stony brook 19K/year vs. BU 43K/year

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kochkine

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one last time... and i really want to go into a competitive specialty - perhaps derm or plastics.... any last advice? i must make the decision within a few days.... today i am COMPLETELY 50% 50% split on the two... i was leaning towards BU because it feels like i would have an easier time matching into something competitive but the tuition difference makes me :barf::barf::barf::barf::barf::barf:

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i hate to :beat: because this has already been said....alot...but, where you match is really in your own hands and often has very little to do with where you are comming from. your step 1, your grades in yrs 1&2 and on rotations in yr 3 etc. are what matter most, in general.

stony brook is a good school, and you should have no trouble matching into something "competitive" if you work hard and prove you deserve to be there.
 
You only go to medical school once so you might as well make the best experience of it. Stonybrook is in the middle of a small suburb, not a whole lot around to do...but obviously BU is in an amazing city. True, you'll be studying most of the time anyway, but for those times when you're not, you'll probably have a much better time in Boston. As far as research, the two are very closely matched i'd say in terms of opportunities, although let's admit BU probably has a slight edge as far as being able to find exactly what type of research/project you want to work on (larger insititution, more money, etc). Like everyone has said it's really your step I score and grades that will determine what speciality you go into, but medical school education is a pretty homogeneous thing- if you can make a 240 step I and straight A's at stony, you could do the same at BU, in which case, the BU name WILL give you a slight advantage vs. coming from a SUNY school. The only issue then seems to be cost...but look at it this way...if you go to BU you'll be paying a tuition in line with what most medical students pay, it's not like you'll be paying some extravagant sum higher than everyone else (and while debt's not fun, it really isn't THAT big of a deal- you'll pay it off like everyone else does).

In total i'd say go to BU. Nothing against Stonybrook, but BU to me at least seems the more logical choice all things considered. Congratulations on your accomplishments getting into both :)
 
one last time... and i really want to go into a competitive specialty - perhaps derm or plastics.... any last advice? i must make the decision within a few days.... today i am COMPLETELY 50% 50% split on the two... i was leaning towards BU because it feels like i would have an easier time matching into something competitive but the tuition difference makes me :barf::barf::barf::barf::barf::barf:
From someone who turned down a higher-profile private school for a state school two years ago: take the state school. It's all what you make of it. If your decision is based on a name or the possibility of living in a nicer city for four years, you'll live to regret it. I have many friends in that situation right now and their match day was bittersweet, when the reality of a 250K debt burden hit home. Keep in mind that interest rates are now higher, too; it's too easy to say "don't think about it".
 
I vote for Stony Brook. BU is nice but not worth $100,000 difference over 4 years.
 
From someone who turned down a higher-profile private school for a state school two years ago: take the state school. It's all what you make of it. If your decision is based on a name or the possibility of living in a nicer city for four years, you'll live to regret it. I have many friends in that situation right now and their match day was bittersweet, when the reality of a 250K debt burden hit home. Keep in mind that interest rates are now higher, too; it's too easy to say "don't think about it".

Agreed. You can get competitive specialties from any school, its about you not the school. Its all self selective, the schools like harvard have amazing match lists because the amazing students choose to go there, if the same people went to another school they wouldn't cease to be amazing. The first two years is self study and you can do away rotations to make connections at other institutions during your fourth year. Even at my unranked in the swamp state school we had multiple matches into derm, plastics, ortho and neurosurg. You just have to do what you need to do to be one of those people wherever you are. And it certainly is an amazing feeling to know that I won't owe the government a quarter mil when I'm done, so even if I decide I want a less lucrative specialty because of lifestyle or interest I don't feel obligated to try and pull in 300K a year.
 
I think unless you have some other reason for really wanting to go to BU then go with the cheaper option.

As others have said, you can get into any specialty from any school. It depends greatly on how well you do in your classes and step I.
 
It is all about how you do in school grade wise and your step 1 and to a lesser extent step 2 score, I would agree with the above post, BU is definitely NOT worth the extra money, as it is usually on of the three most expensive in the country, or at least it was when I was there. For the amount of tuition the support service for students are the worst, and as for help with setting up research let me laugh out loud, my faculty advisor was completely worthless when it came to helping me get the research I wanted, in the end you have to go outside the BU system, which is very myopic. Plus, for the large tuition, none of it seems to go to repairing the library or the decarying facilities or teaching attendings how to respect medical students, there is a total lack of respect by attendings for medical students, especially on the Harrison and BUM-C campus, meeting with my advisors and people in admin gave me the creeps. Oh, and the price for an apartment in Boston is probably the highest in the country, probably around $1,500 a month AND the area around BU is probably the worst part of the city as there are loud parties every friday and saturday night, very loud. If you think the area around BU is interesting then take a look at the Liquor Land right next to the medical school, plus parking has been totally eliminated due to super colossal construction projects eliminating parking lots, try taking a tram to the nearest parking lot 45 minutes away, good luck parking in the area, only those in special clinicals are allowed to park anywhere near the school. Everything about the place just gave me the creeps.
 
