SUNY - University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Individual responses

📚 General Info ▼

What graduating class are you in?

2010

Are you pursuing any joint degrees (MD/PhD, MD/MPH, etc.)?

No

Are you considered in-state or out-of-state for tuition purposes?

in-state

What is your race/ethnic background?

Caucasian

Overall, how would you rate this medical program?

8 out of 10

What is the reputation of the school in the medical community?

6 out of 10

What is the reputation of the research that goes on at this school?

6 out of 10

What was your MCAT score?

0

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What was your undergrad GPA?

3.9

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What was your undergrad science GPA?

3.85

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What was the zip code of your residence in high school?

14216

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What do you like most about this school?

I felt like the professors were very accessible in the first 2 years. They were sure to give us plenty of time to prepare for Step 1. The clinical faculty are typically very engaged in medical student education, particularly at ECMC, the VA, and BGH.

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What do you like least about this school?

Too many hospitals in the clinical years. I was mainly at Children's and ECMC, but during the course of my MS3 year went to 5 different hospitals.

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Please provide any other general comments on your school

I felt like UB was what you made of it. I did well on my boards, got research experiences that I wanted, and went to an excellent residency in my chosen field. It is not a high-pressure place, so self-motivation is important if you're at UB. Also, the school leaders are very approachable and a great resource.

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Curriculum ▼

How is the curriculum structured?

Systems-based

How many courses are taken at a given time?

1

How long are you typically in class per day?

4-5 hours

Are courses recorded for medical students?

Video recording

How many days per week is anatomy lab?

5

How many students per cadaver?

7-8

How long (in months) do you have anatomy?

3 months

Is the curriculum lecture-centric or small-group centric?

3 out of 10

Are standardized patients used?

yes

How much patient interaction is there in the pre-clinical years?

7 out of 10

Are syllabi provided for the student?

yes

How frequently do pre-clinical medical school activities have mandatory attendance?

Almost never. The lectures are video recorded so those who want to sleep in and watch them later can. What is required in the first 2 years is the "Clinical Practice of Medicine" course, which involves a half day with a preceptor in clinic.

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What books are necessary?

No books are mandated. Most people will buy at the least: Netter's, Robbins path, and some of the system-specific books (ie Lilly cardiology). I liked the BMS Path book a lot and would recommend that as well.

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What books are unnecessary?

No responses

Is the curriculum designed to promote a specialty? If so, which specialty?

No, but it does omit some specialties. If you have any interest in optho or derm, you have to seek out exposure.

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Location & Housing ▼

How do you feel about the location of the school?

5 out of 10

Do you feel safe on campus?

6 out of 10

How available and convenient is public transportation?

2 out of 10

Is a car necessary at any point during your education here?

All years

If a car is required for education, how available and convenient is the parking provided to students?

5 out of 10

Is on-campus housing available?

yes

What is the quality of available on-campus housing?

5 out of 10

What percentage of your medical school classmates would you estimate live on campus, if on-campus housing is available?

1 out of 10

Is couples housing available?

no

Is nearby off-campus housing available?

yes

How expensive is nearby off-campus housing?

10 out of 10

Please describe the on-campus housing if available (i.e., cost, type - studios, 1-br, 2-br, etc.)?

There is no med or grad student specific housing. Also, the campus is far from the clinical sites. With rent being very affordable, I do not recommend living on campus.

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Cost/Financial Aid ▼

Are fees/tuition expensive?

8 out of 10

How is the cost of living (rent, food, bills, etc.)?

10 out of 10

Are many institutional scholarships/grants available?

7 out of 10

Is institutional aid need-based or merit-based?

Both

Faculty/Grades ▼

Are faculty members very open to students during office hours?

8 out of 10

Are faculty members very available to students via email/message board?

8 out of 10

Are there many opportunities to shadow/work with clinical faculty?

7 out of 10

Are the faculty willing to mentor students in regards to career guidance?

8 out of 10

Is the class ranked?

no

How is the instructional faculty during pre-clinical years?

Many have been there for ages. The plus is that they are very accessible but some of them are unable to mold and adapt their teaching style after doing it so long.

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How is the instructional faculty during clinical years?

The ones who frequently interact with students in the major specialties (especially Medicine) are quite good. It can vary depending on site.

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What is the grading scale used during pre-clinical years?

Pass, High Pass, Honors

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What is the grading scale used during clinical years?

same

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Clinical Rotations ▼

Are the desired rotation sites easy to obtain?

6 out of 10

Is desired rotation order easy to obtain?

6 out of 10

Are the elective rotations easy to obtain?

8 out of 10

Is there substantial hands-on experience for medical students?

8 out of 10

Are the rotation sites conveniently accessible for medical students?

5 out of 10

How far are the clinical sites from the main campus?

3 out of 10

How are clinical rotations scheduled? What are the required rotations?

There is a lottery for choosing the order of clinical rotations. The required ones are: Medicine, Surgery, Family Med/Psych, and OB-Gyn/Peds. Medicine and Surgery include an elective. There is a required surgical subspecialties rotation (Urology, Anesthesia, and Neurosurg/Ortho/Vascular) that can be done in the 3rd or 4th year).

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What responsibility do med students have on the wards?

They are usually expected to carry 2-4 patients and write notes and orders. I often helped the interns with discharge paperwork/dictations.

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What is the status/condition of the affiliated hospital(s)?

No responses

What is the typical patient population medical students work with?

ECMC is a county hospital. You see all walks of life and disease. I felt like I learned a ton there. BGH is a mix of private and Medicare/Medicaid patients.

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Social Environment ▼

Do students do a lot of activities outside of school together?

7 out of 10

How would you rank student involvement in extracurricular clubs?

6 out of 10

What is the range of extracurricular clubs available?

6 out of 10

Is the student body cooperative or competitive?

9 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for underrepresented minorities?

6 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transsexual students?

6 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for students with disabilities?

5 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for married students?

6 out of 10

Is the environment supportive for older/non-traditional students?

8 out of 10

What do the students typically like to do in the area?

No responses

Post Graduation ▼

How do graduates from this school fare in residency and clinical practice?

I think most of us matched well, at least in my class. I think everyone got into the specialty they wanted and in their top 5 on their rank list.

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Is this school known for producing physicians strong in a certain area? If so, which area?

Family Medicine, Internal Medicine

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What do you believe residency directors think about graduates from this program?

I know my residency program has a favorable outlook on UB grads. I think any program that has had a UB grad before will look favorably on the school.

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SUNY - University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

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