I will be a biology major and I want to go to medical school.
Dad went to college in Massachusetts and really wants me to choose MIT. I liked the culture at Duke. Should I choose the school I want to go to or let him decide since he is paying the bills?
Both are excellent schools but are SO different. Is your dad pushing MIT because of location or prestige?
I think he really wants me to go to Harvard for medical school and he thinks being at MIT will make that easier.
Both schools will set you up well for med school.
Based on what you’ve indicated, Duke.
There are a lot of reasons to choose one or the other- but the idea that you are more likely to get into Harvard med school by going to MIT rather than Duke is simply wrong.
Frankly, MIT is a “fit” school- it’s a fantastic school, but it really does not suit everybody. MIT and Duke are so very different in personality, that it should be pretty clear where you think you can shine, which will make a difference when it comes to the all-important LoR / committee letter for med school. Pick the one that makes you feel as if you belong there.
Duke and MIT are sooo different.
For medical school, Duke would be better as you will have opportunities for research and shadowing at their medical school nearby. However, you must not base ur decision only on medical school, but on how you want your 4 years of UG to be.
Duke has a big sports scene, frats and a different vibe than MIT.
Go for admitted student days for both schools and you will know.
They are both prestigious and you won’t lose out by choosing one vs the other.
I’d choose Duke because (1) you like it better, and (2) Duke will be no worse – and probably better – than MIT in terms of attaining a high GPA for med school. Parents paying bill should not equate to parents choosing the college or exerting undue influence – especially when choosing between two awesome schools.
I just don’t want my Dad to think I don’t appreciate him. He moved here from a third world country and made sacrifices so I could go to a school like MIT or Duke.
I will try telling him that my chances of getting into Harvard are similar at both places and that I will do better at Duke since I like it more. These replies are helpful. I will make him read some of them. Thanks
Yes MIT has a worldwide reputation but Duke is also a Top 10 school. It’s not like you are choosing podunk state. Both are prestigious but offer different experiences, and you have to know which one you would enjoy. If Duke, then go there without hesitation. I assume they have similar costs for you?
Tell your father how much you appreciate him, but also look into school culture and research medical school success. Getting into any good medical school is competitive (don’t be obsessed with Harvard). Get some advice from your school counselor. Also, you’re competing against uber-smart kids at MIT (at least judging by SAT/ACT test scores and their refusal to grant legacy preference and less athletic recruits, I would say the MIT kids on average are slightly brainier). Though there are exceptions, MIT would not seem to be a great fit for most pre-meds compared to Duke. If you preferred the culture at MIT, that might be different too, but sounds like you prefer the Duke vibe.
From Harvard Med school admissions:
Thanks for the input. My Dad knows Duke is an excellent school. He just thinks I’ll be able to make connections at Harvard if I go to MIT because of the geographical proximity.
I think I’m ready to commit to Duke. My Mom is also really supportive of my choice.
@NCKris Cost fortunately isn’t an issue. Dad worked hard and did very well in life.
I prefer the Duke vibe because everyone I met there seemed highly intelligent but also social and well-rounded. The MIT kids seemed more one dimensional on average.
I’ve always been the nerdy immigrant kid since elementary school and I’m ready to become more extroverted. Duke and Stanford were my top choices from a cultural standpoint but Stanford put me on their waitlist.
I have to agree with the posts above (@collegemom3717). MIT is an amazing school if the fit it good. I can’t think of a worse place to be if the fit is not good. You simply can’t muddle through MIT like you might be able to at almost any other school. If the fit isn’t good you are sunk. Nobody should attend one school with the hope of making connections to people at another. Given what you are describing, I must admit to being surprised that MIT accepted you-not because you aren’t qualified but because MIT admissions can usually cull for those who want to be at MIT as opposed to students whose application is being fueled by a parental desire. Have you been accepted to both?
@lostaccount Yes, I have been. I did work with an admissions consultant. I recognize that gives me a leg up in the process. I was also accepted to Columbia and Dartmouth but I have eliminated both for other reasons.
I know that getting in to top schools is much easier for people with privilege. I just had the right parents and opportunities in life.
“Dad is paying the bills.” Will he pay for Duke? It’s funny how some parents are so prestige driven that all logic gets thrown out the window.
He will definitely pay for Duke. The money is not a consideration at all. I don’t want him to feel disrespected by me.
I also don’t think it is a prestige issue. He thinks I can just meet professors at Harvard’s medical school if I am an undergraduate at MIT. I don’t think that is how it works.
Harvard’s medical school is in a different campus-not in Cambridge at all.
My comment was not meant to disparage or suggest that you had some sort of advantage over other students at all. It’s simply that MIT is pretty good at selecting students who are highly driven to be at MIT for reasons very different than those you mention. It’s also a somewhat odd mix of schools you are considering. I’d think the overlap in applicants for Dartmouth and MIT would be low also. My impression is that Dartmouth’s bio program isn’t any where near as strong as that of Duke or MIT. But in terms of a door to Harvard medical school because it is closer? The medical school and related hospitals are in Boston whereas MIT is in Cambridge. Going to MIT to be closer to Harvard makes no sense.
@lostaccount Thank you for the clarification. I wasn’t offended at all.
I will be honest, I applied to virtually every top school and only started thinking about fit later. I was a compelling candidate at many places because I’ve done a few things at a very high level. I wasn’t one of those applicants with many interests but I was very committed to the ones I had.
I was just showing my Dad some of the responses I’ve received on this thread. He told me that he would be happy if I was happy and that it meant a lot to him that I cared so much about his feelings. Looks like it is going to be Duke.
Thank you all. I will be back on here if I have any other questions about college life.