Florida Schools Application Thread (Part 3)

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bball25 said:
Congrats!! Congrats!! Congrats!! That's awesome LTD!! 😀

Yeah I figured most people were still taking final and things...I've been done since last Friday so I've been pretty idle. 🙄

So here is some new info: I stayed with a 2nd year student when I went on m visit to USF and recently spoke with her. She along with six other 2nd years are repeating the year!! Is that unheard of? She also said thet a couple of 3rd and 4th years are also repeating. Is repeating something that normally happens? She made sure to point out that she wasnt appealing because she felt like she didnt have a good grasp on the material and that the faculty were not to blame for her set back. I wonder what's the story with the other six?😕
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BBall: This is extremely common. I'm a 1st year at UMMSM and we had quite a few people in our class who repeated from last year and I'm sure more next year will join us when they have to repeat 2nd year. It is a lot of information, that's for sure...I honestly never knew the capacity of our brains and am still amazed at how much information we have learned in only a year.

The big thing to think about is that it is alot of information, so if you slack off even a little more than you should (we all slack after exams, you just have to realize when you should stop slacking and start studying again for the next exam), you can definitely be in trouble. I know that this happened to a friend of mine who is now in 1st year again, and this particular person knows that they needed to repeat to fully comprehend the material that they should have learned last year.

Another common scenario (we have at least 2 repeat people due to this situation)....is because of the high speed of med school and the large amount of information....it's stressful and EVERYONE takes a step back at some point and asks "is this really what I want in life?/is this really for me?".....some people don't get an immediate answer and decide to stop halfway through the year to "figure out life"....some come back at the beginning of the next year after they've decided medicine is really for them, some people (fewer people) decide it's not actually for them.

As Guju stated, it should not be taken as a poor reflection on the school....people just mature or figure things out at different times, and med school is definitely one of those "kick you in the ass" times where you have to figure things out or you sink.
 
McMD said:
BBall: This is extremely common. I'm a 1st year at UMMSM and we had quite a few people in our class who repeated from last year and I'm sure more next year will join us when they have to repeat 2nd year. It is a lot of information, that's for sure...I honestly never knew the capacity of our brains and am still amazed at how much information we have learned in only a year.

The big thing to think about is that it is alot of information, so if you slack off even a little more than you should (we all slack after exams, you just have to realize when you should stop slacking and start studying again for the next exam), you can definitely be in trouble. I know that this happened to a friend of mine who is now in 1st year again, and this particular person knows that they needed to repeat to fully comprehend the material that they should have learned last year.

Another common scenario (we have at least 2 repeat people due to this situation)....is because of the high speed of med school and the large amount of information....it's stressful and EVERYONE takes a step back at some point and asks "is this really what I want in life?/is this really for me?".....some people don't get an immediate answer and decide to stop halfway through the year to "figure out life"....some come back at the beginning of the next year after they've decided medicine is really for them, some people (fewer people) decide it's not actually for them.

As Guju stated, it should not be taken as a poor reflection on the school....people just mature or figure things out at different times, and med school is definitely one of those "kick you in the ass" times where you have to figure things out or you sink.
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Wow, all of this kind of scares me :scared:. I am facing a lot of new changes this summer and now I am worried about how I will be able to handle all of the changes and the fast pace and stress of medical school. I guess I am lucky because I have many people who care about me and will be there to support me when things get tough. Just kind of scary still...
 
I got in to UM the next week after I declined an acception to FSU's program. My advice is to pray and hold out for the school you want.
 
McMD said:
BBall: As Guju stated, it should not be taken as a poor reflection on the school....people just mature or figure things out at different times, and med school is definitely one of those "kick you in the ass" times where you have to figure things out or you sink.
Click to expand...

Like I stated in my quote...the young lady I spoke with made sure to say her repeating 2nd year was no reflection of the school, faculty, or program. She also said that often times if people get sick and miss a lot of days/ weeks its hard for them to catch up...which has also been a reason why people repeated in the past.

