Duke vs. Penn vs. Yale

[Wrinklebottom]

If you could do a ranked choice vote, where would you place each one, and why?

I generally try to hold my cards close to the vest regarding what I’m thinking because I don’t want my own perceptions to influence people’s responses. (At least at first)

All I will say is, you can take cost out of consideration (I’m very lucky to have ample resources), and as far as location, I’d say I think I’d prefer a small to medium sized city (Duke, Yale) for medical school to a very large one (Penn), if only because I fear a large city could potentially distract me too much from my studies, but I also wouldn’t rule out a big city if a compelling enough case were made to consider it.

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[libertyyne]

Penn.

 

[Skeletorr]

Do you have a pros & cons list for each?

 

[878956]

yale

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

As much as I would love to say Duke..... I would go to Penn.

 

[BombsAway]

Those three curricula are very different from each other. Consider what your day to day grind will be like, rather than picking between city size.

 

[Wrinklebottom]

I do have a pros and cons list, but I’d like to hold back on it for a bit longer because I feel, after reading so many of these comparison threads, that once you’ve revealed your own opinions, it seems to color people’s responses, and I’d like to get people to advocate for each school based on their own opinions without necessarily trying to counter mine, if that makes any sense?

Also, regarding city size, that was one criteria (or preference) I felt like putting out there because, after reading so many of these threads, I didn’t want a bunch of people arguing “go with Penn because Philly’s great”, etc. If Penn is the school you’re advocating for, I’d rather your argument have more to do specifically about the school than how great the city around it is. It seems like so often, people post on here trying to get opinions on the schools, and it quickly devolves into people’s opinions of the cities they’re in instead.

And, as bombs away points out, yes, these three particular schools have very different approaches to education and curricula, and, again, rather than color responses by leading off which style I may prefer, I’d rather read powerful pro or con arguments against each school’s method and culture. Once the ball gets rolling a little more, I’ll fill in more of the blanks as to my thinking, but for now, I’m more interested in what throwing those three names out makes you all think.

 

[libertyyne]

I do have a pros and cons list, but I’d like to hold back on it for a bit longer because I feel, after reading so many of these comparison threads, that once you’ve revealed your own opinions, it seems to color people’s responses, and I’d like to get people to advocate for each school based on their own opinions without necessarily trying to counter mine, if that makes any sense?

Also, regarding city size, that was one criteria (or preference) I felt like putting out there because, again, after reviewing so many of these threads, I didn’t want a bunch of people arguing “go with Penn because Philly’s great”, etc. If Penn is the school you’re advocating for, I’d rather be the argument have more to do about the school than how great the city around it is. It seems like so often, people post on here trying to get opinions on the schools, and it so often devolves into people’s opinions of the cities they’re in instead.

And, as bombs away points out, yes, these three particular schools have very different approaches to education and curricula, and, again, rather than color responses by leading off which I may prefer. Once the ball gets rolling a little more, I’ll fill in more of the blanks as to my thinking, but for now, I’m more interested in what throwing those three names out makes you all think.

the problem is that you are relying on crowdsourcing our personal bias. The point of these threads is to elucidate what is important to you, and then help you use that rubric with information about the schools. Otherwise you might as well just look at the USNEWS list and call it a day .

 

[puahate]

Penn.

 

[Wrinklebottom]

OK, since I’m getting a little more pushback on my attempt to not color responses with my own opinions, I’ll throw some more info out there. Basically, I did better on the MCAT than I had expected, so I’ve recently started investigating schools up a tier from what I was originally targeting, so I’m still early in the investigative stage with these schools.

I think, generally, that all three of these schools are pretty much equal on the prestige factor. I’d also like to go into academic medicine, and I think all three are also strong in this area.

For Yale:

Pro: I like the Yale system, how it’s more laid-back and non-competitive (I’m coming from a philosophically similar Liberal Arts College which I feel has been a good fit for me and my learninf style), but I’m not sure how much that really differs from many other choices these days now that so many schools have also gone in a similar direction in recent years. Also, I’ve been to New Haven and could see myself living there.

Con: I’m not so sure about the quality, reputation and depth of the attached hospital and health system (it seems like none of Yales residency programs seem very well regarded, for example).

For Duke:

Pro: I like that the basic science is covered quickly, and the dedicated research year. Also, the Duke Hospital and health system seem first rate and they have a number of highly ranked residency programs in specialities I’m (very preliminarily) considering.

Con: The flip side of the condensed/accelerated pace of the curriculum (combined with the high number of enrollees in dual-degree programs) strikes me that the environment there might be a little too hyper-competitive.

For Penn:

Pro: Penn is probably the most highly-regarded of the three, and Penn medicine, CHOP, etc. all seem like great places to be learning, getting research opportunities, etc. (and, similarly to Duke, highly rated residency programs, etc,). It’s also the one I know the least about at present. I’ve seen two people so far post “Penn” with no explanation, I’d love for someone to expand on that.

Con: Penn is the largest of the three (obviously, since I went to a small private high school and chose an LAC for undergrad, I prefer a smaller school), although not huge by any means, it is of the largest class size I think I’d like to consider the more I’ve thought about it). I don’t really have a problem with Philadelphia, I just threw the size issue in in the original post because I didn’t want to conversation to degrade into “Philly’s so much better than Raleigh or New Haven”. Also, like Duke, Penn seems like it might be very competitive in a negative way,

Also, the reason why I’m putting the quality/prestige of the residency programs as important is not that I necessarily feel I need to do residency where I went to Med School, but rather I feel when it comes to rotations, clerkships, faculty mentors and recommendations, etc., it’s important for the school you choose to have strong residency programs even if you don’t intend on doing your residency there.

