University of Florida vs. University of Miami Miller

[International_Leg230]

Hi everyone! UF and UM are my top choices out of the As I have now and my partner and I are having a really hard trying to decide between the 2 (he has As here too). UM has not released scholarship information yet and I anticipate that playing a large role in our decision since Miami rent is 2X+ more expensive than Gville. We attend UF for undergrad but I am thinking I want a change of scenery, but at the same time we like the fact that we know people already and are comfortable at this school. We are both interested in pursuing ortho in the future!

UMiami Pros

• Next Gen curriculum --> shorter pre-clinical, more hands-on training which is important now that Step 2 matters more
• Amazing clinical exposure (more diverse population + beds at Jackson)
• True PF no AOA
• More NIH funding for research
• Better ortho matching
• Lots of things to do when there is free time (restaurants, activities, art). Everyone is young and in the beginning of their careers
• Better weather
• Dad might move near here

UMiami Cons

• Admin not communicative at all. Haven't heard from them since my A in November. No first look/accepted students day or anything thus far
• Transportation to school is more of a hassle (public transport monorail from Downtown/Brickell to campus)
• Not as much green space for my dogs
• I don’t speak Spanish (not sure how much this matters)

UF Pros

• Comfortable
• Tight-knit community, students rave about how supportive everyone is
• Equal Access Clinic (been volunteering here for almost 3 years as an undergrad and it would be cool to transition to the med student side and potentially take a leadership position)
• Know people already (helpful for mentorship)
• Easy walk to school from where we live now (we would resign at our same apt complex)
• Lots of green space for my dogs + they keep their same vet/doggie day care which they adore
• Closer to my home (Orlando)

UF Cons

• Comfortable
• Longer pre-clinical time in curriculum
• Not much do do outside of school (Gainesville activities are tailored towards the undergrads)
• I don't always feel super safe here
• AOA

I have always wanted to live in a city and think my 20s would be the perfect time to do that, but I am so comfortable at UF. Rent is also insane in Miami now so I would be looking at like 150k extra in loans (no scholarship info has been released from UM). I'm so torn!! Please comment any additional features I may be missing + what your opinion is given our situation.

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[chilly_md]

UF. I’m not too familiar with the area, but I imagine Miami shouldn’t make you feel any safer than Gainesville. UMiami won’t get you closer to ortho, that’s more a reflection of what individual students wanted.

 

[Go2Mars]

UF; in addition to the state of Florida being a UF state (UF is a huge aspect in Florida through massive research projects, solid match lists, alumni network, mentorship with people you know, etc), UF would allow your dogs to maintain consistency and you can easily live at the same apartment without going through the hassle of moving with your partner. You want to attend medical school at a location where you feel comfortable and familiar with. Miami rent is way too high and the traffic there is also terrible. I honestly don’t feel the pros of UMiami outweigh the pros of UF considering UF is also higher ranked than UMiami (on US News, by residency program directors, and every website regarding Florida medical school rankings). Overall, UF seems like the more stable and safer option here (better communication by administration, higher ranking in terms of research&primary care, more research funding, bigger overall institution, your living situation)

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

lol did we (Miami) get rid of AOA entirely? I wasn't aware of that. We still had it for my class but I'm an old fart MS4 with severe senioritis who is entirely out of touch with the new curriculum. I had thought they were just changing the selection process but it's possible they dropped it altogether.

I love Miami and it would not be a bad choice (we had a killer ortho match last year - that particular number may have been a brief fluke, but we always match a lot of people into ortho), but based on your pros/cons I think UF may be the better and more comfortable choice for you. Unless you're really itching to leave, I think you might appreciate the stability of staying put in a place you have support. Maybe see if you can find an ortho applicant/alum from UF who can talk to you about their experience.