I was recently accepted into both Sophie Davis and Brown University (not plme), and I have been soo conflicted as which to choose!
For those who are unaware, Sophie Davis is a 7-year B.S./M.D. program, during which the first three-years of the program, students fulfill requirements for a B.S. degree in Biomedical Education at City College and then attend the CUNY School of Medicine to complete four-years of the MD degree. The first 3 years are very cheap since you’re paying a CUNY tuition, and will be essentially free for me due to federal financial aid (plus I was given a $7,000 scholarship renewable for the first 3 years). Students are directly admitted into medical school, meaning they do not have to fill out an application or take the mcat.
I was rejected from plme, and so if I attended Brown, I would have to go through the traditional pre-med route (i.e. filling out applications, taking the mcat, interviewing, getting recommendations, etc). My financial aid for Brown was great, making it just as affordable as Sophie Davis if were to attend for undergrad. I love the open curriculum, especially since I love creative writing and I have a ton of other random interests and definitely want to publish novels in addition to pursuing a career in medicine! It’d be relatively easy to concentrate in literary arts, fulfill pre med requirements, and still have some room to take other classes that seem cool. I would also love to study abroad for a semester in Europe and I was really excited by some of the programs offered at Brown, especially the pre-med study abroad program at Kings College in London.
Brown definitely has more flexibility than Sophie; at Sophie I would have to major in Biomedical Education (I can minor in English, but I my writing would definitely take a backseat, and it would be difficult to take reading/writing intensive courses with the rigorous course load). Both the small community of Sophie and relatively larger size of Brown have their advantages and disadvantages (a lot of people from my school go to Sophie, I’d be away from home if I go to Brown, etc).
Essentially, if anyone can offer any insight into my situation/any recent advice on what it’s like to be pre med at Brown (some of the threads are 5+ years old) and if the experience is worth giving up the amazing opportunity that Sophie offers it would be much appreciated!
It looks like the school doesn’t have clinical education yet although the page you linked me to looks like it is developing a relationship with St. Barnabas Hospital.
Being completely honest, Sophie Davis is great mainly because it doesn’t require the MCAT. However, Brown University is extremely flexible and offers you many opportunities and majors to choose from in case you change your time.
I’m in the same position! Not brown but a different school. Have you decided? If you wanna talk about this personally, I can give you my snap or Instagram or groupme to text.
hey! sorry for the late reply but thanks for all the help @smartkitt
I decided to commit to Brown! Overall, while Sophie Davis is a really amazing program, I ultimately felt like Brown was a better fit. At Sophie, undergrad is treated more like this thing to get out of the way so that you can be fast tracked to medical school, while at Brown it would be a much more enriching experience (like studying abroad, a much more flexible curriculum which I could use to study whatever I want, etc) that I don’t want to sacrifice to fast track my medical career by a year. Sophie Davis also proves to a degree that I’m capable of getting into medical school if I keep up my work ethic and such, since I was able to do it as a senior in high school, and so I didn’t want to choose a program where I wouldn’t be satisfied due to fear.
I was put in contact with some pre med students from Brown, and they all sounded super happy with their choice and really love it there. @sweetlikehoney where did you commit?
@smartkitt@gryffindor192 sorry I’m so late but i committed to Claremont McKenna college! I really wanted the traditional college experience and I also felt i could build a better resume at cmc.
