Hi everyone,
I am planning on attending Duke in the fall for my undergraduate degree. I have heard that Duke classes are incredibly difficult (but you do learn a ton academically from the rigor of the courses) and that the university is notorious for weeding out pre-meds due to grading on the bell curve. Currently, I plan on applying to MSTP programs for MD/PhD after completing my undergraduate degree. I know that for all of these MSTP programs, the average GPA is around a 3.8. Thus, I have been feeling nervous about earning a 3.8+ at Duke.
Now, I have maintained a 4.0 throughout my high school career and don't mind putting in the work for my classes. I fully expect to study anywhere between 6 to 10 hours a day at Duke amongst participating in other extracurriculars (as I am not into the party scene, etc.). However, I am also aware of the level of academic competition (i.e. students who attended very good college prep schools, international students, etc. who may skew the grading scale) present at Duke. I don't mind working very, very hard to earn top grades at the university - I just want to know if earning top grades is possible in weed out classes such as GenChem, OChem, and Physics.
Aside from this worry, I am super excited to go to Duke. I KNOW that I want to pursue an MD/PhD path and feel like the Duke name would be beneficial when applying to graduate programs (I hope?). I have published research in Cambridge youth journals and enjoy the intersection between clinical medicine and research. Additionally, I will likely be conducting research in the Duke Eye Center. It would just make me feel better to understand the realistic expectations for Duke coursework (as I do not want to be disadvantaged coming from a regular public school). Also, I was also wondering if Duke Medical School/MSTP program has a preference for Duke undergrads.
I would benefit greatly from other people's experiences as a pre-med at Duke (or other comparable schools). Any insight would be extremely helpful. Thank you so much!
I am planning on attending Duke in the fall for my undergraduate degree. I have heard that Duke classes are incredibly difficult (but you do learn a ton academically from the rigor of the courses) and that the university is notorious for weeding out pre-meds due to grading on the bell curve. Currently, I plan on applying to MSTP programs for MD/PhD after completing my undergraduate degree. I know that for all of these MSTP programs, the average GPA is around a 3.8. Thus, I have been feeling nervous about earning a 3.8+ at Duke.
Now, I have maintained a 4.0 throughout my high school career and don't mind putting in the work for my classes. I fully expect to study anywhere between 6 to 10 hours a day at Duke amongst participating in other extracurriculars (as I am not into the party scene, etc.). However, I am also aware of the level of academic competition (i.e. students who attended very good college prep schools, international students, etc. who may skew the grading scale) present at Duke. I don't mind working very, very hard to earn top grades at the university - I just want to know if earning top grades is possible in weed out classes such as GenChem, OChem, and Physics.
Aside from this worry, I am super excited to go to Duke. I KNOW that I want to pursue an MD/PhD path and feel like the Duke name would be beneficial when applying to graduate programs (I hope?). I have published research in Cambridge youth journals and enjoy the intersection between clinical medicine and research. Additionally, I will likely be conducting research in the Duke Eye Center. It would just make me feel better to understand the realistic expectations for Duke coursework (as I do not want to be disadvantaged coming from a regular public school). Also, I was also wondering if Duke Medical School/MSTP program has a preference for Duke undergrads.
I would benefit greatly from other people's experiences as a pre-med at Duke (or other comparable schools). Any insight would be extremely helpful. Thank you so much!