Undergrad

[Dr.Cait]

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hey everyone! I am a high school senior and in the process of making my final decision as to where to go to college. As I consider the many pros and cons of the two schools I have narrowed it down to, one thing that I feel might help make the decision easier is to find out which school has the better track record for sending kids to med school.

Here is the deal: my two choices are Siena College in Loudonville, NY and SUNY Stony Brook in Long Island. I know that Stony Brook has a med school, but should that really go on the pros list? Any thoughts would be helpful, as I am really stressing at this point. Thanks!

 

[DrBowtie]

Def. a pro since it gives an opportunity to shadow and do research.

 

[Flopotomist]

I've never heard of Siena College - actually, I've never heard of Loudonville either - that being said, people get into medical schools from many different undergrad institutions, so choose the one that you think you will be the most successful in.

Do well in school - study hard, keep up your GPA, slay your MCAT, get involved in some interesting ECs, consider doing some research - and if you STILL want to go the MD route in a few years - you will be set. Have fun!

 

[theartofcare]

I've never heard of Siena College - actually, I've never heard of Loudonville either - that being said, people get into medical schools from many different undergrad institutions, so choose the one that you think you will be the most successful in.

Do well in school - study hard, keep up your GPA, slay your MCAT, get involved in some interesting ECs, consider doing some research - and if you STILL want to go the MD route in a few years - you will be set. Have fun!

I completely agree. You can go to any medical school from any college. The most important things you must consider are the following: (these are just a summary of what i have found most important)
1. Go where you will be happy: This will shape how you do academically and whether you pursue meaningful ECs, get along with professors, etc. Major impact.
2. Be focused: You need the cake! (GPA and MCAT) Everything else is the frosting! (Not to say that with low GPA and low MCAT scores you lose all chances but you place yourself in a risky situation.)
3. Go somewhere you can express and convey how interested you are in medicine. This means shadowing doctors, working with others in the healthcare setting. This also means doing research. Many of you might disagree with me here, but medicine is a rigorous profession and involves life-long learning and the ability to critically analyze problems. What better place to hone your critical thinking skills than in research. This also conveys that you can focus on very specific problems/topics.

Overall, you need to go somewhere that you can effectively prepare yourself for getting into medical school and for doing well. At the end it will solely depend on you and your motivation but going somewhere with good research facilities, a hospital, and an environment where you are happy will also help.

 

[Dr. Pepper]

I think it'd be best to go to SUNY - Stony Brook. It's well known as being a good undergrad for bio and it has a med school (thus opportunities for research, shadowing.) The only reason I didn't apply was because I'm from California, and the UCs are also good for biology. But seriously, SUNY-SB is a great school from what I've heard, and though undergrad reputation isn't vital to getting into a good school, it doesn't hurt to come from a school that is well respected.

 

[LucidSplash]

Since it appears you are a NY state resident, either will really do if you eventually apply to SUNY schools for medical school. I know Siena, but I'm from NY. The SUNYs will also know Siena. But I also agree with others that say you can do well and get to medical school from just about any undergrad. Stony Brook as a university will definitely make it easier to find opportunities to shadow, etc. That being said, I'm a fan of liberal arts schools, so I might choose Siena. Its so near Albany that you could find good shadowing/research/volunteer opportunities there. Good luck!

 

[silas2642]

If you're serious about medical school, then I would go with the cheaper of the two schools, assuming that you think you would be comfortable and do well at either one. You can get into med school from almost any college, the name on your undergraduate degree isn't going to matter very much.

 

[disque71]

SUNY Stony Brook in Long Island

Probably more research opportunities coming out of the med school for you. Plus adcom members at the med school you apply to will be far more familiar with SUNY Stony Brook in Long Island vs. the other place you mentioned 🙂 It will take your application much further.