Would you rather Med school edition; SUNY Buffalo Vs Penn State

[Lebotard]

Hi all, just wanted to get your thoughts on these two schools, and where you think is best.

Im an OOS at both, but can be instate at Buffalo after first year so down the road Buffalo will be cheaper. Here are some pros and cons Ive got

Buffalo Pros
cheaper
8-12 class
3rd year electives
rotate at multiple sites (diversity of training)
early clinical exposure
cheaper
6-8 weeks off to study boards
lots of activity for new school downtown

cons
being in city of buffalo
grading system -H, HP, P, F
things seem old school
will have to commute alot to get to school, hosptials, etc
no centralized system
rotations i feel will be hit or miss b/c going to be at different settings
Not much board prep from what I hear?
8 ppl per cadaver

Penn State Pros
New curriclum take boards early more clinical time
class seems very tight
p/f grading with no internal ranking (Not sure if this is good or bad for residencies?
faciliteis and hospital alothough smaller seemed very nice
close to philly baltimore, closer to NYC (Boyfriend lives there) then buffalo and D.C.
can live right next to school

Penn State Cons
Rural PA, Hershey is very small town
may have to rotate in Reading, Lebanon, places that are 30mins 1hr away (someone correct me?
EXPENSIVE


If anyone has any thoughts on repuation, location, pre clinicals, Clinical rotations, or anything at all to help please let me know. Thanks!

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[Mad Jack]

Next up, marry, ****, kill, med school edition.

Penn State BTW.

 

[styphon]

Hi all, just wanted to get your thoughts on these two schools, and where you think is best.

Im an OOS at both, but can be instate at Buffalo after first year so down the road Buffalo will be cheaper. Here are some pros and cons Ive got

Buffalo Pros
cheaper
8-12 class
3rd year electives
rotate at multiple sites (diversity of training)
early clinical exposure
cheaper
6-8 weeks off to study boards
lots of activity for new school downtown

cons
being in city of buffalo
grading system -H, HP, P, F
things seem old school
will have to commute alot to get to school, hosptials, etc
no centralized system
rotations i feel will be hit or miss b/c going to be at different settings
Not much board prep from what I hear?
8 ppl per cadaver

Penn State Pros
New curriclum take boards early more clinical time
class seems very tight
p/f grading with no internal ranking (Not sure if this is good or bad for residencies?
faciliteis and hospital alothough smaller seemed very nice
close to philly baltimore, closer to NYC (Boyfriend lives there) then buffalo and D.C.
can live right next to school

Penn State Cons
Rural PA, Hershey is very small town
may have to rotate in Reading, Lebanon, places that are 30mins 1hr away (someone correct me?
EXPENSIVE


If anyone has any thoughts on repuation, location, pre clinicals, Clinical rotations, or anything at all to help please let me know. Thanks!

I went to SUNY Buffalo -
-I also was concerned about the 8 students per cadaver because pre-meds seem obsessed with this - but it really doesn't matter. I had more than enough time to dissect and study, more time than I wanted..If you want more, you can do more, help others, etc..
-I think we had lots of board prep: required lectures about board prep, lots of similar board questions on tests, and then an elective course for board prep
-The hospitals in/near Buffalo are diverse. We have 3 urban hospitals (one being the regional trauma/burn center), we have suburban hospitals, rural hospitals..I think in ANY school rotations YOU make them great- if you aren't proactive and sit back or are negative, the rotation is going to suck no matter what.
-The med school is not downtown yet. I don't think the frame of the building is even up yet.
-Which brings me to the next point, a private group here is consolidating their medical services into an area near the NEW med school - it already contains an urban hospital w/ stroke/cath/Neurosurgery building, one of the first cancer hospitals in the US, and the Women's and Childrens hospital along with pediatric specialist offices.

 

[Portly]

I would go with Buffalo. The city of Buffalo is actually really great. There are some really fantastic neighborhoods, people, and things to do. The only down side is the wind coming off Lake Erie and the endless winter. If you can embrace the winter you'll be fine.

With all the money being put into healthcare in Buffalo it is really having a transformative effect on the attitudes of the city and those in the medical school.

In terms of your other concerns. Caring about the number of students per cadaver is silly. Dissecting fascia doesn't help you remember all the muscles of the forearm. It is also only 4 months of your 4 year medical school experience. The grading system is silly, but the students don't care about it. No one talks about grades and you would be hard pressed to find anyone getting competitive with their classmates.

It definitely isn't without it's flaws, but don't overplay perceived weaknesses.

Hope this helps

 

[Patros]

I have nothing of value to say, I just laughed when you wrote:
Buffalo will be cheaper
pros
- cheaper
- cheaper
- cheaper
cons
-it's in buffalo"

-Which brings me to the next point, a private group here is consolidating their medical services into an area near the NEW med school - it already contains an urban hospital w/ stroke/cath/Neurosurgery building, one of the first cancer hospitals in the US, and the Women's and Childrens hospital along with pediatric specialist offices.

What do you mean by first cancer hospital? I mean, MSK, MD Anderson, Fred Hutchinson, and Dana Farber are all cancer hospitals right? Or is Roswell park expanding into this building?

 

[Serous Demilune]

Depending on the kind of person you are, you will either be happy or miserable at either one without a support system. Penn State is not close to any of the cities you mentioned (maybe driveable to philly one weekend per semester). Go w buffallo for the cheaper price and bigger city with more stuff to keep your mind off school on weekends.

 

[styphon]

What do you mean by first cancer hospital? I mean, MSK, MD Anderson, Fred Hutchinson, and Dana Farber are all cancer hospitals right? Or is Roswell park expanding into this building?

Roswell states it is the "first comprehensive cancer center" founded in 1898 that "has become the standard by which all modern-day comprehensive cancer centers are measured." https://www.roswellpark.org/about-us

It is physically connected to Buffalo General Hospital and will also be physically connected to the new medical school/offices.

The combination of Buffalo General Hospital+GVI vascular institute+Childrens Hospital+Roswell+Research buildings+Addictions center+Highpoint nursing home+New med school are labelled as "Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus".

 

[Lebotard]

Any other thoughts?