Uinversity of Florida vs. University of Miami

[winsicle]

I'm trying to make a list to weigh the aspects of attending these schools:

UF
Positives:
-"ranked" higher
-better research funding = more research opportunities
-cheap for in-state residents
Negatives:
-Gainesville (and Jacksonville) don't allow for ample clinical experience
-social opportunities are lacking (other than college bars)

UM
Positives:
-tons of clinical experience opprtunities
-Jackson Memorial
-all lectures are taped and put online (i really like that)
-social opportunities are virtually limitless
Negatives:
-"ranked" lower
-expensive

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[ghgi8]

UF
Positives:
-"ranked" higher
-better research funding = more research opportunities
-cheap for in-state residents
-higher board scores on average
Negatives:
-Gainesville (and Jacksonville) don't allow for ample clinical experience
-social opportunities are lacking (other than college bars)


UM
Positives:
-tons of clinical experience opprtunities
-Jackson Memorial
-all lectures are taped and put online (i really like that)
-social opportunities are virtually limitless
-pass/fail grading system
-beach
-evidence based organ systems curriculum
Negatives:
-"ranked" lower
-expensive
-language barriers due to cultural diversity
-isolated from undergraduate scene


Perhaps if you have an idea of what specialty you'd like to pursue you could more intensely scrutinize the strength of the program and the number of resident matches received.

 

[chlorineK]

-Florida wins over Miami for almost every specialty (except derm, maybe)
-the Brain Insitute and the new sports rehab and orthopedic place are huge positives for UF, too.
- UF has a center for simulated patients and the first actual robotic simulated patient (STAN) so that is pretty cool.

I am sure that the match lists are quite different. I did not even go to my Miami interview post-UF acceptance... but I may be biased.

 

[winsicle]

Thanks for the additions, anyone else?

UF
Positives:
-"ranked" higher
-better research funding = more research opportunities
-cheap for in-state residents
-higher board scores on average
-simulated patient (STAN)
-the Brain Insitute and the new sports rehab and orthopedic place
Negatives:
-Gainesville (and Jacksonville) don't allow for ample clinical experience
-social opportunities are lacking (other than college bars)


UM
Positives:
-tons of clinical experience opprtunities
-Jackson Memorial
-all lectures are taped and put online (i really like that)
-social opportunities are virtually limitless
-pass/fail grading system
-beach
-evidence based organ systems curriculum
Negatives:
-"ranked" lower
-expensive
-language barriers due to cultural diversity
-isolated from undergraduate scene

 

[chlorineK]

Me again.

I am not sure why Jackson Memorial is a pro while Shands is not. Acc to usnews ranking of hospitals,

Digestive disorders: Jackson 23 Shands 22
kidney disease: Jackson 19 Shands 28
geriatric: Jackson 33 Shands 25
neurology / neurosurgery: jackson 35 Shands 44
ENT: Jackson 26 Shands 25
Urology:Jackson 30 Shands 22

And Shands also ranks 34 in cancer, 41 in heart/heart surgery, 32 in Gyn, 48 in ortho, 37 in respiratory, and 28 in peds

So, it looks to me like Jackson Memorial is not a better hospital or better for clinical rotations. Plus, if you were at UF and wanted to see a more diverse population, you could go to Jacksonville or do an away rotation in NYC or Philly or the like.

I am not sure why anyone would choose Miami over UF,except if social life is your main concern. Also, keep in mind, UF has good residency programs and a good law school, so there are many young people in Gainesville. And downtown Gainesville is surprisingly charming!

 

[Tristero]

Listen to the Gators justify their decisions!

We have a robotic simulated patients as well! OMG OMG OMG robotic patients!
I'm sorry, I find this hilarious, I'd rather work on real people...

The clinical experience is amazing, we have opportunities to do real work (sutures, PH) at ryder trauma, one of the finest trauma centers in the world, our first year. The service opportunities are incredible as well. Check out www.projectmedishare.org a program that was started at UM.

The language barrier to me is a benefit, seeing how Spanish is becoming more and more important in all areas of the US.

Our eye, derm, ortho, and plastics departments are all top notch.

The campus is NOT "isolated" from undergrad. There med campus is maybe 15 min/35 min with traffic from Main campus. We mingle with udnergrads when we play intermural sports, or go to the grove to party. Most of us don't waste our time there tho, because South Beach is 10 minutes away from med campus, and offers much more than an undergraduate campus.

