2014-2015 Duke University Application Thread

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These are my pros/cons for Duke after interviewing. I wonder if anyone could help talk through why my "cons" could be short sighted:

pros:
Will get you where you want to go professionally like no other schools.
Massive room for flexibility and shaping of 3rd yr
Amazing facilities and research powerhouse

cons:
No free time, and when you do have free time great, you're in small town North Carolina
Little room for oddballs and weird personalities: sports-crazed undergrad seeps into med school culture?? Tour guides were total bros, which is fine and they were super nice/enthusiastic, but that's not me you know?

Tour guides were all like "yeah the med students here are the coolest and best part of the duke experience" but that wasn't something I saw first hand. Were they all studying?

In sum: I want a med school where I can occasionally put on my real world clothes (like this http://cdn12.lbstatic.nu/files/looks/large/2014/10/20/4094599_cdcdcdcd5.jpg but without those super sweet like, cordovan double monk boots), go to a show, eat some weird food, and talk about beer and art rock with other students. I wonder if Duke is the place, and I wonder if anyone else has thought about these things...
 
Bovary said:
These are my pros/cons for Duke after interviewing. I wonder if anyone could help talk through why my "cons" could be short sighted:

pros:
Will get you where you want to go professionally like no other schools.
Massive room for flexibility and shaping of 3rd yr
Amazing facilities and research powerhouse

cons:
No free time, and when you do have free time great, you're in small town North Carolina
Little room for oddballs and weird personalities: sports-crazed undergrad seeps into med school culture?? Tour guides were total bros, which is fine and they were super nice/enthusiastic, but that's not me you know?

Tour guides were all like "yeah the med students here are the coolest and best part of the duke experience" but that wasn't something I saw first hand. Were they all studying?

In sum: I want a med school where I can occasionally put on my real world clothes (like this http://cdn12.lbstatic.nu/files/looks/large/2014/10/20/4094599_cdcdcdcd5.jpg but without those super sweet like, cordovan double monk boots), go to a show, eat some weird food, and talk about beer and art rock with other students. I wonder if Duke is the place, and I wonder if anyone else has thought about these things...
Click to expand...

I lived in Durham about two summers ago, and while I was only there for several months, I found there was plenty to do in my free time. PM me if you want more details, but while you might want to move somewhere else after 4 years, the research triangle has more than enough stuff to keep you occupied for four years, I believe. 🙂
 
Bovary said:
These are my pros/cons for Duke after interviewing. I wonder if anyone could help talk through why my "cons" could be short sighted:

pros:
Will get you where you want to go professionally like no other schools.
Massive room for flexibility and shaping of 3rd yr
Amazing facilities and research powerhouse

cons:
No free time, and when you do have free time great, you're in small town North Carolina
Little room for oddballs and weird personalities: sports-crazed undergrad seeps into med school culture?? Tour guides were total bros, which is fine and they were super nice/enthusiastic, but that's not me you know?

Tour guides were all like "yeah the med students here are the coolest and best part of the duke experience" but that wasn't something I saw first hand. Were they all studying?

In sum: I want a med school where I can occasionally put on my real world clothes (like this http://cdn12.lbstatic.nu/files/looks/large/2014/10/20/4094599_cdcdcdcd5.jpg but without those super sweet like, cordovan double monk boots), go to a show, eat some weird food, and talk about beer and art rock with other students. I wonder if Duke is the place, and I wonder if anyone else has thought about these things...
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As someone who has lived in the Raleigh-Durham area for a significant portion of my life, I'm hoping I can answer some of your concerns.
I know Durham may not seem huge, but I wouldn't call the area small town North Carolina. Durham has a great food scene, including a growing craft beer scene. Durham, and the neighboring Chapel Hill, are great communities with vibrant arts and music scenes. There are a ton of great shows you can go to. Downtown Durham and downtown Chapel Hill (look up Franklin Street) have a ton of cool, trendy, and diverse food options catering towards all kinds of crowds.
 
