Dartmouth or Duke for undergrad?

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loveordie

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I got in both schools from the wait-lists, so I didn't have a chance to visit in person.
I barely have any time to make my decision.
What are the pros/cons of each school, considering that I am a pre-med? (obviously)
Thanks!
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Both are excellent schools, and at that level there is not prestige difference. Take a step back and take a look at their factors as if you weren't pre-med.


What about Duke do you like specifically? What about Dartmouth?

Location, social life, specific majors, courses etc...
 
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DUKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (I might be a little biased >.>)

But seriously, feel free to PM me any specific questions about Duke life/academics/etc
 
If you look like these guys, go to Duke:

image2294136j.jpg
 
Someone can call you Fartmouth if you go to Dartmouth
Go Duke
 
dartmouth is located in the middle of nowhere and it's cold. duke +1
 
Lamel said:
Both are excellent schools, and at that level there is not prestige difference. Take a step back and take a look at their factors as if you weren't pre-med.


What about Duke do you like specifically? What about Dartmouth?

Location, social life, specific majors, courses etc...
Click to expand...

I like the majors at Dartmouth more--- way more flexibility. It has a stronger undergraduate focus and a more close-knit community, from what I hear. Dartmouth also gave me more financial aid.

Duke has better research opportunities and medical activities, in my opinion. The school seems to be constantly trying to improve itself through new policies and programs and initiatives. Dartmouth, not so much. But both seem pretty good for pre-med, with Duke maybe a little ahead.

In terms of location, both aren't great, but at least Duke is in the midst of civilization while my friends are constantly about Dartmouth in Hanover. Also I'm a t-shirts and shorts kind of person, so Duke wins in this department.

There are so many good things about both schools... my brain is about to explode weighing the pros and cons. GAHH
 
great problem to have

I'd go with Dartmouth personally but im a northern puckerbutt
 
Another for Duke. Better location, campus, slightly better ranking. The decision is ultimately up to you, but personally I'd go for Duke.
 
I'd go with Duke as it's a lot more fun. As much as you want to focus on academics, you also need to enjoy college life and be a college kid. Do all the stupid things college kids do like get drunk, hook up, etc otherwise you'll regret it... unless of course you're not into that kind of thing. But if you are, you'll have more fun at Duke than Dartmouth. If you're goal is med school, undergrad school choice doesn't matter as much so that shouldn't play a factor.
 
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Duke! Although both are amazing schools and you can't go wrong picking either.
 
uhh..dartmouth is ivy league...why is this difficult decision?
 
Duke without a question.

Dartmouth is in the middle of nowhere and it is a school on the decline.


Duke is internationally renowned because of its high quality Business, Law, and Medical schools. Dartmouth is lacking in that regard as it has no law school and its medical schools is not up to caliber with Duke's.

At first glance, the above factors do not matter but once you get out of college you will realize that your "network" does matter to some degree. The more impressive the caliber of students and graduate programs your school has the more your degree is worth in terms of networking and the like.

Go to Duke without a question.
 
ReptarBar said:
uhh..dartmouth is ivy league...why is this difficult decision?
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I can only speak from the perspective of another Ivy League school. I went to Yale and Dartmouth reputation is near the bottom from other Ivy Leaguers and is no where close to that of Duke's.

There was a saying on campus that the only schools that boasted about being in the Ivy League were the one's that weren't worth attending. Being in the "Ivy League" doesn't mean ****. If your school is good, then it doesn't matter what league it's in. There's a reason why Harvard grads don't walk around saying they went to an "Ivy League" school. They say they went to Harvard.

Duke doesn't need to boast about being in the Ivy League because Duke can boast about being Duke.
 
all i know is that every single person on the west coast believes dartmouth is better than duke. everyone.
 
PanRoasted said:
dartmouth is located in the middle of nowhere and it's cold. duke +1
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This x10000000.

I know people who went to Dartmouth. The most common thing people said was that it was in the middle of nowhere and that there is nothing to do.
 
