Weill Cornell vs Duke

[Undecided Vibes]

Hello! I am extremely lucky to be deciding between these two amazing schools. I started of thinking Duke was my dream school, but that kind of changed when I revisited Cornell, which I'm now leaning to. To be completely honest, I think the biggest thing holding me up here is prestige/reputation. I was pleasantly shocked that I got into a top 10 school and I feel like I might be throwing opportunities away if I don't go.


Cornell

Pros
NYC- close to home and way more vibrant
More diverse patient population
Good global health and research opportunities
HSS/MSK/Rockefellar affiliation
Like the 1.5 preclinical with 0.5 years research more

Con
Didn't really have a bigger vision or faculty with inspiring vision like Dr. Armstrong (one of the deans) during revisit at Duke
Kind of seems to flaunt money (which can be really nice because they spend it on students but kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth)
Not a top 10 school (lower ranking)
Dorm rooms suck (but it's cheap for NYC which is a plus)

Duke
Pros
Faculty seems to have a more cohesive vision
Beautiful campus
Lower cost of living (but I would need to buy a car and pay for insurance and also flight tickets)
Top 10 school
Better testing schedule (every other week rather than every week)
Less TBL than Cornell's PBL

Cons
Durham
Far away from home and need a car
Less convenient- takes 15 minutes to get there versus Cornell's 5 minutes
Inbreeding match effect won't help me bc I don't want to go to Duke for residency
1 year preclinical sounds rushed to me and some people did say found that STEP preparation was bumpier
Scared of being unprepared for rotations with just 1 yr preclinical

They both are around the same cost. I went to undergrad far away from home so I'm used to it but I have to say I'd love to not have to fly each time I want to visit family.

Honestly, the prestige issue is the biggest thing for me. I know it's a stupid, anal premed thing to worry about but I don't want to throw an opportunity away or close any doors.

Sorry for the long post. I ramble.

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[ivybme]

Do you know what you want to specialize in? If it's really competitive, then maybe Duke will have a leg up, but probably only a tiny bit if even. Honestly, lay prestige is about the same, the PD prestige maybe is slightly higher for Duke (4.55 vs 4.3), but otherwise it's really not going to stop you from going anywhere. Plus, if you want to match in the NE, my guess is that the reputation in the area is equal (Duke's national rep may be slightly better, but Cornell probably has more connections in the area, so it's a wash)

 

[Undecided Vibes]

Do you know what you want to specialize in? If it's really competitive, then maybe Duke will have a leg up, but probably only a tiny bit if even. Honestly, lay prestige is about the same, the PD prestige maybe is slightly higher for Duke (4.55 vs 4.3), but otherwise it's really not going to stop you from going anywhere. Plus, if you want to match in the NE, my guess is that the reputation in the area is equal (Duke's national rep may be slightly better, but Cornell probably has more connections in the area, so it's a wash)

I have no idea what I want to specialize in but I do want to keep my options open.

I'm also interested in academic medicine so I don't want to close any doors in that respect.

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

I have no idea what I want to specialize in but I do want to keep my options open.

I'm also interested in academic medicine so I don't want to close any doors in that respect.

I seem to be going against the grain here (based on the survey results) but I think you should choose Cornell! Sounds like you'd be happier there, and the reputation gap between Duke and Cornell isn't quite as large as USNews would make it seem.

 

[tarheelpenner]

Disclaimer: on the WL at Duke. BUTTTT, I don't think Cornell or Duke will give you "significant" leg up over the other. go where you think you might be happiest!! (also, I second Durham being a con)

 

[Mantis32]

It sounds clear to me that you prefer Cornell. IMHO the prestige factor should not hold as much weight in this case. You will NOT be held back in any way by going to Cornell....it is one of the best medical schools in the country. You cannot go wrong either way but I do not think you should choose a school where you may be discontent (or less content), just for the sake of being able to say "I went to a top 10 school." I think you should go where you will have the best experience! Best of luck and congrats on the rockstar acceptances.

 

[migvsu]

Since prestige matters to you, which is totally reasonable, I think you would be better off choosing Duke. The average person will be more impressed hearing their doc went to Duke over most other places, save Harvard or Yale perhaps.

 

[Skenti]

Just wanted to add. I'm going to a NYC school and the COA is disgustingly underestimated. You should do your own research on cost of living and see if the costs to attend actually would be the same.

As I typed this, I just went and took a glance. The estimated living expenses are essentially the same for Cornell and Duke. If you think it costs the same to live in Durham as it does in NEW YORK CITY, I've got an island off the coast of Kansas to sell you. Research online shows the cost of living in Durham being between 35% and 60% of that in NYC, so I would add AT LEAST 5 grand each year to the Cornell COA if you plan on having the same lifestyle you would have in Durham, probably closer to 10.

