Baylor vs Duke vs Northwestern

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diasterdream

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Hey everyone, I hope you all are safe. I am trying to narrow down my options and get feed back on these schools

Baylor
Financial Aid Unknown
Pros
+ Solid 1.5 preclinical curriculum with decent flexibility
+ Houston as a city with it's weather, diversity, food, and cheap COL
+ Texas Medical Center and it's vast opportunities for mentorship and research
+ Opportunities for dedicated focus on caring for the underserved.
+ Super friendly and chill people. Bonded really well with people at my interview day.

Cons
- Seemingly less prestigious
- Very large class, and I felt like there weren't many resources for supporting URM students.
- Limited access to outdoorsy things.
- Would need a car


Duke
Cost: 46k a year
Pros
+ Best curriculum out of the bunch. I love the flexibility and the independence the curriculum offers.
+ Students seemed genuinely relaxed and happy during my time there. Many of the srudents, from my student host to random people coming in during interview day, were super friendly and excited to talk with us. I also appreciated the level of honesty the students had.
+ Liked the amount of URM faculty and mentors at the school. The office of diversity and other urm students have frequently mentioned how supported and valued they are.
+ Cost of living is very cheap
+ Weather
+ Easy access to beach and mountains
+ Very prestigious.

Cons
- Durham seems boring compared to the other cities. Very black and white. Less options for entertainment and diversity
- The vibe I got from the students was that you kinda have to fit a certain mold to really love Duke. Not sure how I will fit into that.
- Got the impression that there is tension between Duke and surrounding Durham. Did not see much focus on how the school and students try to address health disparities and serving the underserved.
- Would need a car


Northwestern
Cost: 48k a year

Pros
+ Chicago as a city. No need for a car and great place to enjoy my 20s
+ Strong URM support and opportunities for learning and researching health disparities
+ Lots of research opportunities and chances for mentorship.
+ Prestigious


Cons
- Strongly disliked the traditional curriculum and PBL
- Got the impression that people were a bit competitive and neurotic. I know my fellow interviewees don't reflect the school, but everyone seemed very serious and competitive. Even the tour guides and student ambassadors were trying to one up each other.
- Very neutral feelings after interview day. Only got excited over how pretty the school and surrounding area was.
- Chicago weather and cost of living. I'm from the south, so I am not a fan of cold or lack of sun.
- Lack of easy access to nature even though the beach is close by.



Major update: My state school offered me a full COA + living stipend. So I guess I am going to my state school.

Final Update: Duke matched my state school! So I am going to Duke 🙂 !!!!
 
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wow...congratulations on your admissions. Some of my dream schools on your list. I would pick either Baylor or Duke. The Northwestern traditional curriculum is just ok to me. I would lean towards Duke because of the curriculum. That research year will come in handy for publications and help you match into competitive specialties. Also, there's more "nature-y" stuff to do in NC. You can go to the mountains or the beach. You also still get all 4 seasons.

If you prefer a city to live it up in your 20s, Houston is great and a very diverse city(at least more diverse than Durham), and cheaper than Chicago. Also, Galveston beach is not too far of a drive from there if you want to go to the beach...although most people will tell you it's not a great beach. Is prestige very important to you? I don't think Baylor will keep you from matching anywhere, but yes, it's less prestigious than Duke. Compared to Northwestern, I feel like Baylor and Northwestern are in the same class, and one school won't be an advantage over the other. Just my opinion.

Grew up in a Chicago suburb before moving down south and the winters and summers in Chicago suck, but that period between April and June are probably the best times in Chicago. Chicago is a fun city and very diverse. I just don't think it's fun enough to choose Northwestern over the other choices you have.

Edit: I will switch my vote from Duke to Baylor if financial aid comes through for you in a significant way.
 
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9blade said:
wow...congratulations on your admissions. Some of my dream schools on your list. I would pick either Baylor or Duke. The Northwestern traditional curriculum is just ok to me. I would lean towards Duke because of the curriculum. That research year will come in handy for publications and help you match into competitive specialties. Also, there's more "nature-y" stuff to do in NC. You can go to the mountains or the beach. You also still get all 4 seasons.

If you prefer a city to live it up in your 20s, Houston is great and a very diverse city(at least more diverse than Durham), and cheaper than Chicago. Also, Galveston beach is not too far of a drive from there if you want to go to the beach...although most people will tell you it's not a great beach. Is prestige very important to you? I don't think Baylor will keep you from matching anywhere, but yes, it's less prestigious than Duke. Compared to Northwestern, I feel like Baylor and Northwestern are in the same class, and one school won't be an advantage over the other. Just my opinion.

Grew up in a Chicago suburb before moving down south and the winters and summers in Chicago suck, but that period between April and June are probably the best times in Chicago. Chicago is a fun city and very diverse. I just don't think it's fun enough to choose Northwestern over the other choices you have.

Edit: I will switch my vote from Duke to Baylor if financial aid comes through for you in a significant way.
Click to expand...


Thank you for the thorough reply! Yeah once I see Baylor's financial aid, then I can make an informed decision.


I don't need to go clubbing, but I want to be able to see or try something new every 3-4 weeks. I am really interested in the arts, food, and music, so that's the main thing that is turning me off from Duke. Other than that, I am really drawn to Duke as a school.
 
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diasterdream said:
Major update: My state school is offering me full COA + living stipend. I guess this means I am going to my state school. There's no way I can justify taking out loans even though I really liked the schools.
Click to expand...
If I'm not mistaken, based on some of your post history, your state school is pretty good too. I'm applying there this upcoming cycle as an OOS. Congratulations on your success.
 
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