Albany Medical vs. Stony Brook

[zeppelinpage4]

Hey sorry for another thread, I just found out that Albany Medical College took me off of their waiting list today.

So, I am holding an acceptance to SUNY Stony Brook, and that is where I plan to matriculate right now. However, now I need to give Albany a decision in three days, and I wanted to get some feedback on whether to stay with Stony Brook or pick Albany Medical College.

I'll keep it short,

Stony Brook:
+Good reputation
+Good education
+Nicer facilities/campus
+Cheaper tuition (in state)

-Higher cost of living
-About five hours from home

Albany:
+Family close by, I know the the hospital and have a strong support system there.
+I think P/F???
+Lower cost of living

-Not as nice facilities
-Higher tuition (I don't know if they give more financial aid though)

Is Stony Brook a lot better reputation wise? I know it is regarded as the best SUNY school. I forgot what the curriculum or grading system was at Albany. Thanks so much.

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[Wifey1985]

Hey sorry for another thread, I just found out that Albany Medical College took me off of their waiting list today.

So, I am holding an acceptance to SUNY Stony Brook, and that is where I plan to matriculate right now. However, now I need to give Albany a decision in three days, and I wanted to get some feedback on whether to stay with Stony Brook or pick Albany Medical College.

I'll keep it short,

Stony Brook:
+Good reputation
+Good education
+Nicer facilities/campus
+Cheaper tuition (in state)

-Higher cost of living
-About five hours from home

Albany:
+Family close by, I know the the hospital and have a strong support system there.
+I think P/F???
+Lower cost of living

-Not as nice facilities
-Higher tuition (I don't know if they give more financial aid though)

Is Stony Brook a lot better reputation wise? I know it is regarded as the best SUNY school. I forgot what the curriculum or grading system was at Albany. Thanks so much.

Congrats! How much higher is the Albany tuition? I thought the difference was pretty significant, but I don't have the numbers in front of me. Will they let you know about fin aid before you have to make a decision?

 

[La Presse]

Albany is like 50k plus in terms of COA, I think. I'd choose SUNY stony brook.

 

[acromonkey]

Hey sorry for another thread, I just found out that Albany Medical College took me off of their waiting list today.

So, I am holding an acceptance to SUNY Stony Brook, and that is where I plan to matriculate right now. However, now I need to give Albany a decision in three days, and I wanted to get some feedback on whether to stay with Stony Brook or pick Albany Medical College.

I'll keep it short,

Stony Brook:
+Good reputation
+Good education
+Nicer facilities/campus
+Cheaper tuition (in state)

-Higher cost of living
-About five hours from home

Albany:
+Family close by, I know the the hospital and have a strong support system there.
+I think P/F???
+Lower cost of living

-Not as nice facilities
-Higher tuition (I don't know if they give more financial aid though)

Is Stony Brook a lot better reputation wise? I know it is regarded as the best SUNY school. I forgot what the curriculum or grading system was at Albany. Thanks so much.

Congrats...They are both great offers. Because SUNY is instate tuition (I assume you are NY resident?)....I would pick Stony Brook. Because both are good schools based on reputation, opportunities, etc., the next really important factor is money. Even though Stony Brook area may be more expensive to live, the amount that you would take out for extra living costs, wouldn't even come near the amount you'd take out for Albany tuition. If I were in your shoes, I'd choose Stony Brook!

 

[Goobs]

Albany is like 50k plus in terms of COA, I think. I'd choose SUNY stony brook.

Tuition and fees (not including healthcare) is 56k for MS1 and 53k for each of the years after. Cost of living hasn't been included in that price yet (Page 28 of http://www.amc.edu/Academic/Undergraduate/documents/AMCFinancialAidGuide.pdf).

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Congrats! How much higher is the Albany tuition? I thought the difference was pretty significant, but I don't have the numbers in front of me. Will they let you know about fin aid before you have to make a decision?

Thanks Wifey! I called Albany Med and it looks like

Albany Tuition= $63,204 without Financial Aid
Albany average debt coming out=$185,000

Stony Brook Tuition= $29,530 without Financial Aid
Stony Brook average debt coming out=$147,500

I still need to do financial aid forms for Albany, and haven't heard back about financial aid from Stony Brook.

