SUNY downstate vs. CUNY york college

[YorkPAStudent2022]

Hey guys,

I am having a heard time comparing two colleges that I have an interview with here in New York City. Suny Downstate and CUNY york college. SUNY Downstate was put on probation this year- accreditation status will be reviewed again in Sept 2021. I have heard from past students that this program is disorganized and lacks certain resources and that the not passing was not surprising ( my interview was also very disorganized and borderline unprofessional). I have also heard that even if they lose accreditation while I am a student that I will still be able to sit for the PANCE... Hopefully this is true. But despite these facts, I really liked the campus, the hospitals they have access too and the large groups of medical programs this school has- I realllly like. On the other hand, York college which is similar distance from my house, has similar PANCE rates and tuition as SUNY and is not on probation however the campus seems rundown, small, not in a safe area, and they have no cadaver lab. I just feel like I just don't have enough information to make it a quick- YES for me or a solid no either. If anyone has done your research on these schools or know someone first hand who graduated or is going through this program and have input-I would really appreciate it. Looking for bias and non-bias input! Thanks! 

[Sammat22]

Hello! So I'm in your position as well and I have been thinking this over a lot. Two things about Downstate that personally made me lean more towards York is the fact that their PA program starts last week of May. Now considering that I will be graduating from undergrad around that same exact time, I know I will not feel nearly as prepared to start PA school as I should be. York on the other hand starts towards the end of august like any other CUNY school. Of course, this may not be a problem for you as it really depends on your timeline. Another thing to consider is the curriculum. Downstate requires about 30 more credits than York which was a little concerning to me. Considering that Downstate is only 27 months while York is 28 AND has 30 extra credits, I'm under the impression that Downstate is much more rigorous. But I definitely do understand that York is not the best in terms of appearance. Heck, I was pretty turned off by it too. The people and faculty however are so welcoming and current students love it there. I'm surprised by the bad reviews from past students of downstate..... I would love to hear other opinions as well!