2018-2019 SUNY - Downstate

Started by gyngyn
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Powerlifter95 said:
I don’t really get mad at my interviewer for attacking my app. It’s a tool to see how you do under stress, which is fine. I minded that he basically proceeded to tell me how the area was rough, tuition was high, and there weren’t great options for research. So i just had to sit there and defend HIS school. Either an extremely strange “why this school” tactic, or a disgruntled faculty member.
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IMO I think he was probably trying to see if you really wanted to attend the school or were just applying just because
 
premed0431 said:
IMO I think he was probably trying to see if you really wanted to attend the school or were just applying just because
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Honestly most people probably don’t have a burning passion to go here lol. I’m sure 90% of applicants would go elsewhere if they got a better offer. Med schools acceptance is a numbers game
 
medschoolzombie said:
Honestly most people probably don’t have a burning passion to go here lol. I’m sure 90% of applicants would go elsewhere if they got a better offer. Med schools acceptance is a numbers game
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I actually disagree. I think many applicants would love to be in NYC but can’t get into NYU, Columbia, Cornell, mount sinai. There aren’t many schools that have the clinical experience downstate offers!
 
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People with all these bad vibes are probably not used to New Yorkers (especially folks from Brooklyn). We're aggressive. Downstate had on their secondary why you think you could excel in NYC. That's because it's a tough place, especially when you want a tough education.

No ill will towards y'all, but good on you for withdrawing!
 
Zathric said:
People with all these bad vibes are probably not used to New Yorkers (especially folks from Brooklyn). We're aggressive. Downstate had on their secondary why you think you could excel in NYC. That's because it's a tough place, especially when you want a tough education.

No ill will towards y'all, but good on you for withdrawing!
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This is why applicants should always apply to schools that match their missions.
NYC in general is gritty and rough although we have some gems. I think Downstate focuses on bettering its community through healthcare not the glitz & glam or prestigious reputation of a medical school.
 
Zathric said:
People with all these bad vibes are probably not used to New Yorkers (especially folks from Brooklyn). We're aggressive. Downstate had on their secondary why you think you could excel in NYC. That's because it's a tough place, especially when you want a tough education.

No ill will towards y'all, but good on you for withdrawing!
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I totally see what you're saying, this makes 100% sense. "Aggression" was not really the issue in my case though. It was as if Downstate was out of touch with how interviews are conducted nowadays at schools across the country. There's really not much reason to ask me about my high school coursework (I could hardly remember), my MCAT subsections, why I got a "B" in a particular class, etc. Only 1 or 2 of the successive dozens of questions really gave me a chance to mention things not in my primary app. I didn't even get a "Why Downstate?"
 
Hi All,
Current student here, just wanted to put in some good words and reassurance Re: Downstate.
First off, I also had a crappy interview here. My interview was very grades-heavy and I also felt like the administration didn't really try to woo us as much as other schools. I ended up coming here because I heard great things from upperclassmen, and I'm really glad I did.

People absolutely choose to come here over other schools. The quality and variety of the clinical exposure in Brooklyn is top notch. You'll see conditions here that you'll never find in Long Island or Buffalo, clinicals are more hands-on than at other schools (for better or for worse), and you start in 1.5 years in vs 2. Another major plus is the curriculum. It's P/F and unit-based meaning that you're not as stressed and actually have time to enjoy Brooklyn since you're not preparing for a test every 2 weeks. People go out every weekend. Also exams are NBME style so you're essentially preparing yourself for STEP from day 1 and not wasting time learning useless minutiae from lectures. It's not glamorous here, but you will be very well prepared for residency.

Feel free to PM/ask me any questions you might have! Good luck.
 
s_tian said:
Hi All,
Current student here, just wanted to put in some good words and reassurance Re: Downstate.
First off, I also had a crappy interview here. My interview was very grades-heavy and I also felt like the administration didn't really try to woo us as much as other schools. I ended up coming here because I heard great things from upperclassmen, and I'm really glad I did.

