2016-2017 Stony Brook University Application Thread

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These are the only ESSAY QUESTIONS (Please limit your responses to one page per question)

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.

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

Good luck to everyone applying!
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Last edited by a moderator:
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Secondary received 6/24/16 (AMCAS primary sent 6/7/16; Verified 6/24/16).
@Ismet These are the only ESSAY QUESTIONS (Please limit your responses to one page per question)
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.
11. DESCRIBE AN OBSTACLE YOU'VE OVERCOME AND HOW IT HAS DEFINED YOU.
 
How much is everyone going to write? Fill up the page? single/double spaced?
 
Here's what one poster said 2 years ago in the Stony Brook thread regarding this question: "I did double, some other people earlier in this thread were saying you should do single spaced. Meh. Quality > quantity. I interviewed here last week so I don't think it's going to kill you either way."

Good luck to us buddy!
 
runningmandoctor said:
Here's what one poster said 2 years ago in the Stony Brook thread regarding this question: "I did double, some other people earlier in this thread were saying you should do single spaced. Meh. Quality > quantity. I interviewed here last week so I don't think it's going to kill you either way."

Good luck to us buddy!
Click to expand...

Well adding to that, you really shouldn't feel obligated to actually try and fill up a full page. The character/ page limits schools give you are LIMITS not suggestions. If you can convey all of the information you want in one paragraph (which I'm sure you can since you will have this obstacle question on other secondaries that give you a much shorter limit) than you should stick with that.
 
How do we measure "one page" of writing there? Do we first write it in word and than paste it in... but will it then loose the formatting and double spacing and only look like it was a half page? Also how do we answer "15 years from now" ? i thought it was best to avoid mentioning any sort of specialty, I may be wrong though...
 
Apollo8 said:
How do we measure "one page" of writing there? Do we first write it in word and than paste it in... but will it then loose the formatting and double spacing and only look like it was a half page? Also how do we answer "15 years from now" ? i thought it was best to avoid mentioning any sort of specialty, I may be wrong though...
Click to expand...

I'm wondering the same thing...
 
Apollo8 said:
How do we measure "one page" of writing there? Do we first write it in word and than paste it in... but will it then loose the formatting and double spacing and only look like it was a half page? Also how do we answer "15 years from now" ? i thought it was best to avoid mentioning any sort of specialty, I may be wrong though...
Click to expand...
15 years would include specialty. This is directly asking for it, so it's fair game.
 
PeruvianMD said:
I'm wondering the same thing...
Click to expand...
With vague lengths like Stony's, just open a word doc and write until you either (1) get to a full page or (2) convey exactly what you want to convey. They're not going to count your words or see a beautifully worded essay that's a little long and reject you. They're asking for it to be open ended... Don't overthink it.
 
Apollo8 said:
How do we measure "one page" of writing there? Do we first write it in word and than paste it in... but will it then loose the formatting and double spacing and only look like it was a half page? Also how do we answer "15 years from now" ? i thought it was best to avoid mentioning any sort of specialty, I may be wrong though...
Click to expand...
Things like this makes me feel glad that I took a gap year.
 
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^Same here. Reapplicant, didn't apply here last year though. Just submitted but noticed a typo in one of the essays, woops :bang:

For the one page length, I just made sure they fit onto a default blank word document in Times New Roman size 12, single spaced. Doubt they'd give too much concern for a bit less/more if their requirement was that open ended.

Seems like this school is kinder to OOS than others?
 
Got an email stating that my application was marked as complete earlier today. Crossing my fingers I get an II here because it's my top choice!!


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
wait so how much is everyone writing
 
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Hi everyone,

I am curious to know how to effectively indicate the start of new paragraphs in the Stony Brook essay textboxes. (for other schools, you can preview your app before submitting so you'd see whether your indentations are there or not but for SB it's just one page with a submit button at the bottom so I am not sure what to expect)

Thanks!
 
