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SUNY Buffalo vs. SUNY Downstate
- Thread starter nyb34
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I did not interview at Downstate, but if I had to pick I would pick Downstate for the following reasons:
1. System Cirriculum (from what I heard)
2. Good Rotations
3. Close to City
4. Close to friends and family
I am sure someone who has either interviewed or been accepted to these schools could give you a better idea. Buffalo just seems to far north.
1. System Cirriculum (from what I heard)
2. Good Rotations
3. Close to City
4. Close to friends and family
I am sure someone who has either interviewed or been accepted to these schools could give you a better idea. Buffalo just seems to far north.
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I'm struggling with the same decision. To me Buffalo seemed to have a better curriculum setup, and lectures usually don't go beyond noon. Students also seemed friendlier and more cohesive. Downstate, everyone will say, gets the clinical nod plus it's in NYC.
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willow18 said:
OP, obviously listen to willow18. I was just giving my opinion based on what I heard. Like I said, I did not interview at those places. good luck
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both have their advantages, I would choose buffalo because the area is a hell of a lot nicer and the academics seem to be a bit stronger. However Downstate is close to NYC...
medschool9 said:
i don't understand where downstate gets the rep of having not the best academics. a nobel prize winner is on the faculty and have you checked out their match list? the students do pretty well. you learn the same stuff no matter where you go. i think it boils down to where you want to live and what kind of environment you want to do your clinicals.
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willow18 said:
I completely agree with the fact that students at Buffalo seem a lot friendlier and down to earth...and the cohesiveness of the curriculum...do you think that students in one school are more competetive than the other? do u know how the students at downstate do on the boards (i mean like what is their mean...etc.)
Honestly...the location is of least importance to me...I'm trying to base my decision more on the quality of education, the board scores and where the students end up for residencies...
THIS IS SOO DIFFICULT....wahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
nyb34 said:
downstate's average on the boards is the national average, or so they said on interview day.
i thought downstate students were friendly and down to earth, but i didn't interview at buffalo (the only SUNY that didn't invite me!)
downstate students seem to work together real well and not be so competitive.
honestly, i think you are splitting hairs here. they are probably not very different in terms of where you will end up in the end. go with your gut, go where you think you will be happy.
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willow18 said:
Another thing willow is that...SUNY Buffalo's mean board scores are 5 points above the national average...while Downstate board scores seem to be at the national average...if not sure if this is a significant difference that I can base a decision on....what are your thoughts?
hahaha you people are hilarious. the ones that want to get off downstate's WL are telling you to choose Buffalo and the ones who want to get off Buffalo's WL are telling you to choose Downstate.
I know a lot of people chose Buffalo instead of the other SUNY's to get away from the city. Having grown up in the city, I'm happy to get out for med school. Buffalo's known for solid research, clinical experience, systems based curriculum, etc. It's also much cheaper to live in Buffalo than Downstate. Good luck with your decision.
I know a lot of people chose Buffalo instead of the other SUNY's to get away from the city. Having grown up in the city, I'm happy to get out for med school. Buffalo's known for solid research, clinical experience, systems based curriculum, etc. It's also much cheaper to live in Buffalo than Downstate. Good luck with your decision.
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I go to Buffalo, just finished my 1st year there. I don't think there is much of a difference between Buffalo and Downstate in terms of which is "better," just which is a better fit for you. Most people tend to go to the school that's closer to their hometown. There's a clear skew in the Buffalo student body towards Western NY'ers, they make up more than 1/3 of the class, and as far as I know Western NY does not make up 1/3 of NY State's population. I think that's mostly due to them being a self-selected bunch, and since people from the rest of the state may be scared off by the infamous Buffalo winters.
The students are definitely the best part of the school, I think you were right on in your impression that the student body is pretty awesome. Also, no one is really at all competitive--grading is on an absolute scale, so there's no curve--if everyone does well, everyone gets Honors. Those are the definite pros. The curriculum is pretty good, it's a bit uneven at times though. Some classes are taught extremely well, others not so much.
