Help me! U Miami vs USF

[mars678]

Hello! Less than 2 weeks out from decision day and I'm starting to mildly freak out about where to go. I've narrowed it down to UM and USF, I liked both schools on interview day, and essentially its coming down to choosing a cheaper school or a slightly higher ranked school. I wasn't able to attend second-look for either school so would love to hear from current students, or any other factors I missed!

University of Miami
Pros:

• Loved the city, I've grown up in the suburbs, and went to college in a small town so the idea of moving to a big city is exciting.
• Higher ranked (US News #50)
• Better name recognition outside of Florida (I think?)
• Much larger research potential (loved research in undergrad, interested in academics)
• Really liked the medical campus and hospital system, everything was close together, known for good clinical training, more opportunities for networking (maybe?)
• I want to match outside of Florida, and their match list shows a lot of OOS matches
• Not set on any specialty, but have a maybe interest in ophthalmology, and UM is one of the best residency programs for that
• Ability to pursue dual MBA/MS (not sure if I want to, but having the option to would be nice?)

Cons:

• Numerical, ranked grading system
• Cost of living is significantly higher than Tampa (COA ~75k)
• Miami traffic is the worst
• Less social support, further from family/friends
• Has a reputation for being competitive, students I met on interview day seemed chill though

University of South Florida
Pros:

• Cheaper (~50k COA)
• Uses newer "integrated" curriculum
• Better social support, have more friends there
• High STEP averages (couldn't find avg. for UM)
• Better grading system (HP/P/F)
• Will be an easier transition to living in Tampa vs. Miami
• Scholarly concentrations seemed interesting
• Loved my interview day, administration and students seemed very supportive and collegial

Cons:

• Students spoke about having to commute between med campus, teaching hospital (TGH is ~20min), and clinic sites are spread out.
• Slightly lower ranked (US News #55, not that different tbh)
• Most matches are in Florida, could be because most of the class is in-state to begin with
• Less research (I think?)

so essentially they both have a good bit going for them, cost is definitely a BIG factor for me, which is why I'm swaying to USF a little bit, does the prestige/research of UM make up for it? lol any help is appreciated 🙂

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[sss1219]

I believe the average step for UM is either a point or two under or above 230, I can't remember exactly. Also, I think USF is in the process of building a new campus with a hospital (not sure about the latter part), so that might change the commuting issue.

Ranking is essentially the same, they are on equal terms reputation/opportunities wise. 100-125k COA difference is a lot but doable, people often go for more desirable schools within the 100k range. You can expect to pay back 1.5-2x that with interest after it is all said and done, so do some introspection and consider your happiness (debt, location, support systems, etc.) and go with whichever school wins out. Ignoring academic things it looks like it's essentially a question of location vs. finances & having support systems nearby, but whichever way you lean your goals should be reachable at either school. Congratulations on the great choices 🙂

 

[mars678]

I believe the average step for UM is either a point or two under or above 230, I can't remember exactly. Also, I think USF is in the process of building a new campus with a hospital (not sure about the latter part), so that might change the commuting issue.

Ranking is essentially the same, they are on equal terms reputation/opportunities wise. 100-125k COA difference is a lot but doable, people often go for more desirable schools within the 100k range. You can expect to pay back 1.5-2x that with interest after it is all said and done, so do some introspection and consider your happiness (debt, location, support systems, etc.) and go with whichever school wins out. Ignoring academic things it looks like it's essentially a question of location vs. finances & having support systems nearby, but whichever way you lean your goals should be reachable at either school. Congratulations on the great choices 🙂

thanks for the advice! and yes USF is building a new med campus that is in downtown near the hospital, but its scheduled to open late 2019, so halfway through M2. I'm not sure how much the moving process will affect the students.
I think for me, another factor is that of the two match lists, UM's has more OOS places that I'm interested in. But not sure if that's just because USF has more in-state students in general, that may just prefer to stay in FL. Definitely have a lot of thinking to do.

 

[sss1219]

thanks for the advice! and yes USF is building a new med campus that is in downtown near the hospital, but its scheduled to open late 2019, so halfway through M2. I'm not sure how much the moving process will affect the students.
I think for me, another factor is that of the two match lists, UM's has more OOS places that I'm interested in. But not sure if that's just because USF has more in-state students in general, that may just prefer to stay in FL. Definitely have a lot of thinking to do.

I would think that that is exactly the reason, since UM has been increasingly friendly to OOSers since it cut ties with the state for funding a couple years back. Although that is something you should discuss with USF's admin and 4th year students - while regional bias would explain a lot of it considering USF favors ISers, I think relations with PDs at different residencies across the nation and whatnot is actually a factor in match outcomes as well. But remember that you could always do away rotations at programs you are interested in towards the end of med school to also help build a rapport before you apply for residency.

 

[DBC03]

I live in the Tampa area and traffic is fairly awful, so I’d say they are both comparable in that regard. Also, driving between the campus and downtown really killed it for me with USF. If I was choosing I’d go with Miami - it is the better known school outside of Florida and both schools seem comparable otherwise. Rent isn’t that much cheaper in the Tampa area, either. At least we had a lot of trouble when we were looking. If you are willing to find roommates, Miami is doable.

Also, TGH is 20 minutes away if you are driving there at maybe 3 am. Realistically it will take much longer during the day. Miami has similar issues, so it’s a tough call. But having all the hospitals and teaching facilities in one location is really nice.


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[icedude2010]

I don’t think Miami has a reputation for being competitive. In fact, from second look and everything id say it’s the opposite. All the students help each other out and stuff, and there are learning societies that are always collaborating.

I think the grading system at USF is actually worse because it essentially breaks it down into letter grades. At Miami it’s P/F and you see the percentile, but there’s no real context to those numbers (a lot of schools indicate class percentile on transcript). True P/F>Miami P/F, but Miami p/f > hp/p/f.

