SUNY Stony Brook vs. SUNY Buffalo vs. Rush

[Huskymaniac]

I am not going to provide cons and pros as I don't want to ask a leading question. I am genuinely interested in how other people see the pros and cons. At this point, specialty is undecided. Neurology, OB-GYN, Internal Medicine, General Surgery and Anesthesiology are all attractive with, maybe, Neurology in the lead right now.

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[AstroSidekick]

Without pros and cons, it’s impossible for us to advise you on what would be the best fit.

You could match into any specialty from any school. But to do well, you need to be happy which means being in a comfortable location, not having a mountain of debt, etc…

 

[Huskymaniac]

Anyone else have any input on any of these schools?

 

[chilly_md]

Choose the cheaper and/or closer to home out of the SUNY schools if you are IS for them.

Neurology is a less competitive speciality to match into.

 

[mdog31415]

COA is a huge factor- if one institution is >$10k/yr cheaper than another, there better be a huge reason to choose the more expensive institution. If you're NY IS, the SUNY's will be way cheaper. Research seems equal across the board. Rush housing is a tad harder to get near the medical school vs Stony Brook and Buffalo. Traffic is relatively light at Buffalo vs the other two. Rush's hospital is highest ranked, followed by Stony Brook's (granted who cares about rankings lol?). Rush is more service oriented than the SUNY's. Stony Brook- weather is better, so go there if you hate snow and freezing temperatures. Stony Brook>Rush>Buffalo in terms of brand name (but again, minor details). Me personally, I'd choose Stony Brook, but part of it has to do with my personal preferences (specialties of interest, location, local support network, ect.)

 

[Huskymaniac]

@chilly_md @mdog31415

Yes, in state for the SUNYs so they will cost less. Thanks for the inputs! I can't say I disagree with anything you guys said. However, it seems like Rush is the best in terms of match results, followed by Stony Brook. It seems especially so for Neurology.

On the flip side, the area around Rush appears to be, well, not so nice.

 

[chilly_md]

@chilly_md @mdog31415

Yes, in state for the SUNYs so they will cost less. Thanks for the inputs! I can't say I disagree with anything you guys said. However, it seems like Rush is the best in terms of match results, followed by Stony Brook. It seems especially so for Neurology.

On the flip side, the area around Rush appears to be, well, not so nice.

If you don’t like the area, I don’t think it’s worth going. Match lists are hard to read and Stony Brook would not hold you back.

A quick look shows that Buffalo’s home program seems to like to take their own students if that is of interest to you.

 

[Huskymaniac]

If you don’t like the area, I don’t think it’s worth going. Match lists are hard to read and Stony Brook would not hold you back.

Can you expand on match lists being hard to read.

It is hard to go somewhere that is decaying but, sometimes, you need to make short term sacrifices for long term goals. It is a tough decision. It would have been nice if the place I liked the most also had the best residency matches but it didn't work out that way.

Another point I will add is that there is a desire to have some leverage in choosing where I settle after the whole residency process is done. I want to live in a nice warm place that everyone else likes too so getting a job will be competitive. As such, I think having a residency at a top hospital will be important so I am not just worried about matching somewhere but somewhere really reputable.

 

[chilly_md]

Can you expand on match lists being hard to read.

It is hard to go somewhere that is decaying but, sometimes, you need to make short term sacrifices for long term goals. It is a tough decision. It would have been nice if the place I liked the most also had the best residency matches but it didn't work out that way.

Another point I will add is that there is a desire to have some leverage in choosing where I settle after the whole residency process is done. I want to live in a nice warm place that everyone else likes too so getting a job will be competitive. As such, I think having a residency at a top hospital will be important so I am not just worried about matching somewhere but somewhere really reputable.

Programs without a flashy names are sometimes the best training spots and only those in that speciality know that.

As for the match list, I assume you are looking that Rush had about 5-6 neuro matches one year. The thing is, the year adjacent to that shows it was mostly to their own home program. It varies year to year and sometimes, the best students are interested in something else. Neuro is a less popular speciality and it could be that for that year that they happened to like neuro and did well in the match.

If all you want is to work somewhere warm as an attending, then you don’t need to worry about things like this. There is a need for neurologists everywhere, and like I said already, it is not a very competitive speciality. A hospital in Miami is not going to care where you did your residency when you apply for a job there.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Programs without a flashy names are sometimes the best training spots and only those in that speciality know that.

As for the match list, I assume you are looking that Rush had about 5-6 neuro matches one year. The thing is, the year adjacent to that shows it was mostly to their own home program. It varies year to year and sometimes, the best students are interested in something else. Neuro is a less popular speciality and it could be that for that year that they happened to like neuro and did well in the match.

If all you want is to work somewhere warm as an attending, then you don’t need to worry about things like this. There is a need for neurologists everywhere, and like I said already, it is not a very competitive speciality. A hospital in Miami is not going to care where you did your residency when you apply for a job there.

It wasn't just that they had six matches. The matches were all to top hospitals for neurology. But I get your point that it varies from year to year.

As for the area, I am thinking more southern california than Miami. I have this thought in my head that it is difficult to get a job in, say, the LA area due to everyone wanting to live there.

BTW, thanks for this input. It is really appreciated.

 

[mdog31415]

Programs without a flashy names are sometimes the best training spots and only those in that speciality know that.

As for the match list, I assume you are looking that Rush had about 5-6 neuro matches one year. The thing is, the year adjacent to that shows it was mostly to their own home program. It varies year to year and sometimes, the best students are interested in something else. Neuro is a less popular speciality and it could be that for that year that they happened to like neuro and did well in the match.

If all you want is to work somewhere warm as an attending, then you don’t need to worry about things like this. There is a need for neurologists everywhere, and like I said already, it is not a very competitive speciality. A hospital in Miami is not going to care where you did your residency when you apply for a job there.

I love what you said here, and it matches my experience. A year ago, I was opting for Rush over RFU, and a big reason was the name brand of Rush. Rush never took me off the WL, so RFU it was. That said, I live right next to RFU in a decent area. I can be at school in a 5 min walk. Had I gone to Rush, that would not be the case. We're talking about time and money lost to commuting, and that's a big deal. So for OP, keep that in mind.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Heard from a friend that there isn't a lot of guidance from the administration at Stony Brook. I have no idea if that is typical of most med schools or just Stony Brook.