scaryskier
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- May 26, 2021
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Hey all, I am having a hard time deciding between Duke and my state school (T60). I have not heard from either school yet regarding financial aid, but I can only imagine my state school would be significantly cheaper.
#1: Duke Med
Pros:
#2: state school (not disclosing for anonymity)
Pros:
I do love both of these programs and feel that I would be happy at either. I just have a hard time looking past two things:
1. Duke's prestige and ability to "set me up" very well for any specialty that I should choose
2. cost - I don't love the cost of Duke. It would be hard for me to attend knowing my state school is 150k+ less.
If I could bargain for Duke to be at or lower than my state school's cost this would be an easier choice, but I would like to hear others' thoughts beforehand. Thank you!
#1: Duke Med
Pros:
- prestige (T10ish vs T60) - this is not end all be all for me, but I am considering more competitive specialties (derm, ortho) and if not those, I am interested in GI which is a competitive fellowship. I do not want to undermine the importance of prestige in getting me into those fields if I do choose to pursue them
- location - Durham is definitely conducive to a high quality of life, with a relatively low COL. my SO grew up 30 mins outside of Durham and we both agree it would be a great place to relocate
- curriculum - having 3rd year entirely dedicated to research would be huge in terms of making my residency application competitive. also interested in continuing research/was worried about how to balance research and other ECs with other schools' curricula
- speed of curriculum - the curriculum can also be seen as a con for me. I'm a bit worried about feeling "rushed" or forced to cover 2 years worth of material in 1 years time
- relocating - moving to Durham means I am a 10 hour drive from family/friends, although my SO would be coming with me which would help tremendously
- cost - without financial aid information yet, this is tough to gauge. Duke could cost me about 90k/year, which will all be financed through loans
#2: state school (not disclosing for anonymity)
Pros:
- program - alma mater state school program that is well known and would serve me very well
- support system - would be 40mins from family/friends which would definitely be a great benefit
- cost - probably my "cheapest" option at the moment with an average COA of 40k/yr... would only be taking out 160-180k in loans compared to most private schools which are 300k+
- location - as someone who commuted to my undergrad state school, now works in this med school's hospital system, and has lived in this state my entire life, I can't help but feel that I may need a change of pace/location to experience something new
- curriculum- research and any extracurriculars I am interested in would have to be completed on top of preclinical studies, unlike Duke where there is dedicated time for those things
I do love both of these programs and feel that I would be happy at either. I just have a hard time looking past two things:
1. Duke's prestige and ability to "set me up" very well for any specialty that I should choose
2. cost - I don't love the cost of Duke. It would be hard for me to attend knowing my state school is 150k+ less.
If I could bargain for Duke to be at or lower than my state school's cost this would be an easier choice, but I would like to hear others' thoughts beforehand. Thank you!