I am very happy to have been accepted to both schools regular decision. However, I am now faced with the tough task of deciding between the two schools. I want to pursue either engineering (not sure what kind) or pre-med. I know that both schools have great pre-med programs, while engineering is slightly better at Northwestern. The only problem with Duke is that I was not accepted into its engineering school, instead I was accepted into the college of arts and sciences. I know that I can eventually transfer into the engineering school after one year, but is it really worth it? Also the social scene is not really important to me in either school.
So I guess my questions are:
What school is better for a premed?
What school is better for an engineering student?
Are they both equally recognized?
For someone that is between engineering and premed what school is the better option?
If you were making this choice, what school would you choose?
Any input would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance.
Congratulations on your acceptance. If you don’t mind me asking, what were your stats? I really want to attend either one of those universities, but I want to see what it takes to get in.
Northwestern has a fantastic premed program, also their Feinberg Medical School is one of the best in the country.
Northwestern also for engineering.
I personally think Duke is a bit more prestigious due to being an Ivy league.
I would say Northwestern
I would pick Northwestern
I hope this was a bit helpful. You can also try asking on the specific college forums to get input from current Duke/NU students.
Thank you for the reply! @171College
My ACT score was a 32 (E: 31 M:26 R:35 S:34). My unweighted GPA was a 3.9. I think the most important things about my application were my interviews, essays, and recommendations. One thing I have learned though, is that ACT score is not the deciding factor in admissions. My math score is pretty low but I was still accepted in Northwestern’s engineering school. Good luck applying and let me know if you have any more questions.
If you want to be an engineer I’d go to Northwestern. It is a top engineering program. At Duke 1) you can never be positive you can switch into engineering (IMO it is always a big risk to attend a school where you did not get into your preferred major) and 2) if the Duke engineering program starts freshman year you will likely be behind and some of the coursework may be sequential in nature.