Undergrad: UF vs. UCF

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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FLPreMed

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Hello everyone,

I'm having a tough time deciding on where I should go for undergrad.
I am currently at Valencia Community College and I am about to finish my AA in Business Administration with a 3.8

I have recently decided to pursue my dream of going to med school and also majoring in biology. I have decided that the corporate world is not what
I'm looking for and I would be much happier as a physician or performing research in a biology field I enjoy.

And there is where the problem lies...

I have been accepted to UF as a Business major, but they do not allow you to transfer major. So I would have to minor in Biology to go to med-school and I would not have a biology degree to "fall back on" in the event that I did not enjoy the "real-world" of medicine. And I have also been accepted at UCF, where I can in fact change my major to Biology without any problem.

The question is, would I be making a mistake by not going to UF since it is regarded by many to be the "better" choice.

Does the "status" of your undergrad university really play a large role in the factors of your admittance to med school?

Thank you very much for your time.
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Moving to Pre-Allo. While I can understand your mistake, the School Specific Discussion forum is for students who are currently applying to medical schools and want to compare notes on a particular school's secondary/interview/financial aid/etc.
 
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JimmerJammerMrK said:
Moving to Pre-Allo. While I can understand your mistake, the School Specific Discussion forum is for students who are currently applying to medical schools and want to compare notes on a particular school's secondary/interview/financial aid/etc.
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Understood, Thank you for moving my thread to the right place.

bioman2006 said:
Your major doesn't matter. Just take the pre-reqs and, if you can, upper level science courses at UF and work hard at it. "Status" ultimately doesn't matter. The name of your school won't hold near the same weight as your GPA, MCAT, ECs, etc. so there's no need to fall back on the perceived prestige of your college. However, I think you will find great connections at UF and the potential to network with professors and do research, which would come in handy for your LORs. If you think UF would be more enjoyable and more challenging, then go for it.
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Thanks for your reply. So, in your opinion, do you think the connections and research potential outweigh the fact that I would be stuck with a business major if I did not enjoy medicine?

Is there a big difference between UCF and UF in terms of pre-med advising, technology, faculty knowledge/experience and research opportunities?
 
FLPreMed said:
Is there a big difference between UCF and UF in terms of pre-med advising, technology, faculty knowledge/experience and research opportunities?
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I can't really speak much about UCF, but as a recent graduate I can talk a bit about my experience at UF. It has a lot of opportunities, but you have to seek them out. Some people get really involved in a lot of different activities, others fall through the cracks. I also personally didn't find UF's pre-med advising that useful. Friends at UCF have given me the impression that it's the opposite experience there (more structure, less opportunities), but I'm not sure how accurate that is.
 
3.8+ sGPA, and I didn't even apply to UF :laugh:

they can keep their high standards. They're tier 2, not ivy league.

Besides, USF out-ranked them in Medicine either last year or the year before, apply there 👍
 
OP, I went to UCF, and at the end of this month, I will begin med school.

Considering what you've said in your post, I think UCF is the better choice for you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've basically said you don't want to go into business and would feel more secure if you had a science degree to fall back on if med school later turned out not to be an option. If you don't want to go the business route and UF won't let you change, I think it's pretty silly to go there and study business.

Frankly (and I know I'm making sweeping generalizations here), as a student of the "lesser school" I've found that SOME (trying to beat back the generalizing :laugh:) students at UF have a superiority complex and are liable to tell you that UF is the better choice in any situation. In terms of med school applications, I highly doubt that going to UF over UCF would put you at a disadvantage.

I can't speak for our regular Biology program, but I can tell you that in my personal experience, UCF's Molecular Biology and Microbiology program (the de-facto "pre-med" major around these parts) is excellent. The variety of classes you can take is great. Our pre-med advising office is very good. It's run by a guy that was on admissions commitees at Loyola and UCLA-Drew, and they put together an awesome comprehensive packet for applicants. Research opportunities are ample and not hard to come by. UF does have Shands, but Orlando has a larger hospital network than Gainesville and internship, shadow, and volunteer opportunities are great. I don't know the stats on how many students from UF vs. UCF are getting into med school and I would probably concede that UF has more accepted applicants, but rest assured we ARE getting in, and we're landing good interviews. In the last application cycle, students were getting interviews all over the country, and at big name schools like Wash U (I know of at least 2 students who interviewed there, including myself).

