2014-2015 SUNY Upstate Application Thread

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who should we send update/interest letter to? is there an e-mail to send em to?
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has anyone who interviewed in early February recieved a decision yet? Are all the decisions basically HPA or rejection this late in the cycle?
 
member06111990 said:
has anyone who interviewed in early February recieved a decision yet? Are all the decisions basically HPA or rejection this late in the cycle?
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Interviewed on Feb 4 and still haven't heard anything. I'm not sure about whether they're only giving out waitlist spots at this point
 
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member06111990 said:
has anyone who interviewed in early February recieved a decision yet? Are all the decisions basically HPA or rejection this late in the cycle?
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I also interviewed early February and am awaiting a status change. Called recently and the admissions office was quite uncertain of when a decision would be made. I was told that it would be within a few weeks, likely less than a month. :eyebrow:
 
Has anyone who interviewed on Jan 28th hear back yet? This is taking longer than I expected :(
 
awesomeMD said:
Did anyone get invited for the AMSNY Program? Also, can any of the current student explain the program and the interview process? Thank you
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I did. I'm more interested in the masters though. I'm actually headed to campus now for the interview tomorrow. Have u interviewed for it already?
 
WarrenH said:
This year I happen to have been fortunate enough to have gotten into more than one medical school. I have it narrowed down to SUNY Upstate or SUNY Stony Brook but I’m having a tough time making the final decision. I have a couple of questions for current medical students or recent grads, and any insight into what would make Upstate a better (or worse) fit would be greatly appreciated.

A little bit about me first: I’m a non-trad, married and have an 18 month old son. I work as a paramedic and paramedic instructor, spent 4 years in the military and have completed a Master’s Degree in biomedical sciences. My primary interest lies in emergency medicine. I am IS and plan to use my post-9/11 GI bill to pay for school, so cost is not a major concern. Research is not a major consideration for me, but I might be interested in getting involved in clinical research in EM.

Here are my questions:

1. How do you like the new curriculum? Pros? Cons?

2. How are the clinical rotations? Strengths? Weaknesses?

3. How are the faculty? Are there any really great/inspiring faculty members? Any lackluster ones?

4. How are/were your classmates? Are they mostly right out of undergrad or are there a lot with diverse experiences outside of academia?

5. Any benefits or drawbacks of being at a stand-alone medical school as opposed to being associated with a larger university?

6. Any other thoughts or opinions that might help me make the decision?

I really appreciate any advice you can provide. Thank you!
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It looks like there's been a reply to this, but I'll throw in my thoughts for a second opinion, though many of my thoughts will likely parallel those of my classmate's. I'm also currently an MS2 at Upstate.

1. I definitely like the new curriculum. It's systems-based, and they do a very good job of making all your classes line up pretty well (ie if you're learning about the heart in anatomy, you'll also be learning cardiac physiology, biochem of actin/myosin etc, at the same time so everything ties in together very well). As was mentioned before, probably the best quality about the curriculum is the responsiveness to feedback. They are open to completely revamping the curriculum if there are strong opinions. As an example, for us much of Anatomy was an exception to the systems-based approach and was taught completely in the first 2-3 months of medical school in an attempt to give a solid understanding of the gross human body before delving into specifics. Our class thought it was rushed, and the very next year (for the current MS1 class) anatomy was taught throughout almost the entire year. So you can be sure that the education you are receiving has taken into account the experiences of prior students.

2. Can't really answer this question, as I'm not a 3rd year yet. However, as mentioned before we do have a class called POM that teaches us how to take a history and physical, and then go through the process of making a differential diagnosis, and narrowing it down. Also I'd like to add that I've heard our 3rd year is longer (don't quote me on this). From what I've heard, some schools start 3rd year after summer vacation. At upstate, we start in mid-late May and we end at the normal time. So if what I've heard is true, two consequences: 1. you definitely don't get a summer between your 2nd and 3rd years here, whereas you might get one elsewhere?, and 2. you might have more time to figure out what you want to do during your ms3 year since we'll be spending more time in rotations.

3. There have definitely been faculty that have been phenomenal, but as with every school there are those that are not so great. I will say that for the most part our lecturers have been very good. Perhaps this is because I've heard that there have been lecturers who were not asked to come back the following year (+1 for responsiveness to student feedback), but I can't say for sure.

4. My classmate said it best: my classmates are the best part of the experience here. Being "not normal" is the norm, whether it's nontraditional in the sense that you're not straight from college, or you're not a bio major, etc. I myself was an engineer in college, and one of my roommates last year was a philosophy major. The average age of the entering class the past two years I believe was 24. I'm confident you won't be the only one with a child in Upstate's class of 2019.