Go to Jacksonville for a more diverse population! That's hilarious...
Downtown Gainesville is surprisingly charming! hahahha

I'm from gainesville, and the last word that comes to mind is "charming" lol

I love how chlorine left out jacksons rankings in eye (yes bascom is part of jackson) and ortho. How convenient. Ultimately, its up to you.

I love Miami...I love my med school class...The clinical experience is unmatched...that's what I was looking for in a medical school, and its what I got.

Good Luck!

All I can say about research opportunities is this--research is great, i have published a bunch of papers and continue to do so, its very important for the residency I want...but ultimately, research doesn't make you a good doctor. the clinical expertise you gain at jackson, its just amazing. the variety of cases, are both so complex medically and socially, because of the indigent population, i can't adequately describe it. how many transvestite adolescent with AIDS cases do you think Shands gets?

lessons in patience, suffering, leadership, and humility. I want enter private practice, so these are exactly the kind of lessons I want, that you can't learn in a classroom or research lab.

Oh, also, ghgi is wrong about pass/fail system at Miami. We have class rankings.

 

[chlorineK]

To clarify:

I am not going to UFCOM, but it was a tough decision

I am from Jacksonville, and let me tell you that I a SURE Shands Jax sees lots of trauma and HIV/AIDS patients

I live in Boston and went to college in NYC, but I still find downtown gainesville to be a great litte place full of fun coffee shops and bars and restaurants (my fave being Dragonfly, have you been?)

I did not know about the great eye center, so I apologize

Anyway, good luck with your decision- I have a friend at Miami who lives on the beach in style and enjoys med schoool immensly and I have a friend from UF who matched in neurourgery at the Brigham while having enough free time in med school to compete in triathlons.

 

[MabdulD]

Just to weigh in on the Shands/Jackson thing, having visited both schools...

Shands is generally considered the best hospital in the state. It's probably the place you want to go if you're a patient or whatever. But I don't know if that makes it the best hospital for learning. The whole Jackson complex is kind of like a wild zoo. There's just so much going on there, and I don't know the exact numbers, but they're either #1 or #2 nationally in the number of patients they run through there on an annual basis. Which means that there's always a lot to see, and plenty to do as well, if you ask the students. I'm not sure you can get the same level of experience in Gainesville.

I would be okay going to UF, but I actually decided to give it up once I got in USF this year. That's not necessarily the right decision for everyone, but I just felt like I'd have the opportunity to learn more in Tampa. The same holds true for Miami and Jackson.

 

[deuist]

Just so you know, Miami's medical school was just given a $100 million donation. I'm thinking that its research facilities will be improving shortly.

 

[pinkice]

Just to weigh in on the Shands/Jackson thing, having visited both schools...

Shands is generally considered the best hospital in the state. It's probably the place you want to go if you're a patient or whatever. But I don't know if that makes it the best hospital for learning. The whole Jackson complex is kind of like a wild zoo. There's just so much going on there, and I don't know the exact numbers, but they're either #1 or #2 nationally in the number of patients they run through there on an annual basis. Which means that there's always a lot to see, and plenty to do as well, if you ask the students. I'm not sure you can get the same level of experience in Gainesville.

I would be okay going to UF, but I actually decided to give it up once I got in USF this year. That's not necessarily the right decision for everyone, but I just felt like I'd have the opportunity to learn more in Tampa. The same holds true for Miami and Jackson.

Hey MabdulD,
I've also been accepted at USF and UF and am still trying to decide...I'd be interested to learn what impressed you so much about Tampa. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[MabdulD]

Hey MabdulD,
I've also been accepted at USF and UF and am still trying to decide...I'd be interested to learn what impressed you so much about Tampa. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!

Just to clarify, I was never accepted at UF, not this year, not ever. What I meant was that they'd been bugging about FL residency stuff, but once I got into USF, I decided not to puruse UF any further. I just let it drop.

I did interview at UF last year (reapplicant!), though...

Its also not that I was SOOOO impressed with USF, either. I was actually impressed with both UF and USF. It came down to two things for me, though: (1) I thought I'd be able to see more, do more, and learn more at Tampa General; and (2) I thought I'd go insane living in Gainesville for 4 years. On the other hand, everyone I know who's been to Tampa, seems to love it. That was it for me. UF certainly has some things going for it. The hospital facilities are probably more advanced, the faculty might be a little more prominent and well-known, they might have a better reputation within the state and nationally...which could make it easier to match. But I figured if i did well at either place, I'd match well...and the other factors weren't all that important to me.

So, that was my thinking...but different things appeal to different people. Honestly, most people in your spot would probably choose UF, so you'll just have to figure out what works for you.