I'm guessing the cost of living at Stony Brook will be ~$15,000 more than Albany, but even with that tacked on to tuition, Stony Brook is cheaper by several thousand.

Albany is like 50k plus in terms of COA, I think. I'd choose SUNY stony brook.

Thanks, it looks like Stony Brook would be the smarter choice.

Congrats...They are both great offers. Because SUNY is instate tuition (I assume you are NY resident?)....I would pick Stony Brook. Because both are good schools based on reputation, opportunities, etc., the next really important factor is money. Even though Stony Brook area may be more expensive to live, the amount that you would take out for extra living costs, wouldn't even come near the amount you'd take out for Albany tuition. If I were in your shoes, I'd choose Stony Brook!

Thank you! Yes I am a NYS resident.
Thanks for clarifying about reputation, I honestly wasn't sure how much of a difference there was between the two schools, but if they are similar in terms of reputation and opportunities, it looks like money and location are the big factors. I was wondering if the lower cost of living in Albany would offset tuition, but looking at the numbers you make a good point, it most likely does not.

Money wise, it looks like Stony Brook is the smarter choice, I am wondering if the lower cost at Stony Brook is worth going farther away from home though.

Tuition and fees (not including healthcare) is 56k for MS1 and 53k for each of the years after. Cost of living hasn't been included in that price yet (Page 28 of http://www.amc.edu/Academic/Undergraduate/documents/AMCFinancialAidGuide.pdf).

Wow thanks for the link. I couldn't find tuition information on their website very easily, but this helps. I was hoping the financial aid and cost of living might bring Albany's cost of attendance down to a reasonable level, but at that price probably not.

I guess the question is, is the higher cost at Albany worth taking if it means being close to home, or is it better to take the cheaper school and run with it. I loved Stony Brook of course, and wouldn't mind being farther away if it means saving money and being at a good school, since both are still in New York State.

 

[GoWiththeFlo]

For what it is worth, according to the Match video for SB for 2013, they claim to have a 100% match! Can't beat that.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

For what it is worth, according to the Match video for SB for 2013, they claim to have a 100% match! Can't beat that.

Thank you! it definitely looks like Stony Brook students do very well. Their average step score was also really high I think. Albany never gave us their match list, so I don't know if it's as good.

 

[yehhhboiii]

dude just go to stony lol
albany med raises their tuition by like 5% a year

 

[zeppelinpage4]

dude just go to stony lol
albany med raises their tuition by like 5% a year

Thank you, I didn't know that Albany raised tuition.

I know the SUNY hospitals are having budget issues too, is there a chance the Stony Brook tuition will also be raised each year?

 

[Wifey1985]

I guess the question is, is the higher cost at Albany worth taking if it means being close to home, or is it better to take the cheaper school and run with it. I loved Stony Brook of course, and wouldn't mind being farther away if it means saving money and being at a good school, since both are still in New York State.

I think you've boiled it down to the right tradeoff calculus. I don't want to get too granular, but you can just consider these questions hypothetically :

How much closer to home/your support system is Albany than Stony Brook? Is it 3 hours vs. 5 hours, or 15 minutes vs. 5 hours? If the difference is enough to affect how often you can go home (instead of just how long it will take you to go home when you want to go home), then maybe it's worth it to take on the extra cost.

How important will the cost difference be when you get out of school? Do you have family money that will soften the blow? Are you planning to go in to a more lucrative specialty? If money is already tight or if you have your heart set on a specialty that doesn't rake in as much cash, then maybe saving money at Stony Brook is worth being farther away from your support system for four years.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[leeyuhang]

just curious. how is cost of living 15k more at stony brook? you're not actually in nyc and from what i've heard from the students, rent is pretty reasonable in the area.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

I think you've boiled it down to the right tradeoff calculus. I don't want to get too granular, but you can just consider these questions hypothetically :

How much closer to home/your support system is Albany than Stony Brook? Is it 3 hours vs. 5 hours, or 15 minutes vs. 5 hours? If the difference is enough to affect how often you can go home (instead of just how long it will take you to go home when you want to go home), then maybe it's worth it to take on the extra cost.

