Premed - Dartmouth or Duke~

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
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<p>Hm...The title of the thread says it all~
But let me clarify things becuz i noe "many people" will go "another premed...?!?!"</p>

<p>First and foremost, I know that both schools are great~! (I know i'm splitting a hair...)
But i'm simply tryin to find the "best" school~</p>

<p>Research: I feel duke beats dartmouth marginally in this area because duke is a full blown university~ In terms of research technology, # of opportunities, etc. Above all, the research triangle exists at Duke~ Anyone wish to clarify? Dartmouth also has chances and everything, but does it compete with duke?</p>

<p>Undergrad Focus: Dartmouth beats duke here because dartmouth is mainly undergrads...I feel duke, though they do say that they focus on undergrads a lot, still has a preference over grad students in terms of research opportunities, etc. Clarification?</p>

<p>Volunteer Opportunities: Since Duke is next to Durham/Hospital...I feel that duke has more opportunities to do a variety of volunteering chances from tutoring local students to helping people at the local hospital~ I know Dartmouth has its own hospital, but the size is nothing in comparison~ The rural location of Dartmouth simply seems to prevent as many opportunities than Duke...Am i mistaken about this?</p>

<p>Flexibility of Curriculum: D-Plan...OMG!!! I feel that the D-Plan can kind of make up for all the lack of opportunities that the location of Dartmouth fails to offer~ I feel that I can go anywhere to experience all sorts of things at Dartmouth while im limited to North Carolina at Duke year-long except in the summers~ Duke's semester system seems like any other college where i can only study abroad realistically for one semester while at Dartmouth i can actually study abroad many times if i truly want~</p>

<p>Studying Abroad: I know that both schools have great programs...But Dartmouth seems to offer more~ Hahaha What do you guys think?</p>

<p>Fun: In all honesty, both schools seem like O.O when it comes to fun~ Frats exist in both and are crazy at both...Though im curious if Duke is rather exclusive cuz i know Dartmouth parties are open to everyone~ Dartmouth has a crap load of outdoor stuff from kayaking to snowboarding (!!!!!!) but Duke is near Chapel Hill...The classic college town~ </p>

<p>Community: I keep getting the vibe that Dartmouth is very inter-connected and that everyone knows each other~ Everyone becomes good friends with one another while at Duke i feel that everyone splits into factions and has their "own" group of friends~ I wanna ask if that Duke vibe i get is actually kind of true~ Because the tight-knit community that Dartmouth offers is hard to beat, but I wanna know if Duke also has it~ Cuz the Duke vibe seems to be that ppl cant hang out w/ the jocks if you aern't that "cool"</p>

<p>In the end...I wanna become a doctor. However, i know undergrad comes once in my life and i shouldnt limit myself to ONLY the sciences cuz if i go to medical school my life will be dominated by the sciences. As you can tell...I'm really divided b/w the two schools a lot! I feel Dartmouth is more humanities oriented (the LAC style) while Duke gives more of the science vibe (university style)~ Ultimately, I enjoy everything about Dartmouth but i'm afraid that Duke's strong science opportunities/volunteer opportunities/premed opportunities (things i can do to get into medical school) are generally/marginally stronger than Dartmouth's! I feel that Duke could possibly do a better job in placing me into a great medical school with its 85% placement record! But at the same time, Duke might trap me inside that "premed bubble" where sciences dominate me while at Dartmouth i'll be more well-rounded? Haha >.<</p>

<p>Opinions anyone?</p>

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<p>I can answer some of your questions.</p>

<p>Research: I don’t know about research opportunities at Dartmouth, but they seem plentiful at Duke. I know people that didn’t have any research experience from high school, and they found a position freshman year. This varies from department to department, but generally, faculty seem pretty open to working with undergraduates.</p>

<p>Volunteer opportunities: I guess this would be the one and only good thing about Durham being a relatively poor area. I currently work as a tutor in the public schools, and they always need more. In addition, there is a large Hispanic population. And of course, the hospital runs many volunteer programs as well.</p>

<p>Flexibility of curriculum: I don’t know anything about the D-plan, but we have program II, where you can construct your own major. Also, it is possible to study abroad 2 semesters if you’d like, but so far I’ve only met one person who has desired to leave Duke for 2 semesters.</p>

<p>Fun: Frat parties aren’t exclusive at Duke. They, too, are open to everyone.</p>

<p>Community: Since all the freshman live on one campus freshman year, I think there is a lot of class unity. Having major sports teams like basketball also does a good job and bringing the University together.</p>

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<p>If you are pre-med, it seriously doesn’t matter. Go with wherever that fits you better so that you can achieve your full potential.</p>

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<p>Yeah Dartmouth placement is fantastic, both of these schools place med students above 85% and are feeders into top med schools. Go to the one you think is a better fit. The differences academically are too moot to choose based on that reason.</p>

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<p>On the “openness” of Frat Parties at Duke…</p>

<p>PPham27–</p>

<p>While you are right that the University insists that all parties on campus be open all students, I definitely don’t think you could say that after Freshman Fall Semester non-affiliated guys are really welcomed at frat parties. My guess is this is the same at other schools with “open” Greek parties, but I can only speak to my experience at Duke.</p>

<p>The Greek scene at Duke is strong, there is no doubt about that. But if you don’t want to join it, there are certainly other options.</p>