I could go on and on, but the bottom line is: if you're worried that going to UCF will not prepare you for med school or will put you at a disadvantage, DON'T. It seems like the more logical choice for you, I loved it there. Feel free to contact me.

If you want a good football team...sorry. 😀
 
Allegra said:
OP, I went to UCF, and at the end of this month, I will begin med school.

Considering what you've said in your post, I think UCF is the better choice for you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've basically said you don't want to go into business and would feel more secure if you had a science degree to fall back on if med school later turned out not to be an option. If you don't want to go the business route and UF won't let you change, I think it's pretty silly to go there and study business.

Frankly (and I know I'm making sweeping generalizations here), as a student of the "lesser school" I've found that SOME (trying to beat back the generalizing :laugh:) students at UF have a superiority complex and are liable to tell you that UF is the better choice in any situation. In terms of med school applications, I highly doubt that going to UF over UCF would put you at a disadvantage.

I can't speak for our regular Biology program, but I can tell you that in my personal experience, UCF's Molecular Biology and Microbiology program (the de-facto "pre-med" major around these parts) is excellent. The variety of classes you can take is great. Our pre-med advising office is very good. It's run by a guy that was on admissions commitees at Loyola and UCLA-Drew, and they put together an awesome comprehensive packet for applicants. Research opportunities are ample and not hard to come by. UF does have Shands, but Orlando has a larger hospital network than Gainesville and internship, shadow, and volunteer opportunities are great. I don't know the stats on how many students from UF vs. UCF are getting into med school and I would probably concede that UF has more accepted applicants, but rest assured we ARE getting in, and we're landing good interviews. In the last application cycle, students were getting interviews all over the country, and at big name schools like Wash U (I know of at least 2 students who interviewed there, including myself).

I could go on and on, but the bottom line is: if you're worried that going to UCF will not prepare you for med school or will put you at a disadvantage, DON'T. It seems like the more logical choice for you, I loved it there. Feel free to contact me.

If you want a good football team...sorry. 😀
Click to expand...

Hey Allegra, thanks for all the information.
I sent you a PM, did you get it?


Thanks for all the responses everyone.
 
I just graduated from UF and if you want to go to UF med school I suggest completing it at UF. I've been to many med forums held by the COM and Dr. Gessner (admissions dean) always says that "UF is the best and that is why we choose UF students over any other Florida schools." If you look at this year's incoming class' fb group mostly everyone is from UF and have been my classmate at least once throughout the years.

One thing Dr. Gessner specifically said was that he doesn't like seeing applicants taking pre-reqs at community colleges, but that won't apply to you bc you'll be taking the pre-med prereqs at UF.

If you don't care what med school you want to get into then UCF may be a good deal... but as a Gator myself, I feel like the education I received was worth the expensive OOS undergrad tuition. The professors really want to help you but be prepared if you step into the health professions office bc they can be brutal lol!
 
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Having attended both USF and UF there is no doubt that UF is superior. USF is a glorified community college. UF offers the ideal college experience.

The same applies to UCF vs. UF

UCF is a huge commuter school and that is the experience you will have attending this institution.

Your grades are most important followed by the EC. EC and research are both abundant at UF. Its the states top research institute!
 
Go to New College... it's better than all of them.
 
pdeco1 said:
Having attended both USF and UF there is no doubt that UF is superior. USF is a glorified community college. UF offers the ideal college experience.

The same applies to UCF vs. UF

UCF is a huge commuter school and that is the experience you will have attending this institution.

Your grades are most important followed by the EC. EC and research are both abundant at UF. Its the states top research institute!
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Spot on 👍
 
Go to FSU, u can change ur major to whatever you want lol
But seriously I looked at both UF and UCF, before picking FSU. Getting into UF med school and EC will b a lot easier at UF, but if u have to do a major your not interested in then it may not be the best choice. As far as UCF, it is UF, but I think the difference in quality is less than than most people think. UCF has gotten a lot better as a school in recent years and that isn't fully reflected in public opinion. As long as you work hard it doesnt matter that much where you go.
 
