2011-2012 Brown University Application Thread

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Brown received my AMCAS 18 June, my MCAT 20 June, my secondary 30 June, and my letters were marked received 8 July. My letters were complete with AMCAS on June 1st, and Brown was marked when I submitted. I guess it just takes them a little while.

Awesome, thanks for the reply. I'm about a week behind you in terms of submitting the secondary, but it seems like I'm pretty far behind you for the letters. No big deal, I'll just be patient 🙁
 
Awesome, thanks for the reply. I'm about a week behind you in terms of submitting the secondary, but it seems like I'm pretty far behind you for the letters. No big deal, I'll just be patient 🙁


No kidding. I tell myself that all the time. This whole process is an exercise in patience. It's hard to sit around and wait.
 
I'm pretty sure they are rolling.

Whoops, I meant "not non-rolling" but my internal secondary grammar correction machine realized that's a double negative and forgot to take out the "non" -- I scoured the website and it is indeed rolling. Only reason I'm doing this secondary before previously received ones that are non-rolling.

Oy. This process is making me delusional.
 
I got the emails for my username/password for the website to check my status.

They have recieved all of my stuff.
 
If you believe that you have demonstrated competence in these disciplines in an alternative manner, please describe below the relevant
coursework, individualized study, research, or employment. If you believe that you have fulfilled competency through a standardized examination
such as Advanced Placement or the SAT II, please list below the name, date and score of the exam(s) that you wish to substitute in
lieu of a premedical course.

Hey guys,
What did you answer for this question? I don't quite understand. I don't want to use any AP credits because I took all the basic science classes in my university. I already mentioned about research and my employment in other question which asks you what makes you good fit for warren. Does anyone have any idea? Thank you.
 
If you fulfilled all your pre-reqs through regular university courses, leave it blank. if you're like some of us and didn't take a calculus class in college, this is where you'd say that you got a 4 or 5 or whatever on the AP calculus exam and that's how you demonstrated competence for that pre-req.
 
If you fulfilled all your pre-reqs through regular university courses, leave it blank. if you're like some of us and didn't take a calculus class in college, this is where you'd say that you got a 4 or 5 or whatever on the AP calculus exam and that's how you demonstrated competence for that pre-req.

Oh I get it. Thank you! 🙂
 
Quick question, are you using all 6500 characters on the supplemental question, because I am just not in a 3 page paper writing mode after doing so many other secondaries, and mine is like only 3700 characters, and I think I want to shorten it since I am just in that mode.
 
Quick question, are you using all 6500 characters on the supplemental question, because I am just not in a 3 page paper writing mode after doing so many other secondaries, and mine is like only 3700 characters, and I think I want to shorten it since I am just in that mode.

If you feel that you have adequately answered the question then it's long enough.
 
Did anybody get close to the 6,500 characters and have only around 5,700 show up? I'm ready to submit but the PDF preview is definitely not showing everything.
 
I just got a snail mail invite to complete the secondary. I was complete a week ago haha.

It also had a big folder with a bunch of stuff about the med school in it.
 
I just got a snail mail invite to complete the secondary. I was complete a week ago haha.

It also had a big folder with a bunch of stuff about the med school in it.

Same....I couldn't help but think that the new Alpert building looked a bit like the outside of Fenway Park haha
 
Same....I couldn't help but think that the new Alpert building looked a bit like the outside of Fenway Park haha

True.

I knew it wasn't an interview invite but I couldn't help from getting my hopes up. It didn't help that I didn't see anything about a snail mail packet in last years thread.
 
True.

I knew it wasn't an interview invite but I couldn't help from getting my hopes up. It didn't help that I didn't see anything about a snail mail packet in last years thread.


Ahh, yeah, that and I wasn't complete yet, so I figured it was just an info packet :/
 
I actually really liked that Brown sent us a nice viewbook type thing. It was pretty classy 🙂 I heart my alma mater...hopefully she loves me back for medical school.
 
I submitted my secondary last night. I would like to go to this school.
 
