2011-2012 Stony Brook Application Thread

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effjay said:
That's really strange...maybe they mixed things up and you weren't meant to be rejected. Have you called them yet?
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:laugh: Thanks for the concern, but I am not planning to call. It is what it is.
 
YWANKER said:
Accepted this morning via email. Interviewed 1/24. Good luck everyone.
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Hey congrats.Who did you interview with? Mind me asking you what your stats were and how you liked the school?

mac316 said:
Wow quick turnaround. You must have really knocked their socks off!
Congratulations!!!
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Yea. At my interview they told us not to expect anything earlier than 6 weeks (probably closer to 8) b/c of how busy they were. I was really happy to hear in 3. Gotta feel great to get it in 1.
 
So how exactly does this Committee Review system work?

Do they just move the "more impressive" applications to the top of the order, and review less impressive applicants later on?
 
hellocubed said:
So how exactly does this Committee Review system work?

Do they just move the "more impressive" applications to the top of the order, and review less impressive applicants later on?
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It might not be more/less impressive. I interviewed with the associate dean of admissions so obviously he would be at all the adcom meetings when they discuss the candidates. Sometimes you get an interviewer who isn't at all the meetings so you won't be decided on until that person is available to be present. To a degree there might be a mentality of omg if we don't accept him soon there is no chance he will go here but I kind of doubt it is anything close to common.
 
It might not be more/less impressive. I interviewed with the associate dean of admissions so obviously he would be at all the adcom meetings when they discuss the candidates. Sometimes you get an interviewer who isn't at all the meetings so you won't be decided on until that person is available to be present. To a degree there might be a mentality of omg if we don't accept him soon there is no chance he will go here but I kind of doubt it is anything close to common.
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It has been over 2 Months since my interview back in November, and I still haven't heard back. There has to be something more to this. I don't know think my committee member would skip out on so many meetings.
 
it seems like applicants that are accepted hear back relatively soon (all members are in favor of the applicant/most favorable). not to be a downer, but my thinking is that those who are waiting a long time for a decision are being re-reviewed every time the adcom meets (i.e. adcom's standpoint on the applicant is unsure; members are divided on the applicant).
 
hellocubed said:
It has been over 2 Months since my interview back in November, and I still haven't heard back. There has to be something more to this. I don't know think my committee member would skip out on so many meetings.
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You really don't know though. From my experience last cycle and this one was that if you interview with admissions personal you tend to hear back sooner. I agree that over 2 months is a long time but the break over december really doesn't count b/c the committee doesn't meet. It is always possible they just haven't gotten around to discussing you yet because your interviewer has been unavailable.

You can always request another interview if you feel your interviewer didn't get a good idea of you or won't be able to paint you in a positive light for the committee.
 
blujhae said:
it seems like applicants that are accepted hear back relatively soon (all members are in favor of the applicant/most favorable). not to be a downer, but my thinking is that those who are waiting a long time for a decision are being re-reviewed every time the adcom meets (i.e. adcom's standpoint on the applicant is unsure; members are divided on the applicant).
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Actually, it seems like quite a few of the people who interviewed last year were accepted after that batch of waitlist emails. At this point, it could still be good or bad news. Hellocubed, I wouldn't worry about the timeline or how the committee works, since you can't do anything about it. If you really like the school, just keep sending them updates! :luck:
 
Thanks for the encouragement guys. I appreciate it.



It just bothers me that I had a decent interview date in mid/late-November when plenty of spaces were open.
Now there are few if any spots left, and people who interviewed 2 months after me are quickly filling the chairs.
🙁


I'll try to send updates. Is there any way that Stony Brook prefers updates to be sent?
This was asked a few times on this topic (by me as well), but never answered.
 
hellocubed said:
Thanks for the encouragement guys. I appreciate it.



It just bothers me that I had a decent interview date in mid/late-November when plenty of spaces were open.
Now there are few if any spots left, and people who interviewed 2 months after me are quickly filling the chairs.
🙁


I'll try to send updates. Is there any way that Stony Brook prefers updates to be sent?
This was asked a few times on this topic (by me as well), but never answered.
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Hellocubed,

I interviewed mid-December so my wait hasn't been as long as yours, but it's still been pretty long (currently past the 6 weeks that they had said). The wait's been frustrating, but as some of the above posters said, all we can do at this point is wait and submit updates. Trying to predict when we'll hear back will only add to anxiety and frustration. And believe me, I'm talking to myself when I say this.

As far as updates go, I believe sending them via e-mail would be the preferred way to go. I did that and they received mine just fine.
 
hellocubed said:
It just bothers me that I had a decent interview date in mid/late-November when plenty of spaces were open.
Now there are few if any spots left, and people who interviewed 2 months after me are quickly filling the chairs.
🙁

I'll try to send updates. Is there any way that Stony Brook prefers updates to be sent?
This was asked a few times on this topic (by me as well), but never answered.
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On our interview day (about a week ago), the assistant dean told us that regardless of when we're interviewed, we have about a 50% chance of acceptance, since they don't really keep track of how many people are on the accepted list (it's always changing anyway, with people withdrawing and such). So there's really no such thing as having too few spots left at this point.

