Hey guys,
I’m having a tough time deciding between UT Austin and Duke. Both are amazing schools and offer different environments, but I need help deciding which one will be most beneficial to my future goals/plans. I’m honestly not a 100% sure about CS, as I have interest in medicine as well. So I will definitely be trying to complete my pre-med requisites at both schools.
I hope to pursue an MD (if I choose to do medicine) or an MS or MBA if I choose to pursue CS.
Duke would cost me 60-70k per year, whereas UT Austin would be around 20-25k. I’d be graduating with around 50-80k in debt from Duke (depending on how much FA they give me).
I guess what I’m really trying to ask is, is Duke worth the difference in cost? Will sacrificing a top 10 CS program (UT Austin) for Duke benefit me in the long run while accumulating a ton of debt?
Duke has an outstanding pre-med program and a very good CS program. Departmental rankings are not really relevant at the undergraduate level.
Whether or not Duke is “worth it” is something that only you can determine. It’s a fabulous university that will help you reach your long-term goals. Try to visit the campus before making a decision.
UT Austin: no med school on campus. You’d have to go to Dallas or Houston to do any serious medical research (which is almost mandatory nowadays for med school admissions).
How much can your parents afford?
Dell Medical School will be the country’s state-of-the-art med school. In Austin, just saw it. Check it out. http://dellmedschool.utexas.edu/
btw, it makes no difference to med schools if you go to a school with a medical school.
Wow thanks I had no idea a new med school was being built in Austin. That’s really great. You certainly don’t need to attend undergrad at a university with a med school but it certainly helps when finding lab research positions.
In this case, UT. Save the money for grad/med school. UT, and Texas, offer great opps for both.