2016-2017 SUNY - Downstate Application Thread

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Anyone know how Downstate evaluates multiple mcat attempts? Most recent score? Highest? Thanks!
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If you are a immigrant but immigrated to new York 5 years ago and did undergrad for 4 of those 5 years would you consider yourself from new York as it's the only place in America I know? ?
 
Chelsea FC said:
If you are a immigrant but immigrated to new York 5 years ago and did undergrad for 4 of those 5 years would you consider yourself from new York as it's the only place in America I know? ?
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Yea definitely!!
 
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I got one today. It's by email and they assign you a date/time. LizzyM 72 but am non-trad with a whacky app so I don't know how comparable I am to the general applicant.
 
Are you guys in state or out of state?
 
So I submitted last week and the page just says my fee will be waived. Is this the only thing I'll be able to see from this point forward? Because I still haven't heard about being complete
 
ltm4kc said:
So I submitted last week and the page just says my fee will be waived. Is this the only thing I'll be able to see from this point forward? Because I still haven't heard about being complete
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There will be a separate email for completion!
 
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ltm4kc said:
So I submitted last week and the page just says my fee will be waived. Is this the only thing I'll be able to see from this point forward? Because I still haven't heard about being complete
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I emailed them about this and I got this response:

"Thank you for your email and interest in SUNY Downstate College of Medicine. If you are being prompted to pay the processing fee, then your secondary
application was submitted. You will not receive an email regarding the submission of your secondary.

Should you have any other questions, please feel free to email this account again.


Sincerely,
SUNY Downstate Admissions Office, College of Medicine"
 
Congrats!! Definitely gonna recommend you set out a little earlier, the 5 trains (assuming you're coming from GC) are very crowded in the morning hours!

-edit-
Hoping for some love from Downstate soon as well, but we'll see! Currently going to school here for a MPH :)

(Also Mina!! Personally am Sejung + Nayoung biased but yay IOI)

robotfinches said:
II!! 3.6 sGPA/3.7 cGPA/517. complete 7/22. assigned to a morning interview...it's gonna take me like 2 hrs to get to Brooklyn sigh
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First II! OOS, average/below avg stats, very shocked but happy!
Anyone have advice for flights/hotel/transportation/interview day prep (coming from the west coast)?
 
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brb said:
First II! OOS, average/below avg stats, very shocked but happy!
Anyone have advice for flights/hotel/transportation/interview day prep (coming from the west coast)?
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Congrats! complete date?
 
brb said:
First II! OOS, average/below avg stats, very shocked but happy!
Anyone have advice for flights/hotel/transportation/interview day prep (coming from the west coast)?
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Definitely do a google street view and look at hotel/airBnB reviews, because Downstate isn't in the nicest part of brooklyn. But the subways are kind of crazy in Brooklyn so just make sure you stay somewhere where you can get there directly without too many transfers!

Uber is extensive, but so is public transit. Easy to get from either airport to anywhere! Good luck!
 
robotfinches said:
Thanks :happy: I'm from Queens though, which is why I think it's ridiculous how it takes 2 hrs when Brooklyn and Queens are like...right next to each other.... this is why I never set foot in Brooklyn

And yay, more IOI fans! I sorta think I look like Mina but that may be wishful thinking
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As a fellow Queens resident, I feel you 100000%

kick butt at your interview!!
 
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II! IS, complete mid July, LizzyM ~72. <33 NYC
 
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robotfinches said:
Thanks :happy: I'm from Queens though, which is why I think it's ridiculous how it takes 2 hrs when Brooklyn and Queens are like...right next to each other.... this is why I never set foot in Brooklyn

And yay, more IOI fans! I sorta think I look like Mina but that may be wishful thinking
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Ah I see, I live just outside the city so it takes around 2 hours for me to get to school too XD

It is pretty ridiculous how disjointed the subway gets between Queens + Brooklyn...
 
haaaaaaaaaaveyoumetted said:
Definitely do a google street view and look at hotel/airBnB reviews, because Downstate isn't in the nicest part of brooklyn. But the subways are kind of crazy in Brooklyn so just make sure you stay somewhere where you can get there directly without too many transfers!