Did anybody get close to the 6,500 characters and have only around 5,700 show up? I'm ready to submit but the PDF preview is definitely not showing everything.

Yes, I am having the same problem. The counter says I have about 500 characters left, but the PDF preview leaves off the last paragraph or so.
 
Yes, I am having the same problem. The counter says I have about 500 characters left, but the PDF preview leaves off the last paragraph or so.

That happened to me when I was doing hard returns between paragraphs. When I went back and hit return once instead of twice between paragraphs it all fit on the page. maybe give that a try?
 
I received the secondary a month ago and have been on the fence about applying since they fill their class with so many people from their combined undergraduate program. Have I held on to this secondary too long for it to be worth sending in? I have ~3.7/35, thanks for any advice!
 
I received the secondary a month ago and have been on the fence about applying since they fill their class with so many people from their combined undergraduate program. Have I held on to this secondary too long for it to be worth sending in? I have ~3.7/35, thanks for any advice!

If you're into Brown, I'd still go for it. I don't think they have a strict guideline regarding secondary turnaround time.
 
If you're into Brown, I'd still go for it. I don't think they have a strict guideline regarding secondary turnaround time.

I'm pretty sure they're also expanding the incoming class to over 100 students due to the new medical school building they built so chances are slightly better this year.
 
I applied to higher ranked schools than Brown but, to be completely honest, I am most excited about this school. Very unique program that I think would suit me.

I submitted secondary on 7/27 and just got the email with my username and pass yesterday (8/11). I guess they must be backed up. Apparently they didnt receive my letters until Aug 2nd even though they were uploaded to AMCAS back on June 1st. Not sure how that could be...

In any case.... for Brown, I'm willing to wait 🙂
 
I still haven't received my username and password 🙁 I hope it comes soon! This is one of my top choices! I submitted on 7/28 though, so I guess I will have to be patient.
 
I submitted my AMCAS in early June and got the e-mail in June that they would send a secondary invitation soon, but it never came so I never got the PIN and password. Do they screen and does that mean I got screened out? Should I even bother completing this secondary or have they rejected me but are just hoping I will throw them $100?
 
I submitted my AMCAS in early June and got the e-mail in June that they would send a secondary invitation soon, but it never came so I never got the PIN and password. Do they screen and does that mean I got screened out? Should I even bother completing this secondary or have they rejected me but are just hoping I will throw them $100?

Why not just go to their ApplyYourself page? They don't send you a PIN/pw in the invite email, if I remember correctly, and if you've already applied to another school using the same service (Hopkins, Georgetown, etc), you can just use that PIN/pw to access Brown's app. You should have received an invitation (no screening), but it sounds like the that email just got lost in cyberspace. Besides, if they really wanted that $100, they would have sent you the invite...

If you'll feel safer calling the admissions office, I hear they're pretty responsive.
 
I don't think they screen. You should probably contact them about that.

Why not just go to their ApplyYourself page? They don't send you a PIN/pw in the invite email, if I remember correctly, and if you've already applied to another school using the same service (Hopkins, Georgetown, etc), you can just use that PIN/pw to access Brown's app. You should have received an invitation (no screening), but it sounds like the that email just got lost in cyberspace. Besides, if they really wanted that $100, they would have sent you the invite...

If you'll feel safer calling the admissions office, I hear they're pretty responsive.

I e-mailed them and they just said there were instructions to start it in that first e-mail (which I saw, I just figured I would prioritize the applications that actually gave me everything I needed). Also, I tried my ApplyYourself PIN/pw from my Georgetown application, but it won't work. I guess I'll just make a new one for Brown. Thanks for the advice!
 
I e-mailed them and they just said there were instructions to start it in that first e-mail (which I saw, I just figured I would prioritize the applications that actually gave me everything I needed). Also, I tried my ApplyYourself PIN/pw from my Georgetown application, but it won't work. I guess I'll just make a new one for Brown. Thanks for the advice!

