Can someone describe the academic nature of both schools (specifically for Students on the premed track)? I am personally leaning more towards Wellesley because of its community and awesomeness. But, I am so scared to reject Duke’s offer and regret it foreverrrrr.
@Ceedub I am a pre-health student at Duke. There are a lot of great opportunities, but I honestly think it is overrated. I am considering transferring to a smaller school with more opportunities and less competition. (One main reason for this is that Duke provides very little support and guidance for pre-dental students.) The majority of freshmen come in wanting to be pre-med but drop it because it is so competitive. The pre-med program at Duke is well-known and very strong. A degree from Duke looks impressive on a resume. Please let me know if you have any other questions. 
@15moel thank you so much for your response. Yeah that’s the issue with me; Duke is impressive but I am scared that the competitiveness will hinder me from becoming a doctor. Is there a decent amount of URMs in pre-med? If so, do a lot of them seem to find it too difficult? Since I am an URM, I have to take that into consideration
Plus, I agree a smaller school seems much better. I hope it plays out great for you
There are a lot of URM pre-meds at Duke and most of them do very well. I have observed that they study together and often help each other out. They’re not afraid to ask questions and virtually all of the professors you will encounter at Duke are more than happy to answer questions in great detail. Don’t underestimate yourself. You were admitted for a reason. You are capable of graduating at the top of your class if you put in the work. Every Duke student is. Don’t believe the pernicious lies that you’ve been told. Ben Carson is a URM and he was the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Hopkins.
If you really want to be a doctor you’re going to have to work hard anywhere. You might as well get used to competing against the best at Duke. Which is not to say that Wellesley isn’t a great school. It’s just much smaller and consequently the opportunities to do research etc. may be more limited. Also, it is worth noting that Duke is widely regarded as being one of the best places to study medicine and do a residency. Being a Duke graduate will give you a significant leg up in the admissions process at Duke med.
Also, do you really want to go to a college that caters exclusively to women? I personally appreciate the diversity of thought that men bring to the table but you may have a different opinion!
@NerdyChica Thanks for the response. Knowing that URMs are doing well has definitely made me feel better about Duke. I’ll definitely think about Wellesley’s research opportunities vs Duke’s.
@Ceedub Duke has a great program for pre-med students that I think you should look into. Google “Cardea Fellows Duke University”. This program aims to help URMs and students who did not have a strong science program in their high school.
I believe that many of @NerdyChica’s points are great, but I disagree about the more opportunities at Duke because it is larger. Yes, there are many opportunities, but there are a lot of competitive applicants that apply for the positions. Just joining a club at Duke is a competitive process. However, there are some great opportunities at Duke.
Duke receives a mention in this online list, “The Experts’ Choice: Colleges with Great Pre-med Programs,” should this be of interest to you.
@15moel Thank you I’ll definitely check that out!
My D faced the same choice and is leaning toward Wellesley. She’ll be premed but is not URM. Her older brother is at Duke and we love it, but she sees many advantages in a smaller college.
A supportive atmosphere with good advising is most important for premeds.
Look into Cardea Fellows and see if you could be selected.
Remember: larger school means more opportunities… but way more students who compete for them!
Finally, in terms of sciences, women’s colleges have been shown to be great incubators of talent - the odds that women will continue with their plans in the sciences are MUCH higher at women’s colleges than at co-ed colleges.