Uber is extensive, but so is public transit. Easy to get from either airport to anywhere! Good luck!
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Thanks for the advice! :)

robotfinches said:
Know the subway. Be the subway.

But seriously, if you're completely unfamiliar with the MTA, I would look into taxi/Uber/some sort of car service. Don't want to get overwhelmed/get lost before an interview!

If you want to take the subway, I usually do the 2 or the 5 to Winthrop St. and walk. The 5 is slightly faster, but will sometimes skip Winthrop in a pattern which I have yet to figure out.
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Thanks for the info! Good to know! :)

dental15triodino said:
Congrats! complete date?
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submitted 7/1, I think completed 7/5?
 
This may be an obvious question... But what is this "LizzyM" thing everyone keeps making reference to? Also those of you who got II would you mind sharing your basic stats (GPA MCAT etc) so that I can neurotically compare them to my own ;)


EDIT: answered both my questions on google... lol. I have about the same LizzyM score as you guys so I'm really hoping I get something here :D
 
Dr_Jan_Itor said:
This may be an obvious question... But what is this "LizzyM" thing everyone keeps making reference to? Also those of you who got II would you mind sharing your basic stats (GPA MCAT etc) so that I can neurotically compare them to my own ;)
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It's your (GPA * 10) + MCAT, it's a metric for comparing your stats to others/schools' averages (created by LizzyM haha)
 
II invite !! So happy
 
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Morning subway is rough. I lived in Manhattan last year and the express subway was delayed on my interview day, so I had to take a 70 dollar uber to get there 5 minutes late. Just a headsup!
 
frchuatritons said:
Morning subway is rough. I lived in Manhattan last year and the express subway was delayed on my interview day, so I had to take a 70 dollar uber to get there 5 minutes late. Just a headsup!
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70 dollars?!? Good lord were you super duper uptown and there was a surge? lol
 
Hey guys...i'm a current ms2 at downstate and am willing to answer any questions y'all may have as I am not all that busy and won't be for like a month.

Also if anybody received an interview, I highly recommend staying with a student on campus. It's free, convenient, and offers an unbiased view of what school/life here is like!
 
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Emt2md23 said:
Hey guys...i'm a current ms2 at downstate and am willing to answer any questions y'all may have as I am not all that busy and won't be for like a month.

Also if anybody received an interview, I highly recommend staying with a student on campus. It's free, convenient, and offers an unbiased view of what school/life here is like!
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I know Downstate serves a really underserved area and meets a huge need, but can you speak a bit to the experiences available to get to know the community and participate in service outside of the hospital? How is the relationship between the community and the students/school?

Also where do most people live? Do they go for solidarity or safety? How is the environment among the students?

Thanks! I have loved this school since hearing anything about it, and I hope that comes through in my application (and everyone else's on here <3)
 
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Congrats everyone! Just got a II as well! In-state, LizzyM 72, complete 7/25
 
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Current first year at Downstate - let me know if you have any questions!
 
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jk441 said:
Current first year at Downstate - let me know if you have any questions!
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do you think its too late to submit a secondary here?

i have a 504=28 mcat and 3.6 gpa, OOS but strong ties to NY
 
Emt2md23 said:
Hey guys...i'm a current ms2 at downstate and am willing to answer any questions y'all may have as I am not all that busy and won't be for like a month.

Also if anybody received an interview, I highly recommend staying with a student on campus. It's free, convenient, and offers an unbiased view of what school/life here is like!
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jk441 said:
Current first year at Downstate - let me know if you have any questions!
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Would it be bad (in terms of how they see me as a candidate) if I received an interview invite for September and I reschedule it to November? Due to my work and other responsibilities I won't be able to make any of the earlier dates.

Thanks and best of luck in your first year!
 
medbunny56 said:
do you think its too late to submit a secondary here?

i have a 504=28 mcat and 3.6 gpa, OOS but strong ties to NY
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Not at all - current MS3, submitted my secondary in November. That wasn't ideal, but August is def fine (and later is obviously still possible!).
 
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Keladry said:
Not at all - current MS3, submitted my secondary in November. That wasn't ideal, but August is def fine (and later is obviously still possible!).
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Think I submitted my secondary sometime in August! Should be fine.
 
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Dee2893 said:
Would it be bad (in terms of how they see me as a candidate) if I received an interview invite for September and I reschedule it to November? Due to my work and other responsibilities I won't be able to make any of the earlier dates.

