<p>What is PLME like? Is it worth the money if you are looking to go to medical school? If I had to choose between PLME and Berkeley, should I choose PLME?</p>
<p>Also, for the common app, the two question the PLME section poses - should i integrate both questions into one 500-word essay, or write individual essay responses to the two questions?</p>
<p>Okay, I guess PLME isn't as popular as i thought........</p>
<p>It's the most difficult program of its kind in the country to get into and only has about 50-80 matriculating students each year.</p>
<p>Also, it's one of the most asked about subjects on CC so we tend to ignore it since most of this information can be searched for.</p>
<p>I have no idea bout this years app and as for whether its worth it, that's a personal decision.</p>
<p>Would you rather be at Brown for the four years you have to get through first? How much stress will be alleviated for you if you don't have to take the MCAT and don't have to go through the med school application process? How sure are you that you want to be a doctor?</p>
<p>Answer these questions first.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It's the most difficult program of its kind in the country to get into and only has about 50-80 matriculating students each year.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Whether or not it's the most difficult to get in is debatable, but it certainly is second to none in terms of selectivity. OP, you should listen to modestmelody, but as for your Cal vs. PLME question, I would choose PLME in a heartbeat (I would choose Brown w/o PLME over Cal in a heartbeat).</p>
<p>I definitely meant it in terms of selectivity but conflating difficulty and selectivity is something that really shouldn't be done so thanks for catching that.</p>
<p>PLME is absolutely amazing...there is really no way to emphasize this enough.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>your admission to a great med school is secured.</p></li>
<li><p>you get extra and early resources to prepare you for being a doctor, all before even starting med school</p></li>
<li><p>you get to spend 4 years at an amazing college with an open curriculum, able to take whatever classes you want and pursue any opportunities you want, without the very significant pressures that come with the pre-med rat race</p></li>
</ol>
<p>by the data, PLME tends to win cross-admits from almost every other program in the country, including HYP. (H splits 50/50 with PLME and PLME wins 80% from YP).</p>
<p>My son is in PLME but he doesn't post here and I'm sorry to say, he doesn't tell us much - but he has said he loves Brown and is very glad he chose it over Yale, Duke, UVA, etc. Those were great schools too but he felt this was a better opportunity. I know his undergrad years include get togethers, lectures and meetings with other PLMEs and faculty. These opportunities are only open to PLME students.</p>
<p>He NOW appreciates the med school guarantee and all the freedom that gives him to pursue his interests during his undergrad years. He has commented how pre med friends worry/obsess over grades much more than he does. He realizes how much stress they are under and how time consuming and expensive it is to apply to med school. He gets to avoid all that and he doesn't feel he has given anything up. In fact, he plans to study abroad - at a time he would otherwise have to devote to med school applications. He WANTED to attend Brown and Brown hasn't let him down. </p>
<p>Before senior year, he hadn't really researched combined med programs because he didn't really see the advantages. He didn't realize how difficult it is to get accepted to med school. I encouraged him to consider a few (of his choice). He did some research and PLME shot to the top of his short list. He had always intended to apply to Brown, having spent 2 summers there, so PLME made sense. </p>
<p>As for your question (is it worth the money?), Brown's fin aid made it reasonable. Brown Med school will be more expensive than attending our state med school but my son refused to even apply to the combined programs in our state - not that they're bad programs, he just wanted a different learning environment. Brown made his choice financially feasible.</p>
<p>I want to go into the medical field, but I'm not 100% sure that I will go down the path? I don't know. 80% sure, i guess.</p>
<p>The reason i asked is because many people at our school wind up at Berkeley. I don't know if it's the money, that Ivy Leagues simply aren't worth it, or they just didn't apply/don't know about the opportunities offered there.</p>
<p>Yes, not having to worry about taking MCAT's and getting into medical school can be a very positive thing, but sometimes i wonder if programs like PLME will produce students of the same caliber as those who went through a tough experience.</p>
<p>PLME students are highly competitive for top positions for residencies and internships post-medical school, that's the best evidence we have for tracking whether we produce students of the same caliber.</p>
<p>PLME is really for students who are positive about being a doctor. I think that it's really not something that should be applied to lightly because it's something you probably want to do some day. But that's some of my own bias about the admissions process-- I don't think you should make anyone evaluate you for something you don't want and I don't think you should apply for something you don't really want.</p>
<p>You have to ask yourself what is your goal, what are your priorities, and make the right choice for you.</p>
<p>Berkeley is quite different than Brown is in every way. Those first four years before you get to being a doctor will be transformative-- intellectually and socially-- don't go somewhere you're not comfortable or where you won't fully come into your own.</p>
<p>Of course money is worth considering-- the quality of Berkeley's education and reputation is quite solid and it costs about half as much for you to go there assuming you would not be eligible for financial aid. However, whether we "step it up" or not is going to be due largely to the individual.</p>
<p>I can tell you that I have had a couple professors who transitioned from Berkeley to Brown and both are far more comfortable here and are pleased with what they describe as a significant difference in the Brown student body and the community ethos. That being said, that difference works for some people and won't for others. </p>
<p>It's critical for you to figure out where you fit.</p>
<p>Yea, it is different for everyone. But for somebody like me who has never been to Brown, this can be a rather hard decision. I guess it won't hurt to apply.</p>
<p>PLME wants students who are sure they will go down this path, right? And it's super competitive?</p>
<p>I couldn't tell you what they want. My understanding is it's quite competitive. My personal feeling is that you should not be applying to this program if you're not very positive despite the fact that you're not completely locked-in.</p>
<p>It's quite hard to do all of this work without ever visiting, I agree, but reading can help you gain quite a bit of perspective on a university. Check out things like my post on Brown here :<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/385841-brown-curriculum-university-college-explained.html%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/385841-brown-curriculum-university-college-explained.html</a> . Read the Brown Daily Herald-- just a few issues to get a sense of what's going on. Heck, we just wrote this great evaluation of Brown and the curriculum here titled The Curriculum at Forty: A Plan for Strengthening the College Experience at Brown. Today's BDH said that, "The report is filled with valuable commentary on the foibles of the New Curriculum and advice on how to fine-tune it," and that, "
The task force's report accurately identifies many of the weaknesses of our curriculum, and it thoughtfully identifies first steps toward addressing them."</p>
<p>I believe this document is available on the Brown webpage, and while it may be quite long, it would certainly give you a sense of what we see in Brown and where we see it going.</p>
<p>IMO, if you aren't positive about being a doctor, i doubt you'd get in. no offense, but the plme admissions people are, i'm sure, amazing at choosing who has a true passion for the field.</p>
<p>Will they look at our Commonapp essay when considering you specifically for PLME? My commonapp essay is extremely good, and deals with how I have chosen a future in medicine, and exactly why I know it's for me.</p>
<p>SAT; 2340 (math 790, verbal 750, writing 800)
SAT II M2C: 800, CHEM:780, BIO:720
AP
CALC, USHISTORY, CHEM, BIO -5
200 hours community service, 150 hours hospital
national merit semifinalist
president of three clubs
some reserach
Love to apply PLME</p>