2014-2015 SUNY Downstate Application Thread

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unnumzaan said:
What made you choose/like Downstate? How is living in Brooklyn, especially if you aren't from the area? How's your opinion on the residence halls? Favorite pizza toppings?

Edit: What do you know about the conversion process to instate after Ms1 for tuition purposes?
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Another MS1 here, hijacking the questions.

1. It was the only place that accepted me 😛 But in all honesty, I'm really happy I'm here. I wanted to be in New York, and I love the people here, and I was going to add more to this answer but I'm too tired and lazy.

2. I'm OOS, although I grew up an hour from Manhattan. I've always lived/gone to school in small towns, and I'm SO happy to be in a city (the city), where there's public transportation and a million different things going on. There are some drawbacks - the only nearby grocery store really sucks, so I end up going to Trader Joe's via subway every few weeks - but I think it's a really great place to live.

3. I'm living off-campus (because I'm OOS), so I can't really contribute, other than to say you can probably find cheaper options equally close to school (I did).

4. Chicken and pesto!

5. Okay, so if you're out of state and you want to become in-state for MS2+, you CANNOT live in the dorms. Basically, what you need is: a lease with your name on it; NY driver's license (which you can apply for pretty much as soon as you start living here - all the info is on the DMV website. And make sure you make an appointment at the DMV, which you can also do online - it saves you hours); NY voter registration (you can do this at the same time as your license). In the late spring of MS1, you'll have to submit copies of these things to Downstate to show you'll have been living in NY for a year by the time MS2 starts. I've done the first part of this, and don't really have anything else to do until it's time to show proof of residence, so I don't know the specifics of how to submit the paperwork to show residency, but it's really not that bad.

I can expand on any of these when I'm being less tired/lazy, if you want, or just PM me or something. 🙂
 
MS1 here as well, feel free to ask anything!

unnumzaan said:
What made you choose/like Downstate? How is living in Brooklyn, especially if you aren't from the area? How's your opinion on the residence halls? Favorite pizza toppings?

Edit: What do you know about the conversion process to instate after Ms1 for tuition purposes?
Click to expand...

Hijacking questions as well:

I personally chose Downstate because of the amazing clinical experiences that the area offers. The diversity of the population, and the demographics provide exposure to a pretty wide array of illnesses amongst a population that are more than willing to allow medical students to participate as part of their care, which is something that you don't regularly find, especially in NYC. In the first few weeks, many of us have already been trained to draw blood and give IM injections (ie. flu shots) and have been presented opportunities to work with the underserved local population, providing free care. Now that I'm here, I couldn't be happier and the composition of our class is amazing - I mean it when I say that I haven't yet met someone that I didn't like or connect with.

I love living in Brooklyn. We're about a 15-20 minute subway ride from Park Slope (Barclay's Center, restaurants, bars, etc.) and it's a pretty quick trip into Manhattan, too. I'm originally from LI and went to undergrad OOS at a school with a pretty huge campus so it's a nice transition going from the suburbs to the city.

Unlike my colleague @Keladry above, I do live in the residence halls. Overall, I think the res halls are great. I live in a two-bedroom set up and we have a kitchen, bathroom shared between my roommate and I, and then separate bedrooms. The room is spacious (I have a full size bed and a two-person couch in here), the rent is pretty reasonable with all of the utilities included, and being right across the street from classes is super convenient; I'm sure I'll appreciate it as the weather gets colder. There's also the added benefit of there being security, in the form of state police officers, that patrol the entrance to the gated res hall area as well as the entrance to the buildings. I've never felt unsafe around here, but it's still nice to know that they're there. The only drawback that I can think of regarding res hall life is that we're not allowed to bring, nor do the rooms come equipped with, A/C units, which made for a pretty hot August/early September. But considering the next 6-7 months are going to be cooler/cold, that won't really matter again until the end of the year.

You can't go wrong with a good buffalo chicken slice.

Same as @Keladry, feel free to PM me with any questions you might have. Best of luck!
 
