Admissions to Our Medical School

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ENTERING CLASS OF 2008 - WHITE COAT CEREMONY

	About the University		Stony Brook University Medical Center
	The Health Sciences		Clinical Affiliates
	The School of Medicine		Special Programs/MSTP (MD/PhD) and MPH
	Curriculum:		Admissions & Procedure
	The First year The Second Year The Third Year The Fourth Year		Application
			Scholars For Medicine Program (Bachelors/M.D.)
			Financial Information
			State Residency
	Housing		Correspondence
	Grading and Honors		Health Sciences Bulletin
	Who's Who in the SOM Admissions Office
	Directions to the School of Medicine Admissions Office

About the University...
Stony Brook University is a comprehensive university center that is recognized as one of the nation's finest. As the major research campus in the State University of New York system, Stony Brook offers programs of the highest quality in areas of great public need, including the health sciences, engineering and applied sciences, public policy, marine and environmental sciences, and the arts. Internationally renowned faculty members offer courses from the undergraduate to the doctoral level for more than 21,000 students enrolled in more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Extensive resources and support services help foster intellectual and personal growth. Stony Brook ranks second in per capita faculty research to Berkeley among public research universities. According to a survey by the Association of University Technology Managers, Stony Brook University emerged in the top 10% in royalty earnings among all universities and recently became a member of the Association of American Universities, a prestigious 102-year-old organization of research universities.

Located 60 miles from New York City on the north shore of Long Island, the campus is surrounded by a charming, picturesque, and historically rich community which offers some of the finest beaches on Long Island. Stony Brook offers ample opportunity for recreational boating, fishing, diving, and other water sports. In close proximity are Fire Island, the Hamptons, and beautiful Atlantic Ocean beaches.

The University campus provides a wide spectrum of activities. Medical students have ready access to all student facilities, including a new student union, an extensive sports complex with indoor and outdoor tracks, pool, squash and racquetball courts, weight room, athletic fields, and 20 tennis courts. In 1999, Stony Brook elevated its entire intercollegiate athletic program to NCAA Division I, competing regularly in football, basketball and lacrosse. The Staller Center for Fine Arts provides an extensive selection of cultural events throughout the year. Professional music, dance, theater, fine art and film are featured, with performances by internationally renowned musicians, dancers, and actors. Students may take advantage of special discounts on many events.

Health Sciences Library & Barry S. Coller, MD, Learning Center serves the educational, clinical and research information needs of the faculty, staff and students. The Library provides access to the Medline and MDConsult databases as well as more than 1,500 electronic full-text journals. The microcomputer learning center contains 74 work stations, three computer class rooms and a reference area with an additional 100 work stations. Students have full access to the internet and many specialized computer programs.

The School of Medicine...
The School of Medicine at Stony Brook, which consists of eight basic science and 18 clinical departments, is responsible for the preclinical and clinical education of students in the five schools of the Health Sciences and for the instruction of students in other schools on the campus. The School of Medicine also provides graduate, post-graduate and continuing education.

Offering excellent research and clinical opportunities, the School of Medicine has attracted a faculty of national and international renown. Our faculty has made important research discoveries leading to the development of ReoPro, used in coronary disease treatment, and Periostat, used in periodontal disease treatment. Scientists have developed the yeast two-hybrid system, a highly-cited technologic breakthrough, which has revolutionized the study of protein-protein interactions. Recently, members of our Microbiology Department received international recognition for chemically synthesizing poliovirus.

The Center for Molecular Medicine is designed to meet the specific needs of the School of Medicine's thematic research programs. The center offers facilities for transgenic animal experiments, high resolution NMR, x-ray diffraction, and molecular modeling studies, as well as isolation rooms for experiments using pathogenic organisms. A highly advanced informatics system links researchers to scientists throughout the world.

In 1998, Stony Brook established an NIH funded General Clinical Research Center (GCRC), which offers the very latest in clinical research and provides a strong infrastructure that enables clinician scientists to conduct extramural supported research studies. The NIH also supports major training programs in Pharmacology, Cancer, Genetics, Cell and Developmental Biology, and Biophysics.

