Duke vs Tri-I

[mickmars51]

Already posted in the MSTP forum but was looking for any additional advice!

Wanted to preface this by saying I am incredibly grateful to have these options, first one in my family to finish college and this has been a dream of mine for so long that it hasn’t even sunk in yet it’s come true.

General background: lived in Manhattan for past three years doing research at various labs in Weill Cornell, looking to do orthopedics as a clinical specialty and research can fall anywhere from regenerative spinal gene therapy to liquid biopsy for cancer/musculoskeletal disorders to single cell immunology/arthritis work. Would like to learn more bioinformatics and maintain an active healthy lifestyle for the next eight years and want to learn more about these two. My cycle isn’t over yet but for now these options are top choices for me, so I am excited to learn more about them. Feel like I know more about Tri-I because of proximity and want to hear as much as possible before leaning one way or the other, any comments on these programs would be much appreciated!

Duke
-have matched 100% of the mstp students into their top residency for the past ten years (mind boggling statistic!)
-curriculum makes sense to me, getting clinical done before the phd seems to help focus research area as well as step1/2 scores and now clerkships are P/F
-flawless interview day, the genuine interest from the faculty in my research and hobbies made me feel so wanted
-durham would be an amazing place to be long term, very affordable, beautiful weather, top notch research/clinical and new place to explore!
-chris kontos (director) knew my app front and back, was amazing during the interview and during our emails after really blew me away on how personally invested he was, also called me to give the A on super bowl sunday making it very memorable. trust him to look out for me and lead the program in a good direction
-accelerated pathway in orthopedics cuts out last year and could start residency after the phd, also seems to be some amazing ortho research and single cell work going on meaning I could find a niche and excel for years to come
-fitness facilities are paid for by program, so rock climbing, the gym and other facilities on campus are available to me at no cost
-aunt and uncle 20 min outside of durham, parents stated they would consider moving down here if I attended
-hear the hospital is terrific for teaching, and duke students are amazing interns due to their experience
-only met one student but he was wildly impressive both by founding a legit company and how cool/down to earth he was, also backed up my impression that the program leadership was terrific

Summary: outstanding curriculum and leadership style in a beautiful undergrad campus with a solid teaching hospital and new experiences.

Tri-I
-"home field advantage", have been here for three years know the campus and area well, many students have been helpful to me in application guidance as well as giving me insights about the program which makes me feel comfortable and like I have a support system! it was also the program I told everyone I wanted to go to since deciding on this path so kinda a dream -> manifestation
-institutional access to nyp, hss, msk, rockefeller, new york genome center is huge and will open doors not available elsewhere, especially with the hiring of the new bioinformatics/stats lead at hss the collaboration is literally across the street
-love how the housing is within a block of the campus and heavily subsidized, many student organizations and clubs that make use of nyc (especially since I have forgotten how to drive)
-outdoor roller hockey rink 20 blocks away where I coach youth programs/play pickup with friends, plus I could keep my equinox membership to ensure I don’t only focus on school
-family is in new jersey, could frequently visit them or have them come into the best area of nyc (upper east side) which has grown on me a bunch since living here (hot take I know lol)
-faculty meetings and research quality were mind blowing, the amount of experts in the field who reached out to me after the interview just to talk was amazing, met with one this past week and the advice/people to reach out to he gave was so thorough/well thought out
-ability to do phd at msk or rockefeller, both of these places are so top notch I can hardly believe I would have the opportunity to be a student there. access to collaborations/resources in endless.
-access to HSS, unmatched opportunities in the field here as a student but also not a home program for cornell so would have to apply more broadly since its so competitive. but its mind boggling to think of the people I could work with here
-boothroyd (administrative director) helped me pick out my people for revisit and has been described as a "gem" by the students I am friendly with

Summary: unmatched institutional access to some of the best research/clinical sites in a fast paced city I am comfortable in/have social support.

Basically these two options check all my boxes, and I am fortunate to be attending revisit for both. Anything I may have missed or suggestions on criteria to look for? Thanks all!

