Strictly reputation: SUNY Upstate/SUNY Downstate/Penn St?

[NYyanx28]

Obviously all other factors are personal decisions, so I wanted to know which of these three schools would give me the better chance at a stronger residency, ideally in NYC.

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[Robizzle]

Just look at the match lists.

My sister's fiance goes to Penn State and I think he considers its reputation to be higher than Downstate, and I'm pretty sure Upstate also.

However, he also says it's "known" among residency directors that Downstate churns out great clinicians due to what they get exposed to/have to do during medical school. If you're looking into NYC for residency and ultimately practice, why don't you start with some NYC experience?-- Go Downstate! This way, you can make connections during med school -- something that i've heard is VERY important.


Damn.. there are so many New York related X vs. X threads and I feel compelled to comment on all of them lol.

 

[NYyanx28]

bump

 

[Cirrus83]

Don't come to Downstate, I really wanna get in there, lol. So if you have doubts, go elsewhere please! 😛

Anyways if you want to know about the residencies just look at their residency match lists. Downstate has theirs on their website somewhere, and the other schools might put theirs up too. That's honestly way better than asking on SDN for answers, lol.

But, please don't come to Downstate, I think you should go with Pitt lol.

 

[Scottish Chap]

Obviously all other factors are personal decisions, so I wanted to know which of these three schools would give me the better chance at a stronger residency, ideally in NYC.

Unless you plan on being a total slacker, the "name" of a school plays such a small role. Class rank, board scores, connections, and publications all play a part in where you end up for residency. Go where you will be happiest, and work hard. It's a no brainer.

 

[NYyanx28]

Unless you plan on being a total slacker, the "name" of a school plays such a small role. Class rank, board scores, connections, and publications all play a part in where you end up for residency. Go where you will be happiest, and work hard. It's a no brainer.

Does the school name really play that small of a role? People tend to say the same about college-->med school, yet if I graduated from an Ivy with my 3.98 and 33, I'de probably get interviews at much better med schools.

 

[drc243]

In terms of pure reputation each of these schools is on a level playing field and can be said in the same breath. However,If you want an NYC residency then downstate is probally the best choice because you will be trained at downstate to practice medicine in urban areas. Also i am guessing you are an ny resident so it wouldnt make any sense for you to go to penn state and cough up an extra 100 grand for school when you have two very viable options.

Best,
Dave

 

[DrKitty]

I interviewed at all 3 schools that OP mentioned, and I remember Downstate claiming something "out of all physicians currently practicing in NYC, the largest percentage of those graduated from Downstate. I ended up choosing Upstate, just because I had a horrible interview experience at Downstate and the school rubbed me the wrong way. If you are a NY resident, you can't go wrong with either Downstate or Upstate - both schools place a large portion of graduates into NYC residencies. It is a matter of personal preferences: location, vibe, facilities, strength of particular academic departments, etc. Penn State is also a great school, and I loved it - but it's extremely expensive for out-of-state, and I couldn't imagine living in Hershey for 4 years.

 

[snapshot]

hey all-

i'm a first year at downstate and i'd be happy to answer any questions anyone has about it... i was deciding between stony brook, upstate, nymc, drexel, and a few other ones not in the northeast...

i'm SO happy with my decision. honestly though, i had a horrendous downstate interview experience and an amazing one at upstate, but i also felt like i got a better vibe from the students at downstate and wanted to spend my 4 years of med school in nyc / brooklyn (i was also sold on their clinical exp.), which i think was definitely the right decision for me. in terms of reputation, both are comparable and both will probably land you similar residencies.

but, if you have any specific questions about downstate or more about why i chose it, feel free to ask!

 

[NYyanx28]

Bump! Anyone, just reputation for residency placement purposes... money aside.

 

[Bernie3144]

I interviewed at all 3 schools that OP mentioned, and I remember Downstate claiming something "out of all physicians currently practicing in NYC, the largest percentage of those graduated from Downstate. I ended up choosing Upstate, just because I had a horrible interview experience at Downstate and the school rubbed me the wrong way. If you are a NY resident, you can't go wrong with either Downstate or Upstate - both schools place a large portion of graduates into NYC residencies. It is a matter of personal preferences: location, vibe, facilities, strength of particular academic departments, etc. Penn State is also a great school, and I loved it - but it's extremely expensive for out-of-state, and I couldn't imagine living in Hershey for 4 years.

I agree with this statement.

Open up a seat at Penn State 😀

 

[YanYan]

My cousin went to NYU med and told me downstate is well liked for residency programs. Unlike in a lot of other med schools downstate students have a much higher hands on to scut work ratio.