So, there’s more for all of you to chew on...

 

[libertyyne]

OK, since I’m getting a little more pushback on my attempt to not color responses with my own opinions, I’ll throw some more info out there. Basically, I did better on the MCAT than I had expected, so I’ve recently started investigating schools up a tier from what I was originally targeting, so I’m still early in the investigative stage with these schools.

I think, generally, that all three of these schools are pretty much equal on the prestige factor. I’d also like to go into academic medicine, and I think all three are also strong in this area.

For Yale:

Pro: I like the Yale system, how it’s more laid-back and non-competitive (I’m coming from a philosophically similar Liberal Arts College which I feel has been a good fit for me and my learninf style), but I’m not sure how much that really differs from many other choices these days now that so many schools have also gone in a similar direction in recent years. Also, I’ve been to New Haven and could see myself living there.

Con: I’m not so sure about the quality, reputation and depth of the attached hospital and health system (it seems like none of Yales residency programs seem very well regarded, for example).

For Duke:

Pro: I like that the basic science is covered quickly, and the dedicated research year. Also, the Duke Hospital and health system seem first rate and they have a number of highly ranked residency programs in specialities I’m (very preliminarily) considering.

Con: The flip side of the condensed/accelerated pace of the curriculum (combined with the high number of enrollees in dual-degree programs) strikes me that the environment there might be a little too hyper-competitive.

For Penn:

Pro: Penn is probably the most highly-regarded of the three, and Penn medicine, CHOP, etc. all seem like great places to be learning, getting research opportunities, etc. (and, similarly to Duke, highly rated residency programs, etc,). It’s also the one I know the least about at present. I’ve seen two people so far post “Penn” with no explanation, I’d love for someone to expand on that.

Con: Penn is the largest of the three (obviously, since I went to a small private high school and chose an LAC for undergrad, I prefer a smaller school), although not huge by any means, it is of the largest class size I think I’d like to consider the more I’ve thought about it). I don’t really have a problem with Philadelphia, I just threw the size issue in in the original post because I didn’t want to conversation to degrade into “Philly’s so much better than Raleigh or New Haven”. Also, like Duke, Penn seems like it might be very competitive in a negative way,

Also, the reason why I’m putting the quality/prestige of the residency programs as important is not that I necessarily feel I need to do residency where I went to Med School, but rather I feel when it comes to rotations, clerkships, faculty mentors and recommendations, etc., it’s important for the school you choose to have strong residency programs even if you don’t intend on doing your residency there.

So, there’s more for all of you to chew on...

come back with an accept to all 3.

 

[Wrinklebottom]

come back with an accept to all 3.

Why are you so hostile? Have I done something to offend you by trying to use this message board to try and narrow down where I might apply to? Is this not the “Pre-med” forum?

 

[thatchemguy]

There is literally no point in making this post without having been accepted to them. Your post implies you haven't even applied yet. Getting acceptances to the T10 is a crapshoot and your high MCAT, while nice, will not guarantee you those acceptances.

 

[puahate]

Just make a WAMC thread and apply. Come back here when you get acceptances.

 

[libertyyne]

Why are you so hostile? Have I done something to offend you by trying to use this message board to try and narrow down where I might apply to? Is this not the “Pre-med” forum?

people take time to give real advice to people who are in the fortunate position of being accepted to multiple schools. This post
1. implied that you were already accepted and wanted honest advice on that question.
2. left out important information surrounding the question.
3. Should have been in the main pre-med forum rather than help me decide.

So yes it is annoying especially for people who actually take time out of their schedules to give back on this subforum.

batting a 3/3 at this level is a difficult task and you may not even get accepted to any of these schools even with great stats leading this to be an exercise in futility.

 

[Osminog]

Why are you so hostile? Have I done something to offend you by trying to use this message board to try and narrow down where I might apply to? Is this not the “Pre-med” forum?

The pre-med forum is for those seeking or offering academic and professional advice, not for people who want to have their random wet dream fantasies entertained.

 

[WedgeDawg]

There is a higher than average chance that your choice will be limited based on acceptances. Speculating at this point is not productive. If you have any interest in these schools, I would apply to all three.

 

[Mynameisnobody]

If you could do a ranked choice vote, where would you place each one, and why?

I generally try to hold my cards close to the vest regarding what I’m thinking because I don’t want my own perceptions to influence people’s responses. (At least at first)

All I will say is, you can take cost out of consideration (I’m very lucky to have ample resources), and as far as location, I’d say I think I’d prefer a small to medium sized city (Duke, Yale) for medical school to a very large one (Penn), if only because I fear a large city could potentially distract me too much from my studies, but I also wouldn’t rule out a big city if a compelling enough case were made to consider it.

“Yale” bc no competition!

 

[931408]

As previous posters have implied, there's no point of envisioning yourself at a certain medical school prior to an actual interview. If you were interested enough to make a Pros and Cons page for each of them, apply to all three.

 

[Pharaoh95]

Reading the comments you've posted, I am under the impression that you are severely underestimating how competitive the medical school admissions process is. Regardless of your MCAT, you need to apply broadly and not just focus on the highest tier of medical schools. Otherwise we'll see a "what went wrong with my cycle" or a "turning down acceptance to reapply" thread in the near future.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Agreed. Unless you are that rare once-in-a-generation applicant - the 29-year-old full professor of law at Harvard with a 4.0 and a 528, lots of good research, and thousands of hours of community service - you'll be very lucky to get accepted into any of those schools, let alone all three. And if you were that stellar, you probably wouldn't be posting on SDN.