Vanderbilt vs. Duke

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kitty8

kitty8

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Duke. Unless you're not into research, in which case this thread is ridiculous.
 
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Tots said:
Uh Bearstronaut, did you forget that the automatic answer for every "Vanderbilt vs. _________" thread is "Vanderbilt." Come on bro. :p
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:O

I've been caught!

Vanderbilt. Definitely Vanderbilt. The name has more letters, and Anderson Cooper is a Vanderbilt. That alone is worth it.
 
I was kind of looking forward to guessing who Tots was at Vandy second look...Strongly leaning towards Duke though. Too bad they are on the same weekend.
 
I would choose Vanderbilt... Durham is not really a place you want to live for four years plus apparently the first year is very stressful with minimal returns for later spending a full year doing research.
 
tomhaverford said:
I would choose Vanderbilt... Durham is not really a place you want to live for four years plus apparently the first year is very stressful with minimal returns for later spending a full year doing research.
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Yeah, the major drawback to Duke is location. What do students do around the city for fun? Besides camping. Nashville, however, has a pretty decent downtown and unique culture.

Does Duke's funded third year make the overall cost significantly cheaper? I was actually hoping to do two "third" years in order to complete an engineering masters in addition to a year of related research. After talking to Dr. Armstrong briefly, I was under the impression that they both could be funded. Sounded like a sweet deal.
 
I'd remember that Durham is in RTP so down the road you get Raleigh and chapel hill. Location isn't too bad if your willing to drive 10 minutes.
 
kitty8 said:
Yeah, the major drawback to Duke is location. What do students do around the city for fun? Besides camping. Nashville, however, has a pretty decent downtown and unique culture.

Does Duke's funded third year make the overall cost significantly cheaper? I was actually hoping to do two "third" years in order to complete an engineering masters in addition to a year of related research. After talking to Dr. Armstrong briefly, I was under the impression that they both could be funded. Sounded like a sweet deal.
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I'm pretty sure Masters programs are NOT funded. Research would be, but otherwise you have to pay tuition to the Masters program itself.
 
tomhaverford said:
I'm pretty sure Masters programs are NOT funded. Research would be, but otherwise you have to pay tuition to the Masters program itself.
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oh boo. Can anyone else verify this?
 
Could be wrong about this, but I remember at my interview that someone said that you still have to pay Duke tuition during the third year, even if you choose to pursue another degree at a different institution, meaning you would have to pay 2 tuitions that year. You might want to verify this OP.
 
lostintranscrip said:
Could be wrong about this, but I remember at my interview that someone said that you still have to pay Duke tuition during the third year, even if you choose to pursue another degree at a different institution, meaning you would have to pay 2 tuitions that year. You might want to verify this OP.
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That's accurate. If you take two "third years" you only have to pay for one. That is, you will only ever pay four years tuition at Duke no matter how many years it takes (hopefully not too many). But if during your third year you pursue another degree you also pay for that tuition in addition to tuition at Duke. Heard about someone getting an MBA at Harvard during their's (that's a bonus $150,000!)
 
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Hmmm I really thought you only paid 3 years DukeMed tuition...
 
kitty8 said:
Hmmm I really thought you only paid 3 years DukeMed tuition...
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DukeMed tuition is not Masters tuition. As far as I understand, if you enroll in a Masters program, you pay tuition to THAT program (but NOT DukeMed). If you do research, you can usually find funding from an external source (like Fulbright, Doris Duke, etc.), and I believe you do not have to pay tuition to DukeMed for that year. (Also, tuition free only means tuition free--much of your cost of attendance includes other costs like services, fees, and cost of living).
 
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Are DukeMed students really less happy than Vandy students? You guys seems pretty biased in favor of Vandy (minus grabslam).
 
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I visited both schools, and if given only these two choices, I personally would choose Vanderbilt. The difference in ranking is very small, if it were bigger I would waver because I am interested in academic medicine and research. Anyways, I would choose Vanderbilt because it is closer to family, I love Nashville, and the students are very happy there. Go to the school where you can imagine yourself for the next four years.
 
I've spent time at both, and I'd choose Duke hands down! Both are great, though. You really can't go wrong.
 
GrabSlamBoot said:
Duke>Vandy as ACC>SEC ;)
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Only if you're LSU :\

Trailblazingmed said:
That's accurate. If you take two "third years" you only have to pay for one. That is, you will only ever pay four years tuition at Duke no matter how many years it takes (hopefully not too many). But if during your third year you pursue another degree you also pay for that tuition in addition to tuition at Duke. Heard about someone getting an MBA at Harvard during their's (that's a bonus $150,000!)
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If that's true, that's a horrible, money grubbing setup.
 
In all seriousness though, if your decision comes down to location I would maybe go to dukes second look and make a decision after you have seen Durham. Durham itself does kinda suck. Lets be real. But there are some fun places in Durham, chapel hill, and Raleigh. You get the "big city" experience by being in the triangle. If you are looking to be in a place where the nightlife is constant then Nashville would probably be better for you. But if your happy with going out on the weekends with friends, then I think you would be able to enjoy yourself in Durham as well. Great choices and best of luck!
 
Any one else have thoughts on this??? I am really undecided and would like as many opinions as I can get. And please explain why one versus the other!
 
med144 said:
Any one else have thoughts on this??? I am really undecided and would like as many opinions as I can get. And please explain why one versus the other!
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Did you get a chance to go to second looks? The feel of the two places is very different.
 
Nymphicus said:
Did you get a chance to go to second looks? The feel of the two places is very different.
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I did go to both - I didn't pick up on how different the feel is even though I keep hearing that. Can you explain how they have different feels?
 
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