2014-2015 SUNY Buffalo Application Thread

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This may seem ridiculous but for the secondary, when it asks:

*Please list all online courses that you have already taken in college:*

Did you list all the *online* courses you took in college, or did you list, online, all the courses you took in college.

....

This question makes me wonder why I think I am qualified to become a doctor. LOL.
I put N/A lolol
 
What hotels are you guys with II choosing? We got a few recommendations in the interview invite packet but I actually wasn't gonna go with any of them... I was thinking maybe University Manor Inn??

Any advice from past interviewees or anyone would be great 🙂
Just booked the University Manor Inn for my interview later this month. If I can get a student host I may cancel, but let me know how you like it!
 
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Is Buffalo receptive to 'in the area' emails? And would you consider Rochester in the area?
 
Anyone know how many OOS they give intervites to, and how many are accepted?
 
Student hosting is available for those who are going to be interviewed soon
 
Is Buffalo receptive to 'in the area' emails? And would you consider Rochester in the area?
I did the exact opposite (II at UB, in the area email to Rochester) and didn't get a response yet (sent it last week). It may be harder for UB to accommodate in the area emails because of their random review process, but it's worth a shot.
 
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I just wanted to stop by and say congrats for those with invites! I am currently a MS1 at UB med, and I would be more than happy to answer questions! UB is absolutely an amazing place to study medicine, and it was my top choice among 7+ places I interviewed at. We just got done with anatomy exam yesterday, so I should be able to answer some questions during this upcoming week!

Where are all of you staying for the interview?

Holiday Inn seems to be one of popular hotels to stay. Last year, they have a free shuttle service to the campus.

Anyone know how many OOS they give intervites to, and how many are accepted?

You should probably check the updated MSAR for more information, but since UB is a public school, most of us are IS. However, I have to admit that quite a few of us are from OOS, and I would not hesitate to apply here even if you are OOS.
 
any OOS complete 7/22 and after with IIs yet? stats if u dont mind as well.
 
I just wanted to stop by and say congrats for those with invites! I am currently a MS1 at UB med, and I would be more than happy to answer questions! UB is absolutely an amazing place to study medicine, and it was my top choice among 7+ places I interviewed at. We just got done with anatomy exam yesterday, so I should be able to answer some questions during this upcoming week!

Thanks for taking questions, Lya! I was wondering if you could elaborate on how the hospitals are around Buffalo since I'm not familiar with the area. Would you say most hospitals are UB affiliated or are there other ones within the city/campus area?

Also, how are the dorms? Would it be convenient (and cheap) to live off campus? Is a car necessary if you live on campus? What do people usually do for fun in Buffalo if they have time off?

Thank you!
 
Can anyone explain why SUNY buffalo does a random review process and if it's random how in-state people got interviews first mostly? doesn't sound very random to me.
 
Does anyone know if Buffalo does MMI like other SUNY's or will it be a traditional interview?
 
Thanks for taking questions, Lya! I was wondering if you could elaborate on how the hospitals are around Buffalo since I'm not familiar with the area. Would you say most hospitals are UB affiliated or are there other ones within the city/campus area?

Also, how are the dorms? Would it be convenient (and cheap) to live off campus? Is a car necessary if you live on campus? What do people usually do for fun in Buffalo if they have time off?

Thank you!

I am not a third-year medical student yet, so I can't give the firsthand view on all the hospitals. However, I can say that UB is the only one that serves this community, so for any local hospital you go to, even in the downtown, you will be working with UB doctors and/or students. There are also community clinics that are not mentioned in the link below, so clinical experiences in various settings are quite diverse. We even provide care for many foreign refugees who had to escape from their native countries due to whatever reasons and had to restart their lives.

http://medicine.buffalo.edu/about/hospital_and_researchaffiliations/hospital.html


As far as I know, dorms are not available for professional/grad students. It will be very cheap to live off-campus and convenient. The monthly rent can start from $300 + utility for a traditional house/apartment up to $700-800 with everything included if you want to live in 5-star-hotel-like apartments (assuming you live with roommates). I am not sure about studios or apartments for only one person, but mostly you will never go over $1000/month. Buffalo is, if I remember correctly, one of the cheapest cities/towns you can live. A perfect setting for students like us who want to save money in the long run.

Yup, car is necessary since on-campus housing is not an option usually. I guess some people could get on-campus housing, but for the majority of students I know, they live off-campus. Off-campus housing can be anywhere from 2 min to 15 min drive away from the campus.

We usually hang out in bars in the downtown, visit Canada as an one-day, get-away trip, a ski trip in the winter, or a three-day hiking trip on a mountain 5.5 hours drive away from here.





Does anyone know if Buffalo does MMI like other SUNY's or will it be a traditional interview?

As far as I know, it is a traditional interview.



Can anyone explain why SUNY buffalo does a random review process and if it's random how in-state people got interviews first mostly? doesn't sound very random to me.

Just hang on tight!
 
Can anyone comment on the MD-PhD program here?

I am not a MD-PhD student here, so I can't share the firsthand experience. But from what I've heard and seen, our MD-PhD grads do very well on matches, including derm at mass general and rad onc at Mt. Sinai. It really depends on individuals and their willingness to achieve high. You can do research in any department or lab you desire so long as they are available, which they usually are, and generally they are all very supportive, even for MD-only students who want to get into research early. Do you have any particular question about MD-PhD?
 
The monthly rent can start from $300 + utility for a traditional house/apartment up to $700-800 with everything included if you want to live in 5-star-hotel-like apartments (assuming you live with roommates). I am not sure about studios or apartments for only one person, but mostly you will never go over $1000/month. Buffalo is, if I remember correctly, one of the cheapest cities/towns you can live. A perfect setting for students like us who want to save money in the long run.

