I’m interested to hear your opinions. I just want to make sure I know everything about these schools and that I’m not missing out on any obscure but potentially important information before I make my decision.
I am looking to do Pre-Med and maybe Biochemistry. I am concerned about prestige, quality of academics, and social life. Other than that, I am a pretty adaptable person.
Thanks in advance!
Prestige: Duke
Quality of academics: Duke
Social life: Duke
USC Trustee Scholar is a force to bargain with though (esp. if you’re considering med school). How much FA are you getting from Duke?
@MBVLoveless No financial aid from any school except for the scholarship from USC.
As someone matriculating to Duke next fall, I’d recommend USC then, unless your family is ultra rich and doesn’t mind the 250k+ you’re going to spend for a Duke education.
USC might be the better choice if you are pre-med to be honest. Full sticker price for duke is a lot of money. I would visit both schools and see if you wouldnt mind attending USC
@omgeegee: CONGRATULATIONS on your three great acceptance packages! All three universites are unquestionably excellent and you cannot make a bad choice.
You’ll want to be sure the “cultural fits” works well for YOU, as @spauding suggested.
I’d also recommend your consider one further significant and frequently encountered issue: well over 50 percent of college students change majors/academic concentrations at least once, and this may be more prevalent among pre-meds. Therefore, were you to begin as a pre-med (no major, but a strong academic focus), only to discover you REALLY were dissatisfied and/or unhappy, at which university would you be best served (e.g., broadest and most highly reputed fields of study to evolve into, the best graduate/professional school admissions boost, and the best career catalyst – both immediate and life-enduring)? I cannot answer these questions, but I believe it’s crucial that you seriously consider them.
Nice options. Are you in-state for UT, and do you want to stay in Texas? If so, I might actually go with Plan II. I love Duke, but in-state tuition at UT would save you and your family a LOT of money. And Plan II is so well-respected, especially within Texas, that you wouldn’t really be sacrificing too much in terms of prestige.
That said, there’s really no clear winner here. All 3 would be great options, but those are 3 VERY different schools. Do whatever you can to visit all 3 in the next month and see which one fits YOU best.
Thank you for the advice @TopTier and @bluedevil06
@omgeegee
Congratulations on your acceptances.
I’ll share some thoughts because you are looking at three schools to which my D also applied.
My D will be attending Duke after being accepted ED. She was also accepted to UT Dean’s Scholars and Plan II before hearing from Duke but has, of course, withdrawn her application. She is in-state for TX and was glad that she had the honors programs to help “make UT smaller” if she had attended. She also applied to USC and has withdrawn that application, but I suspect she would have received an acceptance from USC also. D visited all three but her ED choice of Duke was based on the best academic fit because she is full-pay.
Anyway, all three schools are excellent, as @TopTier pointed out.
Were finances not an issue, I would suggest that you compare the smaller/private school choices of Duke and USC against UT-Austin, which is enormous. Your UG experience (class size, UG counseling) will be different at Duke/USC v. UT-Austin, most notably in the first couple of years when you are taking a number of introductory-level courses. All three offer research opportunities for UG students.
If finances are an issue: USC’s Trustee Scholarship makes this the “cheapest” option, followed by UT-Austin.
If attending college OOS is a preference (as it was for my D): have you visited both Duke and USC as they are very different campuses situated in vastly different cities? A visit to both might make the difference for you if it’s down to these two and finances are not a consideration.
Edited: as you are presently considering med school, you’ll want to note that UT-Austin will open a new med school in 2016.
Getting into med school is tough. Focus on going to a school where you can achieve as high of a GPA as possible. Med school is also expensive, and there aren’t really any financial aid options (apart from loans) for med school.
Although I’m a die hard Dukie, I have a hard time wondering why you would turn down a free ride at USC? How hard are the academics at USC (which school would be easier to achieve a better GPA?))
Well now I’ve got to add Dartmouth into the mix. I am leaning away from UT Austin since I am an out of stater.
Thanks @sgopal2 and @AttorneyMother for the advice!
Congratulations! You have some excellent choices, albeit with different climate zones! 
Please visit both. Dartmouth and Duke remain at the top of my extremely short list of best – in my perception – undergraduate schools and you absolutely cannot select other than great alternative, but their cultures differ (not hugely, but clearly). Therefore, I urge you to spend a couple days on both campuses and to really see undergraduate life through your individual lens. Your “cultural fit” will surely be (by far) the most significant discriminatory in this wonderful decision. Again, CONGRATULATIONS.