better breakdown of your character.
 
NoMoreAMCAS said:
I believe that's what he said, but that's ridiculous. Your professor knows you can learn, which is also shown on your transcript and your MCAT. The character letters, whether they be from a volunteer coordinator or a boss, should hold a lot more weight. Those people have spent a whole lot more time with you and can give a much better breakdown of your character.
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But the character letters are also probably mroe biased esp. if they are people who were friends or a church pastor kind of letters.

it is the way it is.. Some of the schools I'm applying to don't even ask for character letters.

When you apply for a job, its not your friends or vol. coordinator they want for your references but your past job supervisors. When you apply for med school, they'd rather have someone that could see your academic prowess and your capability as a student because you are going to be a student first before you become a doctor and they want to see someone comment on your competency. At least that is my take on things.

Maybe Mike will comment more.

Mike was on the adcom last year as a 4th year member and he just confirmed the same thing I heard from Dr. Williams.
 
pianola said:
Well, in that case, will someone like the following count:

I BOTH had a class with him AND participated in recitals/ensembles/performances outside of class and in non-graded situations.

I guess time's running out in terms of my decision about how to handle USF. I kind of want to stick with the "I-got-a-complete-e-mail-so-I-must-be-fine" approach.
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You are def. fine if you are complete. No need to be paranoid. 😉 🙂 :laugh:
 
gujuDoc said:
But the character letters are also probably mroe biased esp. if they are people who were friends or a church pastor kind of letters.

it is the way it is.. Some of the schools I'm applying to don't even ask for character letters.

When you apply for a job, its not your friends or vol. coordinator they want for your references but your past job supervisors. When you apply for med school, they'd rather have someone that could see your academic prowess and your capability as a student because you are going to be a student first before you become a doctor and they want to see someone comment on your competency. At least that is my take on things.

Maybe Mike will comment more.

Mike was on the adcom last year as a 4th year member and he just confirmed the same thing I heard from Dr. Williams.
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I understand the "academic prowess" argument. But it seems to me that your capability to learn and perform in an academic environment is more than covered for by looking at your transcript.
 
NoMoreAMCAS said:
I understand the "academic prowess" argument. But it seems to me that your capability to learn and perform in an academic environment is more than covered for by looking at your transcript.
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Yeah but it is the way it is.
 
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