I attend FSU and am currently taking classes at UCF during summer. UF is the best school in Florida, hands down. But, does that mean picking UCF over UF would necessarily be a bad decision? I don't think so.

UCF will provide you with all the opportunities that UF will, outside of name. I hear from anecdotal evidence that UCF's premed classes are pretty easy as most of the science grades are computed WITH the lab grade (25% of the lecture grade or so). I find that it's easier to shine at schools like FSU and UCF than it is to shine in a highly competative school like UF. I don't think anyone pursuing the medical field should shy from competition, but it is one consideration to have in mind.
 
as everyone else has stated, since you got in UF, take it. it's not that UCF would bog you down, it's just that UF is better.

isn't UF getting tougher to get into nowadays? They used to have that FL bright scholars thing were a lot of kids in my class got in automatically, but then going back a year later, kids with the same stats in the next class weren't able to get in UF. they tightened up their selection process.
 
Jolt21 said:
as everyone else has stated, since you got in UF, take it. it's not that UCF would bog you down, it's just that UF is better.

isn't UF getting tougher to get into nowadays? They used to have that FL bright scholars thing were a lot of kids in my class got in automatically, but then going back a year later, kids with the same stats in the next class weren't able to get in UF. they tightened up their selection process.
Click to expand...

Its getting a lot harder to get into all state schools in Florida. There are huge budget cuts in almost everyone. Class sizes are shrinking, while the numbers of applicants is going up (bad economy=not enough money for private school). The class before me at FSU had 8000, mine has 5000. The average SAT and GPA skyrocketed in just one year. It is something to considere if you are going to school in Florida.
 
This may be a dumb question but why can't you change your major? At FSU u can change your major to whatever you want I believe up until sophmore year. Once u r accepted into UF, do u have to also get accepted into a specific college like college of arts and sciences?
 
MacdaddyDaniels said:
This may be a dumb question but why can't you change your major? At FSU u can change your major to whatever you want I believe up until sophmore year. Once u r accepted into UF, do u have to also get accepted into a specific college like college of arts and sciences?
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yes, UF has specific "schools". i.e. architecture, business, etc. they aren't like separate from UF, but its like taking all the majors and grouping them together for all 4 years. you cant switch once you are in one.

i didn't go to UF, but being from FL, most of my friends did. someone please correct me if i'm wrong.
 
EDIT: might not want to post on here what I just wrote... PM me if you want details - I've been to both.

As far as falling back on a business major or any science major - good luck with that! If you've got goals of being a physician at the moment, you might want to consider falling back on a PhD in something.
 
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I am currently at UF right now and I came in as a transfer from another university. I recommend coming here over UCF for so many reasons. I've talked to many people and it's pretty well known that UF's premed program is more rigorous than any of the other Florida schools so if you succeed here that's looked at highly. Also, UF says you can't change majors but that's a straight up lie. My friend came in as a transfer from a CC as a microbiology major in the college of agriculture and after 1 or 2 semesters he decided he wanted to do chemistry and transfered to the college of liberal arts (which is so hard to transfer to). If you really want to do biology, transfer into the one for the college of agriculture. The requirements are way easier and it's a smaller college so they're so helpful. Everyone I know in the liberal arts and sciences college hates everything about it.

I would recommend staying as a business major though, which is what I would have majored in had I known I did not have to be a science major to go to medical school. At UF most of the business classes are live and broadcasted online so you never have to go to class and can watch the lectures whenever you want. This gives you so much flexibility if you need to get a job or whatever.

Honestly I can go on and on about UF. I don't like it here all the time but that's because I used to go to school in the northeast and my heart is there. If you want the best premed education and best opportunities choose UF. I have come across the best experiences here that my old school could not offer. PM me if you have any questions or need more details.
 
