Penn State vs. Albany vs. SUNY Upstate

[mathlete16]

I would really appreciate insight on which institution matches better, greater prestige in program, and overall experience as a medical student. So far…

Penn State (A)
Pros:
- Global health scholars program, humanities program —good training overall
- Closer to home (~2h drive to DMV); relatively close to major cities (Baltimore, Philly, NYC)
-good matching, good reputation I think?
-P/F grading
Cons
- located in Hershey, PA; Rural/suburban area (want to be in a city); not much to do
- do not have a good idea of student culture

ALBANY (A)
Pros:
-better location than Hershey; more to do
-good matching, good training
-have lived in Upstate, NY before so have friends nearby
Cons:
-no P/F
-further from home

SUNY Upstate (I)
Pros:
-familiar with the area (former resident)
Cons:
-don’t love the city of Syracuse

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[chilly_md]

Go to Penn State. I assume the cost is relatively the same. P/F will help you the most and it’s closer to home. The others aren’t going to change your match outcomes, that’s mostly on your performance during school.

 

[Shunsui]

+1 for PSU but with some caveats:

The grading at Albany is structured so that ~10 students get the high pass/honors while the majority (~130) receive the Pass grade and only a handful failing which is not enough of a con to drastically sway my decision. PSU ranks close to Einstein in my eyes but their location is a huge drawback. It's very rural. Like cornfields separating campus buildings type of rural. PSU will provide more opportunities and have more resources in my opinion but I would really check out Hershey before committing. The upside is that you'll find yourself focusing on research/studying more than nightlife lol

 

[mathlete16]

+1 for PSU but with some caveats:

The grading at Albany is structured so that ~10 students get the high pass/honors while the majority (~130) receive the Pass grade and only a handful failing which is not enough of a con to drastically sway my decision. PSU ranks close to Einstein in my eyes but their location is a huge drawback. It's very rural. Like cornfields separating campus buildings type of rural. PSU will provide more opportunities and have more resources in my opinion but I would really check out Hershey before committing. The upside is that you'll be so bored that you'll find yourself focusing on research/studying more than nightlife lol

Thank you for this info! In terms of opportunities and resources at PSU--can you elaborate?

 

[Shunsui]

Thank you for this info! In terms of opportunities and resources at PSU--can you elaborate?

PSU is university-affiliated and has wayyyy more NIH and research award funding than Albany (too lazy to fish for actual numbers rn) so by default, there's going to be more opportunities to find research you're interested in at PSU. In terms of specific opportunities, I'm not accepted at PSU so I haven't done the research on it but look at the four diamonds (FTK Thon) event. They raise millions for pediatric cancer research alone. That funding is available to you as a PSU MS in terms of hopping on research projects to beef up your ERAS. Albany doesn't get that kind of money. PSU is one of the biggest college sports programs in the nation. I'd bet they get a lot of funding for sports med/ortho/MSK-related research as well.

Albany is a fantastic program that's been around forever but really PSU and Albany differ significantly in terms of curriculum, location, and COL. Again, I think visiting the campuses will help you decide because Hershey is very rural IMO and serves such a population (lots of Amish and a homogenous population in general compared to urban Albany)

 

[whataweirdo]

Just wanted to add that I am a NYC native and will be attending Penn State in the fall. I actually like the idea of living in a quiet area like Hershey with no distractions.