<p>I am a duke (Pratt) and amherst RD acceptee and having the toughest time deciding which school is better for me. </p>
<p>I want to pursue Med School but i’m afraid if it gets too hard, I’m gonna pursue finance as a back up. </p>
<p>I believe duke has a better finance option than amherst, but for pre-med, i believe amherst wins that one. However, amherst has no engineering school, and going business there would be a bad idea. </p>
<p>I’m also worried about the social settings. I think Duke may be too big, but amherst maybe too small. </p>
<p>any guys can help me out? </p>
<p>(i also got into cornell but def. not going there)</p>
<p>Both are are great schools. If you do well at either, you be'll fine.
Amherst doesn't have a business school or major.
Go to the school that you would like the best.</p>
<p>Amherst does not feel too small - it is in a vibrant community filled with college students. I think it has all the benefits of a small school without the drawbacks. I'm an Amherst student so I'm biased, but I wouldn't think twice unless weather was a huge concern. Duke is great too, though.</p>
<p>I think it's pretty uncommon for a student to get into Amherst, attend, and pursue an interest in something like pre-med and find it too hard. I think that preventing that type of thing and fostering your passions is actually where Amherst excels. The academic setting at Amherst is so small and comfortable and you receive such personalized attention from the faculty, I think it's hard to become overwhelmed. I can see that happening much more easily at any top university where it's easier to get lost in the crowd and it's more competitive by nature of size (much more people competing for limited research opportunities etc. when you might be soliticed for them at Amherst).</p>
<p>Med school and finance are two of the biggest things that Amherst students go into after graduation. Amherst has a very high med school acceptance rate and tons of top wall street firms recruit on campus.</p>
<p>I'm not sure what you're getting at when you mention Amherst's lack of engineering school. If you want to become an engineer, clearly Amherst isn't the place. But if you want to have that option because you really want to go into business, it's not really necessary.</p>
<p>my son is at Duke..that said, you can't lose in premed or finance at either institution. One has a top medical school and more undergraduate research options and opportunities for practical experience merely by strolling to the medical complex. One has a tightly run successful only undergrad community.</p>
<p>both do well in finance jobs. </p>
<p>Go with your emotional fit. My son chose Duke over a great LAC because he wanted a vibrant arts/music community and Duke imports in tons of top talent in performances every year to share with the Triad..plus my son attends many Division One sports events and likes great sports scene....these are the things that make his heart sing and the workload lighter. </p>
<p>LACs are good about sending their students abroad to break up the isolation and small school drawbacks and Amherst no doubt is brilliant at that although my son has been abroad twice already.</p>
<p>Take a look at Duke Engage. many premeds take advantage of this outstanding offer from Bill Gates...is it up your alley?</p>
<p>You can't go wrong here..although many biomedical students at Duke are co enrolled in Economics ...and you can't beat Duke in Biomed unless you attend Hopkins...</p>
<p>Both schools are excellent. As a physician and faculty member at a medical school, it is my impression undergraduate research is at best a slight plus at a place like Duke. You will be in a lab mainly as cheap or unpaid help, interacting with grad students who are higher on the academic totem pole....you will not be curing cancer....Reasearch opportunities, for which you will be closely working with the lead investigator (and perhaps getting your name higher in the credits of a publication) are plentiful at places like Amherst. </p>
<p>At a smaller school you will generally have closer relationships with your professors who will (as a general rule, but there are exceptions, be more accessable). My one child who attended an Ivy league school, was turned off by the intense environment at Duke. It is interesting that in comparing her college experience with her sister who is attending Amherst, it is evident that Amherst appears to be a more nurturing environment.</p>
<p>If you do well, both schools will get you where you want to go. You need to make a list, agonize over your decision, and then go with what your gut tells you ....I'm convinced that which ever you choose, you'll likely look back in four years and believe you made the right choice. Or if your can't decide, flip a coin....heads you win, tails you win...</p>
<p>Congratulations on your choices. I am a big proponent of fit for a given student. If you have a chance to visit both places again, I would consider doing so. I would recommend staying overnight to get a feel for what college life is like at each school. You will be spending four formative years of your life in college that will impact you intellectually and personally. Ask: Where do I best fit in? Where will I be able to best take advantage of the opportunities that are available? What type of learning environment and community do I want? Talk also with friends, teachers, schoolmates from preceding years who have gone to either place since they may know you, your interests, and eductional background. Finally, listen to your heart and don't look back.</p>
<p>Wow, this is insane. I'm stuck in the same predicament, except I'm stuck b/t Duke Trinity and Amherst rather than Pratt. But yeah, I've thought about it some and I really think that the smaller classes and greater degree of personal attention at Amherst is better for a premed student. Duke is good with its premed, but doesn't Amherst have higher success rates? (meaning med school entrance rates)</p>
<p>Am also a faculty member at a medical school and was on the admissions committee. Both Amherst and Duke have outstanding medical school placement (i.e., top schools) and admissions rates so I don't think you can go wrong with either. I would choose on the basis of which environment you would prefer and where you would do best. Amherst offers smaller classes, co-operative environment (?less competition), and close interaction with profs (good for letters of recommendation). Duke offers the possibility of stronger research opportunities at a top medical school which is not far from the undergraduate campus. I have made this recommendation previously. I would recommend students at Amherst spend one summer doing a researrch experience at a medical school in addition to their work at Amherst (whether they be a science major or not). It will give them a broader experience of biomedical research in a university setting and allow them to see first-hand life in a medical school setting. I personally have had Amherst students work in my laboratory. The placement office is very good at matching students with alums for summer internships of all types.</p>
<p>If you are able to visit them, do it. Stay overnight and see what it feels like being at each of them, and make your decision based on that. I had the same choice as you do, and I just decided I liked the feel of Amherst better so I chose to go here.</p>