Jolt21 said:
as everyone else has stated, since you got in UF, take it. it's not that UCF would bog you down, it's just that UF is better.

isn't UF getting tougher to get into nowadays? They used to have that FL bright scholars thing were a lot of kids in my class got in automatically, but then going back a year later, kids with the same stats in the next class weren't able to get in UF. they tightened up their selection process.
Click to expand...

It's not that impossible to get in as a CC transfer but I've heard it's impossible if you transfer from another university which is why everyone said I was so lucky to get in. Interesting thing...FSU rejected me, UF accepted me.
 
gujuDoc said:
Is that a boston school, I'm guess from that B in your avatar? I'm about to move up there for a grad program and it should be an interesting experience.

Also, I find i've had a similar experience to you. This year I applied to SMPs and the ones that waitlisted me or took me were those that I had thought I had no chance at (accepted at BU and waitlisted at Gtown), but the ones that I got rejected from and that had lesser requirements then either of those (USF IMS) and to some degree lesser known and not everyone's top choice (Drexel IMS) were the ones that rejected me. And even EVMS mid tier waitlisted me which has lower requirements too. So that is interesting. Sometimes the schools that seem like they are not as competitive or well known are the ones that reject you while the schools that are better known take you.

My friends had a similar experience this year with med applications. Someone I know got accepted into one of the two higher ranked Fl. schools while getting low tier waitlisted at USF. Someone else I know got into GW and even SUNY Buffalo as an OOS student which anyone who has read the MSAR knows is rare, but didn't get into USF. I've also met people in the past that got into top tier schools like NYU and other schools but not in a single Fl. school. that to me says a lot in terms of the fact that things are not always as they seem and you never know where you really truly stand a shot sometimes.
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It's a Red Sox B for the Boston red sox. 🙂 Which grad program are you doing and have you found an area to live yet?
 
RevivedPreMed said:
It's not that impossible to get in as a CC transfer but I've heard it's impossible if you transfer from another university which is why everyone said I was so lucky to get in. Interesting thing...FSU rejected me, UF accepted me.
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UF accepted 12 Biology majors from CC's this year, probably out of thousands of apps.

one of my good friends got in as a CC-transfer.

I'm pretty sure you can verify this through your schools Orientation department as well.
 
Will UF really not allow you to change your major? That seems kind of strange... But anyways, I go to UF, so if you have any specefic questions, feel free to pm me. For what its worth, I like it here at UF, and really don't regret coming here at all. It seems like you have many opportunities to do whatever interests you (ex. research, shadowing, volunteering, clubs, etc...). Although I'm sure UCF also has plenty of these opportunities. UCF really is on the rise though, and I believe that in the next 10 to 15 years it'll be right up there with UF and UM as the best schools in Florida.
 
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Hey everyone,

Here is an update to my situation..

I've been to both schools, both seemed very nice. I have spoken to an advisor at UF and they told me that there was no way I could complete both the business curriculum and the pre-med requirements in 4 semesters (which is what they cap you at as an incoming transfer for whatever reason). I did not find the advisor(s) at UCF very helpful in choosing classes and overall pre-med information. Though I have yet to talk to Dr. Lopez (the head guy over there).

My other option would be to go to UF and get my business degree, and then complete a post-baccalaureate pre-med program at another university anywhere in the U.S. What do you guys think about these programs and would this be a good choice?

If I could major in Biology, which is what I believe I would enjoy, I would enroll at UF. My reasoning for having a "fallback" in biology is that I believe I would enjoy being a biologist doing research or working in a lab. In the end, my number one goal is to become a doctor, be it M.D. , D.O. or F.M.G. M.D.

GujuDoc,
Could you clarify what you mean when you said " There is nothing out of medicine or continuing education that you can do with a bio degree for the most part.".......Continuing education as in going for a masters or PhD or as in teaching biology?

I'm curious if anyone knows if you can become a biologist or find a career in biology with a business degree or if it's strictly open to biology majors?


Thank you for your responses everyone!
 