Honestly I approach med school like undergrad. Undergrad is supposed to be completed in 4 years. Some people finish in four and some don't. There are many reasons people take langer than the four years. Some just aren't ready menatally for the change, others have family crisis and have to take time off, and others just move to the beat of their own drum. Whatever the reason it takes some people longer than other people who encounter no stumbling blocks and hit undergrad full steam ahead ready to bust their tail.

When ever ppl take more than the time they planned to do something its always a set back, but that's it. You can still accomplish what you want even if you take more time to do it. My heart just goes out to the people who have to repeat years because this entire situation is hard enough and long enough and we've all worked extremely hard to get here.

All in all everyone has been on the defensive about my post, which I expected since there are many pro-USF ppl on this thread. The bottm line is my post was not geared to cast any negativity on any particular school, instead I was merely expressing my shock about the number and possible causes of repeating a year. I like USF and think its a great program and am currently still on the waitlist..why would I bash a school I potentially could go to? McMD I'm not really referring to your post.
 
Soccer885 said:
Wow, all of this kind of scares me :scared:. I am facing a lot of new changes this summer and now I am worried about how I will be able to handle all of the changes and the fast pace and stress of medical school. I guess I am lucky because I have many people who care about me and will be there to support me when things get tough. Just kind of scary still...
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Take things one day at a time, Soccer. If the med school didn't think you could hack it, they wouldn't have admitted you. And the good news is that attrition in any American med school is still VERY low: much lower than grad school, much lower than law school, much lower than business school, and definitely much lower than college. The good news is that you don't have to be a genius or a superhuman to make it through med school. You do have to work very hard, and you do have to refuse to give up when the going gets tough. But the chance of you making it through is very, very high. 😍 to you. 🙂

P.S. You know what scares me the most? Realizing that one day I will be responsible for other people's lives. That day is still pretty far off into the future for me, but still.... :wow:
 
bball25 said:
Like I stated in my quote...the young lady I spoke with made sure to say her repeating 2nd year was no reflection of the school, faculty, or program. She also said that often times if people get sick and miss a lot of days/ weeks its hard for them to catch up...which has also been a reason why people repeated in the past.

Honestly I approach med school like undergrad. Undergrad is supposed to be completed in 4 years. Some people finish in four and some don't. There are many reasons people take langer than the four years. Some just aren't ready menatally for the change, others have family crisis and have to take time off, and others just move to the beat of their own drum. Whatever the reason it takes some people longer than other people who encounter no stumbling blocks and hit undergrad full steam ahead ready to bust their tail.

When ever ppl take more than the time they planned to do something its always a set back, but that's it. You can still accomplish what you want even if you take more time to do it. My heart just goes out to the people who have to repeat years because this entire situation is hard enough and long enough and we've all worked extremely hard to get here.

All in all everyone has been on the defensive about my post, which I expected since there are many pro-USF ppl on this thread. The bottm line is my post was not geared to cast any negativity on any particular school, instead I was merely expressing my shock about the number and possible causes of repeating a year. I like USF and think its a great program and am currently still on the waitlist..why would I bash a school I potentially could go to? McMD I'm not really referring to your post.
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I was not stating that you were bashing USF. I was just clarifying those things for people who might have misinterpreted what you said. I answered your original question about whether it is common at other med schools by telling you of the case at RFU that I heard last year somewhere on these boards.

So please don't take my posts the wrong way or anything.

I think sometimes that some people regardless of how brilliant they were in undergrad have a hard time adjusting to medical school. I saw it happen with the sister of a friend of mine. That friend's sister was in a lot of my undergrad classes and very very smart but when she got to med school first year was sooooo hard on her. I feel bad for her that she had to repeat but now that' she's got the hang of it I think she'll be ok.
 
Soccer885 said:
Wow, all of this kind of scares me :scared:. I am facing a lot of new changes this summer and now I am worried about how I will be able to handle all of the changes and the fast pace and stress of medical school. I guess I am lucky because I have many people who care about me and will be there to support me when things get tough. Just kind of scary still...
Click to expand...