Bovary said:
These are my pros/cons for Duke after interviewing. I wonder if anyone could help talk through why my "cons" could be short sighted:

pros:
Will get you where you want to go professionally like no other schools.
Massive room for flexibility and shaping of 3rd yr
Amazing facilities and research powerhouse

cons:
No free time, and when you do have free time great, you're in small town North Carolina
Little room for oddballs and weird personalities: sports-crazed undergrad seeps into med school culture?? Tour guides were total bros, which is fine and they were super nice/enthusiastic, but that's not me you know?

Tour guides were all like "yeah the med students here are the coolest and best part of the duke experience" but that wasn't something I saw first hand. Were they all studying?

In sum: I want a med school where I can occasionally put on my real world clothes (like this http://cdn12.lbstatic.nu/files/looks/large/2014/10/20/4094599_cdcdcdcd5.jpg but without those super sweet like, cordovan double monk boots), go to a show, eat some weird food, and talk about beer and art rock with other students. I wonder if Duke is the place, and I wonder if anyone else has thought about these things...
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting this. Lacking travel experience in the US, I don't have an idea of what it would be like to live in most of the other places outside the New England area. Being a super non trad, I would be concerned of having similar issues. I haven't gotten a II yet, I wonder if the school have similar concern when they look at my experience and go like "ugh, she doesn't sound like a bad candidate but she might have trouble enjoying what we have to offer". But then again, I love new experiences and after 3 decades in urban environment, time for change.
 
Friendly_female_house said:
Thanks for posting this. Lacking travel experience in the US, I don't have an idea of what it would be like to live in most of the other places outside the New England area. Being a super non trad, I would be concerned of having similar issues. I haven't gotten a II yet, I wonder if the school have similar concern when they look at my experience and go like "ugh, she doesn't sound like a bad candidate but she might have trouble enjoying what we have to offer". But then again, I love new experiences and after 3 decades in urban environment, time for change.
Click to expand...

You should probably listen to the last two posters more than to me, since I don't know anything really about the area.

Thanks for the responses @ you two who've spent time in Durham.
 
I went to the Chipotle dinner the night before, and I actually found that a lot of the students were very nerdy/quirky. I didn't really meet any "bros" on my interview day, so I think it just goes to show that sometimes you get a small subset of the school. I suppose this is why second looks are important!
 
gettheleadout said:
Okay, I've interviewed here already. WHAT CHIPOTLE DINNER?? I was never informed of any such thing.
Click to expand...

RDubz sent it out a few days after the interview confirmation. It's possible that you might've interviewed too early!
 
As to your con--I actually found that the students had more free time than any other students I've met yet. They studied for about 2-3 hrs/night. It's possible that I only talked to the super geniuses, but I definitely got the chill vibe from more than one student. Also they seemed to always be doing road trips or camping out for tickets or other cool things. Definitely felt like they had plenty of time and the options to have some fun.

On one hand I of course don't want everyone to love the school as much as I do, but I would hate for you to turn it down because of a specific experience.

Bovary said:
These are my pros/cons for Duke after interviewing. I wonder if anyone could help talk through why my "cons" could be short sighted:

pros:
Will get you where you want to go professionally like no other schools.
Massive room for flexibility and shaping of 3rd yr
Amazing facilities and research powerhouse

cons:
No free time, and when you do have free time great, you're in small town North Carolina
Little room for oddballs and weird personalities: sports-crazed undergrad seeps into med school culture?? Tour guides were total bros, which is fine and they were super nice/enthusiastic, but that's not me you know?

Tour guides were all like "yeah the med students here are the coolest and best part of the duke experience" but that wasn't something I saw first hand. Were they all studying?

In sum: I want a med school where I can occasionally put on my real world clothes (like this http://cdn12.lbstatic.nu/files/looks/large/2014/10/20/4094599_cdcdcdcd5.jpg but without those super sweet like, cordovan double monk boots), go to a show, eat some weird food, and talk about beer and art rock with other students. I wonder if Duke is the place, and I wonder if anyone else has thought about these things...
Click to expand...
 
estanton said:
As to your con--I actually found that the students had more free time than any other students I've met yet. They studied for about 2-3 hrs/night. It's possible that I only talked to the super geniuses, but I definitely got the chill vibe from more than one student. Also they seemed to always be doing road trips or camping out for tickets or other cool things. Definitely felt like they had plenty of time and the options to have some fun.