There is a lot of griping constantly about pretty much everything under the sun, in particular our clinical medicine class. There are some unhappy students. But I don't think that's the norm, and I tend to think that maybe some people are just gonna be unhappy at any school because it's hard and sometimes it seems unforgiving. But let me tell you, from personal experience and the experiences of several of my friends, if there is one thing that Buffalo is NOT, it is unforgiving of academic lapses. They're pretty understanding. Take from that what you will 😉
The location isn't the best, but it's kind of underrated too--Buffalo is really a decent city. And I am from NYC originally, so it's not like I've never lived in a real city before. And the snow? It's really not that bad. It gets seriously freezing, though, I find that much more jarring than the snow.
The students are definitely the best part of the school, I think you were right on in your impression that the student body is pretty awesome. Also, no one is really at all competitive--grading is on an absolute scale, so there's no curve--if everyone does well, everyone gets Honors. Those are the definite pros. The curriculum is pretty good, it's a bit uneven at times though. Some classes are taught extremely well, others not so much.
There is a lot of griping constantly about pretty much everything under the sun, in particular our clinical medicine class. There are some unhappy students. But I don't think that's the norm, and I tend to think that maybe some people are just gonna be unhappy at any school because it's hard and sometimes it seems unforgiving. But let me tell you, from personal experience and the experiences of several of my friends, if there is one thing that Buffalo is NOT, it is unforgiving of academic lapses. They're pretty understanding. Take from that what you will 😉
The location isn't the best, but it's kind of underrated too--Buffalo is really a decent city. And I am from NYC originally, so it's not like I've never lived in a real city before. And the snow? It's really not that bad. It gets seriously freezing, though, I find that much more jarring than the snow.
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What I mean is that they are a bit more touchy-feely than most schools in considering extenuating circumstances and such as explanation for poor performance. For instance, many people failed our first GI exam, which was really hard, and then they technically couldn't pass GI after doing that because we were requred to pass all of the exams. So, they had to write some essays and then all was forgiven, provided that they passed the course overall (which everyone did). They didn't have to repeat over the summer, which would have been a nightmare because GI is the neverending module (I think it's like 10 weeks long!). Things like that make school less stressful. I mean, obviously everyone tries to do well, but if you mess up it's not the end of the world.willow18 said:
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ah, okay, sorry about that, I see upon re-reading it that my sentence was kinda convoluted 🙂willow18 said:
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I pretty much agree with everything Supercluster already said - if you have one academic blip they won't throw the rule book at you. The faculty really does try to help you out (of course, you have to show them you're not just slacking off). I was on a couple waitlists last year but I'm actually pretty glad that I ended up here, it's turned out to be a good fit for me.
I really think that for the most part, a "School A vs School B" decision comes down to personal factors. Don't let board scores or perceived academic "superiority" make your decision for you. Think about what type of city you want to live in - a lot of people here complain about Buffalo not being NYC but deep down inside they don't mind that much. But then I do know one or two people who really don't feel at home here - this is just the wrong kind of city for them in particular. Similarly, if I were in NYC (for instance) I don't think I'd be quite as happy - that's not the right kind of city for me. Also think about whether you want to be close to your family and friends - that can make a big difference in terms of being able to find support for when you're having a tough time.
Besides those non-academic things, think about how you learn best - do you find lectures generally helpful for your learning? Most schools have a contigent that swears by independent learning and who never go to lecture - Buffalo's no different. If you can't stand lecture and go to a school with mandatory attendance (I don't think Downstate does, I'm just saying as an example) then that's probably not a good fit for you.
Both Buffalo and Downstate have probably pretty similar board performances from year to year and similar caliber match-lists. Don't base your decision on the fact (? this thread is the first I heard of this) that Buffalo's average last year was 5 points higher than Downstate or that Downstate had X matches in X specialty, including a high prestige match at X school's residency program. If you do well at either school, you'll match where you want to match in what you want to match. It's easier to do well when you're at a school you love in an environment that enhances your ability to learn and perform.
I really did (for the most part) enjoy my first year at Buffalo. Some of my friends enjoyed it as much as I did, some of them had a mixed experience, and some are just relieved it's over and they're out of Buffalo for the summer. Everyone's going to have a different experience at all the different schools, so just do what you can to find the school with the environment that matches you best, not just the school with the highest board score and the "best" residency matches.
I think I'm repeating myself at this point so I'll stop. Good luck with your decision(s) and with your first year. And enjoy the summer 🙂.
