SUNY Downstate vs. Upstate vs. Temple

[LesPaulJr]

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Hey guys,

I've been fortunate enough to have gained acceptance to some of my top choices early on, and i'm hoping I can get some insight into these schools before I make my decision. From my interview experiences, Temple University's facilities were the prettiest, although that also reflected the price tag (somewhere around $55k as i'm OOS to all these schools). Living in Philly is also a desirable aspect of this school.

With the SUNY schools I would be paying alot less (around $20k less) for years 2-4 once instate residency is established. I'm fully torn between Upstate and Downstate, however. Upstate has been put on probation, yet has the nicer facilities of the two. The school itself seems a bit isolated, although the community feel is welcoming. Also.. ALOT of snow!

Downstate's immediate surrounding / facilities are run down and a bit scary.. however, the students and faculty there sold me on the clinical experiences and educational opportunities at Downstate. Living in NYC is also a very big plus for me. The only thing holding me back from simply choosing this school is the immediate location of the school and the facilities.

Are there any glaring differences in "prestige" between these schools? What are your thoughts on these schools, and what would you choose given the choice?

Thank you for the help! Very much appreciated 🙂

 

[doorner]

Downstate. Price is one huge factor, but the clinical experience can't be matched there, and also the neighborhood is not that dangerous. It's mostly families. I would stay away from upstate if I could, and unless you have significant family contribution you'll be drowning in debt from your 4 years as an OOS at temple

 

[jshei0625]

I would pick between Upstate and Downstate because of the large financial difference, unless you receive a nice financial aid plan from Temple. Then you have to choose which school you feel most comfortable with. This could depend on location, friendliness of students, curriculum, etc. You should probably do the "second look" for each school to get a better sense, since I never think that what you see during interview day is enough (you are more focused on doing well in your interviews). Lastly, I doubt the probationary status of Upstate will matter, so I would not use that as a major factor when deciding.

 

[snikkle]

I'm trying to making a similar decision but with UVM instead of Temple. OOS to all as well. I'm leaning towards Downstate. The area wasn't all that bad, and I heard living in Park Slope is pretty nice. Anyone have opinions on staying on campus late to study / taking a late train back? Is it safe enough to do or..? And I think they're all similar in reputation.

 

[chaser0]

I'd say Downstate or Upstate.


Don't let Upstate's probationary status affect your decision. The decision was not at all due to the curriculum or the quality of the education. (People note the cited "cheating scandal," but it's extremely overblown. It was one take home quiz that maybe 4 or 5 students decided to work together on, which they were never told that they could not do. And it was for just a measly few points, the type of assignment only to confirm that you skimmed over the assigned documents) The probation is due to "administrative concerns," which Upstate has made a tremendous effort to improve the program.

The status has not affected last year's match list at all, and the students got into very highly competitive residencies (3 derm, JHU Intern, Tufts Neurosurg, etc etc etc).

They'll be off probation very soon, just a minor hiccup. Many great programs were on probation in the past, and they've been fine

 

[johnwandering]

They're all really great schools, and I don't think there's a real gaping difference in prestige.

If it was me, I'd probably go to Upstate or Downstate because of the cost.

Upstate is basically the only medical school within several hundred mile radius, so there's somewhat of an advantage of having exclusive access to a lot of the resources there. Also, it's literally across the street from Syracuse University, so you're in a fairly lively college community. The facilities are pretty nice too.


But I'd probably choose Downstate in the end because of it's proximity to NYC. I love the city, and it's within walking distance. 😍

 

[doorner]

But I'd probably choose Downstate in the end because of it's proximity to NYC. I love the city, and it's within walking distance. 😍

Within walking distance of what? It's in central Brooklyn...😕

 

[FIREitUP]

based on your choices I would probably choose downstate. bear in mind the new curriculum is all PBL, so buyer beware.

 

[mnf1985]

I would NEVER choose Temple over any of the SUNY schools if I were in your position. UVM, as the other poster suggested, might be a different story. Also, understand that the state government in Pennsylvania is an absolute disaster. Tuition at Pennsylvania schools receiving state funding will definitely rise, likely at a faster rate than other schools, due to schedule budget cuts in higher education. The SUNY system will give you a great education for a great value, and even if tuition rises it will be the difference between 30,000 and 35,000, not 50,000 and 55,000.

