Can someone help me weigh out my options here? I don’t want to ask which is the better school because that question can’t really be answered. But what do you think the strengths and weaknesses of each school are. Oh, and I aspire to go to med school. Thanks!
Hello there! I can’t tell you much about Emory, but I think I can shed some light on UVA vs Duke. I was a freshman from Duke and transferred ASAP to UVA.
Honestly, when it comes to prestige…all three are top-notch. You truly can’t go wrong as long as you work hard and maintain good grades. In all three schools, you need to be assertive to get to med school.
Socially, Duke sucked. Not gonna lie. The social pressure was awful. Everyone was either hooking up or drinking. The scene made me cringe. While I’m very extroverted and social, most people were turned off when they realised I couldn’t afford the typical “Vera Bradley” bag or the new “Lily Pulitzer” stuff. I’ve seen so many students from Duke develop eating disorders and anxiety issues because of the social stigma and the cliquish nature.
UVA, however, has been much better. Because it’s a bigger school, we have more variety. There is much less pressure to “fit in” and be a certain way. I regret not picking UVA first. While it is very Greek, it is VERY inclusive. People branch out to others who aren’t Greek. I think the student body is very respectful of each other and the honor code stands strong at UVA.
That’s my 2 cents. Good luck! You’ll do great no matter what.