2012-2013 Brown University Application Thread

Getting into Med School is Hard? Not with BeMo.
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Status
Not open for further replies.
I'm verified and pre-writing the secondary. If my MCAT scores get released in late August, is there any point in sending in the secondaries early?
Members don't see this ad.
 
Hello678 said:
For the pre-reqs it says to list course name and course number, but they only give a box for course number. What did you guys do for this? Just list course number?
Click to expand...

umm there should be a "course" column with drop-down menu for "biology," "physics", "organic chemistry," etc.

BurghStudent said:
I'm verified and pre-writing the secondary. If my MCAT scores get released in late August, is there any point in sending in the secondaries early?
Click to expand...

i would call admissions and see what they suggest...good luck :)
 
wouldn't course name be something like "Principles of Biology 1"?

dextor2003 said:
umm there should be a "course" column with drop-down menu for "biology," "physics", "organic chemistry," etc.



i would call admissions and see what they suggest...good luck :)
Click to expand...
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Hello678 said:
wouldn't course name be something like "Principles of Biology 1"?
Click to expand...

haha you'd think so, but they have it set up so that it just displays the generic subject name (biology, inorganic chemistry, physics, etc.)
 
BurghStudent said:
I'm verified and pre-writing the secondary. If my MCAT scores get released in late August, is there any point in sending in the secondaries early?
Click to expand...

There would be because they give a timestamp for when you submit the secondary application. I presume they don't ignore that - I don't think they only look at the timestamp for overall completion.

It would be in your best interest to submit as early as possible, even if your MCAT prevents your file from being completed until later.
 
Last edited:
This whole "where do you see yourself in 15 years" essay has me a bit confused. Obviously, I'd like to be a physician and all that comes with it. I also want to be involved with health policy/public health. There are so many routes I can take (academic & community) and I really have no clue as to where my ambitions lie specifically. Would it be safe to just talk about being involved in academic medicine where I can do research/work in health care policy, etc.? This just seems like such an open-ended question
 
Blais said:
Yes, what's wrong with your planned approach? Sounds quite acceptable.
Click to expand...

It sounds planned now but as soon as I start typing in Word my mind will be all over the place with possibilities. Just stick with one approach?
 
I applied last Monday (July 9) and still haven't received a secondary. I was verified June 9 and my LORs and MCAT were in before then. Is this the case for anybody else?
 
For the pre-reqs, I've taken a 9 bio courses and 16 humanities courses etc --- several courses that exceed the requirements, should I put them all in or just the minimal to meet the requirement? Cuz for orgo the requirement is only one semester --- so only list Orgo I or both?
 
AllDay24 said:
For the pre-reqs, I've taken a 9 bio courses and 16 humanities courses etc --- several courses that exceed the requirements, should I put them all in or just the minimal to meet the requirement? Cuz for orgo the requirement is only one semester --- so only list Orgo I or both?
Click to expand...

I went with just the required courses. I think they want to make sure you've hit the minimum required competencies.
 
ceasefire said:
I applied last Monday (July 9) and still haven't received a secondary. I was verified June 9 and my LORs and MCAT were in before then. Is this the case for anybody else?
Click to expand...

I'm in the exact same position. Added Brown and Dartmouth last week. Received Dartmouth's, but nothing from Brown.
 
IRASNA said:
It sounds planned now but as soon as I start typing in Word my mind will be all over the place with possibilities. Just stick with one approach?
Click to expand...

Personally I think your realization that there's a vast array of choices shows good insight and if you could articulate it well and incorporate it into your narrative, I would. That said, the beauty of the question is the very variety that you've already pointed out so just write whatever you think best convey's your intent. As with most writing, it helps if you can work in a story that helps the reader better understand where you're coming from of what you mean.

On a related note, whenever mentors come to talk to us about specialties or career paths, we're often told that it often helps to just go with your hunches and to just take a shot at something. In the worst case scenario, you find out that it just isn't for you and you move onto something new. Even if it takes a few attempts before you find your niche, it will help your career if you show initiative and drive, regardless as to what your goal is.
 
I think its ridiculous that out of the 109 seats every year, 59 are filled from other methods than AMCAS. That means that all of us who applied the regular way are competing for just 40 seats. talk about competition.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
riseagainsthoya said:
I think its ridiculous that out of the 109 seats every year, 59 are filled from other methods than AMCAS. That means that all of us who applied the regular way are competing for just 40 seats. talk about competition.
Click to expand...

There are 59 PMLE or whatever? That seems fairly ridiculous
 
IRASNA said:
There are 59 PMLE or whatever? That seems fairly ridiculous
Click to expand...

last year: 52 amcas, 39 pmle (six deferred), 15 through linkage (bryn mawr, etc), and three through early identification program.
 
