Florida State University College of Medicine

FSU starts early, in the first week of June, with a summer devoted to anatomy: afternoon lectures followed by dissection, and mornings of small groups and physical exam practice with standardized patients. The rest of the first two years moves through organ-system blocks.

Students rotate with a community physician in the spring of first year and fall of second year, plus a three-week rotation somewhere in the state; the FSU student interviewed calls clinical skills "a major strength of FSU students."

After two years in Tallahassee, students complete their clinical years at one of FSU's regional campuses, including Daytona Beach, Fort Pierce, Orlando, Pensacola, Sarasota, and Tallahassee, learning in more than 90 medical facilities across Florida.

Because training is community-based, students almost always work one-on-one with a physician. A Rural Program in Marianna offers a longitudinal integrated third year, and students can rotate in Immokalee, a farmworker community on the edge of the Everglades.

Each class is split into groups of 30 assigned to one of four learning communities, large shared spaces with a living area, kitchen, and private study rooms, which bond classmates from the first day.

The student describes a fantastic support system and a tight-knit class.

Tallahassee offers nightlife around Collegetown, parks, and the state capitol, where some students have met with legislators about issues they care about.

FSU strongly prefers Florida residents and admits very few out-of-state applicants, usually fewer than 10 per class.