Thanks and best of luck in your first year!
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Hi! Not sure about this. Can't imagine it would hurt how they see you as a candidate, but maybe address this with a pre-med adviser?? Several of my classmates interviewed in Feb/March/April (including myself) and still wound up being okay :rolleyes:

And thank you!
 
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jk441 said:
Hi! Not sure about this. Can't imagine it would hurt how they see you as a candidate, but maybe address this with a pre-med adviser?? Several of my classmates interviewed in Feb/March/April (including myself) and still wound up being okay :rolleyes:

And thank you!
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If you don't mind, what were your stats?
 
3.7 for sci GPA, I want to say ~3.86 for cumulative (could be wrong..I honestly don't remember my GPAs lol), and 507 for MCAT. I do want to emphasize that Downstate really seems to be looking for so much more in a candidate than pure stats (more so than most of the other schools I was applying to). You do have to fit their mission and be able to express that clearly in your secondary/interview.
 
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jk441 said:
3.7 for sci GPA, I want to say ~3.86 for cumulative (could be wrong..I honestly don't remember my GPAs lol), and 507 for MCAT....BUT I do want to emphasize that Downstate really seems to be looking for so much more in a candidate than pure stats (more so than most of the other schools I was applying to). You do have to fit their mission and be able to express that clearly in your secondary/interview.
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That is not necessarily true. From the feedback that I got from the Director of Admissions, it seems that they are looking for candidates with a minimum of 3.6 sGPA and an MCAT that is closer to their median score of 33.
 
MDProspect said:
That is not necessarily true. From the feedback that I got from the Director of Admissions, it seems that they are looking for candidates with a minimum of 3.6 sGPA and an MCAT that is closer to their median score of 33.
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Of course you still have to have good stats, but just meant to say that good stats alone probably won't do it.
 
You have asked some very important questions that I feel hit on the best aspects of downstateThe population around here is incredibly diverse, and there are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Firstly, there's the Brooklyn free clinic, which is a free clinic for patients without insurance to come to students for medical attention. There's also clubs such as hprep which help prepare local high school students that are interested in science/medicine. There are way more opportunities but my mind is not functioning completely right now so I just mentioned the two main ones I've been involved with. And it's really easy to start a club/org/service here if there's a specific way you want to reach out to the population that is not already being addressed.


Most years it's about 50/50 for first years. Many choose to live on campus to get acclimated to school/the environment then move off. Some live in trendier areas like park slope but id say most 1st/2nd year students live within walking distance of campus.

The camaraderie between students here is like nothing I've ever seen at a medical school. The pass/fail curriculum allows for it to not feel like a competition, and people are always willing to help their classmates out. From sharing resources and study tips, to end of unit parties, it really feels like all the students here are in this together. We have a good work-life balance (remind me of this post in 4 months when i'm step studying) and still do really well in school.


Any other questions feel free to ask. I truly have enjoyed my time here and do not for a second regret the decision to come here!






haaaaaaaaaaveyoumetted said:
I know Downstate serves a really underserved area and meets a huge need, but can you speak a bit to the experiences available to get to know the community and participate in service outside of the hospital? How is the relationship between the community and the students/school?

Also where do most people live? Do they go for solidarity or safety? How is the environment among the students?

Thanks! I have loved this school since hearing anything about it, and I hope that comes through in my application (and everyone else's on here <3)
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Hey all, I'm doing the secondary for SUNY Downstate now, and in the letters of recommendation section, they only have the option of us inputting either committee/packet OR individual letters. What if I sent both a committee AND individual letters on my primary though? Do I just list the committee on the secondary and the others are disregarded?? :(
 
Dr_Jan_Itor said:
So, for listing courses, should I include only the credits needed, or should I pick all the courses which I did the best in to highlight? for instance, they require 8 credits of general biology. I put down my 8 freshman credits in Gen Bio I & II, but I did much better in some of the upper level ones. Would it make sense to list those too? or would it just look like i'm not following directions?
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I just called admissions asking the same thing and the person said we can list upper level courses if we want in there is remaining space
 
Do you guys know if SUNY Downstate likes to wait till the end of cycle to reject?
 
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