Brown PLME v. USC Bacc/M.D. (v. Stanford)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brown University
1

<p>Hi guys, I’ve narrowed my list down to this. I was very lucky to be admitted to 8 out of 9 schools (I was waitlisted at one of them).</p>

<p>I’ve narrowed my choices down to Stanford, Brown PLME (the combined med 8 year program), and USC Bacc/M.D. (the combined med 8 year program).</p>

<p>Here are the pros and cons I’ve figured out so far.
I am from Southern California.</p>

<p>STANFORD
Pros:
-name
-higher caliber undergrad than both USC and Brown
-beautiful campus
-renowned faculty
-I feel very comfortable among the people
-small student body (~6,000)
-amazing housing systems
-great accomodations
-very laidback, awesome atmosphere
-perfect distance away from home (about 1 hour plane ride, 7 hours driving)
Cons:
-no guaranteed admission to medical school
-very competitive for premed students (only 68-75% of Stanford undergrads get accepted to medical school)
-expensive
-it’s going to be a hard road
-guaranteed housing all 4 years</p>

<p>Brown PLME
Pros:
-name (Ivy League)
-open curriculum (no core requirements)
-guaranteed admission to Alpert (Brown) Medical School (as long as I do my premed requirements and get a B in Bio)
-no MCATs
-small (~6,000 students)
-great atmosphere
Cons:
-too liberal?
-too far away from home? (8 hours plane ride)
-expensive (remember to factor in plane tickets)
-guaranteed housing all 4 years
-Alpert doesn’t have that many affiliated hospitals (only 7 hospitals affiliated with Alpert in Providence)
-cold weather
-doesn’t allow you to apply out (if I apply out of Alpert Medical School, I get deferred admission to Alpert if I don’t get into any other med schools… basically, my admission to Alpert could be deferred 2-3+ years)</p>

<p>USC Bacc/M.D.
Pros:
-guaranteed admission to Keck Medical School (as long as I maintain a 3.2 GPA and score at least a 27 on the MCAT)
-allows you to apply out while holding your spot (I could apply to better medical schools than Keck, while still having my guaranteed spot)
-I received the Presidential Scholarship (half tuition) and the Foulke Scholarship (an extra $3,000/year)
-Keck Medical School is in a better location for practicing opportunities (20 surrounding hospitals affiliated with Keck in L.A.)
Cons:
-too big (~16,000 undergraduates)
-not as good of an undergraduate school as Brown or Stanford
-Keck Medical School has a lower ranking than Alpert
-too close to home? (only 1 hour or less driving)</p>

<p>If you could give me your feedback (espeically if any of you were in one of these programs), that would be great. Thanks so much!</p>

2

<p>All the way to Brown PLME.</p>

3

<p>I chose Brown PLME. Thanks for all your help!
I knew I was 100% committed to medicine and a direct path to medical school was just too good to pass up, even for Stanford. :] I’ll be enjoying the next 8 years in Providence!</p>

4

<p>Sweet news. Congrats on your choice, hope to see you around next year.</p>

5

<p>I am from Southern Ca. See you this fall in Brown.</p>

6

<p>I’m another Brown 2014 PLME, and happen to live right next to Stanford. You definitely made the right decision. See you in August!</p>

7

<p>Nice! See you on campus.</p>

8

<p>Hi, I am a junior who is really interested in Brown PLME. I know already thats its my first choice for sure, which is why I would really appreciate it if any one of you, who were recently accepted into Brown PLME, would post some of your stats and any advice on how to get in. Thank you so much!!</p>