Which one? Duke, Michigan, Penn or Northwestern

[ApoK]

Fortunate to have acceptances at three of these and I'm hoping to hear from Penn in a few weeks. Instead of making multiple threads, I thought I'd include all of them here.

Please give explanations for your choice in the poll.

Thanks

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[JasonE]

follow the $ first. all else being equal, then decide where you'd rather live.

michigan - only college town
duke -spreak out, will need a car
penn/north - good cities. choose which one you'd like better.

 

[ApoK]

follow the $ first. all else being equal, then decide where you'd rather live.

michigan - only college town
duke -spreak out, will need a car
penn/north - good cities. choose which one you'd like better.

Thanks! Please try to vote in the poll, if you don't mind. I made it public, but I'm not sure if anyone cares considering these are anonymous forums anyway.

 

[bobsmith]

I'm only really familiar with two of the schools (Penn & Michigan), so I'd say Penn over Michigan if $ was equal and Michigan over Penn if Michigan's financial package was better. I personally loved both the schools, but I've got a slight preference for Penn's curriculum over Michigan's. Not enough of a preference to outweigh money, though.

I think in your other thread (well, I think it was yours...) where you were comparing Michigan/Northwestern, you talked about possibly doing an MD/MBA. I guess maybe Duke would be a good fit for that with their 3rd year flexibility? I suppose I don't know too much about that, though.

Also, I couldn't help but notice that you didn't mention Vanderbilt anywhere. What's up with that?

 

[ApoK]

I'm only really familiar with two of the schools (Penn & Michigan), so I'd say Penn over Michigan if $ was equal and Michigan over Penn if Michigan's financial package was better. I personally loved both the schools, but I've got a slight preference for Penn's curriculum over Michigan's. Not enough of a preference to outweigh money, though.

I think in your other thread (well, I think it was yours...) where you were comparing Michigan/Northwestern, you talked about possibly doing an MD/MBA. I guess maybe Duke would be a good fit for that with their 3rd year flexibility? I suppose I don't know too much about that, though.

Also, I couldn't help but notice that you didn't mention Vanderbilt anywhere. What's up with that?

I completely agree with you about Penn's curriculum. I loved it. I bet most people do though, considering they sell it so effectively. Damn that Wharton marketing department...

Yeah, I'm considering an MBA but the financial realities of the next 4 years are looming large right now. I suppose a strong financial package might make the decision for me.

lol, let's add Vandy to the list. All those in favor of Vandy can manually post "vandy." I'm sure we'll get current Vandy students arguing how their school is equivalent or superior to all those in the poll due to their astronomical board scores and the awesomeness of Judy McClanahan (no argument on this one ). Wait, haven't we already played this out? Haha, it never gets old.

 

[JasonE]

if you voted for penn, then i guess problem solved! assuming you get in though, which looks like a decent chance

 

[ApoK]

if you voted for penn, then i guess problem solved! assuming you get in though, which looks like a decent chance

Haha, yeah. I was just getting the ball rolling. I'd say I liked Penn the most but not enough to choose it outright. I'd just like to see what others would choose.

 

[cleothecat]

 

[ApoK]

Hilarious.

 

[jla314]

now that march is actually here, i guess we actually have to start making real decisions :-/ sounds like you have some tough choices...i'd say wait for financial aid, but that's just delaying even more

i personally like the idea of penn/duke and their shortened pre-clinical curricula because if you have no idea what kind of doctor you want to be, you get an extra 6-12 months to decide and can do extra rotations or research or whatever...

no idea about northwestern or michigan, didn't apply.

another potential solution - make a dartboard with your options arranged fairly across it and start throwing

 

[medat101]

Michigan!!

 

[FluffyRabbit]

Michigan!!

Judging from your sig, it seems some one is obviously not biased. =P

 

[FluffyRabbit]

I completely agree with you about Penn's curriculum. I loved it. I bet most people do though, considering they sell it so effectively. Damn that Wharton marketing department...

Yeah, I'm considering an MBA but the financial realities of the next 4 years are looming large right now. I suppose a strong financial package might make the decision for me.

If you want an MD/MBA, won't Penn be amazing?

