2015-2016 Stony Brook University Application Thread

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Ismet

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Secondary Prompts:
ESSAY QUESTIONS (Please limit your responses to one page per question)

1. Will your education be continuous between college and medical school matriculation? YES NO
If YES, please tell us what you anticipate you will be doing professionally 15 years after graduating from medical school and why.
If NO, please explain what you have done or plan to do during the gap period and why.

2. DESCRIBE AN OBSTACLE YOU'VE OVERCOME AND HOW IT HAS DEFINED YOU.

Good luck to everyone applying! :luck:
 
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Feel free to delete this later on but I wasn't sure where to ask where the out-of-state stats are? I don't see it on MSAR, if it's not > 20% out-of-state acceptance I won't bother as a 30/3.68 applicant.
 
Feel free to delete this later on but I wasn't sure where to ask where the out-of-state stats are? I don't see it on MSAR, if it's not > 20% out-of-state acceptance I won't bother as a 30/3.68 applicant.

SUNY policies are the same across all sunys, 80% in state, sometimes can be low as 75% in state. But never less than that.
 
Feel free to delete this later on but I wasn't sure where to ask where the out-of-state stats are? I don't see it on MSAR, if it's not > 20% out-of-state acceptance I won't bother as a 30/3.68 applicant.

Click on acceptance information on the left hand side for this data.
For SB OOS acceptance:
2015 - 21.8%
2016 - 20.3%
 
Not sure about Stony Brook but when I called SUNY Downstate, they said they don't actually take state residency into account when accepting...it's just that most of the students who do accept are IS.....can someone confirm?
 
Not sure about Stony Brook but when I called SUNY Downstate, they said they don't actually take state residency into account when accepting...it's just that most of the students who do accept are IS.....can someone confirm?
I don't know, but I'd believe it. Schools like Stony Brook aren't worth the price is you're OOS.
 
As an OOS, I'm applying bc 1) location and 2)if you get into their MD/PhD you get free tuition for all 4 years 🙂
 
But the PhD is still from Stony lol

I honestly don't think it matters. Only the best students go to med school, so any med school is sure to have well-educated students. Also, I've met some incredibly successful doctors (some leading their own divisions at Sloan-Kettering NYC, others leading WHO initiatives, and also the MD/MPH/PhD director of the global HIV/AIDs vaccine initiative) that did not go to big names.... but they still ended up rocking 🙂
 
I honestly don't think it matters. Only the best students go to med school, so any med school is sure to have well-educated students. Also, I've met some incredibly successful doctors (some leading their own divisions at Sloan-Kettering NYC, others leading WHO initiatives, and also the MD/MPH/PhD of the global HIV/AIDs vaccine initiative) that did not go to big names.... but they still ended up rocking 🙂
The MD school rarely matters. It's hard to argue that the PhD school doesn't matter, because uh, it like, does.

Also, none of the positions you mentioned need a PhD. MD/PhD at a small name school is a waste.
 
but $$$$$ 😛 haha
You can choose money or a degree that actually means something. Research is all name and money driven. Stony has neither. (Also, what about money forgone as an attending because you spent 4 years on the PhD?)

Sorry, Stony may be the best SUNY for research, but that ain't saying ****. It's not the place for a PhD.
 
I don't know, but I'd believe it. Schools like Stony Brook aren't worth the price is you're OOS.

With regards to the finances, being a NY school has the benefit of lenient residency status...after 1 year, students can pay IS tuition. Aside from that, I agree that there are better options for OOS applicants granted that they are fortunate to hold multiple acceptances.

You can choose money or a degree that actually means something. Research is all name and money driven. Stony has neither. (Also, what about money forgone as an attending because you spent 4 years on the PhD?)

