Duke vs Yale

Hi everyone,

Thanks to all of you who voted. Hello was actually posting that question for me (and thanks foxy for helping us with the poll! )

I guess I'll just outline what I'm thinking...

I don't want a second degree, but I do want to do research during medical school. Duke obviously has the third year, but Yale also requires a thesis, so research at both schools is a priority, it seems.

I think that I'd prefer Durham to New Haven, but I think that four years down the road, I'd prefer to go to a residency in the Northeast (but probably not Yale.) Both schools have great match lists, but Yale's has more people matching at places that I might like to end up. (In terms of specialties, both schools have people going into competitive fields.)

The stresslessness of Yale (as well as the time it affords to get to know people, get involved in service, etc.) appeals to me, but so does Duke's third year!

Oh, one thing I was wondering was how Yale's facilities are...I had a very abbreviated tour and didn't really see much of the school.

I was all set on Duke until Yale pulled me from their waitlist yesterday, and now I need to go back and think things over again...I'd appreciate any advice you guys could give!

 

In terms of facilities, what I thought was the most impressive thing about Yale is that they were building a brand new, multi-million-$ research/med school/etc. facility. When I was there interviewing in the fall they said it was scheduled to be open for the start of class for the class of 2006. But I haven't heard anything in quite a while about it...construction has a nasty habit of being delayed. Anyway, Dean Silverman and others were really hyping it up while I was there...it sounds like it'll be an amazing facility. Anyone else hear anything about the construction recently?

 

ah, I just found some info about it...

Here's the link: <a href="http://info.med.yale.edu/viewbook/wednesday/index.html" target="_blank">http://info.med.yale.edu/viewbook/wednesday/index.html</a>

Here's a little blurb on that page:

"A major initiative of the plan is a new $176 million, 450,000 square-foot building that will furnish six floors of laboratories for
disease-oriented research; core facilities for mouse genomics and magnetic resonance imaging; and teaching space for anatomy and histology. A total of $500 million will be invested over the next decade to renovate and improve other key facilities of the school."

The $176 million building is the one that was supposed to be finished in the late summer/early fall.

AH! Here's what I was looking for! Check this out: <a href="http://www.med.yale.edu/cab/" target="_blank">http://www.med.yale.edu/cab/</a>

Great pictures!

 

new haven's not that bad!! i think it's the same grundgy level as durham and if you factor in new york/boston proximity, i think it's a much better locale. it's a really neat place to live!!

don't want to sound too biased: i went to yale undergrad, so i'll admit that right now. but i think that yale's curricular flexibility gives you everything duke's curriculum does without the stress!!! i would say the only reason to go duke over yale is if you are dying to finish quickly. if time is a little freer, yale's philosophy seems much better.

 

I would go to Duke, Jo.

However, I'll outline the comparison breakdown as I see it.

Residencies: Yale has the edge here, if you consider the number of its Harvard residencies. However, I know you, and I know you'll do well no matter where you go, so I wouldn't worry too much about being "limited" by going to Duke.

Stresslessness: Yale probably gets the edge here, but I'm not a huge fan (anymore) of the gradeless system. I don't know if they do, but I wouldn't be surprised if they internally ranked you at Yale. If so, you'd still try pretty hard to do as well as you could on the "anonymous" tests, where you have to record your ID anyway, so there goes the stressless part. Besides, Duke is stress-free after the first year (except for the clinical year...).

Research: Duke. An entire year? I think they heavily encourage you to apply for scholarships there as well, in particular research ones, which would make you look even better. Yale's grading scheme will likely afford you a great deal of time to do a lot of research too, but I still think Duke's system is better.

Location: I'd actually give Yale a slight edge here. I think Durham sucks, but so does New Haven. Chapel Hill makes up for Durham's lack of anything to do, but New Haven is "close" to New York and Boston. Thus, Yale. However, how often do you really plan to make those intercity trips? I know I wouldn't go that often...

Name: Hard to say. I think maybe Duke, slightly, within the medical arena. Outside of that, maybe Yale, just because of the university's strength in general?

Cost: Duke has very good financial aid. Better, I would assume, than Yale's. Plus, you're highly encouraged to apply for scholarships, in particular research ones at Duke, which lowers costs as well.

I'm sure there are other factors, but for some reason I can't think of them now. Any other concerns?

Bottom line: Either would be wonderful, and I can't say that I would always recommend Duke over Yale for everyone. However, given your situation, I would pick Duke.

Fine print: (Go to Duke, because friends don't let friends go to Yale, in any way, shape, or form... )

 

Seeing as I'm in Durham right now, am familiar with New Haven, and don't feel like studying Pharmacokinetics, I thought I'd comment on the location issue.

Yes, there is a superficial resemblance between New Haven and Durham. Both have been through a similar process of industrialization-decay-incomplete renewal, and now have a bit of a broken down feeling to them. Both have a weird tension that comes from having a rich college plunked down in the middle of a very un-rich town -- especially since the financial disparity is predominantly drawn along racial lines.

