Stony Brook vs. Cincinnati

[oatmilkplease]

Hi all! I am having a hard time choosing between these two schools, so any thoughts/advice would be very greatly appreciated! Ideally, I would like to eventually match somewhere in the Northeast like NYC or Boston so I can be close to home. In terms of specialty I'm not exactly sure yet but I believe I can narrow it down to EM, IM, gen surg, or anesthesiology.

Stony Brook

Pros:
- I am from NYC, so much much closer compared to Cincy
- Strong research from what I've heard
- A ton of in-house residency programs (although I don't think I'd want to stay in Stony Brook)
- 1.5 year preclinical (step 1 and 2 taken together between MS3 and MS4, not sure if this is a pro or con)
- Cheaper (IS tuition)
- Smaller class size (120ish vs 180ish at Cincy)

Cons:
- P/F right now but I've heard that they might start incorporating internal rankings
- Less "prestige". I know this doesn't matter too much but I'm worried that with Step 1 going pass/fail more emphasis will be placed on school ranking.
- I've heard that Stony Brook can be quite boring, does not really have any city feel
- High COL
- Didn't "vibe" with the school as much during my interview day. Felt a bit boring and students didn't not really seem as passionate about the school compared to Cincy

Cincinnati

Pros:
- Could be nice to branch out and explore a new city, get away from home for a bit
- Very strong academics and research
- More prestige, stronger reputation (I think)
- Midwest has a very nice and calm vibe to it
- Very strong EM program (which I am kinda interested in)
- Lower COL

Cons:
- Seems like many people match in the midwest. Not sure if this is because they don't match as well in the northeast or simply due to geographic preference.
- Also has internal rankings
- 2 year preclinical (step 1 after MS2 and step 2 after MS3, not sure if this is a pro or con)

Thank you all so much!

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[chilly_md]

Stony Brook will not close doors, especially for the specialties you listed.

 

[oatmilkplease]

bump! was wondering if any current students at either school can share some insight?

 

[Guggenburg]

I'm pretty sure Stony Brook's regional rep in the Northeast, especially the NY Metro area, is pretty strong. As someone who is trying to stay in the NE for residency, I don't see how SBU would close any gates that the marginally more reputable Cincinnati could give you. Especially because I think Cincinnati is also is in a similar situation as SBU but with a strong regional reputation in the Midwest. So I do think the reputation point is null here.

 

[oatmilkplease]

I'm pretty sure Stony Brook's regional rep in the Northeast, especially the NY Metro area, is pretty strong. As someone who is trying to stay in the NE for residency, I don't see how SBU would close any gates that the marginally more reputable Cincinnati could give you. Especially because I think Cincinnati is also is in a similar situation as SBU but with a strong regional reputation in the Midwest. So I do think the reputation point is null here.

Yeah from what I can tell Stony Brook matches really well in the city, but I'm just worried this will no longer hold now that step 1 has gone P/F. I guess we shall see next week!

 

[Bowel-Plumber]

Yeah from what I can tell Stony Brook matches really well in the city, but I'm just worried this will no longer hold now that step 1 has gone P/F. I guess we shall see next week!

Just want to add that since Step 1 is taken during M3 at Stony Brook, the class of 2023 was also part of the Step 1 P/F cohort. So you can use both the 2023 and 2024 match list to determine the preliminary effects of a Step 1 P/F world whereas almost every other school only has their 2024 list to show for a Step 1 P/F Match list.

 

[oatmilkplease]

Just want to add that since Step 1 is taken during M3 at Stony Brook, the class of 2023 was also part of the Step 1 P/F cohort. So you can use both the 2023 and 2024 match list to determine the preliminary effects of a Step 1 P/F world whereas almost every other school only has their 2024 list to show for a Step 1 P/F Match list.

Oh this is super good to know- thank you!

 

[zalgiris]

Cincinnati is 1.5 year preclinical starting this year btw, I noticed it was in your cons list for Cincy. I was also worried about the match list for Cincinnati, but I was told it's not due to the lack of strength of the program but the fact that many people want to stay in Ohio and the midwest. Cincinnati is ranked top 35 for medical schools and you shouldn't have any issues matching into any specialty/program imo.