Congratulations on earning your SUNY Downstate medical school interview. Let's make sure you're ready for it.

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University College of Medicine MD program · 2026-27 MD applicants (entering 2027)

Your SUNY Downstate medical school interview

If Downstate invites you, you'll have a virtual interview of about an hour with one faculty member, then a separate 30-minute conversation with a current medical student. Applicants describe the faculty interview as a normal, low-stress Q&A and the student conversation as relaxed, though one 2026 applicant found a dean interviewer stiff.

Sources (6)

SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Policy Statement on Criteria for Medical Student Selection & Admissions · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Application Review · Student Doctor Network: 2026-2027 SUNY Downstate College of Medicine (2026) · Student Doctor Network: 2024-2025 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2024) · Student Doctor Network: 2025-2026 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2025) · Admit.org: SUNY Downstate - Page 1 - Medical School Forums - Admit.org (2026)

WhoOne trained faculty member, then a current medical student for a peer conversation; one 2026 applicant drew the Dean of Admissions SUNY Downstate College of Medicine · Student Doctor Network · Admit.org

How longAbout one hour with faculty plus 30 minutes with a student; applicants report 45 minutes to 1.5 hours for the faculty part SUNY Downstate College of Medicine · Student Doctor Network · Student Doctor Network · Admit.org

WhereVirtual, scheduled Mondays through Thursdays SUNY Downstate College of Medicine

WhenInterviews start after Labor Day and run into the first half of the spring semester SUNY Downstate College of Medicine

3 more: what they know, also on the day, after

What they knowApplicants report an open file, with questions tailored to your application by the committee Student Doctor Network · Student Doctor Network

Also on the dayApplicants report a short writing assignment emailed that morning and due by 4:00 PM Student Doctor Network · Student Doctor Network · Student Doctor Network

AfterStatus emails usually 8 to 12 weeks after the interview; decisions begin mid-February 2027 SUNY Downstate College of Medicine · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine

How you get an interview

Once AMCAS verifies your application, Downstate emails you its Supplemental Application, and you pay the processing fee there. Staff first check for MCAT scores, letters, citizenship and the fee. Then a team of experienced screeners reviews complete files using the committee's guidelines, and competitive applicants are invited.

Order is not first-come. Files are not reviewed in the order they are completed, and some are not looked at until January. Long silences are normal.
Where you live matters. Preference goes to US citizens and permanent residents living in New York State, but out-of-state applicants are welcome and are admitted.
Watch your email and portal. Invitations go to your AMCAS email address. Allow messages from medadmissions@downstate.edu and check the portal's Status section for action items.
Invites can come early. Applicants report invitations in July, in one case the day after submitting the secondary (2025). Others waited much longer because many reviewers work at different speeds.
Schedule fast. Applicants report (2024) having exactly 5 days to pick a date before the application is withdrawn.
Holds before an interview. "Hold for spring consideration" means your file will be re-reviewed after January 2. Before an interview, send updates only if the committee asks for them.

Sources: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Policy Statement on Criteria for Medical Student Selection & Admissions · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Policy Statement on Criteria for Medical Student Selection & Admissions · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Application Review · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: First Year Class · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Frequently Asked Questions · Student Doctor Network: 2024-2025 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2024) · Reddit: Question about Interview Invites (2026) · Reddit: interview invite already? (2025)

What they're looking for

Downstate uses a modified list of AAMC core competencies, with special emphasis on cultural competence and service orientation. Its interviews focus on:

Leadership, communication, ethical behavior and teamwork.
Personal attributes: altruistic activities, professionalism, compassion, maturity and logical thinking.
The road travelled. The committee gives weight to life challenges, military service and socioeconomic status.
Service of both kinds. It values medical and non-medical community service.

Applicants add that mission fit and local ties (living, growing up or working in NYC) count, and advise knowing how you would contribute to Flatbush and Brooklyn.

Sources: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Policy Statement on Criteria for Medical Student Selection & Admissions · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Policy Statement on Criteria for Medical Student Selection & Admissions · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Frequently Asked Questions · Reddit: Question about Interview Invites (2026) · Student Doctor Network Forums: 2023-2024 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2023)

The faculty interview and writing assignment

Downstate calls its interview semi-structured: specific and open-ended questions set out on an Interview Report Form, asked by a faculty member who has been trained for it. The school also describes a presentation by admissions leadership and a student-led tour as part of the day.

You'll know your interviewer in advance. A 2026 applicant reports being CC'd on the reminder email the day before.
It is usually conversational. Applicants describe standard questions plus some written for you from your file, a walk through your resume, research and shadowing, and time for your questions at the end.
Not always warm. One 2026 applicant had a 1.5-hour interview with the Dean of Admissions, who seemed stone-faced.
Questions reported: how you studied for the MCAT and a class you struggled with (2026); tell me about yourself, what is unique about you, why medicine (2023); why MD over NP/PA (2017).
The writing assignment. Applicants report it arrives by email around 6:00 AM, asks for a response to a picture or question (100-250 words, per a 2022 report) and is due by 4:00 PM. Most say it takes 15-30 minutes.