Hm, maybe it's because Georgetown creates a PIN/pw for you. I think I used my Hopkins info, and it worked. I believe it was Brown that explicitly stated on the AppYourself front page that you could use other AppYourself usernames. But yay, you found it. G'luck!
 
Any current Brown students out there who can speak on their Brown experience? What's it like to have so many LPMEs? Is it very cliquey?
 
talked to admissions on the phone today:

she said:

1. invitations for interviews should be going out in a week.
2. applications are reviewed in the order they are received and no EDP or preference to state residency for viewing of applications
3. they have received lots of applications + are switching software currently so they are very backed up but everything should get going in a week
 
talked to admissions on the phone today:

she said:

1. invitations for interviews should be going out in a week.
2. applications are reviewed in the order they are received and no EDP or preference to state residency for viewing of applications
3. they have received lots of applications + are switching software currently so they are very backed up but everything should get going in a week


Thanks!!
 
I was accepted to PLME as a senior in high school, was an idiot, and declined the offer in favor of going to Harvard for undergrad. Then I proceeded to not do so well at Harvard (3.55 science gpa, 4.0 non-science, 3.75 overall, 36 MCAT).

Now I'm sitting here hoping that a high MCAT and an interesting story will bail out a low science GPA, and that some medical school somewhere will take me. I'm also kicking myself so, so hard for not accepting PLME when I had the chance.

Some of my experiences are "different," and I have taken time off to get "real life experience." I've also somehow ended up labeled as an under-represented minority.

But how diverse is diverse enough? Since Brown is Brown, it seems I'll be competing with everyone who considers themselves diverse.

What do you think, guys, will they'll put any stock in the fact that they accepted me into PLME five years ago? Should I remind them of this fact, i.e. in the "competence" section?

;____;
 
I was accepted to PLME as a senior in high school, was an idiot, and declined the offer in favor of going to Harvard for undergrad. Then I proceeded to not do so well at Harvard (3.55 science gpa, 4.0 non-science, 3.75 overall, 36 MCAT).

Now I'm sitting here hoping that a high MCAT and an interesting story will bail out a low science GPA, and that some medical school somewhere will take me. I'm also kicking myself so, so hard for not accepting PLME when I had the chance.

Some of my experiences are "different," and I have taken time off to get "real life experience." I've also somehow ended up labeled as an under-represented minority.

But how diverse is diverse enough? Since Brown is Brown, it seems I'll be competing with everyone who considers themselves diverse.

What do you think, guys, will they'll put any stock in the fact that they accepted me into PLME five years ago? Should I remind them of this fact, i.e. in the "competence" section?

;____;

Um, I did the exact same thing...well, kinda..except I attended Brown for 4 years first and then decided to not go on in favor of PA school. I probably wouldn't remind them at this point since you never went. I personally called up my former adviser to let her know that I was coming back to MD after being outside of school for 5 years and she encouraged me to apply (after I explained my situation). My gpa is close to yours but mcat is only 31. again, they look for intelligence (which to me, you've demonstrated) and then they look at your life experiences and you're commitment to the human condition (volunteering, etc).
 
Heh. I'm worried that what my numbers will tell them is: this person can read and write papers really well. (I also somehow scored a T on the MCAT writing section). But she can't beat the curve for **** in science courses.

Guess which aspect of academic aptitude they care about in med school.

But thanks a lot for the encouragement!
 
i took most of my pre-reqs pass/fail if it makes you feel any better. your GPA is not bad and honestly, of all the "higher" tier schools, Brown is the most likely to overlook a B here and there. Your MCAT shows that you know your sciences well.
 
Wow, you're actually allowed to take prerequisites pass/fail?

Honestly, for me it's probably a learning style thing. My performance on tests seems to be hit and miss, especially at Harvard where simply mastering the material isn't enough; you have to be able to do mental gymnastics with it on tests, and you have to do it better and faster than 200 other representatives of the nation's best and brightest in order to get your A. Honestly, GPA is a frustrating means of assessment because an A at an Ivy is nowhere close to comparable to an A at Ohio State (no offense of Ohio State, of course). Although I was very surprised by my MCAT score, multiple choice is a lot easier than producing a page's worth of relativity calculations or an obscure orgo-chem synthesis from scratch.

