Decided!

[espressofrittata22]

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Thank you all! I've decided 🙂

 

[BritainKittenMittens]

Is Duke P/F for clinical too? Didn’t know that.

Anyway, it looks like it’s between familiarity (duke) vs diverse population/social justice (ucsf). I’m gonna inject my biases but I think being out of your comfort zone in terms of familiarity is a good skill to develop. And I too also heard ucsf students are relaxed.

I’d go with ucsf personally (especially if duke is graded).

 

[chilly_md]

You will still be able to match in the Northeast or other regions if you attend Duke. Up to you whether you want to try something new out immediately instead. Med school is a big shift from undergrad and it can help not having to worry about adjusting to a new city (and west coast is very different from the east).

 

[peroxisome]

both are fantastic options! i have friends at both & have heard lots of great things about both, so you truly cannot go wrong! you will likely match into the program of your choice from either of these locations!

some other things to think about (in addition to the ones you've mentioned):

- I've heard that Duke is INCREDIBLE for surgical specialties & I know that UCSF med is very primary care oriented - not sure how tied you are to OBGYN but it could be something to think about
- a huge % of UCSF matches back at UCSF, given that UCSF residency programs love their med students & because genuinely a lot of the CA residents who go there want to stay in SF for residency; though I guess a lot of Duke MDs also match back at Duke... so I feel like this is the same regardless of school
- If you're super interested in an MPH and MBA (or even getting really cool research), I feel like the one year preclinical & third year being completely open is HUGE - but you can always take an extra year to get it at UCSF
- COL is wayyyy less in Durham; obviously, SF is a very cool city but you'll be able to live luxuriously in Durham if you were paying the same rent haha
- how do/did you feel about SF campus/safety/transportation wise compared to your experience at Duke? this is definitely quite different between Durham and SF & will also affect your experience, especially during clinical rotations
- regarding being in/out of your comfort zone, there's def pros & cons... med school will have its challenges, so I think there's merit in being near loved ones and familiar spaces (& being able to extend relationships you had with duke faculty members as an undergrad)! but also i'm anxious & risk averse so that's my deal hahaha

from your post, it sounds like you're more excited about Duke, but you have SUCH amazing options - excited for you! good luck!

 

[Putkernerinthehall]

COL difference, familiarity with Duke, and family in the area make Duke very appealing to me. The COL in the Bay Area is a shocker for those coming from almost anywhere else.

 

[sunshower26]

Hey!! Just wanted to offer my 2 cents but think Duke may be the move for you. You'll be able to achieve fantastic OBGYN match results from either place, and I believe not only does Duke have a strong home program, but they also match well to places in the NE. I think the question comes down to what you want to gain from your med school experience.

I think I will end up making the choice that puts me closest to friends and home, and this cannot be understated. Your QoL in terms of location/CoL/classmates is also important! Durham has significantly less CoL which may matter more than you think regarding going out with friends/grabbing dinner/drinks and having a nice place to live. If you are set on getting a masters, 1 year of your life is a significant time and sounds like Duke could allow you to finish in 4 years rather than 5.

I think you will be able to gain familiarity and become versed with people at UCSF so that shouldn't be a concern, but being so far from home in an extremely expensive place is something to weigh. I believe a large percentage of the class is also from CA, and just from a personal perspective because I really value my relationships, I think it would be hard for me if I wanted to match back to the east coast and most of my friends that I made stayed on the west coast.

 

[Dantes]

How much financial support are you getting from family? Looking at UCSF's student budget financial aid page, they give around $37,000 for 12 months for living expenses. You're gonna need multiple roommates to make that work in SF. Durham is much more affordable and you can still match anywhere coming from Duke.

 

[espressofrittata22]

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses - I have actually never been more conflicted lol going to sit down with my family this weekend and have a thoughtful discussion about it (I also still have yet to receive aid/scholarship packages from the two) . Either way, I am gladdened to hear that you all also consider there to be no wrong choice 🙂 Thank you all for your support.