Sorry, Stony may be the best SUNY for research, but that ain't saying ****. It's not the place for a PhD.

n=2; both fellow classmates of mine.. 1 turned down a MD/PhD acceptance at SB for a MD only at Harvard, the other turned it (SB MD/PhD) down for MD/PhD at UTSW--they were both from NY. On the flip side, if finances do matter, MTSP at SB will provide ~28k stipend on top of tuition (Not much compared to "potential" attending salary lost, but for some people, being debt free out of school is better than paying all the loans. Also consider that some tuitions + interest can be well over the 4 years of attending salary, specialty dependent of course)

Just providing different perspectives rather than merely spouting what I think. Side note...the friend that chose UTSW, also turned down MD at Harvard (small finaid package given) since it is against their religion to borrow money.
 
Im in state with 3.6 cgpa and heavy ECs and greats Lors. Wondering if I should do the sunys or just stick to DOs
 
What's your MCAT? No reason to only stick to DOs if it's >30
My sGPA was low, and even though I retook science courses with less than a B the amcas gpa calculator doesn't seem to care. So it seems like I have no shot. Idk. I don't know if I should spend the money.
 
With regards to the finances, being a NY school has the benefit of lenient residency status...after 1 year, students can pay IS tuition. Aside from that, I agree that there are better options for OOS applicants granted that they are fortunate to hold multiple acceptances.



n=2; both fellow classmates of mine.. 1 turned down a MD/PhD acceptance at SB for a MD only at Harvard, the other turned it (SB MD/PhD) down for MD/PhD at UTSW--they were both from NY. On the flip side, if finances do matter, MTSP at SB will provide ~28k stipend on top of tuition (Not much compared to "potential" attending salary lost, but for some people, being debt free out of school is better than paying all the loans. Also consider that some tuitions + interest can be well over the 4 years of attending salary, specialty dependent of course)

Just providing different perspectives rather than merely spouting what I think. Side note...the friend that chose UTSW, also turned down MD at Harvard (small finaid package given) since it is against their religion to borrow money.

Yeah.... some of the debts are close to 180k, which assuming you wanted to pay it off FAST in a 10 year term can get to be over 700k after interest. I think what matters most is that you get an education that makes you a good doctor, and a truly ambitious student will succeed wherever they go 🙂 Keeping it positive haha
 
You can choose money or a degree that actually means something. Research is all name and money driven. Stony has neither. (Also, what about money forgone as an attending because you spent 4 years on the PhD?)

Sorry, Stony may be the best SUNY for research, but that ain't saying ****. It's not the place for a PhD.

I applied and was accepted to the Stony Brook MD/PhD this past cycle, though I decided to go elsewhere, and I can say that this is not true at all. Stony Brook certainly has strong research and is on the rise; they've been recruiting numerous world renowned scientists in recent years and are building a new cancer and imaging research center and hiring new faculty (see: http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/simonsgift/mart.html). Moreover, MSTP students have the option of completing their PhD research in labs at either Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory or Brookhaven, both of which are "big name" places doing cutting edge work. Honestly, any MSTP-funded MD/PhD program will give you excellent clinical and research training; to imply that Stony Brook is "not the place for a PhD" is a bit absurd...
 
Not sure where you're getting your info from. There is no way 180k would become 700k unless you took a lifetime or two to pay it off.

There have been a few articles on the topic recently, and that's vaguely what I remember 😛 Although, to me, it sounds possible given that it's compound interest and that many loans start accumulating interest while you're in school.... (I'll have to go do the math, to sleepy atm)
 
I don't know, but I'd believe it. Schools like Stony Brook aren't worth the price is you're OOS.
If you're OOS you can get in-state tuition after first year so you'd be paying in-state tuition for years 2-4. Being OOS isn't bad for the SUNY's.
 
Secondary Prompts:
ESSAY QUESTIONS (Please limit your responses to one page per question)

1. Will your education be continuous between college and medical school matriculation? YES NO
If YES, please tell us what you anticipate you will be doing professionally 15 years after graduating from medical school and why.
If NO, please explain what you have done or plan to do during the gap period and why.