Don't worry...well, don't worry too much. I'm myself a little scared but also very excited to attend medical school this fall. You will always find folks at any school where you can band together and help each other get through what many medical students/residents/doctors say was a great experience once they got through it.
:luck: 🙂
 
LifetimeDoc said:
Don't worry...well, don't worry too much. I'm myself a little scared but also very excited to attend medical school this fall. You will always find folks at any school where you can band together and help each other get through what many medical students/residents/doctors say was a great experience once they got through it.
:luck: 🙂
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In my admittedly limited experience having gone through most of M1 ( 😛 ), I think that medical school itself is not such "a great experience." There are an awful lot of things you have to do that are stupid, boring, or disgusting (and god forbid, sometimes a combo of all three). But there are also times when you're just feeling like this is the most amazing thing you've ever done in your entire life. Med school is so intense, and there is limited time to sit around and introspect. The experience kind of makes manic depressives out of us all. The lows are really low, and the highs are just incredible. If you're lucky, you'll be higher more than you're low, and I think I pretty much have been. That being said, I wouldn't want to have to repeat M1 unless it were absolutely necessary. 😛

P.S. Banding together with classmates is a great idea. Banding together with a sympathetic upperclassman or two, on the other hand, is worth its weight in used materials and tips to make it through from someone who is not just as clueless as you are. :idea:
 
bball25 said:
Like I stated in my quote...the young lady I spoke with made sure to say her repeating 2nd year was no reflection of the school, faculty, or program. She also said that often times if people get sick and miss a lot of days/ weeks its hard for them to catch up...which has also been a reason why people repeated in the past.

Honestly I approach med school like undergrad. Undergrad is supposed to be completed in 4 years. Some people finish in four and some don't. There are many reasons people take langer than the four years. Some just aren't ready menatally for the change, others have family crisis and have to take time off, and others just move to the beat of their own drum. Whatever the reason it takes some people longer than other people who encounter no stumbling blocks and hit undergrad full steam ahead ready to bust their tail.

When ever ppl take more than the time they planned to do something its always a set back, but that's it. You can still accomplish what you want even if you take more time to do it. My heart just goes out to the people who have to repeat years because this entire situation is hard enough and long enough and we've all worked extremely hard to get here.

All in all everyone has been on the defensive about my post, which I expected since there are many pro-USF ppl on this thread. The bottm line is my post was not geared to cast any negativity on any particular school, instead I was merely expressing my shock about the number and possible causes of repeating a year. I like USF and think its a great program and am currently still on the waitlist..why would I bash a school I potentially could go to? McMD I'm not really referring to your post.
Click to expand...

hey bball i totally understand where your coming from, dont mind gujuDoc, she is as ultrapro USF as you can get. its a good question to ask, its good to look at all aspects of a school, no problem with that at all!!!
 
QofQuimica said:
In my admittedly limited experience having gone through most of M1, I think that medical school itself is not such "a great experience." There are an awful lot of things you have to do that are stupid, boring, or disgusting (and god forbid, sometimes a combo of all three). But there are also times when you're just feeling like this is the most amazing thing you've ever done in your entire life. Med school is so intense, and there is limited time to sit around and introspect. The experience kind of makes manic depressives out of us all. The lows are really low, and the highs are just incredible. If you're lucky, you'll be higher more than you're low, and I think I pretty much have been. That being said, I wouldn't want to have to repeat M1 unless it were absolutely necessary.

P.S. Banding together with classmates is a great idea. Banding together with a sympathetic upperclassman or two, on the other hand, is worth its weight in used materials and tips to make it through from someone who is not just as clueless as you are.
Click to expand...

Q, you've hit a perfect summary here. Every blog I read on medical school talks about the endless amount of busy work and hoops that we have to jump through. The whole process seems like elementary school all over again. This weekend, I had to write a reaction paper to sexuality to Scubs. What the hell?! I have to take time out of studying to write a high school-style reaction paper?!

