Yale v.s Duke

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Which school do I pick?

  • Yale

    Votes: 43 61.4%

  • Duke

    Votes: 27 38.6%
  • Total voters
    70
T

TIN25

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Hi All,
Hoping for some guidance on which medical school to pick, I feel very blessed and am now also conflicted on which of these stellar programs to choose. To preface, I have no preference on location as both will require me to move away from my support system, and I do hope to pursue a competative speciality (interest lies in Ortho) although I'm well aware this may change.

Below is a table based off information I have researched, some of my assumptions may be incorrect, so feel free to correct! Thank you all in advance!


CategoryDuke University School of MedicineYale School of Medicine
CurriculumAccelerated (1-year preclinical, early clinical exposure, full third year for research), P/F all 4 years? no AOA?Yale System (self-directed, 1.5 years of preclinical, required research thesis, P/F all 4 years), no shelf exams and no AOA.
Research FocusStrong in translational medicine, biomedical engineering, and global health; required third-year researchStrong emphasis on independent research, required reserach thesis, major collaborations with Yale-New Haven Hospital
Clinical TrainingAffiliated with Duke University Hospital, strong in cardiology, neurology, and oncology. Seems to have stronger home programs across the board. Affiliated with Yale-New Haven Hospital, maybe more diverse patient population?
LocationDurham, NC (lower cost of living, part of the Research Triangle)New Haven, CT (urban college town, near NYC for networking)
Culture & Student LifeFast-paced, structured, research-driven, strong dual-degree options (MD/PhD, MD/MBA)Self-directed, lower-stress, independent learning, collaborative atmosphere
Grading SystemP/F all through clerkships + third year?
Note: less students take a 5th year		P/F all four years?
More students take a fully-funded fifth year.
Cost & Financial AidState they will cover up to 60% of tuition via need-based/ merit aid. No financial aid package yet. Seems to have more generous need-based aid, will meet 100% of need; no financial aid package yet.
Reputation & StrengthsHigh ranking in research, strong in surgery, oncology, internal medicineStrong in academic medicine, public health, and medical humanities
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Both are amazing schools - I’d wait for FA packages and just go to whichever is cheaper. Can’t lose either way!
 
Cant lose either one, I would personally pick Yale because of all the positives I have heard about their supportive and collaborative culture. If you want to place in NYC, you might want to opt for Yale because they are closer to the area.
 
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Congrats!! Feel free to shoot me another DM if you have more specific Qs about both schools.

I can confirm that both Duke and Yale are two of the few schools that are full, true P/F up through core clerkships. Not super important, but unless things changed in the past year, both Duke and Yale are graded for M4 electives. To my knowledge, only CCLCM is ungraded M4 (with possible exceptions of Emory and Baylor) and even at other schools known for P/F, like HMS and UCSF, M4 electives are graded. However, this isn't super important because only ~1-2 electives show up on your ERAS application (I think Duke even holds elective grades so none are on your ERAS) and the curve for M4 electives is super lenient.

Outside of that, I know a lot of people at Duke who have gotten either full tuition or full CoA covered via need, so see how your FA package shakes out and negotiate with them. Outside of that, Durham weather is beautiful and sunny basically all year round (like it's been 60-70 F and sunny the last few weeks), beaches/mountains are about 2-3 hrs away, Atlanta/DC are about 4 hrs away, and RDU airport has a ton of flight options. Also if you're interested in public health, UNC Gillings is at the very top of schools and you can do a Duke-UNC MD/MPH in 4 yrs with in-state tuition for your MPH, so super fast and super cheap.
 
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shy_hulud said:
Congrats!! Feel free to shoot me another DM if you have more specific Qs about both schools.

I can confirm that both Duke and Yale are two of the few schools that are full, true P/F up through core clerkships. Not super important, but unless things changed in the past year, both Duke and Yale are graded for M4 electives. To my knowledge, only CCLCM is ungraded M4 (with possible exceptions of Emory and Baylor) and even at other schools known for P/F, like HMS and UCSF, M4 electives are graded. However, this is a very small factor because only ~1-2 electives are on your ERAS application (I think Duke even holds elective grades so none are on your ERAS) and the curve for M4 electives is super lenient.

Outside of that, I know a lot of people at Duke who have gotten either full tuition or full CoA covered via need, so see how your FA package shakes out and negotiate with them. Outside of that, Durham weather is beautiful and sunny basically all year round (like it's been 60-70 F and sunny the last few weeks), beaches/mountains are about 2-3 hrs away, Atlanta/DC are about 4 hrs away, and RDU airport has a ton of flight options. Also if you're interested in public health, UNC Gillings is at the very top of schools and you can do a Duke-UNC MD/MPH in 4 yrs with in-state tuition for your MPH, so super fast and super cheap.
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You are always a super helpful fountain of knowledge!
 