2. DESCRIBE AN OBSTACLE YOU'VE OVERCOME AND HOW IT HAS DEFINED YOU.
 
Secondary Prompts:
ESSAY QUESTIONS (Please limit your responses to one page per question)

1. Will your education be continuous between college and medical school matriculation? YES NO
If YES, please tell us what you anticipate you will be doing professionally 15 years after graduating from medical school and why.
If NO, please explain what you have done or plan to do during the gap period and why.

2. DESCRIBE AN OBSTACLE YOU'VE OVERCOME AND HOW IT HAS DEFINED YOU.


Haha I am glad my education isn't continuous...
 
Do you guys think 200-300 words per question (MSTP and Essay) will be sufficient? This is ballpark for other secondaries and I think I can sufficiently get message across with that length. ... just don't want them to think I rushed secondary!
 
Do you guys think 200-300 words per question (MSTP and Essay) will be sufficient? This is ballpark for other secondaries and I think I can sufficiently get message across with that length. ... just don't want them to think I rushed secondary!
That's about what I am aiming for. Quality > quantity. No need to add fluff in if you've gotten your point across!
 
Incoming first year student at Stony Brook. Was in the same boat as you guys last year, feverishly stalking SDN forums. Shoot me any questions you might have in regards to applying, interviewing, etc. Will update with information about everything else as I get more familiar with the school. Best of luck 🙂
 
I applied and was accepted to the Stony Brook MD/PhD this past cycle, though I decided to go elsewhere, and I can say that this is not true at all. Stony Brook certainly has strong research and is on the rise; they've been recruiting numerous world renowned scientists in recent years and are building a new cancer and imaging research center and hiring new faculty (see: http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/simonsgift/mart.html). Moreover, MSTP students have the option of completing their PhD research in labs at either Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory or Brookhaven, both of which are "big name" places doing cutting edge work. Honestly, any MSTP-funded MD/PhD program will give you excellent clinical and research training; to imply that Stony Brook is "not the place for a PhD" is a bit absurd...

I'm applying MD/PhD here for Stony Brook's microbiology PhD programs. Stony Brook is one of the best schools in the country for that field.
 
Does "Please limit your response to one page" mean one single or double spaced page?
 
Does "Please limit your response to one page" mean one single or double spaced page?

I remember just doing single spaced for an entire page. It seemed like a lot to me at the time and I was worried but hey I got in..
 
I'm assuming they print it out to read, so should I leave spaces between paragraphs (and therefore make it go over a page), or try to "indent" using the space bar and hope it end up as a block of text when I submit?
 
I'm assuming they print it out to read, so should I leave spaces between paragraphs (and therefore make it go over a page), or try to "indent" using the space bar and hope it end up as a block of text when I submit?
Never indent using a space bar
 
Yep, mine has been complete since early last week. On the status page it says "The expected date of a final decision on your candidacy is approximately two months from the date of application completion."
 
Yep, mine has been complete since early last week. On the status page it says "The expected date of a final decision on your candidacy is approximately two months from the date of application completion."
rolling admissions :biglove:
 
i submitted on 7/2 nd mine still says "
Your application is incomplete for the following reason(s):
Your application documents are being processed.
You will be notified of status updates. "

Should i call?
 
Mine said that for a while. Just wait a bit, processing letters and such takes a while, especially since there have been more submissions coming in the past few days.
 
My submission confirmation is lagging too. I submitted over 24 hours ago and still haven't received an email; others schools seem to be instant.
 
I submitted my secondary 7/1 (and my committee letter was already in by then) and did not receive my "complete" e-mail until a week later (7/8). I imagine it really just takes a while to process every submission + the letters they received.
 
Anyone marked complete yet? submitted the 1oth.
 
Does this year's secondary have the "Have you applied to medical school before? If so, for which entering class?" and "Have you been accepted to any medical school before? If yes, explain" that was on last year's secondary?
 
submitted 7/2 and still processing ahhh
 
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