I got my BS from UCF in Molecular and Microbiology. Heres my opinion:

The facilities at UCF are truly top notch. Dr. Lopez is a great guy and if you have the passion to be a doctor and the ability to maintain a 3.8+ gpa and achieve a 30+ MCAT, there is no reason they could not send you to an american MD school. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. The advising office for Molecular and Microbiology majors is located on the third floor of HPA II. They are generally very busy but if you talk to the secretary you should be able to see someone about signing you up for the right classes.

UF is a different kind of school than UCF. A 3.8+ gpa means much more there than at UCF because it is much more well respected in the american university system. All things equal, a UF graduate will always do better in the application process than a UCF graduate. This applies for all Florida schools and it is the reason they can afford to be so selective.

If your decision is only between UF and UCF, I recommend going to UCF. UF will not let you take the pre-med prereqs. Make no mistake, at UF your business classes there will be extremely difficult to achieve A's in, even for someone who has achieved a great gpa in community college already. B's are your enemy, do not risk it, especially for classes that you dont really want or need to take. It is very difficult to succeed in school in an area you are not passionate about.

The best scenario for you would be to achieve your bachelors in a school and a major you are confident you can maintain a high GPA in, then attend a post-baccalaureate program for premed pre-reqs at the absolute best school you can get into. No top school in the country's admissions committees for these kinds of programs will have trouble respecting a high grade point average from any major US university.

The best advice I got on applying was to only do it after you were absolutely sure there was nothing more you could do to make yourself more fit.
 
If you go to UCF it will be easier to get into UCFs new med school, which has the highest avg GPA in the state. They are the first school to ever offer four year scholarships to everyone in the class but I am not sure if they are going to continue that for a few years or not. Just something to think about, even though I would pick UF Med over UCF Med.
 
FLPreMed said:
Hey everyone,

Here is an update to my situation..

I've been to both schools, both seemed very nice. I have spoken to an advisor at UF and they told me that there was no way I could complete both the business curriculum and the pre-med requirements in 4 semesters (which is what they cap you at as an incoming transfer for whatever reason). I did not find the advisor(s) at UCF very helpful in choosing classes and overall pre-med information. Though I have yet to talk to Dr. Lopez (the head guy over there).

My other option would be to go to UF and get my business degree, and then complete a post-baccalaureate pre-med program at another university anywhere in the U.S. What do you guys think about these programs and would this be a good choice?
Click to expand...

i think it matters what you are going to do after undergraduate school and what you plan on doing with your major. if you are thinking about business school and medical school, here is how i would tackle it...

go to UF, take the pre-med courses. do really well. i think it would be better and faster than a post-bacc. For business school, you do not have to major in econ or something, you just have to show interest in the field. so it depends on what your plans are.
 
FLPreMed said:
Hey everyone,

Here is an update to my situation..

I've been to both schools, both seemed very nice. I have spoken to an advisor at UF and they told me that there was no way I could complete both the business curriculum and the pre-med requirements in 4 semesters (which is what they cap you at as an incoming transfer for whatever reason). I did not find the advisor(s) at UCF very helpful in choosing classes and overall pre-med information. Though I have yet to talk to Dr. Lopez (the head guy over there).

My other option would be to go to UF and get my business degree, and then complete a post-baccalaureate pre-med program at another university anywhere in the U.S. What do you guys think about these programs and would this be a good choice?

If I could major in Biology, which is what I believe I would enjoy, I would enroll at UF. My reasoning for having a "fallback" in biology is that I believe I would enjoy being a biologist doing research or working in a lab. In the end, my number one goal is to become a doctor, be it M.D. , D.O. or F.M.G. M.D.

GujuDoc,
Could you clarify what you mean when you said " There is nothing out of medicine or continuing education that you can do with a bio degree for the most part.".......Continuing education as in going for a masters or PhD or as in teaching biology?

I'm curious if anyone knows if you can become a biologist or find a career in biology with a business degree or if it's strictly open to biology majors?


Thank you for your responses everyone!
Click to expand...

This is such a lie. UF tells you blah blah you can't do this you can't do that. My same friend who transferred from a CC as a microbiology major and changed colleges AND majors to be a Chemistry major is finishing his stuff in 3 years, not two and has taken summer courses each year. In total it'll be 8 semesters at UF for him.