DoneDone3451 said:
Cant lose either one, I would personally pick Yale because of all the positives I have heard about their supportive and collaborative culture. If you want to place in NYC, you might want to opt for Yale because they are closer to the area.
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Thank you for the input!!
 
Duke Hospital and residencies (except perhaps psych) are stronger than Yale New Haven. Also, I have no metric to justify this, but I would wager that the Duke PT population is as diverse as, if not more so, than YNH. Unless the COA at Yale is significantly lower, I would go Duke all the way. Yeah, I am biased, lol.

Either choice will get you where you want to be, though. Yale is also a great program
 
toastedbutter said:
Duke Hospital and residencies (except perhaps psych) are stronger than Yale New Haven. Also, I have no metric to justify this, but I would wager that the Duke PT population is as diverse as, if not more so, than YNH. Unless the COA at Yale is significantly lower, I would go Duke all the way. Yeah, I am biased, lol.

Either choice will get you where you want to be, though. Yale is also a great program
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Thank you very much sir 🫡
 
Are you no longer considering Baylor? Saw that you had matched in the Baylor thread. Congrats on your options!
 
If I were in your shoes, I’d pick Duke here, but it would be close!!! Curriculums seem similar, match list strength is pretty similar, but Duke is in (in my opinion) a better area with stronger home programs.

Plus, I personally am partial to a 1 year preclinical. Flexibility is king!

That being said, definitely follow the money. Both options here are great, and the differences are very minor. If Yale is cheaper, go for Yale!
 
Mr. Macrophage said:
If I were in your shoes, I’d pick Duke here, but it would be close!!! Curriculums seem similar, match list strength is pretty similar, but Duke is in (in my opinion) a better area with stronger home programs.

Plus, I personally am partial to a 1 year preclinical. Flexibility is king!

That being said, definitely follow the money. Both options here are great, and the differences are very minor. If Yale is cheaper, go for Yale!
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What Mr.Macrophage says I do, thanks boss!
 
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both incredible but ive heard yale has a great culture and students are happy. in terms of professional opportunities, dont see how u could go wrong with either! congrats!
 
truthwarrior said:
both incredible but ive heard yale has a great culture and students are happy. in terms of professional opportunities, dont see how u could go wrong with either! congrats!
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I've heard this too, thank you for the insight!
 
Disclaimer: got into Duke, R from Yale

I work with a YSM student and they love it! While the "life" in new haven isnt the most notable per say, they seem to have a strong community and really enjoy school! Also speaks very highly of the Yale system! Personally, I dont think you can go wrong with either and would go with the one that provides the most aid (that is what I would do tbh)!
 
Brownies_15 said:
Disclaimer: got into Duke, R from Yale

I work with a YSM student and they love it! While the "life" in new haven isnt the most notable per say, they seem to have a strong community and really enjoy school! Also speaks very highly of the Yale system! Personally, I dont think you can go wrong with either and would go with the one that provides the most aid (that is what I would do tbh)!
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Thank you so much for responding, great to hear this feedback echoed across many students!
 
www.ed.gov

U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Sends Letters to 60 Universities Under Investigation for Antisemitic Discrimination and Harassment

The Office for Civil Rights today sent letters to 60 institutions of higher education warning them of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus.
www.ed.gov www.ed.gov

The current administration is threatening Yale’s funding. They already acted on Columbia, so I would definitely take this threat seriously. I think this is another point in favor of Duke, unfortunately, as their name isn’t on the list.
 
Mr. Macrophage said:
www.ed.gov

U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Sends Letters to 60 Universities Under Investigation for Antisemitic Discrimination and Harassment

The Office for Civil Rights today sent letters to 60 institutions of higher education warning them of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus.
www.ed.gov www.ed.gov

The current administration is threatening Yale’s funding. They already acted on Columbia, so I would definitely take this threat seriously. I think this is another point in favor of Duke, unfortunately, as their name isn’t on the list.
Click to expand...
Lol, atp every school is on this list.
 
Mr. Macrophage said:
www.ed.gov

U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Sends Letters to 60 Universities Under Investigation for Antisemitic Discrimination and Harassment

The Office for Civil Rights today sent letters to 60 institutions of higher education warning them of potential enforcement actions if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to protect Jewish students on campus.
www.ed.gov www.ed.gov

The current administration is threatening Yale’s funding. They already acted on Columbia, so I would definitely take this threat seriously. I think this is another point in favor of Duke, unfortunately, as their name isn’t on the list.
Click to expand...
I was literally thinking about this today!!
 
For personal reasons, I hope you swing to Yale, but wow what a dream duo to be considering 🙂 congrats OP!! Hopefully we'll be classmates!
 
TIN25 said:
HAHAHAH I appreciate you! If I end up at Duke I better become a basketball fan and quickly too!
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Game's on in 1 hour, we should have a solid chance at winning NCAA championship this year, and we have 4 top 30 players coming next year, maybe will have a 5th. The choice is clear
 
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