Should I Apply Early to Duke or Princeton? (Pre MD/PhD)

Chance Me / Match Me!
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I’m trying to decide between EDing Duke or SCEAing Princeton. I’m not sure which one I like more, so I was wondering if people could say a bit about each school especially pertaining to life as a premed and my interests listed below. Duke is set up better for pursuing clinical experience, but would Princeton’s name carry more weight? What about research accessibility? Relationships with profs?

I want to pursue an MD/Ph.D and major in BME, bio, or chem. I also hope to do research starting early in college (I have wet lab experience at Stanford Med School if that’s relevant) and obtain clinical experience. I also love playing sports (not basketball, though) and hope to pursue both at the club level, and I enjoy hiking and the outdoors. I won’t share my stats but I’d consider myself a very competitive applicant at both schools, but I have a much higher chance of getting into Duke because I also have significant legacy.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

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I am confused by “would Princeton’s name carry more weight.” More weight for what? If you are referring to an acceptance to an MD/PhD program, the answer is no.

Are both schools affordable? I get the impression that Duke is the better choice for you, but we do not know you. Do you have a favorite right now?

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If you ED to Duke and get in, will you regret not applying to Princeton? What about vice versa? ED is about your top choice. ED/SCEA to the school that is your clear first choice above all others.

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Princeton doesn’t have a strong sports culture. Also pure pre meds have a somewhat harder time at Princeton because they are competing against kids that are headed for a PhD in Chem or Bio.

Also I am not sure P has BME.

Maybe Duke is a better fit.

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Many premeds take classes with students who intend to apply to phd programs in biology, chemistry etc.

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Princeton has something called “Chemical and Biological Engineering”

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Which do you prefer? Legacy is a way to increase the chance but what’s the point if you don’t prefer.

Both are strong pre-med but I’ve been to both multiple times and I don’t find them similar at all. Have you been to both ? Which do you prefer ?

From what I see online third party, it does seem Duke legacy greatly helps. That’s great IF it’s your top choice.

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CBE is not BME

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Of course not but the OP mentioned BME, bio, or chem and it falls in that same general area.

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Thankfully, cost is not an issue for my family, but obviously we don’t want to spend money if we don’t have to, so Duke’s merit scholarships are also something I’m taking into account.
I’ve only visited Duke (Pre-College program last summer), and I really enjoyed the campus and the overall vibe. I’m a bit worried about life off campus: I’m from CA, so I’m used to a very progressive environment, and I also enjoy spending time in bigger cities. It seems Princeton is better than Durham because it’s closer to NYC and Philly, but I have no idea how often college students actually leave campus. I’m doing research all summer at Stanford, so I can’t travel, but I will definitely try to visit Princeton in September to check it out @tsbna44.
I think I’m leaning toward Duke, but as @SouthYankie said, I’d regret it if I didn’t apply to Princeton, but right now, that’s honestly mainly due to Princeton’s prestige/name, not the school itself. Then again, I also don’t like the idea of gambling with Duke’s super low RD acceptance rate, especially since I have a good shot at getting in early.

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Duke is very prestigious and will provide what you need in order to apply to medical school, PhD programs, or MD/Phd programs. As you know, it’s on you to take advantage.

That area of NC is progressive compared to other parts of the state.

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So medical school is very pricey - so even if you’re full pay, note it’s many hundreds of thousands more.

You can go most anywhere for med school - but if you’re thinking Princeton is better for med-school, well it’s in the eye of the beholder, but according to College Transitions - they are relatively equal with Duke having a slight edge. This table is adjusted for undergrad enrollment.

Rank (Total) Institution #MD Graduates Top Med School (#1) Top Med School (#2)
1 Stanford University 1269 Stanford University School of Medicine Harvard Medical School
2 Harvard University 1742 Harvard Medical School Yale University School of Medicine
3 Yale University 991 Harvard Medical School Yale University School of Medicine
4 Columbia University 998 Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Harvard Medical School
5 Duke University 694 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine Harvard Medical School
6 Princeton University 563 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Harvard Medical School
7 Johns Hopkins University 599 The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
8 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 439 Harvard Medical School Stanford University School of Medicine
9 Amherst College 176 Harvard Medical School University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
10 Northwestern University 811 Northwestern University - The Feinberg School of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
11 California Institute of Technology 85 David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA University of California, San Diego - School of Medicine
12 Dartmouth College 396 Harvard Medical School Weill Medical College of Cornell University
13 Haverford College 106 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Harvard Medical School
14 Williams College 166 Harvard Medical School University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
15 Swarthmore College 118 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Harvard Medical School
16 Rice University 300 Baylor College of Medicine Harvard Medical School
17 Pomona College 115 David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
18 Brown University 419 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Yale University School of Medicine
19 Davidson College 109 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine Emory University School of Medicine
20 University of Pennsylvania 698 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine Harvard Medical School
21 Washington University in St. Louis 402 Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis Northwestern University - The Feinberg School of Medicine
22 Emory University 356 Emory University School of Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
23 Case Western Reserve University 247 Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
24 Cornell University 664 Weill Medical College of Cornell University University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
25 Vanderbilt University 283 Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Emory University School of Medicine
26 Bowdoin College 259 Harvard Medical School Emory University School of Medicine
27 University of Chicago 244 The University of Chicago Prtizker School of Medicine Northwestern University - The Feinberg School of Medicine
28 Wellesley College 93 Yale University School of Medicine Harvard Medical School
29 Wesleyan University 107 Weill Medical College of Cornell University Yale University School of Medicine
30 Oberlin College 90 Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
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The chance to apply early to Duke with legacy is a pretty great opportunity. Politics in NC are always going to be a mixed bag, but Wake County is pretty progressive. Raleigh is only about 1/3 the size of Philadephia, but it’s still a city… and getting into Philly or NYC from Princeton isn’t so convenient that you’d do it often. You’ve even spent time at Duke and liked it. Reputationally, they’re peers - different strengths, but I’m not hearing you pointing to any compelling distinction. Personally, if the main thing that’s deterring you from a binding app at Duke is the “Ivy vs. Ivy-peer” distinction, I don’t think that deserves very much weight. As you say, Duke has the edge in terms of clinical opportunities; and they’re both so strong in terms of research that there’s little point comparing. I would go ahead and play that legacy/ed card if I were you. Splitting hairs between T10 schools is pointless if you’ve got one that’s a good fit and you have an admissions hook there.

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Thanks for this resource! I actually haven’t seen it before, and it’s quite helpful.

Best case scenario is I get into an MSTP program and don’t have to pay for med school, but I know how competitive those programs are and doubt I can get in haha.

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Thank you, those are all really good points, and I hadn’t synthesized them in my brain like that yet. I think now the main distinctions come down not to pure academics but to special programs and student life: I like Princeton’s residential colleges, eating clubs, Outdoor Action program, and ReMatch program. With the exception of residential colleges and eating clubs, though, it seems Duke has some similar programs to Princeton.

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This article (and others that it links to) might be useful: How Duke's QuadEx residential housing system compares to those at other universities - The Chronicle

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Students tend to spend most of their time on campus. From what youve said, if youre sure youd be happy at duke, i would ED there and take the stress off yourself if you get in.

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It takes 1.5-2 hours to get to either city from Princeton.

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FWIW when my S visited Duke they told him they used to have a Chick-fil-e on campus but the students kicked it out bc of the company’s political stance.

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It is in an NCAA D1 conference, although football is FCS rather than FBS.