SUNY Upstate vs Stony Brook, which to choose

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tkhan180

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So I am lucky to be accepted to both these schools. I'm trying to decide between the two and I have the pros and cons kind of fleshed out:

SUNY Upstate: pros- active area with lots to do, only 2.5 hrs from home, really friendly low pressure environment. cons-not as good rep as Stony, being threatened with probation

SUNY Stony Brook: pros- stellar reputation, lots of research opportunity, nice student body. cons- middle of nowhere, 4.5 hrs from home, definitely need car.

If you guys have more to add, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

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they've been placed on probation from what I remember
 
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they've been placed on probation from what I remember

Upstate has (or will be very soon)

Stony Brook has received nothing but stellar commendations.



In the end, it's about going where you'll be the happiest. More than the curriculum, look at the Student Body/Area/Costs/home support/etc etc. It sound like you're leaning towards Upstate.
There's nothing wrong with going there~
 
I do have friends that go to upstate who love it. Even if they get placed on/are on probation there really is no chance that they will lose their accreditation (plus I think they were placed on probation for a little nothing reason). Also you could take into account the areas they are in. Stony Brook is out on pretty suburban long island where Upstate is up in Syracuse. Depends on the environment you are looking for.
 
This is a personal opinion based on nothing but personal experience. I went to Syracuse university and lived in Syracuse for 4 years. I would chose stony over upstate. There's really nothing to do in Syracuse and you have a really weird environment. Youve got SU and Suny ESF making a really wealthy part of town then outside campus, it's slums everywhere. Students getting robbed, drivebys etc. The only recreational stuff to do is go downtown to drink and goto the mall. There are 3 hospitals right there which is nice but at the end of the day, I just didnt like living in Syracuse and for me, location was one of the most important factors. I know nothing of stonybrook though so I'm no help there.
 
congratulations on a very successful application process. this is the exact same choice I was faced with 3 years ago when I was applying. Even before the cheating scandal and threats of probation stony brook was, to me, the obvious choice.

as for upstate ....i don't know how you got the vibe of it being an active area with lots to do. i remember an upstate student telling me how great it is that syracuse is so quiet so you can study without distraction.

everything you've said about stony brook is true, both the pros and cons. i'd like to add a few things though:
1. stony brook already has it's **** together. you don't want to put yourself at a school where the administration will be scrambling with the school's accreditation in jeopardy. the biggest issue is that you will likely be a guinea pig for all the new changes they're trying to make...and chances are they won't be smooth transitions (transitions never are)
2. stony brook professors really care. i'm not saying upstate's don't.
3. close-ish to NYC. if you want to talk about somewhere with "lots to do" you can't go wrong with NYC. it's true you won't be there every weekend but at least the option is there. I think stony brook and syracuse are probably fairly similar in terms of nightlife but stony brook has the added advantage of being able to get away to the city when you want something new. also there's a new stony brook clinical campus (like the binghamton campus at upstate) that's significantly closer to NYC.

there's much more i could say but i'll stop there and invite you to PM me if you have any specific questions or need any help making your decision.
 
congratulations on a very successful application process. this is the exact same choice I was faced with 3 years ago when I was applying. Even before the cheating scandal and threats of probation stony brook was, to me, the obvious choice.

as for upstate ....i don't know how you got the vibe of it being an active area with lots to do. i remember an upstate student telling me how great it is that syracuse is so quiet so you can study without distraction.

everything you've said about stony brook is true, both the pros and cons. i'd like to add a few things though:
1. stony brook already has it's **** together. you don't want to put yourself at a school where the administration will be scrambling with the school's accreditation in jeopardy. the biggest issue is that you will likely be a guinea pig for all the new changes they're trying to make...and chances are they won't be smooth transitions (transitions never are)
2. stony brook professors really care. i'm not saying upstate's don't.
3. close-ish to NYC. if you want to talk about somewhere with "lots to do" you can't go wrong with NYC. it's true you won't be there every weekend but at least the option is there. I think stony brook and syracuse are probably fairly similar in terms of nightlife but stony brook has the added advantage of being able to get away to the city when you want something new. also there's a new stony brook clinical campus (like the binghamton campus at upstate) that's significantly closer to NYC.

there's much more i could say but i'll stop there and invite you to PM me if you have any specific questions or need any help making your decision.

Thanks so much! It was all helpful info. So I take it you ended up at Stony Brook? I had a few more questions if you don't mind:
1. Stony Brook seems really research heavy, does it affect the priorities of the teachers? Like do they focus more on research rather than teaching well? I know you said the teachers were great but this is a big concern of mine.
2. How is it living in Stony Brook? Is housing close to the school or do you have to drive? Also, how close is the area to basic things, like groceries and other stores?
Thanks, I appreciate your input.
 
