2017-2018 SUNY - Downstate

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Got my II on 8/9, was complete 7/27 :) First II, I'm pumped! On Downstate's site, it says "If you are invited for an interview, and wish to stay overnight in the residence hall, this is an option" but I didn't see any reference to that in the II email (just a campus tour option). Anyone know about this?

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Got my II on 8/9, was complete 7/27 :) First II, I'm pumped! On Downstate's site, it says "If you are invited for an interview, and wish to stay overnight in the residence hall, this is an option" but I didn't see any reference to that in the II email (just a campus tour option). Anyone know about this?

Congrats!! When I sent an email verifying that I could attend the interview, I asked about a residence option. The woman in admissions proceeded to tell me that someone would be in touch regarding this, and a few days later, I got an email from someone in one of the residence halls saying that they had a room for me. I still need to call them and get some clarification about what this means in terms of what I actually need to bring with me and things, but it's a free roof over my head, nonetheless. So I would just ask about it and someone will reach out! :)
 
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Congrats!! When I sent an email verifying that I could attend the interview, I asked about a residence option. The woman in admissions proceeded to tell me that someone would be in touch regarding this, and a few days later, I got an email from someone in one of the residence halls saying that they had a room for me. I still need to call them and get some clarification about what this means in terms of what I actually need to bring with me and things, but it's a free roof over my head, nonetheless. So I would just ask about it and someone will reach out! :)
Awesome, thanks!
 
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Does anyone know if these are blind interviews?

I interviewed here last year and it was a one on one interview with a faculty member.
They will give you the name and some short information about your interviewer when you arrive at the office, along with some other information about the school. I recommend arriving a little early.
Good luck!


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I interviewed here last year and it was a one on one interview with a faculty member.
They will give you the name and some short information about your interviewer when you arrive at the office, along with some other information about the school. I recommend arriving a little early.
Good luck!


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Thanks!
 
"If you had a completed application to the College of Medicine in a prior application cycle, please highlight any changes since your previous application in a list with dates. (Limit 150 words)"

This only applies to SUNY downstate right?
 
Submitted secondary just now. We'll see what happens!
 
II late last friday
 
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I'm a first-year here. Feel free to post/PM to ask any questions about the school or general questions about the day of the interview.

My stats: LizzyM ~72, in-state applicant, ORM, 7 II (5 attended), 3 A, 2 R.
 
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I'm a first-year here. Feel free to post/PM to ask any questions about the school or general questions about the day of interview.

My stats: LizzyM ~72, in-state applicant, ORM, 7 II (5 attended), 3 A, 2 R.
Thanks!! Why did you choose SUNY Downstate over your other acceptances?
 
I liked the P/F pre-clinical curriculum and the shortened pre-clinical years (1.5 years instead of 2). There's a diverse patient population in Brooklyn, so I think that could make the clinical years a great learning experience. Their biggest selling point is probably their location; I thought it would be nice to be in NYC for med school.

Downstate has a pretty good reputation for training competent residents, and we have a lot of regional recognition. Overall, I think it's a pretty good school to go to if you want to end up in NYC and the surrounding area for residency (check out the match list on the website).
 
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Was anyone else complete in the beginning of July and haven't heard anything back yet? Urgh
 
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Hey guys I'm an MS1 here at downstate and if you have any questions about anything feel free to ask!
 
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Hey guys I'm an MS1 here at downstate and if you have any questions about anything feel free to ask!

Thanks so much for offering! I would like to know how your interview experience went and how soon you heard back after :)
 
Thanks so much for offering! I would like to know how your interview experience went and how soon you heard back after :)

+2!

On that subject, is anyone here interviewing on Thursday (9/21)?
 
Thanks so much for offering! I would like to know how your interview experience went and how soon you heard back after :)
Hey ! My interview was super chill like don't be nervous what so ever, I know everyone says that but the people here at downstate are very friendly, especially the faculty. I ended up talking about a show with the person that was interviewing me for like 20 minutes, and it was great. I interviewed around this time, and I heard back in exactly 5 weeks or around the time when AMCAS allows the release of the first wave of acceptances, I'm not sure when it is this year, but I think it is sometime in October if I'm not mistaken.
 
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Hey ! My interview was super chill like don't be nervous what so ever, I know everyone says that but the people here at downstate are very friendly, especially the faculty. I ended up talking about a show with the person that was interviewing me for like 20 minutes, and it was great. I interviewed around this time, and I heard back in exactly 5 weeks or around the time when AMCAS allows the release of the first wave of acceptances, I'm not sure when it is this year, but I think it is sometime in October if I'm not mistaken.

Thanks for the info! I just checked and AMCAS traffic rules say no acceptances earlier than Oct 15 (but why do they have this rule in the first place thooo?? lol). Downstate did say they would send decisions between 4-6 weeks so it's reassuring that they're accurate about that.

How is your experience there so far? Also would like to know what the housing situation is like over there. Any dorms or sponsored housing, or are students left to fend for themselves with the ridiculous cost of NYC living? Thanks again :)
 
I was told no internal ranking. You just need to be in the top 15% during preclinicals in order to qualify for AOA. Once you are in that 15%, they use your Step score and soft factors that aren't well delineated.

I'm an ms2. I was accepted to around 9 schools, if I remember correctly, and chose Downstate. If I could go back in time knowing what I know now, I would have made the same decision. Decent cost, great location, classmates always down to have fun. Our test schedule is great (one week of testing/per unit). That means 2-3 months between testing, so you have plenty of time to pace yourself, experiment with different study methods, and have time to be involved in organizations outside of school. It's great being able to get involved in things around the city without other med students. Most other schools test every 1-2 weeks, which means you always are studying for an exam. 1.5yr curriculum is fantastic. The type of research MD students do can easily be found at any school, so that's no problem. Faculty are always making changes based on our criticisms. It's NYC, so I go out at least twice a week.

