Hi everyone! Just got WL acceptance SUNY downstate, now in a (excitingly) stressful predicament. I have 5 business days to make this decision.
OUWB - Oakland University William Beaumont ($55,000 COA including living costs)
Pros
Cons
Pros
Cons
Summary: I am nervous to leave NYS but excited if OUWB is really the place to be. OUWB has made me feel so valued as a future doctor. The scholarship made up for the pain I went through during this cycle.
Downstate has always been a top choice on my radar for years, but I was disappointed to be put on WL. It hurt. I still have these schools left for WL too, if that provides any helpful info:
Rochester - Letter of Intent sent in early April, prior to OUWB admit + scholarship
Buffalo - alma mater, extremely disappointed to have been WL'ed
Stony Brook - great school, but we'll see
Upstate - Closest to home (upstate NY for my family currently)
Thank you all, future docs. I appreciate you all and wish us all the best.
OUWB - Oakland University William Beaumont ($55,000 COA including living costs)
Pros
- Beaumont Health System is an amazing hospital system, very prestigious from what I am reading with multiple surgical specialties nationally ranked. I have broad surgical interests, namely in Urology, ENT, Ortho, Ophtho, and potentially thoracic surgery - the Beaumont system is valuable to me because I imagine I will be able to make + leverage connections to best prepare me to match into the residency of my dreams.
- Small class size (125), peer and physician-faculty mentorship program, research-focused curriculum that more or less makes research mandatory, all of which I believe will help my residency endeavors. As a first-gen everything, I know nothing and have to always learn from scratch. Mentorship is high-priority to me.
- Half tuition scholarship, personalized call to inform of acceptance and then a few weeks later, scholarship. After getting WL'ed by 5 schools, this school not only outright accepting me, but also offering me a scholarship has made an eternal impact on my life.
Cons
- OOS, away from family/friends.
- Non pass/fail pre-clinical education (don't really hate this because I know most schools still rank internally anyways and I plan on working hard no matter what)
- Newer medical school, not yet formally "ranked" - however it seems that it will be well-recognized considering the hospital system association
Pros
- More established school, older, etc. Staple to healthcare delivery in Brooklyn in an area that I grew up near (originally from NYC, even born at one of their hospitals)
- Higher stats, ranked.
- Opportunity to make waves with Weill Cornell, Columbia, NYU hospital systems for residency apps
- Pass/fail curriculum
- In-state, family and friends in the city and immediate family 3 hours north
Cons
- Large(r) class size, lack of mentoring programs (from what I know)
- Urban environment (Cost of living being the issue primarily)
- No scholarship or financial aid incentive (yet) - I did call and speak with financial aid and it sounds like they are going to try to come up with something to compete
Summary: I am nervous to leave NYS but excited if OUWB is really the place to be. OUWB has made me feel so valued as a future doctor. The scholarship made up for the pain I went through during this cycle.
Downstate has always been a top choice on my radar for years, but I was disappointed to be put on WL. It hurt. I still have these schools left for WL too, if that provides any helpful info:
Rochester - Letter of Intent sent in early April, prior to OUWB admit + scholarship
Buffalo - alma mater, extremely disappointed to have been WL'ed
Stony Brook - great school, but we'll see
Upstate - Closest to home (upstate NY for my family currently)
Thank you all, future docs. I appreciate you all and wish us all the best.
