<p>Hey guys. I'm trying to decide between Northwestern and Duke. I really really love both schools a lot and have gotten into both of them (thank god!) I got accepted for biology/premed but I really want to switch to biomedical engineering and still stay premed. I know it's easy to switch into McCormick at NU but not easy to switch into Pratt at Duke, esp for BME. Duke has an amazing BME program, but it's going to be really hard to get into it after freshman year. NU has a solid BME program that I can most likely get into and also great certificate programs in music and management which I'm interested in. Also, I've heard that both schools have an awesome social scene and are really fun. One thing I love about Northwestern is that it's veryyy close to home and I love Chicago. But I love Duke's location too though because of the climate. Financial aid wise, Duke is about 5K more expensive (per year) plus travel costs from illinois to north carolina. I've joined the Class of 2015 fb groups for both universities lol and everyone is so friendly/cool on both. I seriously don't know which one to pick! So if you have any thoughts at all about why I should pick one over the other or just things you really love about each school, please let me know! hardest decision of my life!</p>
<p>Hey,</p>
<p>When I was in your position back then, I was choosing between Duke, Northwestern, and UChicago. I’m also a Chicago native, so I think I have a pretty intimate understanding of these schools.</p>
<p>Out of the three, Northwestern and Duke are very similar in that both schools have a work-hard play-hard mentality, as well as a vibrant Greek community. They are also more rural (the trek from Northwestern to Chicago is an hour-long purple line ride, and very few people actually make it; most stay in Evanston).</p>
<p>Duke has much nicer weather though (it’s spoiled me to the extent that when I go back to Chicago for winter break, all I do is huddle in bed all day) and has significantly more school spirit. Here, everyone on campus will mobilize and watch basketball games whereas at Northwestern, sports is more on the fringe rather than a campus-wide unity thing. And slightly overgeneralizing, but I do have a lot of friends attending Northwestern, and I think Dukies are a happier and more carefree bunch. </p>
<p>For BME, Duke is clearly the better choice: the BME program here is especially strong. And as far as I know, it’s not difficult to switch into Pratt at all if you meet with your advisor and make sure that you’re taking all the required classes. You usually don’t hear about it very often because most of the time, kids are switching <em>out</em> of Pratt. But if you’re dead set on BME, it shouldn’t be a problem at all.</p>
<p>It’s not incredibly hard to switch into the BME program at Duke, by the way. First of all, you don’t apply to a particular program, so it doesn’t matter that BME at Duke is seen as a better department than ME, for example. You simply transfer into the engineering school. You can take engineering courses while you are in Trinity freshman year without a problem. Duke doesn’t restrict courses to only those within the department/school (although they do give certain priorities). So, you simply have to tell your advisor your plan, you can enroll in EGR 53 and the other math/science courses you need, and then officially transfer at the end of your freshman year assuming you’ve done decent in your courses, but it’s not particularly competitive to get into the BME program or anything. They just want to ensure you can handle the workload.</p>
<p>I’m from the Chicago area, went to Duke (majored in BME), and did research over the summer under a Northwestern professor with another Northwestern student. There’s no doubt in my mind that Duke was a much better choice for me. The quarter system alone scared me away from Northwestern, haha. I started summer work at the beginning of May while a Northwestern student joined me 6 weeks later. I realize they also start late, but it really handicaps summer internships opportunities getting out in mid-June. It seems like my Northwestern friends always had midterms and were stressed because of the quarter system. Chicago had been in the 30s all week…and it’s April. Weather may not seem like a big deal, but it certainly adds to the quality of life, makes people hang outside with others more, and be more active. And Duke sports/class unity is much greater than at Northwestern.</p>
<p>Northwestern is a great school and I hold it in high esteem. McCormick is great and offers a lot more majors than Pratt. But if you’re interested in BME, I think Duke is a better choice. But I could understand somebody choosing Northwestern if they thought they’d be happier there. They are pretty similar academically, and both are great choices. Good luck!</p>