are you planning to go to any of these schools?

[saiyagirl]

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hey everyone,

i found out this week I got into SUNY-Downstate and SUNY-Buffalo. (i'm a ny resident). 🙂 my first acceptances! i am still holding out on rochester (first choice--waitlisted) and albert einstein/suny-upstate (haven't heard post-interview) and sinai (haven't heard post-secondary...can we say, R-E-J-E-C-T!)

okay, so out of the SUNY's i am leaning towards downstate. i know the facilities suck there, blah blah blah, but i'm wondering--honestly, how important are the furnishings of the anatomy lab?! the fact is the clinical experience is wicked in brooklyn. and downstate's match list is pretty impressive. that's really the Big Push, other than I want to learn spanish really badly and nyc is perfect in that regard 🙂 and i won't need a car! (love to drive, hate to park).

so whats holding me back: some of the downstate students seem really unhappy there. (why?) my family is in buffalo. it would be considerably cheaper for me to live in buffalo (i'm talking everyday expenese: laundry, food, groceries, etc). it would also make my parents VERY happy. i am worried about buffalo though, because they lost their accreditation when the LCME called them on their outdated curriculum. they revamped the curriculum and hope to get reaccredited soon.

is the fact that Buffalo lost its accreditation a big deal?

rochester is my first choice btw, because of it's innovative clinical curriculum, it's solid reputation, and its proximity to home (not too far--not too close!). i am worried about the debt i would accumulate (private school). but will the clinical experience i get at rochester match what downstate could offer--despite what us news says?

i have neutral feelings about einstein...i didn't really jive with the other students i guess. (i was the only non-white, non-jew, and non-male who interviewed that day...sort of felt out of my element. i guess that was just circumstantial. otherwise the school was pretty nice.)

so any of you deciding between these schools? what's going through your head?

 

[saiyagirl]

btw...some SDNer, i think it was either Panda Bear or MacGuyver said that they think SUNY schools suck.

what are your reasons? (i'm not flaming. i'm honestly curious)

 

[Naphtali]

[Warning: I already know I'm going to Upstate, and have begun that "emotional bonding" process. I'm going to 'Cuse to apartment hunt next week. So I'm probably already biased. Also, remember that what's right for me may not be right for you. Also, I'm entering their MD/PhD program... so there were factors in my choice that might not apply to you.]

First off, ignore MacGuyver. He's an ignorant US News *****. He's talked down schools simply because he hasn't heard of them. Don't let his opinion have any bearing.

I love Upstate for a number of reasons. I like the location (my family lives in northeast PA). I liked the city. I also liked the administration and faculty that I met. As you'll frequently hear about Upstate, everyone was really nice (including the students). I found the facilities were fairly nice, including a brand new anatomy lab (but you're correct that the anatomy lab is a poor reason to pick a school).

I don't know much about Downstate. The cost of living will be much higher in NYC than Buffalo or Syracuse... all the apartments I'm looking at are around $425 for a one bedroom, and all within walking distance to school. I won't have a car (but I'll probably buy one eventually), and I'm not worried about it. I will say that Syracuse has very little traffic. I've heard that Downstate is in a bad neighborhood... you might not want to walk around after dark (perhaps a problem if you don't have a car).

About Downstate's match list: Hopefully I won't get any heck for this... but I didn't find it to be any better than Upstate's. On another thread, carragalen discussed comparing match lists. He listed competitive fields as: derm, plastic surg, rad-onc, rad-dx, urol, neurosurg, anes, optho, ortho, and ENT. Given that, Upstate actually did slightly better than Downstate: Upstate matched 24.16% into these, compared to 21.98% for Downstate. But yes, these numbers are VERY close.

I interviewed in Buffalo. It's OK, but I liked Upstate better. Lots of new PBL in the curric (good or bad, you decide). Also, community preceptorships starting from MSI (I thought that was good). I thought the fact that the hospitals (Filmore, ect) are distant from the med school was a negative. I also interviewed in Rochester; also OK. You get into clinics a semester early... other than that, nothing special about the curric. They talk about "basic science and clinicals through all 4 years," but I found any basic science involvement in the second two years to be non-existant. I found Rochester a rather bleak town, but some people have said otherwise. Going to UR, you will accumulate massive debt. But since SUNY schools are going to raise tuition, this may be less of a factor.

Also, I was under the impression that Buffalo was only on probation with the LCME... and some time has passed. Have they been taken off probation? I don't know.

Good luck on your decision! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

-Naphtali

 

[uclamendoza]

congrats saiyagirl.........

 

[DocForAll]

You got some decission to make. I don't know very much about Buffalo, but I can talk a little about Downstate & Einstein. I'll tell you right out that you will never get the exposure to minorities & urban health in Buffalo that you would in the other schools. My mom went to Einstein (& she is a non-white, non-jew & non-male 🙂 . I can tell you that Einstein is really dedicated to cultural diversity & communities of color. I was 10 when my mom graduated from there so I lived a good portion of my life running around the halls of Einstein.
Downstate too has a strong commitment to low-income communities. My mom was on faculty there for a while & really enjoyed her time there.
Rochester is a very good school & would be my first choice from your list as well, but Einstein & Downstate can give you the type of education that you can't learn in any text book.

I'm sure you'll thrive where ever you go but best of luck on the Rochester waitlist!