5. I've been told by many practicing physicians that going to a medical school with a level 1 trauma center is pretty important. SUNY Upstate Medical Center serves a huge strip of New York, and it's not rare that we see a helicopter in the sky airlifting a case in from a smaller hospital. In terms of diversity of cases you'll see, I can't imagine a better place.

6. As stated above, it is important to consider what you want from the medical school you are choosing. I chose SUNY Upstate because of the atmosphere that I found when I interviewed and when I came for second look. The students are very close-knit and friendly here, which was apparent in a lot of facets from how often I was approached and told good luck on my interview to when a 2nd year showed me around the place as a study break from studying for the boards. Obviously it is possible to not be more secluded if that is more your style, but if you want it the community is there. I have one friend who has two very cute little kids but he still comes out with us on a fairly regular basis. Some of my friends have even babysat his kids. On a related note, since you mentioned another school, I have a friend who went to Stony Brook who loved it there, but I hear it is a different experience because it is a commuter school. So you're probably more likely to make a tight group of a couple friends who live near you. My best advice would be to physically go to each school and really try to get a feel for the school, its students, and the area it is in. Check out the atmosphere. See if the students are happy there. Ask them what they do to relax. And then ask yourself if you can imagine yourself being happy spending the next four years of your life there.

I hope that helped! Congratulations on your acceptances! Don't hesitate to ask any more questions! Us 2nd years actually just started our dedicated step-1 study period, but I'll try to find time to check once in a while, for example right now when I'm feeling too awake to fall sleep.
 
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Sillisauce said:
Is anyone new to the area thinking about housing yet? I'm looking to find an apartment off campus but close to campus. Is anyone interested in looking for a roommate and apartment?
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2nd year here. I feel like people always want an in depth analysis of housing, so here we go:

Geneva Tower:
I would highly highly highly recommend living in Geneva Tower for your first year in medical school. While it is more expensive, the facilities are brand new (finished 2-3 years ago, I think I was the first to live in my room), fully furnished (flat screen TV, couches, and the quads have an island in the kitchen/living-room for God's sake, with hanging lights), it's a 10 minute walk to campus, and utilities/school network internet/cable is all included. Parking I believe is an extra 50 (or 70 if you want garage parking which is a little further though). The main benefit however is the fact that a large percentage of the incoming class lives in Geneva. While the 2nd best thing across the street might be a good 1-200 dollars/month cheaper (after factoring in utilities), I think that the ability to pop downstairs to a friend's apartment in your pj's for game of thrones is worth the money. You can say that by living across the street you'll be pretty much in the same place, but honestly I really don't think it's the same, even when it's not a blizzard outside. Plus it's a fairly short (15min) walk to both SU bars and downtown. Other stuff: it has a cardio room on the 2nd floor (some treadmills and some ellipticals) and a study room too, where you can hook your computer up to a tv and study in groups and whatnot. If you play piano there's one on the ground floor. You can use your credit card for laundry, which I thought was a nice touch, forgot the cost. Also that everyone in Geneva has some connection to SUNY Upstate (residents, physicians, students), whereas that's obviously not true of other places. Security comes around every hour or so I believe, to check the parking lot and make sure nothing shady is happening. Lastly there's a zipcar in the Geneva parking lot so if you don't have a car it's very possible to borrow it for an hour to go to Wegmans if on the rare occasion all of your friends are unavailable or also don't have cars. Also last year they installed new grills right outside in the back so you can chill on some grass and have a bbq - doesn't that sound fun.
For the sake of transparency, the only two complaints I think I've ever heard about Geneva Tower are: 1. you can't open the windows (which is funny, because I hated it last year but this year living in Madison I never open my window now because I-81 is so loud), and 2. the sink water pressure is too low (which is sadly a reality. i hope you won't be boiling any lobsters, because it might take a while to fill the pot. the showerhead pressure though, is fine)

Jefferson/Madison:
If you're staunchly against Geneva Tower, these would be the second best option. Most of the class moves here after the first year. For a single you're looking at around 750 in Jefferson studios, otherwise around 8-900 a month still, not including internet and cable. Electric, water, and heat is included though. Parking is 35 a month, Jefferson's is all outdoors whereas Madison's garage is covered (except the top floor out of 3 total floors). Doubles run about 1200ish. Jefferson has an outdoor pool (usable for approximately 1 of the 12 months in Syracuse). Madison has a workout room with a couple treadmills, a couple ellipticals, a bike, and a couple basic machines. Laundry is by a card, which costs 5 dollars, and you can refill with cash. Cycles are 1.25 each I think, so 2.50 per load (washing + drying).