On one hand I of course don't want everyone to love the school as much as I do, but I would hate for you to turn it down because of a specific experience.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Maybe you visited early enough in the school year that the M1s weren't so busy yet? It seemed that at first M1s don't work super hard, but then the curriculum really accelerates at the end of the first block.
 
no insight to the student culture at Duke, but I would not consider this some rural small town... and I'm from around NYC [I'm familiar with the Durham area because I have relatives here]
 
Hope I can help answer some of your questions / address some of your concerns!

1. Our class is incredibly diverse. I mean that not only in the standard sense of the word, but also in personality, learning style, interests, academic "intensity" etc. I know every one of my classmates at this point, and we all feel totally comfortable interacting with each other in really any setting. Sure, there are people who naturally flock together based on their common interests, but as a whole I am incredibly happy with how cohesive and tight-knit our class is.

2. The curriculum is definitely fast-paced, but even now that the pace has picked up I still personally find time for plenty of things outside of academics, and I know my classmates feel the same. I can't say for sure how our MS1 year compares to other schools in terms of free-time, but I can say that the incredible bonus of seemingly endless opportunities during 3rd year more than makes up for any extra intensity we may be feeling now.

3. Durham is amazing. I say this as someone who grew up in a city environment and always considered myself a city person. The people here are beyond friendly, the culture is really supportive, and there truly are a plethora of things to do outside of school (great food, arts, entertainment, nature, etc.). I never find myself bored, or feeling like I'm in a "rural" area - it has been a great experience so far.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you guys may have - just throw it up on the thread!

Bovary said:
Interesting. Maybe you visited early enough in the school year that the M1s weren't so busy yet? It seemed that at first M1s don't work super hard, but then the curriculum really accelerates at the end of the first block.
Click to expand...
 
Cambover said:
Hey, I'm a current MS1 at Duke and thought I'd share my thoughts.

I definitely have more free time than I thought going in. The 1yr pre-clinical is tough, but it's not that tough. I have a test Monday and went out twice for people's birthdays and to the state fair this past week. The work gets harder as the year progresses, but the content gets more interesting. You can definitely have a life here.

I love my class, and the admissions does an excellent job of accepting an incredibly diverse but cohesive group. In the 109 people in my class, I can't think of anyone I seriously dislike, which is amazing given how different we all are. I promise we're not all bros and don't think there's any chance you'd feel ostracized. Sorry you got that impression.

I spent a lot of years in a big midwestern city and others in practically a big midwestern cornfield. Durham certainly is more like a city than anything rural. Excellent food scene and tons to do. On the odd chance you get bored at Durham, both Raleigh and Chapel Hill have plenty to offer and are 20 minutes away.
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I really like what you said, now I would also like an interview please
 
general0409 said:
Did anyone choose the essay about being misunderstood? Thinking about how to write it just keeps coming back to whining about my Myers-Briggs type. Any thoughts?
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All of those optional questions at the end of Duke's secondary felt a bit like a trap. I ended up choosing one and being very diplomatic with my answer.

I could not write a good response to the "misunderstood" question, so I didn't answer it. I did start out with that question, though. I tried to spin it like "everyone thinks they're misunderstood because our world relies on stereotypes." And then I went on to say all the "stereotypes" that people make about me and why they aren't true. It ended up sounding both whiny and condescending at the same time.

EDIT: Then again, I don't have much to whine about... some people may have more legitimate reasons to be misunderstood.
 
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general0409 said:
Did anyone choose the essay about being misunderstood? Thinking about how to write it just keeps coming back to whining about my Myers-Briggs type. Any thoughts?
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I ended up choosing to not write an additional essay. I didn't feel that they would strengthen my application, and I wanted them to focus on the other essays that I wrote.
 
general0409 said:
Did anyone choose the essay about being misunderstood? Thinking about how to write it just keeps coming back to whining about my Myers-Briggs type. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Ha. I did actually write about that. Worked for me.
 
