2015-2016 SUNY Downstate Application Thread

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Just to address some concerns I have seen.
-Downstate (and most SUNY schools) does a random review of applications. I was complete the earliest available day and didn't receive an II until January, without being placed on any sort of pre-interview hold. So patience is key, and do not worry about who was complete when and why they got an interview before you, etc. (stay off SDN until you've been accepted somewhere)

Secondly, the interview day is VERY relaxed. Honestly the most relaxed interview I had throughout the cycle. While the order of the day differs from applicant to applicant, your interview will consist of a tour which is given by current students, a lunch, and then an interview with a single faculty member. Downstate makes a point of matching your application with an interviewer who shares common interests with you (most of the time, barring last minute changes). The interviewer will be very well-versed in your application and will ask the generic questions. The interviewer has a packet of questions they are required to ask, and the length of the interview really falls down to how much you respond and whether or not your interviewer wants to elaborate and make it conversational or not. After your interview, you have to give a short writing sample. They will hand you a photograph and ask you to write about it. You can write whatever you'd like, and they say it has no bearing on their decision.

After your interview, there will be three options of what they do with your application:
1) Immediate rejection
2) immediate acceptance
3) Hold for Spring Consideration
It is important to note that the hold for spring list is NOT necessarily an alternate list. It is unranked, and they re-review all applicants after all interviews have been given. People from this list can then either be rejected, accepted, or turned into "alternates"

Downstate does provide the option of staying with a student host before your interview, if you want free housing for the evening. Your host will try their best to answer any questions, show you around, and make you as comfortable as possible for your interview. I recommend using this feature as it is a great way to hear a relatively unbiased viewpoint from someone who was once in your shoes that is not influenced by administration. Plus it gives you the option to see the dorms, if that is something your interested in. I am more than likely going to be one of the hosts for this application cycle.

Hope this helps, and I apologize for the novel...needed a break from my studies.
 
Also, there is no financial aid talk unless you decide you want to schedule it. Or at least thats how my interview day was.
 
Emt2md23 said:
Just to address some concerns I have seen.
-Downstate (and most SUNY schools) does a random review of applications. I was complete the earliest available day and didn't receive an II until January, without being placed on any sort of pre-interview hold. So patience is key, and do not worry about who was complete when and why they got an interview before you, etc. (stay off SDN until you've been accepted somewhere)

Secondly, the interview day is VERY relaxed. Honestly the most relaxed interview I had throughout the cycle. While the order of the day differs from applicant to applicant, your interview will consist of a tour which is given by current students, a lunch, and then an interview with a single faculty member. Downstate makes a point of matching your application with an interviewer who shares common interests with you (most of the time, barring last minute changes). The interviewer will be very well-versed in your application and will ask the generic questions. The interviewer has a packet of questions they are required to ask, and the length of the interview really falls down to how much you respond and whether or not your interviewer wants to elaborate and make it conversational or not. After your interview, you have to give a short writing sample. They will hand you a photograph and ask you to write about it. You can write whatever you'd like, and they say it has no bearing on their decision.

After your interview, there will be three options of what they do with your application:
1) Immediate rejection
2) immediate acceptance
3) Hold for Spring Consideration
It is important to note that the hold for spring list is NOT necessarily an alternate list. It is unranked, and they re-review all applicants after all interviews have been given. People from this list can then either be rejected, accepted, or turned into "alternates"

Downstate does provide the option of staying with a student host before your interview, if you want free housing for the evening. Your host will try their best to answer any questions, show you around, and make you as comfortable as possible for your interview. I recommend using this feature as it is a great way to hear a relatively unbiased viewpoint from someone who was once in your shoes that is not influenced by administration. Plus it gives you the option to see the dorms, if that is something your interested in. I am more than likely going to be one of the hosts for this application cycle.

Hope this helps, and I apologize for the novel...needed a break from my studies.
Click to expand...

Thank you for posting this, it's very insightful.
 