 

[LesPaulJr]

Thanks for your input everyone. Definitely feel like Downstate would be the best option. I've heard mixed comments about research funding here and the opportunities available to students. Will be looking into this more.

based on your choices I would probably choose downstate. bear in mind the new curriculum is all PBL, so buyer beware.

Oh, i see.. so this was part of the curriculum reconstruction. Also, what about PBL do you not like?

Thanks again!

 

[deleted454156]

As someone who interviewed at both Temple and Downstate, I'd personally go Temple. I'm OOS at both schools, and I know Temple would run a much higher tab, but I just couldn't really see myself going to Downstate when I was there. Most of the students' main reason for why they chose Downstate was money, which is obviously very important, but if I'm going to spend 4 years with an institution I want there to be other factors that make the school a good institution to be at.

I thought Temple had a lot of great opportunities, both research and clinically, facilities are great, and the students I met seemed more in tune with their school and overall spirit.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[doorner]

I thought Temple had a lot of great opportunities, both research and clinically, facilities are great, and the students I met seemed more in tune with their school and overall spirit.

I agree with this except for the bit about research opportunities. Temple receives a shockingly small amount of research funding.

 

[UpstateBingo]

4th year student at Upstate. Just want to weigh in on the tuition issue. My understanding is that NY State law has changed to prevent out of state students from getting instate tuition. You should contact the admissions offices at Upstate and Downstate to confirm that you can actually get instate tuition in the future, as my understanding was it would no longer be occuring in the future.

Regarding Upstate, the probabation is a non-issue. Mostly administrative nonsense that has had no effect on our residency matching. My friends and I are currently on the interview trail for residency and have not been asked once. If you have any questions about Upstate in general, feel free to PM me.

 

[mnf1985]

4th year student at Upstate. Just want to weigh in on the tuition issue. My understanding is that NY State law has changed to prevent out of state students from getting instate tuition. You should contact the admissions offices at Upstate and Downstate to confirm that you can actually get instate tuition in the future, as my understanding was it would no longer be occuring in the future.

Regarding Upstate, the probabation is a non-issue. Mostly administrative nonsense that has had no effect on our residency matching. My friends and I are currently on the interview trail for residency and have not been asked once. If you have any questions about Upstate in general, feel free to PM me.

Where did you here this? Is this only at Downstate and Upstate or for all of the SUNYs?

 

[UpstateBingo]

Heard it from admissions. It was a bone of contention between all the SUNY's and NYS. There was pushback from the schools, so it may have been nixed and I just don't know. Did they explicitly say it was possible on interview day? If so, then I stand corrected. If not, before you make a very expensive mistake, I would suggest calling the relevant admissions office and be certain one way or the other.

 

[FIREitUP]

Thanks for your input everyone. Definitely feel like Downstate would be the best option. I've heard mixed comments about research funding here and the opportunities available to students. Will be looking into this more.



Oh, i see.. so this was part of the curriculum reconstruction. Also, what about PBL do you not like?

Thanks again!

PBL is a better idea in theory than in practice. The idea is that if you apply said knowledge then you will retain it better, however, 99 times out of 100 PBL is poorly constructed and implemented, leading to frustration and time wasting. Furthermore, PBL is often used as a way to introduce new information, which is inherently inefficient and asinine since you cannot understand something you haven't learned. I would say a large percent of our classmates find the PBL sessions to be more of an impediment and time waster than anything else. If the administration wanted to help us apply our knowledge they would just give us access to Q-banks, which is a much more efficient usage of time. However, the LCME, with its infinite knowledge on how medical students learn keep pushing this junk.

Med school sucks enough as it is. It sucks even more when you have to waste your time doing something that supposedly adds to your knowledge-base but in actuality detracts from in since you have less time to study independently.

 

[snikkle]

Heard it from admissions. It was a bone of contention between all the SUNY's and NYS. There was pushback from the schools, so it may have been nixed and I just don't know. Did they explicitly say it was possible on interview day? If so, then I stand corrected. If not, before you make a very expensive mistake, I would suggest calling the relevant admissions office and be certain one way or the other.

Hmm, gonna look into this more.. It would really suck if true, though. Also, how easy is it to get involved in global health opportunities at Upstate? Are these things generally lottery-based or does everyone have a chance as long as they get the necessary funds?