Binghamton University good enough to get me in?

[PsyDStar]

Hi,

I graduated a few years ago with a BA in Psyc from BingU and moved to CA for work and life (good move). I grew impatient and dissatisfied with the work in CA and returned to Bing for pre emd... the science instructors I have necountered leave something to be desired....

my question is, with a 3.78 gpa from this crappy school, (so far with 4 of 8 pre med sciences attempted and completed at A or A-), moderate levels of volunteer work, research (actually, I got wrapped up in the research and applied to and was accepted to and matriculated into a PhD program, but left in ht efirst 2 weeks), etcetera... do I have any chance? Should I complete the last 4 courses at a better school? Stony Brook or Harvard Extension or Berkeley?

Any info... and please dont lead me astray, is appreciated.

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[Cataract]

It's not a crappy school. Actually, I think you'll be noticed by the SUNY Med schools. From looking at their class list, they take in a lot of students from the SUNY system. Outside of NY, I just think you won't receive the name recognition as other schools.

 

[MDRus]

you'll be fine if you get a 33+ on the MCAT. it's all about the MCAT, in my opinion.

 

[Jolie South]

by getting a great score on the MCAT, you'll be showing them that you are as smart as your GPA.

I don't think it matters that you went to Binghamton.

 

[prmdbeach17]

I know if you do an mdapps search, there are results for Binghamton students-check it out & see how they've done in the application process.

 

[TexanGirl]

Since when is Binghamton a crappy university? It's well-respected in NY.

 

[passrush]

Sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but Binghamton is definitely not very well respected in New York. The cuny/suny schools are all kind of a joke anywhere but upstate New York. It's pretty much an open door admission policy. I should know, I got my master's at one.

I say go to another school and take a few classes. However, I do agree with another poster who said that the MCAT is more important. Do 33+ and it really won't matter. Good luck.🙂

 

[dancinRN1022]

hiya

I feel so honored my school is being insulted on SDN!!!! this will bring us closer to reaching private school status...

I didn't think it was crappy...most students at my interviews have never heard of the school but most interviewers have... i think because despite how crappy you think the SUNY and CUNY systems are they are pretty big and many ppl have degrees from them...

The state schools really like SUNY graduates...we even get automatic grants and scholarships for graduating from a state school... I am 2/2 so far from the state med schools as far as int/ acceptances...and I have one more this week... I only applied to three of them the essays for stony brook were too long...

I also have two more acceptances...

in any event...the lack of name recognition from the school won't hurt your application...good luck!

 

[TexanGirl]

Sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but Binghamton is definitely not very well respected in New York. The cuny/suny schools are all kind of a joke anywhere but upstate New York. It's pretty much an open door admission policy. I should know, I got my master's at one.

I say go to another school and take a few classes. However, I do agree with another poster who said that the MCAT is more important. Do 33+ and it really won't matter. Good luck.🙂

Gotta disagree with you there. I'm formerly from NY -- does this give me credibility?? -- and SUNY Bing was well-respected in my area. And I'm not from upstate, try NYC. There's no open door admission policy for CUNY; that ended in 1999. Moreover, tons of successful people have graduated from CUNY/SUNY (look at the CUNY City alumni list; fyi, one former 2005 Intel science winner turned down Harvard to attend CUNY City) so they are by no means "joke schools."

OP, go wherever you want, but no need to dis schools on the net!

 

[passrush]

Agree to disagree. I've been in New York city for 10 years. Taught public school in a really rough school in New York City. The only schools the majority of my kids could get into were suny's and cuny's. I'm not saying they are bad schools, but they certainly aren't respected.

Of course there are outstanding students at even the most mediocre schools. I don't think that refutes my original point. The OP even mentions that his professors "left something to be desired".

Is Binghamton better than the rest in the cuny/suny system? Probably, but I still think it's worth taking classes at an NYU/Columbia/Cornell level school. I'm not a hater, I just wanted to give an honest opinion.

 

[tourniquet1963]

Agree to disagree. I've been in New York city for 10 years. Taught public school in a really rough school in New York City. The only schools the majority of my kids could get into were suny's and cuny's. I'm not saying they are bad schools, but they certainly aren't respected.

Of course there are outstanding students at even the most mediocre schools. I don't think that refutes my original point. The OP even mentions that his professors "left something to be desired".

Is Binghamton better than the rest in the cuny/suny system? Probably, but I still think it's worth taking classes at an NYU/Columbia/Cornell level school. I'm not a hater, I just wanted to give an honest opinion.