 

[rebaj]

Hey there-

I'm probably on my way to Downstate. The only school I'd throw them over for is Sinai, still waiting to hear post-interview. One of the reasons I'm picking Downstate is that I wanted to stay in NYC, so I understand your location-motivation for wanting to stay upstate. I've heard the same downtalk stuff you have about Downstate, but I'm not too concerned. I personally felt that the facilities were perfectly adequate, just old and not beautiful. I'm a poor girl myself, so that doesn't bother me! Ive met many downstate-trained medical professionals (doctors and one midwife) who felt that the school gave them excellent training, and I think that opinion is more valuable than that of students who are probably still bitter that they didn't get into Cornell or Sinai.

Many people there think the location is not great, and I have to admitt that their student housing looks pretty poopy. That said, I have lived in the hood nearby for about two years (not planned - I didn't even know where SUNY was when I moved in). It is a poor and mostly black/hispanic area, and is very urban in feel. For folks not used to city living, the surroundings are a bit suprising and gritty, I think. But, I live about a 15 minute walk away, 5 minutes on my bike, and I am right on Prospect Park which is lovely. Anyone thinking about Downstate, take some time to explore off-campus housing - for the same money, you can get a decent apartment. I think a good bit of the Downstate attitude may come from people who are not bothering to seek out the good stuff that is both in the area right around the school and in the city as a whole. The subway is right there by the school, and the opportunities for medical practice and an all-around exciting life are nowhere better than here in NYC.

Hope that helps.

 

[Can U Feel It?]

Downstate is not in the Greatest area of Brooklyn (East Flatbush is Ghetto), but you don't have to live in East Flatbush. There are several areas that are adjacent to east flatbush that are decent.

I don't know much about the school, but based on what I know about the area you would get to see a very diverse patient population. Personally I like Brooklyn & I think that Downstate would be a decent place to go to med school

 

[rosielo]

hey saiya girl,

I sitting here holding acceptances to downstate and stonybrook. I am a nyc native (brooklyn) and though I understand how people feel about the area around downstate, I am not afraid of it. I have been there and worst. Quite a few of my former classmates attend downstate and are happy with the school, though I was told the food and dorms suck. I will probably let my financial aid package help make the decision. Stonybrook is dangling a big carrot in front of me (it's just a nomination and apparently 1/2 of those nominated get this fellowship). If you get accepted to Einsten I think it would be a good choice. The bronx community served is probably equivalent to that of the brooklyn. Kings County Hospital though will present a wide variety of clinical cases.
Congrats and good luck!!

 

[DrCarin]

Originally posted by saiyagirl
hey everyone,

i found out this week I got into SUNY-Downstate and SUNY-Buffalo. (i'm a ny resident). 🙂 my first acceptances! i am still holding out on rochester (first choice--waitlisted) and albert einstein/suny-upstate (haven't heard post-interview) and sinai (haven't heard post-secondary...can we say, R-E-J-E-C-T!)

hey saiyagirl-

firstly, congrats on your acceptances!! i'm applying this summer, so i expect to be in a fairly similar situation to you this time next year. i'm also from buffalo, so rochester is appealing to me for many reasons- and i love the school!! i have a couple good friends who are first years there, and they both love it- and i personally really liked the students there when i was visiting. so, i know how you feel about rochester- i hope you get in off of the wait list! 🙂

question for you and any other new yorkers- how do you feel about the increase in tuition at the SUNY schools? i feel like i could go to a better private school and probably not end up in considerably more debt.. which definitely decreases the attractiveness of the state schools. opinions??

-C

 

[rebaj]

About the tution increase, DrCarin:

I just got my first FA notice from Downstate, and am sitting here comparing it with the FA info that they gave at the interview session at Mt Sinai, comparing the public/private costs. Even with the increase, SUNY tuiton/fees is $15,185 while Sinai is $32,750. That's more than twice the cost. The overall budget numbers are a little closer (Suny projects $38,447 while Sinai projects $49570), but looking at the breakdown it seems that that stems from SUNY including things like transportation costs that Sinai omits, and I think Sinai underestimates some living costs, even given that their housing is pretty cheap. Even if you think that Sinai is accurate, it would still be about $44,000 extra for the 4 years, and I know that in the scale of debt we are all comtemplating its easy to think that is a small number, but it is NOT. Add on a little interest, plus the fact that some of that is likely to be loans that accrue interest while you are a resident, and that $44,000 is quite an obligation. And, anyway, I think it is a too-low number. Some other privates have projected budgets as high as $56K

Of course, some of the privates are in a position to give better FA packages, padded with more need-based grants and/or scholarships. For that reason, its worth it to keep yourself in the game at the privates and see what they might offer you. But if you are thinking about places like GW or Tufts that tell you upfront that its all loans, the SUNYs, regardless of the tuition increase, are still a bargain.

 

[JMD]

Buffalo never lost their accreditation, they were pretty much given a warning, as has been the case with many schools. Since then, they have done a great deal to step things up i.e. new curriclulum, etc. I was very anti-Buffalo before I interviewed, but once I was there it genuinely seemed like they are doing alot to improve the school/experience (I specifically addressed these issues w/ my interviewers). If I do choose to attend a SUNY, between Upstate and B-lo, it will be Buffalo.

Saiyagirl, like you it would be much more convenient for me to stay in B-lo...family, familiarity (which is also bad), $$$. I thought Upstate was nice too, and I have friends who go there, but Syracuse seems like a lateral move...nothing great enough there to warrant moving from B-lo. However, I am waiting to hear from a private school, so the "amount of debt" thing may also play a role in my final choice.