Finding a big brother or big sister is a good idea. My campus automatically pairs M1's with M2's. I loan my little brothers all of my books and notes so that they won't have to purchase anything unless they eventually decide to own personal copies.
 
NervousNed said:
hey bball i totally understand where your coming from, dont mind gujuDoc, she is as ultrapro USF as you can get. its a good question to ask, its good to look at all aspects of a school, no problem with that at all!!!
Click to expand...

You need to back off with the attacks.
 
I hope I get a call from USF or UM tomorrow so we can all have something ne to talk about!😀
 
deuist said:
Q, you've hit a perfect summary here. Every blog I read on medical school talks about the endless amount of busy work and hoops that we have to jump through. The whole process seems like elementary school all over again. This weekend, I had to write a reaction paper to sexuality to Scubs. What the hell?! I have to take time out of studying to write a high school-style reaction paper?!
Click to expand...
That sucks. What do they do if you don't have cable or a television???

I've never even seen an episode of Scrubs. I did see one of Gray's Anatomy, which is essentially a soap opera set in a hospital. :meanie:
 
Q-- I agree with what you said about having the responsibility of other peoples lives in your hands. I am about to enter into M1, but I still find it a little scary that one day in the not to distant future, I will bear that responsibility!

Anyways, I have a financial question for the group.....

My parents are well off, but over the past year, my dad has been in the process of opening a resturant. So, obviously, we have gone into a good bit of debt in order to get the necessary funds to start the operation. The resturant opens in June, so no money has been made yet. However, because the loans were not taken out during the '06 tax season, none of this will be reflected on the information FAFSA receives, I believe. To make a long story short, my parents are not going to be able to help me pay for school at all. I am starting at FSU in five weeks. I have rent, school, a car, utilities, and a phone payment, plus living expenses. Is there anyone I can tell this to, so that I can get the aid I need?

Any ideas/comments would be greatly appreciated.

PS-- On FSU's financial page where they list the costs for each year of med school, they have an amount they recommend for each year of medical school. Is this what their offer will be? http://www.med.fsu.edu/StudentAffairs/FinAid/cost/0607_1.asp
 
Since you are a graduate student, legally you should be able to borrow all of the money you need to pay for school. Unfortunately, some medical schools demand that students put their parents' financial information on the FAFSA. If the university's preferred lenders cannot make all of the payments, you might have to go with a private lender. Several banks, as well as Sallie Mae, would love to fund a future doctor of America.
 
laneyj34- When I talked to the lady over financial aid at FSU she said to apply for the FSU scholarships, but also to write a statement that explains any financial circumstances not reflected in your fafsa.

My parents are well off also, but I have a brother and sister also in college so that's really expensive. On top of that my mother has been on sick leave for the last three months and counting so that's also taking a toll on the family financially. I'm going to mention all of this in the section where we add "other things to consider with our application."

I hope this helps...if not contact FSU's financial aid office and they will be happy to help you. Good luck:luck: :luck:
 
Also good luck pipedream and soccer I know you guys will here something good soon 🙂
 
laneyj34 said:
Q-- I agree with what you said about having the responsibility of other peoples lives in your hands. I am about to enter into M1, but I still find it a little scary that one day in the not to distant future, I will bear that responsibility!

Anyways, I have a financial question for the group.....

My parents are well off, but over the past year, my dad has been in the process of opening a resturant. So, obviously, we have gone into a good bit of debt in order to get the necessary funds to start the operation. The resturant opens in June, so no money has been made yet. However, because the loans were not taken out during the '06 tax season, none of this will be reflected on the information FAFSA receives, I believe. To make a long story short, my parents are not going to be able to help me pay for school at all. I am starting at FSU in five weeks. I have rent, school, a car, utilities, and a phone payment, plus living expenses. Is there anyone I can tell this to, so that I can get the aid I need?

Any ideas/comments would be greatly appreciated.