I really think that for the most part, a "School A vs School B" decision comes down to personal factors. Don't let board scores or perceived academic "superiority" make your decision for you. Think about what type of city you want to live in - a lot of people here complain about Buffalo not being NYC but deep down inside they don't mind that much. But then I do know one or two people who really don't feel at home here - this is just the wrong kind of city for them in particular. Similarly, if I were in NYC (for instance) I don't think I'd be quite as happy - that's not the right kind of city for me. Also think about whether you want to be close to your family and friends - that can make a big difference in terms of being able to find support for when you're having a tough time.
Besides those non-academic things, think about how you learn best - do you find lectures generally helpful for your learning? Most schools have a contigent that swears by independent learning and who never go to lecture - Buffalo's no different. If you can't stand lecture and go to a school with mandatory attendance (I don't think Downstate does, I'm just saying as an example) then that's probably not a good fit for you.
Both Buffalo and Downstate have probably pretty similar board performances from year to year and similar caliber match-lists. Don't base your decision on the fact (? this thread is the first I heard of this) that Buffalo's average last year was 5 points higher than Downstate or that Downstate had X matches in X specialty, including a high prestige match at X school's residency program. If you do well at either school, you'll match where you want to match in what you want to match. It's easier to do well when you're at a school you love in an environment that enhances your ability to learn and perform.
I really did (for the most part) enjoy my first year at Buffalo. Some of my friends enjoyed it as much as I did, some of them had a mixed experience, and some are just relieved it's over and they're out of Buffalo for the summer. Everyone's going to have a different experience at all the different schools, so just do what you can to find the school with the environment that matches you best, not just the school with the highest board score and the "best" residency matches.
I think I'm repeating myself at this point so I'll stop. Good luck with your decision(s) and with your first year. And enjoy the summer 🙂.
I'm a first year at SUNY Buffalo and I have mixed feelings about the school. I chose to go here because I had heard that my classmates would be really friendly and that the academics would be good, but I've been feeling pretty blah about my whole situation as the year has worn on. Also, the more I talk to third and fourth year students, the more I realize the clinical exposure in Buffalo will be lacking. Buffalo's medical system is pretty screwed up and they don't really offer an in-depth clinical exposure in certain specialties. Check it out and email me if you have any questions. [email protected]
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Feel like I need to defend Buffalo a little bit. Not saying that MaxGuy is not justified in saying what he's saying, but I don't think things are quite as bleak as he portrays them.
After 4 years in Buffalo I feel like I have a pretty balanced perspective about the school. I had a mixed experience in the first two years - some courses were superb, some were okay, and there were a couple that I just plain hated. I did well on Step 1, which in my opinion is the main purpose of the first two years (though some of the faculty would disagree strongly with me about that). My class as a whole (and the class after mine) did quite well on Step 1. You can infer what you like about the curriculum from that; personally I felt that Buffalo prepared us very well in some areas and not well in others. Overall I am satisfied with the education I got during the first two years; I am not sure if it's any better or any worse than the education I would've gotten anywhere else, or even if it would've made any difference either way. The first two years don't make or break a medical school, and you'll find that in the residency application process those grades matter almost not at all. My recommendation would be to take what first and second year students say with a large grain of salt (I include my own post earlier in this thread).
I'm not sure what you mean by your statement that clinical exposure in certain specialties is lacking. The only specialties I can think of that you might be referring to are plastics and maybe rad onc, but even with those specialties you can do a rotation here - it takes a bit of persistence but they are available. We don't have the greatest track record of matching into those specialties, but we've had at least 1 in rad onc the past 3 years or so. The last time someone matched in plastics from here was in '05. If you're interested in those specialties and have other acceptances, I might recommend checking those options out instead. We do just fine in the other competitive matches (my class was 2/3 ortho, 5/6 ophtho, 3/3 uro, 7/7 ENT, 2/4 derm, 1/1 NS, 2/2 rad onc, everyone who applied in EM, gas, and rads matched).
http://www.smbs.buffalo.edu/ome/ome_resources_match.shtml
I feel that the clinical training here is a strong point overall, actually. You will feel pretty confident about your clinical skills as a graduate from Buffalo. The didactics aren't always the greatest, and not all of the attendings are great teachers, but that's true of any school. I feel that the medicine and pediatrics clerkships here are excellent - they will definitely prepare you for internship/residency. We do have a good reputation in terms of training solid clinicians.