Wyu said:
Hi everyone,

I am curious to know how to effectively indicate the start of new paragraphs in the Stony Brook essay textboxes. (for other schools, you can preview your app before submitting so you'd see whether your indentations are there or not but for SB it's just one page with a submit button at the bottom so I am not sure what to expect)

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Is there a size limit at all? I haven't received a secondary yet so I just wanted to know if it cut off your response after a certain number of characters
 
baratheonfire said:
Is there a size limit at all? I haven't received a secondary yet so I just wanted to know if it cut off your response after a certain number of characters
Click to expand...
they state "one page" but don't indicate font size or spacing so who knows really
 
yes, it says this... "ESSAY QUESTIONS (Please limit your responses to one page per question)" and then states each prompt. It lets you resize the box as you wish, and it let me paste a 30,000 word doc into it that i had lying around, so yea i'd say infinity
 
Apollo8 said:
yes, it says this... "ESSAY QUESTIONS (Please limit your responses to one page per question)" and then states each prompt. It lets you resize the box as you wish, and it let me paste a 30,000 word doc into it that i had lying around, so yea i'd say infinity
Click to expand...
wow that's dumb af they should fix their system
how many words did you end up writing
 
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What did you guys write about for the greatest obstacle essay?
I wrote about being an immigrant (moved here when I was 3) but idk if I should keep it
 
Did anybody else use an ethical dilemma for the obstacle essay? Not sure if that would be okay or if they're looking for a more concrete obstacle.
 
Both my essays were around 280 words and half a page. I based the length I used off of what most other schools were asking for. Think of how many applications the committee has to read and use your best judgement - just because you can write five pages does not mean you should. It seems like many are overthinking it. Additionally, I cannot comment on if submissions loose their formatting when you submit, but I would say single spaced is more appropriate, as the only use for double spaced I am aware of is to allow for easier editing.

My obstacle essay discussed dealing with death for the first time during a clinical experience I had. @nutmeg16 , that sounds like a good idea, but it'd be easier to comment given more specifics.

Edit: Sorry for the late response, been busy, but figured others could use this information in the future.
 
has anyone said something to the tune of "in 15 years..." or "come 15 years from now..." i didn't use this in the beginning but it is near the bottom third of the essay... is this odd to say?
 
baratheonfire said:
wow that's dumb af they should fix their system
how many words did you end up writing
Click to expand...

i ended up with 1 page times new roman 12pt single spaced. 700 words. i currently have them split into paragraphs, curious if i should paste like this... or just make it one block of text.
 
Apollo8 said:
i ended up with 1 page times new roman 12pt single spaced. 700 words. i currently have them split into paragraphs, curious if i should paste like this... or just make it one block of text.
Click to expand...
I did paragraphs, thought it looked nicer.
 
Does the font and spacing even matter as it is going to be pasted on a plain text space?
 
Just received email stating my application was complete and is now under review. Submitted secondary on 7/5 and was verified with all of my letters submitted on 6/10. I had no idea it would take this long to be complete when all of my stuff was already in.
 
Hi all,

I am debating on applying here but does anyone know if you are granted the AAMC Fee Waiver will it automatically be applied to your secondary? On the school website it says to request a fee waiver you need to obtain documentation from your school's financial aid department. I have already graduated so this would be a pain.
 
robotfinches said:
From the FAQ:

How can I get a waiver of your application fee?
Fee waivers are automatically granted to applicants who have an AMCAS waiver. This information is forwarded to us by AMCAS. If you were not granted a fee waiver by AMCAS, you may send us a written request for a Stony Brook University School of Medicine fee waiver. In your written request, you should explain in detail the reasons for the request and attach relevant documentation, i.e., a letter of support from your college's Financial Aid office. Each request will be considered on its individual merits.
Click to expand...
thank you soo much for the help!!! I'm going to apply!
 
I sent Stony my primary app like mid-june, this is the only school I haven't gotten a secondary from yet. They never even sent an email saying that they received my AMCAS and that the secondary is on its way. Is this normal for Stony, or should I email their admissions? I've already sent back all my secondaries to other schools except Stony and it's one of my dream matches
 
Give them a call. I submitted my primary to them Saturday and I received my secondary today so something doesn't seem right with how your app is being processed.
Sheemu said:
I sent Stony my primary app like mid-june, this is the only school I haven't gotten a secondary from yet. They never even sent an email saying that they received my AMCAS and that the secondary is on its way. Is this normal for Stony, or should I email their admissions? I've already sent back all my secondaries to other schools except Stony and it's one of my dream matches
Click to expand...
 
Sheemu said:
I sent Stony my primary app like mid-june, this is the only school I haven't gotten a secondary from yet. They never even sent an email saying that they received my AMCAS and that the secondary is on its way. Is this normal for Stony, or should I email their admissions? I've already sent back all my secondaries to other schools except Stony and it's one of my dream matches
Click to expand...

What email provider do you use? There have been problems in the past with Hotmail (and I believe some others).
 
Outlook, maybe it was sent to my spam. Shoot, I'll give them a call then

edit: damn yeah just saw it in my deleted junk folder X(((((((((((((((((((((((
 
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