So when I preview the secondary, my essays all show up as one paragraph. For the last two, I had two paragraphs, Confused....
 
Last edited:
espagueti said:
last year: 52 amcas, 39 pmle (six deferred), 15 through linkage (bryn mawr, etc), and three through early identification program.
Click to expand...

That seems accurate. Also, just a heads up, the class sizes for 2016 and beyond should be right around 120 people.
 
Got a complete email today, submitted the day after it came out!
 
riseagainsthoya said:
I think its ridiculous that out of the 109 seats every year, 59 are filled from other methods than AMCAS. That means that all of us who applied the regular way are competing for just 40 seats. talk about competition.
Click to expand...

Hate to be the one to do this, but doesn't 109-59= 50 spots that we are fighting for? Still sucks, but better than 40 for sure =]
 
Zach90 said:
Hate to be the one to do this, but doesn't 109-59= 50 spots that we are fighting for? Still sucks, but better than 40 for sure =]
Click to expand...
You should be automatically admitted for catching that.
 
IRASNA said:
So when I preview the secondary, my essays all show up as one paragraph. For the last two, I had two paragraphs, Confused....
Click to expand...

Shameless bump. How'd everyone deal with this?
 
IRASNA said:
Shameless bump. How'd everyone deal with this?
Click to expand...
it is absolutely absurd how many formatting/glitches there have been w/ this year's group of secondaries. absolutely absurd.
 
IRASNA said:
Shameless bump. How'd everyone deal with this?
Click to expand...

FWIW, I never previewed my secondary. After I submitted, it gave me the option to print and on that preview everything looked fine essay aside.... Some of the scripted boxes were pretty distorted though :laugh:
 
For the 2012-2013 activities prompt, should we be typing out an essay or listing each activity with a brief description?
 
DCSB6 said:
For the 2012-2013 activities prompt, should we be typing out an essay or listing each activity with a brief description?
Click to expand...

I guess it could go both ways, but I just typed out two small paragraphs
 
DCSB6 said:
For the 2012-2013 activities prompt, should we be typing out an essay or listing each activity with a brief description?
Click to expand...

I typed out an essay, but mostly because it took me space to explain the "how will it prepare you for a career in medicine" deal. I really like brown, hope they're nice to me. :xf:
 
For some reason I can't access the application, like the connection won't get through. Anyone else having this problem? Also is there any prompt that asks for additional information? I'd like to add "Why Brown" if possible.
 
tak08810 said:
For some reason I can't access the application, like the connection won't get through. Anyone else having this problem? Also is there any prompt that asks for additional information? I'd like to add "Why Brown" if possible.
Click to expand...

If you're clicking the link... make sure you type it in or text copy.
 
tak08810 said:
Also is there any prompt that asks for additional information? I'd like to add "Why Brown" if possible.
Click to expand...

I don't see a question where that applies. I'm pretty sure they know everyone would choose Brown over essentially any other school, so I don't think they need proof that you really want to go there.
 
Last edited:
I received the secondary this morning and just submitted. Good luck everyone!
 
CsHead said:
If you're clicking the link... make sure you type it in or text copy.
Click to expand...

Thanks bro @ceasefire Thanks for the information. I just think it'd be important to give reasons why you're applying to the specific school to show you're a good fit. I guess Brown feels other things are more important *shrug*
 
tak08810 said:
Thanks bro @ceasefire Thanks for the information. I just think it'd be important to give reasons why you're applying to the specific school to show you're a good fit. I guess Brown feels other things are more important *shrug*
Click to expand...

When my class year applied, one of the questions was a typical paraphrase of "Why Brown?"

My bet is that admissions was receiving mostly canned responses that didn't really reveal much about each applicant's character, motives, and attributes.

For the most part, your motivation to go to a particular school won't really play into that school's admissions decision until after you've made it through to the interview. As I'm sure most of you have already been told by peers, mentors, and pre-med advisers, if you have your heart set on a school and are lucky enough to interview there, be sure to state your intent in your thank you letters. Just be sure to be sincere and true to your word. Also, be kind and remember that a lot of hard work goes into the interview day and it is always nice to send thank you letters to involved individuals aside from just your interviewers.

Best of luck to those of you already done with your secondaries. When people start hearing about interviews, please feel free to pm me (fun fact: since my house has three med student apartments, there's always a decent chance you might be hosted here when you interview).
 
