USF vs FIU

[SuperMD17]

Hey guys! So I’m still deciding between these two schools. Their cost of attendance is about the same with both providing the same amout of funding in scholarships.

Here is my list of Pros and Cons:

FIU
_______
Pros:
-Feels like home
-Avg. Step Scores are HIGH (surpass national avg by about 10pts)
-I would be able to learn Spanish living in Miami
-I favor FIU’s curriculum over USF and think I would do great there
-I like the NHELP program
-FIU’s faculty is super supportive; they have a learning specialist who teaches you how to study and I really like that. The deans are super receptive and open to student feedback.

Cons:
-No affiliated hospitals-I’ll be driving up and down a lot and the miami traffic is no joke
-Miami is super congested and ovepriced (cost of living)



USF
_____

Pros:
-Lower overall cost of living (rent is super cheap)
-Ive heard from upperclassmen that I wont really need to purchase textbooks bc they used a lot of ppts
-Huge Affiliated Hospitals- I can make great connections, wont have to drive too far
-Traffic isnt too bad
- I like the fact that I’ll be taking courses with other students (SELECT & DPT) for the first year
-More diverse studen body- in terms of students from outside of Florida

Cons:
-Significantly lower avg STEP scores than FIU (right around the national average
-I’m URM and with USF I feel like they’re only interested in me to meet a quota whereas with FIU I feel like they want me for me.


Your feedback would be greatly appreciated!

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[ineedhelpplse]

Sounds like you want to go to FIU

 

[MooberGoober]

Go where you feel the most comfortable, in this case FIU.

 

[sss1219]

I would not consider step 1 scores in your pros/cons because they are almost entirely based on personal preparation rather than school curriculum. In FIU's case I believe they have a rather nasty class attrition policy that may be confounding their scores. But it does seem you would be happiest there.

 

[The Unburnt]

Traffic in Tampa is HORRENDOUS. Easily one of the worst in Florida, probably pretty comparable to Miami/Orlando so I would definitely take that off your pro list lol. Along with that students at USF are taking classes downtown as well which is a lot of driving/taking the shuttle which from what I've heard can take an hour or more at certain times of the day. Also I think it's pretty common nowadays to not buy textbooks at most med schools. I interviewed at FIU and vaguely remember the students saying they had free online version of books and didn't spend much money on physical books. Even outside of those two things it sounds like you want to go to FIU! Congrats on great choices, I loved my interview day at FIU and have a couple friends who are very happy there!

 

[SuperMD17]

Sounds like you want to go to FIU

You’re right lol

Traffic in Tampa is HORRENDOUS. Easily one of the worst in Florida, probably pretty comparable to Miami/Orlando so I would definitely take that off your pro list lol. Along with that students at USF are taking classes downtown as well which is a lot of driving/taking the shuttle which from what I've heard can take an hour or more at certain times of the day. Also I think it's pretty common nowadays to not buy textbooks at most med schools. I interviewed at FIU and vaguely remember the students saying they had free online version of books and didn't spend much money on physical books. Even outside of those two things it sounds like you want to go to FIU! Congrats on great choices, I loved my interview day at FIU and have a couple friends who are very happy there!

Pretty Solid feedback! Thank you !!!