Brown vs. Dartmouth

[bombor10]

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⚔️ School X vs. Y

Hi all, I’m trying to decide between Brown and Dartmouth for medical school and could really use some help!

A Little About Me​

I want to enter the field of global health and possibly global surgery. My goal is to match in the MGB (Mass General Brigham) system in Boston. I love New England—I’ve lived in Boston for the past two years, and I’m happy for the opportunity to stay.

Dartmouth (Geisel School of Medicine)​

Pros:

1. Location – While this may be surprising, I absolutely love the outdoors. I’ve already been up to the Upper Valley, and it is stunning. I love skiing and hiking, and Hanover’s idyllic setting is perfect for that lifestyle. Many of the med students I met at their open house were very involved in outdoor activities. While it’s in a remote area, it’s not too far from Boston, and it seems like many students are involved in research there. Dartmouth also owns a ski resort, which I had the chance to try for the first time—it was awesome.
2. Clinical Rotation Sites – While Dartmouth-Hitchcock primarily serves a homogenous, rural patient population, the school is aware of this and offers rotations in places like San Francisco, Alaska, and even global sites like China, all with subsidized housing.
3. Match List – Dartmouth has a surprisingly strong match list, especially for general surgery. They have a consistent track record of students matching at MGH and Brigham.
4. Small Class Size – I went to a rural school with a small class and really came to appreciate that kind of learning environment.
5. Family Connection – My mom is currently interviewing for a library position at Dartmouth. She has made it to the final round, so there’s a good chance my parents could also be moving to Hanover.

Cons:

1. Location – While the natural beauty is a huge plus, Hanover is also very remote. The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is far from a bustling and diverse urban hospital.
2. Global Health Program – Compared to the average medical school, Dartmouth has a strong global health program, but it lacks the same level of funding and resources that Brown has. Students at the open house mentioned that the Global Health Scholars Program has become disorganized.
3. Facilities – While Geisel is right next to the undergraduate campus and med students have access to undergrad facilities, the actual med school facilities seem outdated.
4. Prestige – While Geisel is an excellent school, it seems to have slightly less name recognition than Brown.

Brown (Warren Alpert Medical School)​

Pros:

1. Global Health – Brown is one of the best schools in the country for global health opportunities. They have a well-organized Global Health Scholarly Concentration pipeline, making it easy to get involved.
2. Location – I’ve been to Providence a few times, and I like it a lot. I love smaller cities, and while I enjoy Boston, it can sometimes feel overwhelming since I grew up in a rural area. I often go down to Providence or Newport just to escape Boston. The proximity to Boston means I can keep up with my friends and even continue the research I’ve been doing with Harvard. I know a Brown med student who does research at MGH on weekends, so maintaining that connection is definitely possible.
3. Match List – Being closer to Boston, Brown has an even higher number of students matching in the MGH/Brigham system than Dartmouth.
4. Prestige – I think the Brown name carries slightly more weight than Dartmouth’s in medicine.
5. Facilities – While the med school is not attached to the undergrad campus like Geisel, Brown’s med school boasts state-of-the-art, brand-new facilities.

Cons:

1. Location – While Providence is cool, it’s not necessarily my favorite place, and it’s certainly less idyllic than the Upper Valley. Although, as you can tell, I probably overemphasize location in my decision-making.
2. Price – Both schools are insanely expensive, and I haven’t received my aid offers yet, but it seems like Brown will be marginally more expensive to attend.

Final Thoughts​

Given everything I’ve laid out, I’d love to hear everyone’s opinions. Are there factors I haven’t considered? Also I would love to hear the reason you would choose one school over the other completely disregarding my preferences. That could be quite eye-opening for me. I may be missing an obvious point, so I appreciate any insights. Thanks, everyone!