 

[JasonE]

these polls seem to just follow the highest ranked school.

but really, id just follow the $. you wont kick yourself down the road if you follow the $

 

[brooklynblunder]

id follow the $ but i think duke md/mba would be better if thats where you are going. wharton is great but 4 years > 5

 

[jerew]

I voted Penn because of MD/MBA. FWIW, I am in at those three and waiting on Penn, and I already withdrew from Northwestern (a long time ago...) Be interested to hear about money from Michigan though.

 

[bigman225]

I'll agree with Jerew on this one. I dont have any interest in business, but a Wharton MBA would be tough to pass up. You seemed to rave about Penn when we spoke earlier, so if the money is about equal go there. Weather and curriculum wise, I'm partial to Duke. But Philadelphia is a great city .. Didn't interview at Michigan, and **personally** would not put NW in same category as Duke/Penn.

 

[jla314]

so apok - did you get in to penn??

 

[brooklynblunder]

you could go to duke and do your mba at penn too or anywhere else

 

[searun]

In this order: Penn, Duke, Northwestern, Michigan. All great schools, though.

 

[HereGoesNothing]

Duke or Penn for sure. From there, I think it depends on the type of environment you want to live in - the sprawling small southern city or the more dense, larger northeastern city.

 

[bookfreak89]

Penn for MD/MBA opportunities. Then Duke, but Michigan's cool too. lol.

 

[JasonE]

mich twitter: "Director Ruiz, Dean Gay & faculty defeated by med student team in charity broomball game."


http://twitpic.com/18uy5q

where else will you see this???? so cool!

 

[ApoK]

so apok - did you get in to penn??

And..... WL! Haha, guess that narrows things down. Although if jerew, jla, ksmi, nerday, etc can't get in, I'm not surprised at all. It's hard to be bummed when I spent the entire day relaxing on the beach in Miami! Meh, I really loved Penn after the interview day and their match is excellent.

For me, it's probably Duke or Michigan now. I'm not really interested in waitlists.

Also, I really, really want an abbreviated curriculum, so advantage Duke. I think I'd be happier at Penn (more fun, less work, same great match) but I think Duke is a bit more rigorous. Anyone agree? Sry for my typing, I'm writing on my iPhone lol.

 

[Hoody]

Duke ftw.

 

[medat101]

And..... WL! Haha, guess that narrows things down. Although if jerew, jla, ksmi, nerday, etc can't get in, I'm not surprised at all. It's hard to be bummed when I spent the entire day relaxing on the beach in Miami! Meh, I really loved Penn after the interview day and their match is excellent.

For me, it's probably Duke or Michigan now. I'm not really interested in waitlists.

Also, I really, really want an abbreviated curriculum, so advantage Duke. I think I'd be happier at Penn (more fun, less work, same great match) but I think Duke is a bit more rigorous. Anyone agree? Sry for my typing, I'm writing on my iPhone lol.

Miami? I'm jealous!

Did you manage to sign up for Michigan's second look? It may help you decide.

 

[mdeast]

Miami? I'm jealous!

Did you manage to sign up for Michigan's second look? It may help you decide.

Apok. Go Duke. Their curriculum seems more matched to your general goals...with that "research" third year, you could get an MBA and still graduate in 4 years with a great residency program. I was waitlisted at Penn as well, although a little bit less ambivalent about playing the waitlist game. Glad to be in good company...although I'm jealous of your other options.

 

[Sentinel]

I'm going to UPenn so I'm a bit biased - but if you are seriously considering an MBA with your MD - Penn can't be beat (well maybe by HBS?)

I know duke you can pull it off in 4 yrs vs. 5... but there's quite a difference between the networking potential from wharton as compared to anywhere else (which is huge for an MBA). It's one of the main reasons I loved UPenn - but that's me

I'm more of a fan of do it right rather than do it fast - but that's a PERSONAL opinion and you have to do what's right for you. But definitely recommend duke vs. Penn considering the awesomness of their curriculums

 

[ApoK]

Miami? I'm jealous!

Did you manage to sign up for Michigan's second look? It may help you decide.

Unfortunately, I did not. *sigh*, I was one to receive the late emails so I couldn't.

Apok. Go Duke. Their curriculum seems more matched to your general goals...with that "research" third year, you could get an MBA and still graduate in 4 years with a great residency program. I was waitlisted at Penn as well, although a little bit less ambivalent about playing the waitlist game. Glad to be in good company...although I'm jealous of your other options.

