Buffalos#1Fan Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Hey guys, I am a Texas native, only a bills fan because my dad grew up in Buffalo (I think in the Williamsville area). My dad went to SUNY buffalo and my grandfather taught at UB Medical School. I am applying to the UB medical school and was wondering what you guys thought about it (location, what you've heard about it, if you know anyone who went there, etc.)? I just sent in my application, hopefully I'll get an interview and take a visit to Buffalo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zow2 Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 The UB medical school is very good and it seems to be growing and modernizing at a fast rate. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Are you a NYS resident? If so, then definitely apply to all SUNY med schools. If you are out of state, I would only apply to Stony Brook.. If you are going to pay out of state tuition, Might as well go to the best SUNY. SUNY Buffalo has ahd issues with resident training programs being placed on suspension (Surgery, Peds Surgery, Derm, Rehab, Radiology), which is extremely rare in this country. It's generally not a good sign of the overall health of the institiution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 Are you a NYS resident? If so, then definitely apply to all SUNY med schools. If you are out of state, I would only apply to Stony Brook.. If you are going to pay out of state tuition, Might as well go to the best SUNY. SUNY Buffalo has ahd issues with resident training programs being placed on suspension (Surgery, Peds Surgery, Derm, Rehab, Radiology), which is extremely rare in this country. It's generally not a good sign of the overall health of the institiution. wow. didn't know that. have they lost accreditation in any of those programs? the other point i would make is that texas has historically had one of the lowest applicant to acceptance ratios in the country. much less than NYS. i'll bet that's still the case. if you're on the bubble (candidate wise), austin or any of the other ut schools would be better bets. if you're a stellar applicant and can pick your spot, i'd recommend choosing with cost as a high priority. leaving with less debt will look very good in 4 years and may open options for lower paying specialties that you might not be able to choose with huge loans to repay. you mostly get trained to be a doctor in residency and fellowship, not med school. and it's easier to be near the top of your class at a middling school than at a prestige school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 (edited) wow. didn't know that. have they lost accreditation in any of those programs? the other point i would make is that texas has historically had one of the lowest applicant to acceptance ratios in the country. much less than NYS. i'll bet that's still the case. if you're on the bubble (candidate wise), austin or any of the other ut schools would be better bets. if you're a stellar applicant and can pick your spot, i'd recommend choosing with cost as a high priority. leaving with less debt will look very good in 4 years and may open options for lower paying specialties that you might not be able to choose with huge loans to repay. you mostly get trained to be a doctor in residency and fellowship, not med school. and it's easier to be near the top of your class at a middling school than at a prestige school. Surgery and Peds Surg are under suspension still I think. Not sure if they have a Radiology training program anymore. I agree about using cost as the driving factor. A top tier student graduating from any decent med school should be able to secure a solid residency training program in almost any specialty. As more students realize this, acceptance into state schools (by state residents) will become (already has) much more difficult/competitive. As an aside, I think the NYS plan to drop a billion over 10 years into Buffalo to create a "Medical Corridor" based on SUNY Buffalo is a very shaky plan. They can't compete with the gigantic UPMC south of them (and knocking, for now, on the door of WNY) and URMC to the east, which is also expanding and wealthy. Edited August 15, 2014 by Mr. WEO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalos#1Fan Posted August 15, 2014 Author Share Posted August 15, 2014 Are you a NYS resident? If so, then definitely apply to all SUNY med schools. If you are out of state, I would only apply to Stony Brook.. If you are going to pay out of state tuition, Might as well go to the best SUNY. SUNY Buffalo has ahd issues with resident training programs being placed on suspension (Surgery, Peds Surgery, Derm, Rehab, Radiology), which is extremely rare in this country. It's generally not a good sign of the overall health of the institiution. I am not a NYS resident. I am from Texas, and I will be applying to all the Texas schools as they are significantly cheaper. To go in state it will cost between 10-15k a year whereas out of state would be ~50k a year. That being said, Id rather go out of state than nowhere at all. I am applying to Buffalo because my grandfather used to teach there, and I believe has a scholarship there, so i thought I might as well apply. I will update if I can get an interview there. wow. didn't know that. have they lost accreditation in any of those programs? the other point i would make is that texas has historically had one of the lowest applicant to acceptance ratios in the country. much less than NYS. i'll bet that's still the case. if you're on the bubble (candidate wise), austin or any of the other ut schools would be better bets. if you're a stellar applicant and can pick your spot, i'd recommend choosing with cost as a high priority. leaving with less debt will look very good in 4 years and may open options for lower paying specialties that you might not be able to choose with huge loans to repay. you mostly get trained to be a doctor in residency and fellowship, not med school. and it's easier to be near the top of your class at a middling school than at a prestige school. The UT schools are all pretty solid. My mom said that you learn most during residency and fellowship as well. Everyone here seems pretty knowledgable about the field, may I ask what connections you guys have to the field? I feel like the average person wouldn't know about this stuff without researching this stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I am not a NYS resident. I am from Texas, and I will