Big difference: Durham is southern. Don't underestimate the difference this can make to the atmosphere of a place. I grew up in the Northeast, and before I moved down here I had been living in Manhattan and in the country north of there. I am very used to that part of the world. Moving down to Durham was a HUGE culture shock. The pace is slower (except in Duke Hospital) and people are MUCH friendlier. Complete strangers consistently say hello and strike up conversations with you. It took me several weeks to discover that they didn't have an ulterior motive -- I had been so used to Northern "friendliness" as being a prelude to asking for money. I was so suspicious of people when I first got here, and must have come across as very rude -- took me months to mellow out.

The climate is so different here too, as is people's way of dealing with it. Last January, we had a big snowstorm that shut the city down for a week, because Durham only owns one snowplow. It's also incredibly green and lush here. So many flowers! Honeysuckle and magnolia are in bloom right now. And great trees -- the live oaks are huge; they crack their way through the sidewalks and make a gorgeous green canopy over the streets.

I still feel as if I'm in a foreign land -- once a Northeasterner, always a Northeasterner, I guess. But I consider it part of my education just being down here, learning how to adjust to a different kind of people, a different way of being. And as I look out my window at the incredible lushness around me, I'm glad to be here.

 

I just have to say that I'm pretty amused by the results of this poll so far! Thanks again for all the thoughtful responses. You guys are the best! <img border="0" alt="[Clappy]" title="" src="graemlins/clappy.gif" />

 

Hey Jo,

There's another thing about Yale that is a little different to Duke (and most other top-tier schools), and that is that they believe in a "longitudinal" learning style. What this means in practice is that they do not schedule classes like Biochem/Cell Bio, Physio, or Anatomy into blocks and test with a big exam after X number of weeks.

I know that for many people, including myself, I would very quickly forget much of the material after a block style learning experience, and have extensive review to do later, come boards time. By stretching it out over the semester, especially Anatomy, which you do on Tuesdays and Fridays all the way till Feb of the first year, you will have to recall/retain this material from week to week over the entire semester (Yale runs on semesters of about 2-3 classes each, tested with "qualifying" exams and periodic online quizzes). It's just a reality of longitudinal learning that will hopefully transfer this stuff from your short-term memory to your long-term, substantially, before you need it on the boards or the wards. On the other hand, for the block anatomy style of learning in 8 intensive weeks for example, it might feel great to get it over with and not have to smell like formaldehyde every Tuesday and Friday into the second semester

Good luck with your decision, and never look back

 

Duke and Yale are almost even in the poll?? What's up with that?

Yale is a great school. It was one of my top picks going into this year. And I know that they are building a whole new building to house a ton of research staff. But I still think that Duke is in a whole other league. The hospital is amazing, the people are amazing, and the campus is beautiful. And I love the way your four years at Duke are structured - you get the classes out of the way in first year, you're right into clerkship in the second year, and you have the whole third year for independent study or research or you can do something like an MPH at no extra cost! And while I hate to bring up the rankings, Duke has been in the top five for like forever. To me, the choice is pretty simple - I would go to Duke...

 

Duke all the way. You cant beat the climate, the cost of living and quality of education there. Its a no-brainers to me.

 

Duke all the way. You cant beat the climate, the cost of living and quality of education there. Its a no-brainers to me.

 

Jo,
Come to Duke man! Duke and Yale are 2 very different schools. They are mutually exclusive with regards "fitting-in". You know you're a Duke man!

 

I can assure you, Stephen, that I am not, nor will I ever be a "Duke man." Perhaps a "Duke woman" ! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> (guess my screen name fooled you )

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Jo:
<strong>I can assure you, Stephen, that I am not, nor will I ever be a "Duke man." Perhaps a "Duke woman" ! <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" /> (guess my screen name fooled you )</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">OOps sorry! Sadhna. Yep! I was fooled by your screen name. My apologies. But you know you're a Duke woman. You know it. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

 

Don't worry...no hard feelings

 

I'm with Original. Come to Duke.

 

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Jo:
<strong>Don't worry...no hard feelings </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Cool!

 

So Jo, what was the decision?

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the great advice from everyone. I ended up choosing Yale. On May 15, I had withdrawn from Yale and chosen Duke, but then I didn't feel good about the decision afterwards so I called up both places and switched. (I thought I'd wait a few days before posting my decision just to make sure it stuck this time! ) It's too bad that we won't be classmates, Original and Coalboy, but maybe our paths will cross in the future. Good luck next year everyone, and thanks for being so supportive!

 

You could do that? You called up Yale and say, "whoops, changed my mind" and they gave your acceptance back? Wow, that was pretty generous of them!

Anyway, congratulations on the decision and good luck at Yale.