<p>I’m a High School Junior and have my eyes set on a career in medicine. Brown is definitely one of the universities I’d love to attend. </p>
<p>Does anyone know what pre-med at Brown is like? Is it harder, easier, than other universities of Brown’s standards/prestige? Also what about grade inflation/deflation, what classes are like, and if it is hard to maintain a high (>3.7 GPA)?</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/1284648-brown-best-place-pre-med.html?highlight=pre+med+at+brown[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/1284648-brown-best-place-pre-med.html?highlight=pre+med+at+brown</a></p>
<p>I only know about a half dozen premeds currently at Brown, so this is not a wide sample, but the generalized statements I’ve heard are:
there are 2 different “premed” groups at Brown. There are the PLMEs, who are “already accepted to med school”, who are a smaller number of the premeds than the standard premeds, PLMEs are likely to be taking very similar courses and schedules to the rest of the premeds. the difference is that any grade achievement desire (which is still very high in this group of high achievers) is more internally driven. So, PLMEs may be a bit more relaxed about some of their courses. This helps to add to the total premed picture being less of any individual student trying to “outperform” their class mates than you see at some other schools of Brown’s “level”. This is further enhanced by the general rep that Brown students do not suffer “me over them” attitudes of their peers.
The premeds I’ve met who are not PLME are a bit jealous of the PLMEs. (Like them as people, but not always happy about the “divide”) Some premeds feel that Brown has a much less encouraging and supportive attitude to the “standard” premeds, “since Brown does not have to help them since they are focused on the PLMEs”. There is more premed prep for PLMEs (mentorships, shadowing programs, direct counselling) that Brown does not make available to the rest of the premeds, or they have to seek it on their own, rather than being offered. (Research is readily available, but again Brown does not “hand hold” students in general, and a student has to do the searching, figuring out on their own. )
Brown’s overall “grade inflation” does not usually translate into the premed experience. Science courses for the most part do not have grade inflation, and Orgo at Brown is notorious for even very successful students barely getting through with a C. I heard of 2 current premeds who took a semester of orgo at Stanford, and Columbia respectively, as it would be “easier to pass/get a decent grade” than at Brown.
Brown’s premed “counseling”, what there is, discourages students from applying to medical school “straight from college” (also a national trend, but not as much as I’ve seen at Brown.) From what I’ve heard, the majority of students take an extra year between to do aps, research, beef up their med school ap chances. Don’t know if it is fact, but have heard that the premed dean will discourage, even refuse to write the needed letter for most premeds for senior year applications to med school, essentially forcing some to change their mind, or do post grad research.
Again this is what I have heard from a limited group of premeds there now. They all say that despite these things (for the “regular premeds”) they would not want to be anywhere else (although have had some thoughts that another school would have given them more support from the school) because they value the student ethic of their peers, and the course freedom they have at Brown. The PLMEs I’ve met seem uniformly thrilled with being premed at Brown!</p>
<p>how do people become a plme. is that part of the ba/md program they have.?</p>
<p>explanation of PLME and application info: [Brown</a> University: Program in Liberal Medical Education](<a href=“http://med.brown.edu/plme/prospective/index.html]Brown”>The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University)</p>