How important will the cost difference be when you get out of school? Do you have family money that will soften the blow? Are you planning to go in to a more lucrative specialty? If money is already tight or if you have your heart set on a specialty that doesn't rake in as much cash, then maybe saving money at Stony Brook is worth being farther away from your support system for four years.

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks again Wifey, those are some very good questions, it definitely helps put it all in perspective. Albany is within minutes of my support system, and Stony Brook is more than 4 hours away. So, the distance is noticeable. However, I feel like the distance is the only factor really in favor of Albany for me. So, I'll have to think about whether or not the proximity to my support system is enough to out weigh Stony Brook, which offers a lower tuition and possibly better reputation.

The other questions are a little harder to answer right now. My family said they are willing to help me, but I don't know how much. So ,for now, I'm planning on taking on all the debt. Specialty wise, I'm more inclined to primary care type specialties, so it's probably better for me to have less debt. In that sense Stony Brook seems to be the smarter choice, even if it means being farther from a support system.

just curious. how is cost of living 15k more at stony brook? you're not actually in nyc and from what i've heard from the students, rent is pretty reasonable in the area.

My estimate was based off of some very loose assumptions but I could be wrong. I figured rent in Albany is around $500/month and rent in Stony Brook if I share a house is probably closer to $700/month or more. Basically $200 or $300 more monthly at Stony Brook. I multiplied the $300/month by 12 months or so and that came out to an extra $3600/year at Stony Brook. Multiplying $3600/year over four years, I calculated $14,400 more over the four years at Stony Brook.
I'm sure it's not accurate, and if you know more realistically what the difference in cost of living may be, I would really appreciate that.

 

[leeyuhang]

my bad. I had thought you meant 15k a year not over 4 years.

stony brook has excellent research resources if you're interested in that. There's also cold spring harbor and brookhaven national labs as well. That alone would do it for me but we all have different wants. The class size at SB is smaller as well. That may be helpful/not helpful depending on what you like. I personally prefer smaller classes.

 

[silverwyvern4]

Thank you, I didn't know that Albany raised tuition.

I know the SUNY hospitals are having budget issues too, is there a chance the Stony Brook tuition will also be raised each year?

They SUNY Medical schools raised tuition 9% this year and last year and I think it's supposed to keep increasing for several more years.

 

[Goobs]

I know this is probably useless to your decision, but the commencement regalia at Albany is SICK (especially compared to the schools I've considered attending):

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/13/27/72/2981560/3/628x471.jpg
and
http://www.amc.edu/Academic/Commencement/images/commencement_photos.jpg

 

[zeppelinpage4]

my bad. I had thought you meant 15k a year not over 4 years.

stony brook has excellent research resources if you're interested in that. There's also cold spring harbor and brookhaven national labs as well. That alone would do it for me but we all have different wants. The class size at SB is smaller as well. That may be helpful/not helpful depending on what you like. I personally prefer smaller classes.

Ah okay, glad my estimates were reasonable. Although a part of me was hoping it was actually less than 15K haha.

And thanks for mentioning the class size, I definitely prefer a smaller class size, so that's another point for Stony. Research is also an interest of mine, so another point for Stony there as well. Your post was definitely helpful, thanks! It looks like Stony Brook is the winning choice.

They SUNY Medical schools raised tuition 9% this year and last year and I think it's supposed to keep increasing for several more years.

Ahh, thanks for clearing that up for me. Do you think a 9% increase or so each year would still make Stony Brook the better value. Overall, I think Stony Brook is still cheaper even with the increase, but it's something to consider.

More importantly, should I be worried that Stony Brook's University Hospital is having money issues right now? Or should this not be a factor?

