Duke vs Chapel Hill

...[]... · 01-24-2009, 05:20 PM

Duke has a better pre-med program and medical school but Carolina gives me quite a bit more credits based on my SAT I, SAT II, and AP scores.
I'm Hispanic so i think Carolina has a better community feeling for me, since it has a larger Hispanic population.
Duke has more undergraduate research opportunities but Carolina doesn't lag behind either...

Which one would you pick?

eadad · 01-25-2009, 11:32 AM

Duke and UNC are culturally and socially polar opposites.

Duke has a high number of people fom the northeast, hence the pejorative nickname "The State University of New Jersey at Durham, and overall is not as friendly and welcoming a place as UNC.

Understand that most med schools do not accept many of their undergrads and Duke is not an exception to this rule so attending Duke undergrad can actually work against you for admission to their Med school. Incidentally, admission to Duke med requires has a lot more pre-requisites than many other top med schools look at their website and pick up an AMCAS med school admissions guide so you can see and review just what each school requires.

There are plenty of undergrad research opportunities at UNC, you just have to look for them. There have been several posters on CC in the past who either were freshmen doing research or their parents.

You'll get actual AP credit for the course as if you have taken them at UNC and unless I am wrong, Duke only gives course advancement. For med school that would mean having to take more upper division Bio and Chem classes than required if at Duke; why do that?

My S graduated from UNC in May. He is currently an MS 1 at a top ten med school. He entered UNC with 43 AP credits which allowed him to by pass intro level Bio and Chem (among others) which notoriously at most schools tend to be huge weed-out classes with very strict grading curves. It also allowed him to be in all upper division classes by second semester freshman year which kept his class sizes and exposure to TAs down. In his circle of friends, three others are now in med school with one at Harvard, one at Georgetown and one at UNC (she was an in-state Med School double legacy).

Duke may have an edge in formal pre med advising and I believe also has advisers who write letters of recommendation as part of their advising program which UNC does not have. That said, I still think UNC can prepare you well for any med school.

Unless you are a Hispanic from a prep school background and very wealthy family I think you will find the fit at UNC to be more to your liking.

Don't forget the cost differential;my S turned down Yale to attend UNC on a merit scholarship and graduate debt free. Med school is very expensive and it is a LONG time before you make any money of consequence.

Good luck!

...[]... · 01-25-2009, 01:05 PM

Thank you for the information

I still have some doubts though...

I was looking at getting a Chemistry major with a Biochemistry focus. I looked at the programs at both Duke and UNC, and it really looks like Duke's is better, once you take into account what classes they require and that many of those classes are held at the medical school, and are available to undergrads.

If I were to get into both I really don't know where I would decide to go. I have high chances of getting into both so I figured I should start worrying about deciding...

I appreciate the info though

Thanks

macunix · 04-04-2009, 09:05 PM

I have a similar question. My DS has won the OOS Carolina Scholar award - basically a full-ride at UNC Chapel Hill. He also has admission to Duke University with a 18K university grant, 1.5K work study and 5K loan leaving me with an annual contribution of 18K. He wants to do an MD/PhD - wants to study molecular biology and go into research. What would be the best option? Would Duke provide him with more opportunities after the undergraduate degree? Are opportunities at Duke far more than they would be at UNC Chapel Hill? Anyone have any ideas about what advantage there is being a Carolina scholar regarding choosing classes at UNC and later for graduate school? Are the two schools comparable given this economy and the fact the UNC is going through layoffs? Will classes increase phenomenonally?

lockn · 04-04-2009, 09:18 PM

Duke is absolutely one of the best pre-med schools out there (top five or so). Duke pre-meds also have a higher acceptance rate to Duke Med than the general applicant pool (this may just be a function of the strength of the applicants).

However, offsetting the cost of medical school with that full ride for undergrad makes it hard to say.

eadad · 04-09-2009, 01:12 PM

Duke's acceptance numbers also reflect heavy pre-screening and forced dissuading of weaker applicants from applying. This is done by the pre med committee not writing a letter of recommendation which is required by med schools from the schools that do offer them; not all schools do.

Duke has an excellent pre med program but it is much more of a pressure cooker as well. Don't undervalue that aspect of things.

Lastly, free ride vs $72K minimum. Since I already know from personal experience that UNC grads get into top med schools and give the fact that your son has been accepted to Duke and gotten a Carolina scholarship at UNC, I don't foresee him becoming a slacker or not being a high achiever.

Save the $72 K to help him with med school where he will be forced to take loans that can leave him in debt in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It will be a long time before he'll have any meaningful income and then having to face those huge loans????

Selah · 05-02-2009, 09:56 PM

Lockn: "Duke is absolutely one of the best pre-med schools out there (top five or so)."

Lockn: In your opinion, what are the best five pre-med schools?

frenchhorngirl · 06-05-2009, 10:57 PM

eadad: i don't know where you are getting any of your information. my sister goes to Duke and she's saying the exact opposite of what you are saying -- compared to many other schools, Duke is much less of a pressure cooker, because the students are willing to work together, help eachother out, are nice, and NEVER try to hurt others to better themselves. Duke has definitely one of THE BEST research opportunities for pre-med, especially with a first class medical center right next door.

Selah: according to USnews, the top 5 med schools are: 1. harvard 2. johns hopkins 3. washington university in st. louis and upenn (tied) 5. duke and stanford.