 

[diggitybop]

you can get to the most competitve residency from any of these schools. i know its been said a million times on these threads but the major factors are the boards and how well you do in medical school.

 

[thirdeye55]

Hi,
I am an IMg, got interview call from suny downstate . Can you tell me what they ppl normally ask? I dont have any usce, got double 99 is step 1&2.....
a bit woriied abt the interview........
I will really appreciate if u reply me.
Take care,
Bye
i'm a first year at downstate and i'd be happy to answer any questions anyone has about it... i was deciding between stony brook, upstate, nymc, drexel, and a few other ones not in the northeast...

i'm SO happy with my decision. honestly though, i had a horrendous downstate interview experience and an amazing one at upstate, but i also felt like i got a better vibe from the students at downstate and wanted to spend my 4 years of med school in nyc / brooklyn (i was also sold on their clinical exp.), which i think was definitely the right decision for me. in terms of reputation, both are comparable and both will probably land you similar residencies.

but, if you have any specific questions about downstate or more about why i chose it, feel free to ask![/quote]

 

[thirdeye55]

Hi,
I am an IMG, graduated in 2006. Got double 99 in step 1 & 2. Have got a call from Suny Downstate. Can you guide me abt the interview?
wat they normally ask from the candidates? i dont have any usce,

I will really appreciate ur reply n help

Tc
BYE

 

[silas2642]

Obviously all other factors are personal decisions, so I wanted to know which of these three schools would give me the better chance at a stronger residency, ideally in NYC.

Screw that. Which one has the best financial aid package? I'm assuming that you're instate at one ofthe SUNY's I have no idea as to which school has the better location, but for God's sake, take money into consideration, bigtime!!!!

 

[silas2642]

Hi,
I am an IMG, graduated in 2006. Got double 99 in step 1 & 2. Have got a call from Suny Downstate. Can you guide me abt the interview?
wat they normally ask from the candidates? i dont have any usce,

I will really appreciate ur reply n help

Tc
BYE

Wrong forum. Need to go into the residency forums of the specialty that you're applying to. This is the pre-med forum. These guys haven't gotten into med school yet.

 

[hedge0hog]

hey guys please tell me any differences between suny upstate and suny buffalo. and if i can tell those 2 apart, why is it better or worse than suny dowstate. thanks.
p.s. do suny buffalo students spend most weekends in toronto, or it's not practical?

 

[elsid1986]

hey guys please tell me any differences between suny upstate and suny buffalo. and if i can tell those 2 apart, why is it better or worse than suny dowstate. thanks.
p.s. do suny buffalo students spend most weekends in toronto, or it's not practical?

I was an undergrad at suny buffalo and was accepted early assurance at upstate. in my opinion the schools are pretty similar. i know suny buffalo will probably have broader research opportunities than suny upstate which may or may not be of interest to you. the med school at buffalo has plenty of labs that put out a lot of publications that could help you if you're looking into a competitive residency.. but i dont think that should be a deciding factor unless you're looking to do md/phd because i'm sure upstate has a lot of research opportunities as well.

the good thing about upstate is that it has the associated hospitals as part of the school and within walking distance. at buffalo the hospitals are a driving distance away ( 10-15 mins) and that could possibly be annoying. you also share the campus and classrooms with buffalo undergrads but that doesn't bother most people.

and rarely have any of my med student friends at buffalo made trips to toronto because 2.5 hours driving isnt always fun after a tough week. but there are other places to go out right next to the campus and downtown buffalo.

personally i think you should go to whatever city you like best if its between syracuse and buffalo.

as for downstate, i'd say repuation wise its relatively the same as suny buffalo and upstate. tuition is the same in all three but you will definitely save money if you chose upstate or buffalo over downstate. the rent in brooklyn will be much higher than the rent in buffalo or syracuse.

hmm i think thats all that i can think of... good luck

 

[violet7]

Hmmm 🙂 when I interviewed at Buffalo, someone said that Toronto is only 1 hour drive, and I was kind of looking forward to spending some weekends there since Buffalo seems to be a little too quiet, too small on my scale... So what do med students usually do on weekends/free time? Is there anything fun to do in Buffalo at all? Also, I was told that most med students do not live on campus, but somewhere else...so what's the best place to live in Buffalo...ideally I'd like to be close to other med students and also be in some kind of urban/fun environment...suburban views of trees and houses tend to depress me 🙂

 

[elsid1986]

yea i apologize toronto is actually about an hour and a half away if you drive fast.

 

[violet7]

yea i apologize toronto is actually about an hour and a half away if you drive fast.

1.5 hours is doable...big difference from 2.5 hours one way.