<p>Alright so I have a blessing entrenched by a curse in its own. I'm having a tough time deciding where I actually want to go. So many people around me are saying that passing up the opportunity to go to Harvard is inconceivable and I truly agree with them. I don't, infact, agree with those that say that this decision is a "no brainer." Sure Harvard offers some opportunities that Duke probably just can't. But Duke in its self is a great university and would surely serve me well as a pre-med student. I guess my dilemma truly is, how much does going to one school over the other affect my chances of getting into top medical schools. Does going to one school over the other offer any benefits in terms of switching majors? I'm planning on doing BME or switching to neuroscience if I go to Duke, and most likely neurobiology at Harvard, or anything else that interests me.</p>
<p>If you want to go to Harvard Medical School then go to Harvard, HMS has been known to favor their own. But that’s assuming your academic performance, etc etc will be equivalent at either place.</p>
<p>Undergrad school is way overhyped for pre-meds. As long as you go to a top 50 school, it doesn’t really matter all that much. They care about GPA and MCAT no matter where you go. I honestly think it’s better to go to an easier school and do well at it. A lot of pre-meds at Harvard, Duke, Hopkins, etc. get weeded out and probably would have gone to med school if they went to State U. Having said all that, people’s interests change and those starting in pre-med often don’t end up in it. So, I’d choose the school you think would offer the best experience and opportunities (assuming costs are the same). </p>
<p>The “obvious” choice is Harvard, but simply for getting into med school, I really don’t think it matters much so if you really are 100% dedicated to going to med school and like Duke more than Harvard. In that case, I wouldn’t think it’s that strange of a choice. Somebody my year I know chose Duke over Harvard for BME…Worked for McKinsey for a couple of years and now enrolled at Harvard Business School.</p>
<p>^Completely incorrect. It matters where you attend undergraduate when you are applying to medical school. Admissions committees, particularly at the top medical schools, have a preference for top undergraduate institutions; additionally, the premedical advisors at these top undergraduate institutions also work MUCH harder to have their students admitted and therefore know how to package their candidates much more positively as well as promote/guide their applicants through the process (as well as help to insure that they are having the experiences that will make them strong candidates). I sit on a top 5 medical school admissions committee, and it certainly does matter where the applicant attends/attended undergrad.</p>
<p>It goes without saying that conventional wisdom would favor attending Harvard. having said that however, I can vouch for the fact that Duke is an exceptional institution in its own right. I believe that you can accomplish anything you want to at Duke (this is true of most top schools), all you have to do is put in the requisite amount of effort. I am also a firm proponent of choosing a college based on fit. You will be more likely to perform to your optimal capacity when you are truly happy. If you feel more comfortable at Duke, by all means go with your gut. Your own instincts will seldom misguide you. Don’t be swayed by the opinion of neighbors or acquaintances. Have a frank discussion with the people who are really important to you, and then proceed to make an independent decision. I can empathize with you to a certain extent, I was also choosing between Duke and a number of equally prestigious institutions (although Harvard was not one of them). In the end, I went with my heart, and I have never regretted my decision even during strenuous times.
As far as med school is concerned, I believe that they separate undergraduate institutions into tiers. Needless to say, Harvard occupies a spot in the top tier, but so does Duke. I do not think that attending one over the other would significantly improve or impede your chances of admittance. Of course, I must confess that this is merely heresay, I have no evidence to corroborate this claim, but I do believe that it is probably accurate.</p>
<p>Just told AB (full scholarship plus six week stint at Oxford) candidate at Duke who also has been accepted to Harvard that Duke was the simple choIce there. You also have a simple choice assuming weather or basketball are not key factors, then Harvard, Harvard, Harvard for pre-med over Duke.</p>
<p>muckdogs, I really dont think its as black and white as you suggest it is, but you are indeed entitled to your opinion.</p>
<p>Happyman2, </p>
<p>I went to Duke for law school and think it is a great institution (wife also attended Duke for med school). But honestly, putting aside weather and basketball, what clear cut (or even not so clear cut) advantage does Duke have over Harvard for pre-med? If we were talking about med school, I would agree with you that the choice is definitely not so clear cut , especially if this student wanted to go into surgery. </p>
<p>But, for undergrad, whether you want to be a top-line practicing physician or engage in research, Harvard beats Duke out in terms of facilities, faculty, and opportunities.</p>
<p>medman, I’m not saying were you attend undergrad is completely irrelevant, especially for top med schools. I’m simply saying that if a student is qualified and smart enough to get admitted to Harvard, then going to a school like UVa, Illinois, Washington, etc. probably won’t make much of a difference in getting into at least one med school. It’s simply that there are a much larger percentage of qualified applicants coming from Harvard so it makes sense that their admissions numbers are better. And, yes, I’d agree there is some advising/research opportunity advantages going to a more elite private school, but if you’re Harvard-caliber, you should be able to figure it out at a reasonably good state school. </p>