G_Marker said:
All of those optional questions at the end of Duke's secondary felt a bit like a trap. I ended up choosing one and being very diplomatic with my answer.

I could not write a good response to the "misunderstood" question, so I didn't answer it. I did start out with that question, though. I tried to spin it like "everyone thinks they're misunderstood because our world relies on stereotypes." And then I went on to say all the "stereotypes" that people make about me and why they aren't true. It ended up sounding both whiny and condescending at the same time.

EDIT: Then again, I don't have much to whine about... some people may have more legitimate reasons to be misunderstood.
Click to expand...
Harsh self-criticism! (Or am I stereotyping you?) 🙂
 
general0409 said:
Did anyone choose the essay about being misunderstood? Thinking about how to write it just keeps coming back to whining about my Myers-Briggs type. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I wrote about the toughest feedback. Got a 3.0 my first semester and my academic advisor was all "Oh, it's a first semester... it's normal to get B's! At least you didn't get C's!" Admittedly, I was a younger student and homeschooled before college.

However, I credit my pre-medical advisor for kicking me out of la-la land and telling me, "If you want to go to a medical school in Texas (IS resident at the time), the mean GPA is 3.65. A 3.0 is not a good start."

That was tough to stomach at the time but I worked hard and got my GPA up right away. I hope the essay I wrote was appropriate... I spent a lot of time and wrote really long essays for Duke (complete 07/01), and not getting an II yet makes me wonder if I made a mistake writing super long essays 🙁
 
researchismymiddlename said:
I wrote about the toughest feedback. Got a 3.0 my first semester and my academic advisor was all "Oh, it's a first semester... it's normal to get B's! At least you didn't get C's!" Admittedly, I was a younger student and homeschooled before college.

However, I credit my pre-medical advisor for kicking me out of la-la land and telling me, "If you want to go to a medical school in Texas (IS resident at the time), the mean GPA is 3.65. A 3.0 is not a good start."

That was tough to stomach at the time but I worked hard and got my GPA up right away. I hope the essay I wrote was appropriate... I spent a lot of time and wrote really long essays for Duke (complete 07/01), and not getting an II yet makes me wonder if I made a mistake writing super long essays 🙁
Click to expand...

I wrote very long essays as well..... 🙁
 
sunflower18 said:
I wrote very long essays as well..... 🙁
Click to expand...

I wrote long essays too and I got an interview! Don't worry... hope is not lost! When I interviewed they said that the length of the essay doesn't matter, it's if they can see you as a person when they read them! Because you and @researchismymiddlename are both amazingggg people, I'm sure you'll be getting IIs any day now 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
 
ProbablyAPenguin said:
I wrote long essays too and I got an interview! Don't worry... hope is not lost! When I interviewed they said that the length of the essay doesn't matter, it's if they can see you as a person when they read them! Because you and @researchismymiddlename are both amazingggg people, I'm sure you'll be getting IIs any day now 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Click to expand...

You're so ridiculously nice!!! Awww thank you so so much 🙂 I hope you're right.... Visiting Duke would be such a dream!
 
Bovary said:
In sum: I want a med school where I can occasionally put on my real world clothes (like this http://cdn12.lbstatic.nu/files/looks/large/2014/10/20/4094599_cdcdcdcd5.jpg but without those super sweet like, cordovan double monk boots), go to a show, eat some weird food, and talk about beer and art rock with other students. I wonder if Duke is the place, and I wonder if anyone else has thought about these things...
Click to expand...

Hey Bovary! I have spent a lot of years in Durham (and elsewhere--including Prague, Kuwait City, and Frankfurt), and can say that Durham definitely has all of the above. Durham is growing very quickly right now and I have a feeling that real estate is going to sky rocket, but that also means a bunch of cool businesses are opening up. Duke's Coffeehouse brings in a lot of acts and the Motorco/Fullsteam/Manbites Dog Theater area is also a favorite place of mine to hang out, but that's because I spend a lot of my free time working in theater. I also like that Durham is more diverse than other places in NC and that the community is fairly politically active. I believe that students should have a little more investment in local politics when they have such a huge effect on local economies, so that has been nice to see (re: teacher wages, voter ID laws, etc.). Just my two cents!
 