Curriculum:

The First Year...
The first year curriculum consists of basic science courses and introductory courses related to patient care and professionalism. The basic science courses are Molecules, Genes and Cells; The Body (anatomical sciences and embryology); Neurosciences; Medical Physiology; and Pathology. The other required course is Foundations of Medical Practice, a recent integration of five previously separate courses: Medicine in Contemporary Society (social sciences & humanities in medicine); Introduction to Preventive Medicine; Introduction to Human Behavior; Introduction to Clinical Medicine; and the first segments of Nutrition. The first year Introduction to Clinical Medicine occurs throughout the year and imparts basic skills in taking a patient history and doing a physical examination.  The year ends with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), a standarized patient examination, in which students demonstrate their skills on actors in simulated clinical scenarios.

The Second Year...
After a course in Microbiology, the second year emphasizes the study of pathophysiology in organ systems. The Systems Approach to Medicine consists of integrated elements of basic and clinical science related to the neuroscience, blood, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, psychiatry, renal, reproductive, and respiratory systems. Pharmacology is synchronized with the system segments. Medicine in Contemporary Society and Introduction to Clinical Medicine continue in the second year. The latter focuses on the patient interview, examination and correlative skills as  students acquire additional knowledge in physiology, pathology, and the natural history of diseases in the systems course. Students take Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and participate in a standarized patient examination at the end of the second year. Passage of each is a requirement for advancement into the clinical years of study.

The Third Year...
The third year curriculum is patient focused and consists of eight week clerkships in medicine, surgery , obstetrics-gynecology and pediatrics, and four week clerkships in family medicine, ambulatory care and psychiatry.   The academic calendar contains a four week elective block during which many students take neurology, do research or enroll in two-week rotations in emergency medicine and radiology . Medicine in Contemporary Society is integrated into each of the major clerkships.  All students must pass an OSCE at the end of year 3.

The Fourth Year...
During the fourth year, the medical student assumes greater patient care responsibilities and continues to acquire clinical and laboratory skills. The curriculum includes: a one-month subinternship (medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, or general surgery), a one-month didactic course (emergency medicine, laboratory medicine, clinical therapeutics, or surgical anatomy), a one-month neurology clerkship (if not taken in year 3), a one-month experience in surgical subspecialties, a two week block in primary care psychiatry, and additional elective time to complete a total of 8 1/2 months. There is also a requirement that each student complete either coursework or a project in Medicine in Contemporary Society.  All students must pass USLME Step 2 to graduate.

Grading and Honors...
The official transcript reports one of three grades for each completed course: Honors, Pass or Fail. Almost all courses, however, use five grades -- Honors, High Pass, Pass, Low Pass and Fail -- which are recorded internally and may be indicated in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation, the letter from the Dean sent to residencies to which senior students apply. The faculty has determined that a successful candidate for the M.D. degree must pass each unit of the curriculum. Waivers of units of curriculum are offered only to those who, because of prior experience, are able to place out through examination. The student's acquisition of necessary clinical and laboratory skills requires attendance and demonstrated competence with patients, as well as in cytology and dissection laboratories. Passing USMLE Step 1, Step 2, and all end of year OSCEs is required for promotion and graduation.

A chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national honor medical society, was established at the School of Medicine in 1985. The society's purpose is to recognize and perpetuate excellence in the medical profession. Each year, member chapters elect outstanding medical students, graduates, faculty, and honorary members to its ranks.

In 2004, the School of Medicine became a charter member of the Gold Foundation Humanism Honor Society. The Gold Foundation Humanism Honor Society honors senior medical students, residents, role-model physician teachers and other exemplars recognized for "demonstrated excellence in clinical care, leadership, compassion and dedication to service." Organized to elevate the values of humanism and professionalism within the field of medicine and its constituent institutions, the Society is fast becoming integrated into the educational environment .

