2015-2016 Duke University Application Thread

[Stephanie012694]

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I wish Duke would send me some love already!!! pleaseeeeeeeeee

 

[med_school]

Anybody know if you apply and get accepted PCLT, can you switch into the traditional track? I already applied/had my interviews. I loved the school, but now I'm not so sure about the primary care requirement and shorter rotations

Yes - you are able to opt out. I think it only affect scholarship money of some sorts, but you are not binded.

 

[med_school]

did everyone who has received an II so far have all the required coursework? I wasn't sure if maybe that was more of a guideline lol

You don't need to have all of the required classes - it does not affect interview invites. There's people who took the classes over the summer and actually finished during orientation - it's no problem! Don't stress.

 

[Pastamahn]

Does anyone know if Duke and other non-rolling schools take into account or request grades from this fall semester?

 

[eronicavay]

For those who have interviewed, do they have a place where you can store your luggage during the day?

 

[Pastamahn]

For those who have interviewed, do they have a place where you can store your luggage during the day?

I haven't, but I think it's pretty standard for schools to offer that because they know people are frequently flying in and flying out that same day.

 

[eronicavay]

Thanks!

 

[Hildace]

Rejected, OOS (sometime in the past 3 weeks).

513MCAT (11,10,14,10), 3.97 masters gpa, lower ugpa, app screening 8/15

 

[mehc012]

Just checked the secondary portal for the first time in a week or two: first rejection of the cycle

Thanks for pointing this out...didn't realize I wouldn't get an email with status updates.

Also rejected sometime in October...LizzyM 73-74, MCAT>>GPA, OOS.

Good luck, all!

 

[jmpatt29]

anyone else complete end of July and still silence?

 

[par93]

anyone else complete end of July and still silence?

Submitted 7/2 and still nothing 🙁

 

[RuggerMD]

Submitted 7/2 and still nothing 🙁

7/12 and nothing

 

[onigirigal]

To those of you that have interviewed already, do you have any tips on how to prepare for MMI? Or could share how the stations went overall?
This is going to be my first MMI and I really x a million want to nail this (as we all do). I've only had conversational, traditional interviews so far. ><

 

[Okazaki Frag Grenade]

To those of you that have interviewed already, do you have any tips on how to prepare for MMI? Or could share how the stations went overall?
This is going to be my first MMI and I really x a million want to nail this (as we all do). I've only had conversational, traditional interviews so far. ><

Came here to ask this! Figured I'd bump the thread

 

[jmpatt29]

Submitted 7/2 and still nothing 🙁

according to this thread they do reject people, so maybe we are in the "maybe" pile lol

 

[starfun21]

Hi @Cambover! Thanks so much for the offer to answer questions.

What are your thoughts on the super condensed pre-clinical curriculum? What has the transition to the clinics been like as an MS2? 😀

Again, thank you so much for your time!

 

[happyhippo1958]

Thanks Cambover for letting us ask questions!! Were you able to attend very many basketball games / camp out for tickets and spots?

MS2 here! Let me know if you guys have questions about Duke, and I'll answer to the best of my ability. It's truly an awesome place.

 

[Okazaki Frag Grenade]

Thanks Cambover for letting us ask questions!! Were you able to attend very many basketball games / camp out for tickets and spots?

Asking the important questions ... I like it.

 

[starfun21]

Whether or not I could keep up with the condensed curriculum was one of my main concerns coming to Duke. It turned out not to be nearly as bad as I imagined. I think MS1 is a tough year anywhere with a lot of adjustment, and it sounded like my peers at other schools were similarly busy. MS1 at Duke is certainly not malignant, and people still did what they loved during undergrad. My classmates were awesome and helped each other through the year with a ton of social events. I would even call the condensed curriculum a plus because I, personally, would HATE to sit through another year of lectures.

