Brown vs. Rochester

[futurehealthcarecompanion]

Hello! Long time lurker here. Grateful to be in a position of having options. As the deadline looms, I am having difficulty making my decision, and I would love some insight on Warren Alpert (Brown) and Rochester. I found during my interviews the two schools to be very similar and enjoyed both. Unfortunately, I am not in the position to attend Second Looks.

As a bit of background, I have an interest in understanding medicine from both global health and public health perspectives and a desire to work with underserved populations. Interested in possibly pursuing dual MD/MPH. I strongly believe in developing advocacy through the medical lens and would love to attend a school where students are encouraged to understand medicine outside the context of clinical work. I do not yet have financial aid information so COA is not yet a consideration.

Brown
Pros

• Liberal environment
• Diverse patient population
• Urban
• Emphasis on serving underserved populations
• Diverse student body
• Only medical school in the state
• An hour away by train from Boston
• Ivy League recognition

Cons

• Cold
• Was told by students that Brown does not own the teaching hospitals - bureaucratic issues?
• No established MD/MPH program (there was an emphasis on their Primary Care-Population Medicine program which they said was similar but you graduate with a different degree)

Rochester
Pros

• Diverse patient population
• Urban
• Emphasis on serving underserved populations
• Diverse student body
• Birthplace of biopsychosocial model
• Different pathways: Latino Health, Deaf, Global Health, etc.
• Recognized as great place for medical education
• MD/MPH program

Cons

• Cold
• When I interviewed, it was dark outside by early afternoon
• Relatively isolated (surrounded by lots of farmland)
• Mandatory classes (could also be pro - more [required] interactions with classmates?)

It's a bit neck-in-neck in terms of pros and cons for both schools, so I am struggling to decide. Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much for your help!

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[Welshman]

I'm on the WL at both schools but it seems like Roch might be a better fit for you. If you really value understanding disease outside of the clinical setting, you've literally described the biopsychosocial model lol. This is something that is built into their mission, curriculum and that the faculty embodies. On the other hand, Brown didnt seem to focus too heavily on this outside of the fact that its student body is heavily involved in social work. Also, another plus for roch is that you can get your MPH, which is slightly different from the PCPM program (pretty sure you would know if you were accepted to it by now).

this is just what I've gathered from interviewing at both schools, seems like roch is the better option for your interests though both are similar

 

[Jimmer14]

Both solid options here. From what you've wrote, it sounds like the MD/MPH is really important to you and that Rochester can definitely make that happen. I think you're right on with the fact that Brown doesn't own their own hospitals, and that comes with potentially difficulty retaining/recruiting the best docs. I thought Rochester's focus on biopsychosocial model was also really cool personally imo. Given that, I think Rochester might be slightly better fit.

 

[DSM_302.0]

I don't know anything about Rochester, and I'm on the WL at Brown, but I *loved* Brown. I'd go there