Stony Brook University

First Impressions: I met a guy from Stony Brook at my RWJMS interview and had asked him back then what the program was like. He said there was more emphasis on clinical practice, less on research, but that it was a great program. I drove to Stony Brook the night before my interview accompanied by a classmate's fiancee, who was a PGY2 at Stony Brook and needed a ride back home. She was able to tell me where to go since my GPS was not working, and let me tell you, the night sight of NYC from the Verrazano Bridge was amazing.

Interview Day: It was snowing/raining as I drove to Stony Brook University Cancer Center, which seemed a bit bizarre for March. Incidentally I ran into the guy from RWJMS outside the entrance, and he said, "Welcome to Stony Brook." There were 5 of us total interviewing that day; two of which were from Stony Brook. The other two applicants I'd met at the Drexel interview just last week; both of them had interviewed at Jefferson (my next interview) just two days. We had a brief overview of the program from the PD before one of the fellows took us on a tour of the hospital. The hospital consisted of two round towers connected by a walkway; all the floors had a circular pattern. I immediately made note of the Starbucks on the ground floor ;) There was also a VA located about 30 min away where fellows do their continuity clinic (and have plenty of autonomy while doing so), but we didn't go there.

We had two interviews each today, and I think I got extremely lucky with my interviewers. The first was a breast cancer specialist not too far out of fellowship, so he was extremely easy to talk to. We chatted about breast cancer, non-fiction books dealing with medicine (i.e. the infamous House of God), medical TV shows, and more. My next interview was with an attending from the VA who also happened to be Taiwanese, so we talked briefly about places in Taiwan worth visiting. He made it clear that he wanted to know who I was as a person, not about how much reseach I've done (thank goodness), and asked questions about my life and my family. He took lots of notes about me, and when I told him why I wanted to specialize in heme onc (my mother was a breast cancer survivor), he looked impressed and said he would like to see me here next year. O.O That is the most positive feedback I have ever received at any interview.

Overall Impression:
Pros: Good balance in both heme and onc, diverse pathology throughout Long Island, 3 fellows a year. Autonomy in decision making and patient care at the VA. Emphasis on clinical training. Friendly fellows and attendings. Located 1 hr away from NYC and JFK International Airport. Long Island known to have famous beaches and diverse outdoor life.
Cons: Stony Brook seems a bit isolated, surrounded by small suburbs. Still, there are Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, and even a Cheesecake Factory nearby, so it can't be too bad.