People absolutely choose to come here over other schools. The quality and variety of the clinical exposure in Brooklyn is top notch. You'll see conditions here that you'll never find in Long Island or Buffalo, clinicals are more hands-on than at other schools (for better or for worse), and you start in 1.5 years in vs 2. Another major plus is the curriculum. It's P/F and unit-based meaning that you're not as stressed and actually have time to enjoy Brooklyn since you're not preparing for a test every 2 weeks. People go out every weekend. Also exams are NBME style so you're essentially preparing yourself for STEP from day 1 and not wasting time learning useless minutiae from lectures. It's not glamorous here, but you will be very well prepared for residency.

Feel free to PM/ask me any questions you might have! Good luck.
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Love this!! Diving a bit deeper though, what is the general atmosphere of the med school class? Do you know your classmates well? Is it a collaborative environment or every man for himself?
 
whaddup_doc said:
Love this!! Diving a bit deeper though, what is the general atmosphere of the med school class? Do you know your classmates well? Is it a collaborative environment or every man for himself?
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Atmosphere is pretty relaxed for the most part but it can get tense at times, depending on who you hang out with and how close exams are. The class is pretty large at ~200 but you do spend a lot of time with your "half" of the class & there's a fair amount of small-group based classes so you get to know those people pretty well.

I think the thing that shocked me the most was how collaborative everyone is. I mean I think every med school says they're collaborative but the number of upperclassmen and even my own peers who take the time out of their day to share anki decks, practice questions, and give legit presentations to us on how to study for "x" exam or use "y" resource is really incredible. People genuinely want to see each other pass. People will literally post new study materials almost daily on our fb page. There's this sense that we want everyone in our class to become great doctors and if you come across something that the class will benefit from, people absolutely do not hesitate to share.
 
How long after your interview did it take the Peer Interviewer to reach out to you? At what point should I call/email admissions?
 
Mr. Peanutbutter said:
How long after your interview did it take the Peer Interviewer to reach out to you? At what point should I call/email admissions?
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Mine contacted me 30 minutes after the interview and then my interview with them was a week later, but it all depends on the availability of your student I think
 
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So in their FAQs it says that “the Admissions Committee will email you an update on your status 4–6 weeks following your interview.“ but they are also saying they are releasing decision Late January early February. Which one do we believe?
 
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Otter18 said:
II earlier today! OOS Complete mid-august LM~70. Watch out because my interview invite went to my spam folder. Also, they assign you a date to interview, was given one in late November.
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Yeah, I got an email last night reminding me of the II they sent me on the 24th, which was actually never received at all. Couldn't find it in the spam folder either. Going to call them, and hopefully I can still attend the interview. The reminder email said that I had 5 business days.

Update: Gave them a call, and they told me that as long as I responded to the email, I was good to go. Just waiting for the confirmation now.

Complete 9/6, LM 73-74 in-state
 
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I have a 1 PM interview scheduled. Admissions office told me that I should be there no later than 11:30 or so, but does anyone know when the interview day ends?
 
Is anyone who interviewed in October still waiting on their Peer conversation? It's been 3 weeks for me, I talked to admissions and they told me to be patient but I just wanted to gauge to see if others are still waiting. Interviewed 10/17
 
Mr. Peanutbutter said:
Is anyone who interviewed in October still waiting on their Peer conversation? It's been 3 weeks for me, I talked to admissions and they told me to be patient but I just wanted to gauge to see if others are still waiting. Interviewed 10/17
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It took my guy almost 4 weeks to get back to me. It really depends on the person but they’ll call eventually!
 
Mr. Peanutbutter said:
Is anyone who interviewed in October still waiting on their Peer conversation? It's been 3 weeks for me, I talked to admissions and they told me to be patient but I just wanted to gauge to see if others are still waiting. Interviewed 10/17
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I had my peer interview a week after my actual interview
 
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