Duke v. Vanderbilt v. UChicago

[Yosemite123]

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Hello,

I have been very fortunate to receive admissions into three amazing schools and was hoping to receive some potential input into which one of these options I should pursue! I'm sure I can't go wrong picking any of these three so any comments or pieces of advice would be appreciated!

UChicago (Pritzker) COA: ~180k
Pros:
-Campus is beautiful and the city seems like it would be fun to live in
-Great opportunities for health policy work (potential interest of mine)
-Cheaper option compared to Duke, in line with Vanderbilt
-Really enjoyed my interview day and the students that I met
-Cool service/ social justice emphasis

Cons:
-Traditional 2/2 curriculum. Not sure I would really know the difference though since I would only experience one version or the other.
-Chicago might be a little too cold and I've never lived up north/midwest
-Supposedly Pritzker isn't in the best part of Chicago?

Duke COA: ~230k
Pros:
-They've been doing their 1 year pre-clinical curriculum for a while and seem to have it down
-Could get potential funding for 3rd year research that might make cost a little bit better (but that would definitely be a toss up and very competitive to get
-Durham is probably the most affordable city
-A lot of cool hiking/ outdoorsy things around the city
-Talked to a couple of current students and they all got me pretty excited about the opportunity to attend!

Cons:
-More expensive so I'm unsure if it will be worth it to cough up 50-60k more to go here when the other schools are great options as well

Vanderbilt COA: ~170k (estimated based on merit aid, have not received my financial offer)
Pros:
-Another 1 year curriculum would be nice
-Probably the cheapest option it seems like, not by too much though
-All the students seemed really happy and supposedly they treat their med students really well
-Nashville is a fun town!

Cons:
-On my interview day, I just didn't feel too much of a connection with the school really and I'm not really sure why...
-Not sure if there are that many health policy type opportunities for me to look into

 

[deleted785918]

From what you've said, I would go with Pritzker

 

[787593]

duke

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

I'll be the tie breaker! I vote for Pritzker -- the students seemed wonderful and really close with each other, Chicago would be a cool place to live (even though south side is admittedly a bit sketchy) and the cost of attendance is pretty low, relative to Duke. You'll get tons of attention from the faculty with such a small student body, and everyone I met there seemed super happy!

 

[Lawpy]

Another vote for Pritzker here for reasons similar to those mentioned by @coffeeandcodeine

 

[bluelamin]

duke duke and more duke...look at your pro to con ratio for each school

 

[byaaaaaaah23]

I think Duke is probably too expensive to make it worth choosing over those other 2 great options. Would pick based on where you want to live.

 

[deleted585480]

Vanderbilt. Nashville is a great city. And the school has an amazing reputation.

I'm a podiatry student who has lived in Nashville for most of my life. So take my advice as you wish haha.

 

[wagonwheel23]

Your cons for Vandy eliminate it, I would say. Maybe you can go to second look and see if you feel a connection?

It sounds like Chicago would be the best fit. You got along with the community and jived with the mission. That is very important.

 

[ishiningstar]

Looks like Pritzker would be a better choice for you!

And not sure where you got that from but there's really not any outdoorsy stuff to do around Duke

 

[Tots]

Come to Pritzker 😎

The South Side of Chicago leaves a lot to be desired, though I personally enjoy Hyde Park (though its been getting quite a bit better recently...I think it even has a target now ). It is easy enough to live in other parts of the city if you so desire. In fact greater than half the class ends up moving out of Hyde Park after first year.

 

[Ampharos]

Just my 2 cents: I loved the students I met at Pritzker. All of them were dedicated, funny, and truly believed in practicing medicine through a social justice lens. All three schools are amazing options, so you can't go wrong. Congratulations!

 

[SeeClearly]

Duke. I loved the students I met at Duke. They were collaborative and socially focused. They have been doing the accelerated curriculum for over 30 years. Their match list is exceptional. 60K should not be the determining factor. Vandy is great too, they have instituted Duke-style curriculum in the last few years and I hear wonderful things (I did not interview there). U Chicago is an excellent choice too. I was also accepted at U Chicago. When I interviewed there I thought the class size seemed really small though. I thought it was unfortunate at a time when we have a physician shortage they made their class size substantially smaller a few years ago. It seemed to be a disconnect for a school that wants to focus on medical inequities ect. to get smaller not bigger! Probably good for the students though as you get more attention? But maybe not so much for society. Anyway, all great choices, but I would choose Duke.