Duke vs UNC Chapel Hill

[ContaguousSurf]

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No, I'm not talking sports here. Both are "great" schools in terms of reputation, but I'm not sure which one is a better choice for me.

Overall, Duke's curriculum, facilities, student body, and reputation are huge pluses for me. I like the condensed basic sciences with an option to do research or a second degree 3rd year. The students here seemed to love it and were very kind and had a good balance between confidence and humility.

UNC Chapel Hill is in an okay area (better than Duke), but neither school is in a big medical hub like Chicago, NYC, or Philadelphia. Several things I did not like though about UNC:

• Students: enthusiasm seemed forced; kind of arrogant and immature
• Facilities: on the dumpy side
• Reputation: NCAA scandal has called into question the academic standing of the whole institution; falling in rankings (not that those are super important)
• Student Body: Impression is that there are many questionably qualified people in the class. This might be balanced out by several 40+ MCAT superstars so the school has respectable averages. (this might be several people's impression, but still something that might affect the quality of the student body and teaching)

I know the above sounds harsh, but these are legit concerns I have so don't beat me up Tar Heels 🙂 Both are good programs, but one major consideration is COST. UNC has an in-state tuition that is just hard to beat. Duke is private and since I'm not getting any scholarships, will be expensive.

Thoughts?

 

[rudziutki]

Student Body: Impression is that there are many questionably qualified people in the class. This might be balanced out by several 40+ MCAT superstars so the school has respectable averages. (this might be several people's impression, but still something that might affect the quality of the student body and teaching)

How can you possibly figure this out from an interview day?

 

[tarheel1408]

You obviously want to go to Duke, and you just came on here looking for people to tell you that's okay. It is. Go where you'll be happy. You'll have no problems paying off loans as long as you aren't going into FM

 

[ben kenobi]

Sounds like its clear which school you prefer. If it was me, I would go where I would be happiest. Four years of your life is worth a lot more than in-state tuition, imo.

 

[ContaguousSurf]

How can you possibly figure this out from an interview day?

It wasn't just the interview. I was at UNC for undergrad and know a lot of people familiar with the school and it's admissions trends.

You obviously want to go to Duke, and you just came on here looking for people to tell you that's okay. It is. Go where you'll be happy. You'll have no problems paying off loans as long as you aren't going into FM

Yes, Duke would be awesome but I don't have any financial resources (from family, etc.) and will be taking on full loans at both schools. Much less debt is really tough to pass up, since both are solid programs.

 

[deleted503015]

No, I'm not talking sports here. Both are "great" schools in terms of reputation, but I'm not sure which one is a better choice for me.

Overall, Duke's curriculum, facilities, student body, and reputation are huge pluses for me. I like the condensed basic sciences with an option to do research or a second degree 3rd year. The students here seemed to love it and were very kind and had a good balance between confidence and humility.

UNC Chapel Hill is in an okay area (better than Duke), but neither school is in a big medical hub like Chicago, NYC, or Philadelphia. Several things I did not like though about UNC:

• Students: enthusiasm seemed forced; kind of arrogant and immature
• Facilities: on the dumpy side
• Reputation: NCAA scandal has called into question the academic standing of the whole institution; falling in rankings (not that those are super important)
• Student Body: Impression is that there are many questionably qualified people in the class. This might be balanced out by several 40+ MCAT superstars so the school has respectable averages. (this might be several people's impression, but still something that might affect the quality of the student body and teaching)

I know the above sounds harsh, but these are legit concerns I have so don't beat me up Tar Heels 🙂 Both are good programs, but one major consideration is COST. UNC has an in-state tuition that is just hard to beat. Duke is private and since I'm not getting any scholarships, will be expensive.

Thoughts?

I will be a first year at UNC in August, and cost is really what made the choice for me (I chose it over several other schools). The AAMC's MedLoans calculator on the FIRST website can help you see the difference in cost in terms of monthly payments. You have to make the decision regarding how much more you're willing to pay.

https://services.aamc.org/30/first/home/organizer#.UZ0wg4ajCZQ

 

[GrabSlamBoot]

It sounds like you prefer duke. You didn't list any pros for UNC haha the decision seems pretty clear cut.

 

[stevecoral155]

The real question for you, as an in-state student, is this: are the relative cons of UNC versus duke worth the debt you'll incur at duke?

(there are some serious differences between the two schools also, both from a philosophical and educational standpoint, but you didn't mention it in your original post so maybe it's not a major factor for you.)