Duke vs. Northwestern

[ubertrooper60]

So....with a few days until the deadline, I am borderline freaking out. I like these two schools for very different reasons, which is making comparison and my decision difficult. I have talked to many different people, but I thought I'd ask here anyway.

Duke:
- I really like the curriculum and the freedom that comes with the 3rd year of research, getting to do a 2nd degree, etc.
- Students seemed super friendly and happy, at least from what I could tell at second look
- Very outdoorsy vibe, which I like (reasonably close to the beach and mountains)
- Extremely cheap and low cost of living
- Way more financial aid given (though I might do the Navy scholarship, making financial aid irrelevant, but that is another discussion)
- Further from home and many friends in Chicago and the greater Midwest (home is South Dakota)
- The Triangle, while great, is not Chicago (I'm a single guy fresh out of university)

Northwestern:
- Love the idea of being in downtown Chicago (and currently already have friends there)
- Very cool, holistic curriculum as well (PBL, system-based, etc)
- Chicago, aside from being fun, has a ton of resources for research, networking, and clinical opportunity
- Also really liked the students I met at second look
- Extremely expensive, both cost of living and lack of financial aid
- Convenience to home and Midwest may not matter because I wouldn't have a car here
- Weather is awful

Ultimately, if I'm being totally honest with myself, it comes down to being curriculum and Chicago vs. not Chicago. I like both curriculums but Duke's a bit more. I love the idea of everything that comes with being in Chicago (fun, opportunity, friends already there), but it's extremely expensive and I wouldn't have a car to conveniently visit friends in nearby cities.

I also don't honestly know if I would like living in a big city. It's exciting, but that may wear off on me after a bit. I'm not sure. But...being in a city like Chicago is certainly great for potentially meeting someone as well.

Anything I may be missing about the schools or locations? What do you all think or prefer?

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[piggle]

First off, congrats on your acceptances! I'm a current MS2 at Duke and I'm more than happy to answer any q's you may have about Duke med, living in Durham, etc.

I obviously can't speak to Northwestern (which is an awesome school, and I have friends there who love it), but I will tell you some of the reasons why I chose Duke for med school

1) curriculum: I was tired of being in the classroom and I liked the idea of getting to the wards early. I feel like being on various rotations has really helped me solidify some of the basic science stuff that I had only memorized without really understanding.

2) 3rd year research: I want to do a fairly competitive subspeciality, and have dedicated time to research is wonderful. I plan on trying to finish in the usual 4 years, and I have other friends at other med schools who have had to take extra years to try to get enough research in to be competitive for whatever field they want to go into. Additionally, if you did want to take an extra year to pursue a dual degree or do more research or whatever, it's easy and cheap (only $500 reenrollment fee) to do so.

3) the location: I'm actually a fan of Durham (I went here for undergrad too, so I might be a little biased). I like the fact that it's a bit smaller, but has a lot of fun things to do from outdoorsy things to awesome sporting events (especially if you're a basketball fan!) to a pretty eclectic and evolving food scene. Cost of living here is wonderfully cheap as well: I have classmates who rent entire houses for about $800 a month.

4) the people: my classmates are some of the most accomplished yet humble people I've ever met and it's a joy and privilege to study and learn with them. Duke attracts wonderful residents and faculty who love to teach and are/will be pioneers in their field.

Please feel free to PM me if you have any other questions or concerns. Either way, it looks like no matter where you decide to go, you'll be in good shape 😀

 

[trynahelp]

Congratulations! How much are you willing to pay for Chicago? I agree, it's one of the best city's in the country, and even at Northwestern, if you live a metro stop or a bike ride (weather-permitting) away, you can find pretty cheap rooms. But if the cost is going to be over $100k, I don't think it's worth it.

They're both amazing schools and will get you wherever you want to go, but even the cool opportunities that come with Chicago aren't worth it if the pricetag is too high. Go with Duke.

That being said, I know the deadline is soon, but have you told NW about your Duke money? Maybe they'll throw in a little more! Congrats on having a choice with no wrong answer though!

 

[Stagg737]

OP, just a heads up on living in a city like Chicago, it's always going to be a little noisy and bright. Blackout shades can work wonders, but I could never get used to sleeping with earplugs or headphones in and I like to have actual quiet at 1 am. There's a lot of really cool things about living in big cities, but it's definitely a major adjustment from living in suburbs or more rural areas.

Things I'd consider:

Weather - huge factor. Do you want many months of tundra? But summer's are awesome.
Single life - Chicago is fun. Lots of bars and people to date. Def beats NC
Culture & Sports - Chicago has so much fun stuff to do. It's insane.
Price - Compared to NC, Chicago might be expensive. But it's cheap compared to other big cities like SF, LA, NYC
Better fit: Are you the small town outdoorsy type or a big city kinda guy?
Clinical sites: Chicago has a super diverse pt. population and lots of trauma. Does the diversity/quality of the clinical training matter to you?
Matching - Duke won't inhibit your ability to match anywhere. But if you see yourself in the midwest long term, the NU connections might help you match in Chicago.
Family support - I think this is a huge factor and might help you stay sane in medical school.

To the first bolded, I'd say it's more like 2 months of decent snowfall and cold. January and Feb can be miserable, and December, March and early April can be colder than some people would prefer. I wouldn't call it many months of tundra though.

To the second bolded, lol at putting having Chicago and 'cheap' in the same few sentences. Yes, it's less expensive than the 3 cities you named, but those might be the only 3 cities it's cheaper than. COL will is going to be high in Chicago no matter what you do, idk what it would be at Duke, but I'm guessing it's significantly less.

 

[ubertrooper60]

Thanks for all your input, guys! Really helpful and a lot to consider. I know I'm in a good spot and can't really go wrong, which is what makes this so tough lol. Thankful to be in this predicament, though.

I think I like Duke's curriculum better. And, considering how different the two are, it will make a big difference in what and how I learn. So that's a big draw for Duke.

Honestly, I love Chicago. It's a phenomenal place to be a young person in. That being said, I love to ride my road bike long distances. I love that the mountains and beach is relatively close to Duke. As incredible as Chicago would be, I could potentially see the city life getting old after a bit for me. Butttttt... having never lived in a city, that's hard to say.

Cost-wise, Duke gave me double in grant aid. Duke's was about $47K per year, and Northwestern's was $26K per year, and tuition is just about the same at both schools.

Additionally, I'd be lucky to find an apartment in downtown Chicago for under $1300 a month, where most Duke students pay in the $700-$900 range, and that's even high for some. And just general cost of living is wayyyyy more expensive in Chicago.

 

[Lawpy]

Duke and Northwestern are both excellent schools, so the objective here is to minimize costs (which includes both tuition and cost of living and other expenses). I would go with the cheaper option overall and pick Duke.