UNC vs. Duke

[Anonyme27516]

Hey everyone: Here's my pro's and my cons

UNC Pros:
In-State Tuition (super cheap)
I resonate with the Student Body much more
Alma Mater
#1 in Primary Care
I like Chapel Hill more than Durham
Different Classes are more connected (M1's and M2's know each other and work together)
Larger class-size (I am an extrovert and love meeting lots of people)

Duke Pros:
Ranking for research
Specialization options are much better
killer residencies
1-year preclinical

UNC Cons:
Nothing new - Associate with same people from undergrad and go to same places. No adventure.
Focuses on Primary Care
1.5 preclinical
relative lack of research opportunities.
Very few surgical residencies
Their general values don't exactly line-up with mine.

Duke Cons:
Expensive as s**t with lots of indebtedness
I mean it's Duke. I was raised to hate duke
The current M1's I met are not my kind of people
The people I met during Second Look were also very hard to connect with. (and by this I mean, very strange, and not at all my type of people)
Each class is on it's own (M1's in class, M2's in clinic, M3's in research: no interaction)
Smaller class - I might get bored/fed-up with my classmates by the end of 3rd year.

Summary:
UNC is cheap and I resonate with the students MUCH more
Duke is academically more advantageous to my career, but expensive, and the people weren't super appealing to me.

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[libertyyne]

how much is super cheaper?

 

[SuaveCardigans]

what do you wanna do?
unless youre gunning, take the cheaper option/dont sell out to your rival

 

[NeuroSoph75]

Why did you put '#1 in Primary Care' as a pro for UNC and then 'Focuses on Primary Care' as a con for UNC?

I don't think 1.5 pre-clinical is exactly a con for UNC -- it is still condensed compared to the traditional medical school curriculum model.

What are UNC's 'general values' that you don't resonate with?

Both are great schools, congrats!

 

[Anonyme27516]

What are UNC's 'general values' that you don't resonate with?

Both are great schools, congrats!

I think one of the issues is that it is HYPER liberal in all things, and tries to drag politics into everything. It's something I saw as an undergrad, and even during second look they did this for no reason. For example at second-look they pushed that they promise UNC is safe "even though it is in a republican state". And some of the M4's said something along the lines of "at UNC we took an oath to treat everyone in our state...even old rednecks".

Other more academically concerned values:
1) Duke focuses on research in medicine and creating trail-blazers for medical science whereas UNC has a focus on producing great Clinicians and has an increased emphasis on Public Health and Access to health care (I guess more about the healthcare system than the actual science of medicine)
2) International volunteer work was something they emphasized at UNC, and I'm more of the mindset that there so many people in need in our own backyard that we can spend those resources on.
3) Their clinical rotations are nevertheless super focused on primary care so I am afraid I won't get a lot of exposure to the subspecialties, and I'd be picking elective rotations blindly, with minimal exposure going into residency applications.

 

[NeuroSoph75]

I think one of the issues is that it is HYPER liberal in all things, and tries to drag politics into everything. It's something I saw as an undergrad, and even during second look they did this for no reason. For example at second-look they pushed that they promise UNC is safe "even though it is in a republican state". And some of the M4's said something along the lines of "at UNC we took an oath to treat everyone in our state...even old rednecks".

Other more academically concerned values:
1) Duke focuses on research in medicine and creating trail-blazers for medical science whereas UNC has a focus on producing great Clinicians and has an increased emphasis on Public Health and Access to health care (I guess more about the healthcare system than the actual science of medicine)
2) International volunteer work was something they emphasized at UNC, and I'm more of the mindset that there so many people in need in our own backyard that we can spend those resources on.
3) Their clinical rotations are nevertheless super focused on primary care so I am afraid I won't get a lot of exposure to the subspecialties, and I'd be picking elective rotations blindly, with minimal exposure going into residency applications.

If you are strongly interested in research, Duke's third year would be a great opportunity for you.

I think the third year would also allow you time to further explore specialties through shadowing after your core rotations are over. However, you already seem to be interested in the surgery. Do you just want more time to explore the different surgical fields?

 

[liquidcrawler]

.

 

[enchantediris]

I have little to contribute to your actual question, but did you see the KU Duke game yesterday? Hope that makes you feel better 😉

It sounds like you like UNC more than Duke, and you'll be able to graduate with less debt. Are you interested in completing a residency or ultimately working in another region (e.g. west coast, northeast, etc.)? If not, I would think that UNC would have a similarly good name brand recognition as Duke.

 

[swgadoo]

It definitely sounds like you would be happier at UNC, with less debt. Plus, UNC wouldn't close any doors for you compared to Duke.
Unless you really want to change institutions, go with UNC!

 

[LordPP]

OP I agree with all your pro/cons except one. Durham >>>>> chapel hill.

That said, got to UNC, easy. I mean , they're called dukies for a reason.