Emt2md23 said:
Just to address some concerns I have seen.
-Downstate (and most SUNY schools) does a random review of applications. I was complete the earliest available day and didn't receive an II until January, without being placed on any sort of pre-interview hold. So patience is key, and do not worry about who was complete when and why they got an interview before you, etc. (stay off SDN until you've been accepted somewhere)

Secondly, the interview day is VERY relaxed. Honestly the most relaxed interview I had throughout the cycle. While the order of the day differs from applicant to applicant, your interview will consist of a tour which is given by current students, a lunch, and then an interview with a single faculty member. Downstate makes a point of matching your application with an interviewer who shares common interests with you (most of the time, barring last minute changes). The interviewer will be very well-versed in your application and will ask the generic questions. The interviewer has a packet of questions they are required to ask, and the length of the interview really falls down to how much you respond and whether or not your interviewer wants to elaborate and make it conversational or not. After your interview, you have to give a short writing sample. They will hand you a photograph and ask you to write about it. You can write whatever you'd like, and they say it has no bearing on their decision.

After your interview, there will be three options of what they do with your application:
1) Immediate rejection
2) immediate acceptance
3) Hold for Spring Consideration
It is important to note that the hold for spring list is NOT necessarily an alternate list. It is unranked, and they re-review all applicants after all interviews have been given. People from this list can then either be rejected, accepted, or turned into "alternates"

Downstate does provide the option of staying with a student host before your interview, if you want free housing for the evening. Your host will try their best to answer any questions, show you around, and make you as comfortable as possible for your interview. I recommend using this feature as it is a great way to hear a relatively unbiased viewpoint from someone who was once in your shoes that is not influenced by administration. Plus it gives you the option to see the dorms, if that is something your interested in. I am more than likely going to be one of the hosts for this application cycle.

Hope this helps, and I apologize for the novel...needed a break from my studies.
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Thank you. Any reason they give for the writing sample?
 
taco152 said:
Thank you. Any reason they give for the writing sample?
Click to expand...


They didn't mention any specific reason for the sample though they stated that it "has nothing to do with their decision and should simply be looked at as an exercise and part of the day's regular events" so idk lol
 
Got an II this morning, submitted 7/20 complete 7/21. OOS (California) MCAT 34 GPA 3.8. Going to be my first time ever visiting NY!
 
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DexterM said:
Got an II this morning, submitted 7/20 complete 7/21. OOS (California) MCAT 34 GPA 3.8. Going to be my first time ever visiting NY!
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Don't let the areas surrounding downstate be your only impression of new york. Our school is not in the best or prettiest of neighborhoods, but there is LOADS to do around here, and we get an amazing clinical experience
 
taco152 said:
Thank you. Any reason they give for the writing sample?
Click to expand...

I once heard a rumor that part of it was just to make sure that you didn't hire someone to write your personal statement or something...as in, (this is obviously just in extreme cases) if your grammar/spelling/voice are waaaay off from the materials you submitted, that might be questionable. I'm sure they have other reasons as well, though.
 
@Emt2md23 hey, so they asked for my fall 2015 post bac grades when they are made available...essentially my file in on hold until December. Has this happened to anyone you know? Kiss of death?
 
teeayejay said:
@Emt2md23 hey, so they asked for my fall 2015 post bac grades when they are made available...essentially my file in on hold until December. Has this happened to anyone you know? Kiss of death?
Click to expand...

i personally have not had any experience with this...nor have i heard of anybody who has off the top of my head, but I would assume that it is not a kiss of death. With the application process, it is important to realize that until you see the words "rejected"or "we regret to inform you," you are still very much in the running.

on a purely optimistic, though possibly naive, note...if they weren't remotely interested in your application, would they really care to see your post-bac grades? I'm inclined to afssumethey would flat out reject you if they weren't interested.
 
Emt2md23 said:
i personally have not had any experience with this...nor have i heard of anybody who has off the top of my head, but I would assume that it is not a kiss of death. With the application process, it is important to realize that until you see the words "rejected"or "we regret to inform you," you are still very much in the running.

on a purely optimistic, though possibly naive, note...if they weren't remotely interested in your application, would they really care to see your post-bac grades? I'm inclined to afssumethey would flat out reject you if they weren't interested.
Click to expand...

That's exactly how I chose to look at the situation. Thanks for the positive vibes! SUNY is my top choice so I'm just trying to remain hopeful.
 
teeayejay said:
@Emt2md23 hey, so they asked for my fall 2015 post bac grades when they are made available...essentially my file in on hold until December. Has this happened to anyone you know? Kiss of death?
Click to expand...
Did they specifically say your file is on hold? Or are you assuming? It's strange they would put you on hold for future grades; that is not standard procedure.
 
avgn said:
Did they specifically say your file is on hold? Or are you assuming? It's strange they would put you on hold for future grades; that is not standard procedure.
Click to expand...