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Wait no A/C? That's terrible lol. And what about parking? It was terrible on interview day and I hear it doesn't get better
 
Toastayy said:
Wait no A/C? That's terrible lol. And what about parking? It was terrible on interview day and I hear it doesn't get better
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Some people have bought portable AC units, which seem to work just fine if you really can't live without A/C, you just can't get a window unit. But with the exception of a few nights, it wasn't that bad with a fan (or two) in the room.

Street parking is definitely not ideal around here, but it's NYC so you can't expect it to be great. It's fine on the weekends, but not great when driving here for classes during the week. There are some private lots for which you can get a monthly parking pass for <$100 a month, but very few people have cars. They're not necessary with the subway stop being 2 blocks away and, for the most part, people that live outside of the immediate vicinity live in pretty subway-accessible locations (ie. Park Slope, Prospect Park, Prospect Heights, etc.). Personally, I don't have a car but my SO drives in on weekends and I find it more of a hassle when we drive places rather than taking the subway. It may take an extra 10 minutes to get to Park Slope via subway, but sometimes it takes you 20+ minutes to find parking.
 
Good to know about the portable A/C. This summer was pretty cool but that's def not the norm. I figure BK would be more accessible via public xport but if people have cars it would be nice to have somewhere to store them.
Thanks for your help tho!
 
Does anyone know if there is a way to check if they got my letter packet? All my other schools have gotten them, but Downstate hasn't sent me an email confirming my complete application... I submitted everything else and sent them an email yesterday... no dice.
 
OrbitalOverload said:
Does anyone know if there is a way to check if they got my letter packet? All my other schools have gotten them, but Downstate hasn't sent me an email confirming my complete application... I submitted everything else and sent them an email yesterday... no dice.
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It took a week or so for me to receive the complete email. If all your other schools received the letter packet, I would assume Downstate did too. I'd give it some time especially if you just submitted.
 
So I guess they're done dishing out interviews for another week or so? haha
 
yunzaidai said:
MS1 here! If you have any questions about the curriculum, the facilities and the school in general, I can give you some answers 🙂
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How do you think the student life atmosphere is? Is it still competitive even with P/F? Also, how is the work life balance? I'm an OOS that has an interview, and I'm really excited about the idea of living/studying in Brooklyn!
 
heybeyond said:
How do you think the student life atmosphere is? Is it still competitive even with P/F? Also, how is the work life balance? I'm an OOS that has an interview, and I'm really excited about the idea of living/studying in Brooklyn!
Click to expand...

Hijacking another question...

I've found the students to be incredibly friendly/non-competitive. We have a dropbox with all of our textbooks on it that the MS2s shared with us, so that saves everyone about $1,000 right there. We have exams coming up soon, and people have been posting study guides they made (e.g., all the innervation/blood supply of the upper and lower limbs, in one place rather than scattered throughout the textbook) on our facebook group. I mean, throughout the unit, MS1s and Ms2s have been sharing great resources, and it seems to only be increasing as we approach exams! There are some show-off-y people (oh, I don't need to study, I'll just cram it in before) which kind of rubs me the wrong way but hey, it's their choice.

Work/life balance is decent, except right now, because exams soon. 😛 It took me a little while to get into the swing of things, but I'm definitely learning how to be more efficient at doing work, and I'm getting involved in several ECs, doing fun stuff around the city, etc.
 
Keladry said:
Hijacking another question...

I've found the students to be incredibly friendly/non-competitive. We have a dropbox with all of our textbooks on it that the MS2s shared with us, so that saves everyone about $1,000 right there. We have exams coming up soon, and people have been posting study guides they made (e.g., all the innervation/blood supply of the upper and lower limbs, in one place rather than scattered throughout the textbook) on our facebook group. I mean, throughout the unit, MS1s and Ms2s have been sharing great resources, and it seems to only be increasing as we approach exams! There are some show-off-y people (oh, I don't need to study, I'll just cram it in before) which kind of rubs me the wrong way but hey, it's their choice.