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[srirachamayonnaise]

I would go with Tri-I. HSS is “unmatchable”( no pun intended) in ortho.

 

[jojofu]

Congrats on both acceptances! I don’t know enough about MSTP to weigh in. But for the Duke free gym stuff, is that only for MSTP or also for MDs?

 

[mickmars51]

I would go with Tri-I. HSS is “unmatchable”( no pun intended) in ortho.

lol pun and input appreciated!

 

[mickmars51]

Congrats on both acceptances! I don’t know enough about MSTP to weigh in. But for the Duke free gym stuff, is that only for MSTP or also for MDs?

thank you, and im not totally sure! i would imagine so because grad students get it free as well but i could be mistaken.

 

[mickmars51]

hoping to bump this thread, also hyped for upcoming duke revisit with the unc game this saturday!

 

[deleted1065184]

Honestly the pros seem to balance out, and you haven't really listed any major cons for either program. Based on what you've written, you def cannot make a wrong decision and you are in a great position.

The two big questions I have are where do you hope to match and where do you hope to settle down? If you wanna settle down in the Northeast long-term, I'd recommend going to Duke. In the research world, it is very good to diversify your educational/research environments...more so than for MD-only. If you put in the work (I'm sure you will), you'll match wherever you want from either program. So doing MSTP @ Duke and PSTP (or whatever type of residency you want to do) in NYC will make it easier for you to transition into a faculty role or work for/start a company in the NE. And vice versa if you wanna settle down in the South.

 

[mickmars51]

Honestly the pros seem to balance out, and you haven't really listed any major cons for either program. Based on what you've written, you def cannot make a wrong decision and you are in a great position.

The two big questions I have are where do you hope to match and where do you hope to settle down? If you wanna settle down in the Northeast long-term, I'd recommend going to Duke. In the research world, it is very good to diversify your educational/research environments...more so than for MD-only. If you put in the work (I'm sure you will), you'll match wherever you want from either program. So doing MSTP @ Duke and PSTP (or whatever type of residency you want to do) in NYC will make it easier for you to transition into a faculty role or work for/start a company in the NE. And vice versa if you wanna settle down in the South.

thank you for the kind words, I realize im incredibly lucky and never imagined id be fortunate enough to decide between two programs I genuinely love.

thats very fair, I was wondering if it'd be smart to try and stay at one place or move around but diversifying seems to be helpful. originally I wanted hospital for special surgery (lol who doesn't right) because the md-phds there blew my mind with the quality of their research and how well regarded they were in the field surgically.

however some people have told me to steer clear for residency and go elsewhere so im a bit torn on where I want to train. for settling down long term im totally open, my parents are willing to move and my hometown/state is different than these two programs which is nice. but i appreciate these two questions and will be thinking of them during revisit and as i look through residency programs.

thanks for the reply!

 

[LasagnaLover]

hey, im also looking at these two programs!! some things im tryna figure out to help me differentiate:
-is rockefeller really accessible? amazing research but heard rumors it has some toxic pis
-is the quality of life at duke that high? with 1 year of preclinical/clerkships and no subsidized housing can the life you want be afforded here
-how are the students at both/mentorship availabilities?
just some things im looking at, good luck!!

 

[deleted1065184]

hey, im also looking at these two programs!! some things im tryna figure out to help me differentiate:
-is rockefeller really accessible? amazing research but heard rumors it has some toxic pis
-is the quality of life at duke that high? with 1 year of preclinical/clerkships and no subsidized housing can the life you want be afforded here
-how are the students at both/mentorship availabilities?
just some things im looking at, good luck!!

1) All schools have some toxic PIs, but Tri-I has 3 institutions to choose from so you'll be fine. Just make sure you ask around a lot and pay attention during your rotations before choosing a lab.

2) Yes, Durham is so much cheaper than NYC that even without subsizided housing, you're living much more comfortably. This one isn't debatable lol. This is coming from somebody in a city with a similar COL as Durham, with several friends in NYC. Now if the question is about culture/stuff to do, that's entirely based on your individual interests.

3) Not entirely sure what this question is asking.