PS-- On FSU's financial page where they list the costs for each year of med school, they have an amount they recommend for each year of medical school. Is this what their offer will be? http://www.med.fsu.edu/StudentAffairs/FinAid/cost/0607_1.asp
Click to expand...
Definitely let the school know. I don't know what FSU does, but here, if you have a huge expenditure come up, you can appeal to the fin aid office with an explanation of your extenuating circumstances. They know that things come up sometimes, and they'll take recent financial obligations into consideration. Also, I assume you're probably a trad, but FYI, if any of you are over 30 and/or your parents are over 65, you might try asking your school if they'll give you a break due to your (and your parents') age. Some schools do it automatically, some will do it if you ask, and maybe some won't care. But it's worth asking. In my case, I'm 32 and my dad is 70, so that isn't treated the same as if I were 22 and he were 60, assuming our financial resources were equal.
 
deuist said:
We had a list of choices. The professor would also let us borrow videos that he put on reserve in the library. I chose Scrubs since I enjoy watching it anyway.
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Snicker. Unless they're DVDs, I still couldn't watch them.

What I like is when my anatomy prof asks us if we noticed X or Y mistake in some medical TV show. 🙄 And I'm telling him that I don't watch that TV show, so no, I don't have any clue what he's TALKING about. He especially loves it when they hang the x-rays up backward; he always makes sure to mention that. Apparently they hang the x-rays up backward on a regular basis on medical TV shows, because it has come up multiple times. :laugh: If that's true, they ought to hire an M1 as a consultant, because that's a pretty basic thing that they aren't getting right. I'd be willing to help them out, for a hefty fee, of course. And maybe a cameo. 😎
 
bball25 said:
Also good luck pipedream and soccer I know you guys will here something good soon 🙂
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BTW BBALL,

Someone I know recently declined their USF acceptance for FSU. If you think you'll feel better off there don't hesitate. I was just told about that recently. Another friend of mine pulled out of USF waitlist because she dropped down to middle tier somehow. Don't ask. I don't know what happened there. So I thought I'd share that with you.
 
gujuDoc said:
BTW BBALL,

Someone I know recently declined their USF acceptance for FSU. If you think you'll feel better off there don't hesitate. I was just told about that recently. Another friend of mine pulled out of USF waitlist because she dropped down to middle tier somehow. Don't ask. I don't know what happened there. So I thought I'd share that with you.
Click to expand...

That is certainly interesting though. I wonder generally what could lower someone on the wait list other than new people getting on it.
 
Have any of you heard if USF has seen a lot of movement thus far or not? Im wondering if it is looking like it will be a slow year or a busy year. Maybe REL is out there and could shed some light?
 
gujuDoc said:
BTW BBALL,

Someone I know recently declined their USF acceptance for FSU. If you think you'll feel better off there don't hesitate. I was just told about that recently. Another friend of mine pulled out of USF waitlist because she dropped down to middle tier somehow. Don't ask. I don't know what happened there. So I thought I'd share that with you.
Click to expand...

Yeah I couldn't imagine myself being the first person to possibly decide to do this. That's interesting news. I talked to REL about two months ago and he said I should get a call off the waitlist early May, then after speaking with him last week he indicated that I might not know til after May 15th. I'm not sure what's going on with the waitlist this year. Hopefully he will come on the board and explain.
 
bball25 said:
Yeah I couldn't imagine myself being the first person to possibly decide to do this. That's interesting news. I talked to REL about two months ago and he said I should get a call off the waitlist early May, then after speaking with him last week he indicated that I might not know til after May 15th. I'm not sure what's going on with the waitlist this year. Hopefully he will come on the board and explain.
Click to expand...

Yeah I dont' know either. Soccer heard about the same case that I heard about and she was informed she's still top tier. I don't know what's going on this year either. Maybe there are some changes beingg made around USF. In the case of the girl that dropped out of the whole going to USF for 4+4 program its because she wanted to live somewhere new and different from Tampa because she grew up here and wanted to be away from home and her parents since she's been with her parents all through college and before unlike her sister who got the chance to leave home for Miami for college.

