Duke vs NYU

[internettroll3002]

I am not totally set on my specialty. I think I would like to do academic IM -> academic fellowship, likely PCCM. I would be interested in matching back to Boston at Mass General. I think in a way, my choice here comes down to which school would best set me up for matching well. As far as I can tell, both schools are essentially equivalent in prestige (maybe Duke is slightly better?) but NYU seems to match more to MGH. Duke is slightly more expensive at 55k a year but I think cheaper cost of living would help offset this (and completely P/F). I think Duke's home IM programs are stronger, though I am unsure about the PCCM programs at either Duke or NYU. I am ambivalent about the school locations since I feel I will most likely be too busy to really explore either location, though I welcome hearing from current medical students if this is wrong! If I did do Anesthesia CC, Duke has top anesthesia home residency.

Duke
Pros

• One year preclinical
• 3rd year built-in research year
• Established curriculum
• Cheaper cost of living
• P/F everything, no MSPE adjectives, no AOA
• Good match list
• Good vibes from the school, everyone seems very collaborative
• In the south, and it looks like funding has not been targeted by current administration

Neutral

• Durham is a smaller city than NYU. Presumably quieter but also less to do. Weather is warmer and it is in the south. Driveable.

Cons

• Slightly more expensive at 55k a year (20k tuition, 35k CoL) versus 35k (though NYU's estimate seems a little dubious for NYC cost of living, both schools have 35k earmarked for cost of living but Durham apartments are already cheaper than NYU's student housing?)

NYU
Pros

• Free tuition! 35k CoA earmarked for CoL by NYU
• One year preclinical
• Get to take a research year or just graduate in 3 years
• P/F preclinical only
• Good match list (might match slightly better to MGH?)
• NYU has been targeted slightly by the administration, though not nearly as much as Columbia or Harvard. Worried it might suffer more in the future.

Neutral

• NYC is a much larger city with more to do, but more noise. Cannot drive, but extensive public transit.
• Have no talked much with medical students so unsure what culture looks like (I've heard competitive?)

Cons

• Newer curriculum, a lot of recent upheaval with MD/PhD changes
• AOA
• MSPE adjectives
• Honors on clinical rotations
• Cost of living in New York City
• Student housing looks bad though it is likely very good for NYC

Summary: I am mostly interested in student outcomes for IM/PCCM and am deciding between Duke and NYU which have similar curriculums except Duke is more P/F. Unsure which school would benefit me more matching.

Bonus:
Alternate choices of WashU, Penn, Yale (if off waitlist)

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[hydroflaskhomie]

Talk to current students. It doesn't really seem like you know enough about either school (culture-wise, matching-wise) to make a decision right now.

I think I would put the edge to NYU because you know what you want to do, you can do it in 3 years, and it's cheaper. I also think NYC is way better than Durham unless you hate big cities. I legitimately think these schools are roughly on the same playing field - your matching is probably going to be equivalent from either if you put the work in.

P/F clinical is great but NYU has other benefits in their favor.