The best description of going from MS1 to MS2is "harder but better." I started on internal med and loved it. Huge change from first year in terms of hours (working 60-70 hours + studying), but you make it work. You learn more than you did first year in less time. I love being in the hospital SO much more than being in lecture, despite everything. Patients make it worth all the stress. I felt they prepared me as well as they possibly could. Perhaps going over everything for more time would have helped me retain more, but you learn it quicker on the second time through.

Hope that helps!

TL;DR: First year is a blitz, but I had fun and felt like I learned a lot. MS2 is awesome, but you work a lot.

This is so wonderfully helpful -- thank you for sharing your thoughts! I really appreciate it!

 

[mstpormd]

My portal changed to "Invited To Interview" yesterday, but I have not received email. Did anyone have this issue?

 

[Superstah_11]

My portal changed to "Invited To Interview" yesterday, but I have not received email. Did anyone have this issue?

I wish I had that "issue"....

 

[happyhippo1958]

@Okazaki Frag Grenade haha yes, trying to get a feel for student life! @Cambover So... do students attend games/ watch the games in the library/ book, basketball and beer study parties? And on a more serious note, I know you are a second year, but do you think the third year thesis make a student more competitive for residencies and fellowships? The residency/fellowship programs that I have talked to said that beyond the Step1 scores, they also look at publications, research....

Asking the important questions ... I like it.

 

[aopser]

finally submitted my secondary here today yayyy
not giving myself a very good chance considering how hard i tried on those questions haha

 

[Australopithekus]

@Okazaki Frag Grenade haha yes, trying to get a feel for student life! @Cambover So... do students attend games/ watch the games in the library/ book, basketball and beer study parties? And on a more serious note, I know you are a second year, but do you think the third year thesis make a student more competitive for residencies and fellowships? The residency/fellowship programs that I have talked to said that beyond the Step1 scores, they also look at publications, research....

MS1 here, but I'll throw in my two cents. Basketball hasn't started yet, but yes, many of us have season tickets. The class is very social; I spent ~ four hours last night hanging out with classmates. Earlier this year, someone organized a chartered party bus to nearby Chapel Hill. Unless you actively avoid social events, you'll spend plenty of time with classmates here.

Regarding the third year, a thesis itself isn't typically a big CV builder, but publications (the goal if you're doing research, rather than a thesis) are desired by residency programs in every competitive specialty. This is why so many students--especially at top schools--take additional years for research. For example, a friend at Yale told me that 65% of his class took a fifth year. I picked Duke largely for this reason. Publications won't make up for bad clinical evaluations or anything like that, but they are an important part of your residency application package.

 

[Australopithekus]

See above, but we had a huge viewing party for the championship! Then we all attended the bonfire in the middle of campus. People went to he beach, Asheville, and DC on small trips with friends. The glass ahead of us got the beer ban in TSCHE (our medical school building) enforced after doing keg stands in the great hall, but people have study parties. Every holiday is an excuse for huge class-wide get togethers. We're super diverse but we meshed really well. Very little internal drama as a class. I think study hard, party hard applies to a lot of my classmates. P = MD also keeps people sane.

The school has served us beer (& wine) in TSCHE a couple times. I don't think that ban still exists.

 

[happyhippo1958]

@Cambover @Australopithekus thank you for the input! I am very excited to visit and get a feel for Chapel Hill when I interview.

 

[vanillabear55]

I never got around to this secondary, is it worth trying to submit under the deadline?

 

[PureGRIT]

The people here really emphasize the 1-2 week return, but honestly, you might as well at least try.

 

[vanillabear55]

The people here really emphasize the 1-2 week return, but honestly, you might as well at least try.

people as in those on SDN or duke admissions?

 

[PureGRIT]

Advisors/people on the board of admissions at Duke Med

 

[medicalCPA]

I will add my anecdotal experience. I got the secondary on August 7, and nearly did not complete it because of the involved nature of the questions and the fact that I did not take sociology in college. I didn't submit my application until mid-September. Nevertheless, I received an interview invite approximately three weeks later.

