<p>I can't decide which one I want to ED to. I'm planning to do pre-med, and I know that both schools are decent for that field. Which one would give me the optimal opportunity of getting into a med school? I know Duke's rate is like 85%, but I don't know Rice's. I live in Houston by the way. I don't know if that could affect my acceptance rate.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input.</p>
<p>Depends on your scores. What does your stats look like.</p>
<p>EDIT: Does financial aid matter to you? Are you willing to accept whatever EA finaid package you will be offered?</p>
<p>I think either one has a good chance.</p>
<p>Duke and Rice both have good medical studies. </p>
<p>I have a friend graduated from my high school who goes to Duke as a sophomore biology/microbiology student, and she was also accepted to Rice's biology. She said she chose Duke over Rice because Duke's program was better. </p>
<p>She is a native Houstonian as well, so your residency may or may not affect your acceptance. Rice might take a closer look at you though because you're from Houston, and they usually accept a lot from there.</p>
<p>Yes, financial aid does matter for me. I probably will accept whatever they give me. As for stats:</p>
<p>4.73 weighted GPA, probably top 5%
SAT: 2250 (800 math, 720 CR, 730 Writing)
SAT IIs: 760 Math II, 750 Bio, 700 Wolrd Hist (bleh...)
ACT: Composite 33, English: 31, Math: 35, Reading: 35, Science: 31
I take all AP classes, except for PE, Health, etc</p>
<p>I'm in a lot of clubs + officer positions in most of them, also in yearbook.
I volunteer a lot too (MD anderson, Science Museum, Junior Volunteer for Houston Red Cross Chapter, local library, etc.)</p>
<p>Rice is a lot smaller, so it depends whether you're into that or not.</p>
<p>how is duke not as great as hypms?....b/c in pre-med duke is certainly on part with them.</p>
<p>Duke is better than Rice overall and in the health/life sciences according to any ranking system, and is a much more respected school among academics. Duke has an international rep. it is a much stronger research university and has waaay better faculty. Rice has a strong Biochem and Cell Bio dept., but it can't compete with Duke, in the health/life sciences or overall.</p>
<p>Rice is just as good as Duke in pre-med. Decide based on fit. Rice is smaller and has an intimate residential system. Duke might be ranked higher in your prospective area of study, has big-time athletics and has just launched an incredible service-learning program called DukeEngage. Both schools have strong student bodies, good premed advising and great health internship opportunities.</p>
<p>Check out DukeEngage: DukeEngage</a> | Home</p>
<p>Both are very strong for pre-med. In my opinion Duke may be slightly more prestigious, perhaps because it's larger, but you should decide based on fit since, as others have stated, there are some characteristics that distinguish the two schools, and for pre-med, if you do well at either school you will probably have good fortune in med school admissions.</p>
<p>
[quote]
"I think Duke is a good school but it is not as great as HYPSM. It does not have a wow factor like the HYPSM have. It also does not appeal to many talented students."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Your correct in saying that Duke isn't as prestigious as those other 5 schools but you're wrong in saying that many talented students don't apply there: places like Harvard and Princeton share a great deal of overlap with Duke applicants. I'm assuming a lot of the kids who apply to Rice also apply to these places as well.</p>
<p>Rice also happens to be located near the biggest Medical Center in the country.</p>
<p>Forget about prestige. Doing well at either could get you pretty much anywhere you want to go. </p>
<p>
Do you want to spend another four years in Houston, or would you like to go away for college? Personally, I'm all for experiencing a different part of the country for college.</p>
<p>Forget about butchokoy, he is basically a Berkeley troll, always trying to bash Duke whenever possible.</p>
<p>Go with either, can't go wrong.</p>
<p>For people obsessed with higher education, cc certainly attracts a lot of ignorant posters. </p>
<p>Assuming you get in to both (not guaranteed at all) choose based on where you think you'd be happiest.</p>
<p>I think you should visit the schools first to get a better feel and see which one you like better. Sometimes you set foot on campus and get a certain feeling about it. </p>
<p>And, Rice is literally a walk across the street from Texas Medical Center, the biggest medical district in the entire world (not just country). Last year it had a 90% placement rate in medical school. Premed at Rice is top-notch, make no mistake about it.</p>
<p>Either school is a fine choice. Now it's more down to which one fits your preferences/needs.</p>
<p>I don't really want to stay in Houston for another 4 years, weather's terrible</p>
<p>I'm still undecided. I know Rice ED has a very small application pool (around 500), and I think I have good chance of getting in there. Duke, on the other hand, has a higher ED acceptance rate compared to Rice (32% as opposed to 29%). I know 3% seems negligible, but Duke also has a much larger ED pool (1500 or so). So I guess it comes down to which school I have a better chance of getting into.</p>
<p>I'm also applying to Stanford, Harvard, and JHU, by the way. Those are my "reach" schools though.</p>
<p>i think duke is harder to get into jhu...so its a reach as well...</p>
<p>Rice is 90% med school acceptance rate, and yeah its harder to get into Rice if you are in-state, and especially harder if you're in Houston or surrounding area.</p>
<p>Acceptance Rate /SAT 25/75 / Freshman in top 10% of class
Duke-23%/ 1350-1540/89%
JHU- 27%/1290-1490/80%
Rice- 24%/1330-1540/87%</p>
<p>Duke, Rice, and Hopkins are all on the same level pretty much. Duke and Rice are well known for their hard sciences (especially in molecular biology), as well as bioengineering. Hopkins is great for bioengineering, but thats it. I'd go to Hopkins for medical school, but Rice or Duke for undergrad as they are a bit more well-rounded academically. there are lots of Houston kids at Rice, but I'd think I might want to "get away" for four years...even if it means leaving a city with lots of stuff to do to go to Durham, which is, less desirable on many accounts.</p>
<p>duke all the way for the basketball. jk if you want to go premed then jhu and duke are top notch especially for bme.</p>
<p><quote>I don't really want to stay in Houston for another 4 years, weather's terrible</quote></p>
<p>I think you've answered your own question. They are both terrific schools but if you're looking to get out of Houston then Duke is the obvious choice.</p>