Dbate said:
I can only speak from the perspective of another Ivy League school. I went to Yale and Dartmouth reputation is near the bottom from other Ivy Leaguers and is no where close to that of Duke's.

There was a saying on campus that the only schools that boasted about being in the Ivy League were the one's that weren't worth attending. Being in the "Ivy League" doesn't mean ****. If your school is good, then it doesn't matter what league it's in. There's a reason why Harvard grads don't walk around saying they went to an "Ivy League" school. They say they went to Harvard.

Duke doesn't need to boast about being in the Ivy League because Duke can boast about being Duke.
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At least they're not Brown

(just kidding, I love my friends from Brown)
 
I just want to say that prestige doesn't really matter for me, as I think both schools are regarded highly (Duke with a slight edge).

I'm more concerned about quality of academics and the student life at each school. Btw, which one do you think is easier to do well in?
 
loveordie said:
I just want to say that prestige doesn't really matter for me, as I think both schools are regarded highly (Duke with a slight edge).

I'm more concerned about quality of academics and the student life at each school. Btw, which one do you think is easier to do well in?
Click to expand...

Dartmouth is dominated by drinking and the frat scene. Literally every person I have ever met who went to Dartmouth was in a fraternity. You pretty much have to join a frat or sorority to have a social life.


Duke has Duke basketball. Enuf said.
 
Both are pretty different. So I think one would stand out/ seem like a better fit. Dartmouth is more undergrad focus/Duke more research oriented. Dartmouth has a huge frat scene/Duke is sports obsessed and that really effects the campus culture. Dartmouth is in the heart of the NE/Duke is in the heart of the SE. There should be one that stands out.

Personally, I would go with Duke.
 
Go to Duke. Dartmouth along with Brown are sorta the "fake" ivies.
 
ReptarBar said:
uhh..dartmouth is ivy league...why is this difficult decision?
Click to expand...

That's the worst argument I have seen on SDN. Brown and cornell are also ivy league but are no where close in comparison with Duke, Stanford, Caltech, MIT etc.
 
ReptarBar said:
all i know is that every single person on the west coast believes dartmouth is better than duke. everyone.
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Nice exaggeration bro. If you're being serious, every person you know is knowingly ignorant by all means. Don't be like them.
 
Guys I can't pick between Harvard and Princeton please help!

Edit: serious post. Like the most serious!
 
metview said:
Go to Duke. Dartmouth along with Brown are sorta the "fake" ivies.
Click to expand...

Ugghh I hope you're kidding... Neither may be as well known as Harvard or Princeton but both are still considered Ivies, have GREAT reputations, and give a very good education...
 
Honestly, I doubt it really matters for undergrad (hello, first first world problem). You should go to the program where you think you would be happier.

On a lighter note: what do you think about having a bunch of ski hills next to your school? :p
 
Even if I weren't a premed, I would go to Duke over Dartmouth for a long list of reasons, not the least of which being that Duke is simply a better university academically.

As a premed, the list lengthens--Dartmouth's medical school is no where near to Duke's in terms of quality. Duke's hospital is also in the top 10 (unlike other great med schools like Stanford). You would have access to significantly more research opportunities at Duke than at Dartmouth--Duke has the largest academic research institute in the world: the Duke Clinical Research Institute. It also has a center devoted to global health, bioethics, etc. You really can't beat the opportunities present at Duke for its undergrads, especially those interested in medicine.
 
Mt Kilimanjaro said:
If you look like these guys, go to Duke:

image2294136j.jpg
Click to expand...

Weren't they acquitted? And the attorney general who prosecuted them was not only fired but disbarred for his unethical conduct during that case. I'm smelling a troll.
 
janey243 said:
Weren't they acquitted? And the attorney general who prosecuted them was not only fired but disbarred for his unethical conduct during that case. I'm smelling a troll.
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Yes. They were smeared and did not deserve what happened to them.

Edit: they were never acquitted, it never went to trial. The charges were dropped after the accuser changed her story a bunch.
 
Duke Nukem graduated at Duke.

Nuff Said
 
Kahreek said:
Duke Nukem graduated at Duke.

