Need Advice! Brown vs RU-NJMS 7 yr BA/MD

[MrRazzz]

I’ve been lucky enough to be admitted to Brown University (rejected from PLME) and the 7 year BA/MD program at Rutgers University Newark-NJMS. This is a really tough decision and has me stumped at the moment. Here's a pro con list I’ve thought of…

Brown (undergrad)
Pros:

• Strong connections with research professors and doctors due to close hospital proximity + Warren Alpert Medical School
• Not cutthroat environment, ‘easier’ 4.0 due to heavy grade inflation; academic rigor “shouldn’t” be too bad
• Strong community w/ undergrad centered focus (highly collaborative and student-centered institution)
• Excellent rooming + location (Providence)
• Better overall college experience?
• Ivy League brand name + connections

Cons:

• COST: 83k annually! I don’t qualify for need-based aid but come on Brown… I got medical school + residency to pay for and live through
• Must go through traditional premed route and accept stresses of MCAT + medical school application process
• Potential to end up back in NJMS anyway (or worse) or even being forced to take a gap year (really don’t want to do this)... Essentially, I would want to make Brown ‘worth it’ by getting into a T20 med school
• 1 more year in UG (minimum) compared to RU

RU-NJMS BA/MD
Pros:

• Extremely low stress environment (3.5ish GPA, Low MCAT), conditional acceptance to med school
• FULL RIDE for undergrad + in-state tuition for NJMS (maybe 40k-ish annually for NJMS)
• More time to explore hobbies + pursue med EC’s for my own interest (rather than padding an app)
• Complete UG + med school in only 7 years
• <1 hr from home

Cons:

• Midtier state school + med school
• Location--it’s newark, no way around it
• Community (I heard RU-Newark is more of a commuter school compared to other state schools)
• Commitment to the same location + losing opportunity to consider other medical schools
• Losing the traditional college experience?

**I am confident that I want to be a physician, and I’m looking into pursuing more competitive specialities (surgery, radiology). Brown was my dream school (ED but was deferred and accepted RD) but now given this other great option and Brown’s cost, it’s hard for me to quickly turn to the ivy league. Thank you so much for your time! I’d really appreciate some insight and opinions into either decision!**

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[Osminog]

If you’re 100% sure you want to do medicine and have zero desire to even consider any other career path, Rutgers is the easy choice. If you can see yourself exploring other career options while in college and possibly changing your mind, then go to Brown.