<p>Which college is better for a biological science undergaraduate student wanting to go into the medical field , FSU or USF in Tampa,FL?</p>
<p>Definitely FSU.</p>
<p>USF is strong in Medicine. FSU has more national recognition (which is expected, because it so much older).</p>
<p>Med school is mostly a number game, so just go to the one you “fit” better.</p>
<p>While USF has a nice med school so too does Florida State. Florida State also has a stronger academic profile in the sciences.</p>
<p>USF is also like UCF, which are both commuter-type universities. FSU and UF are more traditional residential-type universities.</p>
<p>USF is now completing a new dorm that alone will house 1050 freshmen when it opens Fall '09. That will bring total on campus beds at USF to about 5100, not counting Greek on-campus housing. I think the figure for FSU now is around 6300 beds on campus, UCF about 6000. Probably close to half of USF’s next class of approx. 4000 freshmen will live on campus. UCF and USF are modern public universities established in large metropolitan areas, each area about 10 times the size of metro FSU/Tallahassee’s population of about 300,000. Hence by design, many USF and UCF undergraduate students still live at home–just makes practical sense.</p>
<p>A commuter school fits the needs of some students.</p>
<p>Thank you for your replies. It would be impossible for me to commute to either school. I am looking at the academics of the biological science program at each school. I was hoping to learn more about FSU’s programs first hand from other people. I do have a little information about USF. I do like the university feel of FSU.</p>
<p>In this order
UF
FSU
UCF
USF
FIU</p>
<p>The [current</a> USNWR graduate program rankings](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/bio/search/]current”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/bio/search/):</p>
<p>UF 48
FSU 89
UMiami 105
USF - unranked
UCF - unranked</p>
<p>Note that these rankings come and go, but practically speaking FSU and UF and UM have strength in this area. The difference between these three is nil. I would not assume UF has the best program.</p>
<p>UF is almost always on top, them FSU or UM ( i did not mention because its private), then UCF then USF.</p>
<p>extremek, Don’t forget to check out USF’s 7 year medical program if you are dead set on being a doctor. It’s not for everyone, but works for a few. It combines undergraduate biomedical studies with an eventual md degree in an accelerated program over 7 years:</p>
<p>[Accelereated</a> Programs, 7 Yr. Medical Program - USF Honors College](<a href=“http://usfweb2.usf.edu/honors/ap_med.html]Accelereated”>http://usfweb2.usf.edu/honors/ap_med.html)</p>
<p>USF Health is a force to be reckoned with. And while this is mostly an umbrella encompassing graduate programs of the College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the School of Physical Therapy etc, the contacts made during undergrad might mean acceptance to a graduate program at USF more of a reality. It’s affiliations with the cancer institute, the orthopedic hospital, the children’s hospital, the VA etc are varied. The research available is endless. UCF and FSU cannot yet compete at this level. One day they will. But currently, USF Health is up there with UF and UM.</p>
<p>Well we also have to think that UCF just opened its college of medicine, in just the first year it has more endowment than USF, sooo, also FSU is throwing money at their college of medicine because of the shortages of Physicians in Florida.</p>
<p>There isn’t a shortage of physicians in Florida, except maybe in some rural and impoverished areas. Look in your telephone book’s yellow pages. Tons of doctors are advertising for new patients; if there were a shortage there wouldn’t be any ads. Florida has more medical colleges than needed. Present med schools, plus doctors moving from other areas take care of Florida’s needs adequately.</p>
<p>There is a shortage of nurses. Colleges of nursing are having to turn away applicants despite the dire shortage. One of the biggest problems is nursing schools are not able to get adequate numbers of qualified nursing instructors. The best nurses can get paid more practicing than teaching. Florida should try to help the health profession by developing, recruiting, and assist in retaining nursing instructors for the nursing colleges–and stop building expensive medical colleges. Needless to say, unemployed and underemployed Floridians wanting to get into nursing, but turned away from nursing colleges because they don’t have enough teachers, would welcome this also.</p>
<p>OK lizard google shortages of doctors, and you will find out there is a shortage of surgeons and other M.D. all over in the US, and especially in Florida. That is why UCF and FIU created their medical program, that is why UF, FSU, and USF and investing so much money on their programs, to ACCEPT MORE STUDENTS. UCF received so much endowment from donations both from people, companies, and hospitals that they broadened their new medical program. Which by the way is about to open this August.
Congrats (clapping)</p>
<p>Creating new medical colleges at Florida International, UCF, and FSU in recent years was probably the least cost effective way of meeting Florida’s need for physicians. Existing state medical colleges could have enlarged their enrollments to meet need for a lot less money. Universities getting the new medical schools wanted them to enhance their perceived prestige and reputations as much as any other reason. Now with money so tight, the older medical colleges suffer because state money is watered down so much when the new schools have to be funded additionally.</p>
<p>A quick way to get thousands of new doctors practicing in Florida would be to reform medical malpractice laws in Florida now. Florida is a “hellhole” liability-wise for doctors now, and chases many out of practicing medicine. Reform will probably occur when Florida truly has a doctor shortage crisis.</p>
<p>I would agree with this evaluation about the new FIU and UCF med schools. I don’t think it is appropriate to place FSU Med in the same group because clearly it has risen very quickly as a leading producer of primary care docs.</p>
<p>The FIU and UCF programs seem determined to be designed to attract the “prestige” factor for the schools, which really is a hard sell in this economy. They were both approved when budgets were overflowing. Now they are starving, while FSU Med is the funding-envy of all Florida universities. The reason? FSU Med is doing exactly what the Legislature wanted - producing MDs for primary care and under served populations.</p>
<p>[FSU</a> Med Among Nations Best](<a href=“http://unicomm.fsu.edu/pages/releases/2008_10/17_family_doctors.html]FSU”>http://unicomm.fsu.edu/pages/releases/2008_10/17_family_doctors.html)
</p>
<p>I have to agree. Two new med schools (UCF and FIU) on top of UF FSU USF UM? And FAU has a new one in development— a co-op with UM? Pork barrel politics during the boom years. Lizard is right on about malpractice in the state of Florida. It is the biggest reason why there are physician shortages. And training all these physicians when there are not enough residency program slots for them means a huge number will have to leave the state of Florida to complete their training. And vast numbers of interns and residents stay where they do their residencies. They make connections that last. So all these med students who will never come back… </p>
<p>Expanding the classes at the existing schools combined with funding more residency training programs was a better idea. But our reps in Tallahassee that serve the constituents if UCF, FIU and FAU, along with reps that are alums from these schools, were quite persuasive in their arguments. I think that UCF was a good choice, but to get UCF med school approved, their were deals that let FIU and FAU get passed. “You scratch me back and I’ll scratch yours.”</p>
<p>The reason why Med schools were created in UCF and FIU is because there were no med schools (public) near those industrial areas, this hurts the students in those areas that want to take med school. FSU is one of the top Med Universities, but only recently, their TREMENDOUS growth is the reason why Floridas education board has given them more funding than any other med school, including UF. Also FSU cannot take that many amount of students with out hurting there prestige. The reasons why there is a shortage of doctors is because many of the people that want to becaome doctors cant afford it, its not because the malpractice laws, many of the students in my school want to become doctors but since the nearest med school is up north they cant afford it, FIU med school can be their solution.</p>
<p>Joker, I am an MD on the faculty of the FSU College of Medicine. I have practiced for 25 years in the state of Florida. You can search my posts, I have mentioned it before. I am quite familiar with the malpractice situation, the research that backs up the reasons why there are physician shortages in this state and other states, and the politics behind the new medical schools. Your information is not entirely correct. I am not here to argue with you, however.</p>