ProbablyAPenguin said:
I wrote long essays too and I got an interview! Don't worry... hope is not lost! When I interviewed they said that the length of the essay doesn't matter, it's if they can see you as a person when they read them! Because you and @researchismymiddlename are both amazingggg people, I'm sure you'll be getting IIs any day now 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Aww man I second @sunflower18 when I say that is such a sweet comment!!!! 🙂 Thanks for reassuring us and making my day 😀

sunflower18 said:
You're so ridiculously nice!!! Awww thank you so so much 🙂 I hope you're right.... Visiting Duke would be such a dream!
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Indeed!!! OMG if we both got II's we have to book our interviews on the same day 😉
 
scheduled my interview for January! A few questions. Does anyone have the number of acceptances duke gives out? MSAR says 440 interviewed and 113 matriculated, but not how many were accepted. Also, the website says I am scheduled for "MD session #2"? Anyone know if this is referring to the session during the specific day I signed up for or if it is the second general interview round? Does duke interview people solely for the waitlist or should I be feeling optimistic?
 
BeancheBlanco said:
scheduled my interview for January! A few questions. Does anyone have the number of acceptances duke gives out? MSAR says 440 interviewed and 113 matriculated, but not how many were accepted. Also, the website says I am scheduled for "MD session #2"? Anyone know if this is referring to the session during the specific day I signed up for or if it is the second general interview round? Does duke interview people solely for the waitlist or should I be feeling optimistic?
Click to expand...

I can't really speak to the percentage of acceptances or Duke's waitlist situation, but I do know that MD Session #2 means that you're going to have your interviews later in the day (around 1pm I think). Everyone has breakfast, orientation and the welcome presentation together; then half the group (Session 1) has their interviews in the morning while Session 2 goes on the tour, etc. Session 2 has their interviews in the afternoon while Session 1 goes on the tour and then you all come back together for the closing comments.
 
BeancheBlanco said:
scheduled my interview for January! A few questions. Does anyone have the number of acceptances duke gives out? MSAR says 440 interviewed and 113 matriculated, but not how many were accepted. Also, the website says I am scheduled for "MD session #2"? Anyone know if this is referring to the session during the specific day I signed up for or if it is the second general interview round? Does duke interview people solely for the waitlist or should I be feeling optimistic?
Click to expand...

Congrats! Someone with US News Compass will be able to answer your question.

Do you remember how far into January they have scheduled? Thanks!
 
Duke (US News):
Applicants: 4962
Interviewed: 521
Accepted: 201
Enrolled: 113
 
Last edited:
But also (MSAR):
Applicants: 4962
Interviewed: 420
Deferred: 2
MD/PhD: 9
Matriculated: 113
 
Also note that their website says they interview 750 people and accept 180 so it's hard to tell with such different numbers from each source.
 
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I think that at the interview day Dean Armstrong said something in the high 500s to 600s. I can't remember since it's been a few weeks, but I think that she would have the best information. I don't know if anyone else on the board remembers the numbers that she gave.
 
WesternBlot said:
I think that at the interview day Dean Armstrong said something in the high 500s to 600s. I can't remember since it's been a few weeks, but I think that she would have the best information. I don't know if anyone else on the board remembers the numbers that she gave.
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IIRC she said 693 interviews last cycle, but I think USNWR data is from the previous year?


Sent from my neural implant using SDN Mobile
 
Maybe some sources are counting "interview invites" and others are only counting "interviewed people". Some people withdraw from schools before the interview takes place.

But the 201 accepted students isn't disputed, is it?
 
I thought Dean Armstrong said ~160 accepted, especially since they overenrolled a year or two ago. They aim for waitlist movement. But once again, I could be misremembering.
 
I submitted my primary on 10/11. Secondary submitted on 10/17. Interview invite on 10/21. Duke is definitely my #1. School and city are amazing.

Interview process sounds intense. Anyone interview here yet or in past years that can give examples of the some the mini interviews and the scenarios that were given to you? Also the general environment of the process? How did Duke's interview process compare to other schools? Like it better or worse?
 
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