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I am sorry to add yet another this vs. that thread to the mix, but I couldn't find this one. Does anyone have any thoughts? If it matters, I am a nontraditional student without a car.
Northwestern vs. Duke
- Thread starter beep
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I think you will find Duke will blow away Northwestern in this poll, since this is SDN afterall and all you have on here is 95% pre-meds who only care about a list that gets released by US News each year to base their decisions off of.
You will become an MD and get a quality education either way. The curriculums, location, etc., are extremely different so it is difficult to compare these schools and even do a poll. Do you like 100% suburban or 100% urban living? Where would you prefer to be single and doing your residency? Durham or Chicago? The lifestyle you will have at Northwestern as a medical student will be COMPLETELY different than your lifestyle at Duke--from the location, to the apartment, to the lifestyle on the weekends and free time and competitives during school, to the hospital, to the people you meet and befriend and their lifestyle too, to the people you meet and possibly date in/around the area.
That being said, after living in the Triangle for 3 years as a UNC student, I turned down Duke to come here (Northwestern) simply because I was bored and depressed living in such a disconnected suburban area. Not once have I regretted my decision, because quite frankly I would much rather do my residency here at Northwestern than at Duke, and I have a much better chance going here. Not to mention my lifestyle is completely a 180 compared to how I was living in the Triangle (had to have a car, lots of sprawl, no street lights even on the major roads, very quiet, was honestly feeling pretty lonely, etc.). Chicago is one of the few world-class cities in the US, and if anything there is too much going on and too much to do--the opposite of how I felt in the Triangle. It is nice to walk a few blocks here or go out at night and be off of campus and see thousands of people living "normal," non-medical-student lives, for instance, rather than feeling like you are stuck in a bubble, and I can't tell you how this has saved me from going crazy countless times.
Go with the lifestyle you want to live, because that is your LIFE that you will live... every freakin' single day. Every freakin' day you will have to get yourself out of bed and face an entire day in either Durham or Chicago, with all the positives and negatives that come with each. The lifestyles are so very very different that it should be quite clear which one is the better decision for you.
You will become an MD and get a quality education either way. The curriculums, location, etc., are extremely different so it is difficult to compare these schools and even do a poll. Do you like 100% suburban or 100% urban living? Where would you prefer to be single and doing your residency? Durham or Chicago? The lifestyle you will have at Northwestern as a medical student will be COMPLETELY different than your lifestyle at Duke--from the location, to the apartment, to the lifestyle on the weekends and free time and competitives during school, to the hospital, to the people you meet and befriend and their lifestyle too, to the people you meet and possibly date in/around the area.
That being said, after living in the Triangle for 3 years as a UNC student, I turned down Duke to come here (Northwestern) simply because I was bored and depressed living in such a disconnected suburban area. Not once have I regretted my decision, because quite frankly I would much rather do my residency here at Northwestern than at Duke, and I have a much better chance going here. Not to mention my lifestyle is completely a 180 compared to how I was living in the Triangle (had to have a car, lots of sprawl, no street lights even on the major roads, very quiet, was honestly feeling pretty lonely, etc.). Chicago is one of the few world-class cities in the US, and if anything there is too much going on and too much to do--the opposite of how I felt in the Triangle. It is nice to walk a few blocks here or go out at night and be off of campus and see thousands of people living "normal," non-medical-student lives, for instance, rather than feeling like you are stuck in a bubble, and I can't tell you how this has saved me from going crazy countless times.
Go with the lifestyle you want to live, because that is your LIFE that you will live... every freakin' single day. Every freakin' day you will have to get yourself out of bed and face an entire day in either Durham or Chicago, with all the positives and negatives that come with each. The lifestyles are so very very different that it should be quite clear which one is the better decision for you.
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beep said:
If not keeping a car is important to you, Duke states very explicitly during their financial aid presentations that they expect students to have a car--Durham is a difficult place to live without a car unless you can always make arrangements to carpool with someone.
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am i the only one that picked northwestern?? chicago is the ****!! and well, durham is...****.
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I'm a current Duke student, now finishing up my 3rd year, and I'd be happy to help answer any questions you have about life at Duke. I came here for the curriculum, and I can't overstate how unbelievably happy I have been here, for so many reasons. I grew up in the Northeast, went to college there, and was a bit worried about living in the South after all the negative things I heard about Durham. But after only a short time here, I grew to really LOVE the area and all it has to offer. Make no mistake though, you will need a car. It's so cheap to live here though that it shouldn't be a problem financially. Because of the more suburban nature of this area and the cost of living, I think Duke is particularly suited to non-traditional students with families, and there are always a few such students in every incoming class.
In any case, as others have said, there are some MAJOR curricular differences between these two schools, and it's important to consider how you'd like to spend your 4 years. If you're interested in pursuing a 2nd degree, such as an MPH, then Duke may be the place for you. If you're more of a hands-on learner, then Duke may be best for you, since you'd be on the wards during the 2nd year instead of the 3rd. But the Duke curriculum isn't for everyone, so it's important for you to figure out which philosophy suits you.
Feel free to PM me or post further questions here and I'd be glad to help out in any way I can.
In any case, as others have said, there are some MAJOR curricular differences between these two schools, and it's important to consider how you'd like to spend your 4 years. If you're interested in pursuing a 2nd degree, such as an MPH, then Duke may be the place for you. If you're more of a hands-on learner, then Duke may be best for you, since you'd be on the wards during the 2nd year instead of the 3rd. But the Duke curriculum isn't for everyone, so it's important for you to figure out which philosophy suits you.
Feel free to PM me or post further questions here and I'd be glad to help out in any way I can.
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US News aside, these are two schools that are essentially the same as far as prestige...and considering all the other advantages of chicago, both the plethora of hospitals and all the other aspects of the city, this would seem a no-brainer to me to go to NW. But, since I'm applying to NW and not to Duke, i recommend everyone ELSE apply to duke to keep my chances at nw higher 😀
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LizzyM said:
Ah, I didn't realize that. How do they fit that all in??? (I'm assuming there are 2 yrs of basic science and 1 year of clerkships, plus 4th year electives) It's relatively easy to get an MPH as a Duke student since there's an entire year set aside for research or a second degree, and a strong precedent is established with UNC Chapel Hill's renowned school of public health.
In case anyone is interested in other dual-degree programs, Duke also offers MD/JD, MD/MBA, MD/MPP, MD/MHS, and MD/PhD in medical history (as well as the standard MD/PhD programs of course). Some other dual-degrees are possible although not pre-approved (such as MD/M.Div). In fact, we currently have a guy working towards an MD/PhD in Philosophy, and another doing an MD/PhD in Sociology. As you can see, there are lots of possibilities, as long as you have a good reason for wanting to pursue a particular degree that's not already pre-approved. I've found the administration to be exceedingly accepting and flexible, as well as extremely supportive in this regard. I love Duke! 🙂
