Columbia or Stony Brook? postbacc

[OccptlMed]

Hello All:

Ok here's the story -

Got into Columbia Post Bacc and
accepted to SUNY Stony Brook as a 2nd ugrad degree (Bio) to be able to take prereq's and under premed advisement.

Columbia a formal structured program, Stony Brook is informal unstructured (but both are listed under the AAMS postbacc listing website.)

Columbia is 30k and Stony Brook is 5k in tuition per year, both have teaching hospitals and rated 'The best in the NortEast' by Princeton Review. Columbia is smaller in student size (which i like) and has a more stringent admissions policy (higher gpa avg and sat scores.)

My stats:
a non traditional student
33, M, NYS licensed teacher with several years experience (teaching bio)
BSc Accounting (unofficial bio minor) from state school 3.45
MPS Env Sci from state school 3.85
GRE scores total ~2100

While i would prefer to live on LI (Ive lived in manhattan for a decade) I wont let this determine the choice (wanting the best education and increasing med school acceptance rate is priority.) Yet, is the $25k/ year difference indicative of the course, education and acceptance difference? I know you can go to a med school from a state school.
I am interested in surgery and public health/ preventative medicine, the latter paying much less than the former. Thus a challenging decision in many ways...

Your thoughts?

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[NYCmed]

Those are both very good programs. I'm going to Columbia's Postbac program myself, but before I even start there this Fall it's obvious to me the program isn't for everyone. As you said, it's incredibly structured, which is both very good and very bad for me. I'll be making a number of sacrifices, but ultimately I decided it was worth the pain because I feel Columbia's "strict but supportive" atmosphere is what I need to succeed.

For you, your needs may be entirely different. Your "unofficial" bio minor suggests you've already had some exposure to the scientific experience, so that's an advantage in your corner, especially if you go to an unstructured program. Tuition is also important to consider, and I'm sure most here would agree that higher tuition doesn't necessarily indicate better preparation. However, the fact Columbia's program is so structured would suggest to me that the 30k/year price tag is at least partly funneled into quality material. They're strict on doing things their way because they're confident that their formula fully prepares a post-bac student for medical school and helps them put their best foot forward. That isn't to say Stony Brook doesn't also have quality material, only that the two schools have different approaches to turning a premed student into a viable med school candidate.

To that point the question would be, do you need a program that will take every step with you to keep you on track, or do you need a program that allows a little freedom but expects you "handle it"? They both have their advantages (and disadvantages), but I would assume that's the biggest question you would have to decide for yourself. I'm going straight from a 1200-student, tiny private university you could walk across in five minutes to a postbac program on a campus that serves over 14,000 students and stretches over several city blocks, so I understand the consequences of choice. Good luck to you, and let us know what you decide.

 

[jp24]

I second docgirl's reply. I enrolled in an Ivy League post-bacc program and spent a tremendous amount of money preparing for medical school. Now that I'm applying to med school (and spending thousands more in the process), I feel that I would have been just as well off at a state school, where it might have been easier to distinguish myself. My background is similar to yours - in my 30's, business major in undergrad. Spend the extra $$ to distinguish yourself in other ways, such as volunteering overseas, etc. Also, ace the MCAT and you'll be in fine shape.

Good luck with your decision and in whichever post-bacc program you decide upon!

 

[junebuguf]

You have excellent numbers. Your undergrad gpa is not remarkable, but very solid. And you've supplemented it well with graduate work as well as life experience, which many schools fawn over.

I think you should strongly consider post-bacc programs that have formal linkage agreements with other medical schools. Your grades are good enough to be considered very competitive for these programs and will also enable you to skip the glide year. Columbia has a formal linkage agreement with several schools, as do Penn, Hopkins and a few others. Unfortunately, its probably too late to be consdered for these linkage agreement programs this late (at least for next year), so you will have to consider applying next year for matriculation in 2006.

If Columbia gives you any indications that they will consider you for their linkage programs definetely Columbia, its worth the extra money. Otherwise, go with the cheaper option.