Haha, thanks mdeast. Oh well, I still like Penn even if they don't like me that much . I might write them a letter, but I'm not sure yet. I haven't even responded to their WL form yet. I have a compelling background that fits into their interdisciplinary emphasis. I, however, don't come from an "elite" school, so I wasn't all that comfortable with my chances there. lol, over 75% of my interview day was from Harvard and 90% from Ivies of some sort.

I like Duke a lot though. They're a really unique and really top notch program. Judging by their match, they do just as well as Penn. I think the difference is that M1 at Duke is more stressful than the 1.5yrs at Penn. Kids at Penn seemed so stress-free.

I'm going to UPenn so I'm a bit biased - but if you are seriously considering an MBA with your MD - Penn can't be beat (well maybe by HBS?)

I know duke you can pull it off in 4 yrs vs. 5... but there's quite a difference between the networking potential from wharton as compared to anywhere else (which is huge for an MBA). It's one of the main reasons I loved UPenn - but that's me

I'm more of a fan of do it right rather than do it fast - but that's a PERSONAL opinion and you have to do what's right for you. But definitely recommend duke vs. Penn considering the awesomeness of their curriculums

Congrats on your acceptance! Penn certainly is an amazing place. I liked it there the most. If I decide to do an MBA though, Duke wouldn't hold me back at all. As brooklynblunder mentioned, they allow (and encourage) you to pursue additional degrees anywhere. If I do well on the GMAT and get accepted to say Stanford GSB or HBS, I could complete those degrees in my third year. If I do research that year, I can get it fully funded so that I only pay tuition for 3 years. I might do research though because I have a finance degree, but I don't have much medical device research (and that's what I want to get into... trials and design consulting). I'm not sure what's going to happen at this point

 

[mdeast]

Haha, thanks mdeast. Oh well, I still like Penn even if they don't like me that much . I might write them a letter, but I'm not sure yet. I haven't even responded to their WL form yet. I have a compelling background that fits into their interdisciplinary emphasis. I, however, don't come from an "elite" school, so I wasn't all that comfortable with my chances there. lol, over 75% of my interview day was from Harvard and 90% from Ivies of some sort.

I like Duke a lot though. They're a really unique and really top notch program. Judging by their match, they do just as well as Penn. I think the difference is that M1 at Duke is more stressful than the 1.5yrs at Penn. Kids at Penn seemed so stress-free.



Congrats on your acceptance! Penn certainly is an amazing place. I liked it there the most. If I decide to do an MBA though, Duke wouldn't hold me back at all. As brooklynblunder mentioned, they allow (and encourage) you to pursue additional degrees anywhere. If I do well on the GMAT and get accepted to say Stanford GSB or HBS, I could complete those degrees in my third year. If I do research that year, I can get it fully funded so that I only pay tuition for 3 years. I might do research though because I have a finance degree, but I don't have much medical device research (and that's what I want to get into... trials and design consulting). I'm not sure what's going to happen at this point

Yeah, Penn is Ivy-heavy and I felt slightly out of place on interview day as well (I went to a small liberal arts college that many people have never heard of....). I don't think it ends up being quite like that with the final class though, so keep that in mind. Maybe only like 60% of students went to Top 10 College/Ivies. There definitely is some diversity, I've met U of Tennessee med students here for instance.

I think Duke is a great option. In retrospect, I wish I had applied there (maybe Emory too) but I just didn't end up really thinking about the South when I was filling out my AMCAS. Are you thinking of practicing medicine/doing residency or are you in med school for an alternative career?

 

[ApoK]

Yeah, Penn is Ivy-heavy and I felt slightly out of place on interview day as well (I went to a small liberal arts college that many people have never heard of....). I don't think it ends up being quite like that with the final class though, so keep that in mind. Maybe only like 60% of students went to Top 10 College/Ivies. There definitely is some diversity, I've met U of Tennessee med students here for instance.

I think Duke is a great option. In retrospect, I wish I had applied there (maybe Emory too) but I just didn't end up really thinking about the South when I was filling out my AMCAS. Are you thinking of practicing medicine/doing residency or are you in med school for an alternative career?

I'm definitely planning on practicing. I would maybe like my own practice or to consult privately though.

And, yeah, I hope I didn't imply that Penn only takes kids from Ivies. I just mean to say that you'd have to be truly outstanding to get a place from a state school... at least IMO.