Thanks so much! It was all helpful info. So I take it you ended up at Stony Brook? I had a few more questions if you don't mind:
1. Stony Brook seems really research heavy, does it affect the priorities of the teachers? Like do they focus more on research rather than teaching well? I know you said the teachers were great but this is a big concern of mine.
2. How is it living in Stony Brook? Is housing close to the school or do you have to drive? Also, how close is the area to basic things, like groceries and other stores?
Thanks, I appreciate your input.

1. this is not a problem at all. the PhDs who teach classes definitely do not inject their research into the class content and really enjoy teaching. i know why you are concerned about that and it really bothered me during undergrad but i have not seen it happen at all in med school. in addition after about the second month of second year all classes are taught by MDs.
2. you have to drive everywhere. you definitely can't get away without having a car here. i live as close to campus as possible without actually living on campus and still drive to school every day. if you live on/near campus the area is very residential and there are no stores within walking distance. other areas might have stores that are walking distance but it's really luck of the draw. bottom line though is that a car is absolutely required and during third year it would be impossible to do some rotations without a car because you'll need to drive to outpatient clinics or other clinical sites.
 
i hear ya! I was accepted at both along with a few other schools, and I am most likely going to upstate. It came down to upstate and stony, but focus on where you will be most comfortable.
 
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I was in between SUNY Buffalo and Stony Brook, and I picked Stony Brook, even though my family is all in Buffalo. I really love the school and I am super happy here. The city is only like an hr and 10 min train ride away. I personally love the area here I think the scenery and being so close to the water is great. The faculty, student body and administration are amazing here, I'm really happy I decided to come here. Let me know if you need any advice. Best of luck.
 
disagree. long island sucks in every way.

Yes, being in suburbs only 1 hour and 10 minutes away from Manhattan is sucky in every way.

But really though, what do you not like about Long Island? I've been to both, and I would trade living in Syracuse to live in Long Island ANY day.
 
Alright, I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of Long Island (to put it mildly), but I chose the school, not the location. I'm very pleased with my education at SB Med so far. I've had great interactions with the administration, very happy with the curriculum, classmates, etc. And, most people don't mind the location as much as I do. The beach is definitely a nice perk.

I have a close family member at Upstate who is also very happy there. I don't think you can go too wrong in this situation. I will say that you will probably have a wider variety of research opportunities at SB than Upstate if you are into that. I went with my gut when I decided which medical school and that definitely worked out for me. When I interviewed, Stony Brook just felt like a really good fit. I would encourage you to go with what feels right for you.
 
I was in between SUNY Buffalo and Stony Brook, and I picked Stony Brook, even though my family is all in Buffalo. I really love the school and I am super happy here. The city is only like an hr and 10 min train ride away. I personally love the area here I think the scenery and being so close to the water is great. The faculty, student body and administration are amazing here, I'm really happy I decided to come here. Let me know if you need any advice. Best of luck.
Thanks for your input! I had a few more questions if you don't mind:
1. I'm mostly concerned about the living situation, is it possible to live in an apartment that is both within walking distance to the school and near some basic stores (groceries and whatnot)?
2. How much is the train into NYC and how often would you say you go?
3. How do you get involved in research? Are there specific programs you apply to or do you try and talk to professors?
Thanks for any advice!
 
Thanks for your input! I had a few more questions if you don't mind:
1. I'm mostly concerned about the living situation, is it possible to live in an apartment that is both within walking distance to the school and near some basic stores (groceries and whatnot)?
2. How much is the train into NYC and how often would you say you go?
3. How do you get involved in research? Are there specific programs you apply to or do you try and talk to professors?
Thanks for any advice!

1. no. you absolutely need a car. the closest grocery store to school is ~3 miles away.
2. an off-peak ticket is 11.75 each way. i go to the city fairly often (~twice a month) because my family lives there but i almost always drive there.
3. usually just emailing a mentor whose research you'd like to get involved in. there is a program that a bunch of students take advantage of during the summer after first year that provides a stipend to do research with the caveat being that you have to present your research as a poster during your fourth year but if i remember correctly they don't hook you up with a research project...you still have to find ur own.
 
So I just got their acceptance package. They want a letter of intent to enroll...what should I say and how much detail do I need to put into it?
 
So I just got their acceptance package. They want a letter of intent to enroll...what should I say and how much detail do I need to put into it?

A couple sentences saying you accept the offer, intend to enroll and thanking them should be sufficient.
 
A couple sentences saying you accept the offer, intend to enroll and thanking them should be sufficient.

Is the letter of intent to enroll a common thing? I did not get one of those.
 
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