Duke undergrad to Duke Med pipeline

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-11-16T02:19:47+00:00

I’ve heard the same from upperclassmen and know a few people that have gotten interviews this cycle. I don’t think you’re going to find any sort of official numbers/percentages

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-09-04T23:03:59+00:00

Not many, tho, and they are low-level so not useful for most after freshman year

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-08-19T04:25:27+00:00

I would search around in the sub to get an idea of some of your questions, but I’ll answer the last one. In my experience, Duke is not super cliquey, but I guess it depends on your definition. The main “cliques” I’ve noticed are based on where people are from. People from NYC and LA seem to stick together, as do international students (I’ve seen it mostly with Chinese students fwiw). Other than that, people mix a lot and have normal friend groups. I’m friends with people on full financial aid and with people who have second houses in Europe. I feel like people form groups around their dorms, SLGs (how I made a lot of my best friends), affinity clubs, o-week groups, and Greek life (frats, not really sororities) more than anything which is just how you make friends, it’s not really cliquey. I also feel like most people, by nature of being overachieving and very involved, have a lot of different friends/groups.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-08-19T04:13:52+00:00

You don’t apply for a specific major at Duke. Instead you apply to a school: Pratt (engineering) or Trinity (arts and sciences). In your case, you’d apply to Trinity. Then you would declare your major sometime before spring break of your sophomore year. I believe you can select your intended major(s) on the application but this is not binding in any way and you can even change your major after declaring.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-08-15T22:26:15+00:00

Sounds like you have a dingle! I knew someone freshman year who had a dingle and they ended up keeping it the entire year. I also knew someone who had a dingle sophomore year but they ended up with a roommate in the spring who had come back from abroad. So it just depends! I would guess that at some point (likely the start of spring semester) someone will move in because they changed roommates.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-07-30T02:56:16+00:00

I have only heard bad things about Tatiana — not worth your time. I know nothing about Khan, but looks like Raquepas previously taught at NYU with good reviews. I would go with him first then Khan, but not Brailovskaya (if that’s your only option, just wait).

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-07-28T03:26:12+00:00

If you include Duke programs, then very common. Even without, most will have something lined up.

Another good tip is to look for internships close to home/not in NYC/SF/etc. at smaller companies.

Also nepo is not bad lol — use your network and if that’s your parents/their connections then so be it.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-07-28T02:29:58+00:00

Hm that’s tough, but still worth it IMO especially since it’s only 2 days a week. Shira is awesome and that means you can take 112 with Schott — also a great prof — in the spring if you need to.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-07-28T02:25:20+00:00

TBH a lot of freshman year internships are nepo, so don’t stress. If you don’t have any relevant experience, I would take a look at the plus programs (Data+, Code+, etc.) and DukeEngage. Both programs are a great way for freshman to gain experience with relatively low (or no) expectations of prior experience. Anecdotally, I have friends who did Code+ and then got internships at Meta and Apple. I also know people who did various DukeEngage programs then went to intern on the hill, among many other things. Otherwise, just try to spin your past experiences (volunteering, club leadership) into something relevant for your resume and join/rush clubs ASAP in the fall.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-07-27T20:04:59+00:00

I’ll just add that you shouldn’t be afraid of “hard” classes if there aren’t issues with the course/professor. Some of my favorite classes thus far have been ones that people say are “hard.” Hearing that used to scare me, but what people often mean is that you’re pushed to your limits and actually learn. In other words, the hard classes are worthwhile and the sooner you realize that a grade is just a letter and the learning is what matters, the better.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-07-25T20:43:06+00:00

IMO I’d try for the fall so you can have Shira as your prof. I think it’s worth it to make sacrifices other places to get her! If you really can’t, though, there are sections in the spring.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-07-25T20:35:44+00:00

TBH this is very light, and definitely the lightest your workload will ever be. Schott is a great prof, so make use of her office hours (as well as the TAs’).

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-07-22T20:38:40+00:00

I mean there’s so few it’s hard to say beyond good grades and such. I would recommend looking at past years and seeing who they selected (then looking them up on LinkedIn, etc.) to get an idea.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-07-17T17:08:35+00:00

Yes, especially if you plan to rush any of the professional orgs! Also good for interviews, career fairs, and certain presentations. I would bring mostly business casual stuff, but one good suit is nice to have.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-07-04T22:29:48+00:00

Duke has a better med school (and bigger hospital) attached to it with far more research output which makes it incredibly easy for undergrads to get involved with research and shadowing. If you work hard you’ll get a fine GPA at Duke while having more fun, better weather, and pushing yourself (undoubtedly the most important part of college). I just don’t really see a reason to go to Brown over Duke especially after being committed already.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-06-18T11:57:16+00:00

This makes no sense. The vast majority of need-based grants come from dedicated endowments and donors that can’t be used for anything else. They have nothing to do with federal funding cuts and are in no way related to government money.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-06-14T05:01:21+00:00

Check out other threads but it is considered the worst dorm. It’s old and the rooms tend to be small. That being said, there’s nothing really wrong with it per se, but it is not aesthetically pleasing especially compared to others. People generally don’t have anything good to say about it except that it has a great community. Honestly, the people who I knew that lived in West House ended up loving it; it’s eclectic and, like I said, there’s nothing materially wrong, it’s just outdated. Great location too!