Well, they didn't specifically say that my file was on hold. Yeah, its unheard of to me as well, but I can only assume that they would probably re-review my file after those grades post. Otherwise, why even request them, right? Just trying to make sense of it all.
 
teeayejay said:
Well, they didn't specifically say that my file was on hold. Yeah, its unheard of to me as well, but I can only assume that they would probably re-review my file after those grades post. Otherwise, why even request them, right? Just trying to make sense of it all.
Click to expand...
...sigh, classic SDN right here.

Then you are not on hold. They are just reminding you to send in your grades. Nothing about your status has changed. The grades will be added to your file; no one knows when that will reviewed again. But for now your file will still be reviewed as is; to think that they won't look at it until December is ridiculous because that is not how application updates work.
 
avgn said:
...sigh, classic SDN right here.

Then you are not on hold. They are just reminding you to send in your grades. Nothing about your status has changed. The grades will be added to your file; no one knows when that will reviewed again. But for now your file will still be reviewed as is; to think that they won't look at it until December is ridiculous because that is not how application updates work.
Click to expand...

I understand that my application isn't officially on hold. My original post was a manner of speaking, not to be taken literally, which is why I said, "essentially." I'm confident that @Emt2md23 understood that. At any rate, my application has more than likely been placed to the side to softly pend until my grades for this fall are made available. Withstanding, I do understand that a decision could still be made at any time but thanks for your input though.
 
teeayejay said:
At any rate, my application has more than likely been placed to the side to softly pend until my grades for this fall are made available.
Click to expand...
No, just no. Nothing we know about the application process tells us that your app would just be sitting there idly waiting for an application update. That literally makes absolutely no sense. The office just wanted to remind you that you should send in your grades when they're available.

Eh whatever, believe what you want though. Your app, your life
 
teeayejay said:
That's exactly how I chose to look at the situation. Thanks for the positive vibes! SUNY is my top choice so I'm just trying to remain hopeful.
Click to expand...

So i just scoured through the threads for the last two years and have found a handful of students that had their post-bac fall grades requested from downstate. While none of these students spoke of whether or not it was a hold with a re-review upon receipt of recent grades, they all ultimately got interviews in february after promptly sending their grades in in december. While this doesn't clarify anything, and the sorcery of what goes on in the admissions office is still widely unknown, I would gather a few pieces of advice from this information: 1) Do not freak out. You are nowhere near out of the running. 2) stay off this site and don't watch others get invites/acceptances before your fall grades are even submitted. 3) Bust your ass in your post bac so that you have great grades to show when you ultimately submit that update. Most importantly, keep your head up. This is a crazy process that is not meant for the faint of heart. Those who want it most will get it; however, it is important to keep happy and keep striving towards self-improvement regardless of the outcomes of the cycle.
 
Emt2md23 said:
So i just scoured through the threads for the last two years and have found a handful of students that had their post-bac fall grades requested from downstate. While none of these students spoke of whether or not it was a hold with a re-review upon receipt of recent grades, they all ultimately got interviews in february after promptly sending their grades in in december. While this doesn't clarify anything, and the sorcery of what goes on in the admissions office is still widely unknown, I would gather a few pieces of advice from this information: 1) Do not freak out. You are nowhere near out of the running. 2) stay off this site and don't watch others get invites/acceptances before your fall grades are even submitted. 3) Bust your ass in your post bac so that you have great grades to show when you ultimately submit that update. Most importantly, keep your head up. This is a crazy process that is not meant for the faint of heart. Those who want it most will get it; however, it is important to keep happy and keep striving towards self-improvement regardless of the outcomes of the cycle.
Click to expand...

You're amazing. Thank you for taking the time to do more research on it like I should have. All of your points are so valid and I think I do need to take a hiatus away from SDN *sigh*
 
teeayejay said:
You're amazing. Thank you for taking the time to do more research on it like I should have. All of your points are so valid and I think I do need to take a hiatus away from SDN *sigh*
Click to expand...

no problem at all....still have 5 weeks till exams, so I'm still here to help whenever lol. definitely try to stay off this site till you have a few interviews under your belt and maybe an acceptance so you're less stressed lol
 
congrats to all who got II today! would you mind sharing stats/ if you're IS or OOS?
 
