SUNY Downstate vs. SUNY Stony Brook

[radioh3ad]

I'm having a hard time deciding which state school would be my public school choice. I've heard and seen that students at Stony Brook are happier and their preclinical years are more varied and enjoyable. I've also heard the students at Downstate get some great clinical opportunities that just aren't available through Stony Brook. I'm most interested in specialties in oncology (surgical or internal).

I'm most worried about board preparation and atmosphere.

Hoping to find the opinions of students who've interviewed/been accepted/matriculated at these schools... Thanks and have a great holiday.

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[bigdan]

I'm at Stony Brook right now, so you know my bias. Here's what I think:
- I'm very happy. We, as a group, are happy.
- we simply DO NOT get much of the "urban" acute concerns that I believe Downstate gets.
- RUMOR is that SB students have to do a lot of preparation for Step 1 - I think that everyone has to, but some fourth years have told me that they would have felt unprepared without taking Kaplan or seeking extra help in some things. But please take into account that I do not know personally. I can say, however, that something is going right, because our match list for last year's graduating class was fricken great.

Good luck with which ever school you choose, and congrats on the acceptances.

dc

 

[daisygirl]

I'm a fourth year at Stony Brook.

I am happy with the education that I have received at Stony Brook. Since I've been here, the school has undergone many, many, curriculum changes. Which are for the better in my opinion. The administration is very receptive to the needs of the students, hence the many curricular changes.

The preclinical years are fine. Yes, you do have to spend a lot of your own time preparing for step I. However, this is most likely the case at most medical schools. The students are now required to take a lot of preclinical shelf exams, and this probably will help in terms of preparation for step I. In my humble opinion, preclinical years are very similar at every medical school (with notable exceptions such as Duke and Yale).

I believe that the clinical years are quite good at Stony Brook. My only complaint would be not having a lot of choices in terms of where to rotate since the school doesn't have a lot of affiliated sites. Also, I don't feel that there are an adequate number of slots at the sites for some rotations(especially neurology ).

The overall atmosphere at the school is great. I truly love the majority of my classmates.

The class of 2005 did have a spectacular match list. Which only proves that if you put in the effort, you will end up where you want in terms of specialty and location.

Lastly, I would be quite happy to match at SB for residency since I've really enjoyed my experience there.

I would be happy to answer any specific questions that you may have.

 

[radioh3ad]

u guys are awesome. happy new year. please, everybody else, feel free to respond. i'll probably be sending a few PM's out after i ... recover in a few days. ha.

k thx~

 

[kassie]

I had to make the same choice as you at one point...and chose SB! People seemed happier to me...

If you're worried about clinical opportunities, there is time in fourth year to go outside of the SB system...

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.