I'm not saying that should make your decision for you (I would personally go Duke) but 20-40 grand pre-interest isn't negligible imo.

 

[Undecided Vibes]

Yes that's definitely a good point and I will have to look more into it.

Thing is I would need to buy a car and pay car insurance for the first time in Durham and Duke's tuition is about 7k more than Cornell's which I thought evened things out. Plus I would be able to cut down on travel costs because my family lives about an hour away from NYC so no need for plane tix.

That being said, I am aware that I would be able to live far more comfortably in Durham.

I'm actually starting to swing back to Duke a lot more since my initial post. I'm afraid that I might get burnt out in NYC and I am still concerned about really regretting not going to Duke. If I did go to Duke, my main thing is that I wouldn't want to stay in that geographic region for residency. Looking at their match list, however, I don't think it's an issue.

I really do love both schools so I think I might just be changing my mind until the last minute.

 

[Undecided Vibes]

The other thing also is that Duke seems to give funding for that third free year reasonably frequently which could bring cost down. I don't know if the same thing applies for Cornell's 6 month research time. This is the first year the students are experiencing the new curriculum and having that research time so it's been difficult to find that information.

On face value Duke does seem more expensive because of their insane tuition lol.

 

[Nalsjewels]

Not sure if this helps, but Durham is actually pretty nice (lots of good food + arts + awesome community) and it's building up every year.

I also heard that most students liked having step 1 after clinicals because there is a growing emphasis on the clinical aspects on the exam.

 

[2017matched]

This is not a career decision--it's a life decision. There seems to be a strange bias on these forums in favor of making decisions based on minor ranking differences. Parsing top 10 and top 20 med schools is an exercise for pre-meds, not program directors/department chairs making actual decisions when choosing residents. Go where you will be happiest and the career stuff will work out fine. Cornell is great and won't hold you back one bit.

 

[inhcas]

This is not a career decision--it's a life decision. There seems to be a strange bias on these forums in favor of making decisions based on minor ranking differences. Parsing top 10 and top 20 med schools is an exercise for pre-meds, not program directors/department chairs making actual decisions when choosing residents. Go where you will be happiest and the career stuff will work out fine. Cornell is great and won't hold you back one bit.

Not to hijack this thread, but what about schools out of the top 20? Specifically, U Wisconsin-Madison at #28 in research / #14 in primary care vs. Jefferson at #53 / #51? Both are mid-tier, but 28 vs 53 seems to be a big difference.

[Or, as you suggest, it would be better to go where you're happiest (but I think I'd be happy at both places! I'm just more emotionally fond of Jeff right now just because their students have been more helpful in answering questions about their school. And one tangible reason is because Jeff has a design track program that UW lacks). I'm thinking of going into EM, but PM&R or sports med (which might come after a primary care residency) are interesting as well. Might be more appropriate to reply in the relevant thread. Ugh just hijacked your thread, sorry @Undecided Vibes!]

 

[Undecided Vibes]

Not to hijack this thread, but what about schools out of the top 20? Specifically, U Wisconsin-Madison at #28 in research / #14 in primary care vs. Jefferson at #53 / #51? Both are mid-tier, but 28 vs 53 seems to be a big difference.

[Or, as you suggest, it would be better to go where you're happiest (but I think I'd be happy at both places! I'm just more emotionally fond of Jeff right now just because their students have been more helpful in answering questions about their school. And one tangible reason is because Jeff has a design track program that UW lacks). I'm thinking of going into EM, but PM&R or sports med (which might come after a primary care residency) are interesting as well. Might be more appropriate to reply in the relevant thread. Ugh just hijacked your thread, sorry @Undecided Vibes!]

No problem! I totally get having a difficult time with decisions and wish you the best of luck

I'm still twiddling my thumbs and considering this as we speak. The indecision is so real.

 

[inhcas]

No problem! I totally get having a difficult time with decisions and wish you the best of luck

I'm still twiddling my thumbs and considering this as we speak. The indecision is so real.

Oh man, I don't want to be this way up to Sunday, but I probably will...I wish you all the best, too!

 

[2017matched]

^^^There is absolutely no difference between Jefferson and UW in terms of applying for residency, other than variability in strength of departments. I'm sure each institution has its strengths but literally nobody will care that one is ranked in the 20s and other in the 50s.

This whole prestige thing and how it affects your future isn't super complicated. There are two main factors when applying to residency: the strength of the applicant and the strength of the department from which you are applying. "Top" med schools tend to be helpful insofar as they have more strong departments and oftentimes several departments which are top of their field. The only exception I can think of is Yale, which has no top departments but matches its students very well.

IMHO both people seeking advice here should go to place that would make them happiest because the "prestige" difference is negligible in both cases.