Clinical Affiliates...
The Health Sciences and its schools have established affiliations with many institutions and agencies. Of these, four affiliates serve as major resources for the educational, research and clinical programs of the schools.

Nassau University Medical Center includes a 615-bed acute care facility integrated with a network of ambulatory primary care and specialty sites, and an 889-bed long-term care facility.

Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Northport is a full service facility currently operating 508 hospital beds with an additional 190 nursing home care beds.

Winthrop-University Hospital is Long Island's oldest voluntary hospital (non-profit). At 591 beds, it provides patient care, medical education and research.

Brookhaven National Laboratory Clinical Research, Medical Department is exclusively a component research institution of the Brookhaven National Laboratory and sponsors basic and applied research dedicated to the improvement of human health.

Special Programs...
The School of Medicine offers several enrichment programs which enhance a student's professional and personal development.

MSTP (MD/PhD)
The Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) is a combined M.D./Ph.D. Program that can be completed in six to eight years. It is one of the select programs nationwide supported by the NIH (National Institute of Health). Training experiences in both basic and clinical research are offered. Collaborative research relationships exist with other biomedical reseach institutions on Long Island, including Cold Spring Harbor, and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Studies may also be conducted at Plum Island Laboratory and the Picower Institute.

MD with Recognition
The school offers separate programs leading to the M.D. with Recognition in Research and to the M.D. with Recognition in Medical Humanism. These programs can be completed within the regular four year curriculum. Interested applicants should follow the conventional medical school admissions procedure. Applications to the M.D. with Recognition program are accepted mid-year during the first year of medical school.

Master of Public Health Program (MPH)
Please visit the website for the Master of Public Health Program (MPH) offered at Stony Brook University. The Founding Class was admitted in fall, 2004.

Institute for Medicine in Contemporary Society is a unit in the Division of Medicine in Society, Department of Preventive Medicine. The Institute was established in 1990 to develop interdisciplinary programs that explore the complex relationships between medicine and contemporary culture. The Institute sponsors lectures, visiting fellowships, and artists in residence whose focus is to foster the human and creative dimensions of health care; and also publishes a quarterly journal, Contexts: A Forum for Medical Humanities.

Admissions & Procedures...

The State of New York requires that all students admitted will have completed at least two years of college; however, few applicants without a baccalaureate degree are successful. Premedical course requirements include one year each of biology, physics, inorganic chemistry, and organic chemistry (all with lab), and one year of English. A basic course in biochemistry is helpful, but not required. The Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) must be taken no later than the year prior to the year for which the student seeks admission. Foreign applicants must have completed at least one year of study in an American college or university.

The Committee on Admissions carefully examines each candidate's preparation and promise for creative work in medicine, regardless of the candidate's area of concentration prior to medical school. Applications from a wide variety of students with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and academic interests are encouraged, as well as from groups that have been historically under-represented in medicine. The majority of Stony Brook's applicants are residents of New York, however, out-of-state applicants are encouraged to apply.

The School of Medicine expects that each student admitted will complete the full curriculum of required courses and electives under the established School policies. Academic requirements for each year of medical school are available on the Office of Medical Education Webpages. Grades, MCAT scores, letters of evaluation, and extracurricular and work experiences are carefully examined. The candidate's motivation and personal qualifications, as indicated in the application, letters of evaluation, and a personal interview, also contribute greatly to the admissions assessment.

Prospective students are advised to consult the current edition of Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR), available at a cost of $25.00 plus $8.00 for postage and handling from:

Association of American Medical Colleges
Publications Department
2450 N Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
Phone - (202) 828-0416        
Fax - (202) 828-1123
Website http://www.aamc.org/

Since competition for any one school is keen, prospective applicants will profit from reading this book's overview of the medical school admissions process, as well as a description of the educational program of all accredited medical schools in the nation, including Stony Brook.