Sources: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Policy Statement on Criteria for Medical Student Selection & Admissions · Student Doctor Network: 2026-2027 SUNY Downstate College of Medicine (2026) · Student Doctor Network: 2024-2025 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2024) · Student Doctor Network: 2025-2026 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2025) · Student Doctor Network Forums: 2023-2024 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2023) · Reddit: Med school Interview Question (2017) · Student Doctor Network: 2022-2023 SUNY - Downstate (2022) · Admit.org: SUNY Downstate - Page 1 - Medical School Forums - Admit.org (2026)

The peer interview

Downstate schedules a 30-minute conversation by phone or video with a current medical student after the faculty interview.

Scheduling. Applicants report the student emails you within about a week, and times are flexible, even evenings.
Tone. It's casual: interests, culture and fit. A 2026 applicant says they want to see that you are easy to talk to.
Take it seriously. One applicant reports it is weighed as highly as the faculty interview, and a 2026 applicant warns that lateness, swearing or disrespect will hurt you.
Format reported in 2023. About 15-20 minutes, five set questions from the committee, then your questions.

Sources: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Policy Statement on Criteria for Medical Student Selection & Admissions · Student Doctor Network: 2026-2027 SUNY Downstate College of Medicine (2026) · Student Doctor Network: 2024-2025 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2024) · Student Doctor Network: 2025-2026 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2025) · Student Doctor Network Forums: 2023-2024 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2023) · Admit.org: SUNY Downstate - Page 1 - Medical School Forums - Admit.org (2026)

How to prepare

Know your own file. Applicants report an open-file interview with questions built from your application, so be ready to discuss anything you listed.
Have a plan for weak spots. If your MCAT was low, applicants suggest explaining what went wrong and how you will handle the curriculum.
Practice out loud. Have a friend or family member ask you questions, and keep answers short, saving detail for follow-ups.
Learn the school. Know why Downstate and Brooklyn, and what you would add to the Flatbush community. Downstate runs virtual chat sessions with students through the season.
Block the writing window. Leave time on interview day to finish the assignment before 4:00 PM.
Bring questions for both interviewers.

Sources: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Application Review · Student Doctor Network: 2024-2025 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2024) · Student Doctor Network Forums: 2023-2024 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2023) · Reddit: Med school Interview Question (2017) · Reddit: Interview prep resource : r/premed (2025) · Student Doctor Network: 2022-2023 SUNY - Downstate (2022)

After the interview

Committee members each present 2 to 3 files at weekly meetings and score them 1 to 5 by secret ballot. Files then move to acceptance, hold or rejection.

Timing. Status emails usually come 8 to 12 weeks after the interview, longer over the holidays. Decisions begin mid-February 2027; if you interview between mid-January and April 2027, expect a late spring answer.
Hold is not the alternate list. Once about 300 applicants are accepted, other acceptable candidates go on hold. The alternate list is set in April.
Alternate priorities. Scores of 4.0 or higher move up first, and the deans may prioritize New York residents, first-generation college graduates and US military veterans.
Updates. Interviewed applicants are encouraged to upload fall grades and recent updates in the spring. Applicants report (2024) that update letters work best after January and letters of intent in February.
Thank-you notes go to medadmissions@downstate.edu.
Tours. Campus tours run September to April. Applicants report they are casual; take public transit, since parking is hard.

Sources: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Policy Statement on Criteria for Medical Student Selection & Admissions · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Policy Statement on Criteria for Medical Student Selection & Admissions · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Application Review · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Frequently Asked Questions · Student Doctor Network: 2024-2025 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2024)

Your interviewer

Clive Beaumont, MD Fictional interviewer

Get a briefing on your own interviewer

Know who's interviewing you? Their LinkedIn profile is the best source.

Use a computer if you can. Open their LinkedIn profile in a web browser, click More (or ⋯) under their name, then Save to PDF.
On a phone: the LinkedIn app can't save a profile. Open linkedin.com in your phone's browser instead, switch to the desktop site, and use More → Save to PDF.
Upload the PDF here, or paste what you know about them (a bio, a profile page).

See the sample briefing

Downstate nephrologist (kidney specialist) and renal-block teacher who has interviewed applicants since 2017 and says he wants hands-on experiences, not titles

Dr. Beaumont is an Associate Professor of Medicine in Nephrology at Downstate (since 2016, about 10 years). He attends on the inpatient kidney service, runs a weekly chronic kidney disease clinic, co-directs the second-year renal block (since 2020) and precepts third-years. Before Downstate he was medical director of three Brooklyn outpatient dialysis units (2011-2016), where he brought interpreters and dietitians to patients' chairsides. He has volunteered at Flatbush church and community kidney screenings since 2012, advises a student-run screening project and mentors first-generation premeds through a CUNY pipeline program. His own profile tells you what he wants: 'what you did with your own hands and what it taught you, not a list of titles.' He has done this for about 9 years, so expect him to spot rehearsed or inflated answers. Remember the interview is open-file and uses a set form, so many questions will come from your application, not from his specialty.

