Duke Medical School – Insider Review
Duke Medical School
Duke Medical School is one of the best medical schools in the America, ranking number 5 in the 2011 US World and News Report medical school rankings.
If you are interested in getting accepted to Duke Medical School, one of the top medical schools in the US, there are a lot of things that will need to be in your application to make you a competitive applicant. Check out my page on admissions to understand what Duke is looking for.
Getting accepted to a Top 10 Medical school like Duke School of Medicine is no easy feat. Coaching is a particularly good idea when you are shooting for a competitive school like Duke medical school.
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Now, back to information about this top medical school in the US!
Basic Information
- Name: Duke University School of Medicine
- Location: Durham, NC
- Public or Private: Private
- Accepts International Students: Yes
- School Website: Click here
- Very Competitive. As with any of the best medical schools in America, Duke medical school admissions are very competitive. You will need to stand out in every way to be accepted to this Top 10 Medical School. There were 4,832 applications for the 100 available seats.
- Average MCAT: 37
- Average GPA: 3.85
- Selection Factors. The selection factors for Duke medical school are very similar to those of other good medical schools and top medical schools in the US. They look for academic achievement, health care experience, community services,and leadership, among other things. Click here for a detailed explanation of criteria schools are looking
for. Click on these links to find out how to make these stand out on your interviews and personal statement.
- Multiple programs available. As other good medical schools do, Duke Medical School offers various combined degree programs for those interested. These include MD/MBA, MD/MPH, MD/JD, MD/PhD, MD/MPP, MD/MMCi, MD/MALS, MD/MSLS, MD/MHS in clinical research, MSC-Global Health.
- They Give You The Names! This is a key opportunity as you apply to Duke medical school. The school’s site lists who is on the admissions committee: Brenda Armstrong, Richard Wallace, Ruth Clark, Jeanine Holland. Search these people on PubMed before your interview. Understand their research and what they are about. If you are at Duke as an undergrad and Duke is your top medical school in the US, get to know these people through research or other ways. The truth in life is, who you know does matter. For more on choosing your best medical school, click here.
- For full information from the admissions website, click here
Financial
- Tuition: $47,977
- Loans: Federal loans are available as with other US medical schools.
- Scholarships: Duke medical school offers more scholarships than other top medical
schools in the US, with 20% of students receiving merit-based scholarships. Need based scholarships are also available. Click here to learn more about scholarships.
- Cost of Living: The cost of living is very affordable. You can rent a 2 bedroom apartment for around $600, a one bedroom for around $400-500.
Insider Information
- Very interested in research. Duke Medical School has a long history of setting itself apart for its research. As such, they will be looking for potential researchers at their school. If you are planning on going to this top medical school in the US, you will want to make sure you have solid research as part of your application.
- Unique curriculum with a wonderful opportunity to have two great degrees at the end of just 4 years. At Duke Medical School, you will start clinical rotations in your second year. Most medical schools will have two years of classroom teaching, then do electives during the third year. For more about the medical school curriculum, click here. Your third year then becomes a year for “scholarship,” which can either be clinical research or be used to pursue a joint degree. I wish I would have known about this! I would have gone for an MD/MBA. Year one teaches you both what’s normal in the body and what happens with disease, with 30% unstructured (read: independent study) time. You will also have a year long “practice course” that will teach you skills you will need during your clinical rotations (interviewing, physical exam, counseling, etc.). Year two are your usual required clinical electives. Year three, as stated above, is a “scholarship year” and year four continues to be a year for electives. This is a very, very distinguishing characteristic of this school and again, something I wish I would have known when applying a few years back!
- Special program for International Students. International graduates have the chance to enroll in the Duke National University of Singapore. This is a research-intensive medical school designed to help create leaders in research from all over the world. For more information about this great opportunity from one of the top medical schools in the US, click here.
- Primary Care Track Available. Duke University Medical School also offers an MD/Primary Care Leadership Track for those interested in primary care. You will be able to see your own patients for an extended time frame. You will also be able to speak up for your patient when they go to surgery or to other appointments that you refer your patients to. You will also receive a scholarship if you choose this program of $10,000 per year. You will need to sign a letter of intent of going into a primary care field. If
you choose something else, this turns into a loan. This is a great way to figure out whether primary care is for you and a great way to cut down on some of your debt if you’re set on primary care.
- Can you say Basketball? If you’re a college basketball fan, you know that you are entering into one of the most famous and most successful programs in the country. You’ll have a lot of fun cheering on a winning team at this very good medical school.
- Great reputation. Coming out of Duke medical school, your career options will be wide open, particularly with your opportunity to get two degrees in your four years.
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Summary
Duke Medical School offers great programs and earns its title as one of the best medical schools in America.
In my mind, Duke offers something extremely unique in that you can get two degrees in four years at their school. You also start your clinical training early, which I think is a very positive thing. Duke has an incredible reputation and you will be able to have residency options open to you coming from this one of the best medical schools in America. I would highly recommend Duke medical school for your medical education.
Get Accepted to Drexel Medical School
The medical school admissions process can be very difficult. Getting into your best medical school is not something that you should leave to chance! This site is designed to help you get into the school of your choice, maybe that’s Duke medical school! Check out my admissions page for understanding the admissions process.
Some students find it useful to employ a service to help them with getting into medical school. For a school as competitive as Duke, I would highly recommend coaching. There are many companies that will help you with this, but my recommendation is MedSchoolCoach.
MedSchoolCoach is run by doctors with experience on admissions committees. This makes a big difference as many companies are run by business people or others without this essential experience. They also have an excellent track record, placing 100% of students in an MD or DO program and 87% in an MD program for those who sign up for their gold package. They also offer help with personal statements , interviews and help on choosing which schools to apply to. They are the company I recommend.
I also like them because their prices are very affordable compared to other companies you could choose. Also, click here for current discounts from MedSchoolCoach. Remember, about 60% of applicants are not accepted to any medical school! Don’t be one of the 60%! The cost of reapplying could easily be as much as getting help the first time around to help you get accepted. You can also specifically request that I work with you on your application if you wish. I served on the UCLA admissions and work particularly with essays, AMCAS applications, general advising, and have experience with California and Texas schools. I’d be happy to help you get into the school of your choice! Click here to visit MedSchoolCoach