Work/life balance is decent, except right now, because exams soon. 😛 It took me a little while to get into the swing of things, but I'm definitely learning how to be more efficient at doing work, and I'm getting involved in several ECs, doing fun stuff around the city, etc.
Click to expand...

So glad to hear that. I'm really hoping this school gives me a II!
 
Keladry said:
Hijacking another question...

I've found the students to be incredibly friendly/non-competitive. We have a dropbox with all of our textbooks on it that the MS2s shared with us, so that saves everyone about $1,000 right there. We have exams coming up soon, and people have been posting study guides they made (e.g., all the innervation/blood supply of the upper and lower limbs, in one place rather than scattered throughout the textbook) on our facebook group. I mean, throughout the unit, MS1s and Ms2s have been sharing great resources, and it seems to only be increasing as we approach exams! There are some show-off-y people (oh, I don't need to study, I'll just cram it in before) which kind of rubs me the wrong way but hey, it's their choice.

Work/life balance is decent, except right now, because exams soon. 😛 It took me a little while to get into the swing of things, but I'm definitely learning how to be more efficient at doing work, and I'm getting involved in several ECs, doing fun stuff around the city, etc.
Click to expand...

I agree with everything here. People are so collaborative, always offering any resources that they find to be shared amongst everyone. Of course there's a wide variety of different people along the spectrum from those that work incredibly hard, to those that don't. I don't really mind the "show-off-y people" that think they can cram everything in right before the exam. If they can, then good for them, I applaud their cramming ability. I'm sure that some of them will not do as well as they expect to do but, hey, as long as those people move on to be talented, well-respected physicians one day, I'll be proud to graduate alongside them in 4 years.
 
Does anyone have the numbers for OOS accepted/interviewed? Looking at MSAR, it looks pretty low even if you assume 25% yield.
 
unnumzaan said:
Does anyone have the numbers for OOS accepted/interviewed? Looking at MSAR, it looks pretty low even if you assume 25% yield.
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I think that MSAR is useful for getting an idea of GPA and MCAT ranges, IS vs. OOS matriculant ratio, and the number of interviews distributed but I believe that beyond that, there is very little use for MSAR in determining the true number of acceptances. Our class has a pretty low number of OOS students - I believe that it was approximately 11% - @Keladry may be able to correct me if I'm mistaken. But that doesn't necessarily mean that few acceptances were given to OOS students. It may just mean that those OOS students had other options that may have been a better fit (ie. IS acceptance, financial reasons, or acceptances at "higher ranking" programs). To answer your question, I don't think that there's any way to get that information besides calling each OOS interviewee and finding out if they eventually got accepted or not.
 
elprezidente said:
I think that MSAR is useful for getting an idea of GPA and MCAT ranges, IS vs. OOS matriculant ratio, and the number of interviews distributed but I believe that beyond that, there is very little use for MSAR in determining the true number of acceptances. Our class has a pretty low number of OOS students - I believe that it was approximately 11% - @Keladry may be able to correct me if I'm mistaken. But that doesn't necessarily mean that few acceptances were given to OOS students. It may just mean that those OOS students had other options that may have been a better fit (ie. IS acceptance, financial reasons, or acceptances at "higher ranking" programs). To answer your question, I don't think that there's any way to get that information besides calling each OOS interviewee and finding out if they eventually got accepted or not.
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I think US newsweek or some other major publication has this information behind a paywall. I just don't want to fork over $25 😛
 
elprezidente said:
I think that MSAR is useful for getting an idea of GPA and MCAT ranges, IS vs. OOS matriculant ratio, and the number of interviews distributed but I believe that beyond that, there is very little use for MSAR in determining the true number of acceptances. Our class has a pretty low number of OOS students - I believe that it was approximately 11% - @Keladry may be able to correct me if I'm mistaken. But that doesn't necessarily mean that few acceptances were given to OOS students. It may just mean that those OOS students had other options that may have been a better fit (ie. IS acceptance, financial reasons, or acceptances at "higher ranking" programs). To answer your question, I don't think that there's any way to get that information besides calling each OOS interviewee and finding out if they eventually got accepted or not.
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Not a clue as to the actual numbers, sorry. I don't know how many OOS people were accepted out of those who interviewed, and from those, as @elprezidente said, it's likely that fewer matriculated compared to IS people.
 
