Mayo vs Duke

[nonchalance]

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Assuming you had these two choices to make where would you go?

-I like the curriculum at both places and I feel I will thrive well at both. Mayo has around 12 blocks with an intermission of 2 week selectives. Duke has one year for basic sciences. I have been told repeatedly that you're not missing out. They just cut minutae from the curriculum and Duke students do well on the boards too. Duke also has the research year which I like. Mayo has 13 weeks of research. Students at both places publish at a much higher rate than your average medical student. I'm interested in academic medicine. I change my mind like no other and will be given the opportunity to do that come rotations time but I'm leaning towards a surgical field

-They are in totally different climates but I prefer warm/humid. I'm from the North East.The South is obviously very slow but having UNC and Duke undergrad+law, etc close by helps to alleviate boredom, I think? The two areas leave a lot to be desired but you have Minneapolis 1.5hrs from Mayo and Chapel Hill 10-15 mins away from Durham, where Duke is located. I don't consider myself a party animal or anything but I like to go out and have fun. I'm also not a serial dater but I want that option. Mayo is pretty much an old town. The triangle area has a lot of young professionals gallivanting around

-The match lists look good at both places. The one at Mayo is more diffuse (I think as a result of the small class size). However, I feel you can do well at both places.

-Duke will probably cost 30K more over 4 years per my calculation.


Life is short so I need to do this right. I value the opinions of my future colleagues. So if you were placed in this situation where would you go to based on your perception of these places.

 

[TakeMe]

I like Duke. The weather is better, and the condensed curriculum will give you a year to do research and add some dimension to your residency app. Both schools are excellent, however, and you really can't go wrong with either one.

 

[mdeast]

Assuming you had these two choices to make where would you go?

-I like the curriculum at both places and I feel I will thrive well at both. Mayo has around 12 blocks with an intermission of 2 week selectives. Duke has one year for basic sciences. I have been told repeatedly that you're not missing out. They just cut minutae from the curriculum and Duke students do well on the boards too. Duke also has the research year which I like. Mayo has 13 weeks of research. Students at both places publish at a much higher rate than your average medical student. I'm interested in academic medicine. I change my mind like no other and will be given the opportunity to do that come rotations time but I'm leaning towards a surgical field

-They are in totally different climates but I prefer warm/humid. I'm from the North East.The South is obviously very slow but having UNC and Duke undergrad+law, etc close by helps to alleviate boredom, I think? The two areas leave a lot to be desired but you have Minneapolis 1.5hrs from Mayo and Chapel Hill 10-15 mins away from Durham, where Duke is located. I don't consider myself a party animal or anything but I like to go out and have fun. I'm also not a serial dater but I want that option. Mayo is pretty much an old town. The triangle area has a lot of young professionals gallivanting around

-The match lists look good at both places. The one at Mayo is more diffuse (I think as a result of the small class size). However, I feel you can do well at both places.

-Duke will probably cost 30K more over 4 years per my calculation.


Life is short so I need to do this right. I value the opinions of my future colleagues. So if you were placed in this situation where would you go to based on your perception of these places.

I'd pick Duke, but that's more so that I like their curriculum better and I'd rather be warm all year round than cold way up north. Both are great schools, you can't go wrong. I didn't apply to either, so I never interviewed at either...so I can't offer a sort of 'versus' comparison by my experience with either school.

 

[AyCaramba]

I interviewed at both schools, and given the choice, I would choose Mayo. I got the impression from Mayo that it is a truly unique place to train. I liked the curriculum better (protected time for research plus 2 week selectives between every block). Location is a toss up for me. Durham is really nothing special at all. Rochester is also blah. I also felt like there was more in the way of mentoring at Mayo. I also got the impression that the facilities for med students were better at Mayo.

 

[nonchalance]

Thanks guys. Please keep it coming

 

[premad]

If you can get over the location, I would say go for Mayo. A very personalized education with so many resources that are easy to take advantage of. Certainly one of the schools where I felt like faculty reached out to students with as much frequency as the reverse. And I loved the small class size. A wonderful place to learn patient-centered medicine. And cheaper, to boot.

Rochester...I did not love, though. The cold is a problem, but also, it's not much of a city. Mayo is it. My family is from Minne/St. Paul, which is a totally different scene. Only 1.5 hours away, though. Lots of lovely...farms to look at on your drive.

But, both are amazing choices. If weather is your deal breakers, Duke will be a great place to spend 4 years.

 

[metallica81788]

I would pick Duke on location, but I'm very location-based.

 

[guyski79]

I would pick Duke on location, but I'm very location-based.

same for me, especially with the reputation and costs of both schools being negligible.

 

[245399]

Mayo

 

[Hoody]

Mayo

 

[BlueElmo]

Pretty tough. I would pick Mayo as well, though it's really close.

 

[Moonglow]

You guys have to be kidding, or clueless: the choice is Duke.

 

[AyCaramba]

You guys have to be kidding, or clueless: the choice is Duke.

Please enlighten us

 

[jla314]

I'd pick Duke

 

[ApoK]

MMS doesn't even have CLOSE to the same reputation as Duke. It's not even close... at all. Mayo is a phenomenal place to be a fellow or attending. Absolutely the gold standard for hospitals in the world. However, the opportunities available for MMS kids... no college anywhere nearby and a completely isolated research community. Mayo is not even close to the research powerhouse that Duke is.

