Hofstra vs. Stony Brook

[katarazuko150]

Hey, everybody! I have to choose between Hofstra and Stony Brook within the next two weeks, and I am absolutely torn. Any advice and input would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to vote! Thank you!

Hofstra

Pros

• True P/F preclinical (students seem to be happier)
• Very supportive faculty and administration
• Beautiful and modern med school building
• Northwell Health (largest health system in NYS)
• Small class size
• Classes end around noon-1 on most days

Cons

• PBL curriculum (mandatory sessions three times a week)
• “Lectures” are large group interactive sessions that complement PBL (also mandatory and non-recorded)
• Essay-based exams (do not mimic NBME and therefore may be difficult transitioning to the Step 1 question style)
• Global health is virtually nonexistent
• Med school building is isolated from clinical sites
• Residency director ranking #113

Stony Brook

Pros

• More established school and slightly better reputation (residency director ranking #81)
• MART Building expansion (went on a tour during second look, and it is beautiful)
• Optional, recorded lectures supplemented by small group sessions
• In-state tuition ($11K cheaper than Hofstra)
• Great research opportunities
• Med school is connected to the main hospital
• Exams mimic NBME (students stressed the importance of this at second look)
• Expansive global health program
• Slightly better match list (matches well in NYC)

Cons

• H/P/F preclinical (students seem more stressed?)
• Faculty and administration do not seem as supportive as Hofstra’s
• Classes end around 3 on most days

I am currently unsure of what specialty I want to pursue, but my goal is to match into a competitive residency in NYC. I like Stony Brook’s curriculum more; I feel as though I would have difficulty at Hofstra due to it being essentially all PBL (I am more of a traditional learner and need some structure). However, I know that true P/F preclinical is better than a H/P/F system (although the students I talked to at Stony Brook insisted that this does not breed competition whatsoever). My understanding (correct me if I am wrong) is that Stony Brook is currently the more reputable school (as indicated by its residency director ranking and match list), although I do know that Hofstra is growing in reputation each year. Does anyone think that in a few years, Hofstra will be substantially the stronger school? I am still waiting for financial aid packages from both schools, but from what I can tell, Hofstra tends to be generous with scholarships while Stony Brook tends to be a bit stingy. Thank you all! 🙂

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[5yewy5r]

I vote stony brook as it is the more established/reputable school with recorded lectures. The graded pre-clinical sucks, but I think even true P/F, “no internal ranking” schools have some sort of stratification through the dean’s letter/MSPE. If you are interested in global health, that is a definite + for SB as well.

I think Hofstra’s rep will continue to rise, but I think it’s unlikely that they will reach Mayo/T20 levels of clout within the next 5-10 years.

Def wait on financial packages, although I think cost differences are pretty negligible below 50k or so.

 

[redeye2019]

From your post it sounds like you really want to go to stony so I’d pick that. I don’t think by the time you apply for residency there would be a substantial change in Hofstra’s reputation for residency directors. I was also told by students that the grading at stony doesn’t really affect anything and one student said P=MD lol

 

[catnip12]

First of all, ATLA will reign as one of the best shows ever created so great user name 🙂

Secondly, the two users above me have made great points which I’ll only supplement by saying that barring financial aid information, I would still pick Stony Brook because it just seems better fitted to your career interests.

Side note: I’ve heard that prossections >>> dissections because first time dissectors spend much more time on the dissection than actually learning from it. I’ve also heard that some people might cut in an unhelpful way and it’s better to have a pro do it for you.But I haven’t started medical school either so I’m not sure.

 

[alphadoc28]

Go with the cheaper option. FWIW I matched into my first choice NYC residency program from Hofstra, so it will definitely not limit you.

 

[medicalskrrt]

@katarazuko150 hey! Was just wondering, how did you see MART on 2nd look day? I was dying to see it and I was there on friday... lol

 

[katarazuko150]

@medicalskrrt One of the fourth year students was leading a few others and me out of the hospital when one person spontaneously asked if he could show us the MART. He said yes and gave us a little tour! It's a stunning building, and we were told that we'll be having some of our lectures and small group sessions there. Also, there is a bunch of classrooms that students use as study spaces. Apparently, we would be the first class that gets full access to it because it only officially opened a few months ago.

 

[medicalskrrt]

Omg so lucky! but thank you SO much for the inside scoop!!!

 

[Fashionablegoat]

I go to Hofstra and I can say it is the place to be. All the classes are small. You get several advisors to help guide you. Everyone is friendly and you never worry will I struggle in this class? There is always a way to improve!

 

[PugsAndHugs]

I attribute my success on boards to non-mandatory lectures and NBME style exams. I think theyare way more important than H/P/F grading because residencies don’t care about preclinical as long as you passed. However, it ultimately depends on your learning style, mine is self learning.

 

[TPWK2024]

I attribute my success on boards to non-mandatory lectures and NBME style exams. I think theyare way more important than H/P/F grading because residencies don’t care about preclinical as long as you passed. However, it ultimately depends on your learning style, mine is self learning.

So would you suggest Stony over Hofstra for someone who doesn’t like mandatory lecture/ is more if a self learner?

 

[PugsAndHugs]

So would you suggest Stony over Hofstra for someone who doesn’t like mandatory lecture/ is more if a self learner?

Yes, I would. But make sure to reach out to the Hofstra students to see exactly what their day schedules are to confirm.

 

[Engrailed]

Hofstra is newer so it isn't as recognized as Stony Brook but they seem to match really well regardless.
That P/F curriculum is a huge plus! You can stress less about getting grades in those years and spend time focusing on Step, and doing research etc outside of class. I think both schools are great but I think Hofstra is the better choice here

 

[TPWK2024]

Hofstra is newer so it isn't as recognized as Stony Brook but they seem to match really well regardless.
That P/F curriculum is a huge plus! You can stress less about getting grades in those years and spend time focusing on Step, and doing research etc outside of class. I think both schools are great but I think Hofstra is the better choice here

The biggest turn off imo is the mandatory, non recorded lecture. I feel that if they got rid of that the choice would be easy between the two.

 

[Lexdiamondz]

You'll be fine at either school.

That being said, I think Stony Brook is a somewhat better choice

- older, more established school = better alumni network
- much more research and much better quality research than Hofstra
- cheaper
- (for now) better reputation with PDs and somewhat better match list


Hofstra's main advantages are smaller classes, closer to NYC and more in-house residencies (although SB has overall better quality and more reputable residencies except for maybe peds). If you can stand being 1.5 hrs away from NYC then I would go SB.