I do a lot better in contexts with an "alternative" means of assessment. Hopefully they'll notice that once I got past the large intro classes and into smaller, more specialized upper-level seminars, I started to do a whole lot better. It seems like Brown advertises that tests are not the only way it likes to do assessment. I should add that to my "fit" essay before I turn it in, maybe.
 
I was accepted to PLME as a senior in high school, was an idiot, and declined the offer in favor of going to Harvard for undergrad. Then I proceeded to not do so well at Harvard (3.55 science gpa, 4.0 non-science, 3.75 overall, 36 MCAT).

Now I'm sitting here hoping that a high MCAT and an interesting story will bail out a low science GPA, and that some medical school somewhere will take me. I'm also kicking myself so, so hard for not accepting PLME when I had the chance.

Some of my experiences are "different," and I have taken time off to get "real life experience." I've also somehow ended up labeled as an under-represented minority.

But how diverse is diverse enough? Since Brown is Brown, it seems I'll be competing with everyone who considers themselves diverse.

What do you think, guys, will they'll put any stock in the fact that they accepted me into PLME five years ago? Should I remind them of this fact, i.e. in the "competence" section?

;____;

??????😕??????
 
I was accepted to PLME as a senior in high school, was an idiot, and declined the offer in favor of going to Harvard for undergrad. Then I proceeded to not do so well at Harvard (3.55 science gpa, 4.0 non-science, 3.75 overall, 36 MCAT).

Now I'm sitting here hoping that a high MCAT and an interesting story will bail out a low science GPA, and that some medical school somewhere will take me. I'm also kicking myself so, so hard for not accepting PLME when I had the chance.

Some of my experiences are "different," and I have taken time off to get "real life experience." I've also somehow ended up labeled as an under-represented minority.

But how diverse is diverse enough? Since Brown is Brown, it seems I'll be competing with everyone who considers themselves diverse.

What do you think, guys, will they'll put any stock in the fact that they accepted me into PLME five years ago? Should I remind them of this fact, i.e. in the "competence" section?

;____;

Yeah, bud. You have to start being more upbeat and optimistic. With those stats and by virtue of going to Harvard you'll get in somewhere good. No use crying over spilled milk, right? Look on the bright side - you got a Harvard education!
 
Interview Invite today!! So, so excited!! 😀
MDapps has my stats.... I was complete 19 July. I got it via email today. Any other questions, let me know.
 
Interview Invite today!! So, so excited!! 😀
MDapps has my stats.... I was complete 19 July. I got it via email today. Any other questions, let me know.

Congratulations! Just a quick question: when listing the course, does college mean the school you attend or the college that offers the class such as the college of science and engineering or the college business, etc?
 
Congratulations! Just a quick question: when listing the course, does college mean the school you attend or the college that offers the class such as the college of science and engineering or the college business, etc?

Thanks!
I listed the college/university I took the courses at (or was attending at the time). The overall institution, not the College of Engineering or anything, but rather Amherst College or University of Michigan.
 
For anyone who is complete: how long did it take for Brown to receive/process your letters? Mine were uploaded to AMCAS 8/2 and still haven't been marked as received. Wondering if this is normal or if I should call...
 
For anyone who is complete: how long did it take for Brown to receive/process your letters? Mine were uploaded to AMCAS 8/2 and still haven't been marked as received. Wondering if this is normal or if I should call...

Brown received my AMCAS 18 June, my MCAT 20 June, my secondary 30 June, and my letters were marked received 8 July. My letters were complete with AMCAS on June 1st, and Brown was marked when I submitted. I guess it just takes them a little while.
 
I received an interview invite today. stoked! I wish you all the best.
 
If you get an interview invite, can you please post when you were complete to help the rest of us waiting? 🙂
Also, what time are you getting your emails? Thanks!!
 
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