Feel free to ask me any questions

Isn't downstate in a dangerous area?
 
Isn't downstate in a dangerous area?
Nah. If you are a complete noobie to urban environments, I can understand how you might get that impression. All of NYC requires some self-awareness and "street smarts." The Flatbush area is becoming increasingly gentrified and the area around Downstate is variable but safe. I'm not a student but I lived in Brooklyn for ~5 years.
 
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Isn't downstate in a dangerous area?
Grew up in this area, its definitely safer now than it was 20 years ago. It's urban, so theres some level of crime that comes with that. However, having lived in New York my whole life I would say that more populated areas tend to be safest, and this is a very populated neighborhood. Just be aware of your surroundings, and you'll be fine.
 
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I was told no internal ranking. You just need to be in the top 15% during preclinicals in order to qualify for AOA. Once you are in that 15%, they use your Step score and soft factors that aren't well delineated.

For the record - AOA is based solely on preclinical scores (yes it's P/F, but you still get numerical scores for exams) and 3rd year grades. Other stuff is used as exclusion factors (e.g. must have step 1 score > nat'l average).
 
Thanks for the info! I just checked and AMCAS traffic rules say no acceptances earlier than Oct 15 (but why do they have this rule in the first place thooo?? lol). Downstate did say they would send decisions between 4-6 weeks so it's reassuring that they're accurate about that.

How is your experience there so far? Also would like to know what the housing situation is like over there. Any dorms or sponsored housing, or are students left to fend for themselves with the ridiculous cost of NYC living? Thanks again :)
Sorry for the later reply, exams are coming up fro unit 1 so its crunch time lol. I like my experience here so far its a great school. Downstate is known for the clinical exposure you get right off the bat, so its great. You have the whole unit which is typically a few weeks long (unit 1 is 7) so you can chill for the first week or so and slowly start to pick it up, once exams start to get closer. You aren't really stressed the entire time (for the most part), and it is not cut-throat at all. We all help each other out, and everyone is always dropping clutch mnemonics/tips/notes etc, both from classmates and upperclassmen.

I live on the dorms and it is not a luxurious place (if you saw it in your interview), but it gets the job done. I am comfortable and I can really study anywhere without any problems. It is nice living on the dorms first year because you are literally across the street from the school; so if you need to go to the carrels or anatomy lab to quickly go over some arm muscles at 11pm, you can (which I have done btw). I have a lot of classmates that live around the area, and they seem to enjoy it as well. I guess it really is more about preference. Depending on where you live it may be more expensive, especially the nicer areas like park slope.
 
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I was told no internal ranking. You just need to be in the top 15% during preclinicals in order to qualify for AOA. Once you are in that 15%, they use your Step score and soft factors that aren't well delineated.
Thanks for clarifying!
 
II here! IS, complete early August
 
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Got an II in the beginning of the week...was I the only one here that got forced to do the interview on a particular date? Most schools let you choose when you are available to interview...
 
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Got an II in the beginning of the week...was I the only one here that got forced to do the interview on a particular date? Most schools let you choose when you are available to interview...
Congrats! Mine sharing what date is it? And stats?
 
Got an II in the beginning of the week...was I the only one here that got forced to do the interview on a particular date? Most schools let you choose when you are available to interview...

Yes they only provided me one date as well...
 
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@mnakita01 I don't recommend the dorms, personally. I live close to the dorms in a nice apartment and pay almost half the rent that the dorm charges. $650-800/month + utilities is not abnormal around here. My apartment/utilities/food budget is about $1k per month total and then my entertainment budget is a few hundred a month

Thanks for the advice! I'm trying to leave med school with the absolute lowest amount of debt possible lol depending which school I go to so it's nice to know that even in Brooklyn I can find something affordable :)
 
Has anyone had an afternoon interview, and if so around what time did it end? I have an interview scheduled for 2pm and am wondering what time would be reasonable to book a flight.

Also, if anyone has opted in to the residence hall tours it would be great to know around what time those were as well. Thanks!
 
Has anyone had an afternoon interview, and if so around what time did it end? I have an interview scheduled for 2pm and am wondering what time would be reasonable to book a flight.

Also, if anyone has opted in to the residence hall tours it would be great to know around what time those were as well. Thanks![/QUOTE

I did, ended around 2pm
 
Does anyone know what percentage of applicants get admitted after receiving an interview invite?
 
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II friday! IS, complete early-mid july.
 
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II OOS complete late July!
 
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Just received an interview here, but I think I might withdraw my application. Hopefully it goes to one of you!
 
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II!! Received 10/2. (Complete late august). So excited!!
 
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Anyone else who has interviewed or interviewing have thoughts on this student phone interview? How seriously should we take it?
 
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Anyone else who has interviewed or interviewing have thoughts on this student phone interview? How seriously should we take it?

I was told that the student would make contact a week after the interview but its been some time and I still haven't heard.... seems like it is not a priority.... also this is the first year they are doing this so it might be more of a trial run
 
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Anyone else who has interviewed or interviewing have thoughts on this student phone interview? How seriously should we take it?

I'd take it seriously. They indicated that it would be added to your application. Who knows what weight it will carry, but not worth a risk.
 
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What is the student phone interview?
 
really want an II from here heck
 
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