I'm pretty positive you'll be able to change your major anyway because I've seen so many people do it even as transfers. Go to UF, do one semester as a business major and then go to the college of Agriculture and express you're disinterest in business and how you want to be a doctor now because whatever and transfer to their college as a biology or microbiology major. It's a small college and they're extremely helpful, they'll make it happen like they did with my friend.

Bottom line is they can't force you to be a business major if you gave it a chance and find it miserable.
 
Ian1223 said:
I got my BS from UCF in Molecular and Microbiology. Heres my opinion:

The facilities at UCF are truly top notch. Dr. Lopez is a great guy and if you have the passion to be a doctor and the ability to maintain a 3.8+ gpa and achieve a 30+ MCAT, there is no reason they could not send you to an american MD school. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. The advising office for Molecular and Microbiology majors is located on the third floor of HPA II. They are generally very busy but if you talk to the secretary you should be able to see someone about signing you up for the right classes.

UF is a different kind of school than UCF. A 3.8+ gpa means much more there than at UCF because it is much more well respected in the american university system. All things equal, a UF graduate will always do better in the application process than a UCF graduate. This applies for all Florida schools and it is the reason they can afford to be so selective.

If your decision is only between UF and UCF, I recommend going to UCF. UF will not let you take the pre-med prereqs. Make no mistake, at UF your business classes there will be extremely difficult to achieve A's in, even for someone who has achieved a great gpa in community college already. B's are your enemy, do not risk it, especially for classes that you dont really want or need to take. It is very difficult to succeed in school in an area you are not passionate about.

The best scenario for you would be to achieve your bachelors in a school and a major you are confident you can maintain a high GPA in, then attend a post-baccalaureate program for premed pre-reqs at the absolute best school you can get into. No top school in the country's admissions committees for these kinds of programs will have trouble respecting a high grade point average from any major US university.

The best advice I got on applying was to only do it after you were absolutely sure there was nothing more you could do to make yourself more fit.
Click to expand...

UF's business classes are actually really easy to do well in. My friends barely do anything and have great GPAs.
 
RevivedPreMed said:
UF's business classes are actually really easy to do well in. My friends barely do anything and have great GPAs.
Click to expand...

My sister went to UF for accounting and works all the time. Just as hard as I did for my upper division science classes. This is what I based my opinion off of.
 
Ian1223 said:
My sister went to UF for accounting and works all the time. Just as hard as I did for my upper division science classes. This is what I based my opinion off of.
Click to expand...

Accounting is it's own separate school. Under the college of business there is the school of business and the Fischer school of accounting.

I agree that accounting at UF is pretty hard but I did not think of it for this post because it's separate and if the OP was doing this track they definitely would have mentioned it.

All the majors in the school of business (economics, business administration, marketing, management, etc.) are really easy, especially since the classes are huge and broadcasted online.
 
If the OP believes they can get a high GPA at UF, then, as opposed to UCF, that is where she/he should go.
 
Hey everyone,

After spending hours and hours on the phone with both the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, they will not let me change majors under any circumstance..

I can't decide which path would be better...

Go to UF, major in business, go to a reputable post-bac and finish all the pre-med requirements in a "structured" environment at a more prominent university. This would be the more expensive choice..

Or..

Go to UCF and complete a Molecular Bio and Microbiology major that is not as "structured" and requires some extra classes not really "necessary" for med school (molec bio., immunology, microbio, biochem) etc. This would be the cheaper but possibly longer choice.

The problem is if I did not "cut it" (either grade-wise or if I just shadowed/volunteer and found I did not enjoy it) for med-school I believe I would enjoy working as a field/research biologist (PhD etc.) And I don't know if that's possible with a degree in Business from UF and post-bac work at another University..

And with post-bac's, they don't like to see the applicants take any of the pre-req's which means I can't even try UCF without taking away the possibility of UF + post bac.
 
I'd say just go to UCF... It really isn't that bad a school, and you'll have plenty of opportunities to be successful...
 
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