More FAQs:
I was wondering if you could tell me more about your experience so far? Are you satisfied with the curriculum format? Do you have access to your professors?
I am very satisfied with UM. It's not without its logistical kinks but honestly, no school is perfect. In terms of the curriculum format, because I'm in the MD/MPH, we have three days/week of problem based learning (PBL). You may or may not be familiar but I'll explain it anyway. It's a small group session of about 8-10 folks and we work through a case for the week. This takes the place of formal lecture for that material BUT there are lectures where the material overlaps so there is some degree of reinforcement. The MD traditional track receives additional lectures to cover info that we would have covered in PBL. I personally don't mind PBL though; It feels like you're working on the floors; forces you to think. Formal lectures are really good in general; they're also optional for the most part; they're all recorded. Some information could be streamlined but it's not unbearable. The majority of professors are very accessible; there are a few who are actual practicing physicians so it's a bit more difficult. We had an ENT come in to lecture after an early surgery just to turn around and go right back lol. But the course coordinators actively work with students to improve the courses for future students. In terms of "more hands-on" not sure what you mean, maybe PBL?
Is there early patient exposure?
There's definitely early patient exposure whether by practicing physical exam skills in small groups at the hospital, volunteering at the student-run health clinics, or volunteering at the many health fairs we host. Most of this stuff happens within the first few weeks.
Are you happy with the way they prepared you for the Step exams?
I can't speak to Step yet as I'm just starting my second year but the lowest pass rate we've had is 97% I believe, maybe 98%. As far as the competitiveness of our scores, the only proxy I can offer is our match list which has been pretty good for years, if you want to check that out.
Is the school focused on helping the underserved? What are the volunteering opportunities like? What are the research opportunities like? How is the neighborhood?
UM has a strong mission for helping the underserved. The school is located in one of the most marginalized neighborhoods in the city. The volunteerism is what you make it. There are many opportunities through various student orgs. You can also do your own search. In terms of research, we get emails pretty often trying to recruit medstudents for research. It's all about what interests you. It's also not hard to find faculty, etc. You have to stay on them though until get your foot in the door.
What do you appreciate most about the school's environment? Is there anything else that you feel makes UMiami unique as a medical school?
What I appreciate and what I think sets UM apart is the population that it serves. The intersectionality is crazy. We see pt's that only speak spanish, only speak creole, the poor, the more well-off, and every combination in between. Most upperclassmen that I've spoken to feel very prepared upon going off to residency.
Refer to post #8 for more detail.
Also refer to Post #73 for another perspective on same questions.
