Miami or UF?

[deac07]

I'm struggling to decide between the Boca Raton campus of Miami Miller and UF COM.

Research is not really a priority, and the clinical experience is probably the most important factor for me. I like what I've heard about the new curriculum in Boca, but I'm sure the more traditional approach at UF would work out great too. From what I hear, there seems to be a much greater emphasis, particularly early on, on clinical work/patient interaction at Boca.

I like the area of Boca Raton better than Gainesville, but I'm a huge sports fan and wouldn't mind being around all those national championships.

I'm looking for a laid-back, friendly (not ridiculously competitive) atmosphere. I don't expect to have a ton of free time anywhere, but I'd like to be in a place where the students can go out every once in a while too. I know UF's board scores were slightly higher, but does UF offer any significant advantage as far as residency matching? Right now I'm really interested in cardiology if that helps, but if you'd asked me 2 years ago I would have said orthopedics, so who knows where i'll be in two more.

Anyone have any advice for me?

Thanks.

mike

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[LifetimeDoc]

Just my opinon: for clinical experience, I'd choose the Miami campus if I was restricted to your list. For all of Florida, I'd have a hard time choosing between Miami and Tampa for clinical experience.

 

[facewait]

I had to make the same decision Miami (both Main and Boca) Vs UF and here were my pros and cons.

Boca: small class (good or bad) and i felt that they were a pretty close group. I was not feeling the clinicals at Boca. Yes it seems as if they is emphasized early pt contact but the hospital structure (community hospital treating a high percentage of elderly) and distance req to travel to some of them was not impressive to me. Boca has higher board scores than Main campus but neither are as high as UFs. Driving to the campus I felt like i was back in high school taking dual enrollment at a community college. FAU felt like a high school with ash trays. The medical school feel was never there for me and I lated Boca.

UF: (since you arent deciding between Main campus and UF ill skip most of pro/con for that) UF has better board scores, and the diversity level of patients is stronger here than Vs Boca. Now before everyone crys that you can do a rotation at Jackson if you go to Boca... relax. You go to Jacksonville to do rotations at UF so that negates that. The teachers here are very well known in their field and you would be impressed to find out who some of them are. Research is held to a high level here so the basic science faculty here are fantastic. Anytime a medschool class has >50 people there will be some competition but I have many friends who are in their 1-3 yrs here. Are there gunners? Of course. Are most of them gunners? Absolutely not. The majority of your classmates are laid back but want to do well. Having attended the second look for UF, I can attest to that for our class. and one more thing... PRICE! enough said.

Free time is better in Gainesville than Boca in my opinion. The only thing Boca has going for it is its proximity to other cities. Gville gives you what Boca gives and the added "sports" element. And if you want to play sports, you dont have to drive to Miami to play them, the intramural dept here is huge. Plus you can get food 24 hrs a day in a college town.



LTD, he is choosing between Boca and UF, not main campus.

 

[1_Accept_Away]

Just my opinon: for clinical experience, I'd choose the Miami campus if I was restricted to your list. For all of Florida, I'd have a hard time choosing between Miami and Tampa for clinical experience.

I think you are overestimating Miami@FAU's clinical experiences. The clinical experience at the main campus at Jackson are awesome and would give UF a run for its money. That being said, this year is the first year that the students at Miami@FAU will complete at four years in Boca - meaning, they will not do their clinical years at Jackson Memorial Hospital. I live in South Florida and can assure you that Boca is uber-suburban and I cannot imagine that their hospital there is bustling.

I personally would have loved to go to Miami @ main campus or even Boca, but that is because I have a family and it would make it easier not to move. Gainesville wouldn't offer a lot of options to my spouse's career. But, if I were unattached, I would probably go with UF...widely respected med school in the state as well as the country and in-state tuition. I know Miami has big plans and has a lot of promise, but it is just that...promise.

 

[1_Accept_Away]

Just my opinon: for clinical experience, I'd choose the Miami campus if I was restricted to your list. For all of Florida, I'd have a hard time choosing between Miami and Tampa for clinical experience.

I think you are overestimating Miami@FAU's clinical experiences. The clinical experience at the main campus at Jackson are awesome and would give UF a run for its money. That being said, this year is the first year that the students at Miami@FAU will complete all four years in Boca - meaning, they will not do their clinical years at Jackson Memorial Hospital. I live in South Florida and can assure you that Boca is uber-suburban and I cannot imagine that their hospital there is bustling.

I personally would have loved to go to Miami @ main campus or even Boca, but that is because I have a family and it would make it easier not to move. Gainesville wouldn't offer a lot of options to my spouse's career. But, if I were unattached, I would probably go with UF...widely respected med school in the state as well as the country and in-state tuition. I know Miami has big plans and has a lot of promise, but it is just that...promise.

 

[QofQuimica]

You haven't said anything about finances, but you might also want to consider that UF's tuition is cheaper than Miami's (unless Miami gave you a partial scholarship), and the difference in cost gets pretty substantial when you include COL in Gainesville versus Boca. It would be one thing if you really loved Miami more and were trying to decide whether the extra expense was justified. But I would say that if you like both schools more or less equally, which you seem to, then go to UF and save yourself some $$. You certainly wouldn't get a substandard education at either school though, so you really can't lose no matter which one you pick. Best of to you.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

I think you are overestimating Miami@FAU's clinical experiences. The clinical experience at the main campus at Jackson are awesome and would give UF a run for its money. That being said, this year is the first year that the students at Miami@FAU will complete all four years in Boca - meaning, they will not do their clinical years at Jackson Memorial Hospital. I live in South Florida and can assure you that Boca is uber-suburban and I cannot imagine that their hospital there is bustling.

Sorry; I wasn't considering the Boca campus, but was referring to the main campus.

 

[deac07]

Thanks for the help guys. A couple clarifications...

When I said felt like the clincial experience would be better at Boca, I meant that the new curriculum really emphasized time spent in a clincial setting interacting with real doctors and patients, particularly early on (and less time sitting in lecture). Also, talking to students there, they aren't down in the pecking order behind a ton of residents and interns as far as scrubbing in for procedures and things like that like they might be at UF or the main campus of Miami. I do realize that I would get a lot more varied and probably more interesting cases at somewhere like Shands or Jackson.