<p>Can someone explain to me why PLME is so appealing? Brown is ranked at #38 on the US News Medical schools listing…hardly a “top” med school…</p>
<p>Because it's hard to get into <em>any</em> decent medical school. Also, med school rankings don't matter as much for rankings in other grad programs because where you go for residency is also hugely influenced by the score you receive on the STEP I test during med school. Additionally, PLME students have the fairly unique opportunity of taking all their premed classes pass/fail if they choose, and don't have to worry about a minimum GPA like many BS/MD programs</p>
<p>a) it's a joint-degree program</p>
<p>b) ivy school</p>
<p>c) less pressure during undergrad years to prepare for med school</p>
<p>less pressure? if you made it into PLME it shouldnt be hard for you to get passing grades at Brown, and thus you should feel no pressure. Correct me if i'm wrong, but other than taking pre-med classes, isn't the only other requirement that you graduate from Brown with a degree?</p>
<p>Also, note that it's quite hard to be a top ten med school when you only have about 100 medical students and about 70 of them never even take the MCATs.</p>
<p>i never really thought about PLME students taking ther premed requirements pass/fail. very interesting</p>
<p>Liono, just liek any other student, they can take EVERYTHING pass/fail, but the real point is they don't have to worry as much about grade grubbing like the rest of premeds do (not that the grub, but certainly are more concerned). They don't feel like their GPA has to be a 3.98 to get into a med school (ok, so maybe even if they still do, they don't have to) because they're already in. They'll be more likely to take classes they really enjoy and worry less if they're just not going to be able to squeak the A out in a really hard class without losing 2 weeks of their life, type thing.</p>
<p>At least, that would be the appeal to me, but it's a moot point because I'm looking at getting a PhD in biochem ;).</p>
<p>because as a plme, you are the most spoiled pre-med in the country</p>
<p>you enjoy the benefits of an ivy league university for 8 years among a small cohort of brilliant classmates from around the world</p>
<p>you can focus on pursuing academic interests without the strategizing and competition that even the most intelligent and competent pre-meds must succumb to</p>
<p>you are relieved of having to take the MCAT</p>
<p>there are 7 faculty members and thousands of patients per med student</p>
<p>you are trained at 3 of the top hospitals in the country in their respective areas</p>
<p>academic freedom that continues into medical school, including the ability to design electives, study abroa, pursue dual degrees, etc.</p>
<p>Well, from that perspective, the program sounds great. I just don't know why Brown Med school is ranked so poorly..</p>
<p>Mainly because outside students were only allowed into the med program starting in the late 90s otherwise it was all PLME and some Dartmouth kids? Because the program is really small? Because it's not attached to as large a hospital as MGH?</p>
<p>also, i could be wrong, but doesn't money/research play a large part in the rankings? as a super small med school, brown med wouldnt have as huge a focus on either of those things, i imagine.</p>
<p>Its not ranked so poorly, don't be an *******. Only 10 schools can be in the top 10, which is ranked on a scale designed by who knows who and which only measures certain qualities. I hear brown is an excellent school for clinical training.</p>