Is it stupid to pick Yale over Duke if I'm interested in neuroscience/biology/premed?

[thevidrohi]

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sorry that I read this post a couple days too late. Turning down Brown’s combined program for Yale is absolute insanity. Think about it- if you get a bad grade in just one class- say a C or C- in a basic science class which is surprisingly easy to do- this isn’t your high school science class and these aren’t your high school peers- you may forever wreck your GPA and kill your chances of going to an allopathic med school. If you don’t have to go through the brutal competition, why on earth would you subject yourself to it? All it takes is blanking out on one crucial final exam question, which almost everyone experiences at one point or another in a college career (which is why most pre-med students don’t go to med school).</p>

<p>Also, getting into medical school is an order of magnitude harder than getting into undergrad at the same institution. Take Penn med for example. One has to be an all star, standout student in your year at your university to stand a shot. No offence, but to be the standout student your year at Yale is going to be tough. You are up against future PhDs, PIs, HHMI researchers, etc. Stiff competition indeed. Basically any US medical school is excellent and puts you on the path to residency and your career as a physician. Taking Yale for undergrad leaves it completely up to chance. It’s like returning a free Mercedes because you think you’ll earn enough later to buy a Ferrari.</p>

<p>At the grad level, Yale biology is about equal to Duke and somewhat stronger than Brown, but this will have no impact on you as an undergraduate. Let me qualify this post by saying Yale is an excellent place to study sciences (smaller community of students and more attention than other leading schools). The danger is the seemingly arbitrary criteria for medical admissions e.g. MIT students routinely being turned down.

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<p>This could not have been said any better. If you pick Yale, be aware of what lies ahead.</p>