Don't worry about yields. Prepare for the interview, check out the school, enjoy the experience, and if it's a good fit on both ends, I'm sure that good news will follow! You've achieved the hardest part for an OOS student by getting the interview - best of luck!
 
Thanks! I'm looking forward to it. Just waiting on a confirmation for my rescheduling date. 😴
 
So what are living expenses like for a single student who lives off campus in Brooklyn?
 
VanEman said:
So what are living expenses like for a single student who lives off campus in Brooklyn?
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That's going to depend hugely on where you're living and what your spending habits are. Rent can vary from $700 to $2000+, depending on whether you're sharing a multi-bedroom place with others in a less-nice neighborhood or paying for a 1-bedroom in a trendy area.
Let's see, looking at my budgets on mint...
I allow $50 for transportation a month (would obviously be >$100 if you're commuting daily, but I'm not); $200 for groceries (I could squeeze by on less if I needed to, and other people probably cook/eat more and so spend more); <$100 for restaurants/junk food/takeout; and $100 for pharmacy/misc personal expenses. Plus there are a bunch of one-time costs (whatever books/supplies you buy, for instance), occasional clothes/non-necessary shopping.

It REALLY depends on your spending habits. I know plenty of people who easily spend triple the amount on food because they rarely cook, or who spend $50 on a night out every week. It's going to vary a lot.
 
Keladry said:
That's going to depend hugely on where you're living and what your spending habits are. Rent can vary from $700 to $2000+, depending on whether you're sharing a multi-bedroom place with others in a less-nice neighborhood or paying for a 1-bedroom in a trendy area.
Let's see, looking at my budgets on mint...
I allow $50 for transportation a month (would obviously be >$100 if you're commuting daily, but I'm not); $200 for groceries (I could squeeze by on less if I needed to, and other people probably cook/eat more and so spend more); <$100 for restaurants/junk food/takeout; and $100 for pharmacy/misc personal expenses. Plus there are a bunch of one-time costs (whatever books/supplies you buy, for instance), occasional clothes/non-necessary shopping.

It REALLY depends on your spending habits. I know plenty of people who easily spend triple the amount on food because they rarely cook, or who spend $50 on a night out every week. It's going to vary a lot.
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Wow---that's really helpful! Thanks!
 
EndoAdduct said:
Congrats! Would you mind sharing when you submitted your secondary?
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Whoops, I'm a total *****. Just checked my old emails, and I did get a complete email--it was sent on 8/19. But I submitted it quite a bit earlier, probably late July.
 
Shi* i was complete 8/8 and no word yet. I hoped they were going chronologically.
 
Anyone hear from Downstate lately? There doesn't seem to be much movement here.
 
I submitted everything on August 28th. I just got a complete email today (10/6/14)...when should I expect to hear something?
 
I'm having an interesting application experience here. I only just received my complete email this week, though I had sent in all the proper documentation and submitted the secondary in early Sept. This is curious because an individual who I go to school with, and who took the MCAT the same day as myself, submitted his secondary around the same time and has already claimed to have received an interview. Would anyone be able to offer an explanation for this?
 
OrbitalOverload said:
I'm having an interesting application experience here. I only just received my complete email this week, though I had sent in all the proper documentation and submitted the secondary in early Sept. This is curious because an individual who I go to school with, and who took the MCAT the same day as myself, submitted his secondary around the same time and has already claimed to have received an interview. Would anyone be able to offer an explanation for this?
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The admissions office is full of magic and voodoo.


(In all seriousness, not a clue. You can call them if you're concerned; chances are no one here can give you any more info.)
 
I was looking at interview feedback for the school and noticed a few people mentioned there is some sort of writing sample? Can anyone who has interviewed share what this entails? Thanks!
 
II couple minutes ago. Complete week of 8/25. LM >75. IS. Date was in the 1st half of November so there should still be plenty of slots open.

Good news to end a 3 week dry spell!
 
