Congratulations to those of you who got accepted off the waitlist at USF!! You must be thrilled. I am on the waitlist right now and was told I would hear sometime in early to mid June. I already have an acceptance to Miami. If you had an acceptance to both USF and UM what would you choose?
I am worried that if I do get pulled off the waitlist at USF I won't have much time to make a decision!
😕
Thanks in advance for your help!!
Hmm USF vs. Miami. For as much as people think I'm biased, I'd say that would actually be a tough decision for me. I think both programs have really awesome clinicals. I've heard Miami and USF both have awesome staff and the students seem laid back at both schools rather then overly cutthroat.
Pros of USF:
Cheaper
Diverse clinical settings
The only NCI Cancer center in Fl and Only Shriners
One of the top transplant hospitals
EM rotations which aren't at Miami
Pros of Miami:
Bigger city
Premiere academic teaching facility in Jackson. Close to the med school so you don't have to travel a long long distance to get to the hospital.
Lots of Research Opportunities and outside of what Moffitt has to offer at USF, I think Miami trumps USF big time in research especially with NIH funding though USF supposedly has more NSF funding. But NIH is the big dollars and that's what Miami has which USF doesn't have as much of.
The beach is close by.
Being that it is Miami and a premiere academic hospital, you'll get to see some rarer cases. Probably better infectious disease and international medicine opportunities with their partnership with programs like Partners in Health and other such international programs.
Cons of USF:
You really have to travel a lot because all the hospitals and facilities are spread out.
Not as much research though it is great for people wanting to be a clinician.
Tampa is a more boring city though it is supposedly the 5th most diverse place in the nation. I tend to think there's a lot less to do here then Miami and you really have to dig around to discover the hidden treasures that Tampa downtown has to offer because most people including those who live in Tampa don't know half the places around here, whereas Miami is really well known.
Cons of Miami:
More expensive unless scholarship is offered. If you aren't a big city kinda folk and didn't do the Boca option, then you will have a hard time getting used to the atmosphere.
A few of the rotations USF has to offer, Miami can't offer like EM because even though they have an awesome trauma level 1 unit they are under probation.
Pros that are unique to both schools:
Friendly atmosphere
Friendly faculty (from what I hear from others)
Both have unique curriculums that don't shove down the worst of med school from day one but ease you in at the beginning and then take a systems-organ based approach to teaching.
Both are above the national average on the USMLE step 1 and both main campus and USF have almost identical passing rates and the same averages in their step 1 scores. The boca campus was slightly higher and on par with what UF claims is their average.
Personally I think it comes down to location and curriculum and a few of the other things I mentioned above. Good luck with the decision.
