Nobody on campus cares. If there is a major Harvard vs Princeton football game, maybe 10-15% of the stadium fills up. They care even less for other games.
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I just thought I would give my opinion here.
I do not think that the difference in “prestige” will matter at all. Both Duke and Princeton are very good universities and are very well regarded. Both schools will have very tough premed classes that are full of very strong students. As others have mentioned, there will be some very strong students who are not premed in these classes, such as students who might be going on to a PhD and even some students who might be thinking about veterinary school, or cancer research, or something else (both of my daughters were in a lot of premed classes with no intention to get an MD). Some of these other students will be just as strong as the premed students.
If you want to go on to medical school, you will need a lot of experience in medical environments. For going on to a PhD, research experience will be important. Some students will get some of this experience after getting a bachelor’s degree and before applying to graduate programs, but having experience while you are an undergrad will be very valuable. Both daughters also found the experience that they gained while they were undergraduate students was valuable in terms of getting their first job after getting their bachelor’s degree (before applying for graduate programs).
This makes sense to me.
I think that you are comparing excellent with excellent, and it it going to be tough to find significant advantages either way (except for the probability of being accepted given that you are legacy at Duke).
Do you care that Duke is nearly twice the size of Princeton? Do you feel that you have a preference just in terms of where you would like to be?
Either would require flying back and forth from California.
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As you know, there are many schools that will get you to medical school, PhD, or combined MD-PhD programs. Given your interest in attending one of these two outstanding schools, my recommendation is to apply ED to Duke. You liked the school and felt comfortable when you visited. I will tell you that the surrounding area is more progressive than some parts of the northeast.
There will be no shortage of premeds, as well as students interested in PhD and combined MD-PhD programs. These students will be in class together.
Good luck with your decision!
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If you are unhooked Asian with stellar academics, better be realistic and ED at Duke.
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Duke. Take advantage of legacy if it still exists when you apply
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The OP said nothing about race. I assume they’re not URM or they would have said so. I think the advice to take the ED+Legacy boost at Duke is sound, without speculating about specifics that haven’t even been mentioned.
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You are right.
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In order to be a successful med school applicant, you will be expected to have “clinical” experience, as well as experience shadowing a physician. Princeton University does not have a medical school. The nearest hospital is Princeton Medical Center which is a community hospital with academic affiliations to Rutgers - RWJ.
So at Princeton you will certainly be able to get lab experience, things will be a bit more difficult for shadowing and clinical experience. Duke has a hospital right on campus making things a lot easier. Having a medical school also makes it easier to do research that is clinically oriented. Successful MD-PhD applicants have to demonstrate interest and aptitude in research.
Also keep in mind that you’ll need to maintain a high GPA to be competitive. There is no advantage to majoring in something like engineering. You’ll be much better off majoring in something where you can get a high GPA. Princeton is known for being grade deflating, especially the engineering majors.
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