<p>I got into both but I am having a hard time deciding. Pittsburgh's undergrad is weak and I don't the campus very much but the medical school is so amazing. I also have a full ride undergrad scholarship. On the other hand, Brown is so awesome. I love the campus and the undergrad student body. Its medical school is much weaker though. Which is better?</p>
<p>Hey HMMChung,</p>
<p>I also got into Pittsburgh’s guaranteed admit and am considering attending in the fall. I personally like Pitt’s campus (or Oakland) because of all of the students and activity that goes on around there with Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne, Carlow, and of course UPMC. Though the undergrad isn’t nearly as strong as Brown’s, I think that the future benefit outweighs PLME’s program. I have a full tuition scholarship for Pitt and assuming that you didn’t get other scholarship at Brown, the cost differential will be nearly 200k for undergrad alone. However, a big attraction for Pitt’s program for me is all of the medically related activity that goes on with a dozen or so hospitals and a lot of research opportunities with so much money coming in through the NIH. I think that few medical schools could offer such an incorporated environment for their med and undergrad students. It’s probably not that Brown’s med school is academically weaker than Pitt’s, but rather that the opportunities and accessibility to cutting edge research and practice that Pitt offers are better than Brown’s. Anyway, you still have a tough decision. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>I would agree that if you are sure that you want to do Medicine-than Pitt seems a no brainer esp the 200K difference.If there is any chance that you may decide not to do Medicine than Brown comes into consideration.</p>
<p>i disagree that brown’s medical school is weaker. there is only one thing that matters to a medical student in choosing a medical school-- the residency match list (where students end up getting placed for residency). it does not matter how large the research enterprise is.</p>
<p>brown has one of the best match lists in the country.</p>
<p>I don’t think that Brown’s med school is weaker than Pitt’s. But I also don’t think that medical school is only good for residency matching. Brown does have a good match list but so does Pitt. Considering that both are exceptional medical schools academically and that both do well to getting students into their top residency choices, I think it comes down to money and atmosphere. Pitt’s med guarantee program costs significantly less than Brown’s PLME. You should also take cost of living into consideration. As for atmosphere, Pitt has the research funding going for it and the exposure to the medical field through the many surrounding hospitals within 2 or 3 blocks from the med school. There are also other factors you should consider to compare med schools but that would be a lot of writing. </p>
<p>But I agree with NEPatriot that if you are considering something other than medicine and especially want the feel of an Ivy school, then Brown may be a good alternative to Pitt.</p>
<p>Do not worry about under-grad.Med school is imp.Just compare and think about money.My opinion Pitt.</p>
<p>Do the terms of the “guarantees” differ?</p>
<p>Congratulations on your achievement. You can’t go wrong with either decision. Outside of being aware of its outstanding reputation, I am more familiar with Brown Med school than U Pittsburgh. The Dean of the med school, Dr. Ed Wing, actually came to Brown after 21 years at Pittsburgh. My impression is that Brown is an excellent med school, and continues on its major upswing. My daughter in the first year of PLME couldn’t be happier with her experience. I disagree with a post that says undergrad is unimportant. If you are considering clinical work (I’m now 30+ years into it), then any and all exposure to humanities and the “liberal arts” helps you in relating to patients and their families, as well as keeping a personal balance in what will be an extraordinary and extraordinarily demanding career. If the financial aid is comparable, visit the schools (ADOCH at Brown) and get as good a sense as you can re the undergrad and med schools.</p>
<p>Did you get the Chancellors Scholarship at Pitt (the only full ride that I am aware of) or the full tuition scholarship? Because Pitt will cost you 10-15K a yr if you didn’t get the Chancellors and you could factor that into the financial equation.</p>
<p>Also, would paying for Brown be a hardship that would require loans and undergrad debt?</p>
<p>If you CAN pay for either without significant hardship then I would go for the school you love for undergrad (because who really knows what you will want to do in 4 years, maybe you will fall in love with something else?) but if money were an issue I would say go to Pitt because debt is a drag and can limit future choices.</p>
<p>FWIW my son is going to Pitt on a chancellors scholarship to save on debt and turned down a nice package at Chicago (but would have some loans). He is very happy with his decision but then he liked the Pitt campus just fine.</p>
<p>Good luck on your decision.</p>
<p>Depending on your field of interest there may or may not be research available at Brown Med particularly if they don’t offer the residency. Pitt has it all. The undergrad experience at Brown is unparalleled. It is not a big state school.</p>
<p>Some thing you may want to consider:</p>
<p>Brown PLME no GPA requirement. Only need a B in Biology. No MCAT.</p>
<p>U Pittt: GPA requirement of 3.75.</p>
<p>also at brown u have the option to literally take all ur classes pass/fail, so u would certainly be more stressed at upitt, but then again since u got in, i’m sure u could handle it</p>
<p>Pitt has pass/fail/honors pass in MED school, not for Undergraduate… As UG student, one needs to maintain 3.75 GPA overall as well as in sciences… NO MCAT required for med school though and not binding as well.</p>
<p>Based solely off of stranger reasons I’d say brown. I’ve heard that quality of med school doesn’t matter that much in that all med schools are good. Plus going to Brown means your kids would have legacy, which can’t hurt in the future, although it probably doesn’t mean anything right now.</p>
<p>Actually I take back what I said. You have a tough decision and I have no idea what I would do in your shoes. but don’t forget legacy.</p>
<p>hey Chung,</p>
<p>do you mind posting your stats :)?</p>
<p>Top 1% of class
Ranked #2
SAT 2210
ACT 34
Volunteered at medical clinic
Volunteered as a english tutor during the weekend and during the summer</p>
<p>AP 5’s on Calc BC, Chinese, US Government, Chemistry, English comp
4’s on Spanish, Comparative Govt, US History, World History</p>
<p>President of Chinese school student council
President of Engineering Club
Vice President of Student Council
Tennis team captain
Badminton team captain
1st chair cellist at school and other orchestras
Cello for 8+ years
National High School Honors Orchestra</p>
<p>Intern at ASU’s behavioral neuroscience lab</p>
<p>I have decided to go to Brown~~
Brown’s primary care is as good as Pittsburgh’s
Brown has as good (if not better) residency matchings as Pitt</p>
<p>After a lot of thinking…
i really want brown’s small community feel
Pitt is too big for me especially since I have spent the last year in a small gifted academy </p>
<p>Brown gives me a lot more freedom</p>
<p>thank you all for your advice~~</p>
<p>Pitt is a stronger medical school and typically matches better. Unless you are interested in primary care?</p>
<p>I think, at this stage, personal choice matters a lot, especially when you are deciding between two good choices such as Brown PLME vs U Pitt GA program. My D applied for Brown PLME and did not get it, where as she got into U Pitt GA program and BU SMED. Based on personal preferrences such as smaller community feel vs URBAN campus, or clinical VS research facilities, either decisions are good. If my D had gotten into Brown PLME, she would have definitely selected Brown PLME over U Pitt. It’s all personal choices, once you eliminate the money factors. I agree that we should do what we like and enjoy, atleast sometimes, if not always…</p>