<p>And, honestly, the goal of a pre-med student should be to get into one med school. All the med schools in the U.S. are good and understandably students think they’ll get into a top 10 school, but it’s ridiculously hard. </p>
<p>From seeing people from high school all the way to med school, based on my experiences, those that went to a school where they could more easily “shine” did better in med school admissions than those who stretched themselves. I can’t believe some of the med schools people got into that I knew in high school after going to a “middle tier” state school in comparison to peers (who were more academically qualified coming out of high school) at a school like Duke who struggled (or failed) to get into any MD program. It’s better to get a 3.7 at a state school than a 3.1 at a school like Duke (assuming the same MCAT score). Again, if you only see a top 5 med school as acceptable, then definitely undergrad school prestige is significant. But if the goal is getting into any med school, I personally think saving money and going to a going to a solid (but not elite) undergrad school isn’t a bad idea. I just think undergrad prestige for med school admissions is overblown in most people’s minds.</p>
<p>Having said all the above, people change their minds about what they want to do so there is a lot of risk involved. With that in mind, going to a school like Harvard provides the most flexibility and career opportunities. Duke is also really really good, obviously, but Harvard’s name carries a lot of clout.</p>
<p>You are choosing between two wonderful institutions. Both Duke and Harvard are considered to have among the best pre-med programs and medical schools in the country.</p>
<p>However, Harvard is often considered #1 and typically beats Duke. Duke is still a top 25 or top 10 University, though, and ranked higher than many of the Ivies. So while Harvard is definitely better in pure academics, the difference isn’t massive.</p>
<p>That being considered, the quality of student life should be the bigger concern for you. If one school’s campus really stood out more, then you should definitely go with that school. If seeing friends/family regularly is important (even if not extremely so) and one school is hours closer, go to that one.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, Duke students have a lot more school spirit than Harvard students, possibly due to the “famous” Duke-UNC rivalry in boys basketball. If you want to be really involved in student life, Duke would probably be a better option.</p>
<p>However, if none of these things particularly interest you and you care only about pure academics, Harvard would be the way to go. But if you believe that you’d be at all happier at Duke, that’s definitely where you should go.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the input! I will continue to consider every bit of it.</p>
<p>@jbm114… Go to the school that you feel most comfortable with. Both are wonderful pre-med schools with plenty of opportunity for research and volunteer work at a hospital. Get at least a 3.6 GPA and an MCAT of at least 34, and you will increase your chances of admission. Trust me. I know. I interview for a highly ranked med school in Ohio. We have chosen incredible students from large public universities, small liberal art colleges, as well as Harvard and Duke. We look for students who are not afraid to work hard, have done meaningful research, and have done significant volunteer work at a hospital. In addition, we look for students who have experienced some degree of adversity during their undergarduate studies. We are interested in how they overcome these adversities. The reason for this is that we know that some of your future patients will not do well and die despite your best efforts. Having gone through some sort of adversity builds character and adds to the overall maturity of our pre-med candidates. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>@RedYellowBlue… That helps tremendously. I’m going to truly go with my gut now. Thank you, I’ll keep you all posted.</p>
<p>i think harvard would be the best choice</p>
<p>@Carlton… This is Jules haha. Hopefully my visit will reinforce your notion about Harvard. But I think the comfort level I feel at each institution will be integral to my decision.</p>
<p>@medman</p>
<p>So first in the AB Duke v. Harvard forum you are a current Georgetown student who transferred out of the AB Duke program, but now you are on a top 5 medical school admissions committee…</p>
<p>Congratulations ■■■■■!</p>
<p>Dukvard is a winner.</p>
<p>@ Dukvard. Agree with you completely re. Medman. He’s just lost all credibility in CC. I can’t believe any posts that he/she puts up any further.</p>
<p>What??? Just because I transferred I’m a ■■■■■? Typical. Not a current student at Georgetown–I have graduated from Georgetown. I am at Hopkins Med School and I am on the admissions committee. Thank you for your congratulations.</p>
<p>I would probably go to Harvard in this case although I’m a current student at Duke.</p>
<p>Duke would offer you a much richer social life though and a “funner” one at that. I recently visited my friends at Harvard and found the social scene there to be extremely exclusive and restricted. The parties were invite-only and there wasn’t any place to simply “have fun”. Harvard would offer you the chance to meet the best of the best. The students there are very intellectual and interesting. At Duke, there still are plenty of smart kids who are interesting and talented but I didn’t have the same feeling as I did at Harvard. Unless you’re one who values social scene a great deal, go to Harvard.</p>