We usually hang out in bars in the downtown, visit Canada as an one-day, get-away trip, a ski trip in the winter, or a three-day hiking trip on a mountain 5.5 hours drive away from here.

Y'know, while Buffalo is a great place to receive a medical education, I hadn't really strongly considered it until I read this. If medicine doesn't work out, you should really go into sales, cause you got me here.
 
FYI:

When I said 5-star-hotel-like apartments, I think it's better to show the website as an example since my perception of 5 stars might be different from others. If you would like and when you interview here, ask some current students to take you and to swing by their places for 5-10 minutes.

http://www.bethunelofts.com/image-gallery/

This is one of high-end apartments around Buffalo off-campus. I am sure there are others, but this is one of them that I could remember off top of my head at the moment. As I said above, I never heard of anyone paying $1000+ per month for his or her rent!
 
@Lya Thank you so much for all the wonderful information! I did hear that Buffalo was cheap but had no idea rent was so low! This is definitely an incentive for me as I am trying to save money on both cost of living expenses and tuition. I'm particularly happy to hear about the work UB does with foreign refugees. That is something I am interested in.

Now all I need is an II....c'mon UB!! 🙂
 
FYI:

When I said 5-star-hotel-like apartments, I think it's better to show the website as an example since my perception of 5 stars might be different from others. If you would like and when you interview here, ask some current students to take you and to swing by their places for 5-10 minutes.

http://www.bethunelofts.com/image-gallery/

This is one of high-end apartments around Buffalo off-campus. I am sure there are others, but this is one of them that I could remember off top of my head at the moment. As I said above, I never heard of anyone paying $1000+ per month for his or her rent!

Holy Moley! For $1000 that can't be beat. You would easily pay $3500+ for something like that in the city.
 
@Lya Thank you so much for all the wonderful information! I did hear that Buffalo was cheap but had no idea rent was so low! This is definitely an incentive for me as I am trying to save money on both cost of living expenses and tuition. I'm particularly happy to hear about the work UB does with foreign refugees. That is something I am interested in.

Now all I need is an II....c'mon UB!! 🙂

Yup, no problem! Let me know if you have other questions.


Holy Moley! For $1000 that can't be beat. You would easily pay $3500+ for something like that in the city.

Yup, it can be very luxurious. The monthly rent for that place is at around $700-800 with heating/AC included (useful since heating cost will go definitely up high during winter here).
 
II this morning!!! 🙂 Woohoo!!
LizzyM 66-68, IS
Complete 7/22
I am so pumped! People really seem to like it here 🙂 :soexcited:
Interview date was given to me for late October. Now to figure out the hotel vs. student host dilemma!
 
II this morning!!! 🙂 Woohoo!!
LizzyM 66-68, IS
Complete 7/22
I am so pumped! People really seem to like it here 🙂 :soexcited:
Interview date was given to me for late October. Now to figure out the hotel vs. student host dilemma!

Ah, you're giving me hope! Same completion date and stats! Congrats!!!!
 
II this morning!!! 🙂 Woohoo!!
LizzyM 66-68, IS
Complete 7/22
I am so pumped! People really seem to like it here 🙂 :soexcited:
Interview date was given to me for late October. Now to figure out the hotel vs. student host dilemma!

By phone or email? I'm IS too with similar stats and just waiting and hoping...
 
By phone or email? I'm IS too with similar stats and just waiting and hoping...
I was notified via email and then was able to schedule the interview in the online portal. My MCAT and GPA are quite uneven so message me if you have any specific questions! I wouldn't worry very much, this process seems so random! Best of luck 🙂
 
How many people do we interview with? Assuming it's two, is it one student-one faculty or two faculty? Thanks.
 
How many people do we interview with? Assuming it's two, is it one student-one faculty or two faculty? Thanks.

Generally, the interviews are conducted by two people (faculty/student). Each interviewer also explained that there are cases where a third interview is granted, but that only occurs if the two interviewers differ significantly in their evaluation of your performance. This is, of course, very rare so don't sweat it.

UB has a great program and new, exciting things coming in the future (new medical school location in downtown, etc.). Also, if you're interested in topics in biomedical ethics or come with a humanities background like me, the curriculum includes electives where the more abstract aspects of medicine are explored.

Good luck and don't be nervous!
 
Generally, the interviews are conducted by two people (faculty/student). Each interviewer also explained that there are cases where a third interview is granted, but that only occurs if the two interviewers differ significantly in their evaluation of your performance. This is, of course, very rare so don't sweat it.

UB has a great program and new, exciting things coming in the future (new medical school location in downtown, etc.). Also, if you're interested in topics in biomedical ethics or come with a humanities background like me, the curriculum includes electives where the more abstract aspects of medicine are explored.

Good luck and don't be nervous!

Thanks for the info.
 
For those of you who interviewed today, I hope you enjoyed your stay at Buffalo!

Let me know if any of you have other questions!
 
Any recent II's? I was thinking of sending them an in the area email.
 
Someone said above that interviews are with one faculty and one student... This is not always the case. There are many applicants who will interview with two faculty and no students.
 
I'm pretty sure it's just an email to the effect of "I'll be around/interviewing near your school, it'd be great if I could coordinate other interviews while I'm there if you had planned on inviting me for an interview." I haven't written one but I'm guessing that's the general message.

That doesn't seem like a good idea to me... Has it been proven to work?


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That doesn't seem like a good idea to me... Has it been proven to work?


Posted using SDN Mobile
it depends on the school. some schools will offer II's shortly afterwards - not that the ITA email was a tipping point, they were probably already in consideration and the email expedited the process (or just coincidence)
 
Waitlisted. Interviewed late September. OOS. Definitely ok with this since they apparently run through the list quite a bit.
 
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