Buffalo may not be the most glamorous school, nor the best school, but you can get to where you want to go from here. I definitely did.
After 4 years in Buffalo I feel like I have a pretty balanced perspective about the school. I had a mixed experience in the first two years - some courses were superb, some were okay, and there were a couple that I just plain hated. I did well on Step 1, which in my opinion is the main purpose of the first two years (though some of the faculty would disagree strongly with me about that). My class as a whole (and the class after mine) did quite well on Step 1. You can infer what you like about the curriculum from that; personally I felt that Buffalo prepared us very well in some areas and not well in others. Overall I am satisfied with the education I got during the first two years; I am not sure if it's any better or any worse than the education I would've gotten anywhere else, or even if it would've made any difference either way. The first two years don't make or break a medical school, and you'll find that in the residency application process those grades matter almost not at all. My recommendation would be to take what first and second year students say with a large grain of salt (I include my own post earlier in this thread).
I'm not sure what you mean by your statement that clinical exposure in certain specialties is lacking. The only specialties I can think of that you might be referring to are plastics and maybe rad onc, but even with those specialties you can do a rotation here - it takes a bit of persistence but they are available. We don't have the greatest track record of matching into those specialties, but we've had at least 1 in rad onc the past 3 years or so. The last time someone matched in plastics from here was in '05. If you're interested in those specialties and have other acceptances, I might recommend checking those options out instead. We do just fine in the other competitive matches (my class was 2/3 ortho, 5/6 ophtho, 3/3 uro, 7/7 ENT, 2/4 derm, 1/1 NS, 2/2 rad onc, everyone who applied in EM, gas, and rads matched).
http://www.smbs.buffalo.edu/ome/ome_resources_match.shtml
I feel that the clinical training here is a strong point overall, actually. You will feel pretty confident about your clinical skills as a graduate from Buffalo. The didactics aren't always the greatest, and not all of the attendings are great teachers, but that's true of any school. I feel that the medicine and pediatrics clerkships here are excellent - they will definitely prepare you for internship/residency. We do have a good reputation in terms of training solid clinicians.
Buffalo may not be the most glamorous school, nor the best school, but you can get to where you want to go from here. I definitely did.
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To (re)answer the question in this thread...
Overall it probably doesn't make too much of a difference whether you choose Buffalo or Downstate (if anyone's trying to make that decision). I'd go with whichever city you'd rather live in, and factor in whether you have family or friends in the area. You'll get a good education either way, and won't close any doors by going to either school.
Overall it probably doesn't make too much of a difference whether you choose Buffalo or Downstate (if anyone's trying to make that decision). I'd go with whichever city you'd rather live in, and factor in whether you have family or friends in the area. You'll get a good education either way, and won't close any doors by going to either school.
At DS, they did have a 100% step 1 pass rate...
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Just making sure everyone realizes this thread is almost 3 years old. I am pretty sure the OP has made his decision already. That is not to say the other information isn't useful, but I don't think he will be listening.
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Hard to say and it depends on where you live. If you live in the tri-state, then Downstate is the most popular. For suburbianites, Stony Brook and Buffalo seem tied.
Personally, very good clinical research seem to come out from Downstate.
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this post literally makes no sense....
the "tri-state" = NY, NJ, CT and includes alot of suburbs
I think in the NYC area both downstate and stony brook seem to be very well regarded and if you look at their match lists it doesnt seem like their students have any problem matching into NYC residencies. Then in general i think upstate is more highly regarded than buffalo. Overall I feel that stony brook is the most well known and most highly regarded.
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Oops.I meant "5 boroughs" not tri-state.lol
Anyway which school is highly regarded is a matter of personal opinion. They are not really ranked.
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I agree. At the end of the day, a medical education is a medical education. Ultimately what matters is whether you'd like to live in the city (Yes, Brooklyn is part of NYC) or in the suburbs.
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i wonder which one OP chose since it has been almost three years since this thread was started
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He must be enjoing his M3 rotations right now.