It's safe to send updates to the main admissions email (as an attachment, in the body, or whatever--I don't think they're picky). If you're still hesitant, you can always call/email the office and ask what they prefer. I'm sure they'd be happy to tell you.
 
weilanna said:
On our interview day (about a week ago), the assistant dean told us that regardless of when we're interviewed, we have about a 50% chance of acceptance, since they don't really keep track of how many people are on the accepted list (it's always changing anyway, with people withdrawing and such). So there's really no such thing as having too few spots left at this point.
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I interviewed earlier this week and like the quoted post, the assistant dean made sure we understood that when you interview has no effect on you chance of acceptance. Additionally she was very straightforward about the possibility of an extended wait as they are now in the busiest stretch of the season. The roughly 50% post interview acceptance should be a morale booster for all of us.

Don't give up just yet!
 
Great~
looking forward to sending updates and seeing what happens.


Goodluck all
 
mac316 said:
I interviewed earlier this week and like the quoted post, the assistant dean made sure we understood that when you interview has no effect on you chance of acceptance. Additionally she was very straightforward about the possibility of an extended wait as they are now in the busiest stretch of the season. The roughly 50% post interview acceptance should be a morale booster for all of us.

Don't give up just yet!
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I can confirm with what weilanna and mac316 said. Dean Agnetti said it doesn't matter if you interview early or late at SB. And to further elaborate on my last post, I am not saying that the people that wait longer aren't accepted because that's obviously not the case. They may be looking into your candidacy a little more thoroughly and are giving it more time (over several meetings). Just a thought.
 
hellocubed said:
So how exactly does this Committee Review system work?

Do they just move the "more impressive" applications to the top of the order, and review less impressive applicants later on?
Click to expand...

ppfizenm said:
It might not be more/less impressive. I interviewed with the associate dean of admissions so obviously he would be at all the adcom meetings when they discuss the candidates. Sometimes you get an interviewer who isn't at all the meetings so you won't be decided on until that person is available to be present. To a degree there might be a mentality of omg if we don't accept him soon there is no chance he will go here but I kind of doubt it is anything close to common.
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I waited over 9 weeks for my acceptance e-mail. I called to ask a question and I decided to ask why there was a long delay (aside from the fact that I interviewed before Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years) and they explained it had nothing to do with the candidates "impressiveness". They said it solely has to do with the interviewers and how quickly they return their feedback.
Also, they said that in my case the long wait was due to my nomination for a tuition award. So, a long wait could mean something better than an acceptance! Also, 3 of my friends have been rejected within 2-3 weeks post-interview. Basically, it is up to your interviewers speed and has nothing to do with the outcome - don't stress so much about long waits.
 
I was thinking that maybe my low writing sample score hurt me enough to preclude an interview.
 
captainmarrow said:
I was thinking that maybe my low writing sample score hurt me enough to preclude an interview.
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Pretty sure that is not the case as mine was really far from impressive (well below the 50th percentile). One of my interviewers actually mentioned that one aspect of the interview was to see if you have the ability to communicate clearly in English given the low essay score.

Some people (myself included) just don't write well quickly and under pressure.
 
mac316 said:
Some people (myself included) just don't write well quickly and under pressure.
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.....i hope you see how that's an important skill in medicine and being bad at it might be a problem. you should definitely try to work on honing that skill
 
skinMD said:
.....i hope you see how that's an important skill in medicine and being bad at it might be a problem. you should definitely try to work on honing that skill
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I am not referring to the ability to take quick notes which is essential. I am talking about the creative process of writing essays about something you had no prior information about. If you tell me that is also an important skill in medical school, I'll say thanks for the heads up and I will definitely look into it.
 
mac316 said:
I am not referring to the ability to take quick notes which is essential. I am talking about the creative process of writing essays about something you had no prior information about. If you tell me that is also an important skill in medical school, I'll say thanks for the heads up and I will definitely look into it.
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I think he was being sarcastic
 
I wonder how many interview invites are left, if any. Complete since the end of July.
 
Has anyone made a SB 2016 FB group? I don't see one yet. Would be nice to know the class. 🙂
 
Called admissions today, heard that decisions are taking slightly longer now due to higher volumes of applicants (8-9ish weeks). But, they are still giving out acceptances, so those who are still waiting, hang in there!
 
mac316 said:
I am not referring to the ability to take quick notes which is essential. I am talking about the creative process of writing essays about something you had no prior information about. If you tell me that is also an important skill in medical school, I'll say thanks for the heads up and I will definitely look into it.
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ppfizenm said:
I think he was being sarcastic
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no, i'm actually dead serious.

you don't really appreciate how crucial communication is until you get to third year and it's way more than just taking quick notes. there is a lot of creativity that goes into documenting patient encounters and presenting to attendings. Having to document and present a patient you have never met before is basically like writing an essay you had no prior information about. you have to communicate this patient's story in a way that is logical, succinct, thorough and maybe even compelling.
 
skinMD said:
no, i'm actually dead serious.

you don't really appreciate how crucial communication is until you get to third year and it's way more than just taking quick notes. there is a lot of creativity that goes into documenting patient encounters and presenting to attendings. Having to document and present a patient you have never met before is basically like writing an essay you had no prior information about. you have to communicate this patient's story in a way that is logical, succinct, thorough and maybe even compelling.
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I completely disagree. Being able to write detailed and succinct patient notes is entirely different than writing an essay on a topic which you have 2-3 minutes to think about prior to actually writing. Vice versa, I've seen many students who have terrific writing skills but write terrible patient notes and cannot present patients to attendings. Like everything else, it takes practice to write good patient notes and present your patients well.