I will add, however, that on August 27, I got an email from Dr Armstrong encouraging me to complete the secondary. I'm not sure if she sends those out to everyone who's tardy, or only to a select subset of applicants, so YMMV. I'd complete it. The most they can do is say "No, we won't admit you."

EDIT: Tagging @vanillabear55, so you see this.

 

[jagster92]

Just a quick thought... We're in Durham. Chapel Hill is the other school we don't talk about.

I was waiting for someone to say this lol.

 

[happyhippo1958]

@Cambover @jagster92 😳😳😳 ouch, no way to recover from that one. Just not familiar with the area, and terrible at googling.

 

[Doug Underhill]

Is Duke receptive to updates? I just got a first-author publication in a decent journal. Their website wasn't entirely clear.

 

[starlite911]

Is Duke receptive to updates? I just got a first-author publication in a decent journal. Their website wasn't entirely clear.

Only after interview I believe

 

[CellPowerhouse]

Is Duke receptive to updates? I just got a first-author publication in a decent journal. Their website wasn't entirely clear.

I sent an update pre-II and was told they would add it to my file.

 

[bobmccorweg]

I sent an update pre-II and was told they would add it to my file.

did you just email the admissions committee with a pdf document?

 

[CellPowerhouse]

did you just email the admissions committee with a pdf document?

Yep, that's what I did.

 

[phuynh94]

Hopefully this will be helpful to everyone who is missing a prereq. I graduated without a sociology course and emailed them asking is one of the course I did take could serve as a substitute or if I would have to find one at a CC next semester. They responded:

"We do NOT make decisions be cased on pre-requisite courses, as outlined in our “academic expectations”. We have purposefully gone away from pre-requisites given the variability in course offerings at college/universities and given the lack of direct relationship between a courses or courses and proficiency on the MCATs. We endorse the fact that students going to medical school now much have academic exposures in addition to the narrowly-tailored sciences. How much and what kinds of exposures must come from a combination of academic and experiential opportunities. Thus, our Committee uses multiple assessments when judging whether an application is robust enough in both the academic and experiential preparation in areas such as sociology and psychology. We do not discount applicants whose transcripts do not necessarily have specific courses in sociology and/or psychology"

 

[sunshine02]

I sent an update pre-II and was told they would add it to my file.

Hmm interesting. I had thought Duke only accepted updates post interview..

 

[jmpatt29]

Hmm interesting. I had thought Duke only accepted updates post interview..

yeah when i called they said only post interview lol

 

[HybridEarth]

+1 can confirm that my update was added pre-interview (still have not received one). Also, has anyone else gotten a silent rejection on the portal lately? Still a bit surprised I've lasted this long (that's what she said ayyy lmao).

 

[jmpatt29]

+1 can confirm that my update was added pre-interview (still have not received one). Also, has anyone else gotten a silent rejection on the portal lately? Still a bit surprised I've lasted this long (that's what she said ayyy lmao).

Did you send an email???

 

[CellPowerhouse]

Did you send an email???

Not @HybridEarth but I too sent a pre-interview update. Sent it via email and they said they would add it to my file.

 

[keepthejeep]

For those applying to the PCLT track: has anyone else interviewed already but NOT had the followup PCLT interview?? I was told I would be contacted a week or so after my interview day to have an additional PCLT interview, but I haven't been contacted (it's been way more than week since my interview).

 

[ubertrooper60]

Anyone know post-interview acceptance rates and if they do rolling admissions? Interviewing on Jan 7th

 

[Porcn]

Acceptances are handed out after all interviews have been completed so don't worry about the late interview date you are in the mix as much as anyone else.

 

[Pastamahn]

So if I have the option of turning my interview into a small 3 day trip in Durham in December, is there enough to do to fill all the time? I'm not familiar with the city.

 

[Bleh!]

So if I have the option of turning my interview into a small 3 day trip in Durham in December, is there enough to do to fill all the time? I'm not familiar with the city.

There's chicken and waffles

 

[Pastamahn]

There's chicken and waffles

I'm sold