Is anyone else having trouble logging in to the secondary? I keep getting an Error message... I was able to log in and start my secondary yesterday and I'm ready to submit now but can't! I tried firefox and safari and get Error message in both browsers... Any ideas?
 
I couldn't figure out how to adjust the paragraph formatting, either! But I'm really happy I just submitted the secondary :D
 
Did anybody else get that packet of info on Brown med in the mail?
 
jhuskp said:
Did anybody else get that packet of info on Brown med in the mail?
Click to expand...

lol yes, got excited for no reason at all.. not even sure what I thought it might be. Accepted with no interview??? :p False hope.
 
I was verified on 7/16, but I'm yet to receive a secondary. How long did everyone else wait before getting an e-mail?
 
Having trouble getting back into the secondary to submit. Typed it in as well as tried copying it and pasting but no luck. Could someone else try opening the secondary app portal and let me know if its working for you or not? Thanks, I appreciate it.
 
CsHead said:
Down.
Click to expand...

Courtjester8 said:
Having trouble getting back into the secondary to submit. Typed it in as well as tried copying it and pasting but no luck. Could someone else try opening the secondary app portal and let me know if its working for you or not? Thanks, I appreciate it.
Click to expand...

Are you guys getting the, "An error occurred while processing your request. Please contact the help desk for assistance." message when you try to log in to the secondary portal? Seems as if the site is still down...... Frustrating. Trying to submit the secondary!
 
medicineman2015 said:
Are you guys getting the, "An error occurred while processing your request. Please contact the help desk for assistance." message when you try to log in to the secondary portal? Seems as if the site is still down...... Frustrating. Trying to submit the secondary!
Click to expand...

I only checked the site. I submitted a while ago and have not logged in since. It's back up again so I would try again earlier rather than later.
 
what kind of area is providence/the area surrounding brown? suburban?
 
eirrac said:
what kind of area is providence/the area surrounding brown? suburban?
Click to expand...


Straightforward answer: Providence proper is urban. The east side (which include college hill and the Brown undergrad campus) is urban in terms of density (most of the housing is triple decker homes built on compact lots but has a suburban tinge to it due to the greenery.

Longer answer:

Providence is kind of a chimera. The downtown area is certainly urban with plenty of eateries, cafes, shops, and clubs, not to mention the massive Providence Place mall (I'm not a huge fan of malls but I have to admit it's nicely designed with natural light streaming in through a glass ceiling). There's also waterplace park where they hold community concerts and where WaterFire kicks off from. The area around brown on the other hand (college hill) has a very different vibe in that it's mostly dense residential houses with plenty of parks and trees and a few thoroughfares dedicated to restaurants, indie cafes, used book stores, and other shops (Thayer St right next to the main campus is one and then there's Wickenden and Wayland sq which are both neighborhoods that med students tend to congregate around). West from downtown and across from 95, there's federal hill which is a lively residential area perhaps best known for its Italian restaurants. Then south of the city and across from 95 is Broad St which is a lower-income area where the RI Free Clinic is based, along with the RI Hospital not far away. The medical school building is in an area adjacent to downtown known as the Jewlery district. It's a former industrial area (warehouses and the such) that it trying to modernize. Brown has bought up a good deal of land there and has been making some significant investments. In between the med school and one of the research buildings Brown owns, they built a small park where they know hold a weekly farmers market (Providence has a good number of excellent food trucks that tend to stop by during the markets as well).

I grew up near Boston and went to undergrad in a rural area and I have to say I love living in Providence. It's fun, diverse, and compact. I like the fact that I can walk from my apartment on the east side (college hill and the adjacent neighborhoods) to anywhere in the city within 30 minutes. I also like that I can drive for 20 minutes and go swimming in the ocean and lay about on the beach or I can drive 50 minutes north to tromp around the blue hills or south to go down to the Newport cliffwalk, 1 hour to Boston, 2 hours to excellent hiking spots in NH or 3 hours to NYC. On top of that, it doesn't hurt that my rent is $425 monthly.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

wysdoc
2022-2023 Brown (Alpert)
6 7 8 9 10
Replies
461
Views
134K
chicagobears7517
C
wysdoc
2021-2022 Brown (Alpert)
4 5 6 7 8
Replies
361
Views
145K
jomiha
J
TheDataKing
2020-2021 Brown (Alpert)
7 8 9 10 11
Replies
507
Views
218K
soccer123456789
soccer123456789
PapaGuava
2019-2020 Brown (Alpert)
7 8 9 10 11
Replies
501
Views
165K
kkweens
kkweens
PapaGuava
  • Locked
  • Sticky
Looking for Previous Years Threads?
Replies
0
Views
18K
PapaGuava
PapaGuava
Top