II received yesterday. Complete 7/8. OOS / 3.8 / 33.
 
anyone have an estimate of what time the interview will end? I'm looking at flights and would like to plan some buffer time in case of traffic/other stuff
 
socalrulez said:
anyone have an estimate of what time the interview will end? I'm looking at flights and would like to plan some buffer time in case of traffic/other stuff
Click to expand...

I think in their email they said expect to stay until 1:30 PM

Can any current students comment on how they like the new integrated curriculum?
 
II today!! 3.7/37, top ECs, complete 7/27. OOS but some ties to the area. Assigned to early Oct date

Excited but for the fact they gave no choice in date and literally assigned me to the date I just chose yesterday for my Yale interview :laugh: I'll update everyone on the rescheduling procedure
 
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Oranges2 said:
I think in their email they said expect to stay until 1:30 PM

Can any current students comment on how they like the new integrated curriculum?
Click to expand...

I don't think my email mentioned anything about 1:30pm. Do you think booking a flight that leaves at 5pm is safe, or should I book one for later?
 
socalrulez said:
I don't think my email mentioned anything about 1:30pm. Do you think booking a flight that leaves at 5pm is safe, or should I book one for later?
Click to expand...

It's at the part that talks about lunch with current students. I booked my flight for a little later (I had the choice between 5 and 7) just in case.
 
Oranges2 said:
I think in their email they said expect to stay until 1:30 PM

Can any current students comment on how they like the new integrated curriculum?
Click to expand...

MS2 here. I really like it - it makes it muuuch easier for me to learn things. It just makes sense to me, to learn all the anatomy/physio/path/pharm relating to one system at once. It's also nice that our grades depend largely on an NBME exam, since you can use qbanks to practice and don't have to worry too much about nitpicky professor-written questions.
 
Oranges2 said:
I think in their email they said expect to stay until 1:30 PM

Can any current students comment on how they like the new integrated curriculum?
Click to expand...

I love the curriculum in that I feel like we really learn how to apply the information. Everything is very integrated. What we learn by dissecting in anatomy, we then learn how to test for, and see radiologic images or whatever showing pathologies as well. I have NO idea how the testing works yet or how well i'm going to do...but I enjoy the way everything is taught lol
 
Might any current students be willing to chime in on the area surrounding the school and where students tend to live?
 
themoonman2 said:
Might any current students be willing to chime in on the area surrounding the school and where students tend to live?
Click to expand...

I have mentioned the area surrounding the school in a few posts.
The area surrounding downstate is pretty ugly, run-down, pretty rough. I have never felt unsafe or anything like that, but its an inner city and I wouldn't recommend walking alone late at night. There are a few positives that come from this, however. 1) clinically speaking, you will be exposed to so much. If EM is your thing, the trauma and emergencies alone are enough to make you into a great physician. You will have your share of experiences dealing with an under-educated and underserved population which will really help in maturing you as a care-giver. 2) diversity. I have already been exposed to more culture than I have in my whole life just from the areas surrounding that school.

The school is about 2 blocks from a subway station which can take you pretty much anywhere from brooklyn to manhattan and into the bronx. This is very convenient as on the weekends we can easily go out wherever we want. This also makes it easy to live off campus and have a relatively decent commute.

I personally live in a studio single in the dorms. I chose to do this for the first year to be closer to campus, around current students, and to have the safety of living on campus while i was trying to get my footing in the area. A lot of in state first year students do this, and then choose to move off campus the following year. There are some nicer and more lively areas of brooklyn that are simply a few subway stops away where many students choose to live. I will personally be looking into living in the park-slope area next year.

Also its worth noting that if you are an out of state student, you can live off campus your first year and eventually be eligible to pay in state tuition after that year.
 
Lol dude East NY to Park Slope...so much for valuing the diversity you're exposed to amirite 😉
 
avgn said:
Lol dude East NY to Park Slope...so much for valuing the diversity you're exposed to amirite 😉
Click to expand...


Still gonna be at the same school and have the same clinical experiences...but it will allow friends from home to actually want to visit me hahaha

Plus i'm sick of dorm living, so i'm moving off regardless and would not want to move into the immediate areas.
 
themoonman2 said:
Might any current students be willing to chime in on the area surrounding the school and where students tend to live?
Click to expand...

I got off the subway today and accidentally walked through the West Indian parade, which sums it up.