II for Nov. 12th!

Wasn't expecting it at all (especially with my stats)!
CA resident.
 
Can someone who goes here comment on the curriculum/schedule/what a typical day is like? Interviewing here next week and I'm finding it hard to find info online about the reality of being a student here. Sounds like a great place though!

IS, 3.6s, 3.8c, 32 mcat
 
hockeypucks said:
Or can anyone comment on where to find this info for the school? Their website is mostly unhelpful...
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very first page of last year's thread (2013-2014 app thread) has some good info. so do the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 threads, towards the end. just gotta look thru sdn for posts by current students
 
dropper said:
very first page of last year's thread (2013-2014 app thread) has some good info. so do the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 threads, towards the end. just gotta look thru sdn for posts by current students
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Curriculum actually changed last year, so older threads won't be much help for that.

If you remind me tomorrow, I can post a sample schedule. 🙂
 
hockeypucks said:
Can someone who goes here comment on the curriculum/schedule/what a typical day is like? Interviewing here next week and I'm finding it hard to find info online about the reality of being a student here. Sounds like a great place though!

IS, 3.6s, 3.8c, 32 mcat
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Here's the general layout of our day. Our curriculum is now integrated. Note that the bulk of our experience is from Unit 1, but it will vary unit by unit due to differences in the subject matter as I'll explain.

In Unit 1, we started with a "systems overview" (cardio, pulmonary, renal) for the first two weeks and then moved on to musculoskeletal for the remaining six weeks (our exam week was last week). On Mondays, we'd normally have a lecture followed by a PBL session and then an anatomy or clinical skills lab. The CS lab would generally correspond to the material we were covering in lecture/lab. For example, in the first week, we were learning cardio in lecture and learned how to do a basic cardiac exam in one CS session, and then learned how to do an echocardiogram on another afternoon. When we moved into musculoskeletal and were working on the shoulder, we learned how to perform a full exam of the shoulder in CS lab. Tuesdays & Wednesdays we had two lectures in the morning followed again by either anatomy or CS in the afternoons. Thursday, we'd normally have lecture in the morning and another PBL session in the afternoon. Sometimes we had radiology labs where we'd go through reading x-rays/MRI/CT based on the region we were studying (ie. shoulder, wrist, knee, hip, etc.). Then Fridays we usually had two lectures in the morning and either we were done relatively early or we had a histology lab (virtual microscopy looking at different types of tissue). All lectures in Unit 1 were 1 hour.

Unit 2 just started, but the unit is subtitled "Molecules to Cells" so it's more genetics/biochem based so we have a bit more lecture time each day (either 2.5 or 3 hours). Also, there's no anatomy in this unit, that picks up again next unit, and there's a bit more histology. Again, it's a molecular biology focus, and we end with an introduction to oncology. We've also begun "preceptorships" this Unit where we spend 3 hours, every two weeks, with a mentor that we're assigned in various departments at Downstate, Kings County, or other hospitals for those who live closer to other places. Our preceptorship consists of a series of checklists of things that we need to complete with real patients. This includes everything from taking a patient history, to performing cardiac/pulmonary/abdominal exams; all within the realm of things we've already learned. I've been placed in the ER and started this past Tuesday where I was asked to take a patient's history (Symptoms, family history, social history, etc.) and then had to "present" to my preceptor just as I will have to do during my rotations in the wards during 3rd year, so it's amazing early experience!

TL;DR: Downstate is awesome. Here's a link to our schedules for...
Unit 1: http://sls.downstate.edu/registrar/documents/UNIT1IncomingClassCalendar2014.pdf
Unit 2: http://sls.downstate.edu/registrar/documents/UNIT2_Calendar_2014.pdf
Just a heads up, our class is split into two halves, so you'll notice that there's often two things going on at the same time. Our schedules are basically flipped, so if one half has PBL in the morning and a Clinical Skills lab in the afternoon, the other half will have the opposite.

Hope this helps! If you have any more specific questions, feel free to PM me.
 
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Does anyone know when the interview cycle ends?
 
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