I know this is probably useless to your decision, but the commencement regalia at Albany is SICK (especially compared to the schools I've considered attending):

http://ww1.hdnux.com/photos/13/27/72/2981560/3/628x471.jpg
and
http://www.amc.edu/Academic/Commencement/images/commencement_photos.jpg

Hahaha, thank you! I love this. xD It may not be the deciding factor, but I definitely want cool regalia at commencement. The important question here I guess is...do the students get to keep those cool gowns and hats?

 

[mnf1985]

They SUNY Medical schools raised tuition 9% this year and last year and I think it's supposed to keep increasing for several more years.

Was this for all SUNYs? I know it definitely applied to Stony Brook (hence why when I looked at their financial aid page the other day, tuition had magically increased by roughly 3,000) but it looks like Buffalo, for example, did not see an increase according to their tuition numbers for 2013-2014:
http://financialaid.buffalo.edu/costs/medcost.php

 

[mnf1985]

Ah okay, glad my estimates were reasonable. Although a part of me was hoping it was actually less than 15K haha.

And thanks for mentioning the class size, I definitely prefer a smaller class size, so that's another point for Stony. Research is also an interest of mine, so another point for Stony there as well. Your post was definitely helpful, thanks! It looks like Stony Brook is the winning choice.


Ahh, thanks for clearing that up for me. Do you think a 9% increase or so each year would still make Stony Brook the better value. Overall, I think Stony Brook is still cheaper even with the increase, but it's something to consider.

More importantly, should I be worried that Stony Brook's University Hospital is having money issues right now? Or should this not be a factor?






Hahaha, thank you! I love this. xD It may not be the deciding factor, but I definitely want cool regalia at commencement. The important question here I guess is...do the students get to keep those cool gowns and hats?

Zeppelin,

I was in the exact same boat as you. I too am from the capital region and decided to revisit AMC. This really cemented my decision not to attend, I think even a brief second look can be really helpful in that regard.

Feel free to PM me.

Also, where did you here about financial troubles at SBU Hospital? I knew this was definitely the case for Downstate, but hadn't heard the same for SB.

 

[jvalen08]

im from albany and will be going to houston for med school this fall. i didnt apply to stony brook because the thought of being on long island is awful to me. i cant speak for stony brook, but i like how albanys campus is integrated right into the city. im sure you already know how wonderfully diverse albany is and you might even have a special connection with your patients being from the area. and of course, the advantage of a local family support system is huge.
plus, albany just got a lot of press for their sim labs which is cool i guess.
id wait until the fin aid comes through. set yourself a hard number that you are willing to pay over stony brook to go to albany med. the difference in reputation of the schools is negligible - it seems like people look at schools as being top 10, top 25, or the rest.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Zeppelin,

I was in the exact same boat as you. I too am from the capital region and decided to revisit AMC. This really cemented my decision not to attend, I think even a brief second look can be really helpful in that regard.

Feel free to PM me.

Also, where did you here about financial troubles at SBU Hospital? I knew this was definitely the case for Downstate, but hadn't heard the same for SB.

Thanks mnf1985.

I heard about the financial troubles from professors at my school. A professor at my school was involved in dealing with the money issues for one of the other SUNY medical schools. He told me all three SUNY hospitals were having issues, and there was also an article about that released at our school about it.

However, it looks like Stony Brook has other affiliated hospitals, so I don't know if it's something I should factor in or not.

im from albany and will be going to houston for med school this fall. i didnt apply to stony brook because the thought of being on long island is awful to me. i cant speak for stony brook, but i like how albanys campus is integrated right into the city. im sure you already know how wonderfully diverse albany is and you might even have a special connection with your patients being from the area. and of course, the advantage of a local family support system is huge.
plus, albany just got a lot of press for their sim labs which is cool i guess.
id wait until the fin aid comes through. set yourself a hard number that you are willing to pay over stony brook to go to albany med. the difference in reputation of the schools is negligible - it seems like people look at schools as being top 10, top 25, or the rest.

Thanks jvalen, they seem to want a deposit to accept the seat before I get the financial aid, so I don't know how much more I will be paying. You summarized most of my reasons for wanting to attend really well though. It's just a matter of whether or not, the pros of Albany outweigh the greater tuition.