Look at the match lists from SUNY med schools.Many people go into competitve specialties.Its not the school that will do it or kill itfor you.
BU is a good school no doubt but not prestigious enough that the name itself will open doors to Derm,Plastics
 
one last time... and i really want to go into a competitive specialty - perhaps derm or plastics.... any last advice? i must make the decision within a few days.... today i am COMPLETELY 50% 50% split on the two... i was leaning towards BU because it feels like i would have an easier time matching into something competitive but the tuition difference makes me :barf::barf::barf::barf::barf::barf:

There was a survey given to 1,200 residency program directors of which 793 responded (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...bmed_docsum ).
The Ophthamology program directors ranked the relative importance of academic criteria for selecting residents as follows:

1) Grades in required clerkships
2) Number of honors grades
3) Class rank
3) AOA honorary membership
5) Senior specialty elective grades
6) USMLE Step 2 score
7) USMLE Step 1 score
8) Academic awards in medical school
9) Med school's reputation
10) Other senior elective grades
11) Published research
12) Grades in preclinical courses

Interestingly, the medical school's reputation is ranked much lower than grades and board scores. Also there is no mention of the applicant's state residency. It seems that whether you can match successfully depends mostly on your academic performance, rather than where you are from.
 
thankx a lot guys... leaning towards stony now i suppose....

however for the past two weeks i was all BU after speaking to someone who matched into plastics at harvard from BU and he told me it would be very unlikely getting into it from a SUNY.... any thoughts on this?
 
It is all about how you do in school grade wise and your step 1 and to a lesser extent step 2 score, I would agree with the above post, BU is definitely NOT worth the extra money, as it is usually on of the three most expensive in the country, or at least it was when I was there.

although usmle step 1 scores are the bulk of the selection process - if comparing the same score from both institutions - i feel BU may give a significant edge due to the quality of the rec. letters / people met... i'm a very social person and i really enjoyed the type of people i saw at the second look.

For the amount of tuition the support service for students are the worst, and as for help with setting up research let me laugh out loud, my faculty advisor was completely worthless when it came to helping me get the research I wanted, in the end you have to go outside the BU system, which is very myopic.

being that mass. general is very close and the BU system is within boston - i thought may help relatively network in boston and open up a few doors here and there around boston people. at the second look i got the feel that people could shadow and e-mail just about anyone for opportunities who they met - and i noted quite a few people getting their foot in the door with plastics who were MS1 students. I am also looking to potentially do the mass. general plastics research fellowship for a year and take a year off... i assume it would be easier to apply to that from BU than from stony....


Plus, for the large tuition, none of it seems to go to repairing the library or the decarying facilities or teaching attendings how to respect medical students, there is a total lack of respect by attendings for medical students, especially on the Harrison and BUM-C campus, meeting with my advisors and people in admin gave me the creeps.

i'm very tolerant of facilities.... a BU student recommended just studying at the law library or at one of the other boston libraries since there appears to be plenty of them.... although yes; agreed - for the amount of money we are paying - why aren't facilities any better?

Oh, and the price for an apartment in Boston is probably the highest in the country, probably around $1,500 a month AND the area around BU is probably the worst part of the city as there are loud parties every friday and saturday night, very loud. If you think the area around BU is interesting then take a look at the Liquor Land right next to the medical school, plus parking has been totally eliminated due to super colossal construction projects eliminating parking lots, try taking a tram to the nearest parking lot 45 minutes away, good luck parking in the area, only those in special clinicals are allowed to park anywhere near the school. Everything about the place just gave me the creeps. [/quote

i have located a number of offers to room for $800 a month - not that bad. To comment about the area around BU - yes south of it is a little sketchy (i'm from NYC i dont mind too much)... however just a bit north is south end - i thought south end was beautiful; and it is close enough to a lot of the night life which i terribly enjoy since i am extremely social - stony brook does not have that. i really enjoy meeting new people; second look of stony brook went a bit depressing / lonely in terms of people. i am originally from long island and going back seems a bit dreadful. i have evolved to become a city person and really do enjoy cities.

i'm PRETTY sure at the very least i want to go to a place where matching into plastics (which in itself is improbable from anywhere) is somewhat possible. I do not get this feel from stony brook due to previous match lists.


HOWEVER.... the price difference still makes me throw up. This is why i'm 50% torn; because i may truly just be happier in boston? i did really enjoy the people there and always did want to live there sometime.... BUT.... i do want to save the money. Any thoughts? i'm split down the middle. i need some more constructive objective opinions because now i'm about to flip a coin on this one - honestly.
 
Personally, I'd pick Stony. But you need to go to BU. It is obvious you'll be a lot happier at BU and a happy med student is a successful med student. Besides, if you're going into plastics, you shouldn't even consider debt. You think Dr. Rey is struggling? worrying about debt?

If you decide late in the game you like primary care, however...
 
however, after lots of research and thinking. BU seems EXTREMELY sugarcoated. stony brook seems to have the better facilities overall, the same education, and much better tuition going for it.

i am probably going to stony brook; i'm a city person - but i have lived in the city for 4 years already - i need to become a good doctor; not have adventures in the city these years. i DID want a new place to explore and really did want boston - but the actual school simply is not good enough for the money invested. and besides - i think i have been romanticizing boston way too much..... any final thoughts?

thankx a lot everyone for some great opinions - it really helps
 
Yes I think its true that BU students have a better shot than most others matching at Harvard hospitals because of its proximity and networking opportunities.If thats really important to you then then go there.but matching into Harvard plastics or any of their program will still be very tough. Overall I dont see your professional options being limited from SB I know many dermatologists who went to SUNY schools..If spending the extra $$ makes you feel like throwing up now then be prepared for long periods of nausea while going to BU. I agree that Boston is a better place to be than LI and thats a compromise. You will have regrets no matter what you do,just be prepared for that.
 
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