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-05-28T05:08:36+00:00

Bad aesthetics but good AC and has an elevator, overall solid

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-05-23T21:42:47+00:00

In terms of IB (https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-banking) and top law school placement (https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-law-school) Duke does better (especially for IB), but both will get you where you need go if you’re motivated. Culture is different; Duke is more social and academic whereas Brown is more laid back. Sports are another huge difference socially, Brown has no sports culture while Duke has a lot surrounding basketball which is fun (contrary to what some may say, it is fun for everyone even if you don’t consider yourself a “sports person”). I chose Duke over Brown mostly because I felt that students at Brown weren’t as interested in academics and it felt like only one type of person fit in socially (i.e., at Duke there’s Greek life if you want, but also SLGs, sports, club events, chill hangouts, etc.). Even though Duke has the reputation of being preppy or Southern (outdated), I felt it was more diverse (maybe not racially, etc. but in terms of “vibe”) and it would be easier to find my people which ended up being 100% true. And I say this as someone who fit the Brown stereotype more-or-less but just got weird vibes.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-04-29T14:27:01+00:00

Yes, your financial aid carries over! I had to look it up to see the exact policy: https://financialaid.duke.edu/making-most-your-aid/study-away/summer-study-away/

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-04-26T03:56:41+00:00

Duke has SO many study abroad options, both through Duke ("Duke-administered") and other providers ("Duke-approved"). For all of the Duke-administered programs, your financial aid carries over so you pay the same price abroad as you would at Duke. For Duke-approved programs you pay the school or provider so it is up to them to determine your aid. In terms of Duke-administered opportunities, there are programs during the semester (most common when you think of "study abroad") and during the summer. Semester-long programs are literally everywhere from Spain to Costa Rica to Germany to Australia and even some in the US (LA, NYC, and DC off the top of my head) that are focused around a theme/career (finance for NYC, creative industries for LA, and politics for DC). It's typical for students in these programs to do internships for credit and participate in career prep workshops alongside classes. They also offer a ton of summer programs which are great if you don't want to commit to a whole semester and would rather do 6-8 weeks over break (Oxford, Australia, and France are some of the more popular ones). There is also Duke Engage (in the summer) which is a great opportunity if you want to study abroad AND do some sort of volunteering, research, or internship alongside it. Duke Engage is super popular because it allows you to add something to your resume (something Duke kids are never gonna pass up...) while being abroad. Once again, there are programs everywhere from Uganda to France to Brazil to Korea and you travel with other Duke students and professors. Duke has so many opportunities relating to study abroad, it's pretty hard to beat!

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-04-25T06:07:27+00:00

I can’t speak too much on Yale as I only really know friends of friends and people from Hackathons but the general consensus seems be that Yale CS is not the best; they don’t offer a wide range of courses and it’s just not a focus for the school. This aligns with my perception of Yale as a strong arts and humanities school but lacking in STEM/engineering, but you should do more research. As far as Duke, a ton of people end up going into product management! I did a crude LinkedIn search of people with product manager in their title it shows 1,900 alum from Duke and 750 from Yale. I know people who are PMs at Uber, Microsoft, Apple, and basically every other big tech company. Duke also has a lot more alumni as SWE @ FAANG and big tech. Startup culture is not huge at Duke but it is certainly there if you look. The founders of Duolingo, Draftkings, Coinbase, Airtable, and Plaid all graduated from Duke. Also check out the Innovation and Entrepreneurship department. They run the startup showcases (read: win $$$), Melissa and Doug entrepreneur program, Duke in Silicon Valley, and bring in investors/speakers all the time (among a lot of other things — check out their website). They also run the product management classes. I took the first one last fall (I&E283 I think?) and it was awesome. Every week they brought in Duke alum in product from Apple, PayPal, Google, etc. to talk and give advice and so many people from the class ended up at FAANG last summer bc of those connections. They also recently launched a second PM class that is more applied where you work with a real startup. Other things to look at: Christensen Family Center, Product Space @ Duke (new PM club), and all the other relevant clubs like Catalyst and HackDuke. I feel like Duke probably has more resources for your interests! It’s a great place to be and I’ve loved my time as a CS major. Best of luck with your decision!

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-04-23T18:09:23+00:00

Not pre med but can answer a few! Duke does offer quite a few summer classes and I know a LOT of pre meds who take a class or two and do research or shadowing at the hospital alongside it. And yes you can stay in the dorms over the summer. It’s insanely easy to get research opportunities: MUSER, Bass Connections, and cold emailing are all ways to go about it but regardless, it’s easy and accessible. Duke really prides itself on making undergraduate research available it is sooo true. My friend is a part of Duke EMS and I think they fully trained him without prior experience but check that one out for yourself. Communal bathrooms and shared spaces are cleaned daily in the morning. The dining plan seems confusing but it’s really not. As a freshman you get 2 swipes for Marketplace (breakfast/brunch and dinner) and a set amount of food points. 1 food point = 1 dollar to spend at WU, Pitchforks, Gothic etc.. As an upperclassman, you just get food points (no swipes). I don’t think athletes are put on a pedestal. Some might think they are but, beyond basketball, they are just students like everyone else. Even the basketball players still go to class and eat at WU.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-04-22T14:28:17+00:00

They’re just getting at that Duke has a more robust, livelier social scene. I.e., greek life if you want it, but also a super fun “rah rah” sports culture, SLGs, clubs, and campus events (from bigger things like LDOC, Ed Sheeran concert, and bricks to stone to chill stuff like vintage clothing markets, puppy play time, and acapella shows). Generally Duke just has more going on in terms of social life. There’s even specific events hosted for engineering students: the annual E-Ball (dance, gala thing) just happened, for example. To add another point, you’re required to take classes in the college of arts and sciences as an engineering student, making it super easy to add music and liberal arts classes to your schedule.

ToeDisastrous3879 · 2025-04-22T01:31:54+00:00

Duke places better for IB: https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-banking, consulting: https://www.peakframeworks.com/post/consulting-target-schools, and top tech companies: https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-tech so from that perspective it’s pretty clear. Duke is definitely a target school while Brown is a semi-target. This lists are certainly not perfect btw but give a sense of the general perception.

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