be applying to all the Texas schools as they are significantly cheaper. To go in state it will cost between 10-15k a year whereas out of state would be ~50k a year. That being said, Id rather go out of state than nowhere at all. I am applying to Buffalo because my grandfather used to teach there, and I believe has a scholarship there, so i thought I might as well apply. I will update if I can get an interview there. The UT schools are all pretty solid. My mom said that you learn most during residency and fellowship as well. Everyone here seems pretty knowledgable about the field, may I ask what connections you guys have to the field? I feel like the average person wouldn't know about this stuff without researching this stuff. Went to Stony Brook for Med School. Did internship in Buffalo. Remember, UB does not have its own hospital. That's a real problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Went to Stony Brook for Med School. Did internship in Buffalo. Remember, UB does not have its own hospital. That's a real problem. Buffalo's VA is ranked one of the best in the country... FWIW... LoL... :nana: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Buffalo's VA is ranked one of the best in the country... FWIW... LoL... :nana: That's not worth much, although rotating through a VA is a great experience for a student or resident (used to be anyway---lots of autonomy). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Everyone here seems pretty knowledgable about the field, may I ask what connections you guys have to the field? I feel like the average person wouldn't know about this stuff without researching this stuff. med school: med university of Ohio (as in state resident). residency: u of Michigan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 malcolm gladwell in "david and goliath" proposes an intriguing look at the "big fish in a small pond" idea in regards to universities: http://blog.petersons.com/2013/11/14/malcolm-gladwells-david-and-goliath-and-your-college-decision/. i think it's very applicable to undergrad and med school. probably not so much for residency since you don't pay but are rather paid (about $10/hour) and that is where you truly learn your trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 They're building a new med school as part of the Medical Corridor, aren't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 They're building a new med school as part of the Medical Corridor, aren't they? A new building will be nice for the students, but doesn't change the school fundamentally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalos#1Fan Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 "Dear Applicant, This is to advise you that the required credentials for your application have been received, and your file is now complete. Thank you. The Admissions Committee will evaluate your application anytime between now and March 31st. It is a random review process. The "time factor" has no impact on our decision-making. Our last interview day of the year is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, 2015. We do not fill our entire class until after that date." This was the email I got. That's a pretty large period of time that I could be waiting. Pretty crazy there has to be a better system or time deadlines that they go through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireChan Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 (edited) "Dear Applicant, This is to advise you that the required credentials for your application have been received, and your file is now complete. Thank you. The Admissions Committee will evaluate your application anytime between now and March 31st. It is a random review process. The "time factor" has no impact on our decision-making. Our last interview day of the year is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22, 2015. We do not fill our entire class until after that date." This was the email I got. That's a pretty large period of time that I could be waiting. Pretty crazy there has to be a better system or time deadlines that they go through. Definitely check how many out of state students schools take before you apply to them. It will save you cash, many state universities take only a handful, thus are a waste of time. A new building will be nice for the students, but doesn't change the school fundamentally. To build on WEO's point, I have heard many negative things about the Buffalo area in terms of medicine. Not that they are necessarily true, but that is what I've heard. Hey OP, why don't you just go to Baylor? It's like the cheapest in the country. Edited August 19, 2014 by FireChan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalos#1Fan Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Hey OP, why don't you just go to Baylor? It's like the cheapest in the country. I applied to Baylor, my dad went there so hopefully I have a better shot of getting in. Baylor is one of the best in the country. That being said, I am applying out of state in case I don't get in anywhere in state. So I probably won't go to Buffalo, I applied to Buffalo because my dad used to live there (Suny Buffalo grad) and my grandfather taught at UBSOM before he died and people know him there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted Striker Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Remember, UB does not have its own hospital. A hospital! What is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireChan Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 I applied to Baylor, my dad went there so hopefully I have a better shot of getting in. Baylor is one of the best in the country. That being said, I am applying out of state in case I don't get in anywhere in state. So I probably won't go to Buffalo, I applied to Buffalo because my dad used to live there (Suny Buffalo grad) and my grandfather taught at UBSOM before he died and people know him there. Oh that's right, Baylor is like 34 MCAT average. I remember I didn't even bother applying, especially out of state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalos#1Fan Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Oh that's right, Baylor is like 34 MCAT average. I remember I didn't even bother applying, especially out of state. Yeah it's pretty insane, I have an ok chance of getting into Baylor just based off numbers, but not too high. Are you in med school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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