<p>My friend is debating between Harvard and Brown’s 8-year Medical Program, which is pretty competitive. what are the pros and cons for both? all help would be appreciated (and please dont have some kind of argument over this, thx)</p>
<p>Brown - guaranteed admission to Med School, more freedom during undergrad to do whatever you want.</p>
<p>Harvard - if he decides he doesnt want to be a doctor, then he's good.</p>
<p>I've heard being PLME is a relatively easy undergrad experience for students planning on med school.</p>
<p>PLME is good because you don't have to stress and constantly worry. Also, if you like humanities/social sciences/arts, what's cool about PLME is that you split up your pre-med and med classes throughout the 8 years. So, in your last year in med school, you can take a class in art history.</p>
<p>The downside, however, is that Brown's medical school is not nearly as reputable as its undergraduate college. Brown's med school is not ranked very highly.</p>
<p>And as we all know, rankings are near-perfect indicators of the calibur of an institution...</p>
<p>there's a few things you should know when considering PLME</p>
<p>1) you are not bound to go to Brown Med--in fact you are encouraged to apply out if you think another school would meet your needs better and there are people that will go out of their way to help you. </p>
<p>2) whether you stay at Brown or not, there are advantages to being a PLME undergrads such as specific PLME-only research funding, lectureships, advising, extensive interaction with medical students and other opporuntities that few other pre-meds get</p>
<p>3) if you do stay, you can craft your undergrad and medical education into an 8 year continuum. this means you have the freedom to start med school classes as an undergrad. similarly, you can take any class you want in the college or grad school as a med student (i know people taking health economics, journalism, etc.). it also means you have the flexibility to not only study abroad but undertake extensive projects in atypical places (a friend of mine did epidemiological research in Uganda for a year).</p>
<p>Well Troglodyte, that is debatable, but the fact is there IS no bad Medical School. A doctor is a doctor.</p>
<p>Unless you go to the Carribbean like all the rejects are doing these days ;)</p>
<p>It's hard to get residency then</p>
<p>I think Troglodyte is being sacarstic.</p>
<p>I know that rankings/reputation aren't everything (believe me... I'm considering Vassar and Wesleyan just as much as Brown, and while all three are excellent, Brown is certainly the most reputable of the three). Also, rankings don't necesarily reflect quality. However, they mean a lot to some people, so I was pointing it out.</p>
<p>PLME is probably the most flexible of all the ba/md programs, which is an advantage.</p>