How hard is premed at Duke

eatsalot
Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:39:10 +0000

I’m premed here at Duke currently, so I’ll answer also.

I spend about 15-20 hours studying for pre-med classes (e.g., orgo, calc, etc). It’s definitely not easy, especially since most people around you are so ambitious and intelligent. But medical schools know this and realize that because of this, a Duke student’s GPA may be artificially low. Which brings me to my next point:

85-90% of students who apply to medical school from Duke are admitted. This is much, MUCH higher than the national average of ~47%. Duke has good classes, good professors, and smart students. It’s all a great combination that medical school admissions officers like to see.

I big reason I chose Duke over UCB/UCLA was for better medical school advising and preparation. ~47% (the national average) of UCB/UCLA students are admitted to medical school, which should say something… Going to UCB/UCLA for the sake of a better GPA will not necessarily be the best move in terms of going to medical school haha.