Application...
Applications should be submitted early in the application season, which begins on June 1 and closes on December 15. Stony Brook participates in the American Medical College Service (AMCAS). Applications to this service are available only on-line at: http://www.aamc.org/

In addition to the AMCAS application, applicants must submit a Supplementary Stony Brook Application. A letter of evaluation from the applicant's premedical advisor is also required. If no such official exists, letters from two instructors, one of whom is in a science field, should be submitted. No other letters are solicited. However, the Committee on Admissions also welcomes letters from others who may provide important information about the candidate.

For the current application cycle for the entering class of 2010, applicants should send all letters of recommendation directly to AMCAS, which will forward the letters to us electronically.  AMCAS will accept letters from users of Virtual Evals, Interfolio, and via the US Postal System.  The address to which letters should be mailed will appear on the AMCAS Letter Request Form.

All application material should be submitted as early as possible. Candidates for admission to the 2010 entering class are required to take the MCAT no later than September 12, 2009.

Application Fee...
An application fee of $100 should be forwarded with your completed supplementary application materials.  Any request for a fee waiver must be accompanied by a recommendation from the financial aid advisor at your school or a copy of the AMCAS fee waiver.

Background Checks
Beginning Fall 2010, Stony Brook University's School of Medicine will require criminal background checks for all accepted medical students.  More information on criminal background checks may be found at the AAMC website: www.aamc.org/students/amcas/faq/background.htm

Early Decision Program...
For the 2010 entering class, applications for Early Decision must be submitted to AMCAS by August 1st. All supporting documents and letters of recommendation must be received at Stony Brook by August 31st and MCATs must be taken no later than July 17, 2009.
Please note that applicants can only apply to one medical school via an Early Decision Program. All Early Decision applicants will be notified of the decision of the Committee on Admissions by October 1st. Applicants who are not accepted to the Early Decision Program will be considered with the regular applicant pool and may then make applications to other medical schools. Please contact the Admissions office directly if you have further questions.

Interviews...
Personal interviews are an essential part of the admissions process for any applicant in which the school has a serious interest. Invitations for interviews are initiated by the Committee on Admissions. Whenever possible, appointments are scheduled at the convenience of the applicant.

Transfer Students...
Stony Brook University School of Medicine will only consider students who are currently enrolled and in good standing at other LCME (Liasion Committee on Medical Education) United States M.D. granting schools of medicine. Students interested in transfer information should write to the Committee on Admissions, Attention: Transfer.

Scholars for Medicine Program...
The Scholars for Medicine Program (http://www.stonybrook.edu/ugadmissions/programs/sfmed.shtml) is an integrated eight year Bachelors/M.D. course of study offered to exceptional high school students. While completing undergraduate studies, students participate in medical school classes and activities. Students must maintain a minimum specified GPA during the first three undergraduate years.  All scholars are required to take the MCAT no later than spring of their junior year in college and must attain a specified minimum MCAT score.

Housing...
During the first two years, when much of the instruction takes place at Stony Brook, most students choose to live on campus or in nearby communities. Stony Brook is largely comprised of single family homes which students often share. Access to an automobile may be an important consideration, especially while pursuing clinical clerkships at geographically dispersed sites. Public transportation in the area is limited.

On Campus Housing

Off Campus Housing

Correspondence...
All applications are acknowledged and applicants are informed when their application file is complete. It is not possible, however, to acknowledge receipt of the many items of supportive documentation as they arrive. When a final decision is reached, the applicant will receive an announcement of that decision. If accepted, a $100 deposit fee is required to hold a place in the class. This fee is applied to tuition and is refundable prior to May 15, 2010.  All correspondence pertaining to an application should reference the candidate's proposed year of entry. Correspondence should be addressed to:

Committee on Admissions
School of Medicine
The Health Sciences, Level 4, Room 147A
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 11794-8434

Telephone: 631.444.2113/ Fax: 631.444.6032
email: somadmissions@stonybrook.edu

Stony Brook University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity educator and employer. If you require a disability-related accommodation, please contact the School of Medicine at  631.444.2113. Also, this publication can be made available in alternative format.