Pros/con of PLME???

[doctor33]

Hi, I am a high school senior and plan on applying to PLME. If I get in, I was wondering what some pros/cons of the program is. Here is my list so far.
Pros-
-Guaranteed spot in Medical School
-No MCATs
-8 years (not accelareted)
-Ability to apply out if want a different medical school
-Open curriculum

Cons-
-8 years at one place
-Medical school not great

Also I want to wrestle in college so would I be able to if I did PLME; is the workload same as normal 4-year undergrad? Also when they say liberal curriculm what do they exactly mean? Finally how good is the Brown Medical School for primary care?

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[ocdp09]

if i was in your shoes, i would never see a con in plme...if you got in you would be very fortunate as compared to the rest of the 25000 med school applicants who study hard and take mcat to at least attempt to make it into med school

 

[szhao]

😀 con:

what if you find out you don't want to do medicine

just be sure on what you want to do, if your not sure, then being a doctor doesn't give enough compensation for you to hate life.

 

[jash0624]

Do it. The thing I regret most is not taking the chance to do the Penn State program because I wanted "more time in college".

 

[Construct]

The PLME program at Brown University is notoriously difficult to be accepted into. I remember some seriously top-notch students at my high school (1560+ SATS, 4.0 GPAs, amazing ECS) were instantly rejected when they applied in 2002-2003. I'd say go ahead and apply, but don't get your hopes up on getting in.

 

[doctor33]

Thanks a lot for all the advice. Does anybody know though if I would still be able to wrestle in college if I did PLME? By the way, I definetly know I want to be a doctor.

 

[searun]

For god's sake, you are in high school. You do not know what you want to do or be. Yes, go to college and be on the wrestling team, date some girls, drink some beers, take some literature courses. Pin a few guys on the mat on the wrestling team. Kick some ass with your college teammates. And forget this PLME bullsh*t. Take some science courses, and if you still want to go to med school, about 3 years from now, then get serious. But quit planning out your entire life when you are in high school, that is rediculous.

Searun

 

[jash0624]

For god's sake, you are in high school. You do not know what you want to do or be. Yes, go to college and be on the wrestling team, date some girls, drink some beers, take some literature courses. Pin a few guys on the mat on the wrestling team. Kick some ass with your college teammates. And forget this PLME bullsh*t. Take some science courses, and if you still want to go to med school, about 3 years from now, then get serious. But quit planning out your entire life when you are in high school, that is rediculous.

Searun

Some people decide what they want to do when they are 5 years old and stick with it.

To the OP, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to wrestle while in PLME, since it's not accelerated. I know a bunch of kids in non-accelerated BA/MD programs that do sports and they just manage their time really well to keep their grades up, just like normal pre-med kids.

 

[HumbleMD]

Depends on where the program is. I was contemplating doing it at one of my state schools, which isn't particularly well ranked. The entire application process has turned out fairly well, and I've been accepted at programs much better than the one I would have been locked into (and really didn't realize I wanted to go elsewhere until I got out and saw med schools on interviews). Also, the process truly taught me why I want to become a physician, rather than the simplistic reasoning I had out of high school. If you're dead set on that certain school (not just medicine in general) go PLME (and by the same logic to an Early Decision program too). Otherwise, give yourself some berathing room, and perhaps the option to do even better than you would at that school.

 

[MossPoh]

Do it. The thing I regret most is not taking the chance to do the Penn State program because I wanted "more time in college".

Yes but many of the people I know in that program are miserable or douchebags so I think you made the wise decision.lol Also, now the more time in college thing may suck but in 20 or 30 years you'll remember it as golden years. One of those things that it is hard to see till your out of it sometimes.

 

[71263]

I went through a BS/MD program (not PLME) and it was the BEST decision I ever made. I DID know that I wanted to do medicine then, just as well as I know I want to do it NOW (Im currently an M2). However, I also had certainty. If you have any doubts, than dont do it. If not, then go for it.

 

[LizzyM]

It is going to save you time, money and aggravation.

Unless you decide to go elsewhere, you won't need to prep for the MCAT, you won't spend hours completing the AMCAS and the supplemental applications, you won't shell out hundreds of dollars on application fees, prep class fees and MCAT fees, you won't need to buy an interview suit and arrange to skip classes to attend interviews. You won't loose sleep wondering if you'll get into med school.

If you change your mind, you still have a bachelor's degree from a good school and can apply to grad school or get a job, just as if you went to a regular 4 year program.

A liberal curriculum usually means a "liberal arts" curriculum which is to say that you study a broad range of subjects including Humanities, Social sciences , Natural sciences, and Physical education. You would focus on one area of study (called a "major") and, perhaps, take several courses in another subject area (called a "minor") as well as at least one or two courses in each of a number of categories (for example, your school may require one year of foreign language, one course in philosophy, at least two courses in the social sciences, etc). Liberal arts is different than an engineering school or polytechnic institute where almost all of the courses are in the basic and applied sciences.