 

[premad]

If reputation is what keeps you warm at night (or, um, warmth), Duke is probably the way to go. However, I think that is in part because Mayo Medical Schools reputation is difficult to quantify using the US News metrics. It is pretty new and pretty small.

Mayo is a fantastic place to be a med student, as well. Further, a great place to learn clinical medicine. And, prestige-wise, certainly no slouch. I doubt the OP would have regrets either way. This is win-win. 🙂

 

[FluffyRabbit]

MMS doesn't even have CLOSE to the same reputation as Duke. It's not even close... at all. Mayo is a phenomenal place to be a fellow or attending. Absolutely the gold standard for hospitals in the world. However, the opportunities available for MMS kids... no college anywhere nearby and a completely isolated research community. Mayo is not even close to the research powerhouse that Duke is.

I don't think this is a good reason to choose Duke. It might be true Duke is a more prestigious place to go for medical school, but I feel like as a practical concern that isn't terribly useful. As for opportunities, there's plenty for the Mayo kids, considering there aren't that many of them in the first place.

That being said, Durham is warmer, they has more research time, and with the small class size, not having an affiliated university can be a little stifling. The Mayo curriculum is pretty awesome, though.

 

[Question123]

Mayo, so the duke waitlist moves 🙂

 

[WCS]

Duke, so the Mayo waitlist moves 🙂

Haha, either way, you will make someone on the waitlist at one of these schools very happy!

This is such an awesome choice to have to make, congrats on an awesome app season!

 

[JJMrK]

I'd choose Mayo, personally.

 

[nonchalance]

Bump

 

[cambojam]

Mayo, so the duke waitlist moves 🙂

Neither, so both waitlists move 🙂 🙂

 

[Dr Durden]

Duke for the location (warmer climate as well as the triangle of Raleigh/Chapel Hill/Durham) and a full year for research or an extra degree that will likely be covered by a scholarship, negating the 30K difference in price.

The 13 weeks for research at Mayo is no different than the M1 to M2 summer at most schools which is spent scrambling for a publication. Both Duke and Mayo have a 3-4 week summer break between those years which should be taken as vacation. Choosing a school based on its selectives is a waste IMHO (Duke has them in the clinical year btw); sure the topics might sound neat, but they are not going to make a difference in the long run.

As others here have said though, you really can't go wrong with either. Both are excellent schools at which you will go far. Good luck with everyone's decisions in the next 24 hours!

 

[245399]

Doesn't Mayo give a full tuition or half tuition scholarship to every student?

 

[Beignet87]

Doesn't Mayo give a full tuition or half tuition scholarship to every student?

Mayo gives a half scholarship to every student when they are first accepted. Then with financial aid, the scholarship amount may (it did this year and has in the past) increase beyond it.

 

[ApoK]

I don't think this is a good reason to choose Duke. It might be true Duke is a more prestigious place to go for medical school, but I feel like as a practical concern that isn't terribly useful. As for opportunities, there's plenty for the Mayo kids, considering there aren't that many of them in the first place.

That being said, Durham is warmer, they has more research time, and with the small class size, not having an affiliated university can be a little stifling. The Mayo curriculum is pretty awesome, though.

I completely agree with this post. I just meant to clarify that MMS (the med school only) isn't really the same as the hospital system. Nevertheless, Mayo is great school and a bunch of really brilliant people go there over places like Hopkins and HMS.

 

[PremedIowa]

For me, Mayo is beyond awesome. This past year has been great; full of good classes, great opportunities, and a wonderful experience. Our curriculum allows us to do lots of things outside of class, like international travel and in-depth clinical experiences. My classmates are a great bunch and there is no feeling of competition whatsoever. Not having to worry about finances really takes a load off. Clinical research projects abound in every field, and probably 20% of my class is doing something in one of the many basic science labs, too.

I don't know Duke first hand, but for some posters to question the quality of the student experience here seems high-handed and quite ignorant. Not only is Mayo a great place to get medical care, it really is an awesome place to be a student.

 

[bamtuba]

You guys have to be kidding, or clueless: the choice is Duke.

This would only be true if you are looking at things from a basic science research POV.

And I suspect Moonglow is heavy into the basic science research.

Could be wrong, but silly comment anyhow.

Congrats on whatever decision you made, OP. 👍

 

[bamtuba]

MMS doesn't even have CLOSE to the same reputation as Duke. It's not even close... at all. Mayo is a phenomenal place to be a fellow or attending. Absolutely the gold standard for hospitals in the world. However, the opportunities available for MMS kids... no college anywhere nearby and a completely isolated research community. Mayo is not even close to the research powerhouse that Duke is.

Again, basic science research, and I would agree.

Duke will get you some sports-related ooohs and ahhhs for name recognition, but really, I love how people who have never even seen the place nor really had any true understanding of the curriculum and intangibles it offers in comparison to Duke and the like make such statements as "it's not even close."

I know one or two pharmaceutical drug reps that would disagree over your classification of Mayo as an "isolated research community." And those are just a couple of people I spoke with at University of Rochester (NY) who didn't even know I was going to be going to Mayo.

If what you mean is "world class" in performing clinical trials that almost no other place in the country can even dream about, then you might be right.

I guess being "lonely at the top" would be pretty isolated, if you want to use those words. (clinical trial research)

😉

Not trying to defend MY decision, by all means, go where you want. But really, making such uninformed and biased comments makes your opinion look biased at the least, and uneducated otherwise.