<p>I got into both for pre-med/biology... I have always wanted to go to USC and have visited and loved it (great atmosphere/location)... I'm from Maine and want to experience west coast for undergrad. I wasn't expecting to get into Duke and when I did everyone around me says I should go there (because it's a more "elite" school). Is this really true? and will it make that much of a difference? or should I just go to USC where I've always wanted... will there be a different atmosphere/more strict/serious at Duke? What about weather/location?</p>
<p>if you want to go to USC, don’t go to Duke just because it is considered more elite. go to USC if you like it better</p>
<p>For premed, I think you’d be absolutely be crazy to turn down Duke. It’s not just that Duke is a more prestigious school-it has one of the top biology programs in the country and has upwards of an 85% acceptance rate to medical school. The weather and social life life at Duke is very good too so this shouldn’t really be a deciding factor in favor of USC.</p>
<p>Have you visited Duke yet? I recommend you check out the Admitted Students Weekend, Blue Devil Days.</p>
<p>I was going to try and attend the april 25-26 blue devil days but just cant decide whether great med school placement is worth 4 years of not being at my number one choice… also, is pre-med at duke so intense i will never see sunlight even in undergrad?</p>
<p>the location (durham) is probably not as good as usc, but the atmosphere at duke is awesome. i would recommend visiting duke before deciding. duke is better for pre-med and is definitely more elite, but they’re both great schools.</p>
<p>From socal, would have gone to SC if I got a partial scholarship. Costing the same, I couldn’t justify SC over UCLA, and then from there, couldn’t justify it over Duke</p>
<p>VERY HAPPY I didn’t get that scholarship.</p>
<p>This might be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read on CC haha</p>
<p>Duke pre-med is great, but USC’s isn’t crap either. If you are a dedicated pre-med, and you work hard, you will get into med school eventually. Love the school you’re going to more than your professional ambitions, for 80% of college students they change in the first 6 months. If you drop pre-med (quite likely, no matter how much you say it’s not) why would you want to be stuck at a school that you only went to because it has a great “program I no longer give a $hit about.” </p>
<p>I had the same dilemma (Wharton’s epic business program versus my love for Duke), but after I did the alumni interviews I could plainly see that my happiness was more important than any degree, especially since Duke, Wharton, and USC differences are splitting hairs. All three are top schools, anyone who argues otherwise are ignorant of how crappy colleges can be ^^ </p>
<p>“Do what you love, fortune will follow.”</p>
<p>Go to USC.</p>
<p>Go to Duke if you are paying for it at both places. If you want to wear shorts year round, go to USC. I know at least one graduate of USC whose goal for going to college was to wear shorts always and that is why he chose it over UPENN.</p>
<p>Don’t feel pressure by what other people think. Go where you want to go. Although, do visit. Duke is absolutely amazing. It’s worth a shot. I turned down Caltech to go to Duke, and while I think about it what life would have been like at Caltech, I don’t regret it because Duke is such a wonderful place.</p>
<p>To the OP:</p>
<p>As a fellow Mainer who is currently a student at Duke, let me answer some of your questions for you 
</p>
<p>*Atmosphere: The atmosphere at Duke is AMAZING. You would think that at an “elite” school the students would be cutthroat and competitive, but I have found exactly the opposite. Everyone is friendly, happy, and willing to help each other. Students really do embrace the “work hard, play hard” mentality, so if you’re looking to party and have a good time you can definitely do that at Duke (even as a pre-med). I’m not going to detail my going-out habits on here, but if you want to know more about Greek life/nightlife just let me know haha. I know USC has good sports teams, but at Duke the sports truly unite the student body. Try finding an undergrad who didn’t like their time at Duke–it’s nearly impossible. </p>
<p>*Location: Some people will hate on Durham (and yeah, it’s not L.A.), but it actually has some really great areas. It’s pretty similar to Portland actually–only nicer, newer, and growing rapidly. Don’t know if that’s a turn-off for you, but I really love it here.</p>
<p>*Weather: NC weather is great because you still get a semblance of the seasons, but it is so much warmer for so much longer. For example, it is 85 degrees today. Not sure about your high school, but I know mine had a snow day last week haha. </p>
<p>Add on top of all that the amazing pre-med acceptance rate, and I think you should seriously consider Duke. </p>
<p>If you come down for Blue Devil Days with an open mind (i.e., not being completely set on USC), I almost guarantee that you will fall in love with Duke. If you would like to grab coffee while you’re here so I can answer any of your questions I’d love to do that. Or you can always just PM me! I’m always trying to get more Mainers down here :)</p>
<p>Thanks everyone! I plan on going to the Blue Devil Days on the 25th/26th to get a real feel for the school. I love both schools and would definitely go to Duke if it was any other school other than USC. It will depend a lot on aid, which i still have to receive from both. It’s such a hard choice. </p>
<p>bludevil13- have you found Duke extremely difficult academically? or not too bad? What about for pre-meds? If I could take the academics and reputation of Duke and put it in the location of USC I’d have it made haha.</p>
<p>I have found Duke to be academically rigorous, but probably less so than I thought it would be. I thought that coming from a public school in Maine (even if it is one of the top three or so…I’ll let you guess which one haha) I would be at a disadvantage against all these students from prep schools, but that’s not true at all. Do I spend most days in the library? Yes. Do I work and study hard to get good grades? Yes. But do I still find time to go out 2 times a week, be involved with Greek life, tent every year, have a couple tutoring jobs, and hold a very time-consuming leadership position, AND maintain a 3.75+ GPA? Yes. And believe me, I am not the most brilliant person here by any stretch of the imagination. The only time I’ve ever had to truly lock myself in the library for 12+ hours was during reading period last semester, but that was probably the hardest semester I’ll ever have at Duke. And honestly, if you can’t handle not going out during the four days of reading period, you probably shouldn’t come here haha. </p>
<p>I’m not a pre-med, but I know that the above applies to them as well. I completely believe that if you manage your time well, you can absolutely balance academics and social life at Duke with no problem.</p>
<p>If you’ve wanted to go to Duke all your life and absolutely love it, go there.</p>
<p>Anyhow, I’d suggest you post a similar thread on the USC forum as well. People who’re already at either of these places, must be loving them and will give you enough reasons to attend their respective school. </p>
<p>As for prospective students or accepted students who’re yet to go (including me), none of us have been to either of those places, so our guess can only be as good as yours, your best friend’s, your parents’ or anyone else’s for that matter.</p>
<p>USC is a beautiful campus but in an area of Los Angeles that is NOT desirable to live in. USC does not guarantee housing except for freshmen year which means you will need to find housing near campus. honestly, I have lived here my whole life and it is not safe. Choose Duke!</p>
<p>I live in Los Angeles, pretty close to USC (and got in), but decided to choose Duke. Duke was just better academically, and I wanted a nicer campus and a change in scenery. Although USC probably has a better social life…</p>
<p>USC is a a great school… if you feel you will be happier there, go there. To be honest, if you get good grades at USC, you will have a decent shot at medical school from there as well. However, I do agree with massgirl92… definitely visit Duke to see what you think about it. Your visit to Duke may change your mind, or it may not. It’s worth the inconvenience to come down and visit from Maine to know you picked the school you would be happiest at.</p>
<p>thanks for all you posts, I am going to go down to the Blue Devil Days on the 25/26 so I will get a better idea of the school then!</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity how do you already know you’re accepted? Even if you apply ED I thought decisions don’t come out until December?</p>
<p>this was last year</p>
<p>Yea haha it says APRIL</p>