In preparation for medical school you would required to take (in all likelihood) a year of Chemistry and a year of Organic Chemistry, a year of Biology, a year of Physics and a course in English. You might choose to major in one of these subjects or to take these courses in addition to whatever you choose for a major (you might choose Psychology, Economics, Spanish or Philosophy as a major).

Good luck.

 

[szhao]

If you change your mind, you still have a bachelor's degree from a good school and can apply to grad school or get a job, just as if you went to a regular 4 year program.

If it is a decent school go for it, haha if it isn't i would hesitate.

 

[stifler]

im glad i didnt go to brown for plme. until recently i found out that medicine isnt my passion. business is. i still read up on this board though because i do miss the art of helping people. anyways if you get into plme, you have done well. but choosing a career at age 18 is a bad idea for most ppl. you more or else bound yourself to medicine, given the tuition bill, you will stick with it.

 

[enigma85]

I think LizzyM has it nailed. Brown is definitely a great school.

Brown Medical School is not highly ranked for whatever reason, but its match list is incredible. Many students placed into top programs and very competitive specialities; Harvard, Penn, and the UCs are plastered all over it. http://bms.brown.edu/students/match/

The Princeton Review survey for 2006 found that Brown undergrads are the happiest among all colleges in America. Despite what searun may think, you will have plenty of opportunities to "date some girls, drink some beers, take some literature courses" at Brown. The PLME program allows for LOTS of coursework outside of the natural sciences. That's the whole point of the program. If you decide not to become a physician, an undergraduate degree in computer science or philosophy or whatever from Brown is still a great asset to have. Several students leave the program each year to enter graduate school, law school, research, etc. instead of continuing to Brown Medical School. I don't see any cons to the program unless you are worried about the cost. A lot of time, money, and headaches can be saved by this direct route to medical school.

As for wrestling, ask someone about it at Brown if you are accepted. Cheers!

 

[paranoid_eyes]

let me tell you something. if someone guaranteed me a seat in a med school id probably do close to anything to get that seat. I have a few friends who are in one of these programs and they have soooo much less stress than I do. I have to worry about grades while they need just a 3.3 to stay in the program. They dont need an mcat score, while i will have to waste an entire summer studying material i will not ever need for med school (physics). if you get in, who cares about the city or being there for 8 years. If you are 100% sure about medicine, and you make it in (which is hard), then GO!!

I also heard that you can actually work hard and do well in ur coursework, and do good on the mcat and apply to other medschools after your first 4 years. you will love the peace of mind that you're going to be an MD, but you could have a choice after you through with the application cycle. I know someone who was in the USC med program out of high school, but transferred to UCI (cost) after she finished her BA.

 

[MeBeans]

Hi, I am a high school senior and plan on applying to PLME. If I get in, I was wondering what some pros/cons of the program is. Here is my list so far.
Pros-
-Guaranteed spot in Medical School
-No MCATs
-8 years (not accelareted)
-Ability to apply out if want a different medical school
-Open curriculum

Cons-
-8 years at one place
-Medical school not great

Also I want to wrestle in college so would I be able to if I did PLME; is the workload same as normal 4-year undergrad? Also when they say liberal curriculm what do they exactly mean? Finally how good is the Brown Medical School for primary care?

How legally binding is the program?? Do you get a Bachelor's after the first four or five years?

If the answers are "not very" and "yes", then go for it. For any other variations, consider how you feel about the area and how much do you like the school.

 

[Law2Doc]

Some people decide what they want to do when they are 5 years old and stick with it.

Few people do this. At age 5, I wanted to drive a dump truck like the tonka toy I used to play with. Wasn't exactly close, was I.🙂 If you ask most people in their 20s if they were particularly well thought out at age 16-17, most would say not really. You become better at making decisions you will be happy with the better you know yourself, and you don't generally know yourself very well as a teen.
College is the time to explore life and decide what you want to do in it. It's best not to already be on a track, as that limits the degree of self exploration you are likely to do.

 

[searun]

Some people decide what they want to do when they are 5 years old and stick with it.

To the OP, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to wrestle while in PLME, since it's not accelerated. I know a bunch of kids in non-accelerated BA/MD programs that do sports and they just manage their time really well to keep their grades up, just like normal pre-med kids.

who begin taking gymnastics (or ice skating) at age 5 with the hope of making the Olympic team. A high percentage of these girls become anorexic and never have a period during their teen years. I watched an interesting documentary about this. Unless you are Mozart or Tiger Woods, it probably is not a good idea to program your entire life at 5 or even 17. My advice, just be a normal kid, you can still be a doctor, probably a better doctor in the long run.

Searun

 

[doctor33]

Thanks for all the replies. Going to brown won't be a cost factor for me; I should get awesome finacial aid because of our income. I don't see any cons in PLME so hopefully I can get in.

 

[Law2Doc]

I don't see any cons in PLME so hopefully I can get in.

There are cons in every decision. Not seeing them suggests willful blindness.

 

[szhao]

good luck to you!