NC Schools - Duke vs. Wake vs. UNC

[appleman123]

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Hey guys!

I asked a similar question on the Wake thread, but I wanted your broader opinions the 3 popular NC med schools (could current MS students comment?)

1. How competitive is the class given the grading system first 2 years?

2. How do ______ graduates do on Step 1 / Where do they end up matching? (a match list would be awesome!)

3. What's the social life like? What do y'all do for fun?

4. What are your thoughts on _______'s prestige?

 

[Josh7]

Most people in pre-allo are only going to be able to answer about the schools prestige. Both UNC and Duke are recognized for academic excellence(don't know about wake). Duke is by far the most prestigious of those three.

 

[Stumpyman]

It's subjective, as some people may have certain attachments to UNC or Wake. Duke would probably win if it's a battle of prestige.

 

[mejorization]

And of course ECU, the only NC school I got in, doesn't make the list.

🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁

 

[Josh7]

And of course ECU, the only NC school I got in, doesn't make the list.

🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁

I wouldn't feel too bad, greenville is a pretty beautiful area.

 

[tarheel1408]

And of course ECU, the only NC school I got in, doesn't make the list.

🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁

You have a 35 and a 3.9+. You'll get in.

 

[Nymphicus]

Duke is a highly research intensive medical school.

UNC is also very good, but many people don't consider applying because of their large IS bias. They also have a very good public health program.

Don't know much about Wake Forest. It doesn't have as many resources as the other two schools.

 

[Nymphicus]

Moved to School Specific Discussions, the appropriate place to discuss specific schools.

 

[appleman123]

thanks for moving! appreciate it

 

[SSCCSS]

Screw name and prestige. Duke and UNC are both nationally recognized as being great schools. Which is 'better' depends completely on your goals for medical school and beyond.

Duke is known for research. It's emphasized heavily in their curriculum. If you want to be a physician-investigator without going the MD/PhD route, it's among your best options. However, Duke is also known for producing graduates who are not always prepared for their intern year. That's not to suggest they don't grow to become great docs but I've worked with people at a number of institutions across the country who've noted this trend among their residents. Terrific match list, access to a phenomenal hospital.

UNC is known for its clinical training. Their residents are exceptionally prepared for their transition into residency. Many students never engage in research; however, myriad options are certainly available. Many take time off between MS3 and MS4 to earn their MPH, MPP, etc. UNC provides exposure to a broad patient population as students rotate all over the state. And despite producing a number of graduates who enter primary care, UNC consistently places students in competitive specialties at the best programs.

Wake and ECU are great schools; however, I'm not sure they offer the same experiences as Duke and UNC. As for deciding between Duke and UNC, it comes down to what you want out of your medical education - generally speaking, both prioritize different areas through disparate curricula.

 

[appleman123]

I'm not sure they offer the same experiences as Duke and UNC.{/QUOTE]

explain?

 

[5lippy]

If you're from NC, it'd be pretty hard to choose Duke over UNC due to cost. If that makes no difference to you, then Duke looks like the better option. But as previously mentioned, I feel that they are two entirely different schools. I'm at Duke for undergrad, and i know from firsthand experience (going here for ugrad, working with med students, and interviewing at the med school) that Duke is a very competitive school that produces the most competitive students (w/ respect to residency). The 'competition' isn't necessarily inter-student--it's more of a self-competition (setting astronomically high goals for yourself and then working your a** off to achieve them). The students know they're the most competitive in the country (w/ respect to metrics) and I feel that sometimes this rubs off on other people the wrong way. Some of the med students that I interact with are frankly quite snobby--but they're absolutely brilliant students. I guess you'll get this at any top tier institution, though.

The students who go to Duke aim to be physician scientists, and if that's not for you, then Duke in all its glory may not be the best program. After all, 1 year of Duke's curriculum is dedicated to research. I'd find it hard to enjoy DukeMed if I didn't like scholarly discovery. If you're from NC and want to go into primary care, then I think you'd be wise to consider UNC as your #1.

I don't know anything about WakeMed. But I have a feeling that Duke/UNC would trump Wake in every category (statistical or social).

 

[starstarie]

Screw name and prestige. Duke and UNC are both nationally recognized as being great schools. Which is 'better' depends completely on your goals for medical school and beyond.

Duke is known for research. It's emphasized heavily in their curriculum. If you want to be a physician-investigator without going the MD/PhD route, it's among your best options. However, Duke is also known for producing graduates who are not always prepared for their intern year. That's not to suggest they don't grow to become great docs but I've worked with people at a number of institutions across the country who've noted this trend among their residents. Terrific match list, access to a phenomenal hospital.

UNC is known for its clinical training. Their residents are exceptionally prepared for their transition into residency. Many students never engage in research; however, myriad options are certainly available. Many take time off between MS3 and MS4 to earn their MPH, MPP, etc. UNC provides exposure to a broad patient population as students rotate all over the state. And despite producing a number of graduates who enter primary care, UNC consistently places students in competitive specialties at the best programs.

Wake and ECU are great schools; however, I'm not sure they offer the same experiences as Duke and UNC. As for deciding between Duke and UNC, it comes down to what you want out of your medical education - generally speaking, both prioritize different areas through disparate curricula.

This exactly.

Both Duke and UNC are top schools, but focused on very different things. Both will give you great opportunities for residency regardless of what you want to do or if you change you mind as you go.

Personally I do not plan to incorporate much research into my career, so I didn't feel it would be all that advantageous to have to endure the condensed 1 yr preclinical curriculum to get extra research time. I plan on doing an MPH, so the connection at UNC's top notch school of public health is also an advantage for me. On the other hand a good friend of mine wants to be in academic medicine, so both the extra research year and the duke name are important to him. It really depends on what you want to do. Its a "fit" thing hahaha, funny how that really is true...