Nuff Said
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Their ya go!
I'm from New England and I like Dartmouth- but it seems like you feel you would be a better fit at Duke. But do you have time to tour both schools? Go with Duke!
 
I really hope the OP chooses to go to Duke.

In all likelihood, he won't end up going to med school and the network you get from Duke will be much better.
 
You can't go wrong with either:

Duke = rank 8
Dartmouth = rank 10

Go to duke for med school, law school
Go to dartmouth for humanities, econ
 
My vote is for Duke, but I'm biased (I went there!). Durham is an increasingly interesting place to live with new restaurants and small businesses popping up continuously, and unless you are very tolerant of weather in the northeast you will not regret choosing to live in North Carolina. I had a blast at Duke and made friends who ran the gamut from people who partied 4 nights a week to people who took school so seriously they missed out on quite a bit of fun, and I found it was pretty easy to strike a balance somewhere in between those extremes.

Also don't underestimate how much fun it is to have a nationally relevant sports program. I had no interest in basketball when I arrived on campus but by the end of 4 years I was a HUGE fan, and a ton of my fondest memories of college are tied to the community that develops around the team.

One other little point-- if you're looking for flexibility in your major, take a look at Duke's Program II option. It's basically an opportunity to design your own major and curriculum, and it's something I have seen many students use to create very personalized and interdisciplinary courses of study (things like Behavioral Economics, Astrobiology, and Global Heath Disparities). Here's a link to the Program II website:

http://program2.duke.edu

If you have any specific questions feel free to send me a PM. Good luck with your decision!
 
Duke is a much bigger place with all the associated schools. Dartmouth is a research university but feels much more like a smaller liberal arts school. Weather and sports are an obvious consideration, depending on what you like to do. Dartmouth has a very outdoorsy vibe and the mountains are very close by for hiking, climbing, snow stuff. The Research Triangle area is very lovely though and the sports scene is certainly superior there.

Where you want to go to med school/residency/practice may also be significant. Most people from the NE will tell you Dartmouth is better, most from the South are partial to Duke. Out West everyone thinks the world revolves around Stanford, so they won't care which you go to :D

On paper Duke is probably superior if you wanted to nitpick, but they are closely enough matched that your gut should tell you which one to pick.
 
loveordie said:
I like the majors at Dartmouth more---Dartmouth also gave me more financial aid.
Click to expand...

Don't go into more debt than necessary in this whole process. Trust your gut and trust your wallet.
 
Cambover said:
Don't go into more debt than necessary in this whole process. Trust your gut and trust your wallet.
Click to expand...

I have to agree here. Even if I weren't a Dartmouth alum, I'd recommend the college offering more financial aid when their prestige is so similar. I also got into both for undgergrad and chose Dartmouth. But I'm a country girl at heart so it was a better fit for me and the financial aid package was generous.

If the difference in aid isn't that great, then go where you think you'll be happiest. Both are going to put you in good places for pre-med opportunities and post-grad networking.
 
Dbate said:
I really hope the OP chooses to go to Duke.

In all likelihood, he won't end up going to med school and the network you get from Duke will be much better.
Click to expand...

I can't attest to Dartmouth

But the one person I know who went to duke. It's amazing all the connections he has. Job interviews at 23 all across the country in super nice cities. I'm sure his first pay check will be more than my salary.
 
I spent some time at Duke University Marine Lab...lots of premeds there taking prereqs and other super interesting marine biology courses and doing research projects for a semester. Got to live right on the water and meet some really awesome people...greatest experience of my undergrad career.
 
loveordie said:
I like the majors at Dartmouth more--- way more flexibility. It has a stronger undergraduate focus and a more close-knit community, from what I hear. Dartmouth also gave me more financial aid.
Click to expand...

I would like to amend my previous statement, because I hadn't read the above. If Dartmouth gave you substantially more money, then go there without a doubt! If you end up going to medical school, you will be in so much debt. Honestly, the difference between the two is negligible. They both will set you up nicely for the future and open a world of opportunity. Besides, once you go to medical school, undergrad will matter less. So save money if you can!
 
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