Applicant Questions

FIU will only give you back enough money to meet the cost of attendance, per state law(s). The max I have gotten is 4k-5k per semester. Nevertheless, I strongly suggest you live on campus because commuting is very tedious and exhausting. Imagine having someone hold you in place for 2-3 hours without allowing you to study or doze off. Living on campus can help you take advantage of research opportunities.

FIU is kind of looked down upon and I don’t see why it’s seen like that

To answer this, I'll refute some of the comments below.

You: My major is set as bio on a pre med track. Commenter: the sciences at FIU are pretty good and seem to be very hands on.

I'd like to invite you to come over to the OE and CP buildings. Just walk around, look at the chemistry labs, the research labs and the other facilities. As a basic science major, the basic sciences are lacking outside of a few areas of research. Everybody and their grandmother majors in pre-med biology, but (based on speaking with profs) MCAT scores are at ~30th percentile. In my opinion, If you come here and major in biology for premed, I suggest you get your 4.0, get significant research experience and then either do summer/post-bacc research or study for the MCAT on your own time.

If you like biology and like math, I suggest you major in BME as the major can help you learn data analysis skills that you won't learn in the bio and chem majors. The research in the BME department is much more interesting and active than in Bio and chem, although it depends on your own individual perspective. Nevertheless, It might be more difficult to get a 4.0 in BME as it is an engineering major.

I don't want to necessarily discourage you from coming here because Bio majors have gone on to very prestigious MD and MD/Ph.D. programs (after obtaining summa + high MCAT scores and post-bacc research experiences) but don't expect the university to propel you to these experiences. You ultimately have to take the initiative.

Finally, On the teaching: Seek to maintain a high GPA at all costs. Something you'll often hear at FIU is to take [professor] because you'll learn [subject] for the MCAT or "you'll really learn [subject]". Don't fall for this trap. Always pick the professor you can get the best grade on, and there are plenty of these at FIU. Use the honors college for class scheduling and ask upperclassmen about classes in your major. If you have any questions let me know through PM.

/r/FIU Thread