My top school right now is Duke. I love it. I love how they have amazing programs for chemistry and biomedical engineering, and it is so easy to switch between both of these since I am still undecided. However, this aspect is something that I have found unique Duke–most schools either don’t have engineering at all, only have engineering, or offer engineering as a school you apply into and can’t easily switch out of. I also love the area Duke is in, its facilities, size (on the smaller end of the spectrum but that’s ok), Jewish population represented, school spirit with the basketball team, and the overall vibe from the people there. I really haven’t found any other schools that match up to any of these aspects about Duke, and I don’t think Duke is anyone’s safety school. Feeling that I have exhausted the search for schools in the US, I have even started looking international. Does anyone know of schools similar to Duke in the ways outlined above or international schools especially good in premed/chemistry/biomedical engineering? Also, any advice on how to be more open-minded or discover new schools I might like? Thank you so much!!
Do you have the stats for Duke?
USC?? If you have the stats may be a good option.
If you get a direct admit into an engineering program it is generally not hard to switch out of engineering and into the liberal arts part of the school. I really think you can find many options if you research. Get your hands on some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review), talk to your guidance counselor, and get more ideas.
Some ideas offhand with no research and not knowing your stats --Have you looked at places like UM, UW, UMD, Pitt, and other large schools like those? Northwestern? UDelaware? What about a mid-sized school like Lehigh (not big time sports but a fun sports rivalry with Lafayette)? Maybe SUNY Buffalo as a safety?
Be sure to look at affordability as well if that is an issue.
As an aside, IMO it is a mistake to fixate on one school – especially a hyper competitive one. Duke is a reach for most everyone. Your goal must be to seek out a group of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (run net price calculators) and that you would be happy to attend.
Even with the stats, Duke is a crapshoot meaning that they probably reject more students with above average stats (for Duke) than they accept.
Tulane?
I just got a 32 taking the ACT blind, and am taking it again (after practicing/studying) in June. My school has a GPA out of a weighted scale 4.8 scale I believe…I had a 4.42 as of the end of my sophomore year, but it will be recalculated at the end of this year (my junior year) and I believe it will go up since I got all A’s and A+'s in my APs and accelerated classes. Duke’s ACT range is a 31-34, but on naviance which tells the score people from my school needed to get in, it’s a 35 and the GPA is a 4.5. Yes, regardless of if I did have these stats, Duke is still a reach. I am trying to find more targets and safeties…but I want a school on the smaller end of medium and feel like every safety someone runs by me is so large. I’ve looked into Honors programs at larger schools but in the end I don’t like big schools. Anyone know safeties that might be a good match? Also, is Rice similar to Duke? I’ve heard about some similarities…
Not sure if you would like it, but Union in NY? Tufts? Northeastern? Suggestion of Lehigh is good. They all hit some of your points.
Wake Forest has a new Wake Downtown facility in Winston-Salem. It is for the biosciences and will have lots of interaction with the med school. The new programs there include bioengineering and drug innovation. Wake is in the ACC with Duke and has a little under 5000 undergrads. The school’s leadership is very dynamic. Rice is very similar, and I doubt a student could get a better education anywhere. I would agree Northwestern, USC, and Tulane would be possibilities as well, same with Pittsburgh, which offers good aid. I think Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has a tremendous campus vibe (D3 in sports though). It has a very new biosciences facility. There are 4-5000 undergrads. Learning is very hands-on and project-based. Virginia Tech is an excellent STEM school, and students completely love it there. It’s also in the ACC. Large, but not overwhelming.
If Duke stays your #1, and you can afford it, I suggest applying early. It is one of the schools where that appears to be a big advantage. Wake has ED2, so you could potentially take a crack at both.
There are thousands of schools in the US. Many, many are outstanding. A smaller subset have engineering, but still many. You can find other places where you will have a wonderful experience and meet and learn from/with amazing people. It’s not the kind of thing where there is just one answer. Good luck!
Thank you so much to everyone who commented!! I am looking into every school that you have suggested! Does anyone know anything about finding international schools that match/ know any good ones for premed or biomedical engineering? Thank you so much!!!
For further ideas in the U.S., these colleges tend to be solid for pre-med advising and support:
http://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/lists/list/the-experts-choice-colleges-with-great-pre-med-programs/199/
Re: international (not including Canada):
International is NOT a good choice for international students, as in almost all cases you study the one subject (or pre-set combination of subjects). Biomedical engineering as such is not a common undergrad course- you would probably be looking at biomedical sciences courses.
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I also love the area Duke is in, its facilities, size (on the smaller end of the spectrum but that’s ok), Jewish population represented, school spirit with the basketball team, and the overall vibe from the people there.
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Most international unis are state-run schools. The research facilities at the big names can be great, but the overall facilities are not going to be what you are used to in the US. For example, compare the sports facilities or student centres at any of the ‘name’ international unis with Duke. The Jewish population (outside Israel, obvs) will exist, but it will be small, and (at least in the 3 western European countries that I am familiar with), quite different on the student level. And with the possible exception of the Oxford - Cambridge Summer Eights, uni sporting events are not the campus-wide phenomenon that they are at places like Duke. Campus-centric (v urban- think NYU) unis are uncommon outside the US.
If you want to do med school in the US, Canada is tied into the US system; it will be much harder to get into med school from any international uni.
And you really haven’t exhausted US options: you have Duke goggles on. But most crushes end up being unrequited and you need to focus really, really hard on finding some schools that you can love who will love you back. Always easy to covet the popular one, but sometimes the quiet one over on the side is not only just as good, but a better match.
You might consider Canadian schools, but it is true that many European universities are very professional, narrowly focused, and single track. You start taking classes in your field and continue right through. If you want to change fields, i.e. biosciences to chemistry, you often have to go back to go. If you really want to look internationally, besides Canada, you might look at Australia and South Africa, in particular the University of Cape Town. It is a highly ranked global university in a beautiful city. I would suggest, though, that you are probably best off in the US or maybe Canada with a semester or year abroad. In biosciences, you would probably need to work with an advisor to get your classes lined up correctly if you are going to study abroad. It certainly can be done but requires more planning than for an arts/social sciences student.
USC and Tulane are more urban than Duke. I’m more familiar with USC, and it does feel like a city school. Nice campus, but urban. Good luck!
correction to #11: it should read 'international is not a good choice for undecided students!
Duke has had issues with anti-semitism. Here is one example: http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2016/10/racial-anti-semitic-and-homophobic-slurs-painted-under-the-east-campus-bridge-before-naacp-event-sunday
Should you be interested in a pursuing a Ph.D
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/infographics/top-feeders-phd-programs
I would be very careful about international or even Canadian schools for pre-med. It can be done, but pay very close attention to the courses you are taking. They tend not to have a typical “US focused” premed program you can follow. We have a close friend who recently graduated McGill and had to do some extra courses before they had completed the course load the US med schools wanted, fwiw. It can be done, obviously, but takes a bit more planning/research and you will get less support from the (some of) the schools.
As previously mentioned, Lehigh or Wake could be a good fit for you. Both schools pleasantly surprised me during visits. On the less selective and larger side of things, schools that seem more open to transferring out of or into engineering include Ohio State and Clemson. Both have great honors programs that really make the school feel smaller.
If you like Duke (and have a reasonable chance of getting in there) you should also look for a similar “feel” at Northwestern, UPenn, Dartmouth, Rice, Vanderbilt and Georgetown. Somewhat easier for admissions but also similar in feel would be Boston College and UVa.
I can’t speak to the engineering part of your discussion.