Rush vs SUNY Downstate

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

doctork12345

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
27
Reaction score
48
Please help me choose between these schools! The COA for both is close enough that I am not factoring that in at this point. I just want to figure out which one would be the best fit.

RUSH

Pros
  • A medium class size of 140 means more individual attention (Downstate has a class of 200)
  • I grew up in the Chicago area and have some friends and family nearby
  • Rush has more NIH research funding by a substantial margin (70.3 million for Rush vs. 22.7 million for Downstate) - I am not super interested in research but I would like to do some
  • The administration seems much more organized
  • Higher PD rankings from USNWR - I know this is a flawed measure though
  • I liked the focus on serving the local community
Cons
  • Ranked by quartile (25% pre-clinical and 75% clinical)
  • All preclinical classes are mandatory and include small group - I think of this as a pretty big waste of time (although it is generally 10-15 hours I think, which isn’t so bad, but still)
  • I hate the cold winters in Chicago

DOWNSTATE

Pros
  • SO is in medical school in NYC for the next 3 years
  • I would love to live near Prospect Park! I really like to run outside - having a spot near the school to do that is super exciting to me
  • People say the clinical experience is excellent and I mainly want to be a clinician so that is great
  • Possibly interested in Derm and they consistently match more people into Derm than Rush
  • Seems like mandatory time is closer to 8-10 hours during preclinical
  • Student ranking not reported but can get 'Distinction' (basically honors) in preclinical
Cons
  • Downstate hospital has historically had some money issues which I think are resolved but it seems like it’s still kind of a struggling hospital
  • The area immediately surrounding the hospital did not seem the safest
  • The associated hospitals have relatively low scores on Medicare.gov, Leapfrog (both measures evaluating patient safety)
Tl;dr I would be happier living in Brooklyn and being close to my SO, however, I think Rush is a substantially better school and hospital system. Is the gap big enough that I should go to Rush? Or is my living situation and support system more important because these are both solid schools?

Members don't see this ad.
 
Both are very solid schools. Personally for me, I would go Downstate seeing that you would be much happier at the location and closer to SO. I think many students really underestimate how being happy comes a long way in Med school especially since it’s so long and super stressful! Good luck with your decision making!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Thank you for the feedback and votes! I like Downstate but I'm still having some trouble letting go of Rush tbh. If I could get more votes and input I'd really appreciate it!!

Also, I'd be really curious to hear your thoughts @TheDataKing because your PD list has Rush at 61 and Downstate at 111. Do you think that matters?
 
Tl;dr I would be happier living in Brooklyn and being close to my SO

If staying near your support network would make you happier and you'd be happier in that area, I'd choose SUNY Downstate. If you're trying to stay on the East coast or NYC, you'd be in a good spot there.

Also, I'd be really curious to hear your thoughts @TheDataKing because your PD list has Rush at 61 and Downstate at 111. Do you think that matters?

Do you know what specialty you're interested in or where you want to match for residency? Rush has one of the best ortho programs in the nation but Downstate is a respectable school and is known on the East coast - I'd say go where you'll be happier
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Members don't see this ad :)
The tough thing is that I really don't know what I want to do/where I want to go for residency. I think ortho is pretty unlikely but I'm not opposed to it either. Thanks for getting back to me @TheDataKing !!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Downstate MS4 here. I think happiness is the single most important factor for getting through med school. Idk what I would do without my SO and support system nearby. I don’t think the difference in school prestige is enough to sacrifice this. I am extremely happy at Downstate for medical school, you can PM with any specific questions if you want.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
rush only matched two people into ORtho which is surprised despite having a known ortho department in the hospital but i guess it is separate from the school
 
@War of Arts I assume that @google12 is correct and it was more a question of student interest than the ability to match ortho? Based on what I've read about Rush matriculant's average clinical hours they might be selecting for people with more of a primary care bent in general. That's just speculation though.
 
Congrats on your choices! I would personally pick Rush because from what I have heard, the major reason why Downstate alumni come out strong at the end is that throughout the entire experience (clinical experience to clubs) they had to put up with more bureaucracy and admin troubles than students from any other school. This is coming from friends who attend. Part of this is likely because they are in-state and you noted to money issues that they have.

If you can avoid Downstate, and your relationship can handle the distance then I think it is a good idea to pick Rush.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Where in NY is your SO in medical school? Because if it's NYMC for example... might not see each other as often as you think vs. a place you could live together.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Top