Their path

BA in Chemistry, Wesleyan University, 1999
Lab technician for two years before medical school (roughly 1999-2000)
MD, University of Rochester, 2004
Internal medicine residency, then nephrology fellowship, Riverside Metropolitan Medical Center, New York, 2004-2009
Staff nephrologist, Atlantic Shore Hospital, Long Branch NJ, 2009-2011
Medical Director, Eastern Parkway Dialysis Partners (three Brooklyn units), 2011-2016
Associate Professor of Medicine, Nephrology, SUNY Downstate, 2016-present; admissions interviewer since 2017; renal block co-director since 2020
Volunteer physician, Flatbush Kidney Outreach Collaborative, 2012-present

What it means for your conversation

He spends his career on the end result of untreated diabetes and high blood pressure in Brooklyn, and writes that he thinks about reaching patients sooner. Prevention, access and community trust are likely live topics for him; this matches Downstate's emphasis on service and cultural competence.
His 'hands, not titles' line suggests he will drill into specifics: what you personally did, a moment that went wrong, what you would do differently. Leadership titles without concrete actions will likely land poorly.
His dialysis work with interpreters and dietitians suggests he values practical fixes to communication and language barriers. If you have real experience bridging languages or explaining things to patients or families, it is relevant.
He took a gap (two years as a lab tech) himself and mentors first-generation students, so he may be receptive to non-linear paths. Don't assume it; just don't be apologetic about yours.
As a teacher of second- and third-years, he knows the curriculum firsthand and can answer real questions about the Foundations period and clinical rotations.

Questions they may lean toward

Walk me through one experience on your application. What exactly did you do, day to day? His profile explicitly asks for what you did with your own hands. Pick 2-3 experiences and know the concrete details.
What did that experience teach you, or change about how you act? He pairs 'what you did' with 'what it taught you.' Have a specific lesson, ideally with a later example of applying it.
How would you reach patients who don't come to the doctor until they're very sick? Possible, since he writes about patients arriving late; answer from your own observations (e.g., clinic, family, community work), not from textbook statistics.
Why Downstate and Brooklyn? What would you add to Flatbush? Standard Downstate question; he has worked in Brooklyn communities for 15+ years and will notice generic answers.
Tell me about a class you struggled with or how you prepared for the MCAT. Reported 2026 question; the file is open, so be ready to own any weak spot plainly.

Honest common ground

If you have done health screenings, blood pressure checks, or community health fairs, that is directly comparable to his screening-day volunteering; describe what you did, not his work.
If you are a first-generation college student, from Brooklyn/NYC, or came through a CUNY school, that overlaps with his mentoring; mention only if true and relevant.
If you worked before medical school (e.g., as a lab tech, scribe, or other job), he took a similar route.
If you have interpreted for patients or family members, it connects to the language-access work he describes.

Questions to ask them

You teach both the second-year renal block and third-years on the wards. What do you see separating students who make that transition well? Uses his actual teaching roles and gets you useful advice about the curriculum.
How do students get involved in community screening or outreach early, during the Foundations period? Ties to his advising of a student-run screening project and to Downstate's service focus; shows genuine interest in service, not in nephrology.
What does a patient population like Brooklyn's teach students that they might not learn elsewhere? He has practiced there his whole career; invites a real answer and helps your 'why Downstate' thinking.
In your years interviewing, what has made an applicant stand out to you as someone who'd thrive here? Respectful, open question; he has interviewed since 2017.

Avoid

Don't recite his resume or pretend a sudden interest in nephrology or dialysis.
Don't bring up his cricket, cooking, wife's family, or birdwatching; personal interests on a profile aren't an invitation, and he likely won't know you've read them.
Don't list titles or inflate your role; he says plainly he wants concrete actions, and follow-ups will expose exaggeration.
Don't lecture about diabetes or kidney disease statistics to a nephrologist.
Don't neglect the student interview or the writing assignment due by 4:00 PM; both count.

A sample, to show what the briefing looks like: Clive Beaumont, MD and their employers are invented.

Based on: The sample interviewer's profile (fictional) · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Policy Statement on Criteria for Medical Student Selection & Admissions · SUNY Downstate College of Medicine: Application Review · Student Doctor Network: 2026-2027 SUNY Downstate College of Medicine (2026) · Student Doctor Network: 2024-2025 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2024) · Student Doctor Network: 2025-2026 SUNY Downstate (Brooklyn) (2025) · Admit.org: SUNY Downstate - Page 1 - Medical School Forums - Admit.org (2026)

All sources · 24 plus 3 applicant threads

Applicant threads are linked under each question.