They also have an integrated curriculum at Miami and do some unique things along with traditional lecture. If there’s even a sliver of a hope that you want to do ophthalmology, and you alrdy said you like research, Bascom palmer is gonna be great for you. I’m not particularly into eyes but some of the research they showed us was amazing.

 

[mars678]

I live in the Tampa area and traffic is fairly awful, so I’d say they are both comparable in that regard. Also, driving between the campus and downtown really killed it for me with USF. If I was choosing I’d go with Miami - it is the better known school outside of Florida and both schools seem comparable otherwise. Rent isn’t that much cheaper in the Tampa area, either. At least we had a lot of trouble when we were looking. If you are willing to find roommates, Miami is doable.

Also, TGH is 20 minutes away if you are driving there at maybe 3 am. Realistically it will take much longer during the day. Miami has similar issues, so it’s a tough call. But having all the hospitals and teaching facilities in one location is really nice.

hmm didn't realize Tampa area traffic was bad too, I was only around the USF area at my interview, so guessing downtown is worse. Right now, I have a long-ish commute to work and really hoping to not have to do that next year lol

I don’t think Miami has a reputation for being competitive. In fact, from second look and everything id say it’s the opposite. All the students help each other out and stuff, and there are learning societies that are always collaborating.

I think the grading system at USF is actually worse because it essentially breaks it down into letter grades. At Miami it’s P/F and you see the percentile, but there’s no real context to those numbers (a lot of schools indicate class percentile on transcript). True P/F>Miami P/F, but Miami p/f > hp/p/f.

They also have an integrated curriculum at Miami and do some unique things along with traditional lecture. If there’s even a sliver of a hope that you want to do ophthalmology, and you alrdy said you like research, Bascom palmer is gonna be great for you. I’m not particularly into eyes but some of the research they showed us was amazing.

yeah everything re "competitive" is all just stuff I've heard, at my actual interview the students I met seemed really nice, but wasn't able to go to second look so I thought it might have just been the group around that day. The grading system bit is interesting, because I've always hear the opposite, that numerical grades is worse than HP/P but what you said makes sense too. I guess either way pre-clinical grades matter less anyways.
UM definitely has the upper hand for research, just trying to see if that outweighs the COA/support group difference.

 

[sss1219]

hmm didn't realize Tampa area traffic was bad too, I was only around the USF area at my interview, so guessing downtown is worse. Right now, I have a long-ish commute to work and really hoping to not have to do that next year lol

If the new campus will be open before you are an MS3, why would it matter? You would not even need to travel to the hospital during those years, since you'll still be in your preclinical classes. Unless I'm missing something?

yeah everything re "competitive" is all just stuff I've heard, at my actual interview the students I met seemed really nice, but wasn't able to go to second look so I thought it might have just been the group around that day. The grading system bit is interesting, because I've always hear the opposite, that numerical grades is worse than HP/P but what you said makes sense too. I guess either way pre-clinical grades matter less anyways.
UM definitely has the upper hand for research, just trying to see if that outweighs the COA/support group difference.

I have heard similar, but it seems like it's moreso 'stressful' than 'competitive'. I assume it's because UM has a really intense curriculum with tests every 2-3 weeks which sounds like it could get hectic, especially for those aiming for AOA and other honors in spite of the percentile grading.

 

[DBC03]

If the new campus will be open before you are an MS3, why would it matter? You would not even need to travel to the hospital during those years, since you'll still be in your preclinical classes. Unless I'm missing something?

The students go downtown a few times a week or more often - that would be an hour trip down and maybe an hour back, depending on campus. It’s at least 30 minutes away without traffic. That was a huge disappointment for me because the traffic can be bad during the times students need to go there. Thankfully, they now have a shuttle so you can study on the way, but you still lose about two hours in driving time.


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[mars678]

If the new campus will be open before you are an MS3, why would it matter? You would not even need to travel to the hospital during those years, since you'll still be in your preclinical classes. Unless I'm missing something?

I have heard similar, but it seems like it's moreso 'stressful' than 'competitive'. I assume it's because UM has a really intense curriculum with tests every 2-3 weeks which sounds like it could get hectic, especially for those aiming for AOA and other honors in spite of the percentile grading.

As far as I know, USF also tests every 2-3 weeks so that isn't much different, but please correct me if I'm wrong! Though I feel like I remember less mandatory things being mentioned at my USF interview but it was also my first interview so could have just forgotten.

The students go downtown a few times a week or more often - that would be an hour trip down and maybe an hour back, depending on campus. It’s at least 30 minutes away without traffic. That was a huge disappointment for me because the traffic can be bad during the times students need to go there. Thankfully, they now have a shuttle so you can study on the way, but you still lose about two hours in driving time.

I think the commute might be a bigger deal than I thought it was. I've also been looking a bit more into the research at both schools and am starting to lean towards UM a bit more now lol, thank you all for your input so far, its been helpful!

 

[sss1219]

As far as I know, USF also tests every 2-3 weeks so that isn't much different, but please correct me if I'm wrong! Though I feel like I remember less mandatory things being mentioned at my USF interview but it was also my first interview so could have just forgotten.

I think the commute might be a bigger deal than I thought it was. I've also been looking a bit more into the research at both schools and am starting to lean towards UM a bit more now lol, thank you all for your input so far, its been helpful!

Fair enough, I have little knowledge about USF's curriculum so if that is the case then I think the experience will be similar at both schools. Personally I think traffic/commuting is a pretty minor reason to pick one school over another, especially where support systems/finances are concerned, but of course everyone has different priorities. Either way, I don't think you can go wrong whichever you choose 🙂 best of luck!