Brown vs Duke - premed

DDClass25
Wed, 12 May 2021 20:49:15 +0000

DD just got off Brown waitlist. Her current committed school is Duke. There is virtually no difference in financial aid. Which school is her best option?

DD is planning to do pre-med. She knew that Duke has a pretty strong pre-med program. But we heard that 1/3 of freshmen in Duke is pre-med, but only 250 eventually apply to medical school, so there may be quite some weed-out. On the other hand, Brown is known to have GPA inflation, so this will be better for medical school application?

Duke has better weather. Is weather in Brown terribly bad? We are from west coast and used to warm weather.

If DD changes her mind, will Duke or Brown be better for other options?

DD plays string instrument. Will she have a better experience in Brown or Duke campus?

Duke generally ranks better, but fit might be much more important for DD. We care about following in the order of priority:

1. Her future career (premed for now, possible plan B)

2. Alumni network support (will alumni networks of other Ivy school help for Brown graduates?)

3. Her happiness in the next 4 years

4. School location

5. School spirit

6. Weather

We had visited Brown before, but never visited Duke. Will a campus visit help?

Any feedback is highly appreciated.