Why should the OP spend thousands of dollars on taking a few classes when he can take them at SUNY/CUNY where the education is not bad and is fairly cheap. Bing is one of the best SUNYs. i graduated from a CUNY and im damn proud to have zero dollars worth of loans and to have attended a top 10 bargain school.

 

[passrush]

Sigh. I guess this thing could go round and round. Yes, I got my master's degree from a CUNY school, and I'm also pleased that I didn't have to go into debt. Cost is not the point.

The professors at my graduate school left a lot to be desired, similar to what the original poster was saying. My undergraduate school was world's better, and like it or not, going to a top school has some value to acceptance committees. If you haven't been to a top 25 school, though, how can you really know what life at other schools is like? In any event, I'm sure Binghamton is "good enough" for the OP to get into medical school, which I guess was the question in the first place.

 

[Drogba]

Gotta disagree with you there. I'm formerly from NY -- does this give me credibility?? -- and SUNY Bing was well-respected in my area. And I'm not from upstate, try NYC. There's no open door admission policy for CUNY; that ended in 1999. Moreover, tons of successful people have graduated from CUNY/SUNY (look at the CUNY City alumni list; fyi, one former 2005 Intel science winner turned down Harvard to attend CUNY City) so they are by no means "joke schools."

OP, go wherever you want, but no need to dis schools on the net!

You got that from the subway CUNY advertisements didn't you

Anyway I was told Bing was the "harvard of the SUNY system" whatever the hell thats supposed to me. Since then I've always been under the impression that it was a respected school. Didn't Stephen King give a lecture there once?

 

[lacesoutdan]

I thought SUNY Binghamton was the most competative of all the SUNYs as far as undergraduate admission. If you're trying to get into a SUNY medical school, I can't believe they're going to count going to a SUNY for undergrad against you.

you'll be fine if you get a 33+ on the MCAT. it's all about the MCAT, in my opinion.

With a 3.78 GPA, you don't need to score even close to this high to get into a US MD program somewhere. Applying early and broadly with a 29 would probably do it.

 

[DoctorNB]

A second cousin of mine went to Binghamtom with a simliar gpa stats, MCAT I believe was around 34. She was accepted to a very well known research med school. Although two years into it, she realized, med wasn't for her...

Either way, I don't think you have anything to worry about because a majority of your courses were at Binghamton.

 

[lacesoutdan]

Hi,

I graduated a few years ago with a BA in Psyc from BingU and moved to CA for work and life (good move). I grew impatient and dissatisfied with the work in CA and returned to Bing for pre emd... the science instructors I have necountered leave something to be desired....

my question is, with a 3.78 gpa from this crappy school, (so far with 4 of 8 pre med sciences attempted and completed at A or A-), moderate levels of volunteer work, research (actually, I got wrapped up in the research and applied to and was accepted to and matriculated into a PhD program, but left in ht efirst 2 weeks), etcetera... do I have any chance? Should I complete the last 4 courses at a better school? Stony Brook or Harvard Extension or Berkeley?

Any info... and please dont lead me astray, is appreciated.

Doing the rest of your prerequisites at one of the SUNY med schools with an undergrad university (Buffalo or Stony Brook) would be cheap and it could give you an advantage at either of those university's medical schools. Plus, you could maybe get a part-time job helping with research at the medical school which would definately help you.

 

[TexanGirl]

Agree to disagree. I've been in New York city for 10 years. Taught public school in a really rough school in New York City. The only schools the majority of my kids could get into were suny's and cuny's. I'm not saying they are bad schools, but they certainly aren't respected.

Of course there are outstanding students at even the most mediocre schools. I don't think that refutes my original point. The OP even mentions that his professors "left something to be desired".

Is Binghamton better than the rest in the cuny/suny system? Probably, but I still think it's worth taking classes at an NYU/Columbia/Cornell level school. I'm not a hater, I just wanted to give an honest opinion.

Really now? I'd be impressed if the majority of your kids could get into SUNY's at your "really rough" school. That doesn't sound rough to me at all. Heck, I'd be impressed if your kids made it to graduation -- that's a feat in itself! At my old high school in NYC, we had the freshman class halved by graduation; other than that, we had people go mostly to CUNY's (many weren't competitive enough for SUNY's) and 1-3 star students who beat the system and somehow found a way to a much more "elite" school (courtesy of Gates Millenium, LEDA Scholar, and Posse scholarships 😍)

I love the CUNY system. I think they do their best to make education accessible to largely working-class, immigrant population. It's affordable too. Wasn't it once called the "poor man's Harvard?" Now, it may not be the ideal college experience (mostly commuter students), but some students don't have the option of choosing between colleges (because of finances/lack of competitiveness) -- and that's why CUNY beats all others, in opening the doors of higher education to anyone.