To preface, I’m trying to do premed.
For Brown, I’m really attracted to the idea of its open curriculum and the freedom to explore a lot of my interests in college and to maybe even discover new ones. I also really like the sort of independent mentality that comes with that, as I feel like throughout high school I’ve kind of just been told what to study, which I feel like has really limited my intellectual agency. Along with that, when I toured Brown, I really liked the feeling there. One of my biggest requirements for a school is to have a really collaborative and anti-cutthroat environment (probably a reaction to my high school experience so far haha), and so I felt like Brown really fits that bill. It is also close to home (~1.5 hours)
I really like Duke for a lot of the same reasons I like Brown (collaborative, excellent academics, opportunities for clinical experience etc). What Duke has beyond Brown for me is a really spirited undergraduate experience. To me, Duke is kind of like a cult (in a good way lol), as I’ve also kind of been influenced by the status of Duke athletics and the culture that comes with that-something that my school has lacked severely. It’s also a lot further from home (10.5 hours drive), which I think could be good for me to grow up and get out of my northeast bubble.
For my grades this quarter, it’s mainly just been Physics C that has been a thorn at my side, because I’ve realized I’ve been studying and approaching the material wrong, which I hope my grade will even out by the end.