<p>I'm looking at two 8 year programs and PSU's 6/7 year program.
I'm a bit nervous that the 6/7 year program will be "rushed" but at the same time I know it keeps me focused and it is a lot more affordable.
Rochester and Case both have outstanding undergraduate programs where I will be able to fully expand on my interests in anthro and global health...but they are more expensive.</p>
<p>Any advice/ideas/suggestions are appreciated as i try to make this decision...</p>
<p>tough decision. if u don’t mind taking the mcat and forgoing a year or two of college i’d go with psu. undergrad will be really fun, and med school will be in the heart of philly which will be cool. if u don’t want accelerated or u dont want to worry about the mcat then the question is where would u rather be for 8 years, rochester or cleveland? both case and rochester have top-notch med schools so don’t worry abt med school prestige. also if ur getting scholarship money at either case or rochester, take that into consideration.</p>
<p>p.s. does this mean u didn’t get into gw’s program?</p>
<p>thanks so much for your response!
i did get into GWs, and I’m still considering it…but the money factor plays a huge role in my decision, and in that aspect it might be a no go. its sad because that was my first choice.</p>
<p>They are all great. Pick the one that is the least expensive for you.</p>
<p>even if it means forgoing the “undergrad” experience and a great anthro program?</p>
<p>you will reach the same goal either way, so why not take the path that amounts to the least amount of debt in the end? plus, imo u will have the most fun at psu, and if ur worried about missing out on college, just choose the 7 year route. losing out on 1 year isn’t that big of a deal, and imo its a good compromise btwn 6 and 8 years.</p>
<p>this is true.
im just sad that i wont be able to major in anthropology/study abroad for undergrad.
but maybe its a small price to pay?
and from what i hear psu 7years are very rare -not exactly sure why though</p>
<p>case ppsp is better</p>
<p>Of the two 8yr programs then which is cheaper? Either one is a full college experience.</p>
<p>ya i like rochester more though. they have a better international medicine program.
i think im between rochester and psu…?</p>
<p>Case is well known for awesome Merit scholarship packages. It is almost impossible to get into PPSP (about 800 applicants for 15 spots). If you get into PPSP, I quarantee most of your tution will be covered by Merit $$$.</p>
<p>I’ve got both PPSP and REMS.
I can’t decide between the two. I think it comes down to the cities, the research opportunities and the overall campus feel of both universities.
Having visited both, I STILL cant decide.
Any suggestions advice??</p>
<p>Visit the schools and apply. If you get interviews, you will meet with undergrad and medical school people, tour the facilities, etc. You will definitely get a feel for the school’s philosophy, atmosphere, etc. After visiting Case, my son took it off his list. He wasn’t interested in NU, not sure why. But he did like UR/REMS. He wound up at Brown/PLME… just his choice. not necessarily the best choice for someone else. </p>
<p>Different students, different interests, different requirements. These are all GOOD schools, good programs. Figure out what is important to you. Money may be an important factor for both undergrad and the med school years. Aside from the typical concerns (location/cost/research opportunities/distance from home/advising/school’s “personality”), some other things to consider are: Will you be in the same location (like PLME) for all 8 years? Is there enough to do in that area to keep you interested? Are your summers your own to do whatever you want or are they scheduled for you? Is the med school pass/fail or for letter grade? People say that pass/fail makes it a less competitive environment for students. Letter grades promote a more cutthroat environment. I’m not sure if that’s true but numerous doctors told us that. I think PPSP and PLME are pass/fail, not sure about REMS. Where are the residency placements? How many of the incoming freshman actually make it through the program? Are students allowed to apply out of the program? If so, do they give up their slot? How much freedom does the pre-med student have in choosing his major? Brown encourages humanities, whereas some other programs dictate that only science majors are allowed. My son is a neuroscience major but is doing a humanities study abroad semester. Do you get to choose many electives or do you have to fulfill a strong core? Can you study abroad? Do you need to take MCATS? If so, do you have to rush all your “pre-med” classes in the first 5 semesters so you have time to study for MCATs? As an undergrad, do you get any perks for being in the program? PLMEs are invited to attend weekly/monthly gatherings/speakers along with current med students. I think there are social activities for PLMEs also. But in class, one’s designation is transparent. PLMEs take the same classes as non PLMEs. Some schools keep program kids separate. Will the program allow the student to defer med school enrollment for a year if that student wants to travel/volunteer/etc. UR has/had a program where undergrads can stay for a fifth year (tuition free) to explore other interests. I’m sure this won’t appeal to all pre-med students who may feel they will be in school forever, but my son loved the idea. I loved the tuition free aspect of it. The academic freedom of choice is one important reason he chose Brown.</p>
<p>But keep in mind these are all very selective programs (top 1-2% of your class, very high SATs and SATIIs, very high GPA. I think I remember REMS stating 3.95 unweighted). I think in my son’s year, REMS had 800 applicants for 10 spots. I think PLME had 2000+ applicants for about 50 spots. I don’t remember PPSP’s numbers because he lost interest. BUT PPSP did offer a full or mostly full tuition scholarship. So did UMiami. UR offered much smaller merit $ since they only let him keep ONE merit award, but they were very generous with Financial aid.</p>
<p>err, i think op already got in</p>
<p>haha i did.</p>
<p>thanks everybody for your responses!
my parents are leaning towards PSU because its cheaper and location-wise, its closer to home.
is it worth sacrificing a broad, liberal-based education, and a seat at a higher ranked medical school to go to PSU/Jeffersons 6 year program?</p>
<p>broad liberal based education is overrated</p>
<p>if you’re planning on a very competitive specialty, a higher ranked school will help</p>
<p>well in this case both broad liberal based and higher ranked school are both rochester</p>
<p>yeah, i’d say it’s worth going to PSU.</p>
<p>I think I’m in a similar situation to you.</p>
<p>I got into Rochester’s REMS and Pitt’s med school guarantee</p>
<p>I chose Rochester.</p>
<p>I really liked Rochester’s campus and the fact that there is such a focus on undergraduate research. I thought the food was pretty good and the rooms were pretty nice. In my opinion, Rochester’s med school is every bit as good as Case Western. If you look at their residency match list, it seems that 1/3 are going to strong, brand name hospitals (JHU, UPMC, Yale, etc.), 1/3 are going to rochester, and 1/3 are going elsewhere.
[Match</a> 07](<a href=“http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/alumni/match07.cfm]Match”>http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/alumni/match07.cfm)
I feel these are pretty strong results. To me Rochester seemed the most fun and it really seemed like I would have a good time there. Theres some solid opportunities for study abroad and the academics are strong, but not super demanding. Case’s engineering programs are ridiculously hard. My <em>tour guide</em>, the person who’s supposed to sell me the school, complained that engineering majors barely ever stopped studying. I’ve heard people complain that at case, you do as much homework as you would at any ivy league school, but without the brand name. They brag that they have the second highest amount of homework in engineering programs across the country.</p>
<p>I also received an invite for PSU/Jefferson for an interview. I didn’t even go to the interview. After researching Jefferson medical school, it didn’t seem that impressive and it is ranked 59/NA in research/primary care, whereas rochester is ranked 31/15. Rochester’s primary care rank is the same as Harvard.</p>
<p>In the end, Rochester seemed to be the best choice for me. Thats my opinion, and I wish you luck on your decision.</p>