But yeah, the area nearby isn't great, as @Emt2md23 said, but it's survivable. I do walk alone at night not infrequently (coming back from the subway, staying late at school to study, whatever), I carry pepper spray, and so far it's been fine. The street harassment here is no better or worse than anywhere else. I walk quickly, look like I know where I'm going & am aware of my surroundings, and it's fine. I lived off-campus but nearby both last year and this year (different apartments, same neighborhood) because I was OOS last year & because I want to save money this year (in terms of both rent & not having to buy a monthly metrocard). There's a good mix of people who live in the dorms (whether for just a year or for several years), people who live off-campus in apartments in the immediate area, and people who commute (mainly from other parts of Brooklyn, but some from Manhattan, Queens, Long Island, & Staten Island).

(I use parentheses a lot. Oops.)
 
Just got an II. So now I have three interviews back to back. One on 10/7, 10/8, and 10/9. Will this be a disadvantage in any way? I'll have to reschedule my flight for my Boston interview, but I guess I'm lucky that Brooklyn is in the area? I'm already getting nervous for this week...
 
connie1 said:
Just got an II. So now I have three interviews back to back. One on 10/7, 10/8, and 10/9. Will this be a disadvantage in any way? I'll have to reschedule my flight for my Boston interview, but I guess I'm lucky that Brooklyn is in the area? I'm already getting nervous for this week...
Click to expand...

That might be hard depending on where your third interview is (one Boston, one Brooklyn).

As long as you're able to catch a night of sleep before each one, you should be fine.

I would definitely start looking into traveling arrangements between each school (airport, shuttles, cabs, etc). The only risk you face are delays in flights for the most part (keep an eye out on the weather the week leading into them).
 
Mr Magpie said:
That might be hard depending on where your third interview is (one Boston, one Brooklyn).

As long as you're able to catch a night of sleep before each one, you should be fine.

I would definitely start looking into traveling arrangements between each school (airport, shuttles, cabs, etc). The only risk you face are delays in flights for the most part (keep an eye out on the weather the week leading into them).
Click to expand...
So it's first Brooklyn, then Boston, then providence, so luckily they're all pretty close to each other! I was planning on just taking the megabus after the interview at SUNY which takes around 3 hours. And the commute between Boston and Rhode Island is around an hour. I think I will also create my own thread to get some more tips and tricks. Thanks for the response!
 
connie1 said:
So it's first Brooklyn, then Boston, then providence, so luckily they're all pretty close to each other! I was planning on just taking the megabus after the interview at SUNY which takes around 3 hours. And the commute between Boston and Rhode Island is around an hour. I think I will also create my own thread to get some more tips and tricks. Thanks for the response!
Click to expand...

just so you're adequately prepared...getting to boston from downstate would take about 3.5 hours at 12 am (based on what my apps tell me). Traffic when you're done with your interview may be brutal, so take that into account when planning. should be a hell of a fun three days for you though!!
 
connie1 said:
So it's first Brooklyn, then Boston, then providence, so luckily they're all pretty close to each other! I was planning on just taking the megabus after the interview at SUNY which takes around 3 hours. And the commute between Boston and Rhode Island is around an hour. I think I will also create my own thread to get some more tips and tricks. Thanks for the response!
Click to expand...
The bus ride between NYC and Boston is 4.5 hours. If you include getting into and out of the bus stations in the respective cities, you're talking 5.5 hours total travel time door to door.
 
Emt2md23 said:
just so you're adequately prepared...getting to boston from downstate would take about 3.5 hours at 12 am (based on what my apps tell me). Traffic when you're done with your interview may be brutal, so take that into account when planning. should be a hell of a fun three days for you though!!
Click to expand...
3.5 hours would be a consistent 70 mph in a sedan. Coach buses do not drive that fast. The public transportation bus commute is 4.5 hours with wheels on the ground
 
I was planning on leaving right after my SUNY interview and staying the night in Boston before my interview the next day!
 
avgn said:
II today!! 3.7/37, top ECs, complete 7/27. OOS but some ties to the area. Assigned to early Oct date

Excited but for the fact they gave no choice in date and literally assigned me to the date I just chose yesterday for my Yale interview :laugh: I'll update everyone on the rescheduling procedure
Click to expand...
Update as promised! Relatively simple. Sent an email with a request last Friday, got assigned a new date today. Only drawback is that you still don't have a choice of date and I did not have an in the area request to make. Got reassigned to early Nov date. Hope to see some of you around then!
 
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