Regarding the writing score, a poor score is not going to prevent you from getting into medical school. I've heard and believe that the writing section, although important in theory, is nothing more than a way to prolong the duration of the exam to tire the students out prior to the last section of the exam to test one's stamina.
 
I agree, I have heard from multiple sources that the writing score has very minor impact on your application.
 
to clarify i wasn't implying that the writing score has any value, just that the skill is a valuable one to have
 
skinMD said:
you don't really appreciate how crucial communication is until you get to third year and it's way more than just taking quick notes. there is a lot of creativity that goes into documenting patient encounters and presenting to attendings. Having to document and present a patient you have never met before is basically like writing an essay you had no prior information about. you have to communicate this patient's story in a way that is logical, succinct, thorough and maybe even compelling.
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Like some others have mentioned I don't think essay writing in any way compares to patient notes and presenting to attendings. For one the essay gives you a half hour to take a statement and develop an essay, while the patient gives you all the information needed (assuming you know how to get a decent history). I work for the EMS and have no trouble writing my PCRs or presenting to triage, as opposed to writing a creative essay with no prior knowledge in just half an hour.
 
is there a facebook group yet for accepted students?
 
Like some others have mentioned I don't think essay writing in any way compares to patient notes and presenting to attendings. For one the essay gives you a half hour to take a statement and develop an essay, while the patient gives you all the information needed (assuming you know how to get a decent history). I work for the EMS and have no trouble writing my PCRs or presenting to triage, as opposed to writing a creative essay with no prior knowledge in just half an hour.
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As a person who knows many international students, I completely agree with this. Most of my friends write EXcellent scientific notes, and many of them have actually published without the need for editors. However, sit them in a history class and tell them to write an interpretation of something something, it's hopeless.


It's one thing to "be told what to write in an eloquent way for others to understand/be compelling." But having to creatively construct a complex emotional thought is something else.
 
I am also looking for a Fb page for Stony Brook SOM class of 2016! If someone can create it, that would be great. To everyone else who is waiting for a response from Stony Brook Good Luck!!! 🙂 👍
 
to any curent students: I recently interviewed at upstate and one of the things the students were saying was really nice at upstate was the fact that the curriculum is broken up into "units" which essentially forces all courses to have exams on the same day. they were saying this is good as opposed to taking multiple classes that give exams at different times which could lead to a bit of pre-exam cramming or additional studying which could potentially put you behind in other courses...have you found this to be true of the exams at stony?
 
II this morning, scheduled for end of Feburary...
complete 12/20.
 
MedicJosh said:
to any curent students: I recently interviewed at upstate and one of the things the students were saying was really nice at upstate was the fact that the curriculum is broken up into "units" which essentially forces all courses to have exams on the same day. they were saying this is good as opposed to taking multiple classes that give exams at different times which could lead to a bit of pre-exam cramming or additional studying which could potentially put you behind in other courses...have you found this to be true of the exams at stony?
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exams during first and second year are usually within the same 2 or 3 day period but exams aren't all crammed on the same day which i personally think would be a bad idea.

this isn't really something that should be making or breaking your decision. it's actually quite irrelevant.
 
wow my heart said:
II this morning, scheduled for end of Feburary...
complete 12/20.
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Congrats...I finally see someone on here complete probably as late as myself ( 12/19) and score an interview... I wonder if interview invites will still be going out ( really hoping for one :xf:)

Does anyone know if pre-interview rejections have been sent out by Stony Brook yet?
Or if they have not...does anyone when they usually send out these rejections?
 
I'm sorry if someone asked this earlier but does anyone know if one change from OOS tuition to in-state? OOS tuition is quite high.
 
sr6622 said:
I'm sorry if someone asked this earlier but does anyone know if one change from OOS tuition to in-state? OOS tuition is quite high.
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During our interview day, I was told that you absolutely can. I've been seeing stuff about Upstate possibly changing that policy? Not 100% sure about Upstate, but SBU seems like a place where you can make that change.
 
sr6622 said:
I'm sorry if someone asked this earlier but does anyone know if one change from OOS tuition to in-state? OOS tuition is quite high.
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You will have to pay OOS tuition rates your first year, but if you establish residency in NY (i.e. rent an apartment in NY, get your driver's license changed over, pay NY taxes, etc.) you are considered in-state for tuition purposes for the next 3 years. Make sure you read all of the guidelines for establishing residency, but it is not a difficult thing to do.
 
Officially resigned all other acceptances today and I am 100% attending Stony Brook come August. I'm excited to get to know everyone and start medical school!
 
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