Hopefully when he says afer May 15th he means like May 17th and not May 31st or June 31st. LOL
 
greg1184 said:
That is certainly interesting though. I wonder generally what could lower someone on the wait list other than new people getting on it.
Click to expand...

I don't know what happened. The person had a 3.9 GPA and 30 MCAT and tons of ECs in the things USF likes, i.e. shadowing, volunteering, clinical stuff. Plus she worked full time. Who knows what happened. She had preferred USF too over FSU but what can you do?? That's life.
 
QofQuimica said:
He especially loves it when they hang the x-rays up backward; he always makes sure to mention that. Apparently they hang the x-rays up backward on a regular basis on medical TV shows,
Click to expand...

During the opening credits, Scrubs hangs up the X-ray backwards because the show portrays residents making mistakes. During one episode, an attending grabs the X-ray and says, "This has been bothering me for the past five years."
 
pipedream812 said:
Have any of you heard if USF has seen a lot of movement thus far or not? Im wondering if it is looking like it will be a slow year or a busy year. Maybe REL is out there and could shed some light?
Click to expand...

The only movement I know of so far is LTD's call from USF. Maybe you can send REL a personal email or PM so he'll get it and respond.
 
I am going to USF College of Medicine!!! REL called me not too long ago. I am so happy I don't even know what to say!!!!!!
 
Soccer885 said:
I am going to USF College of Medicine!!! REL called me not too long ago. I am so happy I don't even know what to say!!!!!!
Click to expand...

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet
 
FON86 said:
congrats futbol
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Cute! I like the futbol!

Thanks everybody! What a day! I took my last exam this morning and when I got home, Mr. Larkin called. Couldn't have planned a better day to end my undergraduate career if I tried!

:clap: :banana: :biglove: :clap: :banana: :biglove:
 
Soccer885 said:
I am going to USF College of Medicine!!! REL called me not too long ago. I am so happy I don't even know what to say!!!!!!
Click to expand...

I already said congrats on facebook, but I'll say it here too but instead I'll say it in smilies.

:clap: :clap: :bow: :bow: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :biglove:
 
gujuDoc said:
I already said congrats on facebook, but I'll say it here too but instead I'll say it in smilies.

:clap: :clap: :bow: :bow: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :biglove:
Click to expand...

P.S. When put together this way the smilies look cute with their dancing. hahahaha
I love SDN new smilies.
 
Congrats soccer!!!! Just out of curiosity, do you know specifically where you were on the waitlist, or just that it was high tier. Im in the middle and I am hoping for a call.
 
QofQuimica said:
In my admittedly limited experience having gone through most of M1 ( 😛 ), I think that medical school itself is not such "a great experience." There are an awful lot of things you have to do that are stupid, boring, or disgusting (and god forbid, sometimes a combo of all three). But there are also times when you're just feeling like this is the most amazing thing you've ever done in your entire life. Med school is so intense, and there is limited time to sit around and introspect. The experience kind of makes manic depressives out of us all. The lows are really low, and the highs are just incredible. If you're lucky, you'll be higher more than you're low, and I think I pretty much have been. That being said, I wouldn't want to have to repeat M1 unless it were absolutely necessary. 😛

P.S. Banding together with classmates is a great idea. Banding together with a sympathetic upperclassman or two, on the other hand, is worth its weight in used materials and tips to make it through from someone who is not just as clueless as you are. :idea:
Click to expand...


Good post as always. Yeah LTD, I agree you will always find at least one or two people you like even if you don't like the rest of your class. Usually though everyone finds at least a handful of people who they get along with and become friends with. At least you know Soccer will be there, or as someone called her, futbol. lol.
 
Anyone having trouble accessing the FSU online checklist? When click on it says "client certificate required" or some crap.
 
yea i'm having the same problem....i was worried they rejected me w/o telling me. it's probably just some technical website problems
 
LifetimeDoc said:
Isn't August still summer?😕
Click to expand...

August is still considered summer. By the way LTD, I live down in Tampa so if you need help with anything down here with where to move and what not just pm me!

I look foward to seeing you again!
 
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