Apartments:
You can get apartments for a lot cheaper, though to be honest I'm not very knowledgeable about this subject so I won't delve into it too much. Most likely you'll have to crash at a friend's apt if you want to go drink with friends downtown or near SU (unless obviously you live downtown. I have several friends doing that.)

As always, if you have any more specific questions on anything at all, I'll try to check once in a while.
 
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i doubt you're tied to upstate if you accept, but i'm not sure. (i just got mine, and all loans too)
 
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Also got mine today. I dont think we need to accept it until a month before classes.
 
Halgene said:
I just got my financial award package (all federal loans), but my question is this: it says we have 14 days to accept the offer. What if I'm waiting to hear from another school? If I accept it am I tied to upstate? If I fail to accept it am I SOL?
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How do you access this? Was it sent by email? EDIT: Nvr mind it was in my spam. Also got all loans. I will be withdrawing tomorrow. Hopefully one of you gets my spot!
 
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Anyone know what their scholarship situation is like? do they offer scholarships?
 
I was at second look on Monday, and Jennifer Welch explained that initially the FA packages would only contain loans because the FA office hasn't yet met with the committee who determines the amount of money they have to give away for grants/scholarships. She said that it would be another week or two before scholarship information went out. So, as far as I understand, they do give scholarships, but nobody has heard about them yet and those that are receiving scholarships will hear in 1-2 weeks.
I would call them to clarify any of the details since I'm going totally off of memory, but I distinctly remember her saying something like this.
 
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fermata125 said:
I was at second look on Monday, and Jennifer Welch explained that initially the FA packages would only contain loans because the FA office hasn't yet met with the committee who determines the amount of money they have to give away for grants/scholarships. She said that it would be another week or two before scholarship information went out. So, as far as I understand, they do give scholarships, but nobody has heard about them yet and those that are receiving scholarships will hear in 1-2 weeks.
I would call them to clarify any of the details since I'm going totally off of memory, but I distinctly remember her saying something like this.
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Wow that you for posting that, thankfully I did not withdraw yet :p. I will shoot them a email about it now.
 
mik30102 said:
They replied back that a few exist but that they are few in number and amount. Also won't find out until the summer.
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I doubt I will be a recipient then. Thank you for checking and relaying the info to us!
 
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To those who have heard back from FA, when had you sent in your FAFSA?
 
Anyone else notice that estimated cost of tuition is 38,500?

That's more than the 32,800 that's posted on the upstate website.
 
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NYCdude said:
Anyone else notice that estimated cost of tuition is 38,500?

That's more than the 32,800 that's posted on the upstate website.
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yea i saw that as well, was trying to figure out if the discrepancy was due to a tuition hike or just misreporting
 
bostonite said:
yea i saw that as well, was trying to figure out if the discrepancy was due to a tuition hike or just misreporting
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I called them a little while ago and they said that it's just an estimate of the actual tuition.

Well, I hope the actual cost is lower lol.
 
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Has anyone who is receiving decisions (interviewed on 1/28 or around there) received an acceptance, or just HPA so far? I interviewed on 2/11 and I'm wondering if their class is currently filled
 
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member06111990 said:
Has anyone who is receiving decisions (interviewed on 1/28 or around there) received an acceptance, or just HPA so far? I interviewed on 2/11 and I'm wondering if their class is currently filled
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I also interviewed that day and have no portal change yet nor have I heard anything. Maybe we are up at the next committee meeting?
 
Accepted 2 hours ago!! interviewed on Jan 28th. Good luck to the rest of you waiting! :)
 
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did anyone's interview portal just disappear about 5 weeks after interviewing?
 
member06111990 said:
Just put on HPA, interviewed on 2/11
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Congrats!
I interviewed on 2/4 and still haven't had a portal change. From their description of the selection process, it sounded like they went in chronological order so that seems strange. Any other 2/4 interviewees still have the "Congratulations on being selected for an interview" banner in their portal?
 
Hi all!
Does anyone know how likely it is for students to get their acceptance rescinded? I'm a current senior and well...I'm worried about my thesis grade being a C. All my other classes will be in the B+/A- range? JUst that one class.
 
my conditional offer says you can't have no grades lower than a C. So i think you ll be fine?
 
suitandtie said:
Hi all!
Does anyone know how likely it is for students to get their acceptance rescinded? I'm a current senior and well...I'm worried about my thesis grade being a C. All my other classes will be in the B+/A- range? JUst that one class.
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Is it a requirement class? Can you retake it in the summer?
 
Anyone know when we can start calling to find out where we rank on the HPA list?
 
Withdrew yesterday, good luck guys!
 
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I have withdrawn as well, best of luck to those on the waitlist
 
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Toastayy said:
Hey, did you receive any kind of response? And did you just email admissions?
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I havent, i just sent an email to the general admissions address
 
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