 

[bonez318ti]

I've finished stonybrook's post bacc program and i recommend it if you are pretty independent and don't require alot of hand holding.

I started it a year ago in June 2003 (I was a business undergrad, so I had no formal science training since high school), and the cost was a large factor.

The pros of Stonybrook is that the science courses are pretty good. The professors tend to be pretty good if you are willing to go to classes and supplement lectures with actually reviewing the textbook material on your own. I don't think that I learned the material any 'less well' than anyone who may have attended an ivy league. (but I guess the true justification will come when I get my MCAT scores back.. ) It is also pretty convienient to volunteer at the hostpital (located right across the street). The cost is an obvious bonus.

The negatives are that most of the classes you will taking will be 300-600 student classes.. thus it is relatively hard to distinguish yourself from the masses. (ie: letters of recommendations from science professors is not a strong part of my application). If you take the time and effort to get to know the professors, im sure you can get a pretty good recommendation though. The pre med advising is also probably not as 'personalized' as a smaller program. There are simply too many 'pre meds' at this school for this to happen. Most of the answers you will get from advising will be canned answers, but if you are willing to seek outside resources in addition to the advising, you should be ok. The facilities are pretty good and stony is renowned for its research.. if you are interested in it, you will likely find an opportunity to do some research. (I have no interest in it, so I didn't pursue this route).

Stonybrook also has a linkage program with its affiliated med school.. although I have heard it is pretty competitive and I believe that no one has been successfully placed the past year or two.

If you have any specific questions about stonybrook, PM me..

 

[Lindyhopper]

You might also consider Hunter's post-bacc.

 

[juniper456]

i've heard columbia's postbacc program accepts just about everyone who applies (providing they've completed college, are not ax-murderers, etc.) remember: the postbacc program is part of the school of general studies, NOT columbia college. i attended columbia as an undergrad and enjoyed it, but am still quite impressed with my state school postbacc program (hunter). i like the fact that i can continue to work while finishing my postbacc and that i have a lot of flexibility in choosing when and where i take my classes. there isn't ANY hand-holding, so you have to figure things out for yourself, but this leads to a very self-motivated postbacc community. not to mention the diversity factor, which always leads to a more enriching experience for students.

i say state school all the way. if you can afford columbia and really feel the need to throw a fancy name around in interviews, maybe you should consider the private school option. otherwise, cuny/suny will get you where you need to go.

 

[tbeaven]

Stony Brook for pre-med sciences is a great school. I did a post bac to get into Dental School. The education I got was exceptional. I blew my DAT's out of the water and was accepted to every school that I applied. There program is less structured and class sizes are huge. It can be overwhelming for a Freshman teenager, but you would have no problem. There were 600 kids in my lectures but the profs. knew who I was b/c I was in there offices and I was going to get my $$ worth for my education. I definitely think you can't go wrong with SBU, if you put the effort in it is amazing what you can extract.

 

[OccptlMed]

Thank you all for the feedback,

I decided to go to Stony Brook and live on Long Island. I asked doctor friends their opinion, and the older ones said go Ivy, while the younger ones said go SUNY. I have been happy with my choice.

I have been getting much out of it, and if you are the type that doesnt need hand holding, and are willing to seek out explanations and answers, and read tons outside of lecture then this will be a fine choice. This probably applies to all schools though. I highly recommend a full time commitment to this. Minimize your commute, clear out as many obligations as possible and go with gusto!

I am finishing semester 2 (w/ 3 classes and 3 labs!) and will go through the summer with orgo, so I can tackle bio chem in the fall before using the spring to prepare for the April 06 MCAT. I have been working part time with the prev med dept, and am now looking to experience another area of research/ work (Mltple Scl, ER or Envtl Chem).

If all goes well, I hope to get nominated to link into Stony Brook med starting fall 06. Key words here: focus, perserverance, and focus. Keep the comments coming,

Best of luck to all.
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