<p>I am in-state and I want to do some sort of engineering (probably BME) and eventually go to medical school. Uva and duke are the two main schools i am looking at (penn is too much $$ whereas duke has a special duke work study that i can make 15k in- ive already talked logistics with the financial aid supervisor there). The question is- should i give up duke for uva rodman? im really not sure what to do- they are both great schools. will either school help or hurt my chances of going to medical school? Thanks for all help given!</p>
<p>Both Duke and UVA are excellent universities, although it is fair to suggest that Duke has a marginal advantage in general stature and in academic reputation. Obviously, both are perceived as providing outstanding pre-medical preparation.</p>
<p>Critically, however, one should probably not select an undergraduate institution – or a professional school, for that matter – based solely upon its current status; equally relevant is what that standing may be in a few decades, when today’s college student is likely to be in the most competitive part of his career. </p>
<p>UVa’s recent Sullivan-Dragas governance fiasco (in my opinion) highlights some decisive long term problems that will be VERY difficult to resolve. I firmly believe that crisis wasn’t – at its core – about personalities or oversight processes; rather, it was about the University’s future and the policies/financial resources required to achieve that vision.</p>
<p>UVa traditionally has received about 10 percent of its revenues from the Commonwealth’s taxpayers, but that number has precipitously declined in the last few years to approximately 5 percent. In addition, the University’s strong alumni base generally is not accustomed to providing MAJOR funding – they may well believe it is primarily a public responsibility – on a basis similar to private peer institutions (such as the Ivies, Stanford, Duke, MIT, Northwestern, and so forth). In fact, UVA’s most recent capital campaign was not fully successful (deadlines extended and objectives modified), which has not been the case for most of its (prominently private) peers.</p>
<p>The very best universities REQUIRE unbelievable financial resources to fulfill their missions. For example, as expensive as Duke may appear, EVERY student enrolled (even those who pay all expenses with personal/family funds) receives a de facto $20 to $25K annual scholarship, because the actual costs of his education exceed full tuition (and all other fees) by that amount. I fear UVa is on the cusp of a pervasive, critical, and long term financial problem: (a) it will not receive the funding it needs from Commonwealth taxpayers (in aggregate, Virginia’s budgetary demands are simply too great); (b) large in-state tuition increases are not viable and greatly increasing non-Virginian enrollment is politically untenable; and © alumni donations do not reach the levels of private peer universities. Thus, this is virtually certain to necessitate substantial reductions in crucial resources, especially in faculty compensation (the fully burdened cost for top professors is VERY large, but they frequently are decisive in an institution’s reputation ). It is important to recognize that this potential decline (and it will be pervasive, encompassing much more than the faculty alone) will take many years to occur, but unless revenues increase (unlikely) or expenses decrease (even more so), in my opinion it is a distinct possibility for UVa during the next half century.</p>
<p>How could this adversely impact you? In four years, when your resume reaches the hiring decision maker’s desk or your application for medical school is evaluated by the Admissions Committee, both will surely say, “Great, Virginia is a truly fine university.” However, what happens when that resume is being evaluated in, perhaps, thirty years for a potential senior faculty appointment at Harvard or Hopkins Med or to join the national governing board of internists? Will UVa’s financial issues have caused its reputation to decline during that rather lengthy period? Conversely, Duke’s trajectory continues to ascend rapidly, as it has for 45+ years. I am convinced this profound trend will continue, based upon numerous and frequent public – and private – recognitions of academic quality, selectivity, stature, fiscal strength, and so forth.</p>
<p>Consequently, my “bottom line” is as simple as I believe it to be important: one does not select an undergraduate school only for its immediate academic and intellectual potential. Rather, one opts for a university for its ENDURING benefits. In essence, I respectfully suggest that Duke is a very wise investment, which will provide especially substantial long-term returns, whereas I am somewhat skeptical regarding UVa’s multi-decade efficacy.</p>