Please give me your input: MCW vs. FIU Miami

[LaCasta]

I've been fortunate enough to get an acceptance at MCW and now also at FIU.

I know MCW is a well established school with many research opportunities and has departments in many sought after specialties. They have great teaching hospitals and the faculty and administration at MCW appear very helpful and accessible. The location and the harsh winters is the only aspect of the school that I think of as 'cons'.

FIU was my first interview though, and the positive impression the admissions and faculty made on me there has stuck with me. Everyone there seems very motivated in establishing a great school. The location of the school is amazing, and the possibility of spending the next 4 years for med school in Miami is really making me consider attending here.

I am thinking about going into a specialty that puts a lot of emphasis on research, so I feel MCW would give me an advantage in that regard, but I realize the decision of which specialty can change. I also feel like I might be happier attending school in Miami.

Any input on deciding between these two would be really appreciated.

Thank you in advance

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[MiniMoo]

Although I also think Miami >>> Wisconsin, I would personally feel more confident attending a school that has an established track record. That, combined with more research opportunities at MCW, better facilities, long-standing relationships with surrounding hospitals, and a larger class size (FIU's class at 40-ish people is just way too tiny for me) -- I would go with MCW.

But this is just my personal opinion. If your gut tells you that you would be much happier at FIU, then go with FIU.

 

[jt1984]

Although I understand how location might influence your choice.....you have to remember FIU is still a new school. You will have better chances matching at the program you want for residency at an established school like MCW. And if your considering to specialize in a research heavy field than MCW seems to be a solid choice.

 

[BlueElmo]

I agree with above. FIU is too new of a school. I would go to a more established school, MCW especially if you're interested in research.

 

[filhodeinferno]

Go to FIU so that I can get into MCW... kidding I agree with the above posters. If it were me, I would choose the better, more established school. However, if FIU were in your home state (cheaper) I would go there, but it doesn't look like it is.

 

[stromijj]

i would go where you think you will be happy. med school is hard and you don't want to spend those 4 years being unhappy with where you are. You will have more stuff to worry about, so don't add that stress to it. So if your happier at FIU, go there. if MCW, then go there. I would not let a school reputation prevent you from going there, plus i don't believe that FIU has a bad rep or any med school for that matter.

 

[LaCasta]

Thanks to everyone for the helpful replies.

 

[RSAgator]

any cost difference?

Consider that you will be able to do research at ANY med school, and additionally UM is close enough to FIU to make it an option if there's something that interests you there. Also consider that your specialty of interest may be completely different now to 4 years from now. Even though it is a new school, one of the positives about FIU is that as a new school the school is highly motivated to make you succeed, so it's definitely not something to just blow off. What specialty are you interested in?

edit: just playing devil's advocate here, if there was no cost difference I would go to MCW haha (though miami >>>>>>> wisconsin)

 

[TakeMe]

I personally think that you should not go to FIU (if you have another choice):

1. It is not accredited yet. I know there is only a very slim possibility that they won't be accredited (<5%) but why take the chance if you don't have to?
2. Location- while I agree that the weather down here in Florida is significantly better than in Wisconsin (other than the hot, hot, hot, humid summers, which get annoying), FIU actually doesn't have a very good location. As a local, I can tell you that it is really far west of the actually city of Miami, Miami beach and all of the parts of Miami that may pop into your head when you think of the city. Its location, IMO, leaves much to be desired.
3. School reputation- while FIU has strong potential, and I admit US News Rankings are not the be-all and end-all, FIU's undergraduate school is a fourth-tier school and is a commuter school. It is fed into by a lot of community colleges. The med school may be a completely seperate entity, but the undergrad's reputation is only okay.

I am sure that FIU can serve its medical students well and be a good experience, but given your much stronger choice of MCW, I don't really think there is much of a decision to make. Unless, FIU is free, lol.

 

[salsagal]

I personally think that you should not go to FIU (if you have another choice):

1. It is not accredited yet. I know there is only a very slim possibility that they won't be accredited (<5%) but why take the chance if you don't have to?
2. Location- while I agree that the weather down here in Florida is significantly better than in Wisconsin (other than the hot, hot, hot, humid summers, which get annoying), FIU actually doesn't have a very good location. As a local, I can tell you that it is really far west of the actually city of Miami, Miami beach and all of the parts of Miami that may pop into your head when you think of the city. Its location, IMO, leaves much to be desired.
3. School reputation- while FIU has strong potential, and I admit US News Rankings are not the be-all and end-all, FIU's undergraduate school is a fourth-tier school and is a commuter school. It is fed into by a lot of community colleges. The med school may be a completely seperate entity, but the undergrad's reputation is only okay.

I am sure that FIU can serve its medical students well and be a good experience, but given your much stronger choice of MCW, I don't really think there is much of a decision to make. Unless, FIU is free, lol.

I totally think the opposite...I gave up a seat at 2 well established schools just to accept FIU. It has a curriculum like none I've seen and the faculty are top in their field - as for hospitals well there are many and world renouned such as Miami Childrens - now they are even using Cleveland Clinic in Broward..I also asked about research and I spoke to several researchers at the COM - the opportunities are endless - it's a blank slate just waiting. The student/faculty ratio is great 20 faculty for every 1 student - these people are not kidding around - they are here to stay and prosper. However, if youw ant to go to MCW please go ahead and leave the seat open for the many who really want a great med education in a great diverse and tropical city!
😍 Class of 2014

 

[fatty19]

I had a choice between MCW and FIU too. I chose MCW. Granted the weather is much nicer in Miami...but Milwaukee is still a neat city with Chicago ~1.5 hrs away.

I think FIU has a lot of unique opportunities in that it is new/unestablished/ and in a very ethnically diverse city but there are definitely going to be some bumps in the road and I thought I would fit better into an established and larger program. I think

The biggest reason though was cost. Being OOS for both MCW and FIU, MCW is much much MUCH less expensive. I think the total estimated COA for FIU was ~83-85k for OOS 😱 where MCW was ~53-54k.

And to the poster above...Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is every bit as good as Miami's CH and it's directly connected to the school, no commuting.

I would say it's very much a fit thing. I really liked my FIU interview, the city, staff and curriculum seemed like a huge plus. On the other hand, I didn't necessarily like the smaller class, fewer facilities, no on-campus teaching hospitals, no emphasis on research, and the large difference in OOS COA vs. MCW...but that's just me.

 

[LaCasta]

I intentionally left out the difference in price in the original post because it would seem like an easy decision based on that factor alone; 30k a year is a big diff.

Someone asked which field i am interested in: I am interested in oncology and possibly radiation oncology.

 

[souperjim14]

I intentionally left out the difference in price in the original post because it would seem like an easy decision based on that factor alone; 30k a year is a big diff.

Someone asked which field i am interested in: I am interested in oncology and possibly radiation oncology.

I would say definitely MCW then - they're really focusing on increasing their prestige in the cancer field, and I'm going there 😀. Here's info from the school:

Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin has opened a new Clinical Cancer Centetr that brings an exceptional level of highly specialized, patient-focused cancer care to the region.
.. With 173,000 square feet dedicated to cancer services, the five-story structure is home to approximately 500 physicians, scientists, nurses and other experts dedicated to fighting, preventing and someday curing cancer.
In the Clinical Cancer Center, the Interdisciplinary Cancer Clinics house specific cancer programs; a radiation oncology section is equipped with four linear accelerators and the TomoTherapy™ image-guided radiation treatment system; a Day Hospital features 20 semi-private areas and 18 private rooms for chemotherapy and related services; the Breast Care Center provides routine screenings and cancer services; a surgical procedure suite is available; MRI and CT imaging bays are on-site; a small gym offers cancer physical therapy; and a pharmacy, laboratory, and café are available for patients and families.

 

[BlueElmo]

Right there's also the accredidation thing to think about.

 

[CeO2]

As a current student at FIU I would like to weigh in on this subject.

First of all I would have to agree that the most important decision is where will you be most happy?
That being said I would like to comment on a few things that have been said here:
- First FIU has what's called preliminary accreditation status (so were not Unaccredited).
-Second even an accredited school COULD lose their accreditation in the routine re-accreditation process that occurs periodically (when I was applying I think GW med school got put on probation during their accreditation review)
- Third I think that the chance of FIU not getting accredited is extremely small. There is an expected 150,000 doctor shortage in the following decade and the LCME knows this, so it's not in their best interest to treat new schools extremely harshly.
-Lastly the fact that the school is new means that the school has a vested interest in making sure that every student does well, (as opposed to an established school where they might have more of a "here's the standard sink or swim" kind of attitude about the students)
-The location of FIU is a bit west of the beach but we're only talking about 20-30 min drive (unless of course there is an accident or something, so it's hardly a big deal if you want to hit the beach on the weekends) also the location means it is much cheaper to live in because it's further from the beach.
- the cost of living in Miami is higher but the FIU numbers are a bit inflated (I think this is done purposefully, as a school can only award financial aid up to the cost of tuition and the cost of living. So if you want to give students more money you have to say it costs a lot to live there, that being said I'm sure Wisconsin is less expensive to live in)
- Also research is not only suggested at FIU is a required part of the curriculum (however there are several different tracks and you can limit your research experience to a few months in your fourth year, or you can be involved in research all four years if you want).
- The smaller class size is a kind of double edged sword, yes sometimes you wake up and say "ugh I have to see the same people AGAIN today" but due to the small size the class is also very cooperative with each other and less students means less competition for research spots, less competition for faculty time, and more opportunity to spend individual time with the deans and professors which hopefully will translate into better letters of rec when it comes time to apply for residency

Anyways that’s my two cents on the situation, in the end I have to agree you should go to where you feel like you would be most happy. Good luck in med school!