Whoops, I guess I was a little slow to hop on the bandwagon.
Plus at Vandy you don't get the endless pleasure that you would here from Dr. Cartmill's legendary sideburns.
Oh, but haven't you heard??? Cartmill is retiring! Or he's going to teach at BU. Kay is the new course director. At least next year's class will still have to pleasure of Schmitt's bow ties and primitive mammal impressions.
Anyways, OP, it's all about fit. I had a choice between both, and I chose Duke. I can name another half dozen or so classmates off the top of my head who made the same choice of Duke over Vandy. I liked Vandy, but Duke was where it all fell into place. I absolutely love it here, and I'm pretty much insanely happy to be here. My classmates (like FemalesCantDriv) are amazing and I love pretty much all of them...
😍 I like having a class size of only 100; I know everyone, and I honestly feel like I can hang out and have a good time with any one of them--and for the most part, I have! Also, what else? I was a biochem major, so the idea of only one more year of pre-clinical classes appealed to me. I like the nice suburban feel of Durham, as opposed to the more urban feel of Nashville. Yes, Durham does have some sketchy areas, but so does Nashville, and I rarely ever venture into sketchy areas anyway.
I looked at housing for both schools, and I seem to remember that Durham was a little cheaper, and what you got for your money was a little nicer. Not a huge difference, though, and certainly nothing that should sway you one way or the other. One thing I will say about being a grad student in Durham is that everything is spread out. People generally don't live within walking distance of the school, public transportation is hit-or-miss, and while there are places to go and things to do, you'll need a car (and a designated driver) if you want to go out.
You really do need to buy into the compressed curriculum if you're going to be happy at Duke, though. It doesn't leave too much time for activities outside of school work. Not to say that we don't spend time hanging out, partying, or having fun, because we do plenty of that (often as a class), but I'll admit that it's probably less than our peers at other comparable institutions. Vanderbilt students seemed to be more able to enjoy non-medically-related extracurriculars, and they really tried to show off how well-rounded their students are during Second Look. There are some amazingly talented dancers, musicians, and writers at Vandy, that's for sure. There probably are quite a few at Duke, too, but we just don't have too much of an opportunity to show off those skills around here.
🙂 However, a Duke med student Talent Show is in the works for March... we'll see how that goes.
On the issue of Step I scores... I've heard rumors (uncomfirmed) for years that Duke consistently has among the highest Step I averages, generally second only to UPenn (another school with a compressed curriculum). The argument I've heard is that people at Duke don't take Step I until their research year, after they've gone through the basic sciences
and a year of clerkships. The result is that they've seen everything twice, and therefore do better. The other argument I've heard is that Duke students are just good test-takers (although, having taken three final exams last week, I beg to differ). For the past few years, I think, Duke's incoming first-year class has had the highest GPA and MCAT scores of any other med school, after WashU (I think I'm seeing a trend here). They told us the average numbers once... for my class, it was something like a 3.85 and a 37, which kind of borders on the obscene.
Don't knock the Duke match list, either. It may not be a column full of JHUs and MGHs, but it certainly shouldn't deter anyone from attending Duke. As others have mentioned, there are so many factors that go into the match list. In addition, there are just too many great resources here for you not to be able to attend a top-notch residency.
I will say something in favor of Vandy, though. The administration seems to be 100% devoted to its med students. The med students almost felt like the center of the institution's universe; it seems like a very nurturing environment. Here, not so much. We're supported, but it's more on an individual (fellow students, faculty, deans, physicians) rather than insitutional level. You'll find support everywhere you look (from our amazing chancellor to the amazing A/V guys), but you have to look for it and ask for it.
Ultimately, it's a personal decision, as I'm sure you've been told. Both schools are great, in their own ways, just not in the same way. Anyways, PM me with any questions, although FCD is probably more knowledgeable about all things Duke. I'm sure you'll see most, if not all, of us when you come in February, so until then, good luck!
your statement makes ALOT more sense that way
