I go there. So here are the pluses. Great diseases to see during your third year. Independent training allows you to be the doctor, not the med student. Match is good. Tuition is great when others are so expensive. Location is not that much of a problem if you live off campus, Park Slope is a very easy commute and by 2nd year it seems like 1/2 the student body lives there. Park Slope = land of coffee shops, brownstones, and organic foods. Though I come from Bklyn, so take Flatbush with a grain of salt, its definitely gritty but not dangerous especially around Downstate (and the food is subpar around Downstate). Very diverse student body, i have people from all different cultures in my small group alone. To get an idea, 2 asian indians, 1 muslim, 4 white, 1 chinese, 1 mormon, 1 black. And that's pretty representative of the class diversity, if not less so.
Bad things. Downstate is not user friendly. If other schools are Macs, Downstate is like text based computing. You get taught well despite all the moans and groans, but don't expect everything to be rosy. Downstate will sometimes try to accomodate you, but mostly it's swim or sink. It's probably less so now than way before, but in general you have to be an independent student and motivated learner. The people who complain a lot, are the people who are unhappy that the adminstration will not change in a quick snap for their needs. Sometimes those needs are well merited, but Downstate is generally slow at change.
If you want to live in NYC, goto Med School, pay a cheap tutition, and